Resort Thread Disney's GRAND FLORIDIAN Resort & Spa + Construction Updates!! **LOBBY REFURB STARTED 4/14**

[Rachel GB]

Thinking of booking a TPV outer building as we are hoping for RPC but can’t book it (yet?). We have only stayed Sugarloaf and RPC in the past. Is Sago Key a good choice? Do any of the corner TPV rooms have wraparound balconies? TY!!!!!!!

 

[jabrown40]

Just booked a stay for November, this is a bucket list trip - hoping to stay a couple nights at AKL before coming to GF. I stayed here about 25 years ago, but only for a couple of nights. So much has changed! I booked a lagoon view, since it was only a few dollars more than a garden view. I am making this trip with my adult son, so we definitely need two queen beds. I'm not sure what building would be best to request, or what options would be available in our room category. I have hopes of dinners at VA, and Citricos because we have never eaten there yet. We've been to Narcoosees a couple of times, that will be my second choice if unable to get into VA. Also planning a couple of breakfasts at Grand Cafe. Sago seems a little far from everything. Any suggestions, or room advice? Thank you in advance!

 

[disneyfreak202]

Thinking of booking 2 nights here at the end of our trip. We are spending a week at CBR then going to Universal for a night. We decided to extend our trip two days but we aren’t sure if we are going to go into a park (would assume we would go to magic kingdom or Epcot if we do). However we will be spending time at the hotel. Is GF worth it? It will cost us about an extra $150 than staying at OKW. Thinking it’s worth it, but want to hear. Also what would you recommend for a room request for a outer building garden view room. I read it could be 2 queens or a king but touring plans only shows one room with a king bed so not banking on that though we prefer king beds.

 

[trishadono]

Thinking of booking a TPV outer building as we are hoping for RPC but can’t book it (yet?). We have only stayed Sugarloaf and RPC in the past. Is Sago Key a good choice? Do any of the corner TPV rooms have wraparound balconies? TY!!!!!!!

I had a TPV in Conch earlier this month and my kids had one in BPK. If you look at a map conch is closer to MK. I loved it, The building is small so easy to get to elevator. BPK is very loooong! I also liked you can see boat come and run down the stairs and grab it. I could see ewp from my balcony too.

Outer buildings do not have wrap around balconies like the few in RPC.

At the one end of the Conch building there are rooms that have a 2nd small balcony on the side. I showed it to my husband. I know the suites are in that position (our floor did) but I’m not sure if any other non suite room have that. I usually walk around and look at everything but i am not sure how many of the buildings have that. I had seen pix of this suite years ago and was happy to see the little balcony.
Fyi the side of conch facing the marina , it’s the corner towards the boat dock. Most people don’t walk on that side because the smoking section is there.

I found this online. You can see the extra small balcony on the corner.
balcony on the corne

 

[trishadono]

Just booked a stay for November, this is a bucket list trip - hoping to stay a couple nights at AKL before coming to GF. I stayed here about 25 years ago, but only for a couple of nights. So much has changed! I booked a lagoon view, since it was only a few dollars more than a garden view. I am making this trip with my adult son, so we definitely need two queen beds. I'm not sure what building would be best to request, or what options would be available in our room category. I have hopes of dinners at VA, and Citricos because we have never eaten there yet. We've been to Narcoosees a couple of times, that will be my second choice if unable to get into VA. Also planning a couple of breakfasts at Grand Cafe. Sago seems a little far from everything. Any suggestions, or room advice? Thank you in advance!

Many of the lagoon view are BPK facing poly and some of the conch facing marina side. Surprisingly many of sago water view are “garden view” for Disney because the one side faces the mono and one side mostly marina. They would also scatter some TPV areas as lagoon if a tree in the way etc so you could end up anywhere.

The resort is easy enough to get around so not a big deal where you end up.

I would go to check in desk and tell them what you put above. They are pretty good at matching you to a room as close as they can, The end of BC towards Narcoossees would be nice. I am not sure what category that is? It has an odd angle lol. Could be TPV or lv???

Conch had some LV which is a good center location.

For BPK ask for near elevator . That building is huge and dd and I had the end and what a walk ! This building is nice to get to pools and one end is not far from main building if have to run in the rain

There is stand by for the cafe currently. If you can’t get a regular dining res the day of you can use the app for stand by, They were using 1900 park fare for overflow and the wait time was not long.

 

[trishadono]

Thinking of booking 2 nights here at the end of our trip. We are spending a week at CBR then going to Universal for a night. We decided to extend our trip two days but we aren’t sure if we are going to go into a park (would assume we would go to magic kingdom or Epcot if we do). However we will be spending time at the hotel. Is GF worth it? It will cost us about an extra $150 than staying at OKW. Thinking it’s worth it, but want to hear. Also what would you recommend for a room request for a outer building garden view room. I read it could be 2 queens or a king but touring plans only shows one room with a king bed so not banking on that though we prefer king beds.

