Grand Floridian Sugarloaf Club 5/27-5/31 Review

[wanderingdee]

Last time we stayed I assured my husband we would have two queen beds since there are three of us. We walk into our room and of course it’s a king size. I figured the odds were definitely with me at the Grand.

 

[Bran Fox]

Just to defend myself a little. My whole theory on any interaction in life is to kill them with kindness. I think people respond much better to someone asking for help and not demanding anything. If anything I was overly kind, overly sweet, and overly patient. I offered to take a less OR more expensive room at any property and either eat the difference or pay it. I was never short, never demanding and never entitled. Whether or not you buy that at CM was rude is up to you, but I can assure you I was thankful, grateful, and very very polite. I think the GF CMs would be shocked to hear that we were disappointed or annoyed in any way at all. We were at Disney, after all.

 

[jbehr12]

In all fairness to our TA and me, I just went back to review the booking process. For standard rooms at GF it says “2 Q or a K”. At any hotel I have ever stayed at, if you have a preference stated, they meet it. Certainly we checked in early enough, certainly we made the preference known both on the reservation and in person several times. It’s not beyond the realm of normal expectations to receive the room we requested, and certainly to be able to request such without getting major attitude from the person on the phone, or waiting over 1/2 hour for word back. I was not asking for a refund, I was asking for a room in our room type booked.
And, quite honestly, I would have had better service from any standard Hilton or Marriott, even if they were unable to accommodate. If I were staying club level in any chain, even more so. Disney dropped the ball in their response to me, in tone, in timeliness, and in execution. There is also no excuse for having a room adjacent to the kitchen like that. It should be storage and nothing more. The further out I get from it, the more aggravating it is, actually. When you pride yourself on guest experience, especially on a premium level at your premium resort, it’s an issue when you fail at that experience. Had the person I spoke to been pleasant, had there truly have been no rooms available, had they not then put us in an awful room, different story. But, I stand by being upset that at a premium price point they could not handle this better.

If you’ve gotten your request at every hotel you’ve ever been at you should travel with me because I too would like that impeccable luck. A request is just that, a request, not a reservation or a promise.

 

[Bran Fox]

If you’ve gotten your request at every hotel you’ve ever been at you should travel with me because I too would like that impeccable luck. A request is just that, a request, not a reservation or a promise.

Actually, I take it back. One time, I booked a really cheap hotel in Paris via Priceline and we wound up with two queens. We knew it was a gamble and we did not ask for a change. I do not think it was out of line to expect a King when a King was an option for the room we booked. I had no clue it was such a difficult request. Any other hotel I have stayed in, a room change request, though rare, have been handled quickly, politely, and efficiently by the front desk. For a measure of how many hotel nights I am talking about, I’ve got low-tier lifetime status at two major chains (we have kids that travel for their respective sports and are away most weekends during their seasons). So, frequent travelers, infrequent requests, but nearly always honored. Maybe those chains are a different beast, but a polite response is not too much to ask.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I'm sorry for the disrespectful aggravation that you had to endure when you tried to address a problem that you were experiencing at the Grand. There is no excuse for the attitude. I've included the contact information should you wish to contact Disney about your concerns. It would be helpful if you included your dates and reservation number in any correspondence.

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

My Past Walt Disney World Visit:
(407) 939-6104

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns on the Dis Boards. Your experience will help other readers if they should encounter the same treatment. You did a great job addressing your concerns in a positive manner. Please do not read too much into some people's need to be negative when you share something that went wrong with your hopes concerning your trip.

~NM

 

[jbehr12]

Actually, I take it back. One time, I booked a really cheap hotel in Paris via Priceline and we wound up with two queens. We knew it was a gamble and we did not ask for a change. I do not think it was out of line to expect a King when a King was an option for the room we booked. I had no clue it was such a difficult request. Any other hotel I have stayed in, a room change request, though rare, have been handled quickly, politely, and efficiently by the front desk. For a measure of how many hotel nights I am talking about, I’ve got low-tier lifetime status at two major chains (we have kids that travel for their respective sports and are away most weekends during their seasons). So, frequent travelers, infrequent requests, but nearly always honored. Maybe those chains are a different beast, but a polite response is not too much to ask.

Aside from you there’s probably hundreds of other king bed requests for any given night, but not nearly that many king bed rooms unfortunately. Some requests just can’t be honored at Disney due to sheer volume. I do agree about the polite response, that should go without saying.

 

[HairyChest]

Not to excuse the CM, but she did *NOT* speak with a CM at GF. She picked up the phone and dialed "0," which goes to the Call Center.

I don't care where the CM is. If I'm a paying guest at a resort and I'm connected to a call center to address my concerns, they need to be appropriately trained and address the guests needs without attitude. It is not the concern of the guest where the CM is working, what department. That's Disney's decision of who they have in place to help guests. They should all have wonderful customer service skills working for Disney when they are in the position of talking to guests directly.

