I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place for a review of our trip, including the SL at GF, but I'm not sure where to post it. So, my apologies if I post this in the wrong place. I'll try to keep the focus on all things GF related. Before I get to it, please keep in mind this review is based solely on my family's experience this past week. We tend to maintain a positive outlook. In fact, there were moments throughout the week where we witnessed folks complaining over the most trivial issues and just can't relate with them. By the way, my family consists of myself, my wife and two daughters (ages 5 and 3, respectively). In any event, here goes my best attempt...
We stayed at the SL club level at GF from August 15th through 22nd. I'll try to touch on every major event over the course of the week. Please feel free to reach out with questions and/or comments, if you'd like me to follow up with specific details.
Saturday, August 15th:
Arrived at GF from MCO around 6pm. I opted to hire a stretch limo from Happy Limousine instead of taking the Magical Express. I did this for three reasons. First, considering the amount of money spent on a trip like this, an addition $120 for the convenience of getting to the resort within 45 minutes of landing and getting our luggage made sense. I heard Magical Express takes longer and after a 4 and half hour flight I'd rather just get there. Second, I wanted to surprise my wife and daughters with a nice touch to start their first Disney vacation. Third, the girls were able to ride in a stretch limo without need for car seats/booster seats.
As for Happy Limos, for those interested, the driver and the car on the way to the resort were both top notch. The driver even stopped at a pharmacy on the way to the resort, when my wife mentioned that she forgot to pack a couple toiletries. He also had Brave playing on the really nice flat screens in the back of the car. The girls loved it.
Upon arriving, GF was phenomenal in getting you to your room. A concierge awaiting us at the main entrance to sweep us off to our rooms, while a bellman took care of luggage. We were in our room within minutes, and luggage came no more than 5 minutes later. Very efficient. As stated, we stayed in the Sugar Loaf building, which is an outer building offering concierge service and food/drink offerings throughout the day. I know a lot of detail is provided on this board, so I'll refrain from being redundant. I will simply add that the concierge service throughout the week was excellent. Please feel free to ask me specific questions about SL if you wish.
We had 7:45pm dinner reservations at 1900 Park Fare. What a great start to the trip. I got tears in my eyes watching my DDs' reaction to meeting the characters. At dinner, they met Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella. The step sisters definitely stole the show that evening. They were a hoot. Not sure what else to add. Again, if you have specific questions and/or concerns about 1900, please let me know and I'll be happy to give you our perspective.
Sunday, August 16th:
Magic Kingdom! As most know, MK is the next stop on the monorail from GF. For those that don't know the MK resorts monorail travels as follows:
MK ---> CR ---> TTC ---> Poly ---> GF ---> MK
Also, in case you aren't aware, the ferry's route is as follows:
MK ---> GF ---> Poly ---> MK
So, we made it a habit to take the monorail to MK and the ferry boat back to the resort.
Anyway, we started our visits to the parks at MK for two reasons: (1) crowds at MK at better on Sundays because many folks are just arriving or leaving to/from their Disney vacation; and (2) the obvious! We enjoyed breakfast at CRT, where we met Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel & Aurora. Our focus for this day was Fantasyland. We had FP+ for 7DMT, PPF & Meeting Elsa and Anna. We contacted the concierge at SL to add a fourth FP+ to Meet Mickey Mouse in the evening. Our plan worked perfectly, thanks to the advice received on this board over time. If you want details, please ask.
Our DDs also had reservations at BBB in the afternoon. Expensive, but worth the experience. The look on my DDs faces was enough to sell me. And, throughout the day, whether at the park or back at the resort, all the CMs would welcome them as princesses. It was so special.
Monday, August 17th:
Animal Kingdom day. I know most already know this, but to get to AK from GF you have to take the bus. Bus to AK from GF runs as follows:
AK ---> Poly ---> GF ---> AK
If you're staying at one of the outer buildings, you don't need to walk through the main building to get to the GF bus stop. There's a path around the right side of the main building (between it and GF convention center) that will get you to the bus stop quicker than walking through the crowd in the main building.
Anyway, we got to AK for rope drop. We were first on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I recommend you do this ride first to see the animals while they are out. After that, we had FP+ to meeting Disney characters (Mickey and Minnie), Kali River Rapids (awesome ride) and Expedition Everest. We were done with our plan by 2pm and able to break back at the hotel until dinner at 'Ohana.
If you get a chance, I highly recommend 'Ohana for dinner. It may have been our best meal all week.
Tuesday, August 18th:
After breakfast at Kona Grill at Poly (read: Tonga Toast), we took the day off to relax at the resort. Our DDs' loved the splash pool and the water slide. We also enjoyed afternoon tea at the Garden View Lounge. The only problem was selecting which tea to try, because the options were all so tempting. The platters of sandwiches, deserts, etc. that come with your tea were all so scrumptious. Extremely enjoyable!
We spent the evening at Downtown Disney, where I probably spent way too much money. Oops!
