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

[mommyrosa2]

For all of us going in August...the park hours are out!!!!

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/parkhours/August2014v1.pdf

Oooooh...thanks Mousemommy! Going to check it out now with a glass of wine. Just got home from winter ball dress shopping with my youngest DD and I'm completely !!

 

[mickeynut1]

For the record...now I must check VGF availabilty
I will not change...will not change

Those villas look awful nice

 

[Mousemommy1]

For the record...now I must check VGF availabilty
I will not change...will not change

You know I'd love that change....

Oooooh...thanks Mousemommy! Going to check it out now with a glass of wine. Just got home from winter ball dress shopping with my youngest DD and I'm completely !!

I'm so excited!!! I had gotten the planning form from IPO and was like....I can't fill this out, I don't have the hours!!! And then they came!!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Thank you so much, k&a&c'smom! I largely have you to thank for my feeling so prepared for our GF stay. And we will definitely plan on bringing a pair of gloves (and probably hats too) in case! I will definitely be stalking the weather forecast up to the second we take off. Really hoping it will be warmer than forecast right now!

....

So true about the GF spoiling you! And I just wanted to write that I am so happy to read that you were able to bounce back from Sandy as quickly as you have. I remember your story as well and, living close by on the water in CT, can definitely relate. We were extremely lucky to only have damage to our dock, but were definitely among the worst roads damage-wise in our town. Here's hoping it will be a long time until the next storm rolls in!
....
Usually the time drags so slowly for me before a trip, but I must say work being so busy this week (and likely next week too) has made the time fly! So excited to board that flight down to FL and leave work behind for a few days.

....
Love the pic, k&a&c'smom!

You're welcome! Glad your remaining time is going by quickly, though I'm sorry it is due to a heavy work load. I hear you about looking forward to leaving your stress behind as you jet off to FL - it's a great stress reliever.

Sorry to hear your street had Sandy damage, and I'm hoping your next storm is far, far in the future. (or none at all, even better) We have tornadoes all around us each year, but our town has been so lucky.

I love that veranda outside the GFC. Kind of bummed it's the smoking area now, but they have to have somewhere. I'm glad the smoking is outside instead of in, so I try not to begrudge them one of my favorite spots.

DH's uncle lives in Florissant and his one cousin and her family live in Hazelwood and the son lives close by there too but I can't remember just what town.

I totally agree about the Poly. I didn't care for those bedspreads, but they could have changed all of that and still kept the dark colors .

Thanks for your input on AKL . I wish they still had regular rooms on the CL floor just for the convenience of accessing the lounge, but I'm thinking it won't be too bad. I think the biggest inconvenience will be going up to the lounge from the pool, but the WL lounge is on the 7th floor and we didn't mind going up there from the pool, so it will probably be fine . I'm hoping we can make that trip work as I really want to try CL there.

As far as the CR, we don't really care for the overall atmosphere as it resembles your average hotel with all of the concrete, but I really would like to try CL as it gets pretty good reviews. If we book there it will only be for 2 nights before or after our cruise as I don't think I'd be able to stay there for a week or more.

Thanks for posting the GF pic. The GF is just lovely from anywhere on the grounds .

Well, small world! My sister lives in Wentzville now, but her family lived in St. Charles for many, many years (just west of Hazelwood & Florissant). My son lives in STL, too, but on the south side in Kirkwood.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the ease of heading up to the lounge from the 4th. It does not seem all that bad to me, but then, I love wandering the resort, it's so beautiful. On the Zebra Trail side, you just walk down the hallway to the elevator on Giraffe Trail; if you are on Kudu, I think there is a stairway. We always request Zebra.

I'm thinking of requesting Conch marina side? Are these considered GV? And could we see the monorail perhaps as well?

Yes, those are all GV rooms. You might be able to see the monorail in the distance from some of the rooms a bit farther out into the marina (I'm sure another poster on here can confirm either way), but the better monorail view would be facing toward the convention center from Sago Cay (not the marina side of Sago Cay). Unfortunately, though, you would not have the marina view from there (only part of the lake, the convention center and the monorail).

I would probably give the Conch Key view the edge, but that just comes down to personal preference!

Yes, you can see the monorail from all the rooms on the marina side of Conch, check out this post for photos of the view from the 5th floor, room closest to SL (7501, if I recall). This post has photos of the Sago Cay views of marina and out the back at the monorail.

