HAVING A GRAND OLD TIME! The 2013 Grand Floridian Resort & Villas FAQ

[k&a&c'smom]

AWESOME thank you so much! how much do they charge for it ?

A whopping zero dollars!!

 

[trishadono]

So busy at work after missing a week

Have to say that my SL transfer to VGF worked perfectly

To have a day to access the lounge was great. After check out we just needed to use the KTTW card to get into the building. (MB's worked until then).

If you go to DVC area there is a map with room numbers thread. The lake view 2br villas only have 3 row options. The rooms end in 06,12 or 18 only. Hands down the room we got ending in 6 the best view! It was a straight out view. The other 2 are in the corners so you can't see much from the inner corners of your balconies. FYI we were offered a floor one room and we waited for a upper room to be available. 3rd floor really felt higher, probably because overlooking water. On the lakeview side I think any 1-6 would be good. The lower floors are private due to the fact the walk way is not near to the balconies/patio.

The rooms had a bright open feel to them. We all really loved them especially MIL! We let her have the king room but she let us share the tub and shower areas

DD, MIL and I all tried the huge tub. FUN to sit and watch tv in the mirror/tv.

The music playing from the walkway was a nice touch. Listening to the Christmas music was really one of my favorite things. It was loud enough to hear comfortably without being too loud. If doors shut you couldn't hear it if noise an issue.

We watched EWP from the balcony!
You could see top of Epcot fireworks. If floor 4 and up then should see them pretty well.

The fridge was well lit and way better than the one we all have at home(probably at least most of us)

My 5"11 son slept the first night on the "under bed" (below tv) He loves small spaces and spent most of the first day there watching Netflix from that bed

I slept one night on the sleeper. It is nearly identical to the one at BLT. I sleep fine on them. They are a little hard but I end up sleeping well so that works!

DH said beds at GF are a little better quality than the beds at the villas. They both have triple sheeting.

Have to say we were all impressed. The color scheme was so pretty!! My MIL called all hers friends to brag about the view from the room and sent pix. Even DS who said he hated GF and didn't want to go had to admit it was awesome. Of course my Disney loving daughter loved it all Especially getting mom to do her laundry on vacation

The theme felt Victorian but with a nice blend of modern. We all loved it. The details of the ceilings, the moldings, the lighting, the tile work on floors and kitchen back splash were all just beautiful

Out of all of our Disney rooms this was the most beautiful. My DH said I really outdid myself this time.

Any questions let me know!
Trish

 

[Koh1977]

So what are the best views for GV rooms? Somewhat close to main building for the monorail and/or the beach pool...? Would I need to request a daybed and/or balcony? Trying to get my BFF and her family to go with as well. Could I request connecting rooms if I have 2 rooms booked?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

trisha, thanks for the review, sounds like you had an awesome stay.

So what are the best views for GV rooms? Somewhat close to main building for the monorail and/or the beach pool...? Would I need to request a daybed and/or balcony? Trying to get my BFF and her family to go with as well. Could I request connecting rooms if I have 2 rooms booked?

There are pretty garden views in all areas, it really depends on what you want to see. The marina views in Conch Key & Sago Cay are considered garden, so if you want to look at the marina, request one of those buildings marina side. Otherwise, you will likely be looking at the courtyard pool and Main Building, which is beautiful. Which building you request depends on your needs. To be honest, the resort layout is so small, all buildings have their good points.

Would you like to be closer to the Main building? Request Big Pine Key, which is also close to the Beach Pool. If being near the boat dock and courtyard pool, with a pretty view of the Main Building, is to your liking, request Boca Chica. Conch Key has both courtyard pool and marina views and is near the boat dock and a short walk to Gasparilla's; Sago Cay is quiet, close to Gasparilla's and the bus stop.

Yes, you can request connecting rooms, ask for it to be added to your reservations and remind them at check in. Not guaranteed, but we have gotten rooms with a connecting door even when we asked NOT to have one, so there must be a lot!

Requesting a daybed isn't really necessary, most rooms have them - you may want to request "no dormer" as those are the rooms that you might not get a daybed (although some now do). All rooms have balconies (except a few deluxe rooms and suites).

 

[Mizzgolitely]

when do I need to put in a request for the rollaway?? I check in on Jan 19

 

[mariamouse]

I've missed all of you, too.

LOL about the snooping - looking forward to your results.

I'm tagging onto your shout out to everyone, I hope you all are having a great week and staying warm.

Hello to you too, BlueSkies and k&a&c'smom! I hope you both are doing great. k&a&c'smom- I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time spending the holidays with your kids, but totally understand how tough it must feel immediately after they leave. Hopefully you will all be together again very soon!

We leave for the GF in exactly ONE week (eek!) and are so excited. I'm praying to the weather gods for heat, although it will be better than CT regardless!! At what point do you guys usually trust the Florida forecast? It seems to change every hour. Can't wait to share our GF experiences with all of you!

