Grand Floridian shouldn’t allow non hotel guests

[nuhusky123]

There are no freeloaders is my point. Everyone has a right to be there because everyone is welcome.

Say a guest staying at universal comes to gf. How are they paying for gf?

 

[Sandisw]

Yes snob, whatever, although your insult is more original at least

So if new logic is anyone staying on wdw property has paid to visit gf, what about the locals or tourists staying off property?

If they have paid money to eat, shop at any of the resorts or parks, at anytime, then yes, they have paid to visit it because WdW has decided it’s part of the experience.

If they are a local and just come for a visit, and have never paid a dime to WDW, apparently WDW has built that into the cost of doing business.

All guests who visit WDW and spend money is what funds every aspect of it…GF guests pay for more than just operating costs of GF…

Here is an example….the housekeepers get paid the same rate whether they work at GF or Pop….the rates for rooms are certainly different…so very good chance money earned for one goes to support all within that union.

 

[nuhusky123]

If they have paid money to eat, shop at any of the resorts or parks, at anytime, then yes, they have paid to visit it because WdW has decided it’s part of the experience.

If they are a local and just come for a visit, and have never paid a dime to WDW, apparently WDW has built that into the cost of the locals who do spend.

I’m playing along with that argument.

a local never having paid a dime using the amenities. That argument I know you hate.

Forget the fact Disney is a business, the simple question is. Is that fair to the gf paying guest?

 

[Sandisw]

I’m playing along with that argument.

a local never having paid a dime using the amenities. That argument I know you hate.

Forget the fact Disney is a business, the simple question is. Is that fair to the gf paying guest?

Yes, because they choose to stay at a hotel that is open to the public for shopping and dining…and any other events…which includes those held in the lobby.

That is the meaning of fair…because when they don’t stay there, they get the same benefit.

I simply subscribe to the idea that if you know some of the areas of your hotel are shared space…or amenities as you like to call them…then one should not be upset when people entitled to those spaces use them.

GF guest are simply not entitled to exclusive use of the lobby…because its not part of the amenities they have paid for..

Now, if WDW wants to make GF exclusive, then you can bet the rates would be much higher, and that could include charging DVC owners for that luxury.

I mean, should GF guests be upset that Poly guests have had shared access to their fitness center?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Last week was that perfect storm of holiday week and holiday party.

Someone fact check me here, but wasn’t this the first year they’ve had a Friday of Thanksgiving week party? That’s a pretty good recipe for robust evening party commute conditions. I seem to remember a time when there were more gaps in party dates over Thanksgiving week, which has trended away in recent years. This year Thanksgiving week was stacked with parties - Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. We went to the Tuesday party and had plans to hit GF for a tree photo with our party outfits, but got behind on time so didn’t make it.

 

[cbailey1616]

Except you didn’t pay for exclusive access to the lobby, shops, or dining locations, because It has never been an exclusive space.

Now, you can certainly want to see WDW change the policy…but to say you paid extra for use of the lobby or other spaces because you are a

People are paying a premium for an experience that they are not getting.

Lobby: Packed + Lines for everything
Transportation: 30 Minute wait
Food: Booked out + quick service swamped

This is a terrible experience experience for people staying at the resort. Why even bother?

 

[eandt]

People are paying a premium for an experience that they are not getting.

Lobby: Packed + Lines for everything
Transportation: 30 Minute wait
Food: Booked out + quick service swamped

This is a terrible experience experience for people staying at the resort. Why even bother?

You could say this about virtually every square inch of WDW during certain times of the year …

 

[Man-DeLorean]

See, this is probably part of the disconnect. I can guarantee you most frequent visitors reading this will tell you that waiting for 2 monorails is commonplace, and waiting for a third monorail or second bus during Thanksgiving week is not the least bit outrageous. That's not a "suck it up" observation. It's a "that's how things are during the second busiest week of the year at Walt Disney World" observation.

