Napa Rose’s New Cocktails

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

From Pam Brandon on Disney Parks Blog:

“We asked our bartenders to come up with 20 cocktails to feature at Napa Rose,” says Philippe Tosques, general manager of the restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Philippe and restaurant manager Eric Quezada challenged bartenders Matt Ellingson, Ryland Brown and Joe Monje to come up with incredible libations, featuring all sorts of unusual combinations.

“Eric and I both were pleasantly surprised by the complexity and flavor profiles,” says Philippe. How about the British Spitfire with VeeV Acai, Domaine de Canton Ginger and fresh lemon honey syrup? Or the Equinox, with Calvados, Liquor 43, Goldschlager, Cherry Heering and fresh lime juice. There’s also a classic Old Fashioned and a Manhattan, and the signature Napa Rose with Beefeater gin, Campari, Drambouie, fresh lemon juice and Peychaud bitters.

Below is the recipe for the Bitter Storm. “I think this is a really good reflection of what we’re doing at the Napa Rose bar,” says Philippe.

Bitter Storm
Serves 1

¾ ounce Bulleit Bourbon
¾ ounce Fernet-Branca
½ ounce Cherry Heering liqueur
½ ounce Poire William brandy
½ ounce Orgeat syrup
¾ ounce lemon juice
Grapefruit peel, for garnish

  1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker; fill with ice and vigorously shake for 30 seconds.
  2. Strain into a tall chilled classed filled with ice. Garnish with grapefruit peel.

Hotel Guests Get Speical World of Color Privilege

WDWNT on July 4, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

We have some exciting news to share this holiday weekend. Starting tomorrow morning, Sunday, July 4, the Disney California Adventure park gate at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will open at 9:00 a.m. exclusively for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests so they can get in line for Disney’s FASTPASS tickets to each evening’s performances of “World of Color.” The Disneyland Resort hotels include the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.‬ The main entrance will open, as scheduled, at 9:30 a.m. for all other day guests.

While Park hours may vary, please check disneyland.com for the most up-to-date schedule. The early access for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests at the Disney California Adventure park gate at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will be 30 minutes earlier than the opening listed for main entrance.

This is a great benefit for guests staying at Disneyland Resort Hotels, but guests not staying at the hotels will still have access to Disney’s FASTPASS tickets for “World of Color.

Fires All Around The Resort

WDWNT on May 19, 2010

Today there was a small fire at the Grand Californian Hotel in the Storyteller’s Cafe at about 8:30 a.m.

From the OC Register:

A fire broke out in a pizza oven in the hotel’s Storytellers Cafe, where French toast was being prepared, Sabol said. The heat prompted a sprinkler to go off, spraying water into the oven and creating smoke and steam, Brown said.

About 1,000 hotel guests and employees were evacuated from the restaurant and that wing of the hotel, leaving through the lobby to the valet drop-off area, Brown said. Firefighters searched all the floors.

No injuries were reported and the hotel once again open to the public.

And then there was a second fire alarm today this time located in New Orleans Square.

Pirates stopped sending new boats and Blue Bayou closed it’s doors for 10 minutes. The cause was found to be a false alarm on a elevator.  They re-opened shortly after

Vacation Villa With a View

WDWNT on May 29, 2009

With the scheduled late-September opening of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa, Disneyland Resort guests will be able to kick back in home-like surrounds in the middle of the magic, with windows of some units framing views of Disney vacation fun. The opening of the 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas marks Disney Vacation Club’s first accommodations on the West Coast. While members of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) have “first dibs,” overnight guests can rent the units on an availability basis.

With the scheduled late-September opening of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, vacationers at Disneyland Resort in California – whether Disney Vacation Club Members or overnight guests – will be able to unwind and stretch out in an environment that celebrates the influences of California’s renowned Arts & Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th century. The villas are part of a Grand Californian expansion that also includes more than 200 new hotel rooms, a new swimming pool and underground valet parking. The hotel currently offers 745 rooms. Depicted in this rendering is the north courtyard of the Grand Californian.

People Still Vacation!

WDWNT on March 31, 2009

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

As hundreds of workers hang drywall, weld girders, pour concrete and install plumbing in the new wing of Disney’s Grand Californian, the sales staff are kicking off selling space in 50 time shares.

The villas at the Grand, to be completed in the fall, will be the 10th location in Disney’s growing “Vacation Club” business.

Mike Brunson, the sales director for Disney Vacation Club on the West Coast, said he expects the timeshares to sell out fast, despite the spiraling economy.

