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

[WishesQueen]

Phyllis1966 - OMG!! Those are adorable pictures!! I don't like change but I have never been disappointed by the Grand!! BTW - If 1966 is the year you were born, we have something in common!!

Mickeynut - I need pedicure, but I am sooooo looking forward to those flip flops...trying to shop for new ones now, but it doesn't seem like there are many out yet.

Blue - Thanks so much!! I got in touch with the manager of Citrico's and after chatting for awhile he suggested this special sangria that they make, since my friend is not the biggest wine drinker. He's going to make the menu's with her name and he promised to serve the sangria extra special for the 4 adults at the table. She's going to love it and best of all she's going to enjoy it!!!

Ferrentinos - I haven't done FP+ yet, but I was under the impression your whole group had to have the same FP's for all experiences. My friend going in May has a group of 9 and only 3 little ones want to do the meet and great with there mom's. Do the other 4 people have to do that meet and great?

 

[Ferrentinos]

Ferrentinos - I haven't done FP+ yet, but I was under the impression your whole group had to have the same FP's for all experiences. My friend going in May has a group of 9 and only 3 little ones want to do the meet and great with there mom's. Do the other 4 people have to do that meet and great?

Nope! DH often has different activities than us!!!

 

[WishesQueen]

Nope! DH often has different activities than us!!!

Great!!! I am going to call my friend now!! Thanks so much!!

 

[WishesQueen]

BTW - how many days out can you book the frozen princess meet and greet?

 

[yce22princess]

BTW - how many days out can you book the frozen princess meet and greet?

Pretty sure it's 60 if you're on site.....

 

[lhall7]

Does anyone know if I can get half gallon of milk preferably skim anywhere at Grand? We can at BC and WL but I didn't see any in pictures on first page. Thx!

 

[trishadono]

Does anyone know if I can get half gallon of milk preferably skim anywhere at Grand? We can at BC and WL but I didn't see any in pictures on first page. Thx!

Now that they have the villas they have more food etc. I was able to buy the half gallons in January. We drink 2%. I can't remember exactly which but it was 2 out of the following 3: 2%,1% and fat free.

We usually stay at BLT and I found most of the things available were the same.

 

[phyllis1966]

Phyllis1966 - OMG!! Those are adorable pictures!! I don't like change but I have never been disappointed by the Grand!! BTW - If 1966 is the year you were born, we have something in common!

Yes, creative user name, huh? Boy, do I regret it now that I am over 40!

 

[MommyGina]

I can't help myself. I keep going back to the first page and looking at all the pictures of the Grand (thanks to k&a&c'smom), and I am just drooling. We finally hit the double digit mark - only 99 more days to go until our Grand vacation!

Hope warm weather is coming to all my friends here!

 

[yce22princess]

I can't help myself. I keep going back to the first page and looking at all the pictures of the Grand (thanks to k&a&c'smom), and I am just drooling. We finally hit the double digit mark - only 99 more days to go until our Grand vacation! Hope warm weather is coming to all my friends here!

We are at 100 today!!! . We are all excited for our first Grand stay!

 

[Ferrentinos]

99 days for us!!!!! So excited!!!! Double digits!!!!!!!

 

[mommyrosa2]

Any GF vets experienced diners at V&A? DH & I will be returning to the world in October for some F&W and to celebrate our 29th, wedding anniversary, without the girls . We normally go to Narcoossee's, which we love, but DH keeps talking about V&A's and how much he wants to try it. While I know he'd LOVE it, I'm not as adventerous as he is about food which makes me hesitant. Is it true that I can let them know ahead of time my likes and dislikes or would I have to eat the different courses they offer on the menu? While I do enjoy some seafood, I'm more of a shrimp, cod & scrod fish girl and don't care for some of the stronger fish options out there. I also enjoy beef, pork and chicken but don't care for duck at all...so in other words, I'm a "little" picky . Does this mean I won't enjoy V&A or am I making myself nuts for nothing?

 

[BlueSkies]

I had a great big loooong post that went poof!

I just hate it when that happens!

Hope that everyone is having a magical Monday!

 

[yce22princess]

99 days for us!!!!! So excited!!!! Double digits!!!!!!!

Yay!!!

 

[Circusgirl]

Any GF vets experienced diners at V&A? DH & I will be returning to the world in October for some F&W and to celebrate our 29th, wedding anniversary, without the girls . We normally go to Narcoossee's, which we love, but DH keeps talking about V&A's and how much he wants to try it. While I know he'd LOVE it, I'm not as adventerous as he is about food which makes me hesitant. Is it true that I can let them know ahead of time my likes and dislikes or would I have to eat the different courses they offer on the menu? While I do enjoy some seafood, I'm more of a shrimp, cod & scrod fish girl and don't care for some of the stronger fish options out there. I also enjoy beef, pork and chicken but don't care for duck at all...so in other words, I'm a "little" picky . Does this mean I won't enjoy V&A or am I making myself nuts for nothing?

