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

[jackets9]

Good morning! We are excitedly planning our vacation for the week of July 4. We usually stay at the Poly, but given all the construction we are going to give the GF a try!

We are very excited to see the fireworks at Disney as we have never been here during this time of year. I don't think I have the patience to deal with the crowds at MK, so we are planning to watch from the dock at the GF. Reading some of the above posts about getting to the Contemporary 90 minutes early, how early should be at the dock for the July 3rd fireworks?

Thanks much!

 

[grannyminnie]

Good morning! We are excitedly planning our vacation for the week of July 4. We usually stay at the Poly, but given all the construction we are going to give the GF a try!

We are very excited to see the fireworks at Disney as we have never been here during this time of year. I don't think I have the patience to deal with the crowds at MK, so we are planning to watch from the dock at the GF. Reading some of the above posts about getting to the Contemporary 90 minutes early, how early should be at the dock for the July 3rd fireworks?

Thanks much!

That's a good question...I'm wondering the same thing, as I'll be there to see the fireworks and might consider that location as opposed to the CR. In the past, we have loved watching and hearing Wishes from Narcoosee's.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

OMG!!! You made me look at my countdown and we have 12 days until on line check in....and FP+ selections. I really need to sit down and come up with a strategy!!!

I also emailed IPO about this "Villians Unleashed" party happening while we are down there. My kids (especially my youngest) LOVES the villians, and I HAVE to get tickets to that party!!!

I just signed on this morning and saw that Villians party. It looks like so much fun!! I will keep my fingers crossed for you to get tickets. Totally wish that was happening when we are there but no luck for us My youngest DD also LOVES the villians. Her favorite character from The Little Mermaid has always been Ursula, even as a toddler...lol.

We used the laundry...it's still operated with coins.

Thanks for the info More quarters added to my packing list! Already ordered laundry detergent from GG and I am bringing dryer sheets so I will only need quarters to run the machines.

 

[trishadono]

Here are some of the items from GVTR

Tea sandwiches


Scones and tart



2nd course of Princess Cate (sorry forgot to take pic of potted shrimp)


DD chose these for her last course


I chose this Trifle

 

[trishadono]

View of GF from Poly Cl lounge 6:30am



View of GF from my patio at Poly

 

[Lisann]

trishadono...beautiful pics, thanks!

 

[Three cats]

Hello.

We are currently booked at WL for November but thinking of switching to the GF. I have a couple of questions if you wouldn't mind...

Are there king bed rooms in the Lagoon View category? If so, are they strictly handicapped accessible rooms? We'd love to request a king size bed but wouldn't want a roll in shower.

Is the self parking terribly far? We've driven there before for dinner reservations and parked quite far away in a lot across the street. Is there a closer parking lot for resort guests?

Thanks!

 

[grannyminnie]

trishadono...beautiful pics, thanks!

For sure!! They could be postcards!

And the tea menu items look just yummy!

 

[disney meema]

Here are some of the items from GVTR Tea sandwiches http://s804.photobucket.com/user/trishadono/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpscc5d701f.jpg.html Scones and tart http://s804.photobucket.com/user/trishadono/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsa515f501.jpg.html 2nd course of Princess Cate (sorry forgot to take pic of potted shrimp) http://s804.photobucket.com/user/trishadono/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zps17b71ee2.jpg.html DD chose these for her last course http://s804.photobucket.com/user/trishadono/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zps52bef22b.jpg.html I chose this Trifle http://s804.photobucket.com/user/trishadono/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpse27bd097.jpg.html

Lovely pictures of tea ... I'm so excited to go again this November after seeing your pictures : ) My husband has never went as it's usually with my daughters or granddaughter but it's only us two so he's my new tea friend ... He's not thrilled and would I'm sure be on the lake in a boat, maybe he'll get his turn next time : )

 

[disney meema]

I'm sure the answer to my question is in here somewhere.....I'm just failing to find it at the moment.... My girls really want to stay in a dormer room. I know we can request it, and I prefer to be as high as possible when we stay in hotels because I'm (unfortunately) a very light sleeper and people above us just generally moving around would wake me up. How much noticeably smaller is the room?? Also, we won't need to use the daybed as they are fine sharing (still little), but is the couch still there to sit or is there nothing? You GF vets have been so helpful answering questions! I love this thread. We are now 44 days away from our first GF stay!

We had a lovely room with the dormer and loved it ... It was in the conch key building facing the theme park and lake : ) we didn't have a couch but a table & chairs and desk. We stayed for 14 days and had a special vacation all around. It was my daughter, granddaughter and myself this particular trip.

 

[Ferrentinos]

Hello.

We are currently booked at WL for November but thinking of switching to the GF.

We just did the same thing! We are booked for GF in July and were originally going to try and split stay of YC and WL in Nov. But then I got wind of the rumor regarding the pool at WL being under construction while we are there - so we were able to switch our 4 nights BB offer to GF GV! Very excited! Now to move a few ADR's around and switch my mindset about our fall trip!

 

[Sue M]

Trish great pics! We always get the trifle with our Buckingham tea

 

[marlaine8]

Can anyone please tell me the difference between a Standard Room and a Deluxe Queen Room in the Main Building? I've searched and searched and can't find anything that compares the 2 room types.
I just can't stop myself from switching things! First we were booked in SL, now we have a Standard Room in the Main Building. I'm seriously considering the Deluxe Room.

