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

[Mousemommy1]

Yeppers!

Dd and I listen to the monorail on youtube. You can actually ride the whole way around and listen to the announcements.

Great! Thank you!

 

[BlueSkies]

Thanks for the help!

You are very welcome!!

Lol... Went into panic attack!! Checking in tomorrow !!!

Well actually today - since it is past twelve

Have a GRAND vacation!

We really like the WL (the lobby just blows me away!) but have not stayed CL there. I would say "one day, maybe" but we just can't pull ourselves away from the GF!!

Same problem here Grannieminnie ...

:

Awesome!!! I never visited in December, but I went in Nov. last year when they were building the gingerbread house (and the tree was up). Some WONDERFUL ladies from the DIS are visiting WDW, so it is a blessing to be able to visit. I hope to meet you in the lounge, I am a somewhat short brunette who will be with an adorable newly turned 5 year old (who will be eating up those delish cupcakes). My DS LOVES the Grand!!

pas130 I do hope that we get to say Hello! Last year I got to meet Momof2Disneyboys and her lovely family! I don't blame your DS for eating up those delish cupcakes...my grown DD will probably standing right along side him eating them too!

We had a room in SL once on the marina side, near the end by Conch Key, and if you leaned over rotfl, you had a limited view of the fireworks. Not very satisfying tho!

Don't be leaning too far!

I have to say that it is nice to be in RPC, TPV, and watch the fireworks in your pjs from your room, SL is right next to Gasparilla's so that you can view the fireworks. Or, you can watch the fireworks from the boat dock which is not too far way from SL.

I agree on all accounts... The boat dock is especially nice when the mosquitos are not biting! LOL...

JoBird Glad that you haven't experienced any more underdressed folks in the lounge!

MickeyNutThanks for the phone call yesterday! It was great catching up! what a wonderful land and sea trip you have planned! I think you are gonna need a vaction from your vacation!

ahcupcake I am getting more and more curious about WL too...Maybe I will change our split stay... LOL..IDK??? Need to think on that..

k&a&c'smom Hope all is well....

I have stuff to get done around here..but ...here I sit..

 

[ahcupcake]

Good Afternoon

Help!

I have a std main building RPC room for one night followed by a deluxe king room for 2 nights. I put in a request for a king for the first night but IPO responded that I had booked a 2queen room. On the disney website it says 2q's or 1 king. I always thought they had a few kings std and the deluxe cost more because they have extra features (MK view, whirlpool or octagon room, etc).

Does anybody know of /or have stayed in a std main building king?

Thanks!
(I posted this first on the CL thread but after a few hours no response so I am trying here.)

Hi Trishadono, as far as I know there are no standard king rooms in RPC only deluxe kings. The deluxe rooms are the 6 octagon shaped(2 on each of the 3 floors) & 6 with MK view above Gasparilla Grill (all on the 2nd floor that you have to take the pool elevator to get to), you might get lucky and be upgraded to the dlx king for the first night so you don't have to move..Hope this helps

I am guessing I am right on this, but does the monorail go like this:

GF --> MK --> CR --> TTC --> Poly --> GF

I think that makes sense, right?

Yep that's the loop

ahcupcake I am getting more and more curious about WL too...Maybe I will change our split stay... LOL..IDK??? Need to think on that...

Hi Blue if I remember correctly the WL rooms are the same size as the AKL rooms, small . Try a triple stay YC-WL-GF , you know I did that but it was over 10 nights. I think it's a good alternative for the MK if the monorail resorts are out of your budget

 

[Mousemommy1]

I read on a Grand Floridian fan site that RPC and Sugarloaf rooms have Keurigs in the room. Is this still the case? There were even pictures of them!

 

[trishadono]

Ahcupcake: thanks for info. Disney website confusing. It says std room main building club level. 2q's or a king. Then I requested one because I could only get a deluxe king for 2 nights and they acted like I should have known there were not std kings!

I ASSUMED there was both std and delude kings and I simply requested a king for my standard night before deluxe nights.

How would some one know if it says for std queen or king?

Well at least now I know!

Thanks again!

 

[trishadono]

I read on a Grand Floridian fan site that RPC and Sugarloaf rooms have Keurigs in the room. Is this still the case? There were even pictures of them!

We had in them is SL in May 2012.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We had in them is SL in May 2012.

This makes me very happy!!! Between Starbucks and a Keurig, our next trip should be perfectly caffeinated!!!

