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

[DisneyDmbNut]

Congratulations on a return to GF!



Thanks so much for the reply! I know DH likes Yuengling and I'm glad they still have it! WL had Yuengling and Moosehead and he was one happy camper when we were there in July I keep telling DH he isn't going to want any more after a day at Wine and Food in Epcot but apparently he thinks he will!

We will be there in 9 days ourselves as DH and DS reminded me! I had a really rough day and every hour either DH or DS would send a text ...8 day 9 hours til Disney!...8 1/4 days til Disney It put the smile right back on my face!

Thanks again for the reply and SO excited to be there soon!

Liz

I just looked at my pictures from February.. It looks like Yuengling and Micholob Light.. Seems like I remember Heineken too

 

[jacknsally19]

Only 20 more days until my first stay at GF and I am so excited! Work has been very stressful for me lately so this break is coming at the perfect time! Anyway, I have a question for recent visitors that have used Magical Express... Do they still send tickets or am I supposed to just use the magic band? I feel like I have usually received the tickets by this point.
If I should have received the tickets by now, would it be appropriate to contact the IPO & ask for help. My concern is that I am traveling solo with a 2 year old and I do not want to deal with luggage unless absolutely necessary. Also, I need to mail the ticket (or magic band) to my mom that lives in another state and meeting us at GF.

Thanks my GF friends!

 

[dtr_angel]

Getting really excited for our first GF stay!

Because of no availability I was booked into 2 different room categories which meant I would have to change rooms after 1 night. I just changed that first night to a standard room at the Poly. I'm still hoping the room I need will open up at the GF so I can do all 3 nights at the GF, but if not it should be an easy switch from Poly to the GF. We will be in Disney next week and I booked 1900 Park Fare for our checkout day so we can get even more excited about our stay there in December! I'm waiting to do online check in until after we get back so I can decide which building I'd like to request.

 

[grannyminnie]

Fellow GF fans!

Just kinda skimmed....

Wanted to say HI!

MB are scheduled to ship soon!!

Liz No help with the beer...but I agree about the pineapple juice..yum! Bet that you are a fan of the Dole Whip!!

Hope that everyone is having a magical Monday! preppy GF gal who needs to add an August ticker... thanks to my persuasvie friend MickeyNut...

Wait, what? August?? I'll soon need a score card to keep up with your trips...LOL That Mickeynut is getting you in trouble!

 

[TinkerBellLiz]

I just looked at my pictures from February.. It looks like Yuengling and Micholob Light.. Seems like I remember Heineken too

Thanks for checking! I think that is what I saw in the club picture first page. I'm glad it hasn't changed! I'll need to take some pictures myself next week

Liz

 

[trishadono]

Only 20 more days until my first stay at GF and I am so excited! Work has been very stressful for me lately so this break is coming at the perfect time! Anyway, I have a question for recent visitors that have used Magical Express... Do they still send tickets or am I supposed to just use the magic band? I feel like I have usually received the tickets by this point.
If I should have received the tickets by now, would it be appropriate to contact the IPO & ask for help. My concern is that I am traveling solo with a 2 year old and I do not want to deal with luggage unless absolutely necessary. Also, I need to mail the ticket (or magic band) to my mom that lives in another state and meeting us at GF.

Thanks my GF friends!

You should have received your packet by now. I got mine for a 11/18 arrival. If you need the yellow stickers for your luggage you should call and check.

I would call ME people first. If not helpful then try IPO.

Good luck and have a great trip

 

[BlueSkies]

We just switched our reservation from CR-TPV to GF Outer Building Lagoon View. I'm very excited about the switch but have never stayed at GF. What is a good location to request? We are a family of 4, two adults and two boys (10 and 5)

Congrats on your very first GF stay! For an outer building LV room I would suggest Conch Key or Boca Chica..Sago also has LV rooms..but both Conch and BC are more centrally located IMO...there is a map on the first page of this thread that will give you a good overall idea of where each outer building is located....Hope that you have a grand trip!

Only 20 more days until my first stay at GF and I am so excited! Work has been very stressful for me lately so this break is coming at the perfect time! Anyway, I have a question for recent visitors that have used Magical Express... Do they still send tickets or am I supposed to just use the magic band? I feel like I have usually received the tickets by this point.
If I should have received the tickets by now, would it be appropriate to contact the IPO & ask for help. My concern is that I am traveling solo with a 2 year old and I do not want to deal with luggage unless absolutely necessary. Also, I need to mail the ticket (or magic band) to my mom that lives in another state and meeting us at GF.

Thanks my GF friends!

