(2014-2020) Disney's GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA + VILLAS Information & Questions

[sbeets]

So all this talk about GG being horrible. Is it convenient to hit CR or Poly for their counter service? We have free dining and I was planning on a few resort CS meals.

 

[branv]

The good and the ugly --

View from room #8125:

And the line at GG:

 

[Music City Mama]

Thanks for your honest reviews, @loveshak22 and @branv. I'll be arriving in about 3 hours and I REALLY am not feeling optimistic about GG. I hope the room is decent. I also got the upgrade from WL, and would never pay to stay here otherwise even with a discount so this is a real treat for us. I'll try to check back soon and tell you all how everything is.

 

[loveshak22]

As we approach our last night, I wanted to give a brief review. For perspective, I should do a full disclosure that we are one of the families who were moved to the GF because of WL construction. We have previously stayed at WL, BC, CR, POFQ and Pop.

We were given an amazing lagoon view room, #8125, which is first floor Boca Chica. There was a pine tree that kept this from being a 100% theme park view, but it was amazing nonetheless. You simply had to lean a little left to see the castle and the fireworks were somewhat obscured. But otherwise stunning for a lagoon view. On the negative side, my 2 yo is having PTSD from the sound of the fireworks. It was like a canon going off every night next to our room and made his bedtime slide to way later. So keep that in mind if you have young ones scared of fireworks. I would have loved it during our DINK days!

There was a big snafu with our room on check in. Our flight landed at 10:10 am, and I received a text that out room wasn't ready. But, we drove to the resort anyway and checked in just to be sure. We were reassured the room would be ready between 3-4 pm. We headed to a park (big mistake with a 2 yo on a long travel day, btw), and by the time we got back to the resort at 6:00 pm the room was still showing not ready. I'd been up since 3:30 am with a really hard week previously, so I was pretty wobbly at this point. Thankfully the lovely CM at the desk went straight to work to figure out the problem. She could not have been sorrier, but of course it wasn't her fault! There was a computer snafu, and apparently I wasn't the first.

My thoughts on the resort and the room are that they are lovely. But I also noticed a lot of issues unbecoming of such an expensive resort, even if it is Disney economics pricing. The tile in our shower had a hole in it by the faucet, the grout was filthy. The paint was scratched and dingy. The ceiling fan and bath fan squealed. The mattress was comfy at first but then rather lumpy after a bit. The linens and patio were very well kept though. What really surprised me is the ridiculous lack of drawer space. It wouldn't have been enough for two adults to unpack, let alone a family. What were they thinking?

As mentioned, Gasparilla was appalling. Just this morning we tried to run in quickly to grab pastries, and of course got stuck in a huge line bc to get the pastries you had to get in the hot food line, which never moves. Then, despite it being 8:30 am and prime breakfast hour, there was only one cashier, so that line was backed up to the food counter! It's nuts. Do they even have a manager?!

Transportation has been great. Almost no wait for monorails, which were running at good hours. We only used buses three times, but they were on time according to the sign.

The weather was awful. I'm from Texas, but still hate the heat. And reallllly hate humidity. The things my hair did...*shudder* The crowds were not at all what I expected. People can say, "it's the new 10 point scale", but my teeth. All the crowd predictors got it wrong, no matter what they want to say. I'm not saying it's their fault, but nonetheless they were wrong.

Also, my DS got a horrible goose egg falling at Epcot. I'm a first time mom so prone to being nervous, but still... it was ugly. We had to run across the park to two wrong places bc two different CMs misdirected us where the first aid was. I was so close to screaming at someone out of stress and fear. I didn't, but still. What if this had been a real emergency?

So, in short: I like a lot of things about GF. I loved a few things and really disliked a few things. All in all, I wouldn't pay the extra money to stay here. If it cost the same as the other places I stayed, it would be a top contender certainly. But as it stands, my faves still remain a tie between BC and WL, with CR second and GF third. If CR and GF were the same cost, it would be a tie between them. That being said, I do wonder if my opinion would be different were it just DH and I traveling, where we could have more relaxing down time, more signature and more evening drinks

My husband and I are DINKs and my final conclusion is similar to yours, it was a very nice hotel but it wouldn't be my top choice because of the price point and the quality of service was not any different from our experiences at WL and AKL. And, we prefer the 'nature' theme as opposed to the Victorian theme and so we aren't getting a lot more for our money. The monorail being out of service for our morning MK day and our Epcot day, the monorail didn't really make it that much more convenient...although the boat was a nice option.

