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

[k&a&c'smom]

Hey, mickeynut, I see we were posting at the same time! BlueSkies, are you composing right about now?

 

[mickeynut1]

Hey, all my Grand friends! Finally able to get on and stay on, sheesh!

BlueSkies - Say it ain't so?!? No more notecards at turndown? I'm glad I have so many of them, I use them for bookmarks. Yet another item (along with my collection of room keys) to put away for posterity. I can pull them out when I have grandchildren so they can see Disney really did have special touches. At this rate, that's the only way they'll know.

Glad it's finally working so you can stay on and post .

I have a collection of room keys as well and I'm sad that those are also a thing of the past .

Hey, mickeynut, I see we were posting at the same time! BlueSkies, are you composing right about now?

LOL.....I promise not to take Blue's place .

 

[Mousemommy1]

I thought I'd drop a little ray of sunshine on this thread. It seems there's so much sadness.

I thrive on positivity so here it goes! I decided this year to allow IPO to do my dining reservations. I never give up that control but figure what the heck. I emailed them the planning worksheet that they had sent me (my ADR date is 2/17/14) and I was impressed with the VERY enthusiastic and excited response I got from them. Like, they are just soooo pleased to assist me...They obviously looked at my requests very closely and made some suggestions to help me out, which actually make sense and I have high hopes that they will be able to get me what I want. So, that made me smile yesterday.

I've dealt with other IPO's that just didn't seem to have the same gusto that the GF IPO has had thus far!

 

[mandi1505]

If you travel between Aug 17th - Sept 2nd there is a travel agency with an exclusive rate for GF. Along with conf. rates these are the lowest rates at GF. I don't think we are allowed to post the agency because of advertising rules but I can PM it to you if you would like. I and many other posters that I know have used the agency. HTH.

Hi.
It´s my first time here. It´s a message for Baler31.
I was wondering if you could PM me the agency that has a discount for the Grand Floridian during Aug 17th - Sept 2nd .
Thank you very much.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I thought I'd drop a little ray of sunshine on this thread. It seems there's so much sadness.

I thrive on positivity so here it goes! I decided this year to allow IPO to do my dining reservations. I never give up that control but figure what the heck. I emailed them the planning worksheet that they had sent me (my ADR date is 2/17/14) and I was impressed with the VERY enthusiastic and excited response I got from them. Like, they are just soooo pleased to assist me...They obviously looked at my requests very closely and made some suggestions to help me out, which actually make sense and I have high hopes that they will be able to get me what I want. So, that made me smile yesterday.

I've dealt with other IPO's that just didn't seem to have the same gusto that the GF IPO has had thus far!

That's nice to hear...hope they're able to get you all the ADR's you want! We made all of our final "tweaking" last night. Come Friday morning, I'll be armed and ready to make ours

 

[Mousemommy1]

That's nice to hear...hope they're able to get you all the ADR's you want! We made all of our final "tweaking" last night. Come Friday morning, I'll be armed and ready to make ours

Yay!!! Good luck and I hope you get everything you are hoping for!!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Mousemommy - glad your experience with GF IPO is going so well, sorry if you've had lackluster interactions with others. We've had very good luck with AKL, Y&BC/BWI, Poly and WL IPOs. Usually all very good at responding quickly and attending to requests, but we rarely have hard to get reservations so I don't have much input on that aspect.

mommyrosa2 - good luck, I hope you get everything you have planned.

Hi k&a&c'smom ! Just sent you a PM and wanted to make sure you saw it!

Thanks for the reminder! I responded, then checked out my Photobucket account and responded again. You should have two message from me now. lol

 

[mandi1505]

Hi.
I have a question. There was a link with photos of the refurbished rooms, posted by "DisneyDreamingInMI". Now they don´t appear. It´s right or I have a problem with my computer? Thanks

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hi.
I have a question. There was a link with photos of the refurbished rooms, posted by "DisneyDreamingInMI". Now they don´t appear. It´s right or I have a problem with my computer? Thanks

No, it's not your computer - she's having trouble with her bandwidth. So many people have accessed her photos her bandwidth limit was reached. It should reset soon.

