A Grand Vacation: The 2012 Grand Floridian FAQ!

[phyllis1966]

Greetings,
I just booked the GF for next year. Sorry folks, no discount. I booked what they are calling a "Garden View" room. It will only be two of us. I also requested a King Bed.

So, with that said, I did not make a request for a certain building or room because we have never stayed at the GF. I was wondering, can you folks familiar with the GF offer your suggestions for a specific room and or building that would qualify for the "Garden View" with a King Bed? I would like to call back with a specific request. Let's assume there will be no construction going on at the time. We are looking at later in the year for our trip.

Thanks

Hello!

Every building has rooms that are considered GV - Big Pine Key's GV rooms overlook the pool, and often, the roof of the pool bar if youre higher up and the back of the buliding if youre on a lower floor - we were not fans of that view when we were placed there on one of our trips. If you request Conch Key, you will have a view of either the pool or the marina. Sago Cay's GV rooms afford views of the marina or the trees/monorail. Boca Chica's GV views are of the pool.

Have a great trip!

 

[Bishope2]

GREAT! Thanks to all that replied. I book with an actual person versus online. If I pull my reservation up online, can I make the request on that page or do I need to speak to someone and have the request placed in my reservation?

 

[tamj]

UGH, so sorry you all got sick there. I hope you're feeling better today and can enjoy the rest of your vacation.

I'm still looking for an update on G. Grill and Games if you can get one. We're scheduled to be there on Sunday. Thanks!

Hi everyone!! We are here now until Monday and had a rough start...first night we all caught a stomach bug and stayed in the room all night! Not feeling 100% yet but much better.

We had a fire alarm test yesterday around 3pm, only problem was club level staff never informed us it was a test (even though we were out in the lounge and at their desk around 230). We all were sleeping, after being up all night, and started to leave when our kind neighbors came and told us the staff told them it was a test!

We have TPV so construction views don't bother us. Heard a little bit of noise in the afternoon, but nothing major.

We haven't gotten a bounce back flyer yet, but we book AP rates so I'm not really looking.

So far we are loving RPC...the offerings are triple what the BC offered! And the monorail is a big plus with kids in strollers.

Let me know if anyone wants me to find out anything!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jcondrad]

UGH, so sorry you all got sick there. I hope you're feeling better today and can enjoy the rest of your vacation.

I'm still looking for an update on G. Grill and Games if you can get one. We're scheduled to be there on Sunday. Thanks!

Thank you! I checked in on GG and it looks like the painting is done but they don't look like they are ready to open. Club staff still says the 17th though.

I don't have much faith in their answers though. We just had an incident with construction in the room above us. My husband asked the staff if there was construction going on. He told him no, not at this hour. He made him come to the room so he heard it too. Spoke with a manager and they said they don't have the authority to tell them to stop. They offered to move our room...but with two small kids and lots of luggage moving at 9pm was not ideal, plus we are RPC TPV, can't imagine they have any rooms in that category away from the construction. They said 10 is the quiet time, apparently it's some urgent issue with the exhaust needing to be fixed.

Anyone know who to contact for complaints if the manager can't do anything?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[tamj]

Thank you! I checked in on GG and it looks like the painting is done but they don't look like they are ready to open. Club staff still says the 17th though.

I don't have much faith in their answers though. We just had an incident with construction in the room above us. My husband asked the staff if there was construction going on. He told him no, not at this hour. He made him come to the room so he heard it too. Spoke with a manager and they said they don't have the authority to tell them to stop. They offered to move our room...but with two small kids and lots of luggage moving at 9pm was not ideal, plus we are RPC TPV, can't imagine they have any rooms in that category away from the construction. They said 10 is the quiet time, apparently it's some urgent issue with the exhaust needing to be fixed.

