LukenDC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2004
- Messages
- 4,938
On the weekend of July 28-30, 2007, I spent two nights at the Grand Floridian. I had never stayed at this resort before and altogether it was a very pleasant stay.
My plane arrived at 10:30 AM and within ten minutes of disembarking, I was on Magical Express on my way to the resort. My room was not ready when I checked into the resort, so I sat in the lobby for a bit taking in the gorgeous floral arrangements and marveling at the stain glass in the domes. I then headed to Citricos for lunch, where I had a window seat with a view of the courtyard pool. My caesar salad and roast beef sandwich were tasty and I even saved room for a small sampler-sized piece of lemon cheesecake. Service was attentive.
After lunch I called the room assignment line to see if my room was ready yet and it was not, so I wandered the shops lining the lobby and bought a special gift for my mother. The night before my trip she reluctantly informed me that her breast cancer had returned and she was constantly on my mind the entire weekend.
After several more phone calls and an increasingly assertive voice from my end, my room was ready at 3:45 PM. The front desk apologized for the late assignment and noted that the resort was full. No big deal---those things happen. I headed to my garden-view room on the first floor of Sago Cay and opened the door with great expectation. The room was charming in every respect!
I was afraid that the room would be too frilly, but I was pleased with the decor and color scheme. I had a small patio looking out onto Gasparilla Grill and the walkways of the resort. Since Gasparilla's was so close to my room, I bought my first refillable mug and used it several times during the course of the weekend.
I wanted to swim, but the pools were closed due to thunderstorms. After a nice nap, I took a walk around the resort and admired the buildings in twilight.
The night was quite humid and my camera lens kept fogging up. I'm still new to photography, so that was a fresh dillema for me. When I returned to my room, I had a message from a friend inviting me to join an informal gathering on the beach at the Poly, so I hopped onto the boat launch and headed over. Several DISers were there, including SeaSpray and Tikiman. Both of them are very nice people and I really appreciated the opportunity to meet them in person. Other DISers I met that weekend include ConcKuhuna, Disneyfan67, and TheRobbs. It was great to finally put some faces with names!
After viewing Wishes at Poly, I returned to the resort. My room had been turned down and there were chocolates on the bed.
I headed to the shower---time to enjoy the toiletries! The Grand Floridian has its own special toiletries by H2O.
The shampoo was extra thick. I felt like I was massaging cream cheese into my hair! I love luxurious toiletries, but the shampoo was a bit much.
The next day I had a quick breakfast at Gasparilla's and headed to Epcot for a few hours before the heat and humdity chased me back to my well air-conditioned room. I hung out in the room and lobby before returing to Epcot for a private party and special viewing of Illuminations. The pool was open when I returned to the resort and I swam for a bit before bed.
The next day was checkout. I had to be out of the room by 11:00 AM, but my Magical Express checkout would not come until 3:25 PM. After vacating the room, I took my bags to the bell desk and then had breakfast at Citricos. My waiter was inattentive and careless, but the other wait staff quickly recognized that and took good care of me. I had French toast for breakfast with a side of bacon. The bacon was burnt and inedilble, so I had to return it. The waiter brought me more bacon that was properly cooked and breakfast proceeded pleasantly.
After breakfast I went to the bus depot with the intention of spending a couple of hours at Downtown Disney. After a half hour the Downtown Disney bus had not arrived, so I headed back to the lobby and sat quietly for 90 minutes. I then took a ride on the Monorail.
By then I was getting hungry again, so I went back to Citricos for lunch. The staff recognized me and I was warmly welcomed. They seated me at the same table I had for breakfast with the same inattentive waiter. Again, the staff took good care of me as the waiter ignored me. A couple of the wait staff made remarks about their colleague's inattentiveness and I would not be surprised if he does not last long. Lunch consisted of French onion soup and a cheeseburger. Both were good.
After lunch I sat on a secluded balcony on the second floor of the main building and waited an hour until it was time to head to Magical Express. A thuderstorm with dramatic bolts of lightening entertained me. The bus came right on time and soon I was at the airport. I am returning to WDW in six weeks, so I did not feel too bad about leaving.
Overall I enjoyed my weekend at the Grand Floridian. Aside from the Citricos waiter, the staff whom I encountered were very friendly and welcoming. That said, the Poly remains my favorite resort and I am unlikely to return to the Grand Floridian unless I get another steeply discounted room.
My plane arrived at 10:30 AM and within ten minutes of disembarking, I was on Magical Express on my way to the resort. My room was not ready when I checked into the resort, so I sat in the lobby for a bit taking in the gorgeous floral arrangements and marveling at the stain glass in the domes. I then headed to Citricos for lunch, where I had a window seat with a view of the courtyard pool. My caesar salad and roast beef sandwich were tasty and I even saved room for a small sampler-sized piece of lemon cheesecake. Service was attentive.
