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

[mickeynut1]

Hi GF friends. Stopping to say hi! Wow, many of you have already booked trips for July 2015! That is great for all of you!

DD has been looking at colleges! Yikes, a lot higher price than cost of DS college tuition. No Disney for us anytime soon.

Can't wait to see pictures of the finished gingerbread house.

Have a Grand day my friends.

Hi MommyGina...good to "see" you back .

Good luck to your DD in her college search. It's crazy how much college tuition is, it keeps creeping up every year .

We are officially booking our trip next week when we go home for Thanksgiving! We are staying GF SL for 7 nights!

We are flying in the day after Thanksgiving, but our GF ressie won't start until that Saturday when rates drop. We are trying to decide on the best 1 night option for Friday night. I'm also trying to figure out how magic bands and a split stay are going to work.

Not sure which resorts you might be considering for your first night, but we love the WL. It's a beautiful resort anytime of year, but is gorgeous when decorated for the holidays .

I asked cause I haven't seen any posts about them & I wish there would be 2 separate disks 1 for WDW & 1 for DL that way there an be more info about the resorts and parks.

I found 2 more pics of this years House..pics courtesy of Mousesteps FB page

I also wish there were separate DVDs for each destination. I haven't requested a DVD in a few years, but the last one I got didn't seem to have as much information on DL as I thought it would have .

Thanks for posting the gingerbread house pics .

2 more days!!! I can't believe that I'll be having my dream come true Thursday morning when we check-in at the Grand and staying at the RPC!!!!! Very first stay at the Grand and I hope its all that I imagined. Can't wait to come back here and share my experience guys

~ Gina

Have a great trip . You're going to love RPC .

Day #3. Yesterday we had a MK day including MVMCP after dinner at Citricos, where we had a blast and rode many rides and attractions with zero waits - walk directly onto ride vehicles , including twice on Splash Mountain. The Wishes fireworks were literally going on around us as we rode and the finale came at a perfect moment. We also watched the Christmas parade and then took the monorail back to GF. Magic Bands have worked perfectly for everything and we really like them!

So peaceful to walk through the lobby filled with the smell of gingerbread and onto Sugarloaf.

Today, we did Epcot prepared for the rain which arrived around 1:00 pm. Luckily, we made Test Track before it closed down. We poncho'd up and did everything we wanted to do in Future World, went to dinner at Le Cellier before throwing in the towel early in favor of the resort. Enjoyed some yummy desserts in concierge lounge (mini cheesecakes, lemon cake, key lime tarts, profiteroles, etc.) and hit the hay early.

Staff has been wonderful and we have enjoyed them all. My family has loved all the tips and insider info and wanted to thank you all very much!

A note to those concerned about storage in the room. Yes, the drawers in the armoire are small, but there are 8 of them plus two larger drawers in nightstand. There are four of us in the room and are fine using drawers, shelf in closet, shelves under the safe, and I also brought a collapsible hanging shelving unit from Target that worked great. Most of luggage easily stored under counter in bathroom.

Animal Kingdom tomorrow!

Thanks for checking in. Sounds like you're having a great time .

 

[grannyminnie]

Thanks for checking in, cattywampus! Always good to get a "live" report~

Ahcupcake, I'd love to move to Florida too, but DH has no interest..

Blue and Trish, have you two met up yet?

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I am very excited!! I added an extra night on our trip in February!! 80 days!

Now I need to add more dining!!

 

[trishadono]

Blue and Trish, have you two met up yet?

Yep!

She and her daughter as nice and wonderful as I expected

Made me miss my DD though

However my mom loved seeing gf for the first time!

"Look at the elevator, look at the gingerbread house, look at the chandelier"

She loved it all! Might have to go there next

 

[BlueSkies]

Hello fellow GF fans!

This comes to you live from the Poly...lol....Its extra cold here right now...but we are still enjoying WDW in all of its Christmas decor....so many heart warming sights to see...

grannyminnie It was a pleasure to meet up with Trish and her mom..both so lovely...feels like we have know each other for years! And are looking forward to spending time with them again during the trip...

Trish Thank you for the kind words!! Looking forward to seeing you in the lounge for breakfast!

The gingerbread house opens on Friday...its all set up...and looking good enough to eat!! Yum....

