Grand Floridian concierge experiences please

[queenof4hearts]

I am looking for any experiences on both types of concierge at the GF. The main bldg. and sugar loaf.
Also, how long does it take approx to get from outer lodge to main bldg concierge and pool? Thanks

 

[ducklite]

We stayed in Lodge concierge, it was terrible, the service was deplorable, and I wouldn't stay GF concierge again if it were free. It was so bad that after one day I moved to the BW.

Anne

 

[lookingforward]

We stayed at the Grand Floridian main building concierge in December and I really liked it. The number one thing I enjoyed was the view from our room. We were on the 4th floor and had a perfect view of the castle. The room was really nice. It was in wonderful condition and very nicely decorated. The concierge service at the Grand Floridian is understated. Some people don't like it and I have to admit that I liked the service better at the AKL and Poly concierge. BUT..the GF concierge is still a great experience. The food offerings are not as extensive as others either, but they were fine for my family. They always had a nice breakfast and in the evening they would put out a few nice choices, cheese, crackers, fruit, etc. The only time I was dissapointed was mid-day when they only offered some hummus and crackers. IT just wasn't enough... They also offer wine and cordials in the evening.

The staff at the concierge desk worked miracles with reservations. I just have to conclude that they (and other concierge desks at WDW) get some sort of priority or special consideration. They secured cinderella's breakfast at the castle on short notice the week of Christmas...so that is a huge plus. The pool is not far at all from the main building. There is a special concierge only elevator right to the ground level. In the main lobby there is a special concierge elevator too.

 

[gonga]

I have never stayed in Sugar Loaf so I cannot comment. We stay in the Main Building RPC Conc. and we love it. The service is excellent and friendly. There is always a fresh supply of beverages and snacks, and we enjoy the breakfast and the wine and appetizers in the evening. We also love the convenience of being in the main building as far as monorail, restaurants and having cocktails at night in the bar in the lobby (forgot the name of it). To get to the Concierge level your room card is programmed to the elevator to gain access to the conc. level. We love the personel attendance of being greeted at the front door, and brought up to the cong level for check in (not having to check in at the front desk). The concierge staff is very helpful and will cater to you, whatever you may need. I needed new sneakers, all I had to do is tell them my size and that I wanted white, They were delivered to my room a few hours later - gotta love that.

The rooms are well appointed but cannot comment on the size as we have always stayed in the Dlx Honeymoon Suites, so I do not know if they are larger than other rooms. This is IMHO, and everytime we have been at the GF it has been a wonderful, magical experience. We are going in May and will be staying at the GF RPC, so we think it is worth it for us. But it depends on what you are looking for in your WDW vacation.

 

[dwdeb]

We stayed in lodge concierge this past Christmas, and loved it!
The service was great, the cast members friendly and helpful,
and the room was in very good condition.
Deb

 

[queenof4hearts]

Thanks for all your quick responses! Everyone on these boards are so helpful and friendly.

Ducklite, I am sorry you had such a bad exp. May I ask what went wrong? It sounds as though it was not rectified.

We will be staying in a 1 br suite in the outer lodge, the price for a 1 br in the main bldg. is too steep. Our friends are staying in the main bldg. in a concierge room but not a suite.

dwdeb, what was your view like. I was wishing for a castle view. Do you know if this is even possible in a lodge room?

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by queenof4hearts
Ducklite, I am sorry you had such a bad exp. May I ask what went wrong? It sounds as though it was not rectified.

They kept us waiting for our room until well after 5:00pm--when we enquired they were downright nasty about it. They were overwhelemed with a large, wealthy party, some of whom were leaving that day, and made no bones about it that keeping those people happy was more important than keeping us happy. When we did get into our room it was handicapped accessible with no tub and everything was LOW..My dresses dragged on the floor of the closet--the bar was too low.

There was a bunch of other stuff-they were nasty to my DH (who is the kindest, mildest man in the world) when he asked them for something (I can't recall what anymore). They allowed children to run out of control through the building--including throwing food at each other--one on the balcony overlooking the first floor lobby and the other by the food in teh first floor lobby.

