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

[TinkerBellLiz]

@grannyminnie - nice to see you back and Happy New Year to you too!

@Sue M - great suggestion!

I can't for the life of me remember, what is the name of the shop that sells all of the soaps and bath bombs....I believe it is on the second floor?

Tom

The shop is Basin. They ship directly as well! We had our supply of bath bombs sent directly home on our last trip.

Edited to add:

I try a new restaurant every trip and our October trip was Bull and Bear in the Waldorf. For steak, I would rank it above Shula's. The roasted garlic there was incredible with the steak!

Edited again to add a picture!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

@TinkerBellLiz - thanks for both Basin AND, that lovely, mouthwatering, tomahawk steak!

Tom

 

[TinkerBellLiz]

@TinkerBellLiz - thanks for both Basin AND, that lovely, mouthwatering, tomahawk steak!

Tom

You are welcome! I should add I didn't eat red meat for about 6 weeks after that! It's a LOT for 2 people.

 

[Parker Clan]

Me again!! Just curious...does anyone know what buildings with a garden view have King Beds? I know it's not a guarantee to get a king bed but if I could ask for the building that has a king bed in it that might help...lol. Thanks so much again!

I'm curious about this too-- we stayed there in August for our Honeymoon... We went thru a travel agent & booked the outer buildings garden view-- we were told at check in that these are "family rooms" and most don't have king beds. We told them it was our Honeymoon and we ended up getting one but I'm not expecting they do that a lot!
Also for buildings we thought Sago Cay was a great location! We loved it!
We are going again in August and will request this building

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I'm curious about this too-- we stayed there in August for our Honeymoon... We went thru a travel agent & booked the outer buildings garden view-- we were told at check in that these are "family rooms" and most don't have king beds. We told them it was our Honeymoon and we ended up getting one but I'm not expecting they do that a lot!
Also for buildings we thought Sago Cay was a great location! We loved it!
We are going again in August and will request this building

@Emme and @Parker Clan - the only time I've had a king bed I was actually by myself and they put me in Big Pine Key -- looking at the back of the poolhouse building For the 6 other GF stays we've had 2 queens and a day bed. It didn't matter if there were 2 of us or 5 - always 2 queens and a day bed.

Tom

 

[PolyRob]

I can't for the life of me remember, what is the name of the shop that sells all of the soaps and bath bombs....I believe it is on the second floor?

Tom

The store that sells soap on the second floor of the lobby is Basin

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I see that not only is Gaspy's reopen - but they have gone more upscale too.....

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/new-artisanal-items-on-the-menu-at-gasparilla-island-grill/

Tom

Yes, the choices are yummy! I had the vegetable sandwich twice while there and the fire roasted tomato flatbread, as well. Plus, I had an excellent fresh salad, as well. Yummy to all! Very fresh, and a lot of healthy options.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

The store that sells soap on the second floor of the lobby is Basin

 

[followthatmouse]

Yes, the choices are yummy! I had the vegetable sandwich twice while there and the fire roasted tomato flatbread, as well. Plus, I had an excellent fresh salad, as well. Yummy to all! Very fresh, and a lot of healthy options.

I agree! The sandwiches are large and very tasty. My roast beef was perfectly roasted, finely sliced and beautifully seasoned. The flatbread dough is no longer frozen, but made fresh. Their fire roasted tomato is quite good. They are generous with the ingredients for the pick-your-own salads,too. The pastries and desserts are all from Chef Erich's team. Scott Hunnel (Executive chef for Victoria & Albert's and now Executive Chef for the whole GF) was hands-on and appeared very happy with Gaspy's during the first week or so following re-opening. The new fountain drink dispensers are fun, too.

May I also give a nod to the food at the Beach Pool? We enjoyed the light and tasty Lobster Sliders during pool days ... twice! Three sliders with tender lobster meat on sweet brioche slider rolls were the perfect accompaniment to our decadent relaxation by the pool.

 

[aalliep]

Hello again! We had our first stay this past sept/oct at VGF and I fell in love! We were booked for a 1 bedroom at VGF for June 2017 but I found a great airfare of $700 round trip for our family of 4 for July 6th from NJ. The 1 bedroom villa was not available for the entire trip, so we are doing a split stay now. First 4 nights are now outer bldg garden view at GF and the last 4 nights are in the 1 bedroom lake view VGF. Best of both worlds! I know what room in VGF I am going to request, but I have no clue for the hotel part. I'm looking at touring plans now to get a better idea of the buildings, any tips? I'm so excited I get to have my Cuban panini again at Gasparilla

 

[bumbershoot]

That looks absolutely wonderful! What building are you in? I'm still new to GF so I'm trying to learn the lay of the land.
If I close my eyes I can imagine the sounds on that balcony!

Standard view studio villa, floor 3 maybe, all the way at the end. I'm away from home for Star Wars light side and don't have the info but I'll try to remember to find out when I get home.

I thought OKW was my fave until that villa popped up last minute (we'd had Poly studio booked from the 7 month mark) and I stepped foot in that room. Now I want to buy GF points.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Standard view studio villa, floor 3 maybe, all the way at the end. I'm away from home for Star Wars light side and don't have the info but I'll try to remember to find out when I get home.