I agree, I prefer the location and views from Conch Key, but many people like the quiet of Sago. ETA: it may not be evident from the Sago photos, but you have to choose between marina view and monorail view; in Conch, you get both.

For the record...now I must check VGF availabilty
I will not change...will not change

We'll see.

I'm so excited!!! I had gotten the planning form from IPO and was like....I can't fill this out, I don't have the hours!!! And then they came!!!

Thanks for the info, btw.

 

[Koh1977]

You're welcome! Glad your remaining time is going by quickly, though I'm sorry it is due to a heavy work load. I hear you about looking forward to leaving your stress behind as you jet off to FL - it's a great stress reliever. Sorry to hear your street had Sandy damage, and I'm hoping your next storm is far, far in the future. (or none at all, even better) We have tornadoes all around us each year, but our town has been so lucky. I love that veranda outside the GFC. Kind of bummed it's the smoking area now, but they have to have somewhere. I'm glad the smoking is outside instead of in, so I try not to begrudge them one of my favorite spots. Well, small world! My sister lives in Wentzville now, but her family lived in St. Charles for many, many years (just west of Hazelwood & Florissant). My son lives in STL, too, but on the south side in Kirkwood. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the ease of heading up to the lounge from the 4th. It does not seem all that bad to me, but then, I love wandering the resort, it's so beautiful. On the Zebra Trail side, you just walk down the hallway to the elevator on Giraffe Trail; if you are on Kudu, I think there is a stairway. We always request Zebra. Yes, you can see the monorail from all the rooms on the marina side of Conch, check out this post for photos of the view from the 5th floor, room closest to SL (7501, if I recall). This post has photos of the Sago Cay views of marina and out the back at the monorail. I agree, I prefer the location and views from Conch Key, but many people like the quiet of Sago. ETA: it may not be evident from the Sago photos, but you have to choose between marina view and monorail view; in Conch, you get both. We'll see. Thanks for the info, btw.

Thanks so much for the links to the pics!! LOVE the views from Conch!

 

[trishadono]

I got my magic bands today! 29 days!

I was unsure of them at first but in the end even ds16 enjoyed the convenience. Also dd bought us girls some bling for our bands

We leave for the GF in exactly ONE week (eek!) and are so excited.

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 sounds and the smell of the lobby too.

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:

Thanks!

It is so exciting to see who gets the first snapshots uploaded and the unveiling of the new look.

I will be watching for this too!

Just hope they don't have anything as weird as those cheese wheels and fried eggs like the CR got

Lol we just got back from cr and I kept laughing at the eggy floor. Dh and dd insisted they were flowers but.... Ya no, they are eggs

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

Hi all my friends!

I will say this in a tongue and cheek manner -- unfortunately no, it isn't my first stay at the GF! As I found out, once you stay at the Grand it ruins you for all other properties!
Tom

If you try the villas the feeling gets worse!



Sorry if I missed this posted earlier. At gf they had this new tv screen with the bus times(didn't have at CR). The busses had a GPS device on it and the times were transmitted to the screen. It was so cool

We use GPS for our business but was awesome technology.

The screen would change sometimes and show the next bus time too. For ex. Animal kingdom had 6:02 for time on one screen and 6:20 on the second. Best part the busses came on time! There was also an attendant there observing. If they do this everywhere then wow busses won't be such a mystery anymore.

 

[trishadono]

Also an advantage of staying at gf!!! When it rained they had a basket of nice dry fluffy towels by the door to the lobby when entering from the rain.

They don't have that at POP

 

[pas130]

Hi!!

You are going to LOVE the Grand!!

Those villas look awful nice

OMG they really do! And I was booked in one..but yikes they are expensive!

You know I'd love that change....



I'm so excited!!! I had gotten the planning form from IPO and was like....I can't fill this out, I don't have the hours!!! And then they came!!!

Thanks for the link Candace!! I would love to change to GF....but I am really trying to get everyone jazzed for WDW..and they are hooked on BC so far

We'll see.

I can just put a rollaway in someone's closet

Also an advantage of staying at gf!!! When it rained they had a basket of nice dry fluffy towels by the door to the lobby when entering from the rain.