Hope that everyone is having a good week. ... preppy GF gal who is enjoying showing my Poly side..lol...

 

[grannyminnie]

Hello fellow GF fans!

This comes to you live from the Poly...lol....Its extra cold here right now...but we are still enjoying WDW in all of its Christmas decor....so many heart warming sights to see...

grannyminnie It was a pleasure to meet up with Trish and her mom..both so lovely...feels like we have know each other for years! And are looking forward to spending time with them again during the trip...

Trish Thank you for the kind words!! Looking forward to seeing you in the lounge for breakfast!

The gingerbread house opens on Friday...its all set up...and looking good enough to eat!! Yum....

Hope that everyone is having a good week. ... preppy GF gal who is enjoying showing my Poly side..lol...

Good to hear you are enjoying being a Poly princess! And have found good company in Trish (hi to the other Poly princess!) and her mom!

 

[jacknsally19]

Hey GF Friends! I am very jealous of those folks that have a trip where they get to experience the Christmas season and more importantly the lovely gingerbread house.

I had been meaning to give a quick trip report on my recent stay at GF - Sugarloaf. We stayed the last week of October and the trip included myself, my almost 3 year old daughter & my mother. This was my first trip to Grand Floridian and the first time in the month of October.

So I will start with the good / great: We loved staying club level and its certainly a fantastic option with a toddler. They are so erratic in their eating that it was great to have access to snacks through out the day - including fruit to take to the parks! The pools were fantastic. I am entirely sold on the zero depth entry with a young child. My daughter loved it and told me that the pool was her favorite part of the trip. Our room had views of the fireworks (slightly obstructed but still great) which we weren't expecting. We stayed on the 4th floor marina side. Also, we had the BEST mousekeeper ever - she made wonderful towel animals that my daughter loved, she always talked to my daughter when we saw her and when we departed she gave my daughter a rabbit made out of wash clothes. It just made our experience more magical! We found the grounds to be completely lovely and my daughter really enjoyed the fountain and flowers. The sandy beach was great fun for my daughter. Finally, there was a great little party on Halloween that included candy, Mickey and Minnie dressed up, and fun games for the children. Overall, it was a great resort for spending a lot of down time & relaxation at (which I find to be an extremely important in having an enjoyable trip at WDW)

The not so great: So my two biggest disappointments were the size of the room and the lack of any halloween decorations at the resort. I was in a dormer room (?) which I think might be smaller but it felt really small. I have only stayed at the Contemporary prior to this and I certainly feel like there is a lot more space in those rooms (not sure if its just a better layout ?). Also, I hated how small the balcony is with the dormer room. As for halloween decorations, there were no pumpkins and it bummed me out a bit. I was in DL in September and the Halloween decoration everywhere were so amazing that I expected more at WDW. Also, I typically go during the Christmas season and I really missed the holiday decorations. I booked a bounceback for next year and chose the week before Thanksgiving. One other disappointment for me (not related to GF) was the amount of construction walls at the parks. It really ruined a bit of the magic for me. I am sure it will be worth it in the end but the construction walls at MK and AK are so all encompassing and in your face right now that it really took away from the parks. (Not to mention the brutal state of Downtown Disney - STAY AWAY!!!!)

Hope that helps folks that planning their upcoming trip. I know that I loved hearing about everyone's experiences at GF in the months leading up to our visit! (Actually, I should have included one more good / great item - the folks on this thread!!! You guys are great and really helped me out with your tips and advice.)

 

[uagirl]

So, it will be 4 of you? When you say split stay, are you talking about just Friday night and the rest at GF? Are you thinking another Deluxe (probably not since there won't be a discount), moderate, value or off property? I've done split stays on and off property - the off property is a logisitical nightmare unless you want to pay $$$ for your park admission-- at least that was what happened to me.

For on property, it was very easy -- as a matter of fact I'm doing a GF and FW split stay in a couple of months. Everything is set up in MDE, when I check out of GF, I need to go to FW to check in and my MB will have all of my park hoppers still on it.

I hope this is helpful.

Tom

There are 7 of us total. My mom, stepdad and adult brother are going with us. We are thinking of doing one night in a value or moderate before moving to the GF on the 28th.

