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

[k&a&c'smom]

nathaniel41 - here is some general transportation info available here on the DIS - as you can see, the ferries do NOT start at 10:30 a.m.!

Buses

Special Note: Official Disney Transportation operates according to theme park operating schedules. As a result, please consider park closing times when relying on Disney Transportation to travel to and from resorts, using parks as transfer points. In general, buses run 60-90 minutes before park opening and 60-90 minutes after park closing.

Ferries

Operating hours
Open: The ferries begin operating 30 minutes prior to park opening including Extra Magic Hours. For example, if there are Morning Extra Magic Hours beginning at 8:00am, ferries take their first trip from the TTC to MK at 7:30am.

Closing: The ferries operate until 1.5 hours after park closing, including Extra Magic Hours.

Capacity and Schedule: The capacity of each ferryboat is 600 guests and 3 crew members. During opening and closing, all 3 ferries operate. During daytime and late night operation, 2 ferries operate with wait times between 10 and 20 minutes in most cases.

Boat Launches & Cruisers

Routes: There are 4 routes available in the Magic Kingdom area, each designated by a colored flag. Each route operates 30 min prior to park opening including Extra Magic hours until 1.5 hours after park close. The boats may cease operation due to inclement weather. If there is lightning in the area, launches are shut down and boats are shuffled. Expect longer than normal wait times on all 4 routes.

....Gold Flag Launch: The gold route carries guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, continues to Disney's Polynesian resort, and back to the Magic Kingdom. This route goes in reverse of the resort monorail. This route operates 30 minutes before park opening including Extra Magic Hours until 1.5 hours after park close and typically has two launches on the route. This route can not accommodate ECVs. Guests in Wheelchairs can board if they can transfer out of the wheelchair and step down 2 feet into the boat. Travel time on this route is about 20 minutes around the lake, so it's about 7 minutes between stops. Wait time between boats is typically 10-15 minutes.

HTH! I'll see if I can find any info specifically related to the extra buses and water craft while the monorail schedule is curtailed.

If worst comes to worst, you could take a cab from the GF to CR, then walk over to the MK. The ride is about 4 minutes. But this seems a roundabout way to get there, I would save this as a last resort.

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your having a Grand day : ) Quick question ... How long does the work on the monorail continue? So sorry if it's in here somewhere and I missed. Thanks in advance : )

The info on the summer monorail schedule is in the first post, first page - at the top!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Here is the quote mickeynut mentioned over on the CR FAQ, posted by johnsonet, who is there right now. It concerns the CR, but should be the same at the GF. She is responding to someone's question about early dining in the MK area:

....I asked at the CR bus stop yesterday, and was told that buses for early dining start running "before 8" He said they really start coming through around 7:15/7:30. So don't worry about getting to the Polynesian (I think that's where you were going)!

 

[Jennygt]

does anyone have a link to some updated videos, perhpas with the new rooms? I just keep gettting the same stuff when I google. Thanks!!

 

[mommyrosa2]

Hello! I would (and have and will!) bring both sets along. We currently have four sets of bands - one for APs and three for separate resort stays. We stayed at BWI in February and Poly in March. For our Poly stay, I had the same concerns you do. The CM at the Poly CL desk said that all the bands should work interchangeably. I was still concerned, so even though I'd wear one band, I'd carry the others in my bag just in case! At least in our case, we never had any issues. We're leaving for WDW tomorrow, and I plan to wear an old band - I'll report back if I have any issues.

We were there last week and my husband and I used both of our MB. We had a split stay so we were sent two sets. As long as they are linked to your reservation you will be fine. I always carried the other band in my bag just in case though. Like Blue said it was nice to coordinate them with my outfits. I had a pink and yellow one.

Have a great trip and I can't wait to hear all about it.

Thanks so much...we'll definitely bring both and my girls like the idea of color coordinating .

 

[k&a&c'smom]

does anyone have a link to some updated videos, perhpas with the new rooms? I just keep gettting the same stuff when I google. Thanks!!

There's a post on the first page with photos of the new rooms, and I'm pretty sure there is at least one link to a video. I'll have to go check. ETA: oops, sorry - the videos are of the suites.

 

[Nathaniel41]

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for all of the info. It is very much appreciated! Can't wait to check in!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for all of the info. It is very much appreciated! Can't wait to check in!