My DH's ONLY complaint about Disney (especially since our trips are 10-11 days long) is the lack of coffee...he normally drinks 3 cups a day (I drink 1-2) and he seriously gets sooooo grumpy after a couple of days.

 

[tallen429]

I hate to ask because I know it's in this thread somewhere (but my eyes are tired from reading! LOL!)
What is the best room request(s) to make for standard garden view?
Going with my very-tiny-for-her-age 7 year old DD and the less distance to the main bldg., the better.
TIA!

 

[mariamouse]

So what do you guys think the likelihood is that there will be refurbed rooms at the GF come January? Nothing has been announced or hinted at yet, right?

We were leaning toward staying at the Poly this January, but debating booking either a MK view room at CR or GV room at GF due to the impending construction at the Poly.

We prefer the GF resort grounds to those at the CR, but not crazy about the outdated and somewhat worn GF rooms in comparison to the refurbed CR rooms. Decisions, decisions...

 

[mickeynut1]

MickeyNutThanks for the phone call yesterday! It was great catching up! what a wonderful land and sea trip you have planned! I think you are gonna need a vaction from your vacation!

ahcupcake I am getting more and more curious about WL too...Maybe I will change our split stay... LOL..IDK??? Need to think on that..

I agree....it was great chatting with you . I am very excited for our trip and can't wait to cruise on the Dream as I'm sure it's just amazing in person.....and an added bonus is we go right before Christmas so the ship will be all decorated .

I think you should definitely consider WL CL sometime, even if it is for just a night or two. WL is a beautiful resort and CL is just amazing . The food is great, the lounge overlooks the gorgeous lobby, and the CL CMs are amazing .

if I remember correctly the WL rooms are the same size as the AKL rooms, small .

You are correct, ahcupcake......the WL and AKL rooms are the same size and are quite a bit smaller than the monorail resorts, but the WL is an amazing resort .

I hate to ask because I know it's in this thread somewhere (but my eyes are tired from reading! LOL!)
What is the best room request(s) to make for standard garden view?
Going with my very-tiny-for-her-age 7 year old DD and the less distance to the main bldg., the better.
TIA!

Our GV room was in Big Pine Key and we thought the location was great to the main building, beach pool, and not too far from Gasparillas . With that said, I don't think the GF is so spread out that it takes long to get around from anywhere. Boca Chica (which is right next to BPK) is also a great building for a GV. Both overlook the courtyard pool and are convenient to everything, IMO .

So what do you guys think the likelihood is that there will be refurbed rooms at the GF come January? Nothing has been announced or hinted at yet, right?

We were leaning toward staying at the Poly this January, but debating booking either a MK view room at CR or GV room at GF due to the impending construction at the Poly.

We prefer the GF resort grounds to those at the CR, but not crazy about the outdated and somewhat worn GF rooms in comparison to the refurbed CR rooms. Decisions, decisions...

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that room refurbs were supposed to possibly start sometime next year (June/July timeframe). Of course that is only rumor and nothing official has been said, but I don't think anything will start this year (but then again, anything is possible with Disney ).

 

[MommyGina]

I read on a Grand Floridian fan site that RPC and Sugarloaf rooms have Keurigs in the room. Is this still the case? There were even pictures of them!

We stayed in July RPC, TPV, and it was not a Keurig in our room. We were in room 4403.

 

[meredith1]

I know that several people have asked about the outer buildings and which would be best for TPV, given that was the category that you booked. I'd like to know as well and nobody has answered.

I remember someone saying once that Sago Cay had good, unobstructed views. Our last stay was at Contemporary Resort M/K view. Can someone tell me if the fireworks are spectacular from the GF as well, especially from Sago Cay?

With young kids, it's nice to have them in their pajamas in the room to watch fireworks.

 

[trishadono]

This makes me very happy!!! Between Starbucks and a Keurig, our next trip should be perfectly caffeinated!!!

My DH's ONLY complaint about Disney (especially since our trips are 10-11 days long) is the lack of coffee...he normally drinks 3 cups a day (I drink 1-2) and he seriously gets sooooo grumpy after a couple of days.

Resorts have been great when i request extra coffee for the room too!

DD tried the Starbucks in August and there were 2 lines and it they went very fast. I opted out and got dole whip instead

My dh loves his keurig at work and Starbucks when on the road so i guess our men will be happy. Me I want a cupcake! or trifle, or scones or chocolate covered strawberries.

