A Grand Vacation: The 2012 Grand Floridian FAQ!

[k&a&c'smom]

KonaKaiTom - your post made me laugh! Don't worry, many people tour the World solo. You won't seem creepy, trust me.

Everyone has given great suggestions, I'll add a couple thoughts for lunch or dinner. Teppan Edo for hibachi style dining, or Tokyo Dining for sushi, I'm pretty sure they have a sushi bar. Speaking of which, Kona Cafe at the Poly has a sushi bar, as does Kimonos at the Dolphin. We've had sushi at all three, all are good.

Though I haven't tried it, I've read Rose & Crown Pub has decent food at the bar.

Jungle Cruiser - We do have V&A's, can't wait - although it is the next to last night, so I'm not trying to rush. I'll try to do an on-the-spot reporting of the construction.

Grumpy Grandma -

mariamouse - thanks for the well wishes, I'm sure it won't be as bad as it appears. They often project rain for Orlando that doesn't end up appearing, or if it does, it is on the other side of WDW.

Loved all your suggestions for solo travellers.

New closure dates! Construction pushed back for Courtyard Pool to mid Sept!!

Gasparillas was pushed to Sept 4

Great news for those of us leaving soon

YAY for us! Seriously, I'm glad more DISers will miss the worst of the construction.

Where is this listed? I'd love for you to post the link. ETA: I found it on the WDW website, I'm going to update the first page. Thanks for the info!

**Packing the laptop before I head off to bed! Check in with you all later!

 

[Tink rules]

New closure dates! Construction pushed back for Courtyard Pool to mid Sept!!

Gasparillas was pushed to Sept 4

Great news for those of us leaving soon

I wonder if it gets too close to the holidays being pushed off any more.. if they will put it off until after the holidays...

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I wonder if it gets too close to the holidays being pushed off any more.. if they will put it off until after the holidays...

Only time will tell..... With Disney you just never know... They really don't like keeping us in the loop... Lol

So excited!!! Did online check in! Construction was delayed... Now only if the weather will cooperate.......

 

[pas130]

I will cross the fingers for you! A helpful DISer like you certainly deserves to have more of this than this . Either way, I hope you have an absolutely magical time!

Yes!!!! I agree!!!

ANTI RAIN DANCE FOR ALL OUR GRAND TRAVELERS

New closure dates! Construction pushed back for Courtyard Pool to mid Sept!!

Gasparillas was pushed to Sept 4

Great news for those of us leaving soon

That is fantastic!!!!

I am going to have 1 full day of just me - I have conference first, then my niece is flying down to join me so she won't miss school. Which means I have Friday October 26th all to myself. Any suggestions as to what to do for the day that doesn't make me look like a creepy, stalker predator? LOL -- I'm a single 50 year male -- I would normally play golf to kill the time but a major car accident 18 months ago left me with a broken neck (in 4 places) and that is no longer an option. I'm thinking exploring EPCOT and shooting photos might be a good way to kill the day, enjoy the sites and not look like Chris Hansen should be interviewing me on "To Catch a Predator" Also, any suggestions for lunch and dinner given the circumstances would be appreciated. Doesn't Germany have a huge buffet where they put you with strangers?

Many thanks in advance.

Tom

No one will look at you weird....there are plenty of solo travelers and diners....all good!!! ENJOY!!!!

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

New closure dates! Construction pushed back for Courtyard Pool to mid Sept!!

Gasparillas was pushed to Sept 4

Great news for those of us leaving soon

Where did you hear that?! That would be wonderful! Now we just have to pray that Issac moves!!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Where did you hear that?! That would be wonderful! Now we just have to pray that Issac moves!!

On WDW website!! Now hopefully weather will cooperate..rain rain go away

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to explore! And I hope everyone going before me has wonderful weather!

 

[tnkrbl289]

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to explore! And I hope everyone going before me has wonderful weather!

I did a solo for a week last year and no one looked at me as a stalker. I ate at the buffets and table service with no problem. I have to admit walking Epcot is a great way to enjoy and see all the little details and get some really terrific pictures as well but then so is the Magic Kingdom. An early morning or late night walk around the Grand or Polynesian is truly beautiful and restful. Narcoossee's is a good place for dinner with a view of the Magic Kingdom. Have a great time both before and after your niece arrives.

 

[BCV23]

bcv23 I'm looking forward to that app being available for my Droid phone <tapping fingers waiting patiently> I'm wary of the app displaying "real time wait times", though. Most likely they will display "posted" wait times which, at best, represent the amount of time the most recent Guest has waited not how long you will wait (those cards you hand to the CMs when you get to the front of the line tell them how long YOU waited. They don't tell them how long the most recent last person in line will wait).

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!

Welcome to the FAQ and to the DIS!

I apologize for such a delayed response. I saw your post almost two weeks ago but was busy getting ready for a North woods vacation so had no time to post. We've been back since Saturday night and I still haven't caught up with this thread!

What a fun comparison on that blog. Thanks for the google hint. Considering the larger rooms at the Polynesian are 476 sq ft, the 395 sq ft deluxe used for that comparison is quite a bit smaller.

