Grovsenor Hotel Near Downtown Disney?

WaltD4Me

<font color=royalblue>PS...I tried asking for wate
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
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We are thinking of staying at the Grovsenor Resort for our trip in December. I've had friends say it's nice because you can walk over to the Market Place. I know it isn't fancy and doesn't have the coolest pool, but still thinking of giving it a try. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions or reviews? Any where to get a good deal for the Grovsenor? Entertainment book maybe?


Thanks! :wave2:

Lisa

Doin' Disney in Decemeber 2004!
 
Hello: I wouldn't stay there. We stayed there and it was just ok, no, it was poor. Really, I wished we'd stayed at All Star instead. Unless you're getting a fantastic price $49-69 forget and go somewhere else. Sorry.
 
I agree with Canadian Tom on this one. Unless you are getting an incredible rate I would not recommend this hotel.
 
My family was going to book a package the grosvenor offered with the room and park hoppers or ultimate park hoppers ( I don't remember which ). We ended up booking All Star Movies for this October. The price was pretty good for grosvenor, but I started checking online at different sites that have reviews of hotels. Most places seemed to say that, the hotel was okay, but was due for a refurbishment. Many people seemed to say the regular rooms were not that great, suggesting it would be as good or better to stay at All Stars or moderate if you get a good deal. More people seemed like they were satisfied when they had the tower rooms.

Search the net for some of the reviews of this or any other place you might want to stay. Remember, many people don't leave good feedback, so it's more a matter of which places have the most negative reviews.

A tip, we stayed at the days inn suites at old town just east of WDW in 2002. The rate was incredibly cheap, but the room did not resemble the online pic. It looked like it had seen a few too many spring breaks. After we checked in and read a note in the room about housekeeping and what you needed to do during your stay, we found half a six pack in the fridge. The cabinets were not completely clean. The bathroom had a slow toilet and a slightly leaky showerhead. The wall behind the murphy bed had a fist sized hole in it. One of the lights in the room did not work. I always give the room a once over on check in so I can notify the front desk of any problems, so I'm not blamed/billed for them later. We decided we could live with these things as we would not spending much time in the room.

On checkout day as we we're packing up our kitchen stuff, we found a bug in the cupboard. I'm no expert, it appeared to be a cockroach. I caught it in a cup, and took it to the front desk and showed it to them. They say it was some type of palm or palmetto bug ( it's been almost 2 years ). They ended up taking a few bucks off the bill. Our 6 day 5 night stay was $225. They never really responded to complaints. Days Inn corporate sent me an e-mail in regards to my complaint saying that they regretted any problems, however, it was not a company owned facility, but they would pass my concerns on to the management. Yeah, right.

Sorry, just had to vent a little. Be careful of the pics of rooms and facilities you see online, they can deceiving.
 

We stayed at the Grosvenor a few spring breaks ago....it was only so-so....at that time it needed refurbishing...the location is great (if you can't stay on-site); we always walked over to the Downtown transportation so I don't know how their shuttles are...but it was older and didn't have the "magic"....I've read where other places on that row might be nicer.....I agree a value resort might be better if you have that option...good luck!
 
I've never stayed at the Grovsenor, so I can't speak for it, but we have stayed at the Wyndam (formerly the Buena Vista Resort I think? and the Holiday Inn (which used to be a Marriott). The Wyndam is very nice...and the courtyard was decent. I was think of staying at the Doubletree or Hilton in DD this year since I have Hilton Points, but ever since we stayed at Disney owned resort last year, it's been hard to stay off the property. Anyway, you can get good deals from www.downtowndisneyhotels.com....i think they have packages...even for the grovsenor....Good luck!
 
