Last Saturday our family spent a glorious afternoon full of Disney magic cruising on Grand 1 Yacht as the guests of Jessica from A Parent in Silver Spring who won our exclusive trip from Disney Social Media Moms Conference. I’ve never really thought much about boats during previous Disney trips other than them being a mode of transportation to get to and from parks but Disney has a variety of watercrafts to rent that add a special element to your Walt Disney World trip. Grand 1 combines Disney magic with a little of Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous complete champagne wishes and M&M dreams.
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| Disney’s Grand 1 Yacht |
Grand 1 is a 52 foot Sea Ray yacht that departs from the Grand Floridian Resort for a private tour of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. According to Birnbaum Guides’ Walt Disney World 2012, guests can request for captains to dock at the Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, or Fort Wilderness, all located around the Lagoon and Lake.
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| Magic Kingdom from the Lagoon |
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| The Contemporary |
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| The Polynesian |
The Grand 1 is nothing short of luxurious and Disney Social Media Moms made the trip even more magical by providing unexpected touches and much needed down with some of my best DC bloggy friends. For 2 hours Jessica, Amy from Teachmama, Jodifur, and our families cruised in style and in the lap of luxury.
Our trip came with two very knowledgeable captains (TC and Michael) who shared Disney trivia with us along with the surprising fact that they’ve seen more than their fair share of park guests jump off a ferry!
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| Captains Michael and TC shared inside Disney info that wowed us |
We also had our own butler, Winston, a kind, attentive employee who has worked for Disney for the past 22 years. When asked what he loved best about the job, he said “serving guests” and if he didn’t enjoy it so much, he said he wouldn’t have had such a long career at Disney.
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| Winston, 22 year Disney employee and yacht butler extrodinaire |
Winston made sure our champagne glasses were never empty and insisted that our kids (who made themselves at home in all 3 staterooms with bags of Smartfood and M&Ms) were fine during our trip.
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| Teachmama Amy and me |
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| Captain Computer gives the stateroom a thumbs up |
Disney Social Media Moms also arranged for a gorgeous dessert tray to greet us when we boarded. Swan crème puffs, a glass slipper cookie, tiny fruit tarts, chocolate covered strawberries, and eclairs were quickly devoured by our kids who also ate their weight in M&Ms during our trip!
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| A sugar coated cookie in the form of a glass slipper! |
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| Delectable desserts |
While I loved all the special touches, I also enjoyed the much overdue time with Jessica, Amy, and Jodi, the opportunity to see the resorts and parks from the water, and a chance to experience something that I never would have thought to do on my own while at Walt Disney World.
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| Swan creme puff set against a beautiful backdrop- The Grand Floridian |
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| A big giddy smile from Little Miss Techie sums up how all of us felt! |
Huge thanks to Disney Social Media Moms and Jessica for this incredible trip aboard Grand 1.
For more information about Grand 1 or to reserve this amazing yacht, visit Disney’s specialty cruises web page. Prices are not listed but captains, Michael and TC, said the rate to rent Grand 1 starts at $580/hour. Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2012 says the price includes 18 guests, driver, and deckhand but beverage, private dining, and butler services are extra. If you’re going the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous route and go all out, put in a request for Winston as your butler!
I paid a registration fee to attend Disney Social Media Moms. I received discount hotel stays and complimentary items from Walt Disney World. This post is based on my own experience and all opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate link included in this post.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012
Such a fun day. A pleasure to spend time with you and your family.
What fun that cruise must have been! It was great seeing you at the conference… hope to see you again soon.
2 words: JEAL & OUS! Looks like a fab trip!!!!! How on earth can I (or others ) get in on something like this?? I guess I should assume it’s by invite only? In any case, it looks like it was a lovely time…congrats! =)
Wow! That looks amazing! And extra special because you got to enjoy it with such wonderful ladies and their families!!
Oooh! Something to talk my husband into for one of our Disney trips. Maybe we could celebrate something special or just spend a romantic time together.