After lunch I called the room assignment line to see if my room was ready yet and it was not, so I wandered the shops lining the lobby and bought a special gift for my mother. The night before my trip she reluctantly informed me that her breast cancer had returned and she was constantly on my mind the entire weekend.
After several more phone calls and an increasingly assertive voice from my end, my room was ready at 3:45 PM. The front desk apologized for the late assignment and noted that the resort was full. No big deal---those things happen. I headed to my garden-view room on the first floor of Sago Cay and opened the door with great expectation. The room was charming in every respect!
I was afraid that the room would be too frilly, but I was pleased with the decor and color scheme. I had a small patio looking out onto Gasparilla Grill and the walkways of the resort. Since Gasparilla's was so close to my room, I bought my first refillable mug and used it several times during the course of the weekend.
I wanted to swim, but the pools were closed due to thunderstorms. After a nice nap, I took a walk around the resort and admired the buildings in twilight.
The night was quite humid and my camera lens kept fogging up. I'm still new to photography, so that was a fresh dillema for me. When I returned to my room, I had a message from a friend inviting me to join an informal gathering on the beach at the Poly, so I hopped onto the boat launch and headed over. Several DISers were there, including SeaSpray and Tikiman. Both of them are very nice people and I really appreciated the opportunity to meet them in person. Other DISers I met that weekend include ConcKuhuna, Disneyfan67, and TheRobbs. It was great to finally put some faces with names!
After viewing Wishes at Poly, I returned to the resort. My room had been turned down and there were chocolates on the bed.
I headed to the shower---time to enjoy the toiletries! The Grand Floridian has its own special toiletries by H2O.
The shampoo was extra thick. I felt like I was massaging cream cheese into my hair! I love luxurious toiletries, but the shampoo was a bit much.
The next day I had a quick breakfast at Gasparilla's and headed to Epcot for a few hours before the heat and humdity chased me back to my well air-conditioned room. I hung out in the room and lobby before returing to Epcot for a private party and special viewing of Illuminations. The pool was open when I returned to the resort and I swam for a bit before bed.
The next day was checkout. I had to be out of the room by 11:00 AM, but my Magical Express checkout would not come until 3:25 PM. After vacating the room, I took my bags to the bell desk and then had breakfast at Citricos. My waiter was inattentive and careless, but the other wait staff quickly recognized that and took good care of me. I had French toast for breakfast with a side of bacon. The bacon was burnt and inedilble, so I had to return it. The waiter brought me more bacon that was properly cooked and breakfast proceeded pleasantly.
After breakfast I went to the bus depot with the intention of spending a couple of hours at Downtown Disney. After a half hour the Downtown Disney bus had not arrived, so I headed back to the lobby and sat quietly for 90 minutes. I then took a ride on the Monorail.
By then I was getting hungry again, so I went back to Citricos for lunch. The staff recognized me and I was warmly welcomed. They seated me at the same table I had for breakfast with the same inattentive waiter. Again, the staff took good care of me as the waiter ignored me. A couple of the wait staff made remarks about their colleague's inattentiveness and I would not be surprised if he does not last long. Lunch consisted of French onion soup and a cheeseburger. Both were good.
After lunch I sat on a secluded balcony on the second floor of the main building and waited an hour until it was time to head to Magical Express. A thuderstorm with dramatic bolts of lightening entertained me. The bus came right on time and soon I was at the airport. I am returning to WDW in six weeks, so I did not feel too bad about leaving.
Overall I enjoyed my weekend at the Grand Floridian. Aside from the Citricos waiter, the staff whom I encountered were very friendly and welcoming. That said, the Poly remains my favorite resort and I am unlikely to return to the Grand Floridian unless I get another steeply discounted room.
My best friend was diagnosed with BC last year, had surgery, chemo and radiation and is now doing fine - but she tells me that it is always in the back of her mind that it could show again. I just try and be there for her, and I bet you are doing the same for your mom....
Even over the Poly! 
We are GF lovers.
I, too, am a natural optimist, so I hope all turns out well. My sister has had breast cancer and a double mastectomy, so I know all too well the worry of having a loved one with cancer. Please send me an email or PM if you want to talk. 
I'm glad you enjoyed your stay at the Grand Floridian, but I understand 100% how you feel and how you explained the different feeling and energy between there and the Polynesian. We've stayed at the GF and had a wonderful time there, but there's nothing like the feeling we get while at the Polynesian. 
