grand floridian experts please

[hannymom]

my dh and i are planning our anniversary disney trip for this june. we always took our kids to disney, then our grandkids. now we want a slow pace, go and do things that would not make the kids must do list. we want to stay at the grand floridian. is it worth the extra money to stay in the main building? are there any advantages to staying in main building?
this is our 40th, so thats why we are trying to make it special. thank you

 

[NJ Goofy]

I don't if it is "worth it", you didn't say how much more they are now charging. The advantages are all the restaurants are an elevator ride away, the stores are also at your finger tips, and the lobby is just spectacular. One of our favorite things to do when we stayed there was sitting in the lobby after a long day in the parks and listening to the piano player, very relaxing. If I remember correctly a castmember came along and took a drink order from us. Can't get much better than that. It is a great hotel, you'll enjoy your stay whichever building you choose.

 

[caliope]

We stayed at the GF for our honeymoon but not the main building. I don't think that detracted from the experience at all. We actually enjoyed the quiet stroll across the grounds to our building/room. The resort isn't that big, at least not to me. For a special, "adult", slow paced trip, I don't think you can go wrong anywhere at GF.

 

[cutigerlady]

I think it is worth the extra cost. I've stayed at GF twice-my honeymoon and 15th anniversary. Both of these trips were slow, paced relaxing trips. We stayed in the RPC and loved every minute of the personalized service. My husband says there is something about this hotel that instantly relaxes him. We are already planning our 20th anniversary trip....

 

[Little E]

My DH and I stayed at GF for the first time this past November on an adults only long weekend trip and it was amazing! Granted we didn't stay in the main building...we stayed in Big Pine Key. This building is right by the pool and our room was awesome. We loved EVERY minute of our time at the GF, and we would love to be able to stay there again someday with our kids. I'm sure the main building rooms are awesome, but any room would be fabulous at the GF! The smell of the lobby alone is enough to make we want to stay there again! The CMs were great, the restaurants were divine, and catching the monorail is so very convenient.

Congrats on your upcoming anniversary, and enjoy your stay at the GF! I'm sure you'll have a magical time!

 

[mickeynut1]

my dh and i are planning our anniversary disney trip for this june. we always took our kids to disney, then our grandkids. now we want a slow pace, go and do things that would not make the kids must do list. we want to stay at the grand floridian. is it worth the extra money to stay in the main building? are there any advantages to staying in main building?
this is our 40th, so thats why we are trying to make it special. thank you

Worth is subjective as it's different for everyone, but I think the main building is worth it, especially if you're looking to splurge for your anniversary. The CL CMs are great, the food offerings are plentiful, and it's relaxing sitting in the lounge listening to the orchestra play. There are also plenty of windows with great views of the grounds. I do agree with others that anywhere at the GF is great, but if the extra cost for RPC is doable, I'd go for it as you only celebrate one 40th anniversary. Good luck and congratulations on 40 years!

 

[Mousemommy1]

I'm not an expert as we have only stayed at the GF once, but the main building is VERY expensive. We stayed in an outer building and absolutely LOVED everything about the GF. It was a magical experience even when not staying in the main building.

However, I would say that if it's not cost prohibitive, you should try it!! Especially for a 40th anniversary! That's huge!

 

[100acreHiker]

We've stayed at GF twice--it's my favorite resort. Personally, I would rather use the money saved from skipping the main building and use it to go to an amazing meal, or book a special event. Getting a theme park or water view in one of the outer buildings will be beautiful and just as relaxing (and the noise from the lobby won't be an issue). You can always get a drink at the bar and enjoy the lobby and band--exactly what my husband would do when our kids and I would go to sleep!

 

[compshu]

The outer buildings are not far from the main building at all. I don't think it'd be worth it past a certain price point. To me, if it's a difference of $20 or so a night, sure, main building has a little more convenience. But even then, it's not by much. Sure, it gets you maybe just a bit closer to the restaurants (except Narcoossee's) and the monorail and bus stops, but all of the outer buildings are still really close. And if you want the closest to the MK/Poly boat or Narcoossee's, then you'll want Conch Key or Boca Chica anyway.

 

[focusondisney]

I have stayed GF RPC three times & I absolutely love it. We have only stayed for 3 nights each time & I never book a WDW trip with out a discount, so definitely won't pay rack rate for it, lol! Sitting in the lounge with a snack, the band playing below, looking out at the monorail gliding by with the castle in view? Priceless! The GF's food offerings are a bit above other club levels & can help justify the price a bit. There are some good reviews & pictures on the club level thread, you might want to check those out. We love the room decor & the restaurant options.