You're welcome! So close, it won't be long before you are at the Grand! If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask - lots of great DISers here to help.

 

[disney777]

2 weeks from today I'll be at GF for my 2 week vacation. Will be my first stay, and I can't wait. So excited.

 

[mickeynut1]

Don't worry, most guests do not book CL and are perfectly happy.

I agree, the GF is such an amazing resort that any room category is great .

Anyone stay in a deluxe room, king or queen, since the renovation? Any photos? Are there daybeds in either, now?

Here is a link from another thread with pics of a deluxe queen in Big Pine Key, posted by HairyChest in May:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1768829&page=47

Scroll down to post #696. I think that is a daybed in the turret part of the room.

HTH

does anyone have a link to some updated videos, perhpas with the new rooms? I just keep gettting the same stuff when I google. Thanks!!

I haven't seen any, but a video would be nice to see .

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for all of the info. It is very much appreciated! Can't wait to check in!

You're welcome. It won't be long before you're checking into the Grand .

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask - lots of great DISers here to help.

 

[mickeynut1]

2 weeks from today I'll be at GF for my 2 week vacation. Will be my first stay, and I can't wait. So excited.

You are going to have a great time . Two weeks at the Grand would be heavenly .

 

[jrj]

Hello everyone

Whelp, it's almost time for our first GF stay... WHOOT WHOOT

{just let me pause for a pre arrival party break}

shake my groove thang, shake my groove thang, yeah yeah!!

OK, now back to our regularly scheduled program

I've read posts concerning "To do or not do on line check in" however, haven't seen the answer to this question OR the answer is out there and my Xanax has gotten in the way of me being able to fully comprehend it either way, I need help ya'll

Question: Does on line check in, over write requests already noted on our reservation that was given to IPO?

I wouldn't make any room requests during online check in, however, would complete everything else... on the flip side, if doing so would negate what has been provided to IPO, then I'm not touching online check in

Thanks much everyone...

Now let's get back to our pre arrival celebration

 

[coopersmom]

Here is a link from another thread with pics of a deluxe queen in Big Pine Key, posted by HairyChest in May:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1768829&page=47

Scroll down to post #696. I think that is a daybed in the turret part of the room.

HTH



I haven't seen any, but a video would be nice to see .

Thanks. I think those are/were configured differently than the main building deluxe rooms already, correct? I'm just wondering what to expect for our trip next month. If the King RPC deluxe rooms now have daybeds that would be perfect for our family (one small child), with more space, and I've always wanted to try one of the turret room.

 

[cinmell]

Does anyone know if the queen deluxe rooms in RPC now have daybeds as part of the recent refurb? It looks like the king deluxe may have them so I was hoping the queen deluxe got them as well.

Thank you!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Good morning everyone. We just returned from our two week vacation on Tuesday evening and I have not had a chance to read any thread discussions since July 22. I thought I would go ahead and write up a quick trip report before catching up on my reading.

Check-in: We arrived on July 23 via ME and only waited about 5 minutes to be helped by a CM. I had completed online checkin however my credit card info had not saved and had to be re-entered. No biggie. CM gave DD16 a birthday button to celebrate her sweet 16. It put a smile on her face all week as CMs wished her a happy bday everywhere we went I had requested Sago Cay, upper floor and non-connecting. We received a room in Sago, third floor, facing the marina, but it had a connecting door. It turned out OK as we only had neighbors a few nights and they were very quiet in the evenings when it mattered. We were in room 5337 which was the last room before the hallway containing lagoon and TPV rooms. We LOVED this building being close to Gaspie's and the bus stop. Quiet location.

Room: Room was VERY clean and everything was in working order. The lighting, although not matching the theme(or lack there of) was adequate for general purposes as well as reading in bed--for DH. The TV armoire has drawers but they are very shallow and did not work for our family's clothing storage. We used the drawers to store food snacks and mediciines, etc. We ended up living out of our suitcases. Thank goodness I decided to buy packing cubes and envelopes for this trip as they worked great Even DH was impressed. We kept two suitcases under the dual sinks, put one in the closet, and had one on the luggage rack in the room. The daybed was comfortable for my DD13 and the queen beds were AWESOME!! They were soft and comfy and I never tossed and turned during the night because of limbs falling asleep or uncomfortable springs, etc. Loved these beds Our room did have the rolling nesting table under the desk which we used every day. It was a tight fit though and our table already had several large scratches on it so I fear these will not be as durable long term. Decor-wise....I thought the flooring and walls were nicely done. Carpets, wallpapers, and paint looked great. The rest....was either not matched to the theme or looked lower quality and will not last. I forsee lots of stained headboards and large furniture scratches/gauges very soon. k&a&c'smom - you will be happy to know that the couch and bedrunners do NOT look red in person. To me, they were more of a burnt coral?? in person. Hope that makes sense. Best words I could find to describe the color The room also has plentiful outlets for charging devices so no need to bring an extra power strip.