The dinner at V&A's is 3 hours of pampering with food. The experience is exceptional both for the level of service as well as the spectacular food. There are six courses, with choices for each course. There are both regular and vegetarian menus from which to choose, and they are happy for you to mix and match. Sample menus are here:

http://www.victoria-alberts.com/menus.html

They will call to confirm your reservation the week or so before your visit and will ask for food preferences then. I would encourage you to go for it, as I think it is a very special experience on many levels, and perfect for an anniversary celebration! Congratulations on 29 years!!!

 

[minie_meese]

Very excited - just finalized our reservation for a 2 bedroom at VGF for Oct 8-14. We were wait listed for the night of the 9th and it just came though today! We usually say at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and have stayed at the Poly and at WL but have never stayed at the Grand so this is very exciting for us - 4 adults and 2 girls 10 and 11. We're planning a day or 2 at the Food and Wine Festival and MNSSHP on one night. I'm hoping to get a reservation for dinner at Be Our Guest. We enjoyed it very much in January. Any suggestions for any other restaurants at or near the GF? I'm enjoying this board and the great photos. Thanks!

For the poster who was looking for help on points for a Studios at VGF 7 months out, it has been reported that Studios are the hardest reservation to get. We have a dedicated 2 bedroom and were unable to book our 6 nights at 7 months out. It is Columbus Day weekend but it looks pretty booked up most of the time. We were fortunate to get 4 of the nights (Fri-Tues) a few days after the window opened. Two weeks ago we got Wednesday night. We've had a wait list for Thursday night for about a month and it just came through today. I just checked and currently there are no studios available at VGF 7 months and for the 7 following days. I would try but figure you will need to use the wait list which is no guarantee, and have a backup plan. The more days you have in a wait list reservation the harder it is to get filled. They don't partially fill a wait list - it's all or nothing.

 

[Ferrentinos]

Yay!!!

I'm sure you are just as excited as we are!!! What dining have you booked while at GF in July? We have Citricos and 1900 Park Fare dinners planned.

 

[SSMMB5]

Hi fellow Disney lovers,
We will be staying in the GF for the first time this summer and we are pretty excited. I went to Disney 3 times as a kid. We always stayed offsite. This will be the 7th time my DH and I have taken our kids. We have previously stayed at Poly (2), POR (2), CB (1), and the Swan (1). The Poly holds the favorite resort for us because of the theme, location, volcano pool, and the self serve Dole Whip machine. My parents are joining us this time and we were originally going to stay at POR again but they wanted to try a resort on the monorail so they offered to pay the difference. Naturally, we wanted to stay at The Poly, but they didn't have any standard rooms available but they did at The GF!! I never thought that we would get the chance to stay at this beautiful resort. When we would ride the monorail to the MK and would stop at the GF, I would daydream about staying there. I really hope it exceeds our expectations.
Even though our kids have been there so many times, they are still as excited as if it were their first trip. We started going when they were really young. As they get older (and taller), we get to experience new adventures and attractions. Last year was the first year we could ride Splash Mountain and it quickly became a favorite for us. I can't wait to see what new things we can try this year!
I am looking forward to trying out the Magic Bands. I hope the FP+ is as good as it sounds!
Sorry for the long post!

 

[Ferrentinos]

Hi fellow Disney lovers, We will be staying in the GF for the first time this summer and we are pretty excited. I went to Disney 3 times as a kid. We always stayed offsite. This will be the 7th time my DH and I have taken our kids. We have previously stayed at Poly (2), POR (2), CB (1), and the Swan (1). The Poly holds the favorite resort for us because of the theme, location, volcano pool, and the self serve Dole Whip machine. My parents are joining us this time and we were originally going to stay at POR again but they wanted to try a resort on the monorail so they offered to pay the difference. Naturally, we wanted to stay at The Poly, but they didn't have any standard rooms available but they did at The GF!! I never thought that we would get the chance to stay at this beautiful resort. When we would ride the monorail to the MK and would stop at the GF, I would daydream about staying there. I really hope it exceeds our expectations. Even though our kids have been there so many times, they are still as excited as if it were their first trip. We started going when they were really young. As they get older (and taller), we get to experience new adventures and attractions. Last year was the first year we could ride Splash Mountain and it quickly became a favorite for us. I can't wait to see what new things we can try this year! I am looking forward to trying out the Magic Bands. I hope the FP+ is as good as it sounds! Sorry for the long post!

We are also staying for the first time this summer! We've also done a few stays at poly and have dreamed of a GF stay!!!! I understand your excitement! When in the summer will you be there? We are staying in July.

 

[yce22princess]

I'm sure you are just as excited as we are!!! What dining have you booked while at GF in July? We have Citricos and 1900 Park Fare dinners planned.

Funny....we have Citricos and 1900 as well! I'll laugh if our dates match up like the cabana!
We also booked Narcoossees too. We loved it the last time we went in 2012....we took this past summer off and my oldest daughter cannot wait to stay at the GF....truth be told, I can't either! We did Poly our last trip (loved it) and we've also done AKL and WL.