A Grand Vacation: The 2012 Grand Floridian FAQ!

[Butterflygirl35]

Hello everyone! Checking in.. We got conch key with view of the monorail which my son LOVES!!!

Everything is gorgeous and we are having an amazing time!!

Dont feel the construction but then again courtyard pool is open

Only negative is no pool activities for kiddies

 

[BCV23]

Hello everyone! Checking in.. We got conch key with view of the monorail which my son LOVES!!!

Everything is gorgeous and we are having an amazing time!!

Dont feel the construction but then again courtyard pool is open

Only negative is no pool activities for kiddies

Glad you are having such a Grand time. Thanks for checking in with us.

k&a&c'smom, thanks for the photos. Love that there will now be a refill station by the beach pool.

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Hello everyone.. Although there is no official pool party / games they did play games with kiddies by the pool... It was nice having the kids kept busy without the loudness.. The new kiddie area looks awesome but I was told it would only open mid September...

Having an amazing time.. When I get home I will try to figure out how to post pics

 

[mtnmomma3]

Loving all the fab info as usual

We are staying at the GF in RPC next September with our three girls ( will be 7 and 4 year old twins at the time).... super excited! I am planning to do the Bippity Boppity Boutique with them at the Magic Kingdom during our stay. We will be bringing custom princess dresses from home with us.. I am one of those crazy moms that dresses their kids in custom themed Disney outfits for every part of the trip I sew and have some great designer friends that help me out! Anyway- I am worried about dragging 3 nice dresses with us into the parks but want the girls to have the experience of changing at the BBB... if you have never done it, they make it very magical... they hang up the dresses and lay out all the accessories in a beautiful velvet curtained dressing room and the FGT has the girls close their eyes and make a wish and they open the curtain to reveal their gowns... very fun!!

We have never stayed Club level at Disney, have at other resorts, but was just wondering if the concierge would be able to arrange the delivery of my girls dresses to the BBB the day we go.... what do you yall think?

 

[toodycat]

Hi, everyone. We leave for the GF in two weeks. What is the latest info on the Courtyard pool? Will it be closed by then or not? It will be much better for us if it is open. That is our favorite pool. If anyone has heard anything, let me know. Thanks.

 

[haleofafamily]

My understanding is that the beach near the beach pool is practically closed. Is that correct?

Are there any other beaches where lounge chairs are available to relax?

We loved chilling on the beach at the Poly and hope to have the same possibilities at the Grand!

 

[Jungle Cruiser]

Hi, everyone. We leave for the GF in two weeks. What is the latest info on the Courtyard pool? Will it be closed by then or not? It will be much better for us if it is open. That is our favorite pool. If anyone has heard anything, let me know. Thanks.

The date for the closure of the courtyard pool is still scheduled for "mid September". In all honesty you aren't going to know until you get there. It may close during your stay, who knows. Fingers crossed you will be able to use the courtyard pool, but it is very unlikely you are going to get a correct exact date of of anyone.

My understanding is that the beach near the beach pool is practically closed. Is that correct?

Are there any other beaches where lounge chairs are available to relax?

We loved chilling on the beach at the Poly and hope to have the same possibilities at the Grand!

Most of the beach at the GF has been closed since the spring due to the construction. Until those walls come down (scheduled in the next week or so!) no one is going to know how much beach there will be. Clearly there will be some, but it is really anyone's guess at this point. Let's hope for lots of beach!

k&a&c'smom has been posting updated information of closures and construction dates at the GF on page one of this thread. She does an excellent job of keeping the thread up to date, so I would keep checking there for updates.