Mousekeeping: As I mentioned, our room was EXTREMELY clean. I can't say enough good things about the staff here. Everyone was friendly and seemed to enjoy their job. This was our first experience with turndown service and we are hooked. DH was almost giddy to have the fresh towels and trash removel in the evenings. DD16 would race into the room to collect all the chocolates and "good night" cards off the beds. They were very generous with toiletries and I can report that I have a large stash of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, solar gel and mint foot scrub to last through the upcoming winter in case we get stranded and can't reach the store for personal grooming products.... We also have a few bars of bath, facial and glycerin soap to top of the pile.

Transportation: I was told at checkin that buses and boats would begin running one and a helf hours before park opening to accomodate for the limited monorail hours. We found this to be true although never tested the outer limits. There were lots of morning buses to each park including MK and TTC (which was also used to get between monorail resorts in the morning) and we only had 3 instances the whole week where we did not walk up and just literally hop on the bus with no waiting. One morning we waited about 10 minutes for the DHS bus. One morning we walked up to the boat dock and had just missed the boat. Then, something happened to the second boat running causing a back-up across at MK and they ended up sending the WL boat over to our dock to pick us and Poly folk up. That morning, between the boat wait times and the route taken, it took us 45 minutes to get to MK. Not typical and problems do happen. In retrospect, we should have just taken a bus but it was near the end of our trip and our feet were already so tired even first thing in the morning The other transportation issue happened in the evening using the boats to go to FW for TE. Took an hour and a half..... It was all bad timing and turned out OK in the end. TE was very understanding and we got a table right away when we finally arrived So, in the end, we felt transportation was great here.

Food: We only ate at Gaspie's this trip but the food and service was great. Cms were very helpful and food was tasty. Our only disappointment was the lack of choices for our DD13 who has food allergies. most of their allergy products were steered toward GF and included eggs which is a no-go for DD. They had no safe buns here and DD only had two choices including flatbread pizza and chicken tenders with fries. Luckily, both of these items were quite delicious so she was happy. The rest of us had other choices such as burgers, cuban panini, and sushi (from the fridge) and all were excellent!

Pools: Both the courtyard pool and the beach pool were fun but our fav was the beachpool We love a fun slide. DH enjoyed the bars at both pools so no complaints there either. The waterplay area looked really fun for the wee tots and is a great addition. Although the pools were busy, we never had trouble finding a table (our preference over loungers) Lifeguards were attentive but some parents were not....

We really did not do much shopping other than Sandy Cove. I fell in love with the GF Tervis tumblers and picked up two to bring home. Only wish they had the larger version tumblers in that pattern. So cute!

We had a wonderful trip but only wish we had stayed longer at GF. We all felt there was so much we never had time to experience. The second half of our trip had us wishing we were back at GF but I will not go into that on this thread. Parks were awesome, FP+ worked really well for us, and we had no issues with the magicbands. Park food was yummy and our surprise of the trip was an impromptu lunch at the Wave on our last day. Best food of the whole trip. We will definitely eat there in the future. Biggest disappointment was the Cape May dinner buffet. Crab legs were awful and many items not replenished timely.

Any questions, Just ask!!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hello everyone

Whelp, it's almost time for our first GF stay... WHOOT WHOOT

{just let me pause for a pre arrival party break}

shake my groove thang, shake my groove thang, yeah yeah!!

OK, now back to our regularly scheduled program

I've read posts concerning "To do or not do on line check in" however, haven't seen the answer to this question OR the answer is out there and my Xanax has gotten in the way of me being able to fully comprehend it either way, I need help ya'll

Question: Does on line check in, over write requests already noted on our reservation that was given to IPO?

