2014 Grand Floridian Resort & Villas FAQ: Vacationing in Grand Style!

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My suspicion is that they will run the yellow flag boat launch early, but that hasn't been announced. They've just said extra boats and buses will be available. I'd just let them know the night before about your 8:00 ADR and ask them how you will be able to get there. We have multiple 8:00am ADR's and I'm not worried. Last year we took the resort monorail to TTC to get to Epcot for an 8:00 ADR. Apparently the Epcot monorail doesn't run that early. The people at TTC were very nice and arranged a van to drive us and another family over to Epcot. Don't worry- just communicate what you need and they will help you out.

Ok I am there the 17th. Looks like I WON'T be affected by the later monorail. If this is the case, So do you know the REGULAR monorail schedule b/c I assume I will be there durin the NORMAL hours....THANKS!
 
Ok I am there the 17th. Looks like I WON'T be affected by the later monorail. If this is the case, So do you know the REGULAR monorail schedule b/c I assume I will be there durin the NORMAL hours....THANKS!
From DIS information:
Magic Kingdom Express: 1 hour before park open to 1 hour after park close, not including Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom Resorts: 6:30am until 1 hour after park close, not including Extra Magic Hours
EPCOT: 1 hour before park open until 1 hour after park close, not including Extra Magic Hours

Outside of these hours, alternate watercraft and bus transportation is available.
 
Ack!!:crazy2: Really?? My computer has been "in the shop" getting a cleaning/tune-up to remove extra junk slowing it down all week and I sign on to find out the monorail hours this summer will be limited. This is just so disappointing. The monorail platform at GF is already the last stop prior to MK and the trains can be packed in the morning hours so I guess this means we will NOT be taking the monorail in the mornings for MK and EP.

So....for those of you who have been at monorail resorts during previous monorail outages....

Will they run extra boats from GF in the mornings? What about late nite summer hours? Do they continue to run boats to GF when MK is open until midnight and 1am?

Buses--If they add buses for MK and Epcot, are they shared with other monorail resorts or will they be direct? I know the buses are shared for DHS and AK but I am hoping for direct buses during the monorail outage periods.

:sad2:
 
I was also bummed when I saw this and, like you, have settled down a little. Here are my thoughts fwiw: 1). I see that the resort monorail to MK will begin at 830 (some sites day later but wdw magic.com says 830) and if this is correct, you should be able to do MK rope drop via monorail from GF. 2). While we like taking the monorail to Epcot, taking a taxi there is far and away the fastest and easiest way to get there. We utilized taxis to Epcot from GF a few times because you can just take a 10 minute drive vs monorail to TTC, down & up long ramps to monorail to EPCOT (which often took 30-45 minutes). 3). I don't know if you're taking breaks to go back to your resort (we do) but I was happy that the Monorail would be up and running during the day to facilitate breaks. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

I read that the resort monorail isn't starting until 9:30.
 


Ack!!:crazy2: Really?? My computer has been "in the shop" getting a cleaning/tune-up to remove extra junk slowing it down all week and I sign on to find out the monorail hours this summer will be limited. This is just so disappointing. The monorail platform at GF is already the last stop prior to MK and the trains can be packed in the morning hours so I guess this means we will NOT be taking the monorail in the mornings for MK and EP.

So....for those of you who have been at monorail resorts during previous monorail outages....

Will they run extra boats from GF in the mornings? What about late nite summer hours? Do they continue to run boats to GF when MK is open until midnight and 1am?

Buses--If they add buses for MK and Epcot, are they shared with other monorail resorts or will they be direct? I know the buses are shared for DHS and AK but I am hoping for direct buses during the monorail outage periods.

:sad2:

The times we have been and the monorail is down, the extra buses they run do the resort monorail loop. So Poly-GF-MK-CR (TTC?). If you are going resort to resort on the monorail, you can sometimes be tricky and go to the next app the bus makes before it heads to its ultimate destination (ex. The AK bus from CR stops at either Poly or GF before heading to AK, so, if going to that resort, you can hop the AK vs the resort bus.)

Ask the bus drivers. We have also seen at scheduled outages CM assigned to the bus stops to help people out, as it can be confusing.
 
So, will they run buses to Epcot for people who want to get there early from GF?
 