 

[Nancyg56]

P

I would have had extremely high expectations of a value resort as well. I have incredibly high standards for Disney, not because of price point but because of their focus on customer service and experience.

We had a great trip. Actually, the only thing that fell short enough to even mention was the GF, both the way they reacted to a guest request AND by the room itself.
Yes, my TA should have known better. The GF staff should have done better.

I am not sure what else the GF staff could have done. You booked a room category that was in steep demand in contrast to the number available, and they coudl not accomodate you once you arrived unless you were placed in that room. Frankly, given a choice between noisy and two queens, I would choose the two queens any day, but that is how I roll, Your preference was in getting the size bed you wanted.

Tone is subjective, so I would not be so sure the CM you called was rude. For years I was a QA analyst in a large call center. We took work outsourced from other companies, so needless to say, there were times our partnership was rocky. We had a CM whose tone was flat. It just was. She was constantly berated by our clients to bring more inflection into her voice, be perky. For her, that was impossible. The constant negative feedback regarding her voice eventually drove one of the best reps out. You see, the more she tried to be perky, the more stilted she became, and that just got her dinged more.

My point is that you called already annoyed, The CM knew what you booked, and it was not what you thought you booked and could see there was not much she could do to make you happy. She cannot give what is not available. She may not have been trying to be rude, she may have been the uncomfortable messenger.

I am sorry the Grand did not meet your expectations. I have always been happy there, and want everyone to have a wonderful experience in one of my favorite locations.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Actually, I take it back. One time, I booked a really cheap hotel in Paris via Priceline and we wound up with two queens. We knew it was a gamble and we did not ask for a change. I do not think it was out of line to expect a King when a King was an option for the room we booked. I had no clue it was such a difficult request. Any other hotel I have stayed in, a room change request, though rare, have been handled quickly, politely, and efficiently by the front desk. For a measure of how many hotel nights I am talking about, I’ve got low-tier lifetime status at two major chains (we have kids that travel for their respective sports and are away most weekends during their seasons). So, frequent travelers, infrequent requests, but nearly always honored. Maybe those chains are a different beast, but a polite response is not too much to ask.

The thing is, making requests at WDW resorts is a gamble as well. It's been stated repeatedly in this thread. When a WDW resort room category includes four different possible room configurations, you can only make a request for the room configuration you would like. You can not "check off" the option you would like and expect a guarantee. If every other hotel you ever stayed in was able to honor your request to change rooms quickly, it means they are certainly not running at capacity. Believe me, if the GF room assigner could have honored your request for the king room, they would have. They see the notes and they try their best. I have had many visits where my requests were completely granted and some visits where they could only accommodate one request such as "away from elevator" but not "higher floor". There is nothing they could have done to make your requested room configuration magically appear and, as you found out, there was a reason they didn't originally assign you the king you ended up in. You are absolutely correct - those other chains are a different beast. We travel very frequently to destinations all over the world and WDW is run completely differently than any other hotel or hotel chain we've ever stayed in. Once you learn the ins and outs of booking WDW (such as booking the exact room configuration you want), these hiccups occur less frequently. I do agree, however, there is zero excuse for rudeness on the part of the CM. As I stated before, if you ever have an issue with your room during a future WDW stay, go directly to the front desk or CL CM's as they will be able to handle your request more efficiently than a call center CM.

 

[Tink-osophy]

I don't care where the CM is. If I'm a paying guest at a resort and I'm connected to a call center to address my concerns, they need to be appropriately trained and address the guests needs without attitude. It is not the concern of the guest where the CM is working, what department. That's Disney's decision of who they have in place to help guests. They should all have wonderful customer service skills working for Disney when they are in the position of talking to guests directly.

Completely agree with this.

Guest service is guest service. It's good that people are advised of the current difference, service-wise, between phoning from their room and standing at front desk, but it's disappointing that Disney continue to provide that level of inconsistent guest service. Surely they could do better if they wanted to.

 

[sndral]

Actually, I take it back. One time, I booked a really cheap hotel in Paris via Priceline and we wound up with two queens. We knew it was a gamble and we did not ask for a change. I do not think it was out of line to expect a King when a King was an option for the room we booked. I had no clue it was such a difficult request. Any other hotel I have stayed in, a room change request, though rare, have been handled quickly, politely, and efficiently by the front desk. For a measure of how many hotel nights I am talking about, I’ve got low-tier lifetime status at two major chains (we have kids that travel for their respective sports and are away most weekends during their seasons). So, frequent travelers, infrequent requests, but nearly always honored. Maybe those chains are a different beast, but a polite response is not too much to ask.

The average hotel occupancy rate in the U.S. is around 66%, Disney’s domestic 2018 hotel occupancy rate was 88% - you were able to change rooms at your other chains because they’ve had empty rooms to move you to. Disney can’t give you a room if someone else is already sleeping in it. If you’d booked a king bed room, then I’d be properly incensed, but you didn’t.
I agree that the off site people who answer the phones aren’t always the best - much better to address room issues in person at the front desk when at WDW.