Do your kids have any favorite disney food yet? Ds wants the potato chips from CL and DD loves the scones with the works!!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hello, GF lovers! I've been out of town for a week, had to take my DD's dog to her in MD.

mariamouse - I don't have any info for you, but nice to see you. mickeynut's info sounds right to me.

tallen429 - I always give the same answer for garden view requests.

For proximity to the back door of the main building and pools, Big Pine Key is a good choice. There are quite a few rooms that look into the back of the pool house, so either ask for a room on the end nearest the Main Bldg. or an upper floor.

Boca Chica is great for beautiful views of the Main Bldg. and courtyard pool. It is close to the boat dock and Narcoossee's. Conch Key is my favorite non-CL building for its great all around location. Close to courtyard pool, boat dock, Narcoossee's and out the back door, the marina and Gasaprilla's.

Sago Cay is the furthest from the pools and back door to Main Bldg., but it is close to Gasparilla's and the back path to the bus stop. Many people love it for its quiet location; I prefer to be in the courtyard area, we like the busier aspect.

Good luck, it's hard to get a bad room at the GF! The resort grounds are quite compact, no room is all that far from most amenities.

meredith1 - The best TPV rooms are in Sago and Conch. It would be hard to have the kind of fireworks views available from the CR, as it overlooks the MK, but the views in these buildings are beautiful. I have a link to some of Misti's photos in Sago Cay, I'll go find it. ETA: Link to a few photos of first floor Sago Cay TPV room.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Resorts have been great when i request extra coffee for the room too!

DD tried the Starbucks in August and there were 2 lines and it they went very fast. I opted out and got dole whip instead

My dh loves his keurig at work and Starbucks when on the road so i guess our men will be happy. Me I want a cupcake! or trifle, or scones or chocolate covered strawberries.

Do your kids have any favorite disney food yet? Ds wants the potato chips from CL and DD loves the scones with the works!!!

My kids are addicted to the cookies in CL. In fact, they call the lounge the "cookie room"

In the parks, DD9 can't get enough Mickey Head ice cream bars and DD6 loves her Mickey head pretzels and TONS of popcorn!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We stayed in July RPC, TPV, and it was not a Keurig in our room. We were in room 4403.

Yeah I went back and looked at that information, and apparently only Sugarloaf does for some reason.

 

[trishadono]

My kids are addicted to the cookies in CL. In fact, they call the lounge the "cookie room"

In the parks, DD9 can't get enough Mickey Head ice cream bars and DD6 loves her Mickey head pretzels and TONS of popcorn!

Thanks Mousemommy!

DD is missing me from college, ds didn't do well at xc and my dryer broke.

MY DRYER BROKE! I hate that!

I love all those things your kids like too!

Just thinking about them in their happy place made me feel better. Then I just found out it is Harry Potter weekend so yah!!!! got to go now

 

[tallen429]

Thanks for the info k&a&csmom!

But...I UPGRADED! Wahoo!
Club level outer bldg.

Another question...can SF club guests use the main club or is it differentiated by room key?
Not trying to "cheat" or anything, just not sure how CL at GF works. We've stayed CL at other resorts (AKL, BC, WL) but never one with more than one club...

 

[Mousemommy1]

Thanks for the info k&a&csmom!

But...I UPGRADED! Wahoo!
Club level outer bldg.

Another question...can SF club guests use the main club or is it differentiated by room key?
Not trying to "cheat" or anything, just not sure how CL at GF works. We've stayed CL at other resorts (AKL, BC, WL) but never one with more than one club...

Congrats on the upgrade!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hello, GF lovers! I've been out of town for a week, had to take my DD's dog to her in MD.

Good luck, it's hard to get a bad room at the GF! The resort grounds are quite compact, no room is all that far from most amenities.

Welcome back.....hope you had a nice trip to see your DD .

I agree, I don't think there is a bad room at the GF. I also feel the grounds are so compact that it doesn't take long getting around .

But...I UPGRADED! Wahoo!
Club level outer bldg.

Another question...can SF club guests use the main club or is it differentiated by room key?
Not trying to "cheat" or anything, just not sure how CL at GF works. We've stayed CL at other resorts (AKL, BC, WL) but never one with more than one club...

Congrats on the upgrade . While staying SL, you cannot access RPC. It used to be that if you stayed RPC you could access both RPC and SL, but I think with the new system, that's not even possible anymore. But SL guests were never able to access RPC as far as I know.