GF help!! Sooooo excited!

[princessap]

So I am taking just my youngest DD in October and my DH just upgraded us to the Grand Floridian!!! I am so excited….any advice on what rooms to request??? thanks in advance

 

[mickeynut1]

So I am taking just my youngest DD in October and my DH just upgraded us to the Grand Floridian!!! I am so excited….any advice on what rooms to request??? thanks in advance

The GF isn't as spread out as it seems, but some buildings are closer to certain areas than others (although not by much). My two favorite outer buildings are Big Pine Key and Boca Chica. Both overlook the courtyard pool and are close to the main building and beach pool. Sago and Conch are on the other side of the resort by the marina and are close to Gasparillas and the buses/boat dock. Other than BPK having some "less desirable" views as some rooms overlook the back of the pool house, there really aren't any bad rooms/views at the GF.

 

[librarymom2007]

We just stayed there for the first time too. We stayed in Sago Cay and loved it. It's very close to the bus stop and cafe to refill our mugs. It's a short walk to the pools.

 

[916chipndale]

I have never stayed at the GF but have walked the property a few times and read about it a decent amount. There aren't many bad views and the resort is rather compact so no building is really that far away.

 

[princessap]

We booked just an outer building garden view room.

 

[sbeets]

Has anyone tried the deluxe garden view rooms? They are the dormer rooms. The WDW pics make them look huge but pics from travelers make them look regular sized. Are they worth the "deluxe" label?

 

[Hisgirl]

You'll love it. it's a small resort and no room is bad. We stayed in Big Pine key and had a room facing the pool...which also meant we watched the fireworks from our porch. Make sure you watch the lake parade at night, it's so fun! And bring a sweater as it gets cool down by the lake at night.

 

[Aurora0427]

Has anyone tried the deluxe garden view rooms? They are the dormer rooms. The WDW pics make them look huge but pics from travelers make them look regular sized. Are they worth the "deluxe" label?

The deluxe garden view rooms are not just dormer rooms. Deluxe garden view has a sitting area as well and they are definitely larger than a regular garden view room. Dormer rooms are the top floor rooms. They have vaulted ceilings but they are slightly smaller than non dormer rooms. They also have smaller balconies. We've stayed in both a prefer non dormer rooms.

Check out touring plans room finder. There's tons of info plus a floor plan.

Also check out the official GF resort thread on the Resort Community thread. That's where you'll find expert advice.

 

[Aurora0427]

So I am taking just my youngest DD in October and my DH just upgraded us to the Grand Floridian!!! I am so excited….any advice on what rooms to request??? thanks in advance

I recommend Sago Key or Conch Key. These will have views of the monorail, marina, or gardens facing Boca Chica.

I stay away from Big Pine Key and Boca Chica if you're staying garden view. There's a chance you could end up with a view of the pool house.

Check out www.touringplans.com. They have a great room finder tool.

 

[sbeets]

The deluxe garden view rooms are not just dormer rooms. Deluxe garden view has a sitting area as well and they are definitely larger than a regular garden view room. Dormer rooms are the top floor rooms. They have vaulted ceilings but they are slightly smaller than non dormer rooms. They also have smaller balconies. We've stayed in both a prefer non dormer rooms.

Check out touring plans room finder. There's tons of info plus a floor plan.

Also check out the official GF resort thread on the Resort Community thread. That's where you'll find expert advice.

Thanks for the advice. The GF resort thread is where I saw the non-disney pics of the deluxe rooms (pre-remodel). I think WDW does very well with photo angles and photoshop. The room looked much smaller in the guest photos than the WDW website photos. I know I would love GF but I'm pretty sure my family would appreciate AKV even more. Right now I can switch to GF deluxe room for the same price at AKV 1 BR/2BA. I'm going to stick with AKV, and try to enjoy a relaxing bus ride.

 

[Aurora0427]

Thanks for the advice. The GF resort thread is where I saw the non-disney pics of the deluxe rooms (pre-remodel). I think WDW does very well with photo angles and photoshop. The room looked much smaller in the guest photos than the WDW website photos. I know I would love GF but I'm pretty sure my family would appreciate AKV even more. Right now I can switch to GF deluxe room for the same price at AKV 1 BR/2BA. I'm going to stick with AKV, and try to enjoy a relaxing bus ride.

The garden view deluxe rooms ARE slightly larger than garden view rooms. A dormer room is a completely separate thing. Is a deluxe room as large as a suite? No. But it is bigger than a standard garden view room.

AKL and GF are totally different resorts. We have small children, and I hate having long bus rides to every park, so we won't even consider it until the kids are much older. You have to do what works for your family!