Don't do it. The ONLY way that I would ever stay there again is if it was free or only $25.00 per night and they guarenteed a tower room or suite. We stayed there paying $100 per night and it was nasty. Filthy comes to mind. The key thing to the door was broken and the front desk was so rude that they said things like "Did you put the key in right?". DUH! Don't let the pictures on there web site fool you, they show the "Tower" rooms and they are nicer, but still in need of an up date. It is VERY nice being right across from DTD, but they rooms and employee's leave a lot to be desired. FYI~the "Standard" rooms are NOT in the main part of the hotel, and the ceilings are lower than average. It's almost like they converted a parking garage into another wing of rooms. There are other nice places to stay, but not there. Considering the prices they are charging I have to agree with the others that you can stay at the All Stars, Pop or even a Moderate for a night instead. I can't begin to describe how filthy our "wing" was. Mold was all over, nasty stuff smeared on the bathroom walls (use your imagination and you will be right) as well as just dirty.

Have a great trip no matter where you stay.

Wendi
 
We stayed there right after 9/11 (see below), when Disney didn't have any deals. For $39/night Tower Room it was okay... but no magic. Busses were infrequent and full. A long wait.
I would rather stay at one of the Value Resorts that here again. Wasn't dirty, (heck, it was empty!) just no magic.
 
We had an OK experience there..we started in a regular room and didnt like it so managed to get a Tower room which is a huge difference. If you could stay in a Tower room for a good deal it wouldnt be too bad.
 
First I was going to stay at the Best Western in DTD (one night)for $70, then I found the Grosvernor with a DTD and Epcot view room for like $100 a night (one night) with taxes. Then finally I'm sticking with the Pop Century, so happy with my decision! And I'm staying two nights! This will be my first time on property! What a better way to spend my birthday! :)

Tink
 
Hi! My party of 11 stayed here 8/01. It's been a few years but....
We did have a tower room with a view of DTD,their fireworks, and in the distance we could see the aerial fireworks from MK, and Epcot. Nice rooms, great maid service,the overall appearance of the property was very nice. Bus service was okay(could have been better, but then they say that about staying onsite too. I really liked being so close to DTD very convenient. Also there are fridges in the rooms with no extra charge. I would definately look into staying there again.:wave2:
 
For what it is worth, we loved it. We just returned last month and spent 5 nights here. We had a wing room that faced DTD and had a great view of the fireworks. The room was very, very clean and the staff was great. I will definately stay here again.
 
Originally posted by WaltD4Me
Any where to get a good deal for the Grovsenor? Entertainment book maybe?

I've stayed here (in wing rooms) 3 or 4 times and never had a disappointing stay. I've always been able to get a discounted rate. I'm staying again for 7 nights in a little over 2 weeks. I'm planning on paying close attention to all the things people complain about and writing a review when I return.

This time I'm paying $59 per night on a special from the Orlando Magic Card. We just barely got in on the value rate. I think it's $79 during peak times. Once I added tax and resort fee it was just a little cheaper than the value resort on sight but I let my son decide which he preferred and he picked the Grosvenor. I'm not sure but the rooms feel larger than the value resorts and there's a refrigerator in every room. The resort is also more compact than the values so you have a shorter walk to the bus stop and pool. The location near Downtown Disney can't be beat. The bus service was no better or worse than the bus service at the value resorts although the Downtown Disney buses are much more comfortable.

I do know they have Entertainment Card rates but I don't know what the rate is now. I imagine they are similar to the Magic Card rate and the Magic Card is free.

Carolyn
 
Originally posted by verchad
My family was going to book a package the grosvenor offered with the room and park hoppers or ultimate park hoppers ( I don't remember which ). We ended up booking All Star Movies for this October. The price was pretty good for grosvenor, but I started checking online at different sites that have reviews of hotels. Most places seemed to say that, the hotel was okay, but was due for a refurbishment. Many people seemed to say the regular rooms were not that great, suggesting it would be as good or better to stay at All Stars or moderate if you get a good deal. More people seemed like they were satisfied when they had the tower rooms.

Search the net for some of the reviews of this or any other place you might want to stay. Remember, many people don't leave good feedback, so it's more a matter of which places have the most negative reviews.