ETA: I'm trying to figure out another way to get them up, I'll post if we come up with something.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi.
It´s my first time here. It´s a message for Baler31.
I was wondering if you could PM me the agency that has a discount for the Grand Floridian during Aug 17th - Sept 2nd .
Thank you very much.

Just wanted to say welcome to the Dis as well as the GF FAQ .

We made all of our final "tweaking" last night. Come Friday morning, I'll be armed and ready to make ours

I hope you get everything you want .

 

[mommyrosa2]

Yay!!! Good luck and I hope you get everything you are hoping for!!!

mommyrosa2 - good luck, I hope you get everything you have planned.

I hope you get everything you want .

Thank you....
The only ones I'm "slightly" worried about is O'hana and BOG for dinner. O'hana more so because that's where my youngest wants her celebratory sweet 16 dinner and I've been reading about a possible closure due to construction so we'll see. As for BOG...I, honestly, have no desire to eat there again but I know both my girls do, so for them, I'll try my best in getting an ADR. I'm actually thinking I may have more luck if I try closer towards the end of our trip. All the others, I'm not concerned about. I'm just anxious in getting that piece of the vaca nailed down so that I can get then move on to picking a day to book their surprise fireworks cruise .

 

[Mousemommy1]

Mousemommy - glad your experience with GF IPO is going so well, sorry if you've had lackluster interactions with others. We've had very good luck with AKL, Y&BC/BWI, Poly and WL IPOs. Usually all very good at responding quickly and attending to requests, but we rarely have hard to get reservations so I don't have much input on that aspect.

mommyrosa2 - good luck, I hope you get everything you have planned.



Thanks for the reminder! I responded, then checked out my Photobucket account and responded again. You should have two message from me now. lol

I wouldn't say they were "lackluster", they were great, just not as enthusiastic as what I've seen from GF thus far. There was no canned response at all from the GF...very personable. Plus, we've never used them to make reservations or anything in the past, so this is all new to me.

 

[BlueSkies]

Good afternoon fellow GF fans!

k&a&c'smom on the log in problems! Glad you finally got the issue resolved!

lovemy3babes I agree..a nice and informative group of fans here! Best of luck with booking your trip... We have visited WDW the last few summers in August...and the heat definitely makes a difference in how we tour the parks... during the hotter times we follow the same touring style as Circusgirl...whats so nice is that midday break really gives you the opportunity to enjoy the resort a bit more!

The hottest weather does change my touring style. As others have said, I do parks early and late, and swim and relax during the afternoon. Hydroflask for cold water, cooling neck wraps and sunscreen are in daily use. I spend less time at Epcot during the days because of the vast expanses of pavement, but enjoy the evenings. It's definitely a slower pace than winter touring!

The Pumpkin Latte soup was awesome! In general I was impressed with the food offerings. The smoked salmon spread and bagels at breakfast were terrific. The little citrus muffins were delectable. The afternoon treats were substantial and delightful and I loved tea. Endless scones, jam tarts and Devonshire cream were pretty much my idea of heaven.

All well said as usual Circusgirl We to totally enjoy all of the wonderful food offerings while staying CL at the GF... Most especially those scones and Devonshire cream!

Hey, mickeynut, I see we were posting at the same time! BlueSkies, are you composing right about now?

I was a bit off this morning.... I'll try and get back on track though!! BTW..are you posting righ now??? lol.....

I thought I'd drop a little ray of sunshine on this thread. It seems there's so much sadness.

I thrive on positivity so here it goes! I decided this year to allow IPO to do my dining reservations. I never give up that control but figure what the heck. I emailed them the planning worksheet that they had sent me (my ADR date is 2/17/14) and I was impressed with the VERY enthusiastic and excited response I got from them. Like, they are just soooo pleased to assist me...They obviously looked at my requests very closely and made some suggestions to help me out, which actually make sense and I have high hopes that they will be able to get me what I want. So, that made me smile yesterday.