So do I need to purchase my park tickets on the one day ressie, or on the week long ressie? Or does it even matter as long as the number of days is right?

 

[uagirl]

Not sure which resorts you might be considering for your first night, but we love the WL. It's a beautiful resort anytime of year, but is gorgeous when decorated for the holidays .

DH and I spent our honeymoon at WL and we love it! We are going to do a value or moderate for the one night, but I'm planning a trip to visit the WL on our resort day.

 

[mrsp1030]

Where would we check in for the villas as early as 7am? Thanks.

 

[Aurora0427]

22 days!!!!!

What time do we need to be out at the monorail to make RD at MK at 8am?

Thank You!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

22 days!!!!!

What time do we need to be out at the monorail to make RD at MK at 8am?

Thank You!

If there are no breakdowns nor delays, it is a 48 second ride from the GF to the MK.

But, if you want to be right up front and go right in, I'd be on the monorail at 7:30 for 8am RD

Tom

 

[Aurora0427]

If there are no breakdowns nor delays, it is a 48 second ride from the GF to the MK.

But, if you want to be right up front and go right in, I'd be on the monorail at 7:30 for 8am RD

Tom

Thanks. That's what I was thinking.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Thanks. That's what I was thinking.

You are welcome - I hope someone else comments with respect to the holiday time of year -- I think you should be okay because you aren't there for Christmas week itself, but it might be more crowded.

Tom

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks for checking in, cattywampus! Always good to get a "live" report~

I agree .

Yep!

She and her daughter as nice and wonderful as I expected

Made me miss my DD though

However my mom loved seeing gf for the first time!

"Look at the elevator, look at the gingerbread house, look at the chandelier"

She loved it all! Might have to go there next

Glad you were able to meet Blue and her DD. Hope everyone is having a good time .

Hello fellow GF fans!

This comes to you live from the Poly...lol....Its extra cold here right now...but we are still enjoying WDW in all of its Christmas decor....so many heart warming sights to see...

grannyminnie It was a pleasure to meet up with Trish and her mom..both so lovely...feels like we have know each other for years! And are looking forward to spending time with them again during the trip...

Glad you're having a great time. Hope you are having a nice stay at the Poly .

Hey GF Friends! I am very jealous of those folks that have a trip where they get to experience the Christmas season and more importantly the lovely gingerbread house.

I had been meaning to give a quick trip report on my recent stay at GF - Sugarloaf. We stayed the last week of October and the trip included myself, my almost 3 year old daughter & my mother. This was my first trip to Grand Floridian and the first time in the month of October.

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you had a great time and enjoyed your first GF stay .

DH and I spent our honeymoon at WL and we love it! We are going to do a value or moderate for the one night, but I'm planning a trip to visit the WL on our resort day.

I'm sorry, I didn't notice your WL stay in your signature . WL is definitely a resort to visit during the holidays .

Where would we check in for the villas as early as 7am? Thanks.

I think the villas have their own check in, but I don't know for sure as we've stayed in any of them. Hopefully others will be able to confirm that or correct me if I'm wrong and give the correct information for checking in .

22 days!!!!!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I asked this on the CL thread, but thought I would ask here too:

Do regular (Non-CL) rooms get the dark green Sea Marine Shampoos?

Also -

Are they still not running the monorail during the middle part of the day to the resorts?

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I asked this on the CL thread, but thought I would ask here too:

Do regular (Non-CL) rooms get the dark green Sea Marine Shampoos?

Also -

Are they still not running the monorail during the middle part of the day to the resorts?

Question 1 -- I'm bald so I can't help you.

Question 2 -- I thought the monorail went back to normal operating schedule in October.

Tom

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Question 1 -- I'm bald so I can't help you.

Question 2 -- I thought the monorail went back to normal operating schedule in October.

Tom

haha..thanks!

 

[JaimeK]

I asked this on the CL thread, but thought I would ask here too:

Do regular (Non-CL) rooms get the dark green Sea Marine Shampoos?

Also -

Are they still not running the monorail during the middle part of the day to the resorts?

Was just there last week
1) yes green shampoo in regular rooms
2) monorail was regular schedule we took it morning, noon, night.

 

[trishadono]