The All New Grand Floridian FAQ - APRIL 2010

[phyllis1966]

I'm booking a garden view room at the GF for my first disneyworld trip in March!! I'm sorry if this question has already been asked but I'm just wondering about room requests. I've been browsing the site and it seems like a lot of people reccomend rooms in boca chica for the best views, but I have also read that some of the rooms in this building have obstructed views. Am I taking a risk by requesting a room here? Should I request a different building, or should I just leave it up to chance? Any advice is really appreciated!

Our first family WDW resort stay was at the GF and it spoiled us from then on! We knew nothing of room requests then, but they put us on the 4th or 5th floor of Conch Key, and that's now our favorite building. You'd have either an unobstructed view of the grounds and quiet pool or a marina view, which is also lovely. We were in Big Pine Key twice, and the GV can have the pool house/snack bar in the way. We were on the 2nd floor, so it blocked the pool a tiny bit, but the view was still nice.

Have a great trip!

 

[pas130]

We are staying at the GF in August. This is our first GF stay!!! I am so excited, and I read this thread daily I just called today to inquire how much $$$ to go from TPV to Outer CL. And I UPGRADED!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!! My B-day is in August so I consider it a present to myself, CAN'T WAIT

 

[k&a&c'smom]

pirateofthecarolinas - Welcome back, and thank you for the coffee pot info.

All of the GF rooms have the Sea Marine toiletries, I'm sorry you didn't care for it. I'm not a huge fan of the Aquatics line, so I understand.

Atypical DisneyFan - How was your stay in RPC? Is this your first GF trip? Thanks for the coffee maker info, it seems the Keurig swap is a bit erratic!

I think your room was on the far side of the atrium, right? Didn't you love being near the lobby?

bigal'sdaughter - I've forgotten, are you staying in a standard room or a club level room? If CL, then alert IPO of your requests, they will note it on your reservation. If standard, then call DRC and have the CM list them - but try to do so more than a week before your trip, and definitely before you do online check in! Making requests after the reservation goes to the resort is tricky, and may not show up on their system.

I always ask again at check in, just to be sure! Good luck, you're getting so close!

bethclayton - won't be long now.

Mimi2Three - a general listing of the club level food offerings is on page 1, under "Club Level". If you want a more detailed account, they have bagels, pastries, croissants, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal and cereal at breakfast. Several dips like goat cheese and hummus at noon, along with crudites, chips, pretzels, and cookies. Drinks include iced tea, lemonade, pink lemonade, water (still & sparkling) and coffee.

I have some photos of afternoon tea selections:

Evening appetizers include items like veggies and dip, gourmet cheeses, spinach & artichoke puff pastry pinwheels, salmon & cream cheese on chips, hummus on toast triangles, chicken in sesame sauce, raspberry brie en croute, duck bruschetta, cold shrimp & cucumber. Children's items included ham and cheese pinwheels, chicken nuggets, etc. Desserts were various petite tarts and mousse, miniature cakes, etc. Cookies, cupcakes and brownies for the kids.

Wines included in August were Mumms Brut Champagne, Mirassou Pinot Noir, Beringer White Zin, Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay, Ravenswood Merlot. The liqueurs during dessert were Grand Marnier, Amarula, Courvoisier, Drambuie, Kahlua.

Minerva6116 - Welcome! Ask away, that's why we're here! Some of the rooms in both Big Pine Key and Boca Chica look over the courtyard pool building. I think there are less of those views in Boca Chica, but I'm not sure. Here is the best photo I have to illustrate, the building straight on is Boca, the one to the right (you only see the roof) is Big Pine:

Here is my standard response for building requests, which you might find helpful:

If you want to be near the main building and themed pool, ask for Big Pine Key; if you want a nice view of the main bldg., with good proximity to the courtyard pool, Boca Chica is your best bet; Conch Key is near the boat dock, courtyard pool and you can head out the back door to the marina and Gasparilla's; Sago Cay is near Gasparilla's and the bus stop, with nice views of either the marina or monorail.

If you'd like a marina view (which is considered garden view) you will need to request either Conch Key or Sago Cay, and add "marina view" to your request.

Good luck!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

phyllis1966 - Isn't it tough to book any other resort?! We have a very hard time, though we love AKL and BC.

We are staying at the GF in August. This is our first GF stay!!! I am so excited, and I read this thread daily I just called today to inquire how much $$$ to go from TPV to Outer CL. And I UPGRADED!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!! My B-day is in August so I consider it a present to myself, CAN'T WAIT

Welcome, and congratulations! We love the SL building, what a nice birthday present. I don't blame you for being excited. Our visit this past August was very nice, though HOT!