 

[bedogged]

I am considering changing our reservations at WL to GF. We will be staying 12/9 -12/14. I've looked at the Passholder site and for a few hundred more we can make the change. We love WL, but have always thought about staying at GF. Our reservation would be Outer Bldg - Garden View. I have read quite a bit here, but there are so many pages! Could someone please give us some ideas of what to ask for in the way of location? I will be asking for a king bed. I also use an ECV, but I do not require an accessible room. By the way, we are two old fogies who like it quiet. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[sydneysmom]

I am considering changing our reservations at WL to GF. We will be staying 12/9 -12/14. I've looked at the Passholder site and for a few hundred more we can make the change. We love WL, but have always thought about staying at GF. Our reservation would be Outer Bldg - Garden View. I have read quite a bit here, but there are so many pages! Could someone please give us some ideas of what to ask for in the way of location? I will be asking for a king bed. I also use an ECV, but I do not require an accessible room. By the way, we are two old fogies who like it quiet. Any help would be appreciated.

We had also requested a king room and we got a BEAUTIFUL water view in Big Pine Key.... from the balcony we saw the Electric Water Parade, the fireworks and Cinderella's castle. It was wonderful !! there's nothing more peaceful than sitting on your balcony at night just watching the beauty around this wonderful resort.

When we went, it was September 2010 and they were starting to put up the Christmas lights on the castle. It was incredible, I'd wake up at 3-4 am, while everyone was still sleeping, and peek outside and see the castle all lit up for Christmas. By morning, it was all back to normal. It was like having a REALLY wonderful secret. Sorry, I digressed for a moment there.....

Anyway, we absolutely LOVED Big Pine Key!! Have a really wonderful trip !!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Thanks everyone for the constant updates and I'm hoping you had/having a magical time. Not much longer now -- just finished the ADR - Artist Point, Tutto Italiano, Tony's Town Tavern (for MNSSHP) and Shula's Steakhouse. We have a character breakfast set for The Crystal Palace and are now just patiently waiting for Mickey Mail!!!!!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Okay.. now back to reality....

The splash area looks really nice and is almost complete.. They were testing it when we were there. It will open in mid-September when the Pool grill opens up.. (According to a CM who IMO really knew what was going on).

Only after both Pool Grill and Splash pad are open then will then close Courtyard pool for refurbishment. As of now, Gasparillas is still scheduled for refurbishment as they need to have it ready for DVC.

Unless you are at the Beach Pool right now you will not be impacted very much by the construction.. Of course this will change when Courtyard pool closes as I think this will have a HUGE effect on everyone staying. It is right in the middle of everything and will be a huge eyesore.

We had an amazing time and our timing was perfect. Minimal closures and mother nature also gave us a rain free trip...

Monorail was running smooth, never waited more than two minutes and always had seats.. We did not take busses so I can not comment. Love the boat launch....

I have pictures but no idea how to post them... LOL

 

[bedogged]

We had also requested a king room and we got a BEAUTIFUL water view in Big Pine Key.... from the balcony we saw the Electric Water Parade, the fireworks and Cinderella's castle. It was wonderful !! there's nothing more peaceful than sitting on your balcony at night just watching the beauty around this wonderful resort.

When we went, it was September 2010 and they were starting to put up the Christmas lights on the castle. It was incredible, I'd wake up at 3-4 am, while everyone was still sleeping, and peek outside and see the castle all lit up for Christmas. By morning, it was all back to normal. It was like having a REALLY wonderful secret. Sorry, I digressed for a moment there.....

Anyway, we absolutely LOVED Big Pine Key!! Have a really wonderful trip !!

Thanks for your reply. Isn't Big Pine Key closest to the construction?

 

[sydneysmom]

Thanks for your reply. Isn't Big Pine Key closest to the construction?

Yes, if you're on the water side facing the Poly. I wish I could figure out how to insert the map.... but if you go to Page 1 of this thread, you'll see the map. Looking at Big Pine Key, we were in the rooms facing the Contemporary (along the same water line as Boca Chica) The main body of Big Pine Key faces the water / construction / Poly while the other faces the courtyard pool. But at the very end there is a little part that faces the Contemporary. (and you can also see Cinderella's castle) From our room, we didn't really see the Poly clearly except to the far right (from the balcony). I hope that makes sense....

 

[jackson2422]

We checked out yesterday and had another Grand time.
The construction of the DVC is not that disruptive. In fact with the waterfall running at the beach pool, I couldn't hear any noise. Now, when the courtyard pool goes down, that could be a different story. Originally, when the pool was supposed to be closed for our visit, I had requested a marina view, knowing we were in Sugarloaf, to be away from the courtyard. We definitely lucked out with the pool and Gasparilla open for our entire stay.