Hey jacknsally You are under the three week mark!!! You definitely should have had your yellow luggage tags and ME booklet..the booklet is not really necessary any longer because you can use your MB to check in (did you not get your MB either??? )..easy as can be...but you do need your luggage tags if you want your luggage transferred directly over to the resort...this should generally arrive about 6 weeks prior to your trip....We had a glitch with this once also...and IPO was able to help get it straightened out..and expedite getting those tags to us...so absolutely give them a call! They will get in touch with ME if necessary also...

Getting really excited for our first GF stay!

Because of no availability I was booked into 2 different room categories which meant I would have to change rooms after 1 night. I just changed that first night to a standard room at the Poly. I'm still hoping the room I need will open up at the GF so I can do all 3 nights at the GF, but if not it should be an easy switch from Poly to the GF. We will be in Disney next week and I booked 1900 Park Fare for our checkout day so we can get even more excited about our stay there in December! I'm waiting to do online check in until after we get back so I can decide which building I'd like to request.

All of the outer buildings have both room categories...so after you look around during your next trip I would just call and request which ever building you prefer..and also be sure that your two ressies are linked...then..at check in I would suggest asking if you can be assigned a room no matter which category that you can remain in for your entire stay... Hope that it all works out!

Wait, what? August?? I'll soon need a score card to keep up with your trips...LOL That Mickeynut is getting you in trouble!

grannyminnie I am easily persuaded when it come to Disney trips... and that MickeyNut is very persuasive....so we are planning on a summer girls trip...at the..Poly!!! lol....See what I mean ...she even has me agreeing to a different resort....a few other DISers will coincidentally be there at the same time...pas..and bethclayton..and we are trying to get k&a&c'smom to book a trip too...how about you my friend....c'mon...the more the merrier!!! ..something to think about... BTW..your trip is just around the bend!!!! Dare I ask if you are packed???

k&a&c'smom So glad that you popped in... Miss when you are not here sharing info...and posting some of your beautiful Grand pics! ....Hope things are settling down for you....Speaking of trips...lol...well not really but that MickeyNut is....can you feel your arm being twisted..... ...lol...

MickeyNut Whatcha up to...besides planning a few trips for 2015????? lol....

Shoutin out to ahcupcake I know that you pop in even if you dont get to post... Hope that you are feeling better soon....

~ Dining dilemma....cause its always about the food...its been ages since we have gone to the HDDR...and I thought that we might enjoy that....but...I was perusing menus...yet again..lol... and I liked the offerings at the Trails End..so ..was thinking...as opposed to HDDR...dining at the TE..and maybe doing a carriage ride afterward...??? Thoughts...opinions... I am just not sure....

And since we couldn't decide which GF restaurant to dine in..since this is the GF thread.. we decided to choose both Narcoosees...and Citricos... for now???? ...lol...a win win IMO...

~~ Haunted Mansions fans.... Momento Mori the Haunted Mansion shop has opened in the MK...looks like there is a whole lot of neat merchandise available! And most of it is also available online from the Disney Store....happy spooky shopping fellow GF fans!

Hope that everyone is having a terrific Tuesday! Preppy GF gal...who just might be turning into a Poly princess...???? lol...

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Got my Welcome letter from IPO!! So excited!

 

[mickeynut1]

So after many weeks of resort hopping, we r finally booked for December. Decided on a split stay and upgrade to GF main bldg. we r staying in tower at CR for 2 nights then switching to GF main bldg for 3 nights. I was planning on checking in really early at GF and heading out to park after breakfast. My question is shd we let CR luggage services take our bags and we just take monorail to GF or shd we just take our bags with us in taxi? Pros and cons? Was also worried logistically about check in coming in on monorail. Where do we go to check in? Reg check in desk if we come in this way? TIA.

Congrats on your upcoming RPC stay . It's personal preference about the luggage, but if it were me, I'd probably take a cab to the GF and leave my luggage with bell services. Sometimes transfers are delayed and if your room is ready early and/or you decide to leave MK and head back to the GF earlier than expected, it might be nice to have your luggage handy instead of having to wait for it (this is just my opinion). As far as checking in, just go to the front desk and tell them you are checking in and staying RPC. They should then call RPC and a CL CM will come down and take you upstairs to do your check in .

Yep, count me in on one of those girlies

It should be a fun trip .

not sure if anyone can answer this but figured i'd give it a shot.

Issue: We're going on the Marceline to MK tour and need to be in MK for 7:45 a.m. The CM who booked the tour told me that i should park at the Contemporary and make our way over from there & leaving the car there for the day would be fine. I KNOW this is not an acceptable solution since it will affect parking for the guests who are actually STAYING there.