Wednesday, August 19th:
Back to MK! Breakfast at CP, where the girls met Winnie the Pooh, Tiger, Piglet and Eeyore. Our reservations were for 8:05 and we were done at 8:40. In time to beat the rope drop folks, so we took a slight deviation from the plan to hit 7DMT for the first ride of the day because the girls loved it so much. Some advice, if I may. Have a plan, but be prepared to deviate from it. This day was the perfect example. We were supposed to start at BTMR, then SM, etc. But, our girls really wanted to ride 7DMT again, so we did. And, on our way to Frontierland from 7DMT, they wanted to ride Prince Charming's carrousel and IASM. For me, this trip was about the kids. So, we were happy to deviate from plan. With FP+ it didn't make a difference. We still got it all in. In fact, the concierge service at SL was awesome. We had FP+ to SM, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Meeting Mickey (again...DDs' wanted to meet him again, so I switched FP+). Anyway, the only time available to Meet Mickey was at 9pm, after our dinner reservations at BoG. Despite having not yet used our 3rd FP+ of the day, the concierge booked us a 4th FP+ for Ariel's Grotto before dinner (again, because the girls wanted to meet her again).
For those wondering, BoG is totally worth it. We were very fortunate to get all the reservations we wanted for this trip. Again, thanks to the advice of many on this board.
Thursday, August 20th:
Originally, had breakfast reservations for Chef Mickey's and dinner reservations for Beaches and Cream for this day. While at dinner at BoG the night before, I text the concierge to cancel both. Frankly, the meal plan was too much food and we hit our fill at BoG. Anyway, we spend this day relaxing at the resort pools.
I will add, we also met with reps of DVC because I'm definitely interested. They placed our DDs in Lilo's Playhouse at Poly while we visited with them. I mention this because our DDs really enjoyed their time there. If you need a date night, consider placing your kids here while you go out and have your own fun.
Friday, August 21st:
Hollywood Studios! And, it did not disappoint.
First, the buses to HS takes the same sequence as AK. (i.e. HS --> Poly --> GF --> HS).
We had breakfast reservations for H&V. Great experience for the kids. Not only did they meet the Disney Juniors characters (Sofia the 1st, Doc McStuffins, Jake & Bob the builder), these characters do interactive sing-a-longs with the children during breakfast.
We had FP+ to TSM (maybe the best ride all week...definitely most fun), Tot and Star Tours. We asked, and received a 4th FP+ to GMR from the concierge. I thought GMR was the worst ride of the week. But, the highlight of the day was our Frozen Summer Fun VIP package. As a dad, I wasn't into it going in. But, I knew my DDs would love it. Boy was I mistaken. It was fantastic. The sing-a-long show was funny and entertaining. The parade was well done. And, the best part was the desert party before the fireworks show. Boy, Disney did a good job with that one.
Saturday, August 22nd:
Epcot in the morning, before leaving.
If you have breakfast reservations at Epcot before park opening, you need to take the bus there between 7am and 8am. We didn't, so waiting for the monorail at 8:30a. In case, take the monorail to TTC, get off at TTC and follow the signs for monorail to Epcot, take that to the park.
We had FP+ to Soarin', Turtle Talk with Crush and The Seas with Nemo. But, thanks to DVC, we also received three open FP+ to use at our discretion. So, instead of the original plan to rope drop TT, we used one of the FP+ on it. We used another on Meeting the Disney Characters. In case you haven't figured it our yet, my DDs really loved meeting the characters at every spot.
We did a late breakfast at Akershus. Very nice experience. It seems like the food at most of these character dines are basically the same. Not bad though. I don't think we had a bad meal all week.
Other comments -
Memory Maker: I highly recommend. We have over 472 pictures to download from MM. I'm happy to share samples, if people are interested. Just let me know what you'd like to see.
Quick serve meals: I didn't mention any of our QS. But, most were pretty good. Gasparilla's Island Grill is pretty decent at GF, in case you're wondering. We preferred Captain Cook's at Poly. But, Flaming Tree BBQ at AK was the best.
DVC: This trip really peaked my interest in DVC. I guess I have to venture over to the DVC threads on here to help me decide. However, any input from you all is welcomed.
Attitude: For the most part, everyone we ran into, both visitors and CMs, were all outstanding. Truthfully, I felt like CMs went out of their way for us. Like the time I dropped our drinks at ABC Commissary. I was so embarrassed. However, they immediately came over and told me not to worry about it and brought over new drinks.
The heat: Didn't affect us much, but we live in Vegas where it was 110-115 the week we were at WDW. So, for us, the heat was not a factor. Now, the humidity is a different beast. We were sweaty. We overcame the humidity by taking afternoon breaks to shower, chill out and get refreshed. It really helped. That, and drinking lots of water throughout the day.
Of course, we witnessed a few folks who seemed to complain about anything and everything. You're at Disney to enjoy. Why ruin that dwelling on instances that don't go as planned?
As I said earlier, I just don't understand.
I hope I didn't bore you with details. I'm happy to supplement with more information. Feel free to address your interests on here or by PM.
See you real soon!
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. Have a great trip!
. My brother and SIL took my niece for her first trip this past July (she's 3 1/2) and they stayed at the GF and had a great time and loved the resort. I think the GF is very fitting for little princesses...glad your DD's enjoyed it 
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. Loved how close SL was to the pool too...made it very convenient to pop back and forth when we wanted a drink or snack 
....you might get all of us GF fans jumping on board 
