Grand Floridian Review!

[Esmeralda]

Hi everyone! We just got back from the Grand Floridian and The Animal Kingdom Lodge. Here is my review on the Grand Floridian.

When we checked in I was told we had been upgraded to the concierge level (I had only booked a standard room). Well, the next time we come to WDW and stay at the GF (which we've already decided we are), we are going to book the Concierge room because it was great. Meals were served in a beautiful open area in the middle of the building on the ground floor. We were only around for breakfast and cookies at night but they also served dinner. Breakfast was fruit, pastries, muffins, breads, bagels, coffee, and juices. Cookies included chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and some of the best soft, almond sugar cookies I've ever tasted.

Our room was beautifully decorated in yellows, blues, and greens with Disney characters on the bedspreads, a Disney framed picture, a Mickey lamp, and Disney Topiary wallpaper in the bathroom. (I mention this because we didn't have a trace of anything Disney in our room at the AKL). There were 2 sinks outside of the shower/toilet area. The toiletries included shampoo, conditioner, body gel, lotion, & soap. (AKL only had shampoo, lotion, and soap).

The pool closest to the Concierge building is the one open 24 hrs so we used it most frequently. The other pool with the slide and waterfall is only open during the day so we only got to use it once. My daughter declared the slide the fastest and best between the GF, AKL and the Hard Rock Hotel. There are also fountains to run through which kids really like.

We ate dinner at Citrico's and Narcoossee's. Both were great and I'll post detailed reviews of them on the Restaurants Board.

My daughter did the Wonderland Tea Party and loved it. My mom and I had high tea and loved it. My daughter also did the Pirate Treasure Hunt Cruise and loved it. (Note: the time was 9:30-11:30 not 9:30-12 which they had told me when I booked it.)

We also had massages in the spa (including my spoiled but appreciative 5-year old daughter!) She deserved it - she did all the walking we did, never complaining about being tired or asking to be held.

Well, I think that about covers it. If anyone wants details on ANYTHING I mentioned above, feel free to ask. I'm happy to pass on tips (after planning for a year, I know how it feels).

 

[Wendi]

You have to be the Luckiest Woman in the World. Did you think you won the lottery? Was it the Main Building or Sugar Loaf Building? It sounds like everything was wonderful. Details would be great.
Thanks, Wendi

 

[>>^..^<<]

What a great story, congratulations on your concierge upgrade, you must have been thrilled.

>>^..^<<

 

[Esmeralda]

The SugarLoaf building is the Concierge building. The Concierge area is in the center of the first floor, and all the floors are balcony so you can see it from outside every room. Yes, I felt absolutely wonderful - it was like a gift for all the hours and hours I spent planning the trip. And that day, our plane was late getting in, we had to postpone our dinner at Citrico's, and rush our grocery stop. So, it was a wonderful, wonderful surprise when we finally made it!

 

[crs7568]

Wow! I love to hear stories of people who have received complimentary upgrades. I have never recieved one myself and probably never will , but I am always thrilled for the people that are on the receiving end of that pixie dust.

I did not realize that spa treatments were available for children as young as five. Sounds like something I will definitely have to treat my daughter to on our next trip.

Glad to hear that you had such a good time. I will be interested to see which hotel you enjoyed the most.

 

[stink]

Please elaborate more on the spa experience. I am taking my parents (in70s) for a massage when we are at the GFthey have never been to a spa. I want to make sure they have an enjoyable time.

Any other details about the GF would be appreciated.

 

[princesslondon]

Sounds like you had an Awesome Trip!
How far was the Sugar Loaf Bldg from the Main Bldg? How was the actual walk? (We stayed at the Poly last time and the walk from the main bldg to the Tahaiti Bldg we were in was a long walk with a 3 year old) Did they have water available all day?
Also how was the view in the rooms?
Thank you!!!

 

[Janet2k]

Esmeralda, what a lucky girl you are! Your stay sounded magical. I will be at the GF in a few short days and I can't tell you how excited I am about staying there. Reading about your stay just made my day. Thanks for posting it (and if you have any photos to share, please provide the link to them). Welcome home.