I think I'd like to try CR next...but we feel the crowds have gotten so out of hand (agree with you about the crowds last week - ugh) that we can't seem to find an off-season that makes Disney as enjoyable for us as it used to be, especially without kids. So, we probably won't be back for several years when some of the new areas are open.

And yes, that heat was miserable!!!

 

[loveshak22]

Thanks for your honest reviews, @loveshak22 and @branv. I'll be arriving in about 3 hours and I REALLY am not feeling optimistic about GG. I hope the room is decent. I also got the upgrade from WL, and would never pay to stay here otherwise even with a discount so this is a real treat for us. I'll try to check back soon and tell you all how everything is.

I'm definitely excited to hear your thoughts!! Almost there...

 

[mandy200587]

We had some decent food from GG, I want to say one of the things was the Stromboli. The nuggets are your standard disney issue. I honestly would say Poly's is better. I don't like the Contemporary's and never did when we stayed there. I know for us too we also ate off times too so we avoided the lines and didn't do breakfast there.

The only time I've found the heat somewhat tolerable was in May. I've been in May, June, July and September.

 

[loveshak22]

We had some decent food from GG, I want to say one of the things was the Stromboli. The nuggets are your standard disney issue. I honestly would say Poly's is better. I don't like the Contemporary's and never did when we stayed there. I know for us too we also ate off times too so we avoided the lines and didn't do breakfast there.

The only time I've found the heat somewhat tolerable was in May. I've been in May, June, July and September.

I love the weather at the end of January for touring the parks. The only drawback for us is that it's too cold for swimming.

 

[mandy200587]

I love the weather at the end of January for touring the parks. The only drawback for us is that it's too cold for swimming.

I'd love to go that time, we go September because of hockey season.

 

[Aurora0427]

That's a shame about Gaspy's.

The last time I ate there (2014) I really, really enjoyed my wonderful salad with grilled chicken and a citrus vinaigrette. The portion size was plenty big for two people. Very fresh, too, with lots of good veggies included. The flatbread was delicious, too. I don't think I'm gonna be happy if this Quick Service has gone downhill.

We liked it in 2014 as well. I'm not sure what happened to GG in 2015....

 

[Aurora0427]

As we approach our last night, I wanted to give a brief review. For perspective, I should do a full disclosure that we are one of the families who were moved to the GF because of WL construction. We have previously stayed at WL, BC, CR, POFQ and Pop.

We were given an amazing lagoon view room, #8125, which is first floor Boca Chica. There was a pine tree that kept this from being a 100% theme park view, but it was amazing nonetheless. You simply had to lean a little left to see the castle and the fireworks were somewhat obscured. But otherwise stunning for a lagoon view. On the negative side, my 2 yo is having PTSD from the sound of the fireworks. It was like a canon going off every night next to our room and made his bedtime slide to way later. So keep that in mind if you have young ones scared of fireworks. I would have loved it during our DINK days!

There was a big snafu with our room on check in. Our flight landed at 10:10 am, and I received a text that out room wasn't ready. But, we drove to the resort anyway and checked in just to be sure. We were reassured the room would be ready between 3-4 pm. We headed to a park (big mistake with a 2 yo on a long travel day, btw), and by the time we got back to the resort at 6:00 pm the room was still showing not ready. I'd been up since 3:30 am with a really hard week previously, so I was pretty wobbly at this point. Thankfully the lovely CM at the desk went straight to work to figure out the problem. She could not have been sorrier, but of course it wasn't her fault! There was a computer snafu, and apparently I wasn't the first.

