Bring Back the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra

LeighM

LeighM

Well-Known Member
I don't think GF is the same without the musicians adding that special ambiance. After dinner at Ohana, we would walk over to GF and just sit in the lobby and listen to the band. They made it feel special. And they were one of the main reasons we used to dream of staying there but no longer.
 
harryk

harryk

Well-Known Member
This is one of the reasons that I voted to oust the entire management team at WDW. They have lost the vision of making and keeping 'magic'. I know that my votes are meaningless since I don't own millions of shares - but it is one way to express my dissatisfaction with how things have changed over the past decades.
 
NelleBelle

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
harryk said:
This is one of the reasons that I voted to oust the entire management team at WDW. They have lost the vision of making and keeping 'magic'. I know that my votes are meaningless since I don't own millions of shares - but it is one way to express my dissatisfaction with how things have changed over the past decades.
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DH was fed up as well and the way he ”voted” was to sell our stock🤨
 
P

Plowboy

Well-Known Member
jeff4165 said:
Maybe I can comment on this. I'm Jeff Phillips and I was the pianist in the 2 day band. We were never coming back. We were on the chopping block 2 1/2 years earlier than March 2020. When the upstairs bar was built, they were supposed to build us a permanent stage. When that didn't happen that was the kiss of death. Chapek wanted us gone before he became President. A former GM and a local manager "saved" us 2 1/2 years earlier. I was only privy to that information because I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was sworn to never reveal how close we were to being finished. I revealed this to the former 5 days leader at the end of their run at "The Studios". I did not return for that run. My last day before everything shut down was a good one, and I wanted to leave it that way. The group will never be returned because of the company's current attitude towards live music in general and what their "vision" of the "Disney look" is. We loved playing for all of you.
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I would just like to echo some of the other posters. My wife and I absolutely loved stopping in to the GF in the afternoon and pulling up a sofa and listening to the orchestra. We usually did it on our "off" day when we just ran around to various hotels and checked things out. We will truly miss all of you talented musicians. Sadly, Disney's "vision" doesn't always jive with what our "vision" is these days.
 
wannabeBelle

wannabeBelle

Well-Known Member
jeff4165 said:
Maybe I can comment on this. I'm Jeff Phillips and I was the pianist in the 2 day band. We were never coming back. We were on the chopping block 2 1/2 years earlier than March 2020. When the upstairs bar was built, they were supposed to build us a permanent stage. When that didn't happen that was the kiss of death. Chapek wanted us gone before he became President. A former GM and a local manager "saved" us 2 1/2 years earlier. I was only privy to that information because I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was sworn to never reveal how close we were to being finished. I revealed this to the former 5 days leader at the end of their run at "The Studios". I did not return for that run. My last day before everything shut down was a good one, and I wanted to leave it that way. The group will never be returned because of the company's current attitude towards live music in general and what their "vision" of the "Disney look" is. We loved playing for all of you.
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Thank you for the Magic you brought to us!!! I love live music and the GF Orchestra was amazing!! I hope to catch you in another act!! Marie
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
jeff4165 said:
Maybe I can comment on this. I'm Jeff Phillips and I was the pianist in the 2 day band. We were never coming back. We were on the chopping block 2 1/2 years earlier than March 2020. When the upstairs bar was built, they were supposed to build us a permanent stage. When that didn't happen that was the kiss of death. Chapek wanted us gone before he became President. A former GM and a local manager "saved" us 2 1/2 years earlier. I was only privy to that information because I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was sworn to never reveal how close we were to being finished. I revealed this to the former 5 days leader at the end of their run at "The Studios". I did not return for that run. My last day before everything shut down was a good one, and I wanted to leave it that way. The group will never be returned because of the company's current attitude towards live music in general and what their "vision" of the "Disney look" is. We loved playing for all of you.
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toolow.jpg
 
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B

bchase

New Member
4kmouse said:
Hey everyone,

I wanted to talk about something that's been on my mind lately - the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra at Disney. I've been to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa a bunch of times and have always loved catching their performances. But what makes this issue even more personal for me is that I actually know a few of the guys from the orchestra, and they are seriously some of the coolest, nicest dudes out there.

I used to love stopping to chat with them after their sets, and it was clear how much they loved playing for the guests. When I found out that the orchestra had been removed, I was bummed for myself, but I was also sad for these amazing people who had lost their jobs.

I get that there might have been some financial reasons for the orchestra's removal, but I really think that the value they brought to the guest experience was totally worth it. They were a huge part of what made the Grand Floridian so special, and it's just not the same without them.
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I sooooo much agree!I'm so glad I got videos of them performing 💖
 

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