Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
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- 416
This is a comprehensive review of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I will give my thoughts about the resort itself and I will review the room. I will also give some recommendations for those who may want to stay at the resort and some suggestions to make your stay better.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Deluxe resort in the Magic Kingdom area of Walt Disney World. The Grand Floridian is Disney’s flagship resort on the WDW property. There are just over 860 rooms and they are arranged around Seven Seas Lagoon. The resort is themed as a grand Victorian resort on Florida’s seaside. There are four and five-story white frame buildings with beautiful red roofs. The resort features gardens, white sand beaches, and several pools.
Sarah and I stayed here during our November 2017 trip. To be honest, I was not sure we were ever going to stay at GF. For Sarah and I, budget is usually king. Being that this resort can cost over $900 per night for a normal room, it was not exactly in our normal price-range. But, amazingly, we ended up being able to stay here because we got an amazing deal on a one night stay.
Because we were able to get this discount, we wanted to take full advantage. We put this in the middle of our resort hopping trip (more on this in our Trip Report!) and we eagerly anticipated our night’s stay.
When we arrived, we found out we had been upgraded! Instead of a normal Outer Building - Garden View room, we were upgraded to an Outer Building - Standard Room with Club Level Access. We had never been upgraded at WDW before, so this was exciting news! We fully soaked in the opulence.
Resort
Let’s start with positives. The first positive is that the grounds are, understandably, impeccable. This is a resort that you could appreciate even if you are not staying in one of the rooms. The resort feels like it would not be out of place along the Florida coast. The sprawling, grass-lined walkways are beautifully integrated into the large white and red buildings. The background of Seven Seas Lagoon, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Magic Kingdom certainly do not hurt the aesthetic beauty.
I think the pool selection at GF is another positive. Even though the pool may not be as exciting as several other resorts like Disney’s Beach Club Resort, I like that there are several above-average options. The Beach Pool is a fun area for kids to play and adults to dine and talk. The Courtyard Pool is a more of hang out place for adults with young children. Sarah and I sat out by the Courtyard Pool for quite a bit during our stay.
The lobby and dining options are further positives at GF. The lobby is remarkable. I wandered around and took pictures for quite a while at this resort. The way that the design has created so many fun angles to enjoy. I love when the all-white design is bathed in the afternoon sun. It feels very luxurious.
I think that GF also offers the best selection of dining at WDW. Not only is there a variety of options, but there is also the highest quality restaurant at WDW. There are quick service options like Gasparilla Island Grill, but there is also a plethora of upscale dining selections. Sarah and I really loved 1900 Park Fare and one day hope to eat at Victoria & Albert’s. Victoria & Albert’s has received AAA’s highest honor since 2000 and is one of the highest rated restaurants in the country.
Even though all these positives are amazing, the true “value” in staying at GF is the proximity to Magic Kingdom. Sarah and I loved being one monorail stop away from The Most Magical Place on Earth. The added benefit is that you can go through security at your resort and skip the bag check and random additional screening at the park. This made our commute amazingly short. Even though the resort is great on its own, the proximity to MK adds significantly to the pricetag. Disney loves charging for convenience!
Now it is time to address the elephant in the room. The one major drawback at GF is that it is shockingly expensive to stay here. So expensive that most families (us included before this trip) will be priced out of a stay. With prices eclipsing $3500 per night for a suite, the numbers get a bit ridiculous.
I have to admit, I am not a connoisseur of the luxurious, but I have stayed in expensive resorts before. The problem that this resort runs into at this price bracket is that it has to come up against some other unbelievable resorts. Being that it is so expensive, GF needs to be a super luxury resort. I am not necessarily the case. However, those resorts are not one monorail stop away from one of the most recognizable vacation destinations on Earth. The balance is difficult, but tourists frequent the resort. Clearly the market is there!
Rooms
Sarah and I instantly fell in love with the room at GF. When we entered the room, we started to conceptualize part of why the price tag is so shocking. Sarah and I were on the top floor of our building and that meant that we had amazing high ceilings. This made the room feel massive.
We also walked into the bathroom and it became clear that we were not at a Value or Moderate resort. The vanity, sink, mirror area was beautiful. The difference in quality is very apparent. Everything feels luxurious. That includes the tissues which were punched with the resort’s logo. Details matter!
Next, we walked out to the balcony that overlooked the marina. Every room at GF has either a balcony or a patio. The balcony was a delightful place to be on a breezy Central Florida day. I had to convince Sarah to close the door so we did not have a beautiful room full of mosquitos.
The last step was laying down on the bed. This bed will now and forever be my happy place. If I am ever having a bad day, I will come back to this bed and remember how good life is. The softness of the bed and pillows made me so incredibly happy. I cannot say that I have ever been more comfortable in a bed. I laid in bed and looked at the 10000 inch TV and we legitimately considered never leaving again.
Should I Stay Here?
This is where the rubber meets the road. Should you stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa? Here is my thought. If you have the means, by all means! I think that this resort is a great experience for all Disney Parks fans. Besides being a great thing to tick off a bucket list, the rooms are awesome. I know that this is a big financial commitment that may be difficult for most groups (us included!), but you should definitely try to stay if at all possible.
As a result of this, I would recommend GF for the following people:
- Guests taking a once in a lifetime trip.
- Parties who want the benefit of being close to Magic Kingdom.
- People who are not deterred by the price of the room.
This resort will also appeal to guests who want to stay as close as possible to MK. This resort and Contemporary are the best options for proximity to the park.
Lastly, there is a population of WDW guests who are not concerned with budget. For those guests, I would be happy to be adopted into your family!
If you are not concerned with the budget and want to see the best that Disney Parks has to offer, this is a perfect resort.Tips
First, I would request a top-floor room. The high ceilings and different shape of the room from the roof structure made our room feel so much better and more interesting. There are plenty of elevators and stairways to get to your room, so that should not be a deterrent. Also, the resort is fairly compact so you will not have a long walk to transportation.
Take your time. This resort is meant to be sipped slowly. If you are staying (and paying) for GF, take advantage of your resort! Sarah and I would have skipped our night of touring if we did not make a dinner reservation at Epcot. Go check out all the nooks and crannies of the resort.
Dine at the resort. The dining at some resorts is not worth a dining plan credit or your money. That is not the case at GF. The dining options are so diverse and have different levels of quality. If you want to have the best meal on property, go to Victoria & Albert’s. If you want to have great food next to Seven Seas Lagoon, go to Narcoossee’s. Do you want to have a fun character meal with a great buffet? Go to 1900 Park Fare. If you need a snack, go to Gasparilla Island Grill.
Have you stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa? Share your experience! We would love to hear from you! Just add to the Comments section below.
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