grand floridian

[Netty]

Hi
Has anyone got any idea how much one night at the gf would cost?? and also what about citricos, do you have to dress up to eat there, and whats it like
My dh sister has just celebrated her 25th anniv, and her hubby has asked me to find out details so he can book as a surprise.(if its not $$$$$$$$$$$$$!!)
We don't have ap's or anything for discount
Thanks very much for your help in advance....
Jeanette

 

[jockey]

here is a list of prices, it starts at $339 per room per night!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortRates?id=GrandFloridianResortRatesListingPage

It is worth it though, this resort is great it is our favourite!! As for citricos, you can dress casual!

 

[Netty]

great !!!
thanks for the info
Jeanette

 

[vernon]

For the resort I would suggest contacting http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com and asking them to give you a quote, they should be able to find you the best deal available. Is there a particular reason you're looking at the GF for just one night? If you're looking for a treat for your SIL on a holiday you're all sharing I've got a couple of alternate ideas that might work. If you let me know the circumstances I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Netty]

Hi Vernon
they are going to wdw this thursday for 2 weeks with their 2 boys aged 17, 9. staying in a villa on the 192.
She would of loved to have stayed at the gf but for the price of 2 weeks
We - being her brother and me, have done a ps at the ice cream social for them and said to ask for the re-hitchin ceremony.
Can't think of anything else special to do at such short notice!
Jeanette

 

[vernon]

Well if you wanted to pack them off on their own for a night or two and look after their sons I'm sure it would be a fantastic treat for them no matter where they went. For adults with kids of that age ( well any age for that matter) I can't think of a better present than a couple of romantic days away with your partner without ankle biters (AKA fruit of your loins). If it were me I would prefer, for example, 2 nights at the Swan+Dolphin to one at the GF and give them a chance to really relax for some time on their own. One night sounds like a good idea, but by the time you check in and check out you really don't have a whole lot of time to enjoy the facilities. The cost would be about the same ( maybe less) than one at the GF and IMHO for adults the location of the S+D where you can walk through into Epcot to enjoy the things that tend to appeal more to the middle aged than to the kids would give them some time to do what they would enjoy. The S+D also has a pretty nice pool area if they'd rather just relax.

An alternate would be 2 nights at one of the Universal hotels ( I would go for the RPR or Portifino) so they could have some time at both those parks and also enjoy the excellent pool facilities there. You could then all meet up for your special meal at either Emeril's at Universal City Walk or Tchoup chop at the RPR.

Another possibility , if they'd have transport, would be book a couple of days on the beach for them to "get away" together. I would recommend Disney's Vero beach resort as a top class hotel to have a quiet couple of days.

 

[Frances999]

There may be 'codes' released during your visit. It is a good idea to keep checking www.mousesavers.com for updates. For example, a code released last month was offering huge discounts for Deluxe resorts during August. It may also be worth considering an Annual Pass just for the Annual Pass Holders discounts.

 

[Netty]

thanks every one for all the information
vernon: we're not going with them so can't look after the boys.. so they will have to tag along with them
Jeanette

 

[vernon]

That makes life a little more difficult. It's not easy coming up with romantic type ideas with kids in tow LOL.

In that case I would offer to pay for a special meal out or some other treat. IMHO a night at the GF, however grand, might feel a little bit of a waste as they would have to share with the boys and after staying in a villa sharing a room might feel a little cramped.
Afew ideas that might work

1) A balloon trip over Disney might be a nice idea.

2) A cruise to see Epcot Illuminations show is fantastic fun, we did this on a replica old fashioned wooden speed boat (It was called the Breathless cruise) for my birthday and it was a great way to watch the fireworks and a real thrill ride. As it's a treat for them you have to tell them to make the boys sit in the back seats as this is where they get the wettest . Don't want your SIL looking like she's had a bucket of water poured over her, then placed in a winf d tunnel, then dragged through a hedge. They also do pontoon boat rides that are cheaper, seat more people, but aren't as much fun. I couldn't find much info about their offererings ( poor website design Disney if you're lookingin ) so I would suggest you could call the recreation department ( numbers on the link following) and ask them if they still do it. Breathless would be my #1 choice it's a lot of fun, we had dinner at the Cape May Cafe before the boat trip. As a guess to cost you'd be looking at about $100 for Cape May and $200 for the cruise. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/moreMagic/otherRecDetail?id=OtherRecSpecialtyCruisesDetailPage. The link is misbehaving here's the number
CALL FOR RESERVATIONS(407)WDW-PLAY (939-7529)†

3) Trip to Cirque , if the boys are not interested in Cirque, they could always be allowed to run riot in DQ for a few hours.

 

[Netty]

Vernon,
Thanks for all your help,
your a star!!
Jeanette

 

[UKDEB]

We recently spent one night at the Grand Floridian for my birthday and, whilst I understand what Vernon is saying about not being able to take advantage of the facilities (I've often said the same myself), I still wouldn't write it off, especially if your s-i-l has always wanted to stay at the GF.

Everyone's different, but I don't like the Swan and Dolphin at all. They're sprawling convention style hotels and don't have the Disney feel for me. If I'd set my heart on the GF and ended up staying at the Swan or Dolphin, I'd feel very cheated. I'd much rather have one night at the GF.

Even though GF is Disney's most upscale resort, it's still very kid friendly and has lots for them to do. Citricos is very nice and, as their children are not tots, I think would be good for their group. They might feel more comfortable dressed up a little, but they don't need to go OTT. Shorts would be fine, but your brother might want to consider a shirt rather than a t-shirt. I think the children could get away with wearing anything. Narcoossee's would be nice too. After dinner they could go outside and watch Wishes - apparently the music is piped across there.

Disney has been running a discount offer for August check-ins, but unfortunately it expired yesterday. The GF is considerably more expensive than the other deluxe resorts. Another option would be to stay at either the BoardWalk or the Yacht and Beach Club. From any of these they could explore the BoardWalk and walk or catch a water taxi to either Epcot or MGM. The Flying Fish Cafe and Spoodles are both nice restaurants. The ESPN bar would be a fun (although not especially romantic!) option for their group.