Anyone know who to contact for complaints if the manager can't do anything?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thanks for the update. Sorry about the noise issue. I don't think the RPC has scheduled construction going on right now, so maybe it was an urgent fix. I think we fill our minds (and empty our wallets) for a GRAND vacation that it's hard to overlook somethings-like the ability to let small children who are worn out from the day get some sleep later at night. I don't know who to call. The manager of the resort helped us last year when it seemed everything was wrong at each corner turned. It's not usually like that there. Too bad you guys left w/a bad taste in your mouth.
Again, I appreciate the update. I was thinking about upgrading from TPV to SLC if the Grill was closed still. The 17th would be awesome. I'll keep praying that it works out for then and see what they say when we arrive on Sunday.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Sorry if this has already been posted and I missed it:

Gingerbread Cookies
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Makes about 36 cookies

2 sticks softened butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground star anise
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground mace


Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth using an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix all until combined.
2. In a separate large bowl, sift all the remaining dry ingredients in and mix well.
3. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until a dough forms
4. Remove dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in refrigerator until firm, approximately two to four hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow dough to sit at room temperature until pliable. (approximately 15 minutes.)
7. Divide dough in half and place on floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until about 1/8 inch thick. While rolling, flour the work surface and rolling pin as needed.
8. Cut out desired cookie shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to a greased cookie sheet, placing them about 1 inch apart.
9. Bake until firm and edges begin to darken, approximately 10-14 minutes.



For those of you who may be searching for a specific recipe, please send them to info@magically-speaking.com. If you have any food photos, make sure to send them to the same address for our Foodie Pic of the Month pics!

 

[BCV23]

Tim K from DVCNews has twittered artist renderings of the interior of a villa at the GF:
https://twitter.com/DVCNews/status/279313366282035200/photo/1

WDWKOOK, thanks for sharing the gingerbread recipe with all of us.

 

[sndral]

Tim K from DVCNews has twittered artist renderings of the interior of a villa at the GF:
https://twitter.com/DVCNews/status/279313366282035200/photo/1

WDWKOOK, thanks for sharing the gingerbread recipe with all of us.

Oh my, that turquoise chair is, um, bright. And the brown naughahyde covering on the banquette seating is an interesting choice. Presumably a designer made these choices, but not what I would choose for myself. Thanks for the link, BCV23. The living room seems small based on the way the turquoise chair and footstool is placed in front of the sofa bed and the way the round dinning table is situated vis a viz. the seating - wonder what they'll look like in real life.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Tim K from DVCNews has twittered artist renderings of the interior of a villa at the GF:
https://twitter.com/DVCNews/status/279313366282035200/photo/1

WDWKOOK, thanks for sharing the gingerbread recipe with all of us.

BCV23, you get the gold star for the day for posting the link! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I know I can't make a full judgement until I see the interiors in person, but I do like it so far.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Tim K from DVCNews has twittered artist renderings of the interior of a villa at the GF:
https://twitter.com/DVCNews/status/279313366282035200/photo/1

WDWKOOK, thanks for sharing the gingerbread recipe with all of us.

You're welcome! BTW, I mostly lurk over here so I may have missed it, but what has happened to your lovely GF thread hostess?

 

[pas130]

Tim K from DVCNews has twittered artist renderings of the interior of a villa at the GF:
https://twitter.com/DVCNews/status/279313366282035200/photo/1

Thank you !!!!

BCV23, you get the gold star for the day for posting the link! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I know I can't make a full judgement until I see the interiors in person, but I do like it so far.

Me too!!!

You're welcome! BTW, I mostly lurk over here so I may have missed it, but what has happened to your lovely GF thread hostess?

I am sure she is super busy with the family and the holidays!!!

Thanks for the recipe!! Maddie LOVES the GF gingerbread!!!

 

[jojomickey]

Thanks for the picture!!!!!

 

[bek]

Greetings,
I just booked the GF for next year. Sorry folks, no discount. I booked what they are calling a "Garden View" room. It will only be two of us. I also requested a King Bed.

So, with that said, I did not make a request for a certain building or room because we have never stayed at the GF. I was wondering, can you folks familiar with the GF offer your suggestions for a specific room and or building that would qualify for the "Garden View" with a King Bed? I would like to call back with a specific request. Let's assume there will be no construction going on at the time. We are looking at later in the year for our trip.

Thanks

I don't know if you've made your room requests yet. I just got back from a GV/outer building. I was in Sago Cay with a monorail view.