My thoughts on the resort and the room are that they are lovely. But I also noticed a lot of issues unbecoming of such an expensive resort, even if it is Disney economics pricing. The tile in our shower had a hole in it by the faucet, the grout was filthy. The paint was scratched and dingy. The ceiling fan and bath fan squealed. The mattress was comfy at first but then rather lumpy after a bit. The linens and patio were very well kept though. What really surprised me is the ridiculous lack of drawer space. It wouldn't have been enough for two adults to unpack, let alone a family. What were they thinking?

As mentioned, Gasparilla was appalling. Just this morning we tried to run in quickly to grab pastries, and of course got stuck in a huge line bc to get the pastries you had to get in the hot food line, which never moves. Then, despite it being 8:30 am and prime breakfast hour, there was only one cashier, so that line was backed up to the food counter! It's nuts. Do they even have a manager?!

Transportation has been great. Almost no wait for monorails, which were running at good hours. We only used buses three times, but they were on time according to the sign.

The weather was awful. I'm from Texas, but still hate the heat. And reallllly hate humidity. The things my hair did...*shudder* The crowds were not at all what I expected. People can say, "it's the new 10 point scale", but my teeth. All the crowd predictors got it wrong, no matter what they want to say. I'm not saying it's their fault, but nonetheless they were wrong.

Also, my DS got a horrible goose egg falling at Epcot. I'm a first time mom so prone to being nervous, but still... it was ugly. We had to run across the park to two wrong places bc two different CMs misdirected us where the first aid was. I was so close to screaming at someone out of stress and fear. I didn't, but still. What if this had been a real emergency?

So, in short: I like a lot of things about GF. I loved a few things and really disliked a few things. All in all, I wouldn't pay the extra money to stay here. If it cost the same as the other places I stayed, it would be a top contender certainly. But as it stands, my faves still remain a tie between BC and WL, with CR second and GF third. If CR and GF were the same cost, it would be a tie between them. That being said, I do wonder if my opinion would be different were it just DH and I traveling, where we could have more relaxing down time, more signature and more evening drinks

We had a similar room drama. Checked in at 9:30am. No room by 5pm. I started crying... 7 months pregnant, been at the parks all day, mnsshp that night. I just needed an hour to rest. Fortunately the sweet CM called and found two rooms for us and we had a nice break before the party. But we've had 3 amazing stays at the GF, and it's our favorite. That being said, we only stay if we can get a room discount. We also love BC & Poly. I think we may go back to the Poly next time, unless we go back in December. There's nothing as wonderful as the GF in December. That was our best trip ever!

One unrelated random observation... We've always found the service at the GF to be top notch. Bell services is the best. They get there in less than 15 minutes. We waited half an our on our one day stay at AoA. Plus the cm at the gift shop gave me a free poncho when she nkiticed mine was ripped. We've stayed all over Disney property, and I really think GF has the best CMs.

 

[Sue M]

We had some decent food from GG, I want to say one of the things was the Stromboli. The nuggets are your standard disney issue. I honestly would say Poly's is better. I don't like the Contemporary's and never did when we stayed there. I know for us too we also ate off times too so we avoided the lines and didn't do breakfast there.

The only time I've found the heat somewhat tolerable was in May. I've been in May, June, July and September.

Yes, that Stromboli was pretty good!

 

[mandy200587]

Yes, that Stromboli was pretty good!

I want to say we had that and I think maybe the roast beef. I can't remember what we got another time when I got the nuggets. I will say the best flatbread pizza was Village Haus in MK

 

[Sue M]

I want to say we had that and I think maybe the roast beef. I can't remember what we got another time when I got the nuggets. I will say the best flatbread pizza was Village Haus in MK

Love the Village Haus Italian Flatbread Sub!!

 

[Music City Mama]

Some good and some bad so far. I requested Sago and got BPK which I confirmed at the desk that it wasn't behind the pool house and it's not -- other side facing lagoon! Love it! There have been some issues (don't have time right now). Some are strong musty smell in room which I hope I get used to and the shower barely drains. Was going to try GG last night but couldnt make it due to heavy rain. Saw EWP from our balcony, though! More later, off to MK.