Hi! We are staying at the GF for the first time in September. We have an outer building, theme park view. I have never really requested a room, except at POR where I like the mansions and not alligator bayou. Is it recommended that I request a certain building or just let it be a surprise? Just me and the DH will be going.
 
monorail :crazy2: that's just crazy that they aren't running monorail for rope drop! That's a huge reason why people book monorail resorts! What are they thinking??? I guess there's the bait to MK that will go to Poly then MK. But I don't think boat starts till 8:30? Maybe they'll start early? And busses to Epcot, ugh. I hope by August the monorail will be back to normal ugh

Pas :hug: hi!!

k&a&c yes, so excited about 14 days GF. First 2 are SL to surprise my daughters, and a special treat for my youngest (24) who is finally able to join us again, it's been a few years since she's been able to between school & summer job at summer camp. Now she's finished school, and got a full time job so can take a holiday in summer! :woohoo: but she has to go back home to work after first day at GF. We will have been in Lauderdale and Universal already before wdw.
So thought her day and a half would be fun at SL! We plan on going to TL our arrival morning then coming back and enjoying GF, CL, watch Wishes & Electric Water Parade, then second day sleep in, enjoy CL and have a resort day before her 2pm DME.
 
Welcome back! Hope everything is/was ok

Thanks!:hug: Yes, everything is OK. DD was in a car wreck a couple months ago, which has taken up a lot of our time trying to get the other insurance to do the right thing. But she wasn't seriously hurt, thank goodness, and finally has her car back.


:goodvibes

Popping in to say hello

I finally got a moment to catch up on the thread...been so busy at work these days (this is my busiest time of year). Unfortunately for me, I won't get a break now till the end of July and in the midst of work insanity, I have both girls celebrating birthdays soon with one Sweet 16 birthday bash to finish planning and get thru . Oh, and did I mention that even though my DD's are 4 years apart, their actual birthdays are only 3 days apart...yeah, that was some poor planning on my part.

I've enjoyed reading about everyone's recent trips and all those who are excited about their upcoming stays. I, for one, CANNOT wait for our first stay at the Grand... August won't come fast enough!!!

August will be here before you know it.:cool1: LOL about the poor planning in regards to your DDs birthdays - my boys' b'days are 2 days apart, and my DD's is just 2 weeks from theirs. Silly me.;)

Hi Everyone! I am new to the DIS but not to Disney. My family of three will be at GF in Late September. I am so excited!!! Has anyone ever ordered the Tiara in their room for their arrival? If anyone has, do you have an image of it?!

Much appreciated

I have not, do you mean from the Disney Florist? If so, I'm sure there is a photo on the website.

....

I am not sure where to start.... Maybe do a mini TR ..in segments...

~ The GF....:lovestruc Our stay was just wonderful... the resort after so many renovations over the last few years is looking lovely...and spring and summer have sprung..lots of beautiful folliage...:flower2: As in our last stay..while there are turndown chocolates..there are no longer those turn down cards with the little sayings on them...so I am thinking they are gone for good...

~SL renovation is in full swing...not that I could see anything other than the construction walls...lol... I did hear similar to what grannieminnie has heard with regards to what is going on with the lounge refurbs..it is not being made larger..rather being re arranged....and from what I understand should have a look color wise similar to Gasparilla's!! To me that is good news..as Gaspies has that same blue and green palette that is on the walls in the pool elevator lobby...I only hope this is accurate info....

~The food...lol...I know that many of you are all about the food too!!! But...I have a lot of errands to run..and need to look through my photos to give some specifics....so...I will be back later or tomorrow to fill you in!!

Hope that everyone is having a fabulous Friday!! Which btw is Friday the 13!! :earsgirl: preppy GF gal who is happy that she booked a BB!! :yay:

Thanks for the update, hope you are starting to feel more relaxed after your travels.:goodvibes I'm so sad about the turn down cards, boohoo. Good news about the SL lounge colors, hope that is the case. I'm not a fan of the photos of the outer lobbies.~shudder~

Hello! New here!

We're doing a switch from Contemporary (which would have been our first time, we've always stayed at the WL) to the Grand (need a room for 5). I've been very behind in planning his trip for some reason and I'm 5 days out!

