A Grand Vacation: The 2012 Grand Floridian FAQ!

[MommyGina]

Interesting concerning the walls around the beach. I emailed the IPO and asked if the walls would be down when we arrive on July 16. The following was their response.

"Due to the construction of The Villas at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the walls near the beach and the beach pool will still be up during your stay in July.

At this time, there is no timetable as to when the walls will come down.

Our Best Regards,
Concierge Itinerary Planning Office
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa"

I sure hope the IPO is wrong!

 

[BayGirl22]

BayGirl22 Thanks so much for the pics. The room looks lovely Was there a daybed in this room?

Yes. The sofa next to the sliding doors was a daybed. We used the daybed and a pack n play for a couple nights and still had floor space. The space between the far bed and the sliding doors was wide enough to fit the pack n play.

 

[psac]

Interesting concerning the walls around the beach. I emailed the IPO and asked if the walls would be down when we arrive on July 16. The following was their response.

"Due to the construction of The Villas at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the walls near the beach and the beach pool will still be up during your stay in July.

At this time, there is no timetable as to when the walls will come down.

Our Best Regards,
Concierge Itinerary Planning Office
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa"

I sure hope the IPO is wrong!

Maybe since ALL walls aren't down, they don't want to give the impression that you wouldn't see any walls, as opposed to there being some area that is open...?

 

[BayGirl22]

Maybe since ALL walls aren't down, they don't want to give the impression that you wouldn't see any walls, as opposed to there being some area that is open...?

True. The statement from Disney is correct, there are still walls up on the beach. If you go expecting a fully open beach with no walls you will see walls. They aren't clear that there is still a portion of beach open. But perhaps the walls could move subject to construction needs, so they don't want to commit.

 

[Rhongepooh]

Well I did online check in and for both my room and my dd and dsl room. I tried to do the room request and the page said they couldn't do the Sago Key request. I don't understand this unless that area will be booked for some type of convention. Oh we'll, maybe I'll get there and ill have been upgraded! I'm not expecting it but a girl can dream! LOL

 

[Sue M]

Interesting concerning the walls around the beach. I emailed the IPO and asked if the walls would be down when we arrive on July 16. The following was their response.

"Due to the construction of The Villas at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the walls near the beach and the beach pool will still be up during your stay in July.

At this time, there is no timetable as to when the walls will come down.

Our Best Regards,
Concierge Itinerary Planning Office
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa"

I sure hope the IPO is wrong!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Love this!!! Is this a new touch? Nice! Hope we get one too.

It's new to me , but I have friends who say they have received this or something similar for the last couple years.

Do the shops at GF sell bottles of wine? I would like to get a bottle as part of my parent's anniversary gift.

As others have posted, Sandy Cove has bottles of red and white. I have photos, I'll try to post one today. There are some photos on the first page of this thread of the old Sandy Cove, to give you an idea of what will be available.

I'm back and said I would post photos of the Lagoon View room we were upgraded to. This is room 8145 in Boca Chica, it has 2 balconies, one facing the lagoon with a MK view and the other facing Narcoosies. It looks like the rooms above would have the same layout.

....
Because its a corner room the entrance way curves around. The closet is to the right here, bathroom in front when you enter. That gave us a nice area for the double stroller, diaper changing area, and room to get the kids ready near the closet. It felt very spacious and organized to me, and I'm kind of an organization freak.

Past the bathroom area there is a table and 2 chairs and 1 door to the lagoon-facing balcony. This area seems to be additional to what's in the usual rooms


....
Also from this thread I had the impression the beach was completely blocked off. Not the case. Behind the kids splash pad there's a wide area of beach open, the outer buildings are just to the left in this picture, the construction is to the right. My son playing on the beach:

We were not bothered by the construction at all. The only time I noticed it was walking back from Poly, and that was in the evening so it was quiet. We spent some time at the splash pad but the water was so loud I didn't notice if there was noise from next door. I really wouldn't choose to stay somewhere else based on the construction at this point, I feel its isolated from the resort and the improvements to the main areas are already done and can be enjoyed.