I could go on--but it culminated with them losing our luggage after we transferred to the BW--maybe on purpose?

I complained and let the front desk manager at the GF know that we were so unhappy that we were moving to the BW, he just kind of shrugged his shoulders. The concierge manager was "off". When I got home I wrote a letter and sent it. The executive offices did call and made me a somewaht attractive offer to come back, which we did, but did not stay concierge and would not stay concierge there eer again.

AKL and Polynesian concierge are the absolute best at WDW, and I'd stay there anytime.

Anne

 

[jel0511]

I've stayed in the Main Building in a regular concierge room, and it was a horrible experience. Let's just say that my experience wasn't very different from ducklite's. I'd never stay at the GF again in concierge, and I'd think twice about staying there in a regular room.

 

[ftmyersgirl]

Lori,

Sorry you had such a horrible time. It is one of my recent goals to stay at the GF. Now I am wondering if that is wise.

How was the BW, once you moved? Did it meet your expectations? How did they treat you there? Did you stay concierge?

I have planned several trips with the help of this board. Although I agree that one bad experience should not be determinative, how the experience is ultimately handled does.

I am staying 4 days in May off premise with my daughter and her husband.

In July my husband and I are going for our anniversary and booked the GF but now we are wondering if we should go tot he boardwalk inn.

We don't need fancy pools. Just something to do. We are going to Victoria and Albert's for our dinner.

Please let us know about your experience at the boardwalk inn.

 

[>>^..^<<]

Originally posted by lookingforward
The staff at the concierge desk worked miracles with reservations. I just have to conclude that they (and other concierge desks at WDW) get some sort of priority or special consideration.

They secured cinderella's breakfast at the castle on short notice the week of Christmas...so that is a huge plus.

Hi there...

I just wanted to mention that I am absolutely certain they get priority reservations for Concierge Guests.

I emailed my list of requests to the Itinerary Planner at BC Concierge last week.

On Monday she faxed my back my printed itinerary with the list of PS's made and "still to be made"

What was interesting was that I had used the PS calculator to see what dates my PS's could be made. The booking dates on her list were much earlier... as much as a month earlier on the Breathless illuminations cruise. (Unless the PS calculater is really screwed up)

Also.. they say when you book Hoop Dee Doo and the Poly Luau seats are assigned by when you book. Last year while staying at AKL concierge we decided on a whim to go see Hoo Dee Doo.. .not only did we get a PS, our table was front and centre.. actually touching the stage.

They were also able to secure Breakfast with CInderella at MK on our first choice of dates.. and this was a more than a month after it was sold out.

I can't say enough good things about the concierge staff... they really have their work cut out for them with special requests constantly thrown at them.

If you have an opportunity to try concierge sometime, make the most of it and use the services of the itinerary planners.

Many people talk about upgrading to concierge when they check in.. but much of the services are offered in advance of your arrival.


>>^..^<<

 

[jel0511]

I've never stayed at the BW in concierge, only the GF, Poly and the AKL. My favorite for overall experience is probably the Poly with the AKL a close second. My main problem with the GF concierge is that EVERY CM I encountered seemed to give me attitude. It seemed that way to me to every guest staying there unless you were a celebrity. Yes, there were celebrities there, and they were treated with the utmost respect and fawned over. Now, I do not expect or neither want that kind of attention, but common curtosey should be given to every guest. Every time I even tried to ask the concierge desk ANYTHING, it seemed like such a HUGE task for them. Even making a PS!!! I just got so annoyed with them, I made my own PS's from my room!!! I also had to wait until almost 5:00 for my room, and the list could go on and on..... I think if you're at the GF when normal people are there, not dripping with money or a celebrity, the concierge is fine. But if they have to "deal" with someone, you're better off somewhere else.

