Grand Floridian shouldn’t allow non hotel guests

[ExcitedForWDW]

We went last night to check out all the hype. It really was amazing and we are glad we went. But wow was it ever packed! I do see op’s point and get where they are coming from but at the same time it is great that Disney Allows all guests to experience it. Either way it is worth seeing! Oh and the bus line to DS was ridiculous so I can see the frustration hotel guests may feel. Enjoy the holiday season all!

 

[eticketplease]

I really do see if from both sides. It would be a shame to block the amazing lobbies of these resorts to just guests staying or eating there (I love a good resort hop), but it does beg the equation: why do non-paying guests have equal priority to the resort and transportation as paying guests? That does seem unfair.

Not sure where they’d find the space, but maybe they could make a priority line (lightning lane, anyone?) to the monorail/boats for those staying on property. Maybe something like the right side of the monorail is for paid guests, the left is for visitors (don’t think this would work at MK, but that’s a different problem). They could quickly and easily check the on-property guests as they go through security. If you’re just a guest visiting, no problem, but understand you’ll be waiting a while to get to and from the resort.

I’d be ok with that if I were just visiting. Doesn’t get rid of the crowds completely but at least paying guests have priority access to transportation, which is a big concern.

This would certainly assist when the non paying guests are leaving but are you going to have a lightning lane to get off the monorail or boats?

If you limit the access to get to GF you would have less people to worry about leaving but I don't know how you would do that since a lot of people are coming for ADR's and then that could make them late. Yes I know there is a grace period but it still hinders operations at that point.

 

[RMDVC24]

Let’s keep it simple. The boat to gf and train to gf

No need to be snarky

I understand your point. However, WDW transportation is available to everyone in WDW because it is necessary to navigate such a large area with so many different offerings. Suggesting that transportation to the Floridian should be limited to guests and paying visitors only is ridiculous in my opinion. What about the Skyliner? I'm sure people staying at those resorts are frustrated with long lines of people riding the Skyliner without being a guest at one the hotels, having reservations or visiting Epcot/HS. Should that be limited too? What about the buses? Should Disney Springs be limited to only people who intend to spend money there?

I know how much it costs to stay at these deluxe resorts and how much we shell out for DVC dues. However, I understand that millions of people visit WDW every year from all over the world. I would never expect an 'exclusive' experience just because my family is privileged enough to stay at the deluxe resorts. WDW resorts are intended for 'tourists' to pop in and out just to see them. Similar to the Vegas strip. People walk in and out of Vegas hotels every day just to see them. Resort hopping at WDW is the same as walking the Vegas strip. It is part of the experience.

 

[eticketplease]

boats arrive at the mk dock where half the riders don’t get off because they want to continue on to gf

Sorry I can't help myself but the boat that goes to the MK is shared with Poly.
The boat goes from MK to GF to Poly to MK and back to MK.

Are we saying people that are at the Poly are going to get on the boat to ride to the MK and not get off until the get to GF when it is one stop on the monorail from Poly?

 

[nuhusky123]

We went last night to check out all the hype. It really was amazing and we are glad we went. But wow was it ever packed! I do see op’s point and get where they are coming from but at the same time it is great that Disney Allows all guests to experience it. Either way it is worth seeing! Oh and the bus line to DS was ridiculous so I can see the frustration hotel guests may feel.

I understand your point. However, WDW transportation is available to everyone in WDW because it is necessary to navigate such a large area with so many different offerings. Suggesting that transportation to the Floridian should be limited to guests and paying visitors only is ridiculous in my opinion. What about the Skyliner? I'm sure people staying at those resorts are frustrated with long lines of people riding the Skyliner without being a guest at one the hotels, having reservations or visiting Epcot/HS. Should that be limited too? What about the buses? Should Disney Springs be limited to only people who intend to spend money there?

I know how much it costs to stay at these deluxe resorts and how much we shell out for DVC dues. However, I understand that millions of people visit WDW every year from all over the world. I would never expect an 'exclusive' experience just because my family is privileged enough to stay at the deluxe resorts. WDW resorts are intended for 'tourists' to pop in and out just to see them. Similar to the Vegas strip. People walk in and out of Vegas hotels every day just to see them. Resort hopping at WDW is the same as walking the Vegas strip. It is part of the experience.

Yeah I think all hotels should consider limiting non guests.

Disney springs is a bad argument, it’s not a hotel and people are not paying either dvc or hotel rates to stay at Disney springs

 

[nuhusky123]

Sorry I can't help myself but the boat that goes to the MK is shared with Poly.
The boat goes from MK to GF to Poly to MK and back to MK.

Are we saying people that are at the Poly are going to get on the boat to ride to the MK and not get off until the get to GF when it is one stop on the monorail from Poly?

