A Grand Vacation: The 2012 Grand Floridian FAQ!

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This will be our first and only stay at GF....can anyone recommend what I should request as far as room location? Keeping in mind we are booked standard garden view...so cheapest? Has anyone ever received an upgrade at check in? I know...one can dream!:)

Our favorite gv rooms at the GF were in Sago Cay and Conch Key overlooking the marina. It was like a waterview at a gv price!
 
:wave: Hi, k&a&c'smom and all the other lovely GF posters:goodvibes. I have an afternoon tea question from a poster on the WL thread that I know many of you can answer. The question is located HERE in post #201.

Thanks!
 
Us too. 18th to the 25th. Hoping construction impact will be minimal. And monorail to be running right. Have a great trip.

Thanks, you, too!! Won't be long now.:banana:

This will be our first and only stay at GF....can anyone recommend what I should request as far as room location? Keeping in mind we are booked standard garden view...so cheapest? Has anyone ever received an upgrade at check in? I know...one can dream!:)

Our favorite gv rooms at the GF were in Sago Cay and Conch Key overlooking the marina. It was like a waterview at a gv price!

I agree with DisneyMomx7, the marina views in either Conch Key or Sago Cay are really pretty. Bonus, you won't have to worry about the construction!:goodvibes

bcv23 I'm looking forward to that app being available for my Droid phone <tapping fingers waiting patiently>
....
That's funny (and potentially confusing) about the Poly room size flub. There's a fun photo in the recent "Color Companion to the Unofficial Guide" showing Len Testa sitting in color tape showing the typical room size by value/mod/deluxe.

You can find it by googling "touring plans what you get for your money"

The rooms look so much smaller when they're outlined in tape!

We are waiting for the Android platform, too; unfortunately, DD tried to download MDE this morning and her iTouch is too old. Phooey.

LOL about the colored tape. You are so right, we taped out dimensions on our kitchen floor for a pantry addition - it looked so small.:eek:


:wave: Hi, k&a&c'smom and all the other lovely GF posters:goodvibes. I have an afternoon tea question from a poster on the WL thread that I know many of you can answer. The question is located HERE in post #201.

Thanks!

Hello, and welcome back!:hug: I miss you popping in with links to Disney news, but I know you are sooo busy with 3!!! FAQs.:scared1:

I gave a response for the tea question, I hope others will contribute their thoughts.:goodvibes

We need to try to make it over to WL during our upcoming trip.
 
This will be our first and only stay at GF....can anyone recommend what I should request as far as room location? Keeping in mind we are booked standard garden view...so cheapest? Has anyone ever received an upgrade at check in? I know...one can dream!:)

Yes, We got a very unexpected upgrade at GF. We were on a free trip which I won through AAA. We had four nights, 5 days with park tickets (hoppers) in what was listed as a standard garden view room. When we checked in they surprised us with a upgraded to Sugarloaf pixiedust: We looked out onto the pool with a nice balcony. If that wasn't enough the GF sent champaign and chocolate covered strawberries to our room the first night. Balloons and a special GF chocolate bar the second night. :)

Angel16
 

Yes, We got a very unexpected upgrade at GF. We were on a free trip which I won through AAA. We had four nights, 5 days with park tickets (hoppers) in what was listed as a standard garden view room. When we checked in they surprised us with a upgraded to Sugarloaf pixiedust: We looked out onto the pool with a nice balcony. If that wasn't enough the GF sent champaign and chocolate covered strawberries to our room the first night. Balloons and a special GF chocolate bar the second night. :)

Angel16


Holy crap!! Luck!!!! :crazy2:
 
Angel16 - That is amazing pixiedust: Awesome upgrade!

k&a&c'smom - I wish your DD the best of luck! At least she has a wonderful Disney trip to look forward to. Hopefully filled with lots of Pixie Dust!


