Jokes on you, I don't have to be a voter to feel the fear and stress happening in the country right now.
They're just going slow because of the old tradition: What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.You'd think Nevada would count the ballots as fast as they'd count the poker cards!
I was trying desperately NOT to copy V&A as much as possible, but I had a hard time finding menu items, and had a time crunch, so rip me.Disney's Grand American Resort Review
This prompt took everyone out of the Blue Sky Park and towards what I personally think is one of the best prompt topics in imagineering - the Disney Resorts! I like them because the projects aren't the stereotypical ride or land, you have to present the project from the guest experience best through visuals. So for me the best projects in this category are good on details and artwork, to show the guest experience, and this didn't disappoint.
Starting with the grounds map as well as the overhead shot - wow! I'm pretty sure the 3-dimensional helicopter view of the resort gave Hulk HoH, with his DisneySky thread you can see his artwork on display, but I think for this project especially, right off the bat I'm interested in this project.
Then we get into the map of it and as a resort this is very well laid out. What's more American than being inspired by European architecture? lol The Gatsby vibes to this brings a level of sophistication I don't think American Disney Resorts have had since the early days of the Grand Floridian. The backstory was fantastic as well, I'm Italian and my ancestors came from there so it had a special connection with me.
The Lobby is very impressive as a first impression for the guests on the interior, great way to invite everyone in. I also like the description of the various pool areas as well, I think they compliment each other nicely.
Oh wow I can't wait to stay here-... $800 a night
I can see that, maybe, at peak season - the GF can get into the 800 range. Yet, I just think that resort has more to offer slightly justifying the high price. I would think maybe 600-700 tops for this resort. But my initial reaction was Al from Toy Story so I wanted to keep this reaction for the meme. The rooms themselves and the wings sound very exquisite, definitely something more upscale in terms of detail.
In terms of dining, first stop was Daisy's: "The restaurant is open for dinner only and is the most expensive on-property (e.g. $400/person approximately)." So I guess I won't be dining here with the mountain of student loans. I'll just look at the mahogany through the windows. In all seriousness though, for $400/person, the menu could be better. This is a menu I'd expect from a Citricos not Victoria & Albert's. For that price, next time at least throw in caviar as an appetizer or rack of lamb to sound fancy. Or just look up menus from V&A, or other top restaurants around the country. Golden Flickers was really well written I felt - a great secondary restaurant to compliment Daisy's in the Hollywood Wing. But I think my favorite was the Water Tower Club, eloquently described and great selection on the menu.
In the end, I think this is a very solid deluxe style resort. A bit pricey I still think for the offerings. It seems like you're paying for the budget on the design rather than what it actually offers in terms of restaurants in particular (Grand Floridian for example has 1 fine-dining, 3 table-service, a character table-service, 2 bars, and a quick-service). This resort felt more like the offerings of a Yacht or Beach Club (2 restaurants, 1 lounge) nothing wrong with that I just think in terms of accommodations and pricing it could have been more in synch with each other. But other than that I really loved the theme/story and the artwork, as well as the Water Tower Club.
Creativity: A-
Realism: B+
Detail: A
Presentation: A+
Teamwork: A-
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Overall: A-
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Gonna have to take some points off for realism here smh
In the 1986 universe, Horizons never closed and it inspired a young kid to become a scientist and he discovered a vaccine back in April.
If I could go to that 1986 universe right now, I would have left years ago just for Horizons, and would have felt grateful about the vaccine. NGL
We are living in the darkest timeline
-The Dance Floor/Stage-
Crazy how Chicago and New York have the same dancersChicago Wing
cast members pick up shifts different places all the timeCrazy how Chicago and New York have the same dancers
It’s the Hotel World Tour! You haven’t heard about it?Crazy how Chicago and New York have the same dancers
Saves money on the entertainment budget so they have a higher profit margin on their $800 room ratesCrazy how Chicago and New York have the same dancers
Ink & Paint Club
at Disney's Grand American Resort
The Hollywood Wing of Disney’s Grand American Resort is host to a secret lounge, a highly-themed bar on par with Disney establishments such as Trader Sam’s. Imagine a prohibition nightclub run by cartoon characters! The name and inspiration for Ink & Paint Club comes from Disney’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but with some crucial changes (like a different rabbit in the spotlight) it fits the Gatsby-esque new setting quite nicely.
We found this place during our stay almost by accident...just as its designers apparently intended. Ink & Paint Club is supposed to be a secret nightclub, hidden away behind nondescript doors in the Hollywood Wing’s lowest levels. However, between references to it in hotel literature and word-of-mouth no doubt started by cast members and spread to guests, we did learn about this “exclusive” joint. This discovery made the experience all the more special!
