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

[k&a&c'smom]

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Hmmm... mid-October?

F&W?!? You got it!!

I also thought there were a few standard king rooms, but started second guessing that after reading ahcupcake's response here .

I'm glad the bedspreads are gone from the Poly, but I don't care for the bathroom set up either . Also, the new colors make the rooms look brighter, but I think they took away the "Hawaiian" feel by doing away with the dark oranges and browns and changing to softer colors. I know I'll love being there again in December, but I did like the old decor (aside from the bedspreads ).


I would love it if the GF rooms were changed to look like the villas as I think the villas are beautiful .

I know there were a few std. king rooms, but it's always possible they have done away with them.

I think the villas are very pretty, too. Oh, and I loved the Poly fabrics, other than the bedspreads. I always hoped they would do something more like that for the beds.

Rumors have it... a whole refurb... but we'll see won't we? I imagine if we start seeing permits filed... we'll know better

It'll be noticed... but it won't be anything like the construction that just went on. They'll close off a building at a time.

That sounds right to me, too, just like in the 2007 renovations. When you say the rumor is a whole refurb - do you mean structural changes to the rooms? I do hope they don't change the closet space, or the bath/dressing area layout. I don't care for the CR/Poly bath changes in the last few years.

Good Evening Yep 6, whoops. I thought SL had a few std kings.......Was just kidding I remember you saying that your DH wasn't too crazy about a split stay..Love being down there while the Christmas decorations are, the smell of the gingerbread



Hmm now ya got me thinking, maybe there are.Could swear a CM friend said the only kings were deluxe or suites..Are the HA rooms king or do they queen as well? I completely forgot about the HA rooms until I read your post and they just popped into my head...If I'm I apologize for giving wrong info

No worries, it's easy to get mixed up - things change all the time! I could be wrong and the kings I mentioned are now queen. I'll have to see if I can find JungleCruiser's photo, figure out what year it was. It was definitely the new bedspread.

The accessible deluxe rooms on 3 & 4 are queens, are there any accessible std. rooms? I can't remember.

All this talk of refurb at the GF (someone said maybe to begin in January?)...can anyone guess what are they going to do? This will be after the "soft goods" refurb, I assume, because I was told by a CM that changing out the soft goods will begin this fall.
I wonder if, given the recent photos of the color palette over at the GFV, are they maybe going to re-work the rooms into that type of theming?

Mickeynut, if the color palette changes to that of the villas, don't you think it would get too far away from the Victorian theme the GF has always had? (not that I, for one, would mind that!)

LOL about not minding! I think the color palette will be fine, we strayed away from the technical definition of Victorian with the pastel blues/white/gold of the last refurb. They kept the feeling with the wood furniture, daybed, etc. and the common areas. I do, however, take issue with the hall carpets in the villas - far too modern, to my way of thinking. Hopefully, that won't carry over to the main resort.

This may be moot, as it seems the villas at other resorts tend to have a bit different decor than their host resort.

Our first return trip to Florida in a few years and we take off at 11:25 from Providence. Even if we aren't staying at the Grand Floridian, our favorite , we are just as excited to be going. We'll do a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Epcot and a nice dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe and hopefully get a peek at the Villas. I'll absorb it all because our next return trip won't be till 2016 with our Granddaughter and it will be her 1st trip and that will have to be something special!!!!! My only worry is once you set the bar that high how do you come down

Woohoo!! Safe travels, have a magical vacation. Enjoy your GFC dinner, we love that place.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Here is the post from JungleCruiser about her upgrade to a king room in RPC, she posted it in May, 2012. I was wrong about the location, though, she said it was 3rd floor with a view of the MK, not over the courtyard.

Still looking for Lulu'sMom's post about the conversion of a couple queen rooms to king. ETA: Here is the 2012 post from Lulu'sMom about the standard king rooms in the main bldg. Relevant text posted below:

OK, there IS some of the STANDARD main building RPC rooms that are king, two that are in the old "deluxe queen" layout and they took out the queens and put a king into them. These are on floors 3/4 and by the king turrets by the monorail. You can request these as a KING BED when booking a standard room MAIN building.
The TPV standards have the kings on the second floor, and I was told by one CM that they have about 4 kings total on floors 3/4 TPV. And that was 1 1/2 years ago. YMMV.