They don't have that at POP

I love that! Especially as the A/C blows on you!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

trishadono Thanks so much for posting about the new TV screen at the bus stop with the bus times. I saw that on another resort thread where it was being tested. Glad to see that it has been installed at GF. So nice to know when they are coming in case someone needs to run back to the room to fetch something left behind This ALWAYS seems to happen with our family at least once a trip. Last time we were at CSR and DD decided to tell us she had a leg ache and needed medicine....only after we had already been at the bus stop waiting for the bus over 5 minutes. As soon as it came out of her mouth, I looked up and saw the bus coming for our park. We were the first bus stop and I knew it had to run the circle around the resort. I walked/jogged back to the room, grabbed the medicine, and made it to the last bus stop at El Centro right before the bus pulled in with the rest of my family. WHEW!

Yeah.....I am not sure what we would do with my DH if we stayed at the CR after this latest refurb. He LOVES eggs. The constant reminders of fried eggs on the carpets there would have him eating/wanting eggs all day long. His cholesterol is already high enough. I have the same problem when visiting Hershey PA seeing all those Hershey Kisses lampposts .....

 

[mickeynut1]

Well, small world! My sister lives in Wentzville now, but her family lived in St. Charles for many, many years (just west of Hazelwood & Florissant). My son lives in STL, too, but on the south side in Kirkwood.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the ease of heading up to the lounge from the 4th. It does not seem all that bad to me, but then, I love wandering the resort, it's so beautiful. On the Zebra Trail side, you just walk down the hallway to the elevator on Giraffe Trail; if you are on Kudu, I think there is a stairway. We always request Zebra.

Small world indeed .

I think you're right about accessing the lounge. I don't think it will be too bad. I, too, love wandering around the resort. AKL is such a beautiful resort and since it is kind of out away from everything, it's make for a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere .

OMG they really do! And I was booked in one..but yikes they are expensive!

I agree....even though they are beautiful, they are quite expensive .

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Thanks so much for the links to the pics!! LOVE the views from Conch!

The marina views are really beautiful.

Also an advantage of staying at gf!!! When it rained they had a basket of nice dry fluffy towels by the door to the lobby when entering from the rain.

They don't have that at POP

Thanks for mentioning this, it's always a nice surprise to walk into the Main Bldg. and find a towel to dry off. And thanks for the bus stop info; like Grace&CarolinesMom, I had read about it but didn't know it was at the Grand.

Thanks for the link Candace!! I would love to change to GF....but I am really trying to get everyone jazzed for WDW..and they are hooked on BC so far

I can just put a rollaway in someone's closet

LOL about the rollaway. I can't remember - have you stayed at BC before? If not, you are going to love it; if so, you already know how great it is.

trishadono Thanks so much for posting about the new TV screen at the bus stop with the bus times. I saw that on another resort thread where it was being tested. Glad to see that it has been installed at GF. So nice to know when they are coming in case someone needs to run back to the room to fetch something left behind This ALWAYS seems to happen with our family at least once a trip. Last time we were at CSR and DD decided to tell us she had a leg ache and needed medicine....only after we had already been at the bus stop waiting for the bus over 5 minutes. As soon as it came out of her mouth, I looked up and saw the bus coming for our park. We were the first bus stop and I knew it had to run the circle around the resort. I walked/jogged back to the room, grabbed the medicine, and made it to the last bus stop at El Centro right before the bus pulled in with the rest of my family. WHEW!

Yeah.....I am not sure what we would do with my DH if we stayed at the CR after this latest refurb. He LOVES eggs. The constant reminders of fried eggs on the carpets there would have him eating/wanting eggs all day long. His cholesterol is already high enough. I have the same problem when visiting Hershey PA seeing all those Hershey Kisses lampposts .....

Ugh, I can so relate to your comment on the bus stop and needing to go back for something. Better than getting off the bus at the park and finding out you've left something critical, but still a pain. This will, indeed, be a huge help!

You were a quick thinker with that bus route timing! Kudos!

LOL about your DH and the fried eggs.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Small world indeed .

I think you're right about accessing the lounge. I don't think it will be too bad. I, too, love wandering around the resort. AKL is such a beautiful resort and since it is kind of out away from everything, it's make for a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere .



I agree....even though they are beautiful, they are quite expensive .

I almost missed this as it posted while I was composing! I hate it when I end up the first post on a page, as it causes me to miss things unless I think to go back.