 

[lookingforward]

>>^..^<< ...I have to tell you that you will LOVE the breathless. We did the illuminations cruise in April of last year on the breathless. It was spectacular! That boat is so pretty and since it is the smallest on (compared to the pontoons) you will have the front and center view of the illuminations. Its also fast!

 

[ducklite]

The BW was fine, but not as good as the AKL and Polynesian.

They are friendly and did their job well, but the atmosphere just wasn't quite as inviting as it is at the Poly and AKL. Still, for someone who wanted concierge in the Epcot area, this is the way to go. I would have no problem staying there again, or suggesting it to others.

We also have tried the YC concierge, and weren't very pleased there--although not "snotty", they were just kind of indifferent. We also had some other, non-concierge related problems there.

On a scale of 1-10:

GF-1
YC-4.5
BWI-7.5
Poly-9
AKL-10

Anne

 

[ftmyersgirl]

Lori,

Thanks for the reply.

Has anyone stayed at the BW concierge?

What were their impressions.

I stayed at the Poly when it was first built many years ago, many times. Wanted to try something newer for our anniversary in July.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by ftmyersgirl
Lori,

Thanks for the reply.

Has anyone stayed at the BW concierge?

What were their impressions.

I stayed at the Poly when it was first built many years ago, many times. Wanted to try something newer for our anniversary in July.

BWI is much less likely to have children around. Poly has a very romantic atmosphere.

Anne

 

[jel0511]

I'd also recommend staying away from the Poly this summer since the Hawaii building is undergoing rehab. The concierge is being moved to Tahiti, but I'd be afraid to stay in a temporary concierge location. Personally knowing that, I'd recommend the AKL. We had a GREAT stay there, and the concierge was AWESOME!!! It's probably the only concierge we'll ever stay again, because we LOVED the AKL and the lounge was so relaxing.

 

[ftmyersgirl]

Thanks ducklite,

I am afraid of old hotels. Have tremendous mold spore allergies.
That is why I did not jump at the Poly. Have great and wonderful memories of the place though.

 

[Darla and Alfalfa]

Sorry to say I agree with Ducklite and Jel0511. While the GF is a beautiful place, I had the feeling of not being an "important" guest at the main building. The Sugar Loaf was a nice stay though. I was also disappointed in the selection of offerings in the lounge at the main building and the way they make you feel when you ask for something out of view. I guess we are spoiled by the Polynesian.

 

[Mickymark]

We have stayed main building concierge twice; once in '89 and again last summer. Both times we had very pleasurable stayes with no problems from staff or rooms or decor or food or anything. In fact, we have reservations for this July in the same resort, in the concierge level.
I happen to know that if a reservation is made in your name while staying in a concierge room at the GF, you automatically get a VIP notation next to your name, and as such, certain priorities are afforded you. I'm not sure if this extends to other resorts as well.

 

[TammiMcMan]

We've been fortunate enough to stay at both the main building and lodge concierge at the GF. I admit that I am totally spoiled after staying in the main building and noticed quite a few differences between the two. First and foremost is the view. Because of how it's situated on the property, you really can't get a castle view from the lodge. If you're overlooking the marina though, you still could see some of the fireworks from your balcony and hear the unmistakable howling coming from the Haunted Mansion. I found that the rooms themselves were no different between the buildings, but there was a big difference in the lounge area. In the lodge, it's on the entrance level and I found seating to be very limited and while the concierge staff was great, their location in the midst of the lounge area was a bit tight. I thought the food offerings in the lodge were a little more limited and no grand indulgences at night (desserts, wine and liquers served from 8-10pm). That being said, though I prefer the main building, our experience in the lodge was very nice.

Be sure to use the concierge services to set up your reservations. Upon checking in at one restaurant, I saw our reservation on thier computer screen and under the "comments" section, we were listed as VIP's. We rarely waited for a table and our seats were always perfect. I'm sure it had everything to do with booking through concierge. We had a great experience with Cinderella's Breakfast also, not only did we get first seating, but my daughter was the first one visited by each princess as they came out. Quite a magical moment for a six year old.

I hope you have a great stay.

Tammi