The discussion I referenced went on for 3 pages in the 2011 FAQ, lol. In it, JungleCruiser states she couldn't remember her room number, but it was on the same floor as the food, which would be 4th.

 

[Belle72]

Our very first stay at the Grand Floridian is coming quickly! We will be there in October. Have the refrigerators been replaced in all the rooms at GF?

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Enjoy your first stay in the GF -- it won't be your last! I will quote my niece after Day 2 in the GF, "I'd be grateful to stay in any hotel at WDW, but having stayed in the GF, I'd really miss it!" I'm doing a short, solo, trip in October and staying at CBR, I'm trying to stay at every moderate and deluxe they offer.

Tom, also from Connecticut.

 

[BlueSkies]

Yet another great FAQ, k&a&c'smom
Haven't been on here in weeks but am eager to plan another WDW trip. When are we going?!


If you're up for it, I think your split sounds great. I did a 3-way split in June and it worked out great. Have you stayed at AKL before? It's gorgeous. And you're right, it's so convenient for your AK day
GF CL will be fab Have fun.

I never mind split stays. I'm not much of an "unpacker" so it isn't any trouble. I think Disney makes it so easy...drop off your bags, go to a park, go to your new resort and there are your bags. No fuss, no muss!

I have stayed at AKL probably 6 times. It's definitely just about my favorite resort.

I think DD7 (this is her first "Mommy and Me" trip. I've done a lot of those with my two older DSs) is going to flip over staying at GF. I've done the other monorail resorts but specifically saved GF for a time when it was just the two of us. Going during the holiday season is even better!!

I may even splurge on a limo to pick us up at the airport! LOL!

Well it sounds like that triple stay can be done...curious...how long were your stays?? We are not big unpackers either.. I much prefer to just keep my things in the luggage..and store the luggage on a rack or racks in the closet.. ... Maybe it would be doable for us...??? LOL..

tallen Cant think of a nicer place to stay for a mother/daughter trip..

All this talk of refurb at the GF (someone said maybe to begin in January?)...can anyone guess what are they going to do? This will be after the "soft goods" refurb, I assume, because I was told by a CM that changing out the soft goods will begin this fall.
I wonder if, given the recent photos of the color palette over at the GFV, are they maybe going to re-work the rooms into that type of theming?

That was me Grannyminnie that's what I heard this past trip..??? the new color palette is very nice...I did notice that the lobby area for the pool elevator has a been redone..with the same blue and green that is in Gasparillas...

Rumors have it... a whole refurb... but we'll see won't we? I imagine if we start seeing permits filed... we'll know better

True..only time will tell...I for one would like to see the closet area changed up like they did at the CR...Like that placement of the fridge..and that extra bit of space for the coffee maker too...

Mickeynut, if the color palette changes to that of the villas, don't you think it would get too far away from the Victorian theme the GF has always had? (not that I, for one, would mind that!)

I really was not a big fan of this most recent refurb...I much preferred the one before it with the bright colors...and mixed patterns...much more welcoming...

Our first return trip to Florida in a few years and we take off at 11:25 from Providence. Even if we aren't staying at the Grand Floridian, our favorite , we are just as excited to be going. We'll do a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Epcot and a nice dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe and hopefully get a peek at the Villas. I'll absorb it all because our next return trip won't be till 2016 with our Granddaughter and it will be her 1st trip and that will have to be something special!!!!! My only worry is once you set the bar that high how do you come down

Enjoy your visit...the GF Café is a nice place for dinner....So much to be looking forward too..a 2016 trip with your granddaughter...Happy planning!

Here is the post from JungleCruiser about her upgrade to a king room in RPC, she posted it in May, 2012. I was wrong about the location, though, she said it was 3rd floor with a view of the MK, not over the courtyard.