Welcome back! Thanks for the review and photos, I love the varied room layouts at the GF. So interesting. Your room sounds wonderful and I love the extra room - you are correct, the table area is not in most of the standard rooms.

Thanks, too, for the updated photo of the beach area. Sorry for the impression there is no beach left - there are some photos on the first page of the abbreviated beach area, but with all of us "old timers" lamenting the loss of the beach, I'm sure it did sound as though it is all blocked off.

Well I did online check in and for both my room and my dd and dsl room. I tried to do the room request and the page said they couldn't do the Sago Key request. I don't understand this unless that area will be booked for some type of convention. Oh we'll, maybe I'll get there and ill have been upgraded! I'm not expecting it but a girl can dream! LOL

Yay for online check in, you must be very close! I have read some guests have been offered one or two buildings for request during online check in, I've never been clear as to why only those specific buildings come up. I think one or two have said they were offered Boca and Big Pine, not sure if this is always the case. For what it is worth, they were able to request another building at check in.

 

[cgulls]

We are now seriously thinking of switching our resort from YC to the GF. We have stayed at YC before and have LOVED IT!!!
But as we have have been thinking...... we now have our 7 year old daughter, my husband has back problems so after a long day in the park it may be an easier walk to our room since the resort is not as spread out, we would be on the monorail for the first time, and it is a special vacation for us.........
Just worried we won't like it as much as YC which we were very excited to get back to. I have never been a huge fan of the room decorating at GF but that is probably the only thing I can find that I may not like....

It will be a big expense for us but we were alreay planning on YC so it isn't THAT much more money..... (has been my rationalization)

Are most all of the room rather close to the monorail and main building?

remember you can take the water taxi to (2 stops) and from (1 stop) the Magic Kingdom. The dock is a super short walk from Conch Key and Boca Chica.

 

[cgulls]

Do the shops at GF sell bottles of wine? I would like to get a bottle as part of my parent's anniversary gift.

If you want to go a little nutty, you could arrange something with Disney Florist and Gifts. We used them for my wife's birthday. They set up some really fun room decorations, an personally autographed photo of Mickey and Minnie, a singing balloon and more. I'm pretty sure they had anniversary celebration packages, too.

 

[cgulls]

I'm back and said I would post photos of the Lagoon View room we were upgraded to. This is room 8145 in Boca Chica, it has 2 balconies, one facing the lagoon with a MK view and the other facing Narcoosies. It looks like the rooms above would have the same layout.

Here's the view at night with the electric water pagent. The castle (lit in purple) and space mountain are in the background. There is a tree in the view, this is the ground floor so we were kind of under the tree, but could sill see most of the fireworks show.

Because its a corner room the entrance way curves around. The closet is to the right here, bathroom in front when you enter. That gave us a nice area for the double stroller, diaper changing area, and room to get the kids ready near the closet. It felt very spacious and organized to me, and I'm kind of an organization freak.

Doorway to the main area

Past the bathroom area there is a table and 2 chairs and 1 door to the lagoon-facing balcony. This area seems to be additional to what's in the usual rooms

And finally the rest of the room, with the regular sliding door balcony facing Narcoosies. This is what the room looked like after turn down.

Also from this thread I had the impression the beach was completely blocked off. Not the case. Behind the kids splash pad there's a wide area of beach open, the outer buildings are just to the left in this picture, the construction is to the right. My son playing on the beach:

We were not bothered by the construction at all. The only time I noticed it was walking back from Poly, and that was in the evening so it was quiet. We spent some time at the splash pad but the water was so loud I didn't notice if there was noise from next door. I really wouldn't choose to stay somewhere else based on the construction at this point, I feel its isolated from the resort and the improvements to the main areas are already done and can be enjoyed.

Great pics! When were you there? For sure, this beach was closed off last month. That must mean it's open again!!! Did you notice where the blue walls were set up?

