Grand Floridian shouldn’t allow non hotel guests

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have yet to see a single compelling argument why my enjoyment and use of gf should be impaired because the hordes of non paid guests want to visit the resort

Some have argued divine right because this has been the way

Some have said let’s add more busses or boats. Yes that solves part of the transit problem but only part

Some have said it’s public property, which it isn’t. The lobby and grounds are private

Some have said we can’t restrict access to the monorail or boats. I’m not sure that’s accurate but let’s pretend it is. Grant access to all modes of transit but don’t allow non paid guests off the boat or monorail. Stepping off either places the punter onto private and by default controllable property

But a legit why Disney should harm paying guests experience in my view hasn’t been presented

Quite frankly I don’t care at all about diminishing the holiday enjoyment of non paid guests if my enjoyment as a paid guest has been negatively impacted. My enjoyment should be Disney’s priority as a paid guest

My apologies but I can only repeat this

You seem to feel very strong about it so my best suggestion would be to contact Disney, sell off your contracts you have and stay far away from the Grand Floridian hoping that eventually Disney changes their mind (which they could if they want to, their rules) and you can go back there again. I say that with sincerity because there doesn't seem to be anything else that would work for you at this point.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Again not downplaying anyone’s opinion - we all have them and that’s what makes these boards a fun place to banter around with folks. But just chiming in with mine as a guest paying top dollar (I don’t own DVC, I’m paying usually undiscounted or barely discounted rates - hotel discounts at the monorail resorts aren’t exactly abundant) and I in no way feel ‘harmed’ by anything Disney does with operating the monorail resorts. And I also have to usually travel around the school breaks / peak times. Carry on Disney!

 

[Man-DeLorean]

The hordes of visitors at the GF are more than likely spending a fortune at DW in many ways….food, drinks, park tickets, merchandise, parking fees, other Disney resorts and Gingerbread shingles. lol. It makes no sense for Disney to tick off the masses.

I mean, there are people who are paying for their rooms at GF and not even spending a dime there. Stopping at Publix for groceries, using their kitchenettes to prepare food, etc….

Putting restrictions on who can use the transportation system, who can book an ADR, who can visit Deluxe resorts is a slippery slope I hope they never go down.
Maybe you’ll get your wish and then they’ll need to impose something like a minimum $200 per room/per night fee that you get back if you spend that amount at the GF to make up for lost revenue. So be careful what you wish

The claim that some Grand Floridian (GF) guests don’t spend money at the resort because they buy groceries and use their kitchenettes doesn’t hold much weight when you consider the facts. Only a small fraction of GF rooms have kitchenettes—specifically the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) villas. The majority of guests staying at the GF are in standard rooms without kitchen facilities, meaning they’re spending significant amounts on dining, drinks, and other experiences on property. Even DVC members pay substantial amounts for their contracts and dues, and their spending habits don’t negate the value of the luxury accommodations they’ve chosen.

The real issue is balance and value. Guests paying a premium to stay at the GF do so expecting a more exclusive experience. When hordes of non-paying visitors flood the resort to use its transportation, take pictures, or crowd its restaurants, it diminishes the experience for those who’ve invested thousands for the privilege of staying there.

Yes, non-resort visitors spend money on Disney parks, food, and merchandise—but that revenue is shared across the entire Walt Disney World property. Meanwhile, GF guests are paying specifically for the Grand Floridian’s atmosphere, amenities, and proximity to the parks. It’s unfair to expect them to subsidize the convenience and enjoyment of non-paying visitors while their own experience suffers.

As for fears of a “slippery slope” or Disney imposing minimum spending requirements—this argument is exaggerated. Disney already restricts access in many areas: pool use is limited to resort guests, Extended Evening Hours are exclusive to Deluxe resort guests, and Magic Kingdom resort parking is reserved for paying guests or those with dining reservations. Extending similar boundaries to other areas, such as dining priority or monorail access during peak times, isn’t radical; it’s consistent with existing policies.

Ultimately, this isn’t about “ticking off the masses.” Non-resort guests can still enjoy restaurants and transportation—but not at the expense of those paying top dollar for a Grand Floridian experience.

 

[Chuck S]

I appreciate that the OP can only travel during school holidays. But Disney and the resort lobbies, in general, will be far less crowded in the early summer which is also a school holiday. I generally travel in Early June,

 

[eandt]

All the awesome debate I still think there is a major problem unsolved

A hotel should be a place of refuge. A place you can recharge your batteries. Wdw is a pretty stressful place, lots of stimulation and always lots of people to deal with.

When I get to my hotel I want to put my guards down.

When you get eye twitches because of how busy gf is that just doesn’t fit the bill of relaxing. In anticipation of some responses

1- go to your room
Yes my room is relaxing but you pay top dollar for gf. If all I cared about was the room I’d book old key west or something. When you book gf you pay for the entire resort so why shouldn’t I have every right to expect the entire resort to be relaxing

If Disney is unwilling to to stop non guests from going to gf, I think we need a nuclear option. Remove the gingerbread house. Remove the reasons why people go to gf when they have no other business being there

I think that sucks so I still maintain, block access to only adr and paid hotel guests. If Disney won’t do that, cancel the gingerbread house

But what if the reasons why so many folks apparently flock to the GF are some of the exact reasons why you choose to stay there? Still want them removed?