I wouldn't make any room requests during online check in, however, would complete everything else... on the flip side, if doing so would negate what has been provided to IPO, then I'm not touching online check in

Thanks much everyone...

Now let's get back to our pre arrival celebration

Your trip is getting so close .

I wouldn't do OCI as I like to check in at the resort, but that's just me . I can't answer for sure whether or not OCI overrides requests you've made on your reservation and with IPO, but I wouldn't think anything would happen if you just did the check in process and didn't check off any other requests. Hopefully someone with experience with OCI will be able to give some input .

Thanks. I think those are/were configured differently than the main building deluxe rooms already, correct? I'm just wondering what to expect for our trip next month. If the King RPC deluxe rooms now have daybeds that would be perfect for our family (one small child), with more space, and I've always wanted to try one of the turret room.

Yes, RPC deluxe rooms have a different configuration than the outer building deluxe rooms .

Does anyone know if the queen deluxe rooms in RPC now have daybeds as part of the recent refurb? It looks like the king deluxe may have them so I was hoping the queen deluxe got them as well.

Thank you!

I'm not 100% certain, but I think all rooms now have a daybed. Hopefully someone else will be able to verify that or correct me if I'm wrong. I remember reading that the dormer rooms were to get daybeds, so I assumed all rooms were getting them (although, like I said, I'm not sure).

Good morning everyone. We just returned from our two week vacation on Tuesday evening and I have not had a chance to read any thread discussions since July 22. I thought I would go ahead and write up a quick trip report before catching up on my reading.

Glad you had a nice stay. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience at Cape May. Cape May is one of our favorites and we have always had a great experience, which is what keeps us going back. I hope all of your other meals were good.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Thanks for the detailed review, Amanda! Glad you had such a magical stay at the Grand, always happy to hear. Thanks for the clarification about the "red" in the room, good to know.

I'm sure everyone will be glad to read about the extra bus/boat transportation - hot topic lately! Sounds like it was mostly good, although 45 minutes to the MK...

Was the second half of your trip at PBH? I can't imagine what might have gone wrong, we love the USO resorts as much as the WDW resorts. ??

Hello everyone

Whelp, it's almost time for our first GF stay... WHOOT WHOOT

{just let me pause for a pre arrival party break}

shake my groove thang, shake my groove thang, yeah yeah!!

OK, now back to our regularly scheduled program

I've read posts concerning "To do or not do on line check in" however, haven't seen the answer to this question OR the answer is out there and my Xanax has gotten in the way of me being able to fully comprehend it either way, I need help ya'll

Question: Does on line check in, over write requests already noted on our reservation that was given to IPO?

I wouldn't make any room requests during online check in, however, would complete everything else... on the flip side, if doing so would negate what has been provided to IPO, then I'm not touching online check in

Thanks much everyone...

Now let's get back to our pre arrival celebration

Almost there, woohoo!

I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. I have read on the Y/BC thread that this is the case - if you make any requests during online check in, it negates those that you have added to your reservation, unless they are the same (e.g., "upper floor" on both). With no recent experience with OCI, I can't be sure either way.

After reading those reports, I decided we will probably skip OCI again this trip - especially after hearing that Grace&CarolinesMom had a similar issue with it that we have had in the past.

Thanks. I think those are/were configured differently than the main building deluxe rooms already, correct? I'm just wondering what to expect for our trip next month. If the King RPC deluxe rooms now have daybeds that would be perfect for our family (one small child), with more space, and I've always wanted to try one of the turret room.

The deluxe rooms in the Main Bldg. are entirely different than those in the outer buildings - but the SL deluxe rooms are the same as the other outer bldgs., if you get me.

Does anyone know if the queen deluxe rooms in RPC now have daybeds as part of the recent refurb? It looks like the king deluxe may have them so I was hoping the queen deluxe got them as well.

Thank you!

I have not read about this yet, but hopefully someone who has will respond.

 

[coopersmom]

Yes, RPC deluxe rooms have a different configuration than the outer building deluxe rooms .

I'm not 100% certain, but I think all rooms now have a daybed. Hopefully someone else will be able to verify that or correct me if I'm wrong. I remember reading that the dormer rooms were to get daybeds, so I assumed all rooms were getting them (although, like I said, I'm not sure).