 

[mickeynut1]

Can anyone please tell me the difference between a Standard Room and a Deluxe Queen Room in the Main Building? I've searched and searched and can't find anything that compares the 2 room types.
I just can't stop myself from switching things! First we were booked in SL, now we have a Standard Room in the Main Building. I'm seriously considering the Deluxe Room.

A deluxe room is quite a bit larger (approximately 600 sq ft vs 400 sq ft) with a small seating area. Here is a link from the first page of this thread with a pic of a main building deluxe queen:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=51108610&postcount=5

 

[summer621]

My family and I are excited about our first visit to the GF this November. Our family of 5 has requested a lagoon room view - it was all that was left for FD promotion! Would you recommend a specific building or floor? We'd love to be able to see the fireworks from our room like we could at the Poly!

Thanks for any insight!

 

[SGDisneyFam]

We are looking at booking a November trip to WDW! Our 1st trip ever. And weighting the pros and cons of which resort although I'm sure we've decided on GF. We are looking for opinions on the Club Level. Would you do outer building or main building? I've noticed the outer bld club level is all club level rooms would that make the lounge busier than that of the main building?

Also ease of transportation? We would really love to avoid renting a car as we plan to spend all of our 10+ days on site. But if the resort transportstion is not adequate we would consider it ?

Thanks

T

 

[mickeynut1]

My family and I are excited about our first visit to the GF this November. Our family of 5 has requested a lagoon room view - it was all that was left for FD promotion! Would you recommend a specific building or floor? We'd love to be able to see the fireworks from our room like we could at the Poly!

Thanks for any insight!

Congrats on your first upcoming GF stay. I can't help too much with a lagoon view room as we've never booked that room type, but I think Boca Chica is a good request for that view and could possibly have a view of MK, but I'm not sure. Hopefully someone with experience with that room type will be able to help with that .

We are looking at booking a November trip to WDW! Our 1st trip ever. And weighting the pros and cons of which resort although I'm sure we've decided on GF. We are looking for opinions on the Club Level. Would you do outer building or main building? I've noticed the outer bld club level is all club level rooms would that make the lounge busier than that of the main building?

Also ease of transportation? We would really love to avoid renting a car as we plan to spend all of our 10+ days on site. But if the resort transportstion is not adequate we would consider it ?

Thanks

T

Having stayed both RPC (main building CL) and SL (outer building CL), my choice would be RPC. While I'm glad I got to try SL, I didn't like the lounge. The food offerings are the same in both clubs, but the lounges are worlds apart. For SL, the lounge is located right inside the lobby of the SL building and isn't very big, IMO. I also felt that there wasn't enough seating to accommodate the number of people staying there (just my opinion) and was most times very crowded and chaotic. The lounge in RPC, however, is large and spacious with plenty of seating with beautiful views, unlike SL where there aren't any views since the lounge is located in the center of the lobby. RPC is more relaxed/quiet if you are one who likes to just relax and take in the surroundings. I will say, though, that SL is convenient if you will be spending alot of time at the courtyard pool as the building is located right next to the pool, which is great for grabbing snacks and drinks throughout the day while sitting poolside. Keep in mind that these are just my personal opinions as others will have different views.

As far as transportation, I think all of the resorts have their good and bad days. We use Disney transportation on all of our trips and while sometimes there might be a wait and/or a crowded bus, monorail, or boat, we prefer that to driving to the parks, especially since we are never in a hurry to get anywhere.

 

[phyllis1966]

Having stayed both RPC (main building CL) and SL (outer building CL), my choice would be RPC. While I'm glad I got to try SL, I didn't like the lounge. The food offerings are the same in both clubs, but the lounges are worlds apart. For SL, the lounge is located right inside the lobby of the SL building and isn't very big, IMO. I also felt that there wasn't enough seating to accommodate the number of people staying there (just my opinion) and was most times very crowded and chaotic. The lounge in RPC, however, is large and spacious with plenty of seating with beautiful views, unlike SL where there aren't any views since the lounge is located in the center of the lobby. RPC is more relaxed/quiet if you are one who likes to just relax and take in the surroundings. I will say, though, that SL is convenient if you will be spending alot of time at the courtyard pool as the building is located right next to the pool, which is great for grabbing snacks and drinks throughout the day while sitting poolside. Keep in mind that these are just my personal opinions as others will have different views.

As far as transportation, I think all of the resorts have their good and bad days. We use Disney transportation on all of our trips and while sometimes there might be a wait and/or a crowded bus, monorail, or boat, we prefer that to driving to the parks, especially since we are never in a hurry to get anywhere.

I would have to agree with everything mickeynut1 said, even down to the transportation!

On our last two trips, we were upgraded...once to RPC and once to Sugarloaf. They are worlds apart, although we definitely enjoyed our stay in Sugarloaf. The main building is all club level, too, but the light and spaciousness of RPC are unbeatable, and there are many tables with wonderful views.

 

[Rootskate]

Does anyone know if there are any king bed rooms in the lagoon view category? I realize it would only be a request. Also, do the courtyard pool and hot tub stay open 24 hours or does it close at a certain time?

 

[Sue M]

Our first 2 nights are booked in SL. I'm wondering about views, I asked for marina view, just to have a different view because the next 12 days we will move to a regular outer building and requested pool view in Boca.

But what I'm wondering is if the courtyard /garden views in SL can see Wishes?