In the app for online check-in there is a spot to request a king, it is new!

You can end up in any building! Gv are scattered.

What we like about mono hotels is how easy it is to explore. You can walk to MK and continue past to CR. You can walk to poly and even continue to TTC.

You can take a boat from MK to wl and back. You can boat from gf to poly or MK or make the loop for fun, You can ride the big boat from TTC to MK for the view from the 2nd floor.

In my last 3 trips I have done all of those. This weekend that dd of mine had me over 30000 steps a few days, We enjoy exploring the resorts as much as any ride
You also have access to all of the dining at the resorts listed above, You can order from any QS at any resort. This gives you lots of options .

I only stayed at OKW once. It was hard to get around without a car. It felt isolated for us compared to mono and boardwalk areas.

GF you can see the castle! Ride the mono! Sit on the beach! Watch EWP and fireworks (when back). You can’t do that at OKW. For me it would be worth it especially for a resort stay.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thinking of booking 2 nights here at the end of our trip. We are spending a week at CBR then going to Universal for a night. We decided to extend our trip two days but we aren’t sure if we are going to go into a park (would assume we would go to magic kingdom or Epcot if we do). However we will be spending time at the hotel. Is GF worth it? It will cost us about an extra $150 than staying at OKW. Thinking it’s worth it, but want to hear. Also what would you recommend for a room request for a outer building garden view room. I read it could be 2 queens or a king but touring plans only shows one room with a king bed so not banking on that though we prefer king beds.

We have stayed at both GF and OKW and they were two very different experiences. We had a 2 br villa at OKW and it felt very much like staying at an ordinary Florida condo. You could have been anywhere.

It feels like you are in the middle of the action when at the Grand Floridian. Everywhere you look you see Disney. You can travel by bus, boat or monorail just for fun. The GF is a beautiful place to stay.

 

[jabrown40]

Are there stairs at the ends of the buildings? For example, a request near the end of BPK closest to the main building might be a good choice if one could just take stairs down to an exit.

 

[mrsap]

Are there stairs at the ends of the buildings? For example, a request near the end of BPK closest to the main building might be a good choice if one could just take stairs down to an exit.

Yes, there are!!! You can see them below...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Are there stairs at the ends of the buildings? For example, a request near the end of BPK closest to the main building might be a good choice if one could just take stairs down to an exit.

Our BPK room in October was second floor, second to the end closest to the main building. We used the elevator once upon arrival, but never again. The stairwell at the end was just so easy in our daily comings/goings, there was never really a reason to use the normal entrance. We tend to dart in/out of our room quite a bit and using the stairwell was pretty handy.

 

[jabrown40]

I checked out the room finder on Touring plans, and when I plug in the 2 queen beds, with Lagoon view, it only shows Conch key as meeting the criteria. Then I saw a video on You Tube, which demonstrated that it was a 2 min and 30 sec walk from there to the main building, no big deal at all! With the proximity to the boat dock, I'm hoping this will be the option. Near the stairs at BPK is excellent though, if they have two queen beds. Thanks for the pictures, that really helped!

 

[mrsap]

I checked out the room finder on Touring plans, and when I plug in the 2 queen beds, with Lagoon view, it only shows Conch key as meeting the criteria. Then I saw a video on You Tube, which demonstrated that it was a 2 min and 30 sec walk from there to the main building, no big deal at all! With the proximity to the boat dock, I'm hoping this will be the option. Near the stairs at BPK is excellent though, if they have two queen beds. Thanks for the pictures, that really helped!

If you look at the map on Page 1, you will see everything on property is relatively close to each other!! I stayed in Conch Key about 3 years ago... beautiful Castle view and steps from the boat dock. Definitely worth the 2 minute walk to the main building!! Enjoy!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

2 minutes?

I checked out the room finder on Touring plans, and when I plug in the 2 queen beds, with Lagoon view, it only shows Conch key as meeting the criteria. Then I saw a video on You Tube, which demonstrated that it was a 2 min and 30 sec walk from there to the main building, no big deal at all! With the proximity to the boat dock, I'm hoping this will be the option. Near the stairs at BPK is excellent though, if they have two queen beds. Thanks for the pictures, that really helped!

Hmm, something doesn’t seem right about your TP search. There are Lagoon View rooms in all of the outer buildings, if I’m not mistaken (and 2 Queens is the overwhelming large majority of bedding configurations).

 

[ahcupcake]

I have been posting on yc thread if bored lol. It’s like the younger sibling to gf. It is very nice!