As nuts as it sounds, I'm most excited for that first moment when we hear the MK train and SSL boat horns from the GF grounds.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I got my magic bands today! 29 days!

 

[mickeynut1]

MickeyNut Hey there!

Thanks about the kids.

LOL about not being sure - even when I have known the answer to a question for years, I sometimes space it and can't remember. I'm getting old.

You're welcome . Mine are still home, so I can only imagine how hard it will be if/when either one or both move away .

Don't feel bad as I space things off sometimes too. I know I know the correct answer, but sometimes I either can't get it into the right words or just draw a blank all together .

We leave for the GF in exactly ONE week (eek!) and are so excited. I'm praying to the weather gods for heat, although it will be better than CT regardless!! At what point do you guys usually trust the Florida forecast? It seems to change every hour. Can't wait to share our GF experiences with all of you!

It won't be long now . Since the weather changes so often, I don't usually check the forecast ahead of time and only trust it once I'm there....and even then it's been known to be off .

 

[mariamouse]

It won't be long now . Since the weather changes so often, I don't usually check the forecast ahead of time and only trust it once I'm there....and even then it's been known to be off .

Ain't that the truth!

 

[mickeynut1]

Ain't that the truth!

We get Chicago weather, so we're used to our weather being all over the place and we've learned to never fully believe the forecasts until we're actually experiencing it .

 

[DisneyDreamingInMI]

I know some of us have been wondering about the room renovation dates and details. I just saw this on EasyWDW (1/9/14) so I thought I would share:

"Speaking of the Grand Floridian, its rooms will be seeing a minor refurbishment from early 2014 through the end of July. Disruption should be minimal to nonexistent for most guests. All rooms will receive all-new carpet and wallpaper. The Conch Key building began January 5th. Boca Chica begins February 4th; Big Pine Key begins March 9th; Sago Key begins April 27; Sugar Loaf begins June 1; and the main building begins June 29."

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I know some of us have been wondering about the room renovation dates and details. I just saw this on EasyWDW (1/9/14) so I thought I would share:

"Speaking of the Grand Floridian, its rooms will be seeing a minor refurbishment from early 2014 through the end of July. Disruption should be minimal to nonexistent for most guests. All rooms will receive all-new carpet and wallpaper. The Conch Key building began January 5th. Boca Chica begins February 4th; Big Pine Key begins March 9th; Sago Key begins April 27; Sugar Loaf begins June 1; and the main building begins June 29."

YAY!!!! Very happy to hear. Now if we can get those sleuths onsite to take some covert pics to post here on the DIS I love the anticipation of the first pics of refurbed rooms. It is so exciting to see who gets the first snapshots uploaded and the unveiling of the new look. Just hope they don't have anything as weird as those cheese wheels and fried eggs like the CR got

Must write a note to myself to keep vigilante watch over this thread around the first of February when Conch may start taking the first guests in the new rooms.....

 

[DisneyDreamingInMI]

Must write a note to myself to keep vigilante watch over this thread around the first of February when Conch may start taking the first guests in the new rooms.....

I'm excited because we are going the first week of February and we requested Conch Key a few weeks ago at online check-in! I'd love to end up in one of the newly remodeled rooms!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I'm excited because we are going the first week of February and we requested Conch Key a few weeks ago at online check-in! I'd love to end up in one of the newly remodeled rooms!

Lucky duck!!! I will cross my fingers for you that the refurb goes smoothly and you can be the first guests to christen the new room Enjoy!!!

 

[MommyGina]

Yay! Confirmed that SL will be done by the time we check in on July 15!

Hi all my friends!

 

[Koh1977]

Yay! Confirmed that SL will be done by the time we check in on July 15! Hi all my friends!

So that means all the other buildings should be done too, right? Yeah!!

 

[trishadono]

Hello to you too, BlueSkies and k&a&c'smom! I hope you both are doing great. k&a&c'smom- I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time spending the holidays with your kids, but totally understand how tough it must feel immediately after they leave. Hopefully you will all be together again very soon!

We leave for the GF in exactly ONE week (eek!) and are so excited. I'm praying to the weather gods for heat, although it will be better than CT regardless!! At what point do you guys usually trust the Florida forecast? It seems to change every hour. Can't wait to share our GF experiences with all of you!

As nuts as it sounds, I'm most excited for that first moment when we hear the MK train and SSL boat horns from the GF grounds.