 

[MiMi2Three]

k&a&c'smomThanks for the reply and photos. I have stayed in SL bldg, but this is my first stay in RPC. Getting very excited!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Mimi2Three - How exciting, we love the main building during the holidays, so festive!

The food offerings and toiletries in SL are the same as in RPC - even some of the cast members work at both. The only significant difference is the location, the lounge area in RPC is more spread out and you have access to nearly everything under one roof.

Here are some photos of the RPC lounge, just for fun:

 

[pas130]

Welcome, and congratulations! We love the SL building, what a nice birthday present. I don't blame you for being excited. Our visit this past August was very nice, though HOT![/QUOTE]


I know, we came down beginning of August last summer. No theme parks just enjoyed AKL. Big reason I chose GF. Quick trip back "home" for a swim. And it is breathtaking! BTW- Great job on this thread!

 

[Minerva6116]

Thank you for the welcome and the help! This is an awesome forum! I've been looking through it and there are so many helpful hints and beautiful pictures. I found an amazing picture on page 39 (sorry it won't let me post it since I'm new)

That view is how I have always imagined the GF I know it is taken from the main building so I won't get a view like this with a standard GV room, but are any of the outer buildings overlooking the same area? It seems like Big Pine Key might have a similar view? Would this be considered a courtyard view? Thanks again!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

pas130 - thanks! We have a lot of great posters here!

It is wonderful to be so close to the MK, a quick hop back to the resort for a swim or nap. Did you enjoy AKL? It is our second favorite resort, now tied with the BC.

Minerva6116 - are you talking about the night time photos on page 39? If so, the first photo is of the courtyard pool area. You can see that view, at different angles of course, from all the outer buildings except Sago Cay.

If you go to page 45 of this thread, scroll down to post #669 - great photos of the view from an upper floor of Big Pine Key. Very pretty!

 

[bigal'sdaughter]

Thank you so much!
We booked through a travel agent - should she make the requests or should we?
Can we still do online check in?
We are a standard GV - although in the future (once kids are bigger) DH is seriously considering club level.
Also thank you so much k&a&c's mom - I know you know what we want - which is basically not a view of the pool building. Is there any way to not be so tacky and request "not the back of the pool building? - kwim?"
Anything else would be AWESOME - I mean it is the GF, right!

 

[rusty4]

Thank you so much!
We booked through a travel agent - should she make the requests or should we?
Can we still do online check in?
We are a standard GV - although in the future (once kids are bigger) DH is seriously considering club level.
Also thank you so much k&a&c's mom - I know you know what we want - which is basically not a view of the pool building. Is there any way to not be so tacky and request "not the back of the pool building? - kwim?"
Anything else would be AWESOME - I mean it is the GF, right!

Funny! That is the same request I am wondering about. Anything else but that I would be happy with.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Well, they have typed out various requests when I've asked, so you could give it a shot! I don't think that's tacky at all, simply difficult to word succinctly. Be sure to reference the "courtyard pool," since there are two pools.

You need to ask your TA to add your requests, they have control of your reservation. Regarding online check in - some posters have said they have success doing online check in, even with a TA. I did not, the system wouldn't even recognize my reservation number. If I have time, I'll see if I can find those threads with the info on how others have done it.

ETA: Here is a thread that has a link for checking in with a TA reservation: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2577847&highlight=online+check+in+ta

and another that has instructions if you have difficulties:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2536802&highlight=online+check+in+ta

Here's a recent account of one poster's online check in, and how it worked for her:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2600567&highlight=online+check+in+ta

 

[Minerva6116]

If you go to page 45 of this thread, scroll down to post #669 - great photos of the view from an upper floor of Big Pine Key. Very pretty!

That is exactly what I want!! Thank you! So I'm thinking I should either request a courtyard pool view away from the pool building, or a courtyard pool view near the main building? Do you think this is too complicated? lol

 

[pas130]

pas130 - thanks! We have a lot of great posters here!

It is wonderful to be so close to the MK, a quick hop back to the resort for a swim or nap. Did you enjoy AKL? It is our second favorite resort, now tied with the BC.

Minerva6116 - are you talking about the night time photos on page 39? If so, the first photo is of the courtyard pool area. You can see that view, at different angles of course, from all the outer buildings except Sago Cay.