There are two “secret” entrances located below grade near the Hollywood Wing’s pool area. An indoors entrance is in the hotel’s basement alcoves. Bookcases slide open in a seemingly dead end passageway. No need to say “Walt sent me,” simply rap on a conspicuous wooden panel. A little eye slot opens to reveal Bongo the Gorilla, who beckoned us enter with a deep, gravely voice.
This was how we first accessed the Ink & Paint Club. Later on, for fun, we hunted for the rumored outdoors secret entrance, eventually finding it down a flight of stairs near the pool, in a back alleyway alcove. The entrance procedure with Bongo was similar, though this time he acknowledged us as returning guests. Presumably by recognizing the RFIDs in our hotel “Keys-Cards.” A lovely touch!
The club’s interior is set in 1929, over a decade earlier than the film version. The backstory is altered to accommodate this. It’s a small detail, the sort most guests likely wouldn’t notice, but a framed wall letter explained the club’s ownership. This particular Ink & Paint Club is apparently the sister venue to the “original” Hollywood, CA location which just opened up a few years earlier. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit owns this establishment, having bought it out from Mickey Mouse in 1928.
Another mounted letter comes from patron R.K. Maroon, a young “hoofer” in Hollywood looking to make it big in the cartooning industry. He mentions a promising young rabbit star under contract...obviously Roger. Just one of the Club’s fun hints of a larger cartoon universe.
Details throughout suggest that vintage cartoon characters run the place. There are pictures of 1920s black-and-white “toons” hobnobbing with famous period celebrities such as Lilian Gish or Charlie Chaplin. Through doorways with frosted glass windows, we can watch and hear the waitstaff - all “rubber hose” cartoon dogs and such, not that we ever saw them in person. That’s not realistic. Instead, a human waitstaff in tuxes saw to our needs, all wearing “Trainee” tags with cartoon supervisor photos, all justifying away the absence of toons.
Stylistically, this is an Art Deco nightclub with a chanteuse stage, a sunken seating area, and a curved bar with recessed lighting. Low key big band & jazz music provided ambiance. The stage was typically hidden away behind velvet curtains, but every once in a while - say, when someone ordered the specific right drink - the bartenders would trigger an effect and the stage would open up and a brief cartoon nightclub act would play out. Every time, the assembled guests would cheer in unison! I believe they achieved this stage effect with a sort of Musion screen, like animation projected on see-thru glass.
A few of the acts we saw included Mickey versus Oswald on dueling ukuleles, a cartoon duck (an early version of Donald?) playing a pig’s teeth like xylophones, and even Betty Boop performing a brief, Jazz Age flapper song & dance. Some of the patrons - regulars? - sang along. Yes, here in 1929, Boop enjoys Jessica Rabbit’s sultry role. When questioned, the bartender explained how Disney licensed her image from the remnants of Fleischer Studios. (Every character appeared in era-appropriate black-and-white.) We made a valiant effort to order more drinks and trigger more stage effects, but after a while too much gin did us in and we contented ourselves with watching silent projections of vintage 1920s cartoons on a nearby private film screen.
But the real standout of Ink & Paint Club, by far, were the beverages!
A few non-alcoholic items were on-hand, including standard fountain drinks, a Shirley Temple, a Roy Rogers, and the Koko Cocoa - named for a rival 1920s cartoon clown whose likeness Disney has licensed for this location.
Over a dozen Specialty Cocktails are the club menu’s centerpiece. The glossy, bound menu listed each drink on its own page, complete with illustrations. All drinks were exceptionally well-prepared, following genuine pre-Prohibition cocktail recipes. Cocktail names paid tribute to early Walt Disney Studios, ranging from the obscure Alice Comedies to Walt himself, with a few references thrown in to other early animation icons.
Food consisted of bar-style appetizers. None of them amounted to a meal on their own, but they were still filling and well-made, with a focus on Northeastern American dishes which felt straight out of the Roaring Twenties. We tried the Deviled Eggs (choosing to forego the optional bacon bits) and the Smoked Salmon Sandwiches, which came with creamy artichoke. Both were delicious!
To round things out, and make this feel like a proper meal, we finished with a dessert. The Kingswell Cheesecake and the Buena Vista Strawberry Shortcake both sounded fantastic, but we instead selected the Laugh-O-Grahams. These were s’mores prepared in a haute cuisine fashion, with Felchlin Semifreddo dark chocolate and toasted homemade marshmallows on honey graham crackers with raspberry sauce.
All in all, Ink & Paint Club transported us not only to the ritzy world of Gilded Age America - the entire Grand American excels at this - but it also transported us into a world where cartoons and people live together. Surely the booze helped! Ink & Paint Club was a ton of fun, a real standout of our stay, and I suspect it will become a favorite passholder haunt for years to come!
