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

[beesly]

Gasparilla's Grill, which has an excellent Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

I just had this on Saturday and it was very good! The tomato soup actually seemed a little spicy - it was a perfect lunch on our pool day when the high temperature was only 71.

 

[whitney37354]

We were booked at Poly for June 3-10. This morning we were moved to GF, outer building, theme park view! Time to study this board in depth! Which buildings would give us the tpv?

Sago Cay, Conch Key, Boca Chica, & Big Pine Key is what I find from research. Just wanted to know if I was missing something.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We were booked at Poly for June 3-10. This morning we were moved to GF, outer building, theme park view! Time to study this board in depth! Which buildings would give us the tpv?

Sago Cay, Conch Key, Boca Chica, & Big Pine Key is what I find from research. Just wanted to know if I was missing something.

Just curious, did you have an old Poly hotel side reservation, or a Poly DVC/cash Villa reservation?

 

[boltjames]

We were booked at Poly for June 3-10. This morning we were moved to GF, outer building, theme park view! Time to study this board in depth! Which buildings would give us the tpv?

Sago Cay, Conch Key, Boca Chica, & Big Pine Key is what I find from research. Just wanted to know if I was missing something.

Having just arrived back home from a week at the GF, something you may want to consider:

In the GF there is a room type called the Outer Building Garden View Deluxe that is not available for booking, is available nonetheless, and gives you oodles of extra space.

For our family of 4, it was amazing. I learned about it on a YouTube video, and when I checked in at the front desk asked the manager if he could move us from a theme park view to a courtyard view and give us this larger room. Not only did he grant my request but it came along with a savings of 100's of dollars per night.

The difference is another 10 feet of depth, the relocation of the sofabed, and the addition of a coffee table, more cabinet space for clothes, and second TV. If your kids are young it may not be that important, but having that extra area for our teens was amazing.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Having just arrived back home from a week at the GF, something you may want to consider:

In the GF there is a room type called the Outer Building Garden View Deluxe that is not available for booking, is available nonetheless, and gives you oodles of extra space.

For our family of 4, it was amazing. I learned about it on a YouTube video, and when I checked in at the front desk asked the manager if he could move us from a theme park view to a courtyard view and give us this larger room. Not only did he grant my request but it came along with a savings of 100's of dollars per night.

The difference is another 10 feet of depth, the relocation of the sofabed, and the addition of a coffee table, more cabinet space for clothes, and second TV. If your kids are young it may not be that important, but having that extra area for our teens was amazing.

I have two teens too and that looks great! It didn't look like from the video that there was a balcony or maybe she just didn't show it? Did your room have a balcony?

 

[whitney37354]

Just curious, did you have an old Poly hotel side reservation, or a Poly DVC/cash Villa reservation?

hotel side, standard view

 

[trishadono]

I have two teens too and that looks great! It didn't look like from the video that there was a balcony or maybe she just didn't show it? Did your room have a balcony?

Floors 2-4 have a balcony 5 doesn’t. If in Sugar loaf then floors 2 and 3 do but 4 does not.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Floors 2-4 have a balcony 5 doesn’t. If in Sugar loaf then floors 2 and 3 do but 4 does not.

Excellent - thank you! That's good to know. That extra space might be nice...I wish it was a bookable category but maybe it will be available...

ETA: I am now going down the rabbit hole of YouTube room tours - so many!

 

[kylenne]

ETA: I am now going down the rabbit hole of YouTube room tours - so many!

It’s one of my favorite things to do! I even like looking at older ones to see how they’ve changed

 

[TheFloatingBear]

It’s one of my favorite things to do! I even like looking at older ones to see how they’ve changed

Yes, very fun! A lot of changes since the "bedspread years!" I found one with a Lagoon View and it's just so pretty - very tranquil-looking, but no Lagoon View available for our dates. At this point there's nothing available for our dates! Glad we booked when we did...

 

[boltjames]

I have two teens too and that looks great! It didn't look like from the video that there was a balcony or maybe she just didn't show it? Did your room have a balcony?

Yes, a large balcony. The door to the balcony is off to the side of the couch, its not flush to the window, its perpendicular. Check out this video at the 7:20 mark.

This is definitely the way to go if you have two teens. It's like a second mini-room and definitely some separation. Equally important, you may find that you're eating several meals in the room as the place is practically shut down after 8pm every night. So having that coffee table plus the nested desk and extra chair is a big win for that too.

Change your booking from Park View to Garden View. They won't book you for a Deluxe room in advance, you have to do that upon check in. Be very nice to the front desk manager, ask very nicely if you can have a Deluxe room with the bumpout instead, and if its open they'll give it to you as in their system it costs no more or less than the Standard room. These rooms live in that round "turret" visible on the facade of each building. There aren't that many of them.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Yes, a large balcony. The door to the balcony is off to the side of the couch, its not flush to the window, its perpendicular. Check out this video at the 7:20 mark.