 

[Mrsdonaldduck]

We checked out yesterday and had another Grand time.
The construction of the DVC is not that disruptive. In fact with the waterfall running at the beach pool, I couldn't hear any noise. Now, when the courtyard pool goes down, that could be a different story. Originally, when the pool was supposed to be closed for our visit, I had requested a marina view, knowing we were in Sugarloaf, to be away from the courtyard. We definitely lucked out with the pool and Gasparilla open for our entire stay.

Welcome home! Glad you had a wonderful trip!
We were at gf sugar loaf marina view two weeks ago. It is always wonderful
Cl at the grand but we felt this year was exceptional.
They wen above and beyond! We were apprehensive with
The construction but it turned out so good! Did you enjoy
Scones and Devonshire cream?

 

[KonaKaiTom]

How long does it take to go via monorail from GF to TTC, get on a different monorail to Ep, and then get on boat to DHS? My niece tends to get carsick if she is in a car/bus for 20 minutes or more, and dramamine, even non-drousy, makes her loopy for rest of day. Therefore, if I can break up the rides this way instead of a long bus ride, she won't need the dramamine. BTW, she has never gotten sick on WDW rides!!! She doesn't do rollercoasters as she knows they would make her sick, but everything else she is fine with.

TIA,

Tom

 

[Jungle Cruiser]

How long does it take to go via monorail from GF to TTC, get on a different monorail to Ep, and then get on boat to DHS? My niece tends to get carsick if she is in a car/bus for 20 minutes or more, and dramamine, even non-drousy, makes her loopy for rest of day. Therefore, if I can break up the rides this way instead of a long bus ride, she won't need the dramamine. BTW, she has never gotten sick on WDW rides!!! She doesn't do rollercoasters as she knows they would make her sick, but everything else she is fine with.

TIA,

Tom

The monorail from the GF to the TTC, then EPCOT should take from 30 (if the connections are perfect) to about 45 minutes realistically. Then, the walk to the boat at IG entrance by the BC should take at least 20 minutes. The boat ride is then about 25 minutes. Have you just considered hopping in a cab to HS? Unless you are breaking up the trip by going this way, it is going to take a fairly long time. If you are walkers though, you can walk to HS from the IG entrance at EPCOT, it's just over a mile if you cut through the BWI. Good luck.

 

[cgulls]

How long does it take to go via monorail from GF to TTC, get on a different monorail to Ep, and then get on boat to DHS? My niece tends to get carsick if she is in a car/bus for 20 minutes or more, and dramamine, even non-drousy, makes her loopy for rest of day. Therefore, if I can break up the rides this way instead of a long bus ride, she won't need the dramamine. BTW, she has never gotten sick on WDW rides!!! She doesn't do rollercoasters as she knows they would make her sick, but everything else she is fine with.

TIA,

Tom

Hi Tom, I feel your pain working to accommodate somebody's motion sickness (my daughter gets it). You might consider using this app (link below). It provides travel routes and times between WDW locations.

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/iphone/WDWTWizApp.aspx

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Thanks Jungle Cruiser! Exactly what I was hoping for. I'm looking to break up the monorail rides -- if she does back to back she might get green around the gills, so if we conveniently miss the connection, all will be well. And yes, we are both walkers -- actually I run and she is an athletic 13 year old so we will probably take your advice and walk to DHS as that will also clear her head.

Surprisingly, and they just found out yesterday, my niece suffers from migraines wthhout the headache. She's suffered for years with getting violently ill for days at a time and a specialist was able to determine yesterday that it is actually related to migraines. So, this trip will be a good test of her new medication as well as a great bonding experience!

Thanks!

Tom

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Hi Tom, I feel your pain working to accommodate somebody's motion sickness (my daughter gets it). You might consider using this app (link below). It provides travel routes and times between WDW locations.

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/iphone/WDWTWizApp.aspx

Thanks so much!

Tom