If you go to page 45 of this thread, scroll down to post #669 - great photos of the view from an upper floor of Big Pine Key. Very pretty!

OMG we LOVED AKL! We got an upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite on the Arusha Savannah. The first time I went on the balcony I saw Giraffes and Zebras. I felt like a little kid. The resort is like a theme park with hotel rooms. We spent 2 days only touring the resort and swimming, our days were full just from that! This trip so far I have changed from Poly to WL to GF. (I am one of those) but I never imagined I could afford the Grand with my large family. Only 8 more months.........

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Minerva6116 - I think a lot of posters have put in a request that has read "Big Pine Key, end nearest main bldg., upper floor" or something to that effect.

When you get to check in, ask the CM if you have a room that does not overlook the pool bldg. They can give you the general area of the room, even if they can't tell you the room number yet. Keep in mind, if you get to the room and you still don't care for the view, call the front desk right away, before you've gotten your luggage or used anything in the room. If it is early in the day, or the resort is not at capacity, they may be able to reassign you right then. Sometimes, they'll tell you it will be the next day, but that may still be preferable. (although, I think you are there only 3 nights, am I correct?)

pas130 - oh, WOW! Sweet! You really got the full treatment at AKL, it will be hard to top that. I think you will love the GF, though, it is a very beautiful resort and the proximity to the MK and the other MK-area resorts is fabulous. So easy to hop over to the Poly, CR or even WL for a meal or shopping.

LOL about being "one of those" - we have been resort-switchers in the past as well.

 

[Minerva6116]

Thank you k&a&c'smom! I called today and put in my request! I've had such good luck with this vacation already, so hopefully it will continue until the very end and maybe I'll get the view I want. Even if I don't get the "perfect" view, I'm thrilled that I'm finally getting to stay at the GF. I've wanted to stay there since I was a little girl but I never thought I'd be able to afford it. Since I'm a DL regular and I knew I'd be going to WDW next year I upgraded to the premier pass and when I saw the amazing AP rate I knew this was my chance!

Since I am only staying 3 nights I'm thinking I might cut my Epcot day short and spend the evening at the GF so I can really soak it up. Is there someplace my boyfriend and I can grab some dessert and/or drninks to watch the fireworks? Maybe the beach area, or is that facing the wrong direction? Thank you once again for all your help!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I'll keep my fingers crossed that your good luck holds out, and you are sprinkled with pixie dust.

I'm not sure if you can see much on the beach, as we've never tried to watch from there. If you look at the aerial view on this map - http://www.bing.com/maps/default.as...0&scene=5219454&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1 - you can see that the beach faces the Poly, rather than the MK. (you have to scroll down and left a bit, see the white crescent of beach?) Of course, the fireworks are in the sky, so you can probably see most of them. ??

Our favorite spot is either on the landing in front of Gasparilla's (photos below) or on the boat dock. If you stand near Narcoossee's, you can hear the music, as they pipe it in there for the diners.

You can either grab a snack and a drink from Gasparilla's, if you want something easy, or you could make a reservation for dinner at Narcoossee's when the hours and schedule comes out.

Looking at Gasparilla's, back to landing and marina:

Walking out of Gasparilla's:

Landing, castle in distance:

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Oh, Minerva6116, I just remembered you said you'd be in Epcot earlier the day you plan to spend some time at the GF! If it were me, I'd head to the Boulangerie Patisserie in France and grab some delectable desserts to go. Grab a drink either at the pool bar or one of the drinks to go (or single serve wine bottles) at Gasparilla's and have a little picnic at the marina landing!

Drinks cooler at Gasparilla's:

 

[Minerva6116]

That actually sounds perfect! I wanted to try the desserts at the Boulangerie Patisserie anyway, I've heard they're delicious! I love that you can see the castle in the distance from that location. Will we be able to see the water parade there as well?

 

[Figment1990]

Just had to share with my favorite DIS board members- we booked our spring trip today and we are at the Grand!!!

It was cheaper (with ap discount) than the poly and has a lot of amenities we are looking forward to - kiddie pool, lobby band, gasparillas (captain cooks drives me nuts!) I'm also looking forwArd to tea during ds's naptime (dh usually naps too) and of course shopping and the spa! We have adrs for Ohana and chef mickeys, so we'll still get to visit the poly.

We r so excited!

And yes, I was tacky enough to simply request, away from the back of the pool building. Never thought about the fact there are 2 pools. Whoops! I'll need to adjust that. But honest I'm just glad to be back at the grand!