I thought OKW was my fave until that villa popped up last minute (we'd had Poly studio booked from the 7 month mark) and I stepped foot in that room. Now I want to buy GF points.

It was meant to be!

 

[Lisann]

@grannyminnie - nice to see you back and Happy New Year to you too!

@Sue M - great suggestion!

I can't for the life of me remember, what is the name of the shop that sells all of the soaps and bath bombs....I believe it is on the second floor?

Tom

Actually, it is Basin White. There is a Basin at Disney Springs and Basin White is at GF. Similar, but there is a distinction on the online store as well.

 

[GPC0321]

It's official! We're going to be staying VGF in December! I can't believe it!

And I already have a question! LOL!

How is the bus situation to Animal Kingdom?
1. Does the Grand share bus service with the other MK area resorts?
2. If so, in what order do the buses run? Is Grand picked up first? Second? Third? And in what order are the drop-offs?

I'm trying to get a feel for how crowded the bus to AK might be. We're most likely just going for one evening to eat at Tiffins, check out Pandora, and hopefully (fingers crossed) take in Rivers of Light. My dad has never been to AK, and I know he'd enjoy it, but he had a bad experience with buses on our Easter trip (73 years old with rheumatoid arthritis and had to stand often on packed buses). I want to reassure him that the bus trip from GF to AK won't be such a harrowing experience, LOL, because I really want him to experience that park.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[ivanp91]

It's official! We're going to be staying VGF in December! I can't believe it!

And I already have a question! LOL!

How is the bus situation to Animal Kingdom?
1. Does the Grand share bus service with the other MK area resorts?
2. If so, in what order do the buses run? Is Grand picked up first? Second? Third? And in what order are the drop-offs?

Can't answer regarding AK, but GF shares with Poly, and is the second stop for both pick-ups and drop-offs.

 

[GPC0321]

Can't answer regarding AK, but GF shares with Poly, and is the second stop for both pick-ups and drop-offs.

Good to know. I'm brainstorming different possible ways to get from GF to AK and back with as little risk as possible of being on a super-crowded, standing-room-only bus. I'm contemplating just going to MK and then taking the express bus from MK to AK.
The ride back is probably going to be the most crowded, since I'm sure a lot of people will be leaving AK after RoL. But I guess we can take the express bus back to MK and then just take the boat back to GF.

Hmmmm...

 

[Emme]

@Emme and @Parker Clan - the only time I've had a king bed I was actually by myself and they put me in Big Pine Key -- looking at the back of the poolhouse building For the 6 other GF stays we've had 2 queens and a day bed. It didn't matter if there were 2 of us or 5 - always 2 queens and a day bed.

Tom

Oh goodness I do not want to look at the back of the pool house ! Maybe I should change my request... I honestly would rather have a nicer view than a king bed! What do you think?

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Good to know. I'm brainstorming different possible ways to get from GF to AK and back with as little risk as possible of being on a super-crowded, standing-room-only bus. I'm contemplating just going to MK and then taking the express bus from MK to AK.
The ride back is probably going to be the most crowded, since I'm sure a lot of people will be leaving AK after RoL. But I guess we can take the express bus back to MK and then just take the boat back to GF.

Hmmmm...

Also, consider a cab or Uber. Last December, we were at Epcot for the fireworks and the park closed immediately after. Rather than walk all the way out of the park, and then wait with thousands for the monorail, we left out the back entrance and walked to Beach Club where we found a cab to take us back to the GF. Saved about an hour for a cost of $20. I'm pretty sure there is a cab stand at AK. You can definitely take a cab from GF to AK. Uber will cost less than a cab (but beware of surge pricing), but many times cabs are more convenient. They even have cabs that are minivan size or full van size that can take a lot of people.

Another option is a rental car. By staying at GF you will have free parking at all the parks, so if you can rent a car at a reasonable rate, it can really speed up your transportation. My 84 year old mother stayed with us at VGF back in December and having a car (we drove to Orlando) expedited things quite a bit.

The Disney bus system is really good, but sometimes you have to wait quite a bit.

Your idea about the park hopper bus is a good one as well.

 

[NolanMKT]

Hi while researching for our upcoming trip, I came across this board. You guys seem to know everything, so I thought I'd ask for your help!

This March, we're staying in a 2-bedroom outer building club level suite at the Grand Floridian. There are 9 of us—6 adults 3 kids. I would like to figure out sleeping arrangements before we arrive. Does anyone have a floor plan for this kind of room? If not, does anyone have pictures of the layouts or can describe it in detail?

Any other tips, must-dos, or recommendations at the Grand Floridian are also welcomed!

Thank you,
mk

 

[Sue M]

@grannyminnie - nice to see you back and Happy New Year to you too!

@Sue M - great suggestion!

I can't for the life of me remember, what is the name of the shop that sells all of the soaps and bath bombs....I believe it is on the second floor?

Tom

Basin! One of my daughters loves their bar shampoos!