 

[Bran Fox]

Quick recap for anyone thinking of GF: They are booked at capacity often and you may not get your choice of beds. There is an option to book a King only and there are some room choices that can only be 2 Queen. In the categories where there are multiple bed options, this is NOT bed choice, just a bed request.
This may be unclear to those who are not intimately familiar with occupancy rates or policies at Disney.
In addition, if you encounter an issue at your Disney hotel, don’t dial 0 to speak to someone as service levels from “call center” CMs differ from those at the resort. If you have an issue, go to the front desk to speak to a resort CM.

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone considering the GF for their hotel stay.

 

[vinotinto]

Quick recap for anyone thinking of GF: They are booked at capacity often and you may not get your choice of beds. There is an option to book a King only and there are some room choices that can only be 2 Queen. In the categories where there are multiple bed options, this is NOT bed choice, just a bed request.
This may be unclear to those who are not intimately familiar with occupancy rates or policies at Disney.
In addition, if you encounter an issue at your Disney hotel, don’t dial 0 to speak to someone as service levels from “call center” CMs differ from those at the resort. If you have an issue, go to the front desk to speak to a resort CM.

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone considering the GF for their hotel stay.

Your summary is applicable to ALL Disney-owned hotels, not just GF.

 

[jbehr12]

Quick recap for anyone thinking of GF: They are booked at capacity often and you may not get your choice of beds. There is an option to book a King only and there are some room choices that can only be 2 Queen. In the categories where there are multiple bed options, this is NOT bed choice, just a bed request.
This may be unclear to those who are not intimately familiar with occupancy rates or policies at Disney.
In addition, if you encounter an issue at your Disney hotel, don’t dial 0 to speak to someone as service levels from “call center” CMs differ from those at the resort. If you have an issue, go to the front desk to speak to a resort CM.

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone considering the GF for their hotel stay.

This is pretty much true property wide.

 

[cutigerlady]

I’m sorry to hear your experience was less than grand! I would put some of the blame on your travel agent. While I doubt you would know the likelihood of getting a “request”, I would expect a travel agent who specializes in Disney travel would. They should have set your expectations if the bookable King rooms were not available, that the number of king beds is very limited.

I would have tried to work out your issues with the Club level staff. The rudeness of the phone agent wasn’t okay. I find standing in front of someone generally has a better outcome.

While we love the RPC club at GF, the cost has gotten ridiculous. We love the club staff at the YC and the food is amazing! We were there and all the YC management was looking at the offerings and walking around getting feedback. They always had varying hot and cold dishes every morning, as well as different options each night.

 

[Bran Fox]

Quick recap for anyone staying at a Disney Property:
1. The hotels on property book at near 100% capacity and they are unable to accommodate all or even most requests for bed configuration or room location.
2. At any property, a listing of bed configurations under a room type are only the types of beds that might be assigned in this category.
3. Some hotels you can book a King room specifically, and some categories have categories with a 2 Q configuration as the only option in that category. Beyond that, there is no “bed choice” on property, only a request. They will do their best to accommodate but there are hundreds of like requests each day.
4. Should you have an issue with your room assignment, do not dial 0 as you will be connected to a call center CM who may have a varying level of service than a hotel CM. Walk down to the desk and speak to a Front Desk CM instead.

 

[alex9179]

You're a good sport, Bran Fox.

 

[wdwlver]

C

 

[FSU Girl]

Quick recap for anyone staying at a Disney Property:
1. The hotels on property book at near 100% capacity and they are unable to accommodate all or even most requests for bed configuration or room location.
2. At any property, a listing of bed configurations under a room type are only the types of beds that might be assigned in this category.
3. Some hotels you can book a King room specifically, and some categories have categories with a 2 Q configuration as the only option in that category. Beyond that, there is no “bed choice” on property, only a request. They will do their best to accommodate but there are hundreds of like requests each day.
4. Should you have an issue with your room assignment, do not dial 0 as you will be connected to a call center CM who may have a varying level of service than a hotel CM. Walk down to the desk and speak to a Front Desk CM instead.

I do think Disney is realizing more people do want king beds. I noticed new categories show up at some hotels, like Animal Kingdom Lodge where it is now an option to book.

 

[CT Disney]

Frankly, given a choice between noisy and two queens, I would choose the two queens any day, but that is how I roll, Your preference was in getting the size bed you wanted.

I'm thinking they didn't exactly give her a "choice" between noisy and two queens. From what I recall they just asked her if she minded the first floor. It's not like they said "We can move you to a king room but it's right near the lounge entrance and kitchen. It's gonna be super loud in the early morning. And late at night. And also at all times in between." Honestly, I think that the CM who moved her should have been a little more forthcoming as to the location of the new room. Perhaps OP would have asked to stay put or even asked to be moved to a different resort. Seems like communication was lacking here.