If I stay at GF again, I'd request Building 7 Conch Key, top floor not on the atrium -- assuming that all the buildings have an open atrium area. I find atriums amplify any noise of people coming and going. I like Conch Key because it's by the boat launch. I used the monorail to the MK but always took the boat back. At the end of the day with tired feet, I wanted the convenience of Conch Key. The big screen for movies is set-up by the pool so a pool facing room in any of the buildings near the pool could be noisy. So Sago Cay is probably the quietest of the buildings.

 

[MommyGina]

RPC is my first choice, but I have to say, I love Sago. I liked the marina view. However, I don't know if Sago has king size beds. We always had two queen beds. Also, Sago is closest to where the bus stop is.

 

[Luvamouse]

I am rather excited that tomorrow's Advent Calendar "treat" will be the culmination of what DD 18 hopes is a long, fun- filled day of hints for DD 12 putting us back at WDW on New Year's Day! (We are enjoying a weekend- long wedding with family here from all over the country, and when it all ends after Sunday brunch, a perking up will be in order!) She thinks we are headed to NC for a couple of days for New Year's, a place we love to go. However, we will be just stopping there overnight on our way to our first stay at the GF! DD 18 is so excited with plans to put a bunch of new Disney stickers on my Suburban's windows (My other car is a Monorail), buckle all 4 or 5 Stitch stuffed animals (they make EVERY Disney trip... ) in the third row, leave a WDW screen saver on the computer... and many other things. Luckily, she recently acknowledged her little sis may figure it out by hint #1 if she doesn't start small! Lol, my younger is very quick on the uptake, the college student takes a bit longer; )

I'm a little sad the courtyard pool will not be open as originally expected, as my hardy northern kids would break ice to swim in that pool! I feel like GG will be open for us, to not have both would be disappointing since we choose GF knowing this would be done by the time we arrived. Last year's trip to the Poly saw the quiet pool closed there. The year before the Volcano pool was being refurbed! We have bad pool luck.. . Still, I think the Lagoon View will be a fun change! We have only ever stayed garden view.

So one question, such a mom question, we drive and are taking the "long way down" in terms of a slower ride to unwind and will of course arrive wishing to throw at least a small loaded of laundry in. I am so used to hiking quite a distance to the Poly's laundry room to find washers and dryers maybe working or not, and often laundry sitting in them with no people there. In general, where is laundry located- each building has their own, right? A guess as to the number of machines? 2? 4? Just trying to think through the logistics of catching up on that quickly. Thanks to anyone else who understands that crazy need to do laundry on such an important vacation!

 

[BCV23]

Oh my, that turquoise chair is, um, bright. And the brown naughahyde covering on the banquette seating is an interesting choice. Presumably a designer made these choices, but not what I would choose for myself. Thanks for the link, BCV23. The living room seems small based on the way the turquoise chair and footstool is placed in front of the sofa bed and the way the round dinning table is situated vis a viz. the seating - wonder what they'll look like in real life.

I always find the room decor works far better than I think based on photos and this isn't even that....just a drawing with changes possible. I really can't judge the size of the LR with the disjointed drawings. But that chair you don't like is most likely a single sleeper so might be larger than you think. The couch is a queen sleeper. Can't wait until the models open.

BCV23, you get the gold star for the day for posting the link! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I know I can't make a full judgement until I see the interiors in person, but I do like it so far.

Aw, thanks for the gold star, Cali-D. I like what I see, too. Love the hint of the glass fronted cabinet to the left of the dining table as well as the "wood" flooring.

I don't know if you've made your room requests yet. I just got back from a GV/outer building. I was in Sago Cay with a monorail view.

If I stay at GF again, I'd request Building 7 Conch Key, top floor not on the atrium -- assuming that all the buildings have an open atrium area. I find atriums amplify any noise of people coming and going. I like Conch Key because it's by the boat launch. I used the monorail to the MK but always took the boat back. At the end of the day with tired feet, I wanted the convenience of Conch Key. The big screen for movies is set-up by the pool so a pool facing room in any of the buildings near the pool could be noisy. So Sago Cay is probably the quietest of the buildings.

There is an atrium in each building but every time we've been in Sugar Loaf our room has been off the atrium and noise was not an issue. Might be different on the first floor though?