This is definitely the way to go if you have two teens. It's like a second mini-room and definitely some separation. Equally important, you may find that you're eating several meals in the room as the place is practically shut down after 8pm every night. So having that coffee table plus the nested desk and extra chair is a big win for that too.

Change your booking from Park View to Garden View. They won't book you for a Deluxe room in advance, you have to do that upon check in. Be very nice to the front desk manager, ask very nicely if you can have a Deluxe room with the bumpout instead, and if its open they'll give it to you as in their system it costs no more or less than the Standard room. These rooms live in that round "turret" visible on the facade of each building. There aren't that many of them.

That's one of the videos I found last night! It looks awesome! I was thinking the same thing about extra space to eat in the room. We're not going until the latter half of June, so I'm hoping that the park hours go a little later but who knows? But anyway, now that the kids are older, we have enjoyed getting them some quick service or snacks for the room while we go to the resort lounge for a bit before heading out in the evening. It gives us all a chance to unwind a bit. That would definitely give them more room to spread out...

I'm already in a GV, that's all that was available for my dates, although that could change too. I'm sure they get a lot of requests for these room so I definitely will take your advice but manage my expectations and hopes, lol! Thanks for the info!

 

[2vets]

After much back/forth/back/forth - solidified into GFV 1-bedroom LV in 2 weeks (switched from BLT)! First time at GF. Total splurge for 2 people, but with the crowd reports and watching those park reservations dwindle, we wanted to be sure we’d have some nice pool access. Yay!!!!! So excited for the new MK walk!!!!

 

[Dispro1]

Yes, very fun! A lot of changes since the "bedspread years!" I found one with a Lagoon View and it's just so pretty - very tranquil-looking, but no Lagoon View available for our dates. At this point there's nothing available for our dates! Glad we booked when we did...

We have a LV booked for our dates, and I would love to get the deluxe room since there's no CL lounge to hang out in currently! Do you happen to remember the room number of the LV room you saw? I haven't been able to find that one! No big deal if you don't know because I'm sure we won't be that lucky...but you never know!

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

To those that've been in recent days/weeks, how crowded is it? I keep hearing that other pools (Yacht Club, maybe CBR) have hit their capacity and would limit additional guests. Any similar issues at GF?

 

[KerryCM]

To those that've been in recent days/weeks, how crowded is it? I keep hearing that other pools (Yacht Club, maybe CBR) have hit their capacity and would limit additional guests. Any similar issues at GF?

We were there March 25-29 and all pools reached capacity on 2 of the days we were there. We had a cabana on one of the days, so we were all set, the other day we were just walking by and saw the signs saying it was at capacity.

 

[beesly]

Neither pool reached capacity on 4/3 (Saturday of Easter weekend) but there was also a high of ~71 that day - a great day to sit by the pool, but not a great day to swim. We were in/around both pools from 11-1 on Easter and they were both open with available seating. I didn’t see them later that afternoon, though.

 

[trishadono]

We have a LV booked for our dates, and I would love to get the deluxe room since there's no CL lounge to hang out in currently! Do you happen to remember the room number of the LV room you saw? I haven't been able to find that one! No big deal if you don't know because I'm sure we won't be that lucky...but you never know!

Lol just for your girlfriend I watched it. It’s from Boca Chica. He points out another one in the video which is Conch. I can check touringplans if your need room number but honestly BPK, BC and SL have similar view because they all face courtyard pool. Conch will have a bit of lagoon in its view and sago faces the marina (Also towards SL) FYI.

 

[bigAWL]

This morning, when I was viewing the V&A page on the Disney World website (just to verify that they are still closed), I ran across this image at the bottom of the page. I was cautiously optimistic as I clicked on the link. But alas, it only took me to the general Entertainment list page that no longer includes this group. Just a bug in the system, I guess.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

We have a LV booked for our dates, and I would love to get the deluxe room since there's no CL lounge to hang out in currently! Do you happen to remember the room number of the LV room you saw? I haven't been able to find that one! No big deal if you don't know because I'm sure we won't be that lucky...but you never know!

Lol just for your girlfriend I watched it. It’s from Boca Chica. He points out another one in the video which is Conch. I can check touringplans if your need room number but honestly BPK, BC and SL have similar view because they all face courtyard pool. Conch will have a bit of lagoon in its view and sago faces the marina (Also towards SL) FYI.

I feel the same way about not having the lounge space! So, it looks like @trishadono has you covered but since I went down this little rabbit hole yesterday, here's what I found regarding room numbers from touringplans...I think (hope) I'm reading the map right based on the videos I saw, which included I think the Boca Chica one and the one from Conch (room 7406)... I forgot to include @trishadono's other post, but it sounds like the top floor of each building wouldn't have a balcony, if that's important to you. We're big balcony people. I agree about the views, Conch seemed liked the nicest view with a little lagoon sliver, but I've never stayed at the GF, so it's all new to me!

Sago (building 5) - 13, Sugarloaf (building 6) - 20, Conch (building 7) - 06, Boca Chica (building 8) - 14, and Big Pine Key (Building 9) - 14