Still looking for Lulu'sMom's post about the conversion of a couple queen rooms to king. ETA: Here is the 2012 post from Lulu'sMom about the standard king rooms in the main bldg. Relevant text posted below:

OK, there IS some of the STANDARD main building RPC rooms that are king, two that are in the old "deluxe queen" layout and they took out the queens and put a king into them. These are on floors 3/4 and by the king turrets by the monorail. You can request these as a KING BED when booking a standard room MAIN building.
The TPV standards have the kings on the second floor, and I was told by one CM that they have about 4 kings total on floors 3/4 TPV. And that was 1 1/2 years ago. YMMV.

The discussion I referenced went on for 3 pages in the 2011 FAQ, lol. In it, JungleCruiser states she couldn't remember her room number, but it was on the same floor as the food, which would be 4th.

Well I am totally confused about the kings rooms now!!?? LOL... and I thought that the king rooms on the second floor were considered deluxe??? LOL... Hmmm...

Our very first stay at the Grand Floridian is coming quickly! We will be there in October. Have the refrigerators been replaced in all the rooms at GF?

Our trip this past summer the fridge in our room was working..although it didn't look any different than the old fridges???

Enjoy your first stay in the GF -- it won't be your last! I will quote my niece after Day 2 in the GF, "I'd be grateful to stay in any hotel at WDW, but having stayed in the GF, I'd really miss it!" I'm doing a short, solo, trip in October and staying at CBR, I'm trying to stay at every moderate and deluxe they offer.

Tom, also from Connecticut.

Enjoy your trip! And furture trips too...love to hear your comparisons after you've stayed at all of those resorts!

MariaMouse You are welcome! So much speculation...It will be interesting to see when and what refurbs or even renovations actually happen...

MickeyNut So now I am going to have to add another "like to try" to my resort list ..WL...LOL...johnsonet and talen seem to enjoy doing a triple stay... Its a thought?????????? Have you contemplated this at all??? Or would that be too many resorts for you to be changing around???

Hey ahcupcake

 

[k&a&c'smom]

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Well I am totally confused about the kings rooms now!!?? LOL... and I thought that the king rooms on the second floor were considered deluxe??? LOL... Hmmm...



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Sorry! I was trying to make it clearer, not muddy the issue.

Yes, the 2nd floor (Clarendon) kings are deluxe - I think Lulu'sMom just mis-typed the "standard" in that sentence, as she is well aware those rooms are deluxe.

From the posts of others, and my own experience, there seem to be a few standard rooms with king beds in RPC. A couple in the TPV area over Gasparilla's, one or two over the courtyard, and one or two over the Beach pool. When DD and I have stayed in RPC, we have passed by rooms that are being made up by CMs and seen king beds (non-deluxe rooms) so I know they were there fairly recently.

....


True..only time will tell...I for one would like to see the closet area changed up like they did at the CR...Like that placement of the fridge..and that extra bit of space for the coffee maker too...

....

I really was not a big fan of this most recent refurb...I much preferred the one before it with the bright colors...and mixed patterns...much more welcoming...

I do not like the closet being split - seems to take away any functionality, for us! I do like the fridge and coffee maker placement, but for us that is secondary to the use of the closet.

I, too, miss the old decor.~sigh~ My old GF FAQ buddies will laugh, as I often bemoan the loss of the more whimsical decor of old. To me, those rooms were far more in keeping with the Victorian theme, as busy patterns for bedroom paper was quite common, from what I've read.

 

[Lisa75]

Hi. I tried to search this. Are the hairdryers in the rooms full-sized, or are they the short-nosed wall mounted ones like at BC?

Thank you very much.

Lisa

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hi. I tried to search this. Are the hairdryers in the rooms full-sized, or are they the short-nosed wall mounted ones like at BC?

Thank you very much.

Lisa

They are full sized, hand held dryers. They are in a bag, usually on the safe in the closet. I've got a photo of them, but not out of the bag.
This and other room photos posted on page 1, post #4:

 

[trishadono]

So why was IPO so rude to me?

I told them I had a std RPC followed by 2 night deluxe king RPC due to availability.

My ONLY request was for a king on my std night. ( I made no requests for deluxe room / will be happy in either ).