 

[BayGirl22]

Great pics! When were you there? For sure, this beach was closed off last month. That must mean it's open again!!! Did you notice where the blue walls were set up?

I was there the week of May 12th, so the week before last. The picture above I took standing behind the Mad Hatter splash pad. The blue wall was just to my right, so the wall is behind the Beach pool and the beach pool bar. To the left of the picture is a paved patio area between the splash pad and the buildings. There was a clear open view of the beach from that paved area and from the chairs around the splash pad.

OK, so I'm not imagining that I read the beach was entirely blocked off at one point! I was happy my DS had enough space to run and play in the sand, I wasn't expecting that.

 

[cgulls]

I was there the week of May 12th, so the week before last. The picture above I took standing behind the Mad Hatter splash pad. The blue wall was just to my right, so the wall is behind the Beach pool and the beach pool bar. To the left of the picture is a paved patio area between the splash pad and the buildings. There was a clear open view of the beach from that paved area and from the chairs around the splash pad.

OK, so I'm not imagining that I read the beach was entirely blocked off at one point! I was happy my DS had enough space to run and play in the sand, I wasn't expecting that.

BAYGIRL, you're not imagining it. In April, that beach area you're describing (and photographed) was walled off all the way up to the back of Big Pine Key. This progress!

 

[BayGirl22]

BAYGIRL, you're not imagining it. In April, that beach area you're describing (and photographed) was walled off all the way up to the back of Big Pine Key. This progress!

Glad to see progress!

I really felt like any work was limited to the right of where I was standing in that picture. Everything in the actual resort was complete. If I had never walked beyond Big Pine I would not have seen any blue walls.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

Forgive me if this has already been answered but when is the DVC construction due to finish? I really want to stay at the GF in January but the walls around everything make me apprehensive lol.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Does anyone have pictures of these walls around the beach....I'm starting to freak out.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

cgulls - thanks for the reminder! I was thinking of our visit last May, when the beach looked like this:

instead of when we were back again in August and it looked like this:

We were there the last week of this past April, but didn't take any photos of that area, but remember someone (you?) posting some from the BPK staircase.

Sorry for the confusion, Baygirl!!

Forgive me if this has already been answered but when is the DVC construction due to finish? I really want to stay at the GF in January but the walls around everything make me apprehensive lol.

The VGF went on sale last week, with a projected opening date of October 23, 2013.

Does anyone have pictures of these walls around the beach....I'm starting to freak out.

See above. No need to freak out, the resort is still very pretty and the construction didn't affect our stay much at all last month.

 

[BayGirl22]

See above. No need to freak out, the resort is still very pretty and the construction didn't affect our stay much at all last month.

Totally agree. I probably would not have even noticed it much if I weren't such a uber-planner hanging out on the DIS. I bet if I asked DH how the construction affected our trip he'd say "what construction, I thought that was down the street". I'm sure by the time you are there in Jan it will look great, but even now I wouldn't have changed my plans at all.

 

[Tink rules]

Forgive me if this has already been answered but when is the DVC construction due to finish? I really want to stay at the GF in January but the walls around everything make me apprehensive lol.

DVC is due to be open and operating according to what we've heard by October of this year...

Well I did online check in and for both my room and my dd and dsl room. I tried to do the room request and the page said they couldn't do the Sago Key request. I don't understand this unless that area will be booked for some type of convention. Oh we'll, maybe I'll get there and ill have been upgraded! I'm not expecting it but a girl can dream! LOL

Probably a convention... That's where they usually stay because it's closer to the convention center...



And later.. if they start the planned refurbs... they will close off a building at a time.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

sotoalf - if you are reading: Sorry, I forgot about your question regarding Mizner's photos after Gasparilla's reopened. (for anyone who doesn't know, Mizner's lounge was turned into a quick serve location during the Gasparilla's refurb) I checked it out on my trip last month, it looks exactly the same as it always has - but I took a couple photos anyway, if you want to see them.

 

[Tink rules]

Who us??? Want to see pictures?????














Yes.