Grand Floridian or Coronado Tower- Christmas week 2020

[vbarry]

We are taking advantage of the Disney Visa deal but can save a good deal of money staying at Coronado Springs in the tower which looks super nice. The GF is by far our favorite resort but there will be many things missing this year. We love the grounds and the pool and of course all of the staff. Has anyone stayed at both? I know the transportation will be better from the Grand Floridian but we are only doing parks 3 out of the 7 days and can always Uber if the bus lines are long. Thanks for any info!

 

[Gehrig1B]

I can say we have stayed at Gran Destino twice and will be there again over the holidays. I think you will be surprised at how “deluxe” it feels. Great dining options as well. I would save the $$$ and go with the Tower...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just curious if you don’t mind me asking, what are the “many things missing this year” from GF from your perspective? I’m curious to maybe help frame any feedback.

 

[Hegemon]

Oooooh....what Disney Visa deal?

 

[Blondie58]

Just curious if you don’t mind me asking, what are the “many things missing this year” from GF from your perspective? I’m curious to maybe help frame any feedback.

I do not know the "many many things" but three big things missing for me are: 1. Gingerbread House, 2. The orchestra, 3. Cinderella's visits daily. The nightly fireworks from the Magic Kingdom are also gone. However, the walkway to the Magic Kingdom has opened. YEAH!!

 

[mickey0930]

I did a lot of reading comparing the 2 resorts, also because we could use the Visa discount and we decided to go with Coronado Springs Tower Water view room. The 2 things that did it for me was the cost difference and a few comments saying the GF needed room updates. Good Luck and change can sometimes be good

 

[Blondie58]

I did a lot of reading comparing the 2 resorts, also because we could use the Visa discount and we decided to go with Coronado Springs Tower Water view room. The 2 things that did it for me was the cost difference and a few comments saying the GF needed room updates. Good Luck and change can sometimes be good

Rooms really do need updates to all soft surfaces and painting. I feel the bathrooms are still very nice as are the kitchens. However, sofas, chairs, floor coverings etc. need updated.

 

[Mike Marzano]

Having just stayed at the Grand Destino Tower (Standard View Nov 16-21), I must say it felt "very deluxe" even though its moderate class. The typical rooms are supposed to be slightly smaller at GDT (314 sq ft at GDT vs 348 sq ft at GF), but really didn't feel it due to the hall walking into the room (gave us another option for where to put our empty luggage, besides under the beds). We had plenty of space. It didn't feel much smaller than rooms when we stayed at the Polynesian and Yacht Club. Just no day bed/fold out at GDT.

We had a friend join my wife and our son, so the batroom setup at GDT wasn't ideal. Only the toilet was separated... So when our friend was in the shower, my son and I couldn't brush our teeth or use the sink area. In other resorts the toilet and shower were in a room, so we wouldn't have had that issue.

I can't speak to busses at GDT as we used our car all week. I was surprised with how centrally located it was for EP, DHS and AK. No more than 6 minutes drive to either of those parks. MK was about 8 or 9 minutes. We didn't time the drive to Disney Springs. I can't see the buses taking much longer (our friend was a slow driver and Disney busses were passing us). At GF, other than MK you use busses for everything, and being next to MK, you'll have a longer ride to EP, DHS and AK. While CSR is a larger resort (more than double the total rooms of GF), it depends on how much of it is opened. So that will impact how long or short the bus lines/waits will be. We didn't see anyone at the tower's bus stop when we left in the morning.

 

[Jessica Geisler]

I think the one big question on GDT is if you are a balcony user or not. It’s the ONLY thing I miss when not staying deluxe because I am a “sit on my balcony and drink my coffee/beer” person. We absolutely adore the CM at Coronado and that is what puts it above GF for us. We spent 4 days there in October and ended every night at Three Bridges because my kids had so much fun with chatting with the staff. The pool bar staff is great, Rix is underrated, and the cold brew coffee with sweet cream and sugar free vanilla in the lounge is really good! I haven’t been to Dahlia post-COVID, but it’s rooftop balcony is enjoyable to watch fireworks from. Overall, I miss the MK view, but a water view from the tower is just as pretty in its own way.

 

[michael92]

Gran destino room size is 375 feet grand floridian is 440 feet. Just wanted to specify that

 

[Lewisc]

Gran destino room size is 375 feet grand floridian is 440 feet. Just wanted to specify that

The post just before your post is almost 4 years ago

 

[GADisneyDad14]

As this is an older thread, closing to avoid any confusion/responses to outdated information.