T
The deluxe rooms in the Main Bldg. are entirely different than those in the outer buildings - but the SL deluxe rooms are the same as the other outer bldgs., if you get me.

What's different about them?

I ask because we do have a main building deluxe reserved for September in the main building, IPO said we could be given either a king or queen, and could request which we prefer, though of course there's no guarantee. If the king turret rooms now have daybeds, that's what I'd like to request, but if not, a 2 queen would likely suit our family better. (Love my little guy but don't want him sleeping between husband and I on vacation, if at all possible.)

By the way, after conflicting info here, asked IPO again about whether deluxe was deluxe or queen and king were different options. Was told, again, supposedly after checking with manager, that with our reservation category we could be assigned either, and it's usually done based on guest preference or, if there was none listed, number of people in party. I'll be sure and report back if that differs in actual practice.

We previously stayed (2011) in a main building queen deluxe, but I'd like to know what's changed.

Also, I know there's floor layouts of the various deluxe rooms--thanks, by the way, to whomever posted those earlier--but is there a square footage summary like standard rooms? Just curious since I was wondering which was actually larger, the queen deluxes or the octagon king deluxes? Having never been in the latter, I just wondered how they'd compare, size-wise, to the queen deluxe we had experienced.

 

[coopersmom]

Oh and, do the main building rooms still have DVD players and DVDs at the concierge desk you can borrow to watch?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

What's different about them?

I ask because we do have a main building deluxe reserved for September in the main building, IPO said we could be given either a king or queen, and could request which we prefer, though of course there's no guarantee. If the king turret rooms now have daybeds, that's what I'd like to request, but if not, a 2 queen would likely suit our family better. (Love my little guy but don't want him sleeping between husband and I on vacation, if at all possible.)

By the way, after conflicting info here, asked IPO again about whether deluxe was deluxe or queen and king were different options. Was told, again, supposedly after checking with manager, that with our reservation category we could be assigned either, and it's usually done based on guest preference or, if there was none listed, number of people in party. I'll be sure and report back if that differs in actual practice.

We previously stayed (2011) in a main building queen deluxe, but I'd like to know what's changed.

Also, I know there's floor layouts of the various deluxe rooms--thanks, by the way, to whomever posted those earlier--but is there a square footage summary like standard rooms? Just curious since I was wondering which was actually larger, the queen deluxes or the octagon king deluxes? Having never been in the latter, I just wondered how they'd compare, size-wise, to the queen deluxe we had experienced.

Hello! I was unaware there was any conflicting info here on this thread regarding the deluxe Main Bldg. rooms - it seemed we were all pretty much in agreement, but I do sometimes miss posts.

There is a description of the king deluxe rooms on the first page, and I'm pretty sure the deluxe rooms (2 queens) are described as well, but if not, I'll try to correct that soon.

I think where the confusion is coming from is there are 2 types of king deluxe rooms - those on the 2nd floor, and the turret rooms. You could be assigned either of those if you have booked a "king deluxe - main building" reservation.

The queen deluxe rooms are a separate bookable category, cost more than the king deluxe and are no longer showing up on the website - you have to call to book these. I've been told this is due to at least one of them being accessible. The assigner says they like to keep at least 2 of them (connecting) in case those with accessible needs have a requirement. They are listed on your reservation simply as "deluxe - main building" or whatever order they are using now. There are only 6 of these rooms, 2 overlooking the Beach Pool and 4 overlooking the Courtyard Pool. As someone posted earlier in the thread: #4319 & 20/4419 & 20 (courtyard) and 4322/4422 (Beach Pool).

The 2nd floor king deluxe rooms are around the same sq. footage as the regular rooms; the turret rooms are over 700 sq. feet. I don't remember off hand how many sq. feet are in the deluxe with queens, but it is considerably more room than a regular - if I recall, somewhere in the 600s.

Oh and, do the main building rooms still have DVD players and DVDs at the concierge desk you can borrow to watch?

Yes.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

What's different about them?

Missed this question. The two types are referenced on the first page of this thread - there are even photos, posted and linked.

The outer bldg. deluxe rooms are essentially regular rooms with a small bump out (turret) area with a sofa and TV (now daybed, I believe). The deluxe rooms in the Main Bldg. are as described above; as you know from your stay in a deluxe queen/Main Bldg. room, there is extra space in the sitting area portion of the room.

HTH!