Music City Mama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2009
Now that we’ve been back for a couple of a days, I wanted to give my review of our stay at the GF.
Background: This was our first stay here, but we have visited before. It wasn’t really on the top of my “to stay at” list, but we had the opportunity to move from the WL at no additional cost (construction) and figured we better jump on it because we probably wouldn’t pay their rates (even with a discount) in the future.
Arrival: I did online check-in and we arrived around 7:30 p.m. I had requested an upper floor in Sago Key, but we were assigned to Big Pine Key. While I loved the location from the map, I really feared getting the view of the back of the pool house, so I was kind of panicked for a minute. She circled the room on the map, and I asked about the location. She didn’t mention anything about an upgrade from our garden view, but certainly what we received was a lagoon view (or a really great garden view). I REALLY loved the view. Here are some pictures from our balcony:
Upon entering the room, I noticed a musty smell and pointed it out to DH. He suggested that perhaps the room hadn’t been occupied in a while and was stagnant and the air circulation from the A/C and fan should help. I told him I doubted that was the reason for the odor, but we’ll see. The room had already received turn-down service, but the channel was on BET (not the regular main WDW channel), so I thought for a second that the room was occupied when we had walked in. Speaking of that, are they supposed to turn on the TV for turn-down? Like I mentioned, the other nights it was on the WDW channel, but I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be on at all. ??
We were going to get a bite to eat at GG, but when I went to stash our valuables in the safe, we discovered that the safe was already locked and we couldn’t access it. I’m guessing a previous occupant (i.e., teenager) did this as a joke when they left. I called the front desk and someone was there in 10 minutes to clear the code. By this time, it started pouring and we didn’t feel like putting on ponchos just to go to GG, so we didn’t bother going out that night. However, I was able to view the EWP from our balcony. It was just rain, no lightning, so it went on as scheduled. More pictures:
At around 10:00, we decided to hit the hay, but unfortunately, we couldn’t fall asleep due to the racket in the lobby. A group of people were talking and laughing extremely loud. A couple of little kids were screaming, too. Since we were in that main atrium section (although, on the 4th floor), we could hear EVERYTHING very loudly. We kept thinking the rest of their party would show up and they’d move on from whatever it was they were doing there, but we finally came to the conclusion that they were just treating the lobby as a common area. We’re guessing it was a large group with multiple rooms and they used the lobby as their “living room”. I was really expecting to hear someone from another room go out there and say something to them. I didn’t want to start the trip off with a confrontation, so we just tried to wait it out. Finally at 11:00 — yes, 1 hour of laughing and talking like they were in a crowded restaurant, I decided to call the front desk. I never heard anyone say anything, but within 10-15 minutes, the noise completely stopped. I was actually surprised it happened so quickly since I know I’m not really calling the front desk. I was just shocked that they had such little respect for those around them that they carried on like that for an hour!
The next day: I take a shower and I’m pretty much standing in ankle-deep water. Ugh. Okay, I’ll stop by the front desk and say something. Go to put on my make-up, and there is lotion/sunscreen all over the edges of the make-up mirror from the previous guest. Fine, I’ll clean that myself. Musty odor is still bothering me. Go to the front desk, tell them about the shower drain. When we get in that evening around 8:30 or so, there is a voice-mail message from 6:30 that evening asking if we still need the drain serviced. Obviously we did, but I wasn’t going to have someone come that night — will stop by the front desk again in the morning. Next morning, I tell the front desk and this time I also mention the musty smell in the room. I tell them that I don’t necessarily need to be moved, but could they try to do something. I’m told that it will be checked out and they’ll let us know what they can do to rectify the problem. Came back that evening and the drain was completely fixed, however, never heard a word about the smell and it continued to smell until the day before we checked out. I noticed on that day when we got back, it smelled a little less musty upon entering and I could definitely smell a “nice smell” from my side of the bed (which was the side next to wall that meets that bathroom). Even though there was never any dampness on the carpet over there, I can’t help but feel like that that’s where the smell was coming from. It would also explain why it bothered me more than DH or the kids.