I've dealt with other IPO's that just didn't seem to have the same gusto that the GF IPO has had thus far!

I am a glass half full kinda gal myself.... I think what you have been noticing here is more of a comparison of old to new... But there is nothing like a little extra Glad that you had such a nice interaction with the GF IPO... I happen to agree..and always say how top notch that they are...

That's nice to hear...hope they're able to get you all the ADR's you want! We made all of our final "tweaking" last night. Come Friday morning, I'll be armed and ready to make ours

Hope that you get everything that you want! Although you might have thought of this already...you can order a specialty cake...or even a podium cake to help celebrate your DD's sweet 16 at any of the restaurants...and while the specialty cakes are kind of pricey...the podium cakes are not..and are nicely decorated and just as delicious IMO...

mandi1505 Welcome from me too!

Mickeynut I so owe you a call...hopefully we can catch up later on today!

grannyminnie and Beth too..nice to "see" you!

mommygina Hope all is well with you!
Hope that everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday..and staying warm!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I was able to get a copy of the photos uploaded to my Photobucket account, so I'll post them in a separate post to link on the first page.

BlueSkies - Phooey! Just missed you. Thanks about the computer issues, always so frustrating.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Deleted photos of the newly refurbed rooms in Conch Key, originally posted by DisneyDreamingInMI - check them out here!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you....
The only ones I'm "slightly" worried about is O'hana and BOG for dinner. O'hana more so because that's where my youngest wants her celebratory sweet 16 dinner and I've been reading about a possible closure due to construction so we'll see. As for BOG...I, honestly, have no desire to eat there again but I know both my girls do, so for them, I'll try my best in getting an ADR. I'm actually thinking I may have more luck if I try closer towards the end of our trip. All the others, I'm not concerned about. I'm just anxious in getting that piece of the vaca nailed down so that I can get then move on to picking a day to book their surprise fireworks cruise .

You're welcome .

We to totally enjoy all of the wonderful food offerings while staying CL at the GF...

Mickeynut I so owe you a call...hopefully we can catch up later on today!

Same here as I think the offerings are great as well (and the atmosphere of RPC can't be beat ).

Thanks for the call.......I enjoyed chatting with you today .

 

[baler31]

Hi.
It´s my first time here. It´s a message for Baler31.
I was wondering if you could PM me the agency that has a discount for the Grand Floridian during Aug 17th - Sept 2nd .
Thank you very much.

Welcome!
Sent you a PM

 

[baler31]

Here are the photos of the newly refurbed rooms in Conch Key, originally posted by DisneyDreamingInMI!!

Desk and chair

Night stand

TV and armoire

Daybed

Mirrored Sconce above daybed

Is it just me or does the scale of the items just seem very random and off ? I cannot say that I love the decor for GF but what really bothers me is the disparity of scale in some of the pieces.

I did not personally care for the previous versions but at least they seemed Disney and Victorian, so I understood that while not to my personal taste they fit the theme of the resort.

My DD did point out that she really likes they headboard as they seem like they might be softer and she always hits her head on the headboards, especially the bunk beds at WL.

We have 8 inches of snow on the ground with far more to come. Wish we had left yesterday and headed to Disney as there is no way my kids will have school the rest of the week.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Just another thought. Even though the fridge/armoire thing isn't my favorite, I think it serves a functional purpose.

I know a lot of these fridges in the cabinets have issues staying cold because there is not enough room for them to "breathe" and a lot of people have to open the door and pull them out a bit. This is a fairly common complaint, so it looks like that design purposely keeps the fridge away from the wall to stop that issue.

I think the Imagineers were thinking about that one.

 

[davale4]

This will be our 3rd August trip and while it is very hot, it is also very manageable but we go in with a plan and don't tour like we did in the Fall months. We hit the parks early, get out by lunchtime, hang out at the resort pool/room for some R&R, then head back out at night.

We always go in August because that is the only time available for our family and we do the exact same thing. It works out perfectly for us and the heat is very manageable when we do it this way .