Here's hoping you can get "My Disney Experience" soon!

k&a&c'smom, safe travels and have a Grand vacation!

pas130, did you have a fun anniversary trip? Can't wait to read about it.

Hi to everyone else.

 

[JoBird]

k&a&c'smom---- Hope you have a wonderfully Grand vacation!!! Enjoy your time away!!


Happy for everyone going soon that will be able to still use the Courtyard Pool and Gasparilla's.
Even though it means the rest of us traveling later in the year will be stuck in the middle of it. I was so holding out hope it would be finished by the time we are there in early December.


Given that and seeing the pics of the WL that Pas posted on Kook's thread....I'm thinking of jumping.
I just can't fathom being there and it not being it's spectacular self.

What to do, What to do....

 

[mariamouse]

k&a&c'smom---- Hope you have a wonderfully Grand vacation!!! Enjoy your time away!!


Happy for everyone going soon that will be able to still use the Courtyard Pool and Gasparilla's.
Even though it means the rest of us traveling later in the year will be stuck in the middle of it. I was so holding out hope it would be finished by the time we are there in early December.


Given that and seeing the pics of the WL that Pas posted on Kook's thread....I'm thinking of jumping.
I just can't fathom being there and it not being it's spectacular self.

What to do, What to do....

I totally feel your pain since we had such a hard time deciding between the GF and WL last December! Ultimately, we went with the GF since we knew that this was probably the only time we would ever visit WDW during the holidays and it had always been our dream to experience the holidays at the Grand. At that point, though, the construction was only just beginning and cranes were not even visible yet-- just walls extending from the beach pool to the wedding pavilion and a lot of dirt in between. Given that we spent minimal time at the beach pool in the December weather, we really only noticed the construction site when we were pulling into the GF on the monorail or walking to the Poly. Of course, I understand that construction now is much more intrusive.

We made it a point to visit the WL to see the decorations there too so we could compare and I must admit that, while we slightly preferred the more "elegant" decorations at the GF, the WL was equally impressive. The vibe there was definitely a bit more cozy and the lobby area was a lot less hectic since so many people visit the GF to see the gingerbread house due to its easy access on the monorail. We had warm weather while we were there, but I imagine that having everything under one roof at the WL would be nice if it does end up being cold during your stay.

Looking back, the things we preferred at the GF to the WL were:
-Being able to have that view of the MK with the icicle lights at night whenever we wanted it. So magical!
-Being able to listen to the pianist/orchestra each evening in the lobby around dinner time (you can obviously visit to experience this too, but we loved being able to just walk in whenever we wanted to hear them)
-Easy access to monorail restaurants (we are not nuts about the restaurants at the WL)
-Elegant holiday theme
-Larger rooms with better views, IMO (we were three female adults, so the extra space was nice)
-Resort grounds with the fountains, lights, etc. Just more our style than the woods-y WL grounds

To sum up this book of a post, I will say that you should stay at the GF if that has always been your dream and you will regret not being there. If, however, the cost savings at the WL will make a big difference for your trip, you can take comfort in the fact that the WL is absolutely gorgeous during the holidays as well! If I were in your shoes, I would probably keep the GF if the construction on the courtyard pool will be done by the time you visit since the rest of the construction is fairly avoidable and may be indoors by that point. If, however, the construction is still visible in the center of the resort, the WL decorations and cost savings may be too good to pass up. It is definitely a tough decision, though, since both resorts book up quickly during the holidays and you may not be able to switch as you watch construction progress. If you think you will be miserable with the GF construction as it stands now, it might be safer to switch to the WL and then attempt to switch back if the construction is progressing quickly.

If you have any other questions about these two resorts during the holidays, please just let me know! These were the two YouTube videos that I religiously viewed when I was trying to make my decision... they ultimately swayed me toward the GF, but maybe they will sway you toward the WL!
WL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZjNB0H5GX8
GF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpSBNzFnK8s

 

[JoBird]

MariaMouse- Thank you so much for your thoughts on the Grand vs WL in December!! Reading everything you wrote has helped me a ton.

Here's where I stand right now==

I am a Grand Girl. It's my "home"- I never would dream that I'd even want to stay anywhere else. My problem is that we are booked SL and even though there's a chance we might get a Marina view (which is our favorite-), there's a high chance that we will overlook the construction of the Courtyard pool. And I would be seriously sad if that happened. I tend to spend a lot of time on our balcony so it's important to me to have a nice one.

So I looked first off to see if there was any availability online for RPC TPV this morning and there's nothing. I haven't called yet, though so there's still a possibility of that.

Which leads me to the WL. I like the WL-- always thought that if we went to WDW at Christmas we would stay there. I think it's cozy and winter-y, and reminds me of a hotel we stayed in at Jackson Hole, WY once.

But it isn't the Grand.


All of that to say--- I looked at the videos you posted. Thank you so much for those links. I watched the WL one first. And as I was watching I was thinking- oh this is really adorable, so cozy, so cute. I could see us there-------

And then I watched the one of the GF.


And it was magic to me.