Restaurants: Ate at GG for lunch once and breakfast once. The morning we went for breakfast, it was around 9:30-9:45, so we figured we’d miss the breakfast rush. It was so crowded! The line was past the registers near the tables! Food wasn’t very hot, but it wasn’t too bad. When we went there for lunch one day, it wasn’t too crowded and the food was okay. Went to Captain Cook’s at Poly once for breakfast and once for lunch and definitely preferred that. The only other restaurant we ate there was the GF Cafe for breakfast one morning. Our waitress was pretty attentive, however, it was awful service as far as how long it took. I kid you not, from the time we ordered until we received our food, it was 30 minutes. The food was good, and I don’t blame our waitress, but they were obviously short-staffed in the kitchen or our order got missed or something. The seat cushions were all stained, too — not that impressed.
The resort: What can I say, it’s beautiful! Loved the grounds and the closeness of everything. Big Pine Key was very convenient, but I really think every building is convenient. Even with Conch Key being the farthest building from the main building, it still seemed very close to me. You seriously cannot go wrong with any building here. We did get to spend a little time at both pools (only the kids swam). Really pretty and relaxing. While I was looking around, I couldn’t help but notice how close those cabanas were together (remembering from previous post on here a couple of weeks ago!). Roasted marshmallows one night which the kids loved. We loved the pianist and the band and the overall vibe. One thing that I don’t love about the Grand is the smell of the lobby (yes, me and smells again, lol!). It’s not that it smells bad at all, but it doesn’t smell GOOD to me like at some of the other resorts. What can I say, the scent just doesn’t speak to me. The musty smell aside, the rooms are just okay to me. Yes, they’re nice, but they’re not really any nicer than any other deluxe resort room. As we know, they’re not really luxurious in the same way other non-Disney deluxe resorts are.
Transportation: Took the boat and the monorail quite a bit. Only took the bus once and that was coming back from HS one evening (I’m not a fan of buses and like to drive if I can talk DH into it). The service was fine, but we probably stood more than we sat on the monorails — it was a crowded week.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here. Really top-notch, friendly cast members! If it was in my budget, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again, but more than likely, we’ll go back to our “home” in June, in the Epcot/Boardwalk resorts area. Thank you all on here who answered questions and were so helpful prior to our stay! Here are a few more photos:
Background: This was our first stay here, but we have visited before. It wasn’t really on the top of my “to stay at” list, but we had the opportunity to move from the WL at no additional cost (construction) and figured we better jump on it because we probably wouldn’t pay their rates (even with a discount) in the future.
Arrival: I did online check-in and we arrived around 7:30 p.m. I had requested an upper floor in Sago Key, but we were assigned to Big Pine Key. While I loved the location from the map, I really feared getting the view of the back of the pool house, so I was kind of panicked for a minute. She circled the room on the map, and I asked about the location. She didn’t mention anything about an upgrade from our garden view, but certainly what we received was a lagoon view (or a really great garden view). I REALLY loved the view. Here are some pictures from our balcony:
Upon entering the room, I noticed a musty smell and pointed it out to DH. He suggested that perhaps the room hadn’t been occupied in a while and was stagnant and the air circulation from the A/C and fan should help. I told him I doubted that was the reason for the odor, but we’ll see. The room had already received turn-down service, but the channel was on BET (not the regular main WDW channel), so I thought for a second that the room was occupied when we had walked in. Speaking of that, are they supposed to turn on the TV for turn-down? Like I mentioned, the other nights it was on the WDW channel, but I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be on at all. ??
We were going to get a bite to eat at GG, but when I went to stash our valuables in the safe, we discovered that the safe was already locked and we couldn’t access it. I’m guessing a previous occupant (i.e., teenager) did this as a joke when they left. I called the front desk and someone was there in 10 minutes to clear the code. By this time, it started pouring and we didn’t feel like putting on ponchos just to go to GG, so we didn’t bother going out that night. However, I was able to view the EWP from our balcony. It was just rain, no lightning, so it went on as scheduled. More pictures:
At around 10:00, we decided to hit the hay, but unfortunately, we couldn’t fall asleep due to the racket in the lobby. A group of people were talking and laughing extremely loud. A couple of little kids were screaming, too. Since we were in that main atrium section (although, on the 4th floor), we could hear EVERYTHING very loudly. We kept thinking the rest of their party would show up and they’d move on from whatever it was they were doing there, but we finally came to the conclusion that they were just treating the lobby as a common area. We’re guessing it was a large group with multiple rooms and they used the lobby as their “living room”. I was really expecting to hear someone from another room go out there and say something to them. I didn’t want to start the trip off with a confrontation, so we just tried to wait it out. Finally at 11:00 — yes, 1 hour of laughing and talking like they were in a crowded restaurant, I decided to call the front desk. I never heard anyone say anything, but within 10-15 minutes, the noise completely stopped. I was actually surprised it happened so quickly since I know I’m not really calling the front desk. I was just shocked that they had such little respect for those around them that they carried on like that for an hour!