The forecast changes so much it can make your head spin

We just got back and this is January weather we had. 1/1 at arrival at 10pm was very foggy/ couldn't see across 7 seas lagoon.
1/2 75 and more shorts and t shirts even in evening.
1/3 65 and wore a sweater and jeans and it rained a little and I had an umbrella in my purse.
1/4 50 and wore a long sleeve shirt, sweater, vest and gloves and boots and still cold it not too bad.
1/5 80 and finally got my swimsuit on and sat in hot tub at CR( we moved )
1/6 60 but chilly wore long sleeve t and sweater.
1/7 45 even colder than 1/4

So check and be prepared. I brought it all and for the first time I actually used it. For gloves I just had my vera Bradley fleece. You just don't want to have to buy the $8 gloves they have!

Also I did get a smitch of sun burn so be careful.

You will probably get the good weather so enjoy!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

when do I need to put in a request for the rollaway?? I check in on Jan 19

They usually say to wait for all housekeeping requests until check in and call from the room. If you want, no reason you can't call now and ask for it to be added to your reservation - unless you've done online check in. I'm not sure now (I never use it) but I know in the early years, it sometimes kicked off your requests if you messed with an already checked-in reservation. ??

If anyone has recent experience with either (adding housekeeping requests or calling after online check in), please jump in!

Hello to you too, BlueSkies and k&a&c'smom! I hope you both are doing great. k&a&c'smom- I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time spending the holidays with your kids, but totally understand how tough it must feel immediately after they leave. Hopefully you will all be together again very soon!

We leave for the GF in exactly ONE week (eek!) and are so excited. I'm praying to the weather gods for heat, although it will be better than CT regardless!! At what point do you guys usually trust the Florida forecast? It seems to change every hour. Can't wait to share our GF experiences with all of you!

As nuts as it sounds, I'm most excited for that first moment when we hear the MK train and SSL boat horns from the GF grounds.

I'm so excited for you! One week, woohoo!! I don't think it sounds nuts at all, we love to hear the MK sounds as soon as we arrive. Makes it official - we're in the World.~sigh~

I don't really trust the forecast until the day before we leave, but I keep up with it starting 10 days out. It may change, but it gives a general idea of the trend, so I can decide whether to pack my normal FL gear or add the kitchen sink.

As trisha said, I nearly always pack some light gloves for all the winter months - even when it is 60s in the daytime, the cooler evening temps can give a chill. DD and I were waiting for Illuminations one December evening and our hands got soooo cold from the breeze off the water. Now I have some cheap stretch gloves I keep with the toiletries bag.

I got my magic bands today! 29 days!

You're welcome . Mine are still home, so I can only imagine how hard it will be if/when either one or both move away .

Don't feel bad as I space things off sometimes too. I know I know the correct answer, but sometimes I either can't get it into the right words or just draw a blank all together .

Me, too - maddening, isn't it?!

We get Chicago weather, so we're used to our weather being all over the place and we've learned to never fully believe the forecasts until we're actually experiencing it .

Missouri weather is mercurial, too, we never trust any forecast! Whatever they say, we scoff until it hits us in the face!

I know some of us have been wondering about the room renovation dates and details. I just saw this on EasyWDW (1/9/14) so I thought I would share:

"Speaking of the Grand Floridian, its rooms will be seeing a minor refurbishment from early 2014 through the end of July. Disruption should be minimal to nonexistent for most guests. All rooms will receive all-new carpet and wallpaper. The Conch Key building began January 5th. Boca Chica begins February 4th; Big Pine Key begins March 9th; Sago Key begins April 27; Sugar Loaf begins June 1; and the main building begins June 29."

Thank you, thank you!! I'm going to copy this to the first page.

YAY!!!! Very happy to hear. Now if we can get those sleuths onsite to take some covert pics to post here on the DIS I love the anticipation of the first pics of refurbed rooms. It is so exciting to see who gets the first snapshots uploaded and the unveiling of the new look. Just hope they don't have anything as weird as those cheese wheels and fried eggs like the CR got

Must write a note to myself to keep vigilante watch over this thread around the first of February when Conch may start taking the first guests in the new rooms.....

I know, I'm always stalking resort threads when there is a refurb, to see the new photos as soon as possible. I laughed at the "cheese wheels and fried eggs" - I somehow missed the CR photos, now I've got to go look.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Yay! Confirmed that SL will be done by the time we check in on July 15!

Hi all my friends!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I know, I'm always stalking resort threads when there is a refurb, to see the new photos as soon as possible. I laughed at the "cheese wheels and fried eggs" - I somehow missed the CR photos, now I've got to go look.

So true! Besides the obvious here......I am currently lurking over on BWI, WL(for the VWL), and CBR for the refurb info....you know...just in case(that's my excuse anyway)

Yes.....the CR soft goods refurb included "cheese wheel" pillows on the bed (or they could be seen as yellow eyeballs with the bed runner as the mouth...haha) and the hallway carpet looks like it has fried eggs on it! Very bizarre looking.
Why didn't they make those yellow pillows bolsters?? Would have looked much better IMO.