I just don't think I can give it up.


As of now we haven't made our minds up, but you have swayed me back towards the GF again.

When my DH comes in tonight I will talk to him again. He is a die hard GF man and wouldn't care if it was a smoking crater, he'd sit in the lobby grinning while it went down in flames, so I'm pretty sure I know what he is going to say.

Maybe I'll just call to see if they have any RPC availability....

Thanks again so much for taking the time to help a sister out!

 

[mariamouse]

MariaMouse- Thank you so much for your thoughts on the Grand vs WL in December!! Reading everything you wrote has helped me a ton.

Here's where I stand right now==

I am a Grand Girl. It's my "home"- I never would dream that I'd even want to stay anywhere else. My problem is that we are booked SL and even though there's a chance we might get a Marina view (which is our favorite-), there's a high chance that we will overlook the construction of the Courtyard pool. And I would be seriously sad if that happened. I tend to spend a lot of time on our balcony so it's important to me to have a nice one.

So I looked first off to see if there was any availability online for RPC TPV this morning and there's nothing. I haven't called yet, though so there's still a possibility of that.

Which leads me to the WL. I like the WL-- always thought that if we went to WDW at Christmas we would stay there. I think it's cozy and winter-y, and reminds me of a hotel we stayed in at Jackson Hole, WY once.

But it isn't the Grand.


All of that to say--- I looked at the videos you posted. Thank you so much for those links. I watched the WL one first. And as I was watching I was thinking- oh this is really adorable, so cozy, so cute. I could see us there-------

And then I watched the one of the GF.


And it was magic to me.

I just don't think I can give it up.


As of now we haven't made our minds up, but you have swayed me back towards the GF again.

When my DH comes in tonight I will talk to him again. He is a die hard GF man and wouldn't care if it was a smoking crater, he'd sit in the lobby grinning while it went down in flames, so I'm pretty sure I know what he is going to say.

Maybe I'll just call to see if they have any RPC availability....

Thanks again so much for taking the time to help a sister out!

I am so glad that I could be of help!

In reading your description of the reactions you had watching the videos, I laughed because it was the exact same thought process I had. I stuck with my gut, booked us at the GF and never looked back!

When you love the GF as much as you do, I think you will be able to look past the construction and appreciate all of the little things. The lobby (where the bulk of the Christmas festivity is) will remain the same as always. The restaurant food will taste just as good. The view of the castle from the marina and boat dock at night will be just as beautiful and peaceful. And the list goes on...

It sounds sort of silly, but one of my happiest memories looking back at our trip was walking into Boca Chica (where our room that was upgraded from GV to LV was located) after our first night at the MK and inhaling the instant scent of cinnamon from the air vents above the door. Right in front of us was the view of the mini Christmas tree in the lobby while Christmas music played softly in the background. Maybe I am just a total Christmas sap (actually, I know I am), but that was just the moment when I knew we had chosen the right resort. All I wanted to do was sit on one of those lobby chairs and take in the moment.

My perspective is that magical moments like that will not be impacted by occasional hassle with construction. And, after all, those moments are what ultimately end up creating a memorable resort stay.

Wherever you end up, have a great time!

 

[JoBird]

Okay this is so funny--- when you explained that feeling you got when you went into boca Chica with the cinnamon scent--- I totally got chills reading it.
And I said to myself that is so silly- that's not YOUR moment, why would you get that way? Must be a draft in here. So I read it again to see if I had the same reaction.

Yep.



Chills, and even teary eyed this time.
Must be total confirmation for me.

The Grand (and all it's construction!) it is!

Thanks again!!!

 

[bdklein]

I'm her now. Great trip. Selfishly glad that both pools and gasparila open during our stay. And leaving sat before possible hurricane. Construction impact minimal but would be nice for beach pool to be fully open. First time resort guest so no basis of comparison.


But who is that woman in the lobby every day? A widowed long time guest I hear and prob a widow. But any other insight? Just so curious.

If any questions fire away. Kids splash area looks fun.

 

[nonzerosum]

I've wondered this myself.

 

[nonzerosum]

But who is that woman in the lobby every day? A widowed long time guest I hear and prob a widow. But any other insight? Just so curious.

I've wondered this myself.

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I'm her now. Great trip. Selfishly glad that both pools and gasparila open during our stay. And leaving sat before possible hurricane. Construction impact minimal but would be nice for beach pool to be fully open. First time resort guest so no basis of comparison.


But who is that woman in the lobby every day? A widowed long time guest I hear and prob a widow. But any other insight? Just so curious.

If any questions fire away. Kids splash area looks fun.

I a glad that you are having a great trip!

Is kids splash area almost done?

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

What building are you in and what is your view? I'm so anxious to see where we end up!

 

[bdklein]

I a glad that you are having a great trip!

Is kids splash area almost done?

Splash area looks almost done fromsss what is visible over the fence. It has one of those big buckets that will tip over once the equilibrium is off balance. Plus it has several areas from which water will be squirting. And some little and climbing areas and slides I think as well. But I don't think it will open prior to the beach pool construction being completed IMO.