I've been to WDW every December for the last 12 or 13 years staying at almost every DVC resort. I've had trips that encompassed July 4th, Memorial Day, MLK and other holidays. Not once have I ever looked around a resort lobby and bemoaned the number of people present or questioned their right to be there. So, yeah, that entire line of thinking is lost on me.

While I understand wanting a premium experience for a premium price, I think there are practical limits to what Disney can deliver. I'm of the opinion that the vast majority of the people using GF resources are resort guests and diners. The resort has a THOUSAND hotel rooms and villas, plus five table service restaurants, three of which are "signature" level. It's not just outsiders who have a reason to spend more time in the lobby. If you've got 3000-4000 registered guests at the resort, just a small percent wanting to take family photos and sniff the gingerbread will crowd the space.

Personally, I don't believe that creating multiple boarding queues on the monorail platform or stationing the Disney Police to scan IDs would have much positive impact on the experience. But they would be costly to implement and represent a source of frustration for many guests. It's a lot of change to propose when the only real payoff is some lesser number of people in the lobby and boarding the 2nd monorail instead of waiting for a 3rd on a handful of the busiest nights of the

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Disney is unlikely to do much about crowd management and I’ve never expressed an issue with non-guests visiting the hotels. I’m not “bemoaning” anyone—I’m simply sharing my perspective based on my recent experience, just as you are. Guests can have different experiences, especially in a high-traffic environment like Disney.

I’ve visited Disney during Thanksgiving week for over 10 years and know what to expect. However, the crowd levels and wait times I encountered this year were unlike anything I’ve seen before. Saying “this is just how it is” because it’s Thanksgiving week isn’t accurate. I’ve stayed at many Deluxe resorts during Thanksgiving week, including the last three years at the Grand Floridian, and have never experienced the level of overcrowding I saw this year.

Just because you’ve been going for years doesn’t mean your experience invalidates mine. Frequent visitors can have different perspectives, and no one should be expected to brush off legitimate concerns if something is off. If your assumption is that it’s primarily hotel guests contributing to the crowds, why was it so much worse this year? Wouldn’t that suggest a significantly higher occupancy rate?

Everyone has different expectations and tolerance levels. That doesn’t mean I need to lower mine simply because “it is what it is.”

 

[Sandisw]

People are paying a premium for an experience that they are not getting.

Lobby: Packed + Lines for everything
Transportation: 30 Minute wait
Food: Booked out + quick service swamped

This is a terrible experience experience for people staying at the resort. Why even bother?

You are paying to stay at the GF with the understanding that the gingerbread house is there and that WDW allows people to visit and that it is going to be crowded because the resort is open to the public.

People know that when they book…or they should because Disney advertises it that way.

So, if one chooses the GF during the holidays, then they should not be surprised when they get there and it’s crowded.

It’s not like you are promised the resort will be closed to visitors and you get there and they change the rules at the last minutes.

That, to me, is the whole point. While it can certainly be more than one expects, and I get it might be frustrating, I don’t agree that those who choose GF, especially DVC, were somehow thrown into a completely unexpected situation and it’s unfair to them, because they are getting what they paid for….a resort and transportation options that are open to the public.

I do agree with you that if one is not willing to deal with it, it’s not the resort to choose during the holidays.

I dont mind it and choose to stay there because the pros outweigh the cons for me….ill be there next week…and if it’s crazy, then we will adjust..

 

[cbailey1616]

You could say this about virtually every square inch of WDW during certain times of the year …

Where? Which park lets a bunch of none paying people in drastically increasing wait times for paying customers?

 

[Sandisw]

Where? Which park lets a bunch of none paying people in drastically increasing wait times for paying customers?

Do you think that the experience of guests who are at the park on Xmas day is the same as December 20th? They both probably paid a similar price for their park ticket…but getting a much different experience.

I will keep saying it but the monorail, lobby and restaurants are not exclusive for those staying at GF and as long as they are not, then everyone using them is in the same situation because no one has more right to it than anyone else.