A tip, we stayed at the days inn suites at old town just east of WDW in 2002. The rate was incredibly cheap, but the room did not resemble the online pic. It looked like it had seen a few too many spring breaks. After we checked in and read a note in the room about housekeeping and what you needed to do during your stay, we found half a six pack in the fridge. The cabinets were not completely clean. The bathroom had a slow toilet and a slightly leaky showerhead. The wall behind the murphy bed had a fist sized hole in it. One of the lights in the room did not work. I always give the room a once over on check in so I can notify the front desk of any problems, so I'm not blamed/billed for them later. We decided we could live with these things as we would not spending much time in the room.

On checkout day as we we're packing up our kitchen stuff, we found a bug in the cupboard. I'm no expert, it appeared to be a cockroach. I caught it in a cup, and took it to the front desk and showed it to them. They say it was some type of palm or palmetto bug ( it's been almost 2 years ). They ended up taking a few bucks off the bill. Our 6 day 5 night stay was $225. They never really responded to complaints. Days Inn corporate sent me an e-mail in regards to my complaint saying that they regretted any problems, however, it was not a company owned facility, but they would pass my concerns on to the management. Yeah, right.

Sorry, just had to vent a little. Be careful of the pics of rooms and facilities you see online, they can deceiving.
 
I just returned, had a 2 night stay this past weekend.
I thought everything was good. I think they must be taking all those complaints and doing something about it.
I did not see one unhappy camper the time we were therey.
Granted we only paid $50 a night.
The pool looks clean, they have a playground.
I would stay there again.
Just my 2cents worth.

July:sunny:
 
July:

Out of curiosity, where did you find the $50 rate? The MagicCard offer is $59 I know, but I've never seen $50...that is COOL!

I'm glad you had a good experience. The location seems so fantastic, and the fridge in the room is very nice. I was at one point in hopes to stay here because of its proximity to everything and the Baskervilles gift certs, etc., but then the bad reviews began rolling in....

Glad you had fun! :Pinkbounc
 
My husband and I have stayed there many times. But no more. The second to the last time we were charged TWICE for the same night. It took me over 10 minutes to attempt to get the front desk to understand the problem. And trust me, their ability to understand English was not a problem. And it isn't even like they added an extra night, they had one date listed twice. I emailed in a complaint the day we got home. I recieved an apology and an offer to "let us make it up to you". When it came time to make reservations for our next trip, I kept surfing the net, but could find nothing. I was determined not to stay there again. Finally my husband said, lets see what they can offer. We bit. So when we went back down in May (last trip offsite as we recently became DVC members) we stayed there one last time. WHAT A MISTAKE.
We were in a tower and had water pouring in from the ceiling two different days. The first time it happened we were out and could not tell what had happened. But the next time I was in the bathroom when it started.
The room was musty and even the towers need to be updated. BIG TIME.
The only thing that kept the two of us going back was the breakfast. And the waitresses in the restaurant are wonderful. They treated us like family. We go down three times a year and they would remember us from trip to trip.
The bus is nice, but it is the last stop and normally you will stand in the morning. But hey, that might be the case at any other hotel.
Being close to the Marketplace was nice. And laying on the bed and watching the fireworks from EPCOT were nice.
It was nice a couple of years ago, but they must have had a change in management recently. Sorry, trying to be kind!
 
MollyBelle,
I got the $50 deal on priceline. My first attempt ever. All I wanted was a Disney location hotel 2 1/2 - 3 * was fine. I started out bidding $39 and went up to $50 but with taxes it is probably more like $62. And of course don't forget the $7.50 dollar a day resort fee.
But our stay was very nice. The location can't be beat.

July
:Pinkbounc
 
Originally posted by CarolynNC
I've stayed here (in wing rooms) 3 or 4 times and never had a disappointing stay. I've always been able to get a discounted rate. I'm staying again for 7 nights in a little over 2 weeks. I'm planning on paying close attention to all the things people complain about and writing a review when I return.