My travel agent made all the specific room requests I have (Conch, upper floor), but I just want to make sure she did it. Is there a specific # I call. I just tried call Disney and they tell me to call her...do I call the Grand itself? and I've seen some people know what building then are going to be in before they go? Am I reading that correctly? How did you do that??

I'm very overwhelmed with this trip! We've always stayed at the WL and I'm not big on change and we usually go at the end of summer -- I teach, so I usually have more time to get things under control!! Freaking out!!

And I have friends texting me that we'll never get on the Seven Dwarfs ride! AGH!

Welcome!:yay:

Sorry to say, you won't be able to call Disney directly for info on your reservation. The TA "owns" your reservation, so all communications have to go through them, unfortunately, which is why they are telling you to call her. Maybe she can give you a copy of the reservation with the requests added?

Some people see building options when they do online check in, I assume that is why they say they know in advance. No one knows for sure until check in, even if they do make a choice of building during online check in. Many situations can change room assignment right up to the moment you receive your room keys. Maintenance issues, previous guests decide to stay longer, etc.

Take a deep breath and try not to stress too much.:hug: I'm sure you will have a great trip, even though you haven't been able to plan as much as you are used to doing. Maybe you'll find the lack of planning each day leads to some new discoveries. My suggestion for any park in the summer, but especially the MK, is try to get there at park opening and go straight to the new ride. I'm sure you know this already, but hearing it from others may help you remember it is never impossible.:hug: Have you done any of the FP+ stuff? I can't help much with that, as we haven't experienced it yet, but I'm sure others can give suggestions.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask questions. We're here to help.:grouphug:

I have about a month until our first GF SL stay!!!!! :banana:

I noticed the monorail summer schedule plans - does anyone know what time the boat will start operating in the mornings? I just want to make sure I allow plenty of time to reach RD. An estimate to MK via boat?

Also, is the bus stop area for park buses going to be near where ME drops us off when we arrive? I just want to get a lay of the land!

Thanks!!! We are so excited for our first (but I'm sure not last) stay at the Grand!

Very excited for your first GF stay!:yay:

The park bus stop IS quite near where the ME bus drops off. You will exit the ME bus in front of the resort portico - if you look to the left, you will see a white railing and covered area with benches. This is the park bus stop. There are photos on the first page, I think, but if I didn't transfer them they are on the previous FAQ thread. I'll post a link here in a bit so you can see it.:flower3:

We are 11 days away from our first GF stay. I was booked at POFQ, but then decided that my 86 yr old Gram deserved something special for her first trip and I switched to the Grand. The driving force behind this change was the monorail because she gets car sick and I thought the buses would be too much for her. Now we find out we won't be able to take the monorail to either rope drop at either MK or EP.......not happy :( I know they have closed it down midday before, and I understand that...but Rope Drop??? What are they thinking??

I guess if you are trying to find a positive spin on this, maybe RD crowds won't be as bad with the monorail not running. Epcot opens at 9. The monorail starts running at 9. So if we can catch a bus, or taxi before that, we will be ahead of the people who don't know about the monorail. Fingers are crossed :)

I was very upset yesterday when I saw this news on FB. But after stewing about it all day...and tossing and turning all night....I just keep repeating my mantra "this will NOT ruin our trip" "this will NOT ruin our trip" "this will NOT ruin our trip". We are still staying at the gorgeous Grand Floridian for the first time ever. It is still my grandmother's first and probably last trip. I will make sure she has a magical vacation! We will figure out RD without a monorail....somehow.

:hug: So sorry about the monorail change. Very frustrating, I agree. You are right, this will not ruin your trip, but you have every right to feel frustrated.

I'm sure the resort will have a plan in place to get everyone to the parks at RD. Ask at check in. Enjoy the trip with your grandmother, how wonderful you will be able to take her for her first WDW trip.pixiedust:

What monorail schedule? Where do I find it? And it doesn't sound good.:sad2:

ETA Found the schedule and I guess we'll be taking the boat most mornings to MK.
Epcot Monorail: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Resort Monorail: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Express Monorail: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m

Thanks for the info. Do you know when this starts? Maybe that has been posted and I missed it.
 
Hi! We are staying at the GF for the first time in September. We have an outer building, theme park view. I have never really requested a room, except at POR where I like the mansions and not alligator bayou. Is it recommended that I request a certain building or just let it be a surprise? Just me and the DH will be going.