My proposed solution: Valet park at GF and have breakfast in Gasparilla Island Grill since it opens early enough and there are items on the menu that appeal to us. Once we've eaten we'll take Disney transportation (whatever form is running then!! we're going on the tour Nov 7) to MK, do the tour and spend the day in the park. Once we're finished, head back & get the car.

Question: Will there actually BE spots in the valet parking lot that early or do i need to rethink this convoluted plan of mine?

Caveat: We will be driving our car so please don't suggest using Disney transportation from our own Resort. Even though i know this is the easiest solution, hubby is a transportation SNOB

You should be fine using valet .

Also, do you all use online check-in? I feel like I might get a better room/ view if I talk to a CM in person. I guess I would like to charm my way to a great room.

Kim

It's a personal preference, but we've never done OCI as I prefer to check in at the resort. You can always ask for a different room if you do OCI, but that kind of defeats the purpose, IMO, as OCI is supposed to save time as a packet is ready and waiting for you upon arrival .

Hope that everyone is having a magical Monday! preppy GF gal who needs to add an August ticker... thanks to my persuasvie friend MickeyNut...

Yes, we need to get on those tickers . I do, however, have to redo my siggie.....gotta do some searching this afternoon for different/smaller pics so I can keep my Bulls .

We just switched our reservation from CR-TPV to GF Outer Building Lagoon View. I'm very excited about the switch but have never stayed at GF. What is a good location to request? We are a family of 4, two adults and two boys (10 and 5)

BlueSkies answered your question about location, but I wanted to say congrats on booking your first GF stay. You are going to love it .

Only 20 more days until my first stay at GF and I am so excited! Work has been very stressful for me lately so this break is coming at the perfect time!

Have a great time. The GF is amazing and is a great place to relax and recharge for awhile .

Getting really excited for our first GF stay!

Because of no availability I was booked into 2 different room categories which meant I would have to change rooms after 1 night. I just changed that first night to a standard room at the Poly. I'm still hoping the room I need will open up at the GF so I can do all 3 nights at the GF, but if not it should be an easy switch from Poly to the GF. We will be in Disney next week and I booked 1900 Park Fare for our checkout day so we can get even more excited about our stay there in December! I'm waiting to do online check in until after we get back so I can decide which building I'd like to request.

Congrats on your upcoming GF stay .

Wait, what? August?? I'll soon need a score card to keep up with your trips...LOL That Mickeynut is getting you in trouble!

I try to drag others down with me when I can .

grannyminnie I am easily persuaded when it come to Disney trips...and that MickeyNut is very persuasive....so we are planning on a summer girls trip...at the..Poly!!! lol....See what I mean ...she even has me agreeing to a different resort....a few other DISers will coincidentally be there at the same time...pas..and bethclayton..and we are trying to get k&a&c'smom to book a trip too...how about you my friend....c'mon...the more the merrier!!! ..something to think about...

MickeyNut Whatcha up to...besides planning a few trips for 2015????? lol....

I agree 100%....it doesn't take much to persuade you to go back . Get on board grannyminnie.....k&a&c'smom too.......the more the merrier .

Not too much going on other than every day life, but trying to get some planning started for 2015 .

 

[jacknsally19]

So I got my magical express straightened out - thanks for the feedback. I'm now only 17 days from my trip

The only thing I'm debating is that in these past two weeks I managed to snag a dinner reservation for BOG and a FP for BOG. I think eating twice at the same place is excessive so I need to cancel one or the other and I can't make up my mind. I like the lunch menu better (Tuna Nicoise sounds awesome!) but I got the dinner reservation for the evening that we are attending MNSSHP and my daughter will be dressed like Princess Tiana so I kind of like the idea of going to a 'castle' when she is dressed as a princess. Granted she is just shy of 3 - this means far more to me than to her!

 

[grannyminnie]

Mickeynut...."I try to drag others down with me"...funniest thing I've read on here!!!!!

 

[trishadono]

So I got my magical express straightened out - thanks for the feedback. I'm now only 17 days from my trip

The only thing I'm debating is that in these past two weeks I managed to snag a dinner reservation for BOG and a FP for BOG. I think eating twice at the same place is excessive so I need to cancel one or the other and I can't make up my mind. I like the lunch menu better (Tuna Nicoise sounds awesome!) but I got the dinner reservation for the evening that we are attending MNSSHP and my daughter will be dressed like Princess Tiana so I kind of like the idea of going to a 'castle' when she is dressed as a princess. Granted she is just shy of 3 - this means far more to me than to her!