Guests were getting on at poly, not getting off at mk and continuing on to gf where they got off. At least two groups were not guests as they were openly discussing the matter how they were visiting. This was the small boat that looks like a steam boat

 

[eticketplease]

Guests were getting on at poly, not getting off at mk and continuing on to gf where they got off. At least two groups were not guests as they were openly discussing the matter how they were visiting. This was the small boat that looks like a steam boat

Well those guests had nothing but time on their hands I'm guessing.

 

[walt34]

This would certainly assist when the non paying guests are leaving but are you going to have a lightning lane to get off the monorail or boats?

No why? If being able to access transportation is the problem, getting on the transportation would need a priority lane. It's not about limiting guests at the resort -it's about keeping transportation workable for hotel guests.

If you limit the access to get to GF you would have less people to worry about leaving but I don't know how you would do that since a lot of people are coming for ADR's and then that could make them late. Yes I know there is a grace period but it still hinders operations at that point.

Priority lane for hotel guests and ADR guests. Everybody else can still go but has to wait a bit longer during peak times.

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

I agree with OP. Beyond the implicit ideations of relaxation, Disney explicitly advertises Grand Floridian as elegant and sophisticated (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/grand-floridian-resort-and-spa/). Synonyms there include graceful and refined. Allowing throngs of non-paying guests to pack the lobby and jam the transportation is the opposite of that.

It’s a deluxe resort. In fact, of the small group of deluxe resorts, it’s usually the most expensive to stay at, by a good 10-30%. Intimately interwoven in the price of a stay there, or anywhere else, are the resort’s amenities. To simply allow anyone and everyone access to them, regardless of if they’re guests or not, is unfair to the guests who are paying for them.

Respectfully, I disagree with those who have stated to the effect ‘it’s great that Disney lets everybody in to see the decorations, that way they can experience the magic, regardless of their ability to pay.’ First, if people are paying to go to Disney World, the parks themselves have an awful lot of magic already. Particularly so when decorated around Christmas. Second, if people are actually doing what a commenter here posted, about local, non-Disney patrons / TikTokers simply showing up to get ‘completely free Disney entertainment’, that should certainly be discouraged.

How is allowing these masses of people in any different than if throngs of people were to show up, day after day, to crowd up to the windows and edges of balconies, to watch the fireworks from California Grill, but without dining there? If anything, my California Grill example is less egregious than what’s happening at GF, in that it would only be for a finite period of time and only once a day at a set time.

I am exceptionally far from elitist. I have never stayed at GF and probably never will. But, I do believe that you should get what you pay for, regarding hotels and most everything else in life. Allowing the paying guests to experience detriment of resort amenities at the hands of non-paying ‘guests’ is not fair.

Disney must know this is happening. They’re aware of occupancy rates for every day of the year. They’re aware of monorail wait times / usage for everyday of the year. Certainly they’re aware of incongruence; i.e., that monorail times are longer around the holidays at a disproportionate rate compared to occupancy.

while I personally wouldn’t do it, I don’t blame the people who are crowding the GF at the expense of guests. The majority of them are probably oblivious on the impact to hotel guests. Ignorance is bliss. However, Disney does not share that ignorance.

 

[bakerworld]

I think this thread subject could be said of every resort on the monorail. GF is always a circus at Christmas. The area the locals bother me is Disney Springs - not because of the number but the attitude.

 

[Chuck S]

I think this thread subject could be said of every resort on the monorail. GF is always a circus at Christmas. The area the locals bother me is Disney Springs - not because of the number but the attitude.

I did Thanksgiving week once, and that was at OKW. I learned my lesson. If you don't want crowds, don't visit Disney during the the time when schools are out for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Spring Break. Visit the first part of December, it is a bit less crowded when school is in session, and all the Holiday stuff is running. Simply put, if you travel during holidays, there will be crowds. They are not going to limit access to a hotel using Disney transportation.

As far as transportation, I remember back in the early 1990s, resorts issued resort IDs, and you had to show them to board resort transportation. It delayed boarding, and if you happened to forget your ID in your room, you were out of luck. Nor, given today's "Entitlement Mentality" do I think it would be a workable solution, and there could be physical confrontations between "Karens" and Cast Members. Not the kind of publicity any entertainment venue would want.

 

[eticketplease]

No why? If being able to access transportation is the problem, getting on the transportation would need a priority lane. It's not about limiting guests at the resort -it's about keeping transportation workable for hotel guests.

The original issue was the crowded lobby of people not staying at GF. If it is more difficult to get there than theoretically there are less non resort staying guests and thus my comment of are we implementing a lightning lane to get off the monorail as well which was made about creating lightning lanes to get on the monorail.

The lobby is absolute chaos with non hotel guests

 

[Genie+]

Monorail was only e ticket at Disneyland and was never categorized at WDW.

That being said if an e ticket was purchased that is going towards monorail funding not towards the amenities at GF just like now when everyday guests have a park ticket and are free to take the monorail and stop at the resorts.

There were some years where you needed to show your room key to access the Resort Monorail at WDW back before the age of Magic Bands.