Now, wanting Disney to increase the buses and boats to ease the transportation issues is definitely something they should be doing, so that those staying there have options other than the monorail.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Please don't change your plan due to a few people. I don't know why some guests think they own the entire resort by renting just a room. We're staying at BWI this holiday to be near Cake Bake, but I may make a trip to GF just to tick some people off.

<psst this is the attention they were looking for when they made that post, no one is actually making any changes>

 

[cbailey1616]

Do you think that the experience of guests who are at the park on Xmas day is the same as December 20th? They both probably paid a similar price for their park ticket…but getting a much different experience.

I will keep saying it but the monorail, lobby and restaurants are not exclusive for those staying at GF and as long as they are not, then everyone using them is in the same situation because no one has more right to it than anyone else.

Now, wanting Disney to increase the buses and boats to ease the transportation issues is definitely something they should be doing, so that those staying there have options other than the monorail.

They aren’t exclusive but that’s the whole argument. Unless you can meet basic resort paying customer needs (food and transport), they need to drastically revamp this policy.

 

[eandt]

Where Which park let a bunch of none paying customers in drastically increasing wait times for paying customers.

Lots more to WDW than parks as I’m sure you know …. Or perhaps some never wander far enough away from the scent of GF gingerbread to know other places in ‘the world’ get just as congested at certain times? …. And you know all these folks clogging up your wait times are ‘non paying customers’ how? What exactly is a ‘non paying’ customer for that matter? I sometimes stop in cause I just feel the urge to nosh on a gingerbread shingle while I ride the Disney transportation system that I paid for … it’s really nothing personal

 

[AstroBlasters]

Me eating my almost $12 Mickey shaped gingerbread treat while looking the Grand Floridian guests directly in the eye.

View attachment 917887

fantastic meme!

I hope most people are taking all of this with a sense of humor. I know I am.

 

[Chuck S]

 

[Sandisw]

They aren’t exclusive but that’s the whole argument. Unless you can meet basic resort paying customer needs (food and transport), they need to drastically revamp this policy.

Last year, the time I was there, you could not order from Gaspirillas unless you were a resort guest….and during prime meal times, and after park close, it was very busy which had nothing to do with visitors since only GF guests could order.

We still have reports from this week that things are not as crazy as last week so maybe last week was over the top and isn’t representative of the entire holiday season.

I’ll report back next week.

 

[Man-DeLorean]

Yes, because they choose to stay at a hotel that is open to the public for shopping and dining…and any other events…which includes those held in the lobby.

That is the meaning of fair…because when they don’t stay there, they get the same benefit.

I simply subscribe to the idea that if you know some of the areas of your hotel are shared space…or amenities as you like to call them…then one should not be upset when people entitled to those spaces use them.

GF guest are simply not entitled to exclusive use of the lobby…because its not part of the amenities they have paid for..

Now, if WDW wants to make GF exclusive, then you can bet the rates would be much higher, and that could include charging DVC owners for that luxury.

I mean, should GF guests be upset that Poly guests have had shared access to their fitness center?

Last week, while I was at the Grand Floridian, I witnessed a family of six at the Courtyard pool, and they openly mentioned they were staying at the All-Star Resort. However, they had another family join them—one that wasn’t staying on Disney property at all. They were all there waiting for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) to begin. To make matters worse, they brought their own food and drinks with them, clearly taking advantage of the resort’s amenities without being guests.

I’m curious—do you think it’s okay for non-resort guests to use the pools at Disney resorts? Is this something that falls under the idea of a public space, or is it more of a privilege reserved for guests staying at the resort?

 

[Smugpugmug]

fantastic meme!

I hope most people are taking all of this with a sense of humor. I know I am.

I'm not. I'm totally serious. I'll chew that gingerbread as if I am a horse that was just given a mound of peanut butter.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I'm not. I'm totally serious. I'll chew that gingerbread as if I am a horse that was just given a mound of peanut butter.

I would expect nothing less from someone whose favorite place to stay is a barn.