The next day: I take a shower and I’m pretty much standing in ankle-deep water. Ugh. Okay, I’ll stop by the front desk and say something. Go to put on my make-up, and there is lotion/sunscreen all over the edges of the make-up mirror from the previous guest. Fine, I’ll clean that myself. Musty odor is still bothering me. Go to the front desk, tell them about the shower drain. When we get in that evening around 8:30 or so, there is a voice-mail message from 6:30 that evening asking if we still need the drain serviced. Obviously we did, but I wasn’t going to have someone come that night — will stop by the front desk again in the morning. Next morning, I tell the front desk and this time I also mention the musty smell in the room. I tell them that I don’t necessarily need to be moved, but could they try to do something. I’m told that it will be checked out and they’ll let us know what they can do to rectify the problem. Came back that evening and the drain was completely fixed, however, never heard a word about the smell and it continued to smell until the day before we checked out. I noticed on that day when we got back, it smelled a little less musty upon entering and I could definitely smell a “nice smell” from my side of the bed (which was the side next to wall that meets that bathroom). Even though there was never any dampness on the carpet over there, I can’t help but feel like that that’s where the smell was coming from. It would also explain why it bothered me more than DH or the kids.
Restaurants: Ate at GG for lunch once and breakfast once. The morning we went for breakfast, it was around 9:30-9:45, so we figured we’d miss the breakfast rush. It was so crowded! The line was past the registers near the tables! Food wasn’t very hot, but it wasn’t too bad. When we went there for lunch one day, it wasn’t too crowded and the food was okay. Went to Captain Cook’s at Poly once for breakfast and once for lunch and definitely preferred that. The only other restaurant we ate there was the GF Cafe for breakfast one morning. Our waitress was pretty attentive, however, it was awful service as far as how long it took. I kid you not, from the time we ordered until we received our food, it was 30 minutes. The food was good, and I don’t blame our waitress, but they were obviously short-staffed in the kitchen or our order got missed or something. The seat cushions were all stained, too — not that impressed.
The resort: What can I say, it’s beautiful! Loved the grounds and the closeness of everything. Big Pine Key was very convenient, but I really think every building is convenient. Even with Conch Key being the farthest building from the main building, it still seemed very close to me. You seriously cannot go wrong with any building here. We did get to spend a little time at both pools (only the kids swam). Really pretty and relaxing. While I was looking around, I couldn’t help but notice how close those cabanas were together (remembering from previous post on here a couple of weeks ago!). Roasted marshmallows one night which the kids loved. We loved the pianist and the band and the overall vibe. One thing that I don’t love about the Grand is the smell of the lobby (yes, me and smells again, lol!). It’s not that it smells bad at all, but it doesn’t smell GOOD to me like at some of the other resorts. What can I say, the scent just doesn’t speak to me. The musty smell aside, the rooms are just okay to me. Yes, they’re nice, but they’re not really any nicer than any other deluxe resort room. As we know, they’re not really luxurious in the same way other non-Disney deluxe resorts are.
Transportation: Took the boat and the monorail quite a bit. Only took the bus once and that was coming back from HS one evening (I’m not a fan of buses and like to drive if I can talk DH into it). The service was fine, but we probably stood more than we sat on the monorails — it was a crowded week.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here. Really top-notch, friendly cast members! If it was in my budget, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again, but more than likely, we’ll go back to our “home” in June, in the Epcot/Boardwalk resorts area. Thank you all on here who answered questions and were so helpful prior to our stay! Here are a few more photos:
