We just got back from a 3-night stay (second half of a split stay with the YC) at GF, in a DVC resort studio (meaning, the studios in Big Pine Key), standard view.
The good: Our room was lovely with no major issues, and although they couldn't accommodate our request for a 5th floor room or a turret room in Big Pine Key, we were placed in the center of the third floor facing the pool, with a wonderful fireworks view over the pool and buildings beyond, which we could watch from our beds.

Even though we were staying DVC on rented points, we received a "bonus" unsolicited housekeeping visit on day 2, which included not just trash and towel service, but remaking of our beds. All of the CMs we encountered, from the front desk to the shops and restaurants and housekeeping, were friendly and helpful. Even the construction crew members we passed would call out a greeting or give us a friendly wave!
The bad: Our arrival evening was a clustercuss. I'd checked in online weeks ahead of time (indicating that we intended to arrive by 3pm, a little before the official DVC 4pm checkin time), and our reservation was all linked up on
MDE. After killing time at the parks until nearly 6pm, twiddling our thumbs, and wondering why we still hadn't gotten a room-ready text or even a "room not ready yet" notification, we decided we could wait no more for dinner/fresh clothes/showers, and headed over to GF.
It looked so beautiful as we pulled in on the monorail, until we walked in and saw that now the entire multi-story center section of the lobby (which we'd never seen in person before -- so much for first impressions!) was taken up by noisy cranes, piles of lumber, and big white walls. I knew, and had warned my family, that the lobby was under construction, but the size of the construction zone caught me by surprise: it had tripled in size from what I'd last seen online, and now took up the entire multi-story center section, other than a tiny seating area near the front doors. On the plus side, there was a piano player, playing showtunes in a tuxedo -- a rather absurd juxtaposition given that he was situated in front of the construction walls, over which a hardhat-clad worker was visibly suspended, as if preparing to belt out "Defying Gravity" for a flash-mob production of Wicked. The piano player was a nice and unexpected touch nonetheless, and his lovely performance helped drown out the noise of the cranes, and convince us that underneath and behind it all, there was a really nice hotel.
We were greeted by a cheerful CM, who asked for our details and immediately informed me that although she could see that I'd checked in online, it "didn't go through." (What does that even mean!?!) As a result, our room had been ready for hours, but we hadn't gotten a room ready text or email, and would have died of old age without ever receiving one, had we not gone to the front desk. Then she collected all of our MagicBands, explaining that she'd have to spend a few minutes "reprogramming" them because "the system does not like split stays and you can't get into your room otherwise." When I explained that we each had 2 more MagicBands in our luggage (which we hadn't collected yet), she said that we wouldn't be able to use them either, unless we brought them back for reprogramming, too. Even after all that, DH's "reprogrammed" MagicBand never worked to get him into the room!
After collecting our bags, unpacking and exploring our room (which was just beautiful), and freshening up, we headed to Gasparilla Grill in search of some dinner. I knew the construction zone wrapped around the restaurant, and the signage for guests trying to access Gasparilla Grill was clear and effective. What I had not fully appreciated was the extent to which the papered-over windows and scaffolding would make the restaurant feel claustrophobic and dark. It didn't help that we appeared to have arrived at the end of a crowded dinner rush, so the dining room was deafeningly loud and crowded, trash cans were overflowing, tables were hard to find and were not being cleaned between parties, grab-and-go items like the fruit cups and salads in the refrigerators were visibly macerated/wilted, and the CMs seemed exhausted and overwhelmed. Unfortunately, Gasparilla Grill ended up at the bottom of the rankings, as far as our CS meals on this trip (with the more positive experiences including Primo Piatto at Riviera, and even Pecos Bill and Pinocchio Village Haus at MK).
Putting aside those issues (none of which was a big deal in the great scheme of things, even if they were hiccups we didn't expect in light of the resort's price point and flagship status), we still really enjoyed our stay at the Grand Floridian, particularly the monorail access, Courtyard Pool, games on the beach, beautiful decor, and breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I'm sorry we'll never get to see the lobby in all its glory (except in pictures), as we're not likely to return -- at least, not while there are still other Disney hotels where we've never stayed, and finishing them all at our current rate will probably take us a lifetime.

We paid what amounted to half of the rack rate for our room, thanks to renting DVC points, but I confess that if I had paid more, I might have felt short-changed. As it was, we felt blessed and fancy, and were sorry to leave!