We love conch key building near the marina and boat dock area, we've had beautiful TPV : )
 
Yet another summer with monorail issues.:faint: Has anyone read about the reason, is it due to the Poly DVC construction?

I was also bummed when I saw this and, like you, have settled down a little. Here are my thoughts fwiw: 1). I see that the resort monorail to MK will begin at 830 (some sites day later but wdw magic.com says 830) and if this is correct, you should be able to do MK rope drop via monorail from GF. 2). While we like taking the monorail to Epcot, taking a taxi there is far and away the fastest and easiest way to get there. We utilized taxis to Epcot from GF a few times because you can just take a 10 minute drive vs monorail to TTC, down & up long ramps to monorail to EPCOT (which often took 30-45 minutes). 3). I don't know if you're taking breaks to go back to your resort (we do) but I was happy that the Monorail would be up and running during the day to facilitate breaks. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

We use taxis a lot at WDW as well, especially for Epcot and DHS. This would probably be a good time for a rental car if ever there was one! lol

My suspicion is that they will run the yellow flag boat launch early, but that hasn't been announced. They've just said extra boats and buses will be available. I'd just let them know the night before about your 8:00 ADR and ask them how you will be able to get there. We have multiple 8:00am ADR's and I'm not worried. Last year we took the resort monorail to TTC to get to Epcot for an 8:00 ADR. Apparently the Epcot monorail doesn't run that early. The people at TTC were very nice and arranged a van to drive us and another family over to Epcot. Don't worry- just communicate what you need and they will help you out.

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm sure it will help others who are concerned.:flower3:

Ack!!:crazy2: Really?? My computer has been "in the shop" getting a cleaning/tune-up to remove extra junk slowing it down all week and I sign on to find out the monorail hours this summer will be limited. This is just so disappointing. The monorail platform at GF is already the last stop prior to MK and the trains can be packed in the morning hours so I guess this means we will NOT be taking the monorail in the mornings for MK and EP.

So....for those of you who have been at monorail resorts during previous monorail outages....

Will they run extra boats from GF in the mornings? What about late nite summer hours? Do they continue to run boats to GF when MK is open until midnight and 1am?

Buses--If they add buses for MK and Epcot, are they shared with other monorail resorts or will they be direct? I know the buses are shared for DHS and AK but I am hoping for direct buses during the monorail outage periods.

:sad2:

From what has been posted about past monorail shut downs, they DO run boats from the MK for EMH and other periods when the monorail is down. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for direct buses, maybe I'm wrong about that.:rolleyes:

I don't blame guests for being upset about this, it throws a wrench into everyone's plans. One of the big draws of the monorail resorts is the convenience of the monorail!:headache:

I read that the resort monorail isn't starting until 9:30.

Where did you read this? I hope the 8:30 time is correct, for everyone trying to make park opening.

The times we have been and the monorail is down, the extra buses they run do the resort monorail loop. So Poly-GF-MK-CR (TTC?). If you are going resort to resort on the monorail, you can sometimes be tricky and go to the next app the bus makes before it heads to its ultimate destination (ex. The AK bus from CR stops at either Poly or GF before heading to AK, so, if going to that resort, you can hop the AK vs the resort bus.)

Ask the bus drivers. We have also seen at scheduled outages CM assigned to the bus stops to help people out, as it can be confusing.

I would certainly hope they will have their ducks in a row, but from past experience they do not, always.~sigh~ We have seen CMs at the bus stop, even during regular transportation periods, so hopefully they will be out in force this summer.

Thanks for the info on the bus routes, this is what I suspected. (multiple resorts)

So, will they run buses to Epcot for people who want to get there early from GF?

I would assume they will run buses on the same schedule that the monorail would have run.

Hi! We are staying at the GF for the first time in September. We have an outer building, theme park view. I have never really requested a room, except at POR where I like the mansions and not alligator bayou. Is it recommended that I request a certain building or just let it be a surprise? Just me and the DH will be going.

Welcome, very excited for your first stay!:cheer2: Whether to request a building or not is purely personal taste. Some people like to make a request, others want to be surprised. There aren't many bad rooms at the GF, don't worry, no parking lot views, etc.

