Anyone stayed at the Grand Floridian recently?

[sotoalf]

I'm staying at the GF in approximately 10 days. I was wondering if anyone wanted to share their experiences. I'll read great and poor reviews.

Thanks!

 

[TammiMcMan]

DH and I just returned from a parents only trip in early January. It's our favorite resort. We used a rental car and took advantage of valet parking for $6 per day. The lot to self park is across the street from the resort. Not a long walk, but we enjoyed the convenience of being able to call down and have the car waiting for us. If you have a car at the resort, you will also get a parking pass to use at any of the theme parks during your stay. We used that to drive over to the Animal Kingdom and MGM.

It was very quiet when we were there and we pretty much had the pool to ourselves on most days. We ate in the Cafe for lunch on 2 occassions and that was very nice. You can get salads, sandwiches, etc. in a nice relaxed atmosphere. The prices were not bad either. For quick bites, they have Gasparilla's. It's open 24 hours and also has an arcade. It's counter service and I thought it was surprisingly good. This is a great spot to see the fireworks from. We had dinner at Narcoosee's one evening. It was very loud, but the food was delicious and the restaurant is right on the water. That's the only thing that disappoints me about the GF is their lack of a "mid level" restaurant for dinner. The Cafe closes at 2pm and your dinner choices are counter service, upscale or a character buffet.

I would suggest asking for a refrigerator when you check in. Goodings Market is located right down the street from Downtown Disney and we saved a lot of money with buying our own water to bring into the parks.

My favorite park is the Magic Kingdom and we loved being one monorail stop away. When you return from the MK, you can also take the boat back. It's located to the left of the monorail when you exit MK. The Grand Floridian is the first stop on the way back and it's a beautiful way to see the whole resort.

When getting ready for the trip, I found it easier to make up the tip envelopes ahead of time. That saved trying to search for $1 bills while we were trying to get into the parks. At the GF, you will receive mousekeeping service during the day and also turn-down service at night. When we got to the resort, I just stuck the envelopes in the room safe and just pulled them out as I needed. My kids had fun decorating each envelope with stickers and I would mark the date and which service it was for.

There are things for children such as the Wonderland Tea Party ($30), Pirate Adventure ($30) and Cooking ($30). They also had story times, crafts and pool games on certain days. When you check in, you'll receive a packet which contains all the information for your stay. For the adults, they have a great spa and health club. It's not located inside the resort, but a short walk from the pool area.

If there's anything specific that you'd like to know, I'd be happy to try and help out.

Tammi

 

[phyllis1966]

Well, I don't know how much I can add to Tammi's reply - she just about said it all! The GF is my family's favorite resort. We went in October of 2002 and liked it so much that we convinced DH's and my parents to come with DD and us when we returned this past November. Our parents were blown away and are still talking about what a beautiful resort the GF is, how much fun they had, and can they come back with us the next time we go?! The atmosphere of casual elegance and charm envelopes you completely - even my young DD loves it here!

The convenience of the monorail is close to the top of our list of reasons to love the GF. Taking the boat back from MK, as Tammi said, is a quick and lovely trip, especially since we were in the Conch Key building, which is a longish walk from the main building if you're really tired at night (we love the views from Conch Key - the pool at night is so pretty!).

The Cafe is a great and peaceful place for a delicious breakfast or lunch. 1900 Park Fare hosts one of our favorite character breakfasts. We have a 4 1/2 year old, so we didn't venture into the other restaurants, which seem a bit more upscale. Gasparilla's does indeed have surprisingly good counter service food - always fresh - plus lots of goodies for midnight snacking in your room or by the pool.

Walking through the beautiful grounds every morning is a wonderful way to start the day - I think we smelled the roses on almost every single rosebush during our stay! Contrary to the experiences of some others, in our 2 stays at the GF, we've yet to encounter a less-than-friendly CM at the resort.

It's a great place for families and kids have lots to do there, as Tammi already mentioned. My DD had a great time at Grand Adventures in Cooking, where the kids decorated chefs hats and aprons, sang songs while they dried, helped to bake and decorate gingerbread cookies, then came into the main lobby and proudly passed out their creations to other guests!

You'll have a great time at the GF - enjoy!

 

[sotoalf]

I haven't stayed at the GF since summer 1991, so anything complimentary is welcome. On our last trip we dined at Citricos; we had such fantastic service and food that we promised ourselves we'd stay at the GF next time.

Any more reviews -- good and bad? Keep them coming.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We love the GF. It's a beautiful resort, close to MK, the views are the best (in my opinion), the pools are awesome, the dining choices are great, I really can't say anything bad about any of our stays there.

I would highly recommend Conch Key for a perfect castle view. And make sure you check out the GF FAQ!

 

[Iluvlou]

Purple Italic



My husband and I go to disney world once a year for the past four years in December. The first time we went we stayed at the grand floridian and from that point on no other hotel could compare. Not only is it the most beautiful of all the hotels, but you get outstanding service. The resturants are amazing. Even though it is one of the most expensive hotels it is well worth it.
Also if you are trying to decide what time of year to go there is no question, December is the way to go. You'll love it!

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by sotoalf
I'm staying at the GF in approximately 10 days. I was wondering if anyone wanted to share their experiences. I'll read great and poor reviews.

My family's first WDW stay was at the GF. So was our second. And our third. And our ... I think you get the picture.

If you'd like to read about our most recent GF stay, please click here to read my trip report. I went into a lot of detail about that trip, including info about the GF and links to photos of our room, etc.

My family truly had a ~magical~ stay at the GF and the staff was wonderful to us. We won't hesitate to stay there again.

 

[my3boys]

We were there in December, and I love the resort. I think everything has been covered, but it may be helpful to also know that coffee is served in the lobby of each building from 6ish to 8ish. Also, we love the chicken noodle soup in Gasparillas!

Someone on the boards is a FAQ for the Grand Floridian.

Enjoy!! Take time to relax in the lobby - great people watching as well as many bridal pictures.