Blessed_wth_Triplets - So its not just me dreaming of Pixie dusts and upgrades???? LOL

bdklein - Thanks for the info! :thumbsup2
 
This will be our first and only stay at GF....can anyone recommend what I should request as far as room location? Keeping in mind we are booked standard garden view...so cheapest? Has anyone ever received an upgrade at check in? I know...one can dream!:)

We had booked a GV room and were upgraded to a week in the RPC! That being said, we had stayed there many times before, so we had also gotten an upgrade to TPV and SL. You never know when pixie dust can strike pixiedust:

k&a&c'smom, sorry to hear nothing came of the job interview for you DD. I feel sorry for so many of these kids coming out of school. They worked hard and are prepared for the workforce, there just aren't enough jobs. Good luck, a trip to WDW should help a little bit. :goodvibes
 
Angel16 - What an awesome trip - good luck all around.:goodvibes Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.:hug:

Butterflygirl35 - thanks.:hug: You are not the only one hoping for an upgrade, many do. The upgrades are so random, and elusive - I've only gotten one in all our stays, and that was from garden view to lagoon at the GF. Nice, but we actually prefer the garden views.:laughing: I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and Blessedwthtriplets.:dance3:

Jungle Cruiser - You are so right, we know a lot of kids who are unemployed, or under-employed. Tough out there.

The trip has given her something to anticipate, especially the V&A's dinner.:cloud9:

Thanks to you, and everyone, for all the well wishes.:grouphug: DD is submitting another application today, so who knows! I will certainly post when she is successful - I'll be so excited I won't be able to keep it to myself.;)
 
Kids today really do have it hard.... Aging has its benefits... :lmao:

k&a&c'smom - Dinner at V&A would definitely cheer me up too :thumbsup2 Have fun!!!

Jungle Cruiser - Awesome Pixie Dust as well!! Love hearing Pixie Dust stories...

wishing everybody a wonderful weekend... pixiedust:
 
We have gotten upgraded several times, each time from
GV: MK twice, LV twice and last year to SL. pixiedust:
Only paid once for MK view and I would not do it again, the rooms are all the same, and how much time do you really spend looking out your window. Even when the kids were younger I think we only watched fireworks once from our balcony. The upgrades are wonderful but we had just as good of a time staying at the regular GV room.
 
This will be our first and only stay at GF....can anyone recommend what I should request as far as room location? Keeping in mind we are booked standard garden view...so cheapest? Has anyone ever received an upgrade at check in? I know...one can dream!:)

We book garden view and request sago cay marina view. Have gotten it both times we have requested (T'giving week). It really is our favorite place:)
 
Just booked main building/ theme park view for family for our Sept 2013 trip- so excited! Thank you so much for all the fab info and pictures! Looking forward to planning with you all for the next year :)
 
We have gotten upgraded several times, each time from
GV: MK twice, LV twice and last year to SL. pixiedust:
Only paid once for MK view and I would not do it again, the rooms are all the same, and how much time do you really spend looking out your window. Even when the kids were younger I think we only watched fireworks once from our balcony. The upgrades are wonderful but we had just as good of a time staying at the regular GV room.

Welcome!:goodvibes Very nice on the upgrades! I agree, we have paid for TPV once or twice, and loved it, but decided we'd rather have garden view or club. We spend a lot of time at the resort but not a lot on the balcony.

We book garden view and request sago cay marina view. Have gotten it both times we have requested (T'giving week). It really is our favorite place:)

Welcome!:yay: We finally ended up in Sago Cay last year, it was a little too quiet for us but beautiful views of the marina and the rest of the GF. And so close to the bus stop!:thumbsup2

Just booked main building/ theme park view for family for our Sept 2013 trip- so excited! Thank you so much for all the fab info and pictures! Looking forward to planning with you all for the next year :)

Welcome! Glad you've joined us, we all love helping plan a trip.:goodvibes Congrats on the RPC booking, have you stayed at the Grand before? You are going to love RPC, the lounge area is wonderful and it is so convenient.:cloud9:
 
K&a&c'smom- thanks for the welcome! I love your thread and have found it very useful. When we first stayed at the Grand, I read everything you all had to say and came to the conclusion that sago was the place for us. We would go to Gasparillas in the morning before heading to the boat launch,monorail or self park. Really liked the courtyard pool and watching wishes from the boat launch or marina!

You were also my source of info when I made the sad decision to not stay at the Grand this Thanksgiving- the construction was just too much for us. We will be giving WL a shot- Kook also has a terrific thread- and will hopefully be back at the Grand next year:goodvibes

Again, thank you so much and I will continue reading:flower3:
 
Somim thinking of requesting sago cay.....but can't decide if I should say marina or lagoon view? Does anyone have any "view" picture of standard garden view rooms? Tried googling it and couldnt come up with anything?
 