What room category do you have? That may make a difference on which building you prefer. ETA: oops, just saw you have TPV.:blush: The two buildings most often cited as having good TPV rooms are Conch Key and Sago Cay. HTH!

monorail :crazy2: that's just crazy that they aren't running monorail for rope drop! That's a huge reason why people book monorail resorts! What are they thinking??? I guess there's the bait to MK that will go to Poly then MK. But I don't think boat starts till 8:30? Maybe they'll start early? And busses to Epcot, ugh. I hope by August the monorail will be back to normal ugh

Pas :hug: hi!!

k&a&c yes, so excited about 14 days GF. First 2 are SL to surprise my daughters, and a special treat for my youngest (24) who is finally able to join us again, it's been a few years since she's been able to between school & summer job at summer camp. Now she's finished school, and got a full time job so can take a holiday in summer! :woohoo: but she has to go back home to work after first day at GF. We will have been in Lauderdale and Universal already before wdw.
So thought her day and a half would be fun at SL! We plan on going to TL our arrival morning then coming back and enjoying GF, CL, watch Wishes & Electric Water Parade, then second day sleep in, enjoy CL and have a resort day before her 2pm DME.

Sounds wonderful!:cloud9: Can I stow away in your luggage?!;) Your plans for Ft.L and Universal sound great, too, we love the USO resorts (and the beach!).

I completely agree about the monorail outage. Very frustrating.
 
Some of the information I've seen around (including in this thread) regarding the reduced monorail hours is incorrect.

These are the official hours as of now for June 22 and beyond.

Magic Kingdom Resort beam - 8:30am to midnight
Magic Kingdom Express beam - 9:30am to 11:30pm
Epcot beam - 9am to 11pm

An enddate has still not even been nailed down internally but they're hoping to be done around early September (think like the first week).
 
Some of the information I've seen around (including in this thread) regarding the reduced monorail hours is incorrect.

These are the official hours as of now for June 22 and beyond.

Magic Kingdom Resort beam - 8:30am to midnight
Magic Kingdom Express beam - 9:30am to 11:30pm
Epcot beam - 9am to 11pm

An enddate has still not even been nailed down internally but they're hoping to be done around early September (think like the first week).

Thanks for the update.:flower3: Can you reference your source? It's helpful, I think, so people know which is the most accurate info.

Is this due to monorail maintenance, or the Poly construction? I'm completely out of the loop lately.:blush:
 
Thanks for the update.:flower3: Can you reference your source? It's helpful, I think, so people know which is the most accurate info.

Is this due to monorail maintenance, or the Poly construction? I'm completely out of the loop lately.:blush:

The hours have been on multiple sites, including one that took it from the Hub. The end date comes from a friend working with the reduced hours. My guess is upper Disney management has a bit of a clearer idea than "early September" but I don't have access to anyone at that level familiar with this specific situation.

In terms of reasoning behind the closures, they're automating the monorails (don't worry there will still be CMs inside the driver's station.
 
Ferrentinos, here is the link to the bus stop photos I posted on a previous thread. The path you see in the first photo is the one from the Main Bldg. entrance, walking toward the Convention Center.

HTH!:sunny:

andyman8 - thanks! Good to know.
 
Any stories of pixie dust experiences at GF... Love to read about those magical moments : )

Here's ours from GF:

We were upgraded from a garden view standard room to SL club ... An incredible surprise
My twin grandsons each received a small red wagon filled with Mickey goodies ect. Balloons and a small birthday cake for each of them for their 5th birthday ... So so surprised!

We had our shopping purchases sent from DDT to the Grand and it never arrived. We called front desk and they checked for us and it seems it was lost. The concierge called us and came and got our receipt for our purchases ... She drove to DDT and got everything for us we had bought and added some extra special treats and figurines for the two boys. Yep she drove to DDT and back to make sure we had everything, amazing!

We booked a lagoon view and our room was in conch key dormer room with a theme park view as well ... So fun!
 
Hi Thanks for the tips with Christmas decorations. I have been reading through all the pages on tips for the GF. It is very overwhelming. I am planning to book a garden view room. What building do you suggest would be great to stay in. I have only been to the GF for dinner so I do not know the resort very well. We do enjoy hanging at the pool and being close to activities. I don't believe the resort is as spread out as the POLY. Am I correct?
 
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