RPC is my first choice, but I have to say, I love Sago. I liked the marina view. However, I don't know if Sago has king size beds. We always had two queen beds. Also, Sago is closest to where the bus stop is.

I love marina view, too, from Sago, Conch and Sugar Loaf. Of course, we've never been in Big Pine Key or Boca Chica.

I am rather excited that tomorrow's Advent Calendar "treat" will be the culmination of what DD 18 hopes is a long, fun- filled day of hints for DD 12 putting us back at WDW on New Year's Day! (We are enjoying a weekend- long wedding with family here from all over the country, and when it all ends after Sunday brunch, a perking up will be in order!) She thinks we are headed to NC for a couple of days for New Year's, a place we love to go. However, we will be just stopping there overnight on our way to our first stay at the GF! DD 18 is so excited with plans to put a bunch of new Disney stickers on my Suburban's windows (My other car is a Monorail), buckle all 4 or 5 Stitch stuffed animals (they make EVERY Disney trip... ) in the third row, leave a WDW screen saver on the computer... and many other things. Luckily, she recently acknowledged her little sis may figure it out by hint #1 if she doesn't start small! Lol, my younger is very quick on the uptake, the college student takes a bit longer; )

I'm a little sad the courtyard pool will not be open as originally expected, as my hardy northern kids would break ice to swim in that pool! I feel like GG will be open for us, to not have both would be disappointing since we choose GF knowing this would be done by the time we arrived. Last year's trip to the Poly saw the quiet pool closed there. The year before the Volcano pool was being refurbed! We have bad pool luck.. . Still, I think the Lagoon View will be a fun change! We have only ever stayed garden view.

So one question, such a mom question, we drive and are taking the "long way down" in terms of a slower ride to unwind and will of course arrive wishing to throw at least a small loaded of laundry in. I am so used to hiking quite a distance to the Poly's laundry room to find washers and dryers maybe working or not, and often laundry sitting in them with no people there. In general, where is laundry located- each building has their own, right? A guess as to the number of machines? 2? 4? Just trying to think through the logistics of catching up on that quickly. Thanks to anyone else who understands that crazy need to do laundry on such an important vacation!

How fun. Good luck to your older DD with her plans. All buildings except Sugar Loaf have a laundry room. First floor in the outer buildings and second in RPC. As I recall there are two washers and two dryers. Happy planning!

pas130, do you think your family will stay in a villa at the GF eventually? All of you would fit in a 2 BR, wouldn't you?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hello, GF lovers!! Sorry I've been MIA, I don't know why I've been so lazy. During and right after Thanksgiving I was busy with cooking and shopping, but should have popped in before now to see how everyone is doing and how all the recent GF trips have been.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the last few weeks, and for anyone who is planning a trip - have a magical vacation.

 

[TaraPA]

Hi all! Just returned from a short whirlwind trip in which I visited the stunning GF lobby, all decked out for the holidays. What is the scent in there right now? It seems to be different from the last time I was there. I work for Yankee Candle & it was exactly like our holiday scent, Sugared Apple. Now every day at work I'm going to be sniffing that one, in hopes of whisking me away back to my trip!

 

[Cadyrose]

Just came back from our first ever stay at the Grand. It was a short 3 night stay but AMAZING!

We were celebrating my daughter's birthday and got blessed with some pixie dust!

Our first night we came back from Osborne Family Lights to birthday/trip gifts for my kids. My daughter got a stuffed Minnie with a signed Birthday card, my son got a stuffed Mickey and a signed happy trip card and both kids got coloring books and crayons.

The next day my daughter received a Grand Floridian Happy Birthday chocolate heart shaped box with candy inside.

We were in a marina view in Conch Key on the first floor which was perfect after long days of park hopping!

The room was beautiful, the beds were comfy and we would definitely stay there again...with the right discount of course! Only wish there had been a bounceback offer!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hello, GF lovers!! Sorry I've been MIA, I don't know why I've been so lazy. During and right after Thanksgiving I was busy with cooking and shopping, but should have popped in before now to see how everyone is doing and how all the recent GF trips have been.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the last few weeks, and for anyone who is planning a trip - have a magical vacation.

Welcome back - this lurker from Bay Lake was worried about you