Grand Floridian shouldn’t allow non hotel guests

[eandt]

Silly answer for an equally silly question

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?

Wouldn’t matter … there is a cult of gingerbread addicted freeloading tweakers that do nothing but live to clog up deluxe hotel lobbies and transportation at all hours of the day in order to get their next gingerbread fix …. They are insatiable

 

[focusondisney]

Guests paying a premium to stay at the GF do so expecting a more exclusive experience.

When has WDW ever promised or promoted GF as an exclusive experience?? They never have. So anyone who expects that & criticizes because it’s not had only themselves to blame for their unreal expectations.

 

[eandt]

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.

Biggest question is Who is crowding the lobby? What if the vast majority are actual real live paying GF guests as I’m sure that property is sold out during the holidays … wouldn’t that be ironic? Also how does anyone know that Disney hasn’t cut some of the train boat and bus schedules which might cause the transportation issues at certain times of the day?

 

[nuhusky123]

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.

Would start to pickup post lunch and get busy around dinner

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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?

To that end though "freeloading" should be taken with a different definition here. Even if you walk away having not purchased anything there if the decorations piqued your interest, if the resort piqued your interest you may either choose to book that resort next time you're back or purchase DVC points (or rent points), or you may choose to do dining there as well, purchase merch, etc. That's primarily what Disney is hoping for but even then Disney does not seem to mind at this time if you don't, they are just hoping enough will. I remember back in 2017 we monorail hopped around we didn't purchase anything at Grand Floridian nor Poly but we did purchase something at Contemporary in their gift shop. In 2022 we monorail hopped over to Poly for some QS dining. In 2022 we went over via the Skyliner to Riviera got some coffee and enjoyed the lobby ambience. I like to look at the gift shops of the resorts we've been at (which isn't nearly as many as most DISers have been to) personally to see if there's anything I want but I often come away empty handed just because it wasn't what I was looking for.

The OP themselves chose to purchase due to the resort at Christmastime, a fact that has been lost on many of the comments here. Maybe they went in completely blind didn't know a thing about the decorations never saw them for themselves prior to purchasing who knows but many people are "freeloaders" at some point lol.

 

[hockeydad21]

Wouldn’t matter … there is a cult of gingerbread addicted freeloading tweakers that do nothing but live to clog up deluxe hotel lobbies and transportation at all hours of the day in order to get their next gingerbread fix …. They are insatiable

Maybe that could be Disney’s next business venture…onsite rehab facilities. They could have specific programs targeted for the gingy addicts, Trader Sam’s addicts, and so on. Mental health is after all a 100+ billion dollar a year industry in this country and Disney would never turn down a dollar.

 

[gsdweller]

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

I think your biggest problem is that you think you are paying top dollar. Or staying at a super high end resort.

Yes, the DVC resorts are awesome. Yes, they are expensive. No, they are not even close to the luxury that can be purchased for "Top Dollar". I am sure that at a truly high end hotel, they would limit the ability for the riff-raff to come in and roam.

 

[aleria24]

Entitlement at its finest folks. Lovely.

 

[StarCruzer]

I can’t think of a single hotel that limits lobby access anywhere in the world. But wdw is also somewhat unique especially any hotel on the monorail loop

Funny you say that! Several Disney hotels in Japan limit access (lobby+restaurant, or just restaurants) to guests only. The Toy Story Hotel and Fantasy Springs Hotels are off limits to non-hotel guests.

As far as I know, only hotel guests at the Disney hotels in Tokyo can make reservations at the restaurants in the hotel.

 

[nuhusky123]

Funny you say that! Several Disney hotels in Japan limit access (lobby+restaurant, or just restaurants) to guests only. The Toy Story Hotel and Fantasy Springs Hotels are off limits to non-hotel guests.

As far as I know, only hotel guests at the Disney hotels in Tokyo can make reservations at the restaurants in the hotel.

Not done them yet. Nice job

 

[nuhusky123]

Entitlement at its finest folks. Lovely.

Can you explain how this is entitlement?

 

[Disneylover99]

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.

That was just an example. More to the point, there are plenty of guests who are staying at the GF, but they’re spending their money elsewhere, dining at DS or other resorts, etc…I’d guess very few guests staying at the GF, are exclusively spending their money there.

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.