If your dinner res is before 6pm I would keep it. It usually takes an hour or so therefore you would be done by 7. Do you want to miss out on the Halloween fun sitting in a restaurant?

Probably not so cancel if later and have a time!

 

[Bree]

Hi everyone! I booked GF for a very special trip. We will be celebrating my MIL 75th birthday and her FIRST time to WDW. We will be staying in a Garden View room with my two children (four of us total). The one issue we have is that my MIL is a smoker. Are there Garden View rooms that are close to the smoking area? I looked at the map and they seem to be pool or water views. Is there a certain building I should request along with being close to the smoking area?

 

[BlueSkies]

Morning fellow GF fans!

Just booked our winter Disney vacay with the late winter discount!! Woohoo!! 30% at the GF..Gotta love a good discount!

Mickeynut...."I try to drag others down with me"...funniest thing I've read on here!!!!!

Hi everyone! I booked GF for a very special trip. We will be celebrating my MIL 75th birthday and her FIRST time to WDW. We will be staying in a Garden View room with my two children (four of us total). The one issue we have is that my MIL is a smoker. Are there Garden View rooms that are close to the smoking area? I looked at the map and they seem to be pool or water views. Is there a certain building I should request along with being close to the smoking area?

What a wonderful birthday trip for your MIL...and a first timer starting off at the GF.. Even better!! I think that the smoking area is located right outside the back entrance to the main building...there is a verandah there with tables and ash trays...So maybe Big Pine would be a good request....the property is not spread out though...and everything is in pretty close proximity..so really probably I would go with whatever building that appeals to you when viewing the map....Happy planning..Cant think of a nicer way to celebrate a birthday!

MickeyNut So..what have you planned for us so far??? I know that you will be prepared when that 180 window opens up!

Ok so no feed back from my fellow GF fans on my HDDR or Trails End dilemma?? I can not decide...Help!

Hope that everyone has a terrific Thursday! preppy GF gal who needs to add some new tickers in my siggie!

 

[Candy Orlando]

BlueSkies,
When will you be at the Grand this winter? Great 30% discount!!! Enjoy!
Candy

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Hi everyone! I booked GF for a very special trip. We will be celebrating my MIL 75th birthday and her FIRST time to WDW. We will be staying in a Garden View room with my two children (four of us total). The one issue we have is that my MIL is a smoker. Are there Garden View rooms that are close to the smoking area? I looked at the map and they seem to be pool or water views. Is there a certain building I should request along with being close to the smoking area?

Hi Bree,

We just got back from our stay at GF and we were close to a smoking area, we happened to stumble upon it by accident. We stayed in Conch Key in a Garden View room that faced the marina just above the yacht. There is a pathway between Conch Key and the marina and at the end of the pathway there is a smoking area with a bench. The view is lovely. There were first floor rooms in Conch Key that were a stone's throw away from the smoking area.

 

[Bree]

Thanks for your replies The Conch Key room sounds perfect for her. Early mornings looking out on the water is just her style! This will most likely be her only trip and we are going to Magic Kingdom and the countries in Epcot. My family has never stayed at GF so the kids and I are looking forward to it too. We love the monorail access and have stayed at BLT, but that's too modern for my MIL. With the Poly torn apart and WL too much like home for her (she lives in Maine) the GF is perfect! Cinderella is her favorite Disney movie so I have 1900 Park Fare booked for dinner on our arrival day.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Thanks for your replies The Conch Key room sounds perfect for her. Early mornings looking out on the water is just her style! This will most likely be her only trip and we are going to Magic Kingdom and the countries in Epcot. My family has never stayed at GF so the kids and I are looking forward to it too. We love the monorail access and have stayed at BLT, but that's too modern for my MIL. With the Poly torn apart and WL too much like home for her (she lives in Maine) the GF is perfect! Cinderella is her favorite Disney movie so I have 1900 Park Fare booked for dinner on our arrival day.

BTW, there is a path from Conch to the Monorail that cuts out having to walk through/around the GF. When you come out of Conch and are facing the main GF building, go to the right between the GF and the convention center and you will save a bunch of time. Note that is the area where CM come and go for work, but I've never had anyone tell me not to go through there.

Tom

 

[grannyminnie]

Blue! Another trip?? Did you win the lottery and not tell us??

 

[Kelleigh710]

Hi all! I was wondering if any of you had any reviews of the Ivy Trellis at the Grand Floridian.I am set to have a makeup application and an up do for my anniversary dinner. I just wanted to see how everyone's experience has been. Pics would help! Thanks!