When we stayed at the BC a few years ago I posted asking a few questions about the resort
since we never stayed before and NO ONE replied. To me they seemed so clique-y

I saw! When I stayed at BC in Nov 2019 I only passed through YC to eat but I loved the lobby and I honestly prefer the food options on that side. I’m feeling really good about picking it for our split. Now I’m just worried I won’t want to leave GF!

We are actually debating getting a cabana at GF or YC since we likely won’t be able to get any of the other “extras” we usually do on trips (dessert parties etc). It feels a bit extravagant for just 2 people but this is a special celebration trip, lol.

LOL
That's why when we do split stays the GF is last.

I vote for a cabana

Just booked a stay for November, this is a bucket list trip - hoping to stay a couple nights at AKL before coming to GF. I stayed here about 25 years ago, but only for a couple of nights. So much has changed! I booked a lagoon view, since it was only a few dollars more than a garden view. I am making this trip with my adult son, so we definitely need two queen beds. I'm not sure what building would be best to request, or what options would be available in our room category. I have hopes of dinners at VA, and Citricos because we have never eaten there yet. We've been to Narcoosees a couple of times, that will be my second choice if unable to get into VA. Also planning a couple of breakfasts at Grand Cafe. Sago seems a little far from everything. Any suggestions, or room advice? Thank you in advance!

Not sure when V&A will reopen but good luck gettin an ADR if it's open when you, it is my favorite restaurant.
As for Citricos, they were scheduled to close before WDW shut down last year and I think they were gonna be a V&A bistro (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but who knows what is going to happen now.

 

[trishadono]

When we stayed at the BC a few years ago I posted asking a few questions about the resort
since we never stayed before and NO ONE replied. To me they seemed so clique-y


LOL
That's why when we do split stays the GF is last.

I vote for a cabana


Not sure when V&A will reopen but good luck gettin an ADR if it's open when you, it is my favorite restaurant.
As for Citricos, they were scheduled to close before WDW shut down last year and I think they were gonna be a V&A bistro (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but who knows what is going to happen now.

Sorry, I just don’t think they have as many “regulars” like gf has. So if I ask on a thread, if I don’t get an answer I pm someone I think can help. That has worked pretty well.

Can’t wait to see what they do with Citricos and v&A,

 

[mrsap]

Are there stairs at the ends of the buildings? For example, a request near the end of BPK closest to the main building might be a good choice if one could just take stairs down to an exit.

This picture was taken from the 3rd floor stairs at the end of BPK where my friend was staying. She wanted me to see her room/view so I took a walk over...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

When we stayed at the BC a few years ago I posted asking a few questions about the resort
since we never stayed before and NO ONE replied. To me they seemed so clique-y

HA! To me, this thread feels clique-y sometimes! I kid, I kid.

In seriousness, one 'flaw' with these larger resort-focused threads is that sometimes they are faster moving, posts get lost, or what likely happens is people see a question but just "assume" thread "regulars" will respond, so pass on by. But sometimes people are away, not online, not checking in, or whatever, so things just get lost in the shuffle. I'm guilty of that myself on the YC/BC thread since that is one of the more active threads around here - I'll see a question I know the answer to or have experience with, but I 'assume' the usual suspects will show up and reply, so I skip it.

IMO, don't ever hesitate to pop out to a new thread for specific questions - new threads tend to get more eyeballs, clicks, and responses from folks who might not otherwise check into the main resort threads.

 

[mrsap]

HA! To me, this thread feels clique-y sometimes!

 

[kylenne]

Everyone has seemed really nice to me in the resort threads...it helps that at least for the deluxes you see a lot of the same faces because folks who go regularly tend to stay at different ones. Never feel like I have a silly question. It’s one of the reasons I tend to hang out more on the resorts board in general. But they’re my favorite aspect of the World in general.

 

[ahcupcake]

HA! To me, this thread feels clique-y sometimes! I kid, I kid.

In seriousness, one 'flaw' with these larger resort-focused threads is that sometimes they are faster moving, posts get lost, or what likely happens is people see a question but just "assume" thread "regulars" will respond, so pass on by. But sometimes people are away, not online, not checking in, or whatever, so things just get lost in the shuffle. I'm guilty of that myself on the YC/BC thread since that is one of the more active threads around here - I'll see a question I know the answer to or have experience with, but I 'assume' the usual suspects will show up and reply, so I skip it.

IMO, don't ever hesitate to pop out to a new thread for specific questions - new threads tend to get more eyeballs, clicks, and responses from folks who might not otherwise check into the main resort threads.

You might be right that it just got buried and we'll probably give it another chance on our next trip (when ever that may be).
Just hope there aren't so many rudies in the CL lounge ( 1 person hogging 6 empty chairs while waiting for his party to show)