I guess, for me, sorry, I just don’t buy into what you’re saying.

Do people really expect a more exclusive experience just because they’re staying at the GF? That whole mentality, I’ve spent more money than you, I deserve more. It really does sound stuck up and snobbish.

I like to stay at the Poly. The lobby can get super busy at times, especially late morning with character dining at Ohana. Lots of people visit the Poly. More people will always bring transportation waits. I know lots of people who boat over from the MK to eat at Captain Cooks or grab a Dole Whip from Pineapple Lanai. I say, good for them. Enjoy!

 

[nuhusky123]

I think your biggest problem is that you think you are paying top dollar. Or staying at a super high end resort.

Yes, the DVC resorts are awesome. Yes, they are expensive. No, they are not even close to the luxury that can be purchased for "Top Dollar". I am sure that at a truly high end hotel, they would limit the ability for the riff-raff to come in and roam.

I don’t quite get this. Look at rack rates for all wdw hotel. Gf and gfv are 100% of the time more expensive

Random date in June gf starting rate is $800. Sorry that feels pretty much top dollar

 

[eandt]

Funny you say that! Several Disney hotels in Japan limit access (lobby+restaurant, or just restaurants) to guests only. The Toy Story Hotel and Fantasy Springs Hotels are off limits to non-hotel guests.

As far as I know, only hotel guests at the Disney hotels in Tokyo can make reservations at the restaurants in the hotel.

I think Disney tried this at WDW too … the star cruiser or whatever it was called … didn’t really work out so well for them as I recall

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As far as I know, only hotel guests at the Disney hotels in Tokyo can make reservations at the restaurants in the hotel.

Incorrect. These are the only two places pictured below and Fantasy Springs hotel has already been discussed in this thread already, do not expect access to Fantasy Springs hotel to stay exclusive and TDR is already rolling back exclusive products (the one day passport to Fantasy Springs) in several months. Various other dining at the hotels is not restricted to only those staying at a Disney hotel.

 

[aleria24]

Can you explain how this is entitlement?

If I need to explain it, I am wasting my breath because the entitled simply aren't self aware enough to see it. If you are questioning how this is entitled behavior, nothing I can say or do will make you see it.

 

[Chuck S]

Wouldn’t matter … there is a cult of gingerbread addicted freeloading tweakers that do nothing but live to clog up deluxe hotel lobbies and transportation at all hours of the day in order to get their next gingerbread fix …. They are insatiable

I'm probably in the minority, in that while I enjoy my occasional visits inearly December, and seeing the gingerbread house, I really don't care for Disney's version of gingerbread. I'm glad I have my Grandma's recipe, it's more t like a cake texture.

 

[gsdweller]

I don’t quite get this. Look at rack rates for all wdw hotel. Gf and gfv are 100% of the time more expensive

Random date in June gf starting rate is $800. Sorry that feels pretty much top dollar

They are the most expensive at WDW. Not even close to other high end hotels right there in Orlando. You could easily spend more than $1500 a night for a high end single room with one king bed.

 

[hockeydad21]

Move the giant ginger bread house to Disney Springs next year. Problem solved!

 

[Man-DeLorean]

That was just an example. More to the point, there are plenty of guests who are staying at the GF, but they’re spending their money elsewhere, dining at DS or other resorts, etc…I’d guess very few guests staying at the GF, are exclusively spending their money there.



I guess, for me, sorry, I just don’t buy into what you’re saying.

Do people really expect a more exclusive experience just because they’re staying at the GF? That whole mentality, I’ve spent more money than you, I deserve more. It really does sound stuck up and snobbish.

I like to stay at the Poly. The lobby can get super busy at times, especially late morning with character dining at Ohana. Lots of people visit the Poly. More people will always bring transportation waits. I know lots of people who boat over from the MK to eat at Captain Cooks or grab a Dole Whip from Pineapple Lanai. I say, good for them. Enjoy!

Labeling the concern as “snobbish” misses the point. The Grand Floridian is the flagship resort of Disney World, designed to set the standard for luxury and guest experience. People paying top dollar should reasonably expect an environment that reflects that. It’s not about entitlement; it’s about maintaining the quality that the resort promises. If you’re investing in the best Disney has to offer, it’s fair to want that experience without being overwhelmed by non-guests.