Carolyn

We returned last night and had another enjoyable stay at the Grosvenor. If you like spending the evening at Downtown Disney the location can't be beat.

We had connecting rooms (west wing facing Downtown Disney) on the third floor of the wing building. I usually ask for the 3rd floor because it's the same level as the lobby. Both of our rooms were clean and well taken care of. This is an old property so the rooms don't look brand new but they were well maintained. I did not find mold in the bathrooms. The tile and fixtures were in good shape. The only complaint I have is the shower curtain is clingy when showering. It too was clean and without mold.

It rained a lot while we were there. After a few days our rooms smelled damp but I think that was more because of our wet clothes, not a condition of the room. One storm was so bad it knocked out the ticket computer in the Disney gift shop located in the lobby. I had to walk over to the Hilton to get our e-night tickets (another perk of staying in this hotel).

Back to the rooms! Someone mentioned low ceilings. I didn't take a tape measure but they looked normal height to me. My son is 6' 4" and he had plenty of head clearance. Maid service was excellent and we had no problems communicating with the staff. The rooms are equipped with irons, ironing boards, hair dryers, coffee makers, supply of tea and coffee, ice bucket, safe, and refrigerator. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower caps are provided.

We were able to use the on-TV internet but I also used my laptop for a more secure connection to do my work. Local calls up to 20 minutes are included in the resort fee so we just disconnected and reconnected if we weren't finished. You could also check your room charges on the TV. I paid a cash deposit up front so I was able to see how we were doing against the balance. I didn't want charges made to my credit card.

I used 2 or 3 different sets of steps and the stairwells were clean and well lit. One morning there was litter in the stairwell but when I returned later in the day it had been cleaned. I put that down to guests who can't pick up after themselves. The wing elevators are small and old but they were clean as well. There are two laundry rooms, one in each wing. The one in the East Wing has more machines but both have new looking machines. It cost $2.50 to wash and $2.50 for 30 minutes of dryer time. The laundry room was also clean.

My son and his friend had Pizza delivered to the room one night. I believe there is a Pizza Hut franchise in the building. They thought the pizza was great. One thing I forgot to warn him about was the mandatory tip on room service. He tipped additionally. It was a learning experience for him so that's okay. We also picked up things from Crumpets (lobby shop) several times. Prices were a little high but no higher than they would have been at a Disney property. I think 20 oz drinks were $2 but in the machines they were $1.75. Once we made it to a store that wasn't an issue. We also ate one night in the upstairs bar (Moriarty's). Food and drinks were good and reasonably priced.

With all the rain I didn't use the pool and hot tub as much as usual. When I go with my son I spend the mornings at the pool while he sleeps late. (It was hard coordinating 4 people's wants during this trip.) The boys thought the pool and hot tub were great. I checked them out and found nothing to complain about.

Bus service. There is a disadvantage to being the last hotel on the bus loop but only in the early morning runs. We only went out early two mornings. The bus fills up before it gets to the Grosvenor. One morning they called for a backup bus which came within 10 minutes. The other morning we were headed to Epcot but when the bus filled we took the MK bus and went over to Epcot on the monorail. The bus service didn't bother us since we aren't commando types. We rarely make it to the park for opening. Buses run every 20 to 30 minutes picking up at the hotel on the hour and half hour. They pick up at the park on the quarter hours. Park pickup is in the parking lot at space #26 which is no further walk than some of the on-site bus stops.

We were offered package delivery to the hotel. Although we didn't take advantage we were told they would be delivered the following day. If I remember correctly that's the same service received by on site resort guests.

The Disney shop in the lobby is well stocked with a variety of merchandise for those last minute souvenirs before returning home. They even had the monorail magnet! Love this magnet. Push the button and hear the monorail phrases. It's like having a little bit of Disney at home!

I think I've covered everything but if you have questions, just ask.
 













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