 

[Esmeralda]

crs7568 - The only thing is that an adult has to be in the room with the young child receiving the massage. (I had my dad stay with my daughter since I was getting a massage in the next room.) We got her a 30-minute massage. She loved it. Another thing you could do is book the couple's room and you and your daughter would be in the same room getting massages.

stink - The spa is very nice. You check in and they show you where the men's or lady's lounges are. They give you a robe and slip-on shoes. There are towels, and toiletries like shampoo, soap, lotion, razors, and mouthwash. There is a steam room, sauna, whirlpool, and showers. We got there early, used the steam room, sauna, and whirlpool, and then showered before the massage. Afterward, we returned to the dressing room to apply makeup and get dressed. The service is great. There is also ice water, tea, coffee, and fruit available. My only discomfort was when I was enjoying a relaxing shower and a whole group of really loud women came in. They were practically shouting to each other for 10 minutes before they (thankfully) left for their massages. I had told my daughter ahead of time to be as quiet as a mouse and she was, luckily, but I couldn't believe their behavior! Hopefully there won't be any loud ones when your parents are there!

princesslondon - The SugarLoag Building is right next door to the Main Building. To get to the buses in the morning it was actually quicker from our building. We took the elevator down, ate in the Concierge, exited the building (it's small), walked 2 minutes to the bus stop! This was such a nice change from Dixie Landings 3 years ago - we were what felt like miles from the bus stop with a 2 year old! The concierge did not have bottled water - that was our biggest complaint. They did, however, have lemonade and iced tea available at all times. Our view was of the pool.

 

[hmp2z]

Hi! Just out of curiousity, do they do the nightly liqueurs and evening wine when you're staying in lodge concierge? We've only ever stayed in the outer lodges, and in the main lodge Royal Palm Club concierge - just curious what, if any, were the differences in the food offerings between lodge concierge & RPC concierge.
I am totally with you - once you go concierge, you get absolutely spoiled. We are staying Royal Palm Club again for our August trip, b/c our last stay in Sago Cay was a big disappointment in comparison. There's just nothing like sipping wine while watching the castle, or hearing that orchestra play from your room
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[Cinderella37]

Just to let you know for your next trip, the GF offers two different concierge experiences. Sugar Loaf is considered Lodge Concierge and the Royal Palm Club in the main building is the "regular" concierge (there are only concierge rooms in the main building). There is a price difference between the two (with Royal Palm Club being more expensive). Wanted to let you know since you wrote you were planning another concierge stay.

 

[Esmeralda]

I have NO IDEA what is going on here! I replied a long message right after Janet2K and before hmp2z - you can't see it from the post. It says 10 replies but you can only see 7 of them! I see all of them right now as I'm typing in the "reply to" section (all the posts show up on the bottom). But when you just click on the thread, only 7 replies are showing up. Anyway, I replied in detail to crs7568, princesslondon, and stink. So, if you want to read it, click on "reply."

hmp2z - I'm sorry, I didn't notice if they had liquers or wine. I was so tired at night, my eyes went right to the cookies!

Cinderella37 - Thanks a lot for the tip - I had no idea about the 2 levels of Concierge. That will come in handy for our next trip. I didn't know the rooms in the main building were also concierge. Where is the concierge room, then?

Well, I hope this message shows up!

Becky

 

[Cinderella37]

The concierge rooms in the main building start on the third floor. I believe that the third floor only has "honeymoon" rooms (Clarenden level). These rooms offer a Jacuzzi tub, have a king bed and are slightly larger than standard rooms at the GF. Ours had a stunning view of Cinderella's Castle. There are deluxe concierge rooms (larger than standard), regular concierge rooms, and octagon "honeymoon" rooms. These rooms don't have balconies, but have beautiful panoramic views either of the MK or the Poly. Looking from the outside of the GF, the rooms are located in the turrets.

 

[GeekChic]

We stayed both at Royal Palm and also Sugar Loaf on our last trip and LOVED the Loaf! Detailed info is in my trip reports in that forum.

They do not serve alcohol. In fact, I was told they only had refreshments of any kind at SL until 7pm though we found cookies, fruit, and lemonade/tea/water were out every night till 10 when we were there last month.

It is the closest lodge building to the main building. We just loved every single thing about it, and are hopping to go back.

It'll always be the 'home' of our hearts at wdw now!!!

Congrats on the free upgrade, that saved you a fortune!

 

[hmp2z]

Hi! To clarify on the Royal Palm Club concierge, these are the full-service concierge rooms. The honeymoon floor is actually a kind of "hidden" 2nd floor with honeymooners only, though they do have honeymoon rooms on the 3rd floor (we were in one of the HUGE turret rooms on the 3rd floor) and the concierge lounge is on the 4th floor. I believe the 5th floor is all suites.
Concierge rooms in the main building start at around $575/night for value season, with the honeymoon rooms starting at $595/night for value season. We were told that they almost never offer discounts on the honeymoon rooms, but I don't know about the regular concierge ones.
The Sugarloaf ones are less money than this, so if you were happy there, you might want to save the $$ and just stay there.
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[Vlahakis2001]

Just to clarify for you, all of the buildings except the main building are the same. The open balconies overlooking the ground floor etc. Sugar Loaf requires your room key to get in due to the food sitting out. There is no set concierge room in the main building, just an area as in the Sugar Loaf building. Sounds like you had a great trip Emserelda.

P.S. Give some details on staff, food, etc.
A brief trip report.