 

[Aurora0427]

Some good and some bad so far. I requested Sago and got BPK which I confirmed at the desk that it wasn't behind the pool house and it's not -- other side facing lagoon! Love it! There have been some issues (don't have time right now). Some are strong musty smell in room which I hope I get used to and the shower barely drains. Was going to try GG last night but couldnt make it due to heavy rain. Saw EWP from our balcony, though! More later, off to MK.

When you get back from MK, stop by the front desk. They'll send maintenance to fix the tub. We had a hot water issue last December. They actually couldn't get it fixed, so the manager moved our room and comped us a night. I was blown away by the service. No, I did not ask for anything to be comped. She also gave us 3 additional fast passes per person. It's why the GF will always be my favorite- top notch service.

 

[branv]

Waiting to check out, had to give a new tip: last night we ate at the beach pool bar. It was great!! I had the escabeche and crab cake sandwich, DH had a burger. It was the best counter service of our trip, and was actually hot when delivered, unlike GG. It was faster too. I wish we'd eaten there more often.

We had wonderful service from airline check-in, GFG and concierge this morning. I can't deny service is really good everywhere else!

I did forget to add it's been taking like 3 minutes for the shower to get hot everyday. I just chalked that up to older plumbing.

 

[Music City Mama]

Back in room now. Gosh, I hate this musty smell. Anyhow, stopped by front desk regarding shower/tub not draining and they said they'd put an order in. Every CM I have dealt with has been top notch. Ate at GG. Meh, not horrible but not great. Lots of little things that I don't have the time or will to type on my phone; but will try to remember when I get back. Would love to take a nap (no sleep last night, but that's a whole other story! ), but we're gonna head to Epcot. More later.

 

[Sue M]

I love the weather at the end of January for touring the parks. The only drawback for us is that it's too cold for swimming.

Weather in January varies from really cold, I've seen frost on the grass early mornings to really warm mid day, like upper 70s low 80s. I've swam mid day some years. And there is always the hot tub. We always bring our suits.

Waiting to check out, had to give a new tip: last night we ate at the beach pool bar. It was great!! I had the escabeche and crab cake sandwich, DH had a burger. It was the best counter service of our trip, and was actually hot when delivered, unlike GG. It was faster too. I wish we'd eaten there more often.

We had wonderful service from airline check-in, GFG and concierge this morning. I can't deny service is really good everywhere else!

I did forget to add it's been taking like 3 minutes for the shower to get hot everyday. I just chalked that up to older plumbing.

I loved the Beach Pool food too! The crab cake was really good I agree! And nice seating.

Back in room now. Gosh, I hate this musty smell. Anyhow, stopped by front desk regarding shower/tub not draining and they said they'd put an order in. Every CM I have dealt with has been top notch. Ate at GG. Meh, not horrible but not great. Lots of little things that I don't have the time or will to type on my phone; but will try to remember when I get back. Would love to take a nap (no sleep last night, but that's a whole other story! ), but we're gonna head to Epcot. More later.

Maybe you could also mention smell? Must be awful.

 

[Circusgirl]

Back in room now. Gosh, I hate this musty smell. Anyhow, stopped by front desk regarding shower/tub not draining and they said they'd put an order in. Every CM I have dealt with has been top notch. Ate at GG. Meh, not horrible but not great. Lots of little things that I don't have the time or will to type on my phone; but will try to remember when I get back. Would love to take a nap (no sleep last night, but that's a whole other story! ), but we're gonna head to Epcot. More later.

You can also ask for housekeeping to deal with the musty odor. I had that issue when I checked in at SL in September, and although the odor was extremely strong, after housekeeping was informed the smell was gone and did not recur during my stay.

 

[Music City Mama]

Got back to the room around 8:00 and there was a message from "Engineering" wanting to know if we still needed our shower serviced. Well, considering it hadn't been done and it doesn't magically fix itself, that would be a yes! The message was left at 6:30 and we got it 8:00. Too tired, not dealing with it tonight. I'll go to the front desk in the morning again and ask them to tell them not to call me again (won't be here) - just do it. Will try to address the musty smell, too. On a brighter note, really enjoyed the band and pianist this evening!