I’m not sure if the Resort Boats were ever restricted just to guests.

 

[crazycatlady]

We stayed at the GF in December last year and the lines for the monorails, boats, and buses were ridiculous. There was one evening that DH and I were able to catch a bus from AK to DSp and retrieve a forgotten cc, get a bus from DSp to ASMu to pick up a friend's car, and drive back to the GF in a few minutes more time than it took my son and his girlfriend to get a bus straight to the GF from AK. We had all left the park at the same time.

I definitely do not think they should restrict lobby viewing to resort guests or ADR guests only, but Disney needs to do something about transportation for the people who are paying a lot of money to stay there. They need to add extra buses from the parks, for sure. I like a PP's idea of a separate resort guest/ADR line and visitor line for the monorails (to and from) the MK, and boat restrictions to monorail resort guests only during busy times.

I also wish there was some way to stop people from sleeping in the lobby, either guests or non-guests. If you are a resort guest, go up to your room and nap. If you are not staying there, go back to your own resort and nap. If you are napping you are not enjoying the lobby and also denying someone who would like to enjoy the lobby a seat to do so.

I am not an elitist in any way. Our family stayed at value resorts for most family vacations and then at moderates when our kids were too big to comfortably fit into the values. We always enjoyed visiting the deluxe resorts, but we never used them as a place to sit in the lobby and take an hour long break from the parks. If we wanted a break, we took the bus back to our own resort.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

This would certainly assist when the non paying guests are leaving but are you going to have a lightning lane to get off the monorail or boats?

If you limit the access to get to GF you would have less people to worry about leaving but I don't know how you would do that since a lot of people are coming for ADR's and then that could make them late. Yes I know there is a grace period but it still hinders operations at that point.

The thing is everyone is already having to accommodate for longer lines and missing ADRs because they can’t get on a monorail for 30-45mins. If there were a priority line for on-property guests and those with ADRs at all the relevant resorts and transportation stops, then it would benefit everyone who matters in this situation. No need to restrict visitors, but they might be slightly more inconvenienced for a free activity. But at least those paying would have some consolation and priority. I think this would go a long way to making those paying for the opportunity to stay at these resorts feel a bit better about dealing with holiday crowds and the usurping of “their” resort/reservation.

 

[eticketplease]

There were some years where you needed to show your room key to access the Resort Monorail at WDW back before the age of Magic Bands.

I’m not sure if the Resort Boats were ever restricted just to guests.

Yes but I was just pointing out it was not a separate fee like the old tickets were as anyone could ride the monorail for free but yes the resort one was only included with resort guests.

 

[pinkxray]

We own at VGF and I bought to stay be able to stay at my favorite resort in Dec. My Dh is not a GF fan so I tend to use my points to stay else where when he comes on trips. However, I always make a trip to GF to visit. We stayed at BW last month and I took the bus to Mk, boat to GF to check out the gingerbread house and buy the new Gf magnet. I would be very sad not being able to visit if I weren’t staying there.

I do think the transportation sucks during peak times. We tend to avoid that bc we will talk to Mk or drive to other parks, but I understand not everyone wants to do that. I wish Disney would run more boats or something to ease the waits. Perhaps do a couple boats going Gf-Mk with no Poly stop.

 

[eticketplease]

The thing is everyone is already having to accommodate for longer lines and missing ADRs because they can’t get on a monorail for 30-45mins. If there were a priority line for on-property guests and those with ADRs at all the relevant resorts and transportation stops, then it would benefit everyone who matters in this situation. No need to restrict visitors, but they might be slightly more inconvenienced for a free activity. But at least those paying would have some consolation and priority. I think this would go a long way to making those paying for the opportunity to stay at these resorts feel a bit better about dealing with holiday crowds and the usurping of “their” resort/reservation.

I'm not saying to restrict anyone. Someone mentioned a lightning lane for getting on the monorail from GF as there is too long of a line.
As a way of making the lobby not as crowded all at once I simply asked if there would also be a lightning lane to exit at GF to cut down on the guests exiting at once. No idea how that would even be feasibly possible but just threw that out as less people at a location means less people trying to leave said location.

The biggest part of the issue is not that GF is overcrowded but that it is the last stop before MK.
You will have Contemporary, If someone gets on at TTC and finally Poly all getting on first making the monorail full.

 

[jennypenny]

Isn't one solution to make the xmas/gingerbread displays at other resorts just as appealing? That would spread out the crowds a little. I've always wondered why they don't do more for the holidays around the boardwalk where there is some room to absorb the crowds.

I don't want them limiting access to other resorts. I like visiting them.

 

[Tink3815]

I can understand paying guests’ frustration with the crowds. Disney should have a separate priority line for paying guests to enter the monorail at the hotel and Magic Kingdom to avoid the long lines. They should also have one for the quick service restaurant. Unfortunately, I do not think there is much they can do about people in the lobby other than creating a space for guests only during the time the tree is up.