“We’re actually finding we’re doing very, very well,” he said. “In economic times like these, people still vacation. We’re actually growing year over year.”

The vacation club is based on a points system, Brunson said. Consumers tend buy between 160 and 300 points at $112 a point – so a typical timeshare with the club costs an average of $18,000 to $30,000. The 200 to 300 points refresh every year.

Annual fees, in addition to the cost of the time share, run about $500 or $600, according to the Disney Vacation Club member Website.

Members use the points like Monopoly money to purchase nights in suites at any of the Disney resorts. For example, a studio – basically a hotel room with a kitchenette – sleeps up to four and costs as much as 227 points per week during the busiest season in spring and during the holidays. In the slowest seasons, a week in a studio is 129 points.

There are also one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom Grand Villa suites that get pricier – 160 points a night in the busiest season.

There are two “Grand Villa” suites under construction at Disneyland, with balconies overlooking Paradise Pier and what will be the “World of Color” light, water and pyrotechnic show each night.

The Worldmark Anaheim timeshare resort opened in the nearby Anaheim Gardenwalk about six months ago, and officials from Wyndham, the company that operates the huge unit, said all the space was sold out by the time the resort opened.

Worldmark spokeswoman Liz Hutchison said that timeshare resort has been at almost full occupancy since it opened.

“Consumer demand remains strong,” Hutchison said.

For more information about the Disney Vacation Club, visit www.disneyvacationclub.com.

More pictures are available at the link to the OC Register.

The Rest of The Year at The Disneyland Resort

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

As Summer Nightastic! lights up the night this summer at Disneyland Resort, more exciting Disney attractions and experiences are on the horizon.

GET A DISNEY STUDIO STAR MAKEOVER AT STUDIO DISNEY 365
Opening Friday, June 26, in Downtown Disney, Studio Disney 365 offers aspiring stars, age 3 and up, makeover transformations and an opportunity to walk the carpet for a grand, show-business-style entrance. Girls and boys can choose from a range of “rock star” hair, makeup and costume options for their own scene-stealing experience, inspired by the characters from “Hannah Montana.”

HOT AND COLD RUNNING CHILLS
The summer-long celebration of a Disneyland landmark, Haunted Mansion, begins in June with the roll-out of new Haunted Mansion-themed additions to the popular Disney pin-trading program. On Sunday, Aug. 9, the 40th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion opening, the popular artist Shag will be in the Disneyana shop on Main Street, U.S.A. signing his new Haunted Mansion artwork. www.artofdisney.com

DISNEY UP CLOSE AND BEHIND THE SCENES AT D23 EXPO
D23, the official community for Disney fans, will present its first-ever D23 Expo Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 10-13, at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland Resort. D23 Expo will offer fans unprecedented access to never-before-seen movies, TV shows, theme park experiences, collectibles and more. Early glimpses of upcoming new Disney movies, a look ahead to new vacation destinations and theme park attractions (including the expansion of Disney’s California Adventure) and an extraordinary exhibition of classic and contemporary Disney artifacts will be among the highlights of D23 Expo. In addition, D23 Expo will be the home for the 2009 Disney Legend Awards, a 22-year tradition that pays tribute to the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to Disney entertainment. For more information, visit www.D23EXPO.com.

DISNEY VACATION CLUB COMES WEST
Disney Vacation Club’s first accommodations on the West Coast will welcome its first occupants on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The 50 two-bedroom-equivalent vacation villas are part of a Grand Californian expansion that also includes 200 new hotel rooms, a new swimming pool and underground parking. Bookings begin in June for the first Disney Vacation Club on the West Coast.

THE RETURN OF DISNEY GALLERY AND MR. LINCOLN
Long a favorite of Disney fans and collectors of Disney art, the Disney Gallery will reopen this fall in a new home next to the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland in the space originally occupied by the Bank of Main Street. Later in the year, the Opera House next door will reopen with the inspiring and newly refurbished The Disneyland Story featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. Opening dates will be determined later this year.

HOLIDAY FAVORITES
Of course, Disneyland Resort will also celebrate the fall and winter holidays this year. Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort returns beginning Friday, Sept. 25, with Haunted Mansion Holiday, Candy Corn Acres, Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Party and some new, scary surprises. Beginning in late November, Holidays at Disneyland Resort will bring back “A Christmas Fantasy” parade,” it’s a small world Holiday” and all the special holiday décor that transforms Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks into a holiday wonderland.