Ok....scratch that...I just looked at a resort map and sago cay seems like quite a hike from the beach pool...which will be the only one open when we are there! Should I request big pine key??...or are all the standard rooms facing the construction on the courtyard pool?
 
This will be our first stay at the Grand :) We have stayed at the poly and BLT twice on previous trips... We have a large family ( 6 and twin 3 year olds- all girls) and I am a bit anxious about us all in one room but am hoping the RPC lounge will give us that extra space we need to relax :) looking forward to the ease of having the lounge nearby and an hoping it makes for a more relaxing, less rushed feel to the trip. My sweet hubby has an incredibly busy job in " real life" and I am hoping this will make the trip feel more relaxing for him :) I have also always wanted to stay here since I was a little girl so it is like a dream come true!
 
K&a&c'smom- thanks for the welcome! I love your thread and have found it very useful. When we first stayed at the Grand, I read everything you all had to say and came to the conclusion that sago was the place for us. We would go to Gasparillas in the morning before heading to the boat launch,monorail or self park. Really liked the courtyard pool and watching wishes from the boat launch or marina!

You were also my source of info when I made the sad decision to not stay at the Grand this Thanksgiving- the construction was just too much for us. We will be giving WL a shot- Kook also has a terrific thread- and will hopefully be back at the Grand next year:goodvibes

Again, thank you so much and I will continue reading:flower3:

Glad we could help, sorry I didn't remember you.:blush: I try but as I age my memory doesn't always work like it used to.:laughing: I see a name, try to recall if I have seen it before, and finally decide to welcome as if it's the first post.

Sorry you won't be staying at the Grand this T'giving, but I certainly understand. The WL is a beautiful resort, we love it and don't get there often enough. Sooo many favorites!

You're right, KOOK's threads are all so informative and friendly.

Somim thinking of requesting sago cay.....but can't decide if I should say marina or lagoon view? Does anyone have any "view" picture of standard garden view rooms? Tried googling it and couldnt come up with anything?

Ok....scratch that...I just looked at a resort map and sago cay seems like quite a hike from the beach pool...which will be the only one open when we are there! Should I request big pine key??...or are all the standard rooms facing the construction on the courtyard pool?

Did you look at the photos on the first page? I'm pretty sure I have some marina shots from Sago and Conch, I'll go check the post number in a sec.

It may look like a long way, but the resort is quite compact. You can walk from one side of the resort to the other in less than 5 minutes, easy. Don't let that sway you, honestly.

On the other hand, if you prefer to be closer, but want a marina view, you could request Conch Key, marina view. Big Pine Key garden views will all look right onto the courtyard, so if the pool construction is still going on that will be your view there.

HTH!:flower3:

This will be our first stay at the Grand :) We have stayed at the poly and BLT twice on previous trips... We have a large family ( 6 and twin 3 year olds- all girls) and I am a bit anxious about us all in one room but am hoping the RPC lounge will give us that extra space we need to relax :) looking forward to the ease of having the lounge nearby and an hoping it makes for a more relaxing, less rushed feel to the trip. My sweet hubby has an incredibly busy job in " real life" and I am hoping this will make the trip feel more relaxing for him :) I have also always wanted to stay here since I was a little girl so it is like a dream come true!

The Grand is wonderful, especially RPC.:cloud9: You will absolutely feel you have some extra room - the lounge is very nice, lots of seating and there are quiet nooks around the atrium on each floor. Great kids area in the lounge, I think I have photos on the first page, but if not I'll post some for you.

We used to travel with our 3 kids clear up in their teens, and the deluxe rooms were fine for us, especially the larger rooms of the GF and Poly.
 
Blessed_wth_triplets - The marina view photos are in post #12, along with views from other categories and buildings.:)

mtnmomma3 - I didn't find my RPC lounge photos on the first page, I must have forgotten to add them!:eek: I'll try to get them posted tomorrow.
 
I'm too groggy to do the first page work, but I'll post a few RPC lounge photos here to tide us over.:)
Kids' area, next to hallway leading to courtyard and marina view rooms
IMG_1017.jpg

Kids' TV
IMG_1021.jpg

Are these not the most adorable thing?
IMG_1018.jpg

Couches and TV; food service area beyond the white divider
IMG_1015.jpg

Another angle
IMG_1014.jpg

Seats around the atrium
IMG_1044.jpg
 
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