AKL is one of the most relaxing resorts. DD, her friend and I spent 6 days there one year, and I only went into the parks...twice, I think, for a couple hours each. It's nice that Sanaa is close by for a sit down lunch option, that was one of my only complaints.

 

[pas130]

LOL about the rollaway. I can't remember - have you stayed at BC before? If not, you are going to love it; if so, you already know how great it is.

I haven't stayed at BC yet, DH and I did YC CL when RPC rejected us but he didn't like the overall vibe...but he was like that at GF too...I really would love GF but DH says leave it

I agree....even though they are beautiful, they are quite expensive .

It's crazy..I could do 2 CL rooms for less

 

[ember303]

Booked 7/11-7/14!! Not sure if it will happen, but for now, there's a slight chance!

We will also be there 7/11-14 then going to another disney resort for another week. Haven't picked our other resort yet. We may do French quarter but not sure yet. Waiting on July special offers to be released.

 

[Koh1977]

I haven't stayed at BC yet, DH and I did YC CL when RPC rejected us but he didn't like the overall vibe...but he was like that at GF too...I really would love GF but DH says leave it It's crazy..I could do 2 CL rooms for less

I did LOVE BC. YC does have a different feel and I was glad we chose BC.

 

[Koh1977]

We will also be there 7/11-14 then going to another disney resort for another week. Haven't picked our other resort yet. We may do French quarter but not sure yet. Waiting on July special offers to be released.

Awesome! I kept looking at POR and POFQ, but have yet to actually stay at a moderate. Not sure I'll ever go to a moderate after staying at the GF! ;-)

 

[pas130]

I did LOVE BC. YC does have a different feel and I was glad we chose BC.

Thanks Krystal I needed to hear exactly this!

 

[Koh1977]

Thanks Krystal I needed to hear exactly this!

No problem. especially with the kids, not that it would've been a problem I am sure, but still...

 

[mariamouse]

Thanks . We love AKL, so I'm very confident CL wouldn't disappoint . I will definitely report back should we end up going. I can't wait to hear all about your trip when you return .

I can't wait to share all about our trip with you!

You're welcome! Glad your remaining time is going by quickly, though I'm sorry it is due to a heavy work load. I hear you about looking forward to leaving your stress behind as you jet off to FL - it's a great stress reliever.

Sorry to hear your street had Sandy damage, and I'm hoping your next storm is far, far in the future. (or none at all, even better) We have tornadoes all around us each year, but our town has been so lucky.

I love that veranda outside the GFC. Kind of bummed it's the smoking area now, but they have to have somewhere. I'm glad the smoking is outside instead of in, so I try not to begrudge them one of my favorite spots.

Thank you, k&a&c'smom! The heavy work load is all good (better than not having enough to do)! Between that and the crazy cold temperatures and snow recently, I feel like I'm really earning this trip to the World!

And agreed about hoping for *no* storm at all! I can't even imagine experiencing a tornado (way scarier than a hurricane, IMO) and am so glad to hear that they haven't paid you a visit recently. A (fairly small) tornado hit Atlanta during my freshman year of college several years back, but it happened to fall during my spring break when I was far away in the Caribbean with my family. Good timing!

I've never really spent time on that GF veranda, but will have to hang there one day next weekend (assuming there isn't cigarette smoke around, of course). There truly isn't an ugly part of the GF, is there? Every nook and cranny is just so beautiful.

Thanks so much for the links to the pics!! LOVE the views from Conch!

I knew k&a&c'smom would be able to help you out! I never realized just how good the monorail view was from Conch Key. We requested Boca Chica this time around, but I certainly wouldn't be unhappy if we ended up with the Conch Key marina view either!

the sounds and the smell of the lobby too.

It's all good! I seriously can't believe we only have 5 DAYS to go! Wish I could bottle up those scents and sounds. And thank you so much for the bus picture/info. I had no clue that technology was already in use at the GF and am sure it will prove helpful for us.


Well, I just checked the forecast and it's looking like highs of mid-60's every day so far. Looks like there won't really be any real pool days for us, but I'm praying that the temperature forecast increases within the next few days! Am I dreaming or does that happen?!

 

[ember303]

Awesome! I kept looking at POR and POFQ, but have yet to actually stay at a moderate. Not sure I'll ever go to a moderate after staying at the GF! ;-)

I enjoy moderate resorts and have stayed at deluxe and moderate. Oddly our favorite has been aoa cars suite so far.