The reply was :

We have submitted your request for a king bed. However, you are booked into a room with two queens. King rooms are specifically booked, as you are aware. The room assignment staff would only be able to make this change if a cancellation has occurred at the time of your check-in.

I responded by sending a pic of website that says std main building CL 2 queens or 1 king.

And said this:
Sorry for the confusion. Attached is what is showing on the Disney website. It says 2 queens OR 1king so I thought I could request one. We will be happy in which ever room we get. It is frustrating that the website gives incorrect information, but I will have some trifle when I first get there and all will be good

So hopefully I don't get put in a broom closet or something.

 

[JoBird]

Hi everyone!! We are back from the Grand and so so so sad to be home.

I am uploading pics to photobucket right now- I have a ton of GF pics- we even rented a boat one day to get some pictures of the beach area from that angle. The GFV's are coming right along. We were able to see into the rooms from the monorail one night- the lights were all on inside and it was all lit up and beautiful.

It was a great trip even though we had a few rocky patches in places. The shoeless, shirtless people in SL eating was the worst of it.

As soon as I get the pics up I will post them. Photobucket and I do not get along so well so it could take a few days.

 

[trishadono]

Hi everyone!! We are back from the Grand and so so so sad to be home.

I am uploading pics to photobucket right now- I have a ton of GF pics- we even rented a boat one day to get some pictures of the beach area from that angle. The GFV's are coming right along. We were able to see into the rooms from the monorail one night- the lights were all on inside and it was all lit up and beautiful.

It was a great trip even though we had a few rocky patches in places. The shoeless, shirtless people in SL eating was the worst of it.

As soon as I get the pics up I will post them. Photobucket and I do not get along so well so it could take a few days.

Yippee! Can't wait! And thanks

 

[JoBird]

Sorry they are so big-- but at least you can see a lot!



































Still loading more...

 

[Mousemommy1]

jobird great pictures! Did you happen to take any in Sugarloaf? There aren't nearly enough of those floating around.

 

[JoBird]

Mousemommy1----
I can't remember if I got pictures of the lounge area?? I'm uploading pics of my room right now, and of my 3rd floor, marina view. I know I took pics of breakfast one day but I don't know if I took any others of the lounge, crazy enough! Last time I was there I know I did. hum....

 

[k&a&c'smom]

JoBird - welcome back!! Sorry you had to leave the Grand, always tough.

Thanks for the photos, good of you to get them up so soon. Great to see the beach open again!

trishadono - how awful! I'm not sure why they responded in that way - as you say, it is still listed on the website, which has been updated fairly recently.

Website listing:

Main Bldg - Standard Room - Club Level

Views of Courtyard Pool, Magic Kingdom Park or Seven Seas Lagoon
2 Queen Beds or 2 Queen Beds and 1 Day Bed or 1 King Bed
Sleeps up to 5

IPO for the GF is also for CR - maybe the person who sent you that message is a CR CM, and a bit confused. ??? Maybe they were trying to say, if you wanted to be guaranteed a king bed you should book a deluxe king, just to be sure. Whichever, they should not have been so rude!

 

[JoBird]

Some pictures of our view from SL, room 6319:

Looking right:






Looking left:




Straight ahead:




Thanks k&a&c'smom! You're right! It was so wonderful to have that beach there again!

Back to loading more....

 

[Tink rules]

F
That sounds right to me, too, just like in the 2007 renovations. When you say the rumor is a whole refurb - do you mean structural changes to the rooms? I do hope they don't change the closet space, or the bath/dressing area layout. I don't care for the CR/Poly bath changes in the last few years.

Not sure what they will do within the rooms. They changed the bathrooms around at the Poly because some only had 1 sink.

 

[Tink rules]

Great pics! I could almost see myself sitting there!

 

[bethclayton]

JoBird, i am seriously jaw-hanging-open in awe, those pictures are beautiful and i totally, for just a moment, felt like i was back there! thank you!!!

 

[trishadono]

trishadono, i am seriously jaw-hanging-open in awe, those pictures are beautiful and i totally, for just a moment, felt like i was back there! thank you!!!

You were so enthralled by the pics you gave me credit for Jobirds pics!

They are awesome! but not mine. 60 days until my visit.