In reading this thread it seems this is only an issue a few weeks out of the year for a few hours a day ….we own at AK and folks flock there during the day for the views every single day of the year …perhaps not on the same scale as the few hours in the evenings GF lobby might get crowded but it still happens. I’m ok with that.

 

[ehh]

I have yet to see a single compelling argument why my enjoyment and use of gf should be impaired because the hordes of non paid guests want to visit the resort

Because you're not the main character.

 

[nuhusky123]

I appreciate that the OP can only travel during school holidays. But generally Disney and the resort lobbies, in general, will be far less crowded in the early summer which is also a school holiday. I generally travel in Early June,

Recall first pst that one of the primary reasons I purchased gfv was for Christmas as I truly love the resort and the decorations are just special

So I go during the holiday season during the one slot that works for school and yes that falls during thanksgiving. Yes the parks are busy and honestly nothing in the parks upset me. I got what I expected and was thankful for the rides I got on. Early hour to the rescue for the most part

But the hotel experience was severely lacking

 

[nuhusky123]

Because you're not the main character.

In my story I am especially when I’m paying

But do you have a legit reason why non paying guests should get access?

 

[ehh]

In my story I am especially when I’m paying

But do you have a legit reason why non paying guests should get access?

I'm also paying and I want them there.

Gingerbread house and decorations are probably better with non-resort guests visiting.

 

[nuhusky123]

But what if the reasons why so many folks apparently flock to the GF are some of the exact reasons why you choose to stay there? Still want them removed?

In reading this thread it seems this is only an issue a few weeks out of the year for a few hours a day ….we own at AK and folks flock there during the day for the views every single day of the year …perhaps not on the same scale as the few hours in the evenings GF lobby might get crowded but it still happens. I’m ok with that.

My other resort is akl and I love it there but the number of people who go to akl vs gf are not on the same level at all

Does this need to be an all resort all year ban. No. But during peak periods I do think Disney needs to restrict access

 

[nuhusky123]

I'm also paying and I want them there.

Gingerbread house and decorations are probably better with non-resort guests visiting.

You want them there?

cool that’s weird but cool

 

[eandt]

In my story I am especially when I’m paying

But do you have a legit reason why non paying guests should get access?

Because the property’s owners say it’s ok for a start … I assume you have done a scientific survey of the folks visiting the lobby to know what the actual % is of paying guests to free loaders?

 

[ehh]

You want them there?

cool that’s weird but cool

It's a special place this time of year and if other guests want to enjoy it, then I want them to enjoy it too.

 

[nuhusky123]

Because the property’s owners say it’s ok for a start … I assume you have done a scientific survey of the folks visiting the lobby to know what the actual % is of paying guests to free loaders?

I did. Went person by person and took their ids

 

[eandt]

My other resort is akl and I love it there but the number of people who go to akl vs gf are not on the same level at all

Does this need to be an all resort all year ban. No. But during peak periods I do think Disney needs to restrict access

Admittedly when we as free loaders visit GF during gingerbread mayhem it’s usually during the day and we didn’t find it busy two weeks ago at all, jumped right on the transportation for our next destination without a wait … we have visited during this time in the evening as well to have a drink at ER which we did have to wait about 10 minutes for a bar stool.

 

[eandt]

I did. Went person by person and took their ids

Come on man!!

 

[hockeydad21]

This thread is awesome. War has been declared, and we’ve got elitist pitchforks on one side vs freeloading pitchforks on the other. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR FOR THOSE CHOOSING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH!

In all seriousness though…and I may be preventing WW3 here…but what if, and it may sound crazy, but what if…bare with me now…what if they just put the gingerbread house at Disney Springs?

 

[nuhusky123]

Come on man!!

Silly answer for an equally silly question

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But the hotel experience was severely lacking

You're a bit contradictory here, it's not the first comment of yours speaking to it but here's a few other comments

Bottom line this trip showed me vgf is a place to avoid at Christmas and that makes me sad because it’s a beautiful resort and defeats a primary purpose of why I purchased at vgf

We went to universal this year for the holiday tour. Universal really does the holidays so much better than Disney parks. I’m constantly annoyed how Disney never really does anything special for the seasons imo or even seems to put in any effort anymore its recycle over and over

So you purchased a particular place to go at Christmas, they have Christmas decorations at a hotel but you're not satisfied that Disney has done enough decorations or decorations to your exacting taste and yet upset that non-Grand Floridians have access to said disappointing decorations and really Universal does it better? Why would you want exclusive access to decorations that don't even seem to be enough for you? That's not about which park does it better but really all this fuss over stuff you don't even believe is up to snuff anyhow.

 

[tjkraz]

For those who think lobby overcrowding is a problem, I'd be curious to know:

- How many times did you visit / pass through the lobby?
- How often was the overcrowding a problem?
- What are the approximate times and days of the week when problems were noted?

Without that information, it's difficult to put the complaints in perspective. When I read "waited an hour for the monorail", there's no indication whether this was a one-time thing, limited to certain times of the day or every single trip to the Magic Kingdom.