Disney's Contemporary Resort

Paint a Castle Activity at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

16 June 2021 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard of the various Walt Disney World Resort hotel recreation activities, which can vary from Movies Under the Stars (watching Disney movies outside on the hotel grounds), to trivia by the pool, to making tie-dyed Mickey t-shirts. A fairly new activity was one I knew I had to come out and try the minute I saw it – painting a castle! The Once Upon a Painting activity takes place at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You get to paint your very own ceramic light-up castle to take home, all while enjoying panoramic views of the Magic Kingdom and monorail resorts. I signed up to paint a castle at the Contemporary and wanted to share our experience with you. We recorded a full video of the experience as well so scroll down to watch what the process was like.

Once Upon a Painting activity — Contemporary Resort Activity Schedule

The Once Upon a Painting castle activity began back in March, where it took place at Chef Mickey’s restaurant. When Chef Mickey’s reopened, the activity was moved to California Grill, so now the views are amazing inside and out. I brought my resident artist (my daughter Sophia) and camera man (my son Christian) and we had a great time deciding how to paint our castle (I let Sophia do the painting). You’re given colors to choose from and once your castle is complete, you leave it with the Disney Recreation team and they spray a clear coat on top to make it glossy. Depending on the amount of castles at your session, it could be picked up same day, or the next day.

paint a castle Disney's Contemporary — The Blank castle before

You pick up your finished painted castle at Community Hall, located in Bay Lake Tower on the first floor. Community Hall is open daily from 10am – 10pm and they have all sorts of other fun activities going on in there. If you are unable to wait for your castle to be finished by the recreation team, you can take it home without the clear coat and finish it at home if you’d like too. Here are all the details:

What: Once Upon a Painting ceramic castle activity

Where: Disney’s Contemporary Resort at the California Grill

When: Mondays and Fridays from 12:30 – 2:30p, must check in by 1:30 to participate. We used up almost all the time so keep that in mind as you create your masterpieces!

Cost: $30+ tax per castle

How to Book: Call 407-824-1347 or by visiting Community Hall at Bay Lake Tower. Space is limited, but walk-ups are possible if there is room.

Finished Light Up Castle craft — The finished product!

We had so much fun painting our castle, and watching everyone else’s creations as well. It was amazing how unique each person’s castle was. Of course, I had to go with Figment colors. Sophia even added little Figment foot prints on the stairs.

Watch our Once Upon a Painting experience here:

Have you done this or any other activity at a Disney hotel? I’d love to hear about it! I’ve always wanted to do the Mickey tie-dying too, maybe that’ll be next on our list. If you’re looking for a more adult activity, remember Sangria University at Coronado Springs Resort is open again too! We have a full review and Sangria University video as well.

Finding the Grand Canyon At Disney – Up the Waterfall

24 February 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Grand Canyon at Disney? Well sure, I’m sure everyone knows about the Grand Canyon Concourse at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and perhaps the Grand Canyon Diorama on the Disneyland Railroad, but there are more than just those connections between the Grand Canyon and Disney.

On this episode of Up the Waterfall, we share and discuss the first appearances of the Grand Canyon as it relates to Disney, and all the way up to current representation in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Of course as usual, we inject our own memories, experiences and thoughts on all of these connections.

The blog post from Passport 2 Dreams, I will link here. Foxxy actually has two posts on the Contemporary if you’d like to read, they are fascinating and accurate historical accounts of the creation and changes to Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Passport2Dreams: The Contemporary Resort in the 1970’s

and The Contemporary Resort through the 1990’s

Additionally, I wanted to share some photos from our family’s trip to the Grand Canyon in 2016. This was part of a multi-part summer vacation, where we visited Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park, as well as the North Rim and South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Parks. (And ended up in Disneyland!) (you can click on any photo to enlarge it)

I mentioned on the show the Grand Canyon Lodge where we had lunch, but I didn’t really have good photos of that, just one from inside showing the view from the windows. But be sure to watch the show on the video below for even more photos, including the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, one of the inspirations for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. So be sure to check those out!

The Grand Canyon North Rim — You can see where Disney gets many of its names – National Parks!

Grand Canyon North Rim — North Rim Visitor Center, where the Lodge is

Grand Canyon Lodge view — Grand Canyon Lodge dining room

The Grand Canyon Lodge — Dining room view

Grand Canyon Watch Tower — The Watch Tower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon South Rim — View from the top of the Watch Tower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon North Rim Elk — The big Elk we saw leaving the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

We hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Up the Waterfall!

How to Listen to Up the Waterfall

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including:

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Where to Watch Up the Waterfall

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and some images of the Grand Canyon represented in Disney over the years. Here’s the latest episode:

Feel free to comment below with your memories of the Grand Canyon at Disney, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney or Grand Canyon fans!

How Can I Learn More About This Episode?

Here are some of the books we referenced for this episode (the links will go to the item on amazon.com and are affiliate links – meaning no extra cost for you but a small portion goes back to zannaland if you make a purchase – thank you for supporting our site!):

There are a few Sleeping Beauty DVD sets out right now, this one linked here contains the Grand Canyon short mentioned on the show.

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Disney’s California Grill Re-opens With a Delicious Flair

8 September 2013 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

A flair of Mary Blair that is. Cheap rhyme aside, I was so pleasantly surprised by the newly re-imagined California Grill, which pays tribute to the art and artistry of Disney Legend Mary Blair, famous for the Grand Canyon Concourse mosaics found within Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The color scheme on the upholstery, carpets, art and more all honor the original colors found when the Contemporary first opened. It is a wonderful mix of mid-century modern aesthetics, with sleek state-of-the art accompaniments found throughout the restaurant.