The YC is our favorite resort so that's why we have only stayed 3 nights at GF. I can't go to WDW without staying at least part of the week at a YC. We aren't big pool people but we love StormAlong Bay at Y&B. The GF's pools are kind of boring for us. But again, we're not lie around soaking up the sun with an adult beverage people, so YMMV.

Congratulations on 40 years!! We'll be at 39 this fall. Hard to believe how quick the years go, isn't it?

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We stayed at the Grand for our 25th. But we are DVC, so we stayed at the villas. They seem to be the furthest away from the main building, but it wasn't a bad walk there. In fact, it was nice and quiet.

We also sat and listened. And walked around the stores. It was an incredibly relaxing trip.

 

[Regan117]

I've stayed in both, and there's nothing like being in the main building in the midst of everything. It's so much more convenient for food and monorail, as well as having the club lounge, food, ambiance, etc.

People keep mentioning the price difference, but keep in mind all of the rooms in the main building are club level. So you aren't just paying the price difference for a main building room - you're paying for club level.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've stayed RPC, Sugar Loaf, standard garden and standard lagoon view and I think it all comes down to what will make your trip enjoyable. I was just as happy staying in a regular room at GF. There really isn't a bad room or view at GF. Club Level wasn't worth it for us because we never fully took advantage of all it offered in terms of food service or help with planning. For us, I would much rather save the club level money and use it for other special experiences like fireworks parties, dining packages, tours, V&A, afternoon tea, etc. I would definitely recommend GF, but I don't think you necessarily have to stay RPC to make it a special trip.

 

[kiford]

We've stayed in Big Pine Key and Conch Key twice. We love Conch Key with a lagoon view. It's only a few minutes to the monorail or bus stop and reasonably close to the GF Cafe for breakfast. We like it because it's right near the pier so you can take the boat to and from MK and we like the view.

 

[Skywise]

If you're going to spend some time at the resort it's worth it. If you have breakfast, lunch and dining rsvps at the parks or elsewhere it's hard to justify the club level costs.

 

[timrousbeastie]

To me, the best value is Club Level in any outer building. It will be more expensive than a standard room in the Main Building, but it is so much nicer to be able to eat breakfast whenever you get up, and it is wonderful to have the itinerary planning team take care of all your dining reservations. We like to eat dinner at the hard-to-get restaurants and this service has been a huge help. The snacks, desserts and hot beverages throughout the day are also easy to get spoiled by once you've tried it. Staying in the Main Building would be ideal, but it is definitely not worth the extra cost to me.

I am looking to book two Club Level rooms in an outer building for our own upcoming stay. Between fast passes and ADRs, Disney World has become so much about running from one scheduled event to the next that the flexibility that Club Level gives us is far more important than which building we stay in.

 

[DisneyCAL]

I'd rather pay for theme park view and request Big Pine Key, Upper floor. We had a room with king bed and the view was wonderful. Sitting on the balcony and watching ELWP and fireworks every night was worth the money. It's not a long walk by any means to the main building so you can still easily enjoy the main building lobby but then go back to your room for a secluded quiet nice view.

 

[hannymom]

thank you to each and everyone of you who took the time to respond. i consider myself a disney expert, yet i knew nothing about club level. i guess i need to do a little more research..... but like many dis friends, planning is half the fun!!

 

[trishadono]

thank you to each and everyone of you who took the time to respond. i consider myself a disney expert, yet i knew nothing about club level. i guess i need to do a little more research..... but like many dis friends, planning is half the fun!!

Start here page one then the gf thread also page 1 . Then ask about cl. If have more questions.

I have stayed in a std, sl and rpc at gf and all were nice. Our last in sl was wonderful. With a mother /daughter trip I didn't feel adding the expense worth it. However dh and I did our first without kids trip after his dad passed and we did rpc and it was really relaxing.

It was lovely to have food conveniently around and the views from the 4th and 5th floor from those large windows....ahhhhh.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disneys-club-level-cl-information-and-questions.3414590/

 

[TJA]

For the type of trip you're planning, I think RPC would fit you perfectly. We've only stayed there once (last year) but we all still talk about it. Hanging out in the lounge overlooking the grand lobby is like no other experience, really. My DD and I loved how we could leave our room and take the grand stairs down to the shopping levels. We snuck in Basin every day, I think, just to sample the products.

Having said that, some people are just as happy saving money and staying in an outside building. For my family, well, we'll see how we feel about that because we're staying CL in Sugar Loaf next week! So I can't comment on comparisons right now, but I do suspect we'll miss RPC. The cost is the only reason we're not staying there next week (Easter week = $1600 or so a night) just too much $$ for us. However, during a normal non-holiday week, we'd splurge on RPC for sure.