The now floor-to-ceiling windows offer even more incredible views than before, streaming in light from all around. On the night we arrived, a thunderstorm had just ended, providing an incredible rainbow right over the resort. When we got upstairs, we could see not only the gorgeous sunset but also the storm in the distance; an unrivaled panorama of Walt Disney World Resort scenery.

Mixed in with the regular tables and booths are now long tables which seat 10 over on one side of the restaurant. There is also seating at the bar, where a special sushi menu is offered for guests seated at that location. The private rooms are also still available as well and offer even more tributes to Mary Blair with reproductions of her artwork. I just can’t express enough how wonderful it is to see Mary Blair and her work in such a special location.

New color schemes at California Grill are a tribute to the original Contemporary Resort

The food we sampled was incredible, from the Pacific halibut with parsnip silk, roasted heirloom beets, arugula, macadamia vinaigrette and beet syrup, to updates of longtime favorites, such as Pork Two Ways, now grilled tenderloin and lacquered pork belly with goat cheese polenta and mushrooms – my favorite! The oak-fired filet of beef is served with heirloom tomato risotto, marinated baby vine tomatoes and basil was just perfect. Sonoma goat cheese ravioli returns in a tomato fennel broth with crispy shiitake mushrooms.

And don’t forget the sushi! The Grill’s popular sushi menu expands with a 12-course omakase menu that includes a tasting of the restaurant’s freshest ingredients (not just fish and seafood). Omakase means “to entrust,” and there’s no menu. “You just let the chef prepare fresh sushi dishes for you, perfect for sushi fans who want to try new tastes,” says Executive Chef Brian Piasecki. The menu might include ama ebi (sweet shrimp) tempura, lobster sashimi, crunchy Japanese bone marrow with sesame beef tartare and red onion marmalade, and spicy-crusted oysters.

I cannot wait to get back and try full-size portions of some of these, at which time I’ll offer a full review of my experience. The mix of side items and the presentation really live up to California Grill’s existing reputation – and surpass it. This will now be a must-visit for a special occasion dining experience, date night, or just a wonderful gourmet meal. While I love trying new things, I’m not a food reviewer, and certainly didn’t have the old California Grill menu memorized, so for a ‘first-timer’ so to speak, I was really satisfied and impressed with what I tried. Hopefully based on the photos below and descriptions of ingredients above, you can decide if the California Grill will work for you and your guests. Dessert descriptions are listed in the gallery below.

The wall of wine immediately catches your eye when you step off the elevator; 1600 bottles on display, with 250 wines on the list, 80 by the glass. There also are 10 varieties of sake, eight kinds of craft beers and ciders, and signature cocktails created just for California Grill, such as the sake martini, which I sampled and really enjoyed. I am not usually a fan of sake on its own, but this was a light, sweet, tropical drink and a great way to enjoy sake.

For more scenes from the new California Grill, see the gallery below, and click to enlarge any photos:

California Grill desserts — A sampling of the desserts – clockwise from top left, the lemon meringe, which was like a cheesecake consistency with a nice shortbread crust and hardened meringue topper, the strawberry basil sundae is part of the trio pictured below, then the chocolate pudding cake described a few photos down, the banana fritters with house-made marshmallow and caramel. This was really unique, like fried banana bread, dense and moist with a nice caramel complement, and the caramel corn pot is also part of the trio in the next photo.

Sunday Sampler — California Grill Sundae Sampler: caramel corn, Coca-Cola float, and strawberry and basil.(Jimmy DeFlippo, photographer)

Wishes from California Grill — Wishes from the California Grill viewing platform

The refurbished California Grill has instantly become my favorite new spot in all of Walt Disney World. Perfect views and ambiance, wonderful Mary Blair touches for Disney fans to appreciate, and wonderful food to complement the entire experience. Truly a jewel in the Walt Disney World crown. I hope to get back sooner than later! Speaking of, reservations are now available (if you can find any) to book at 407-WDW-DINE, online or using the My Disney Experience app.

What do you think of the new look?

Disclaimer: I was invited to preview the new California Grill and its food at a press event. I was not asked or required to post in any way and my opinions above are my own. It’s just THAT good!

Tables in Wonderland Menu for Discovery Dinner at The Wave

19 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

My family has been Tables in Wonderland (formerly the Disney Dining Experience) members since its inception – when it started out as an option only for Florida residents. The program is now open to Florida residents, Annual Passholders and cast members too. Tables in Wonderland offers 20% off food and alcohol for up to 10 guests in your dining party, at select locations. The card has paid for itself in a matter of visits with the amount of table service restaurants we enjoy.

In addition to the card benefits, Tables in Wonderland also offers exquisite gourmet dining experiences throughout the year. Experiences such as dining inside The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and other unique offerings limited to a small number of lucky diners. When I heard about the following dinner, I immediately thought how much my mom would enjoy it, and wanted to try and secure a spot as a thank you to her for all she’s done for us. I was lucky enough to get those spots, thanks to Nicole at the Tables in Wonderland team (I just emailed our info like anyone else who was interested in attending). My mom is so excited and I cannot wait to experience this with her next week!

Since I can’t wait, I thought I’d share the menu with you all so you can drool get excited too. I’m especially interested in this dinner because it features all local Florida area ingredients and specialties. In fact, we live a few towns over from one of the farms which is featuring items on the menu. Rest assured I will be taking pictures right and left and will report back after the event!