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

[BlueSkies]

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.

That is so confusing...generally IPO at the GF is top notch and very helpful... I bet even the broom closets are pretty! LOL..

Great pics! I could almost see myself sitting there!

Me too....jo bird thanks for sharing those beautiful pics!

Great pics JoBird!. We really enjoyed our first stay at GF. I only booked 2 nights cause I wasn't sure we would like it! But we loved it! However, it wasn't too traumatic leaving for YC lol!
Loved looking at your pics!

That is the split that we are doing... First stay at YC...hoping we will feel the same way that you did...Well YC/GF....

Thinking back, the two times we did three resorts were both one week trips.
One time it was POFQ/Contemporary/AKL. The other was POR/AKL/VWL.
I've done a lot of two resort stays though.

Thanks! I am thinking that split probably be as much as will will do...but it is always a thought...

Good point. I guess I'm concerned because both the other MK area resorts ended up with those sort of modern, metal-legged sinks. Not a fan. I guess, technically, the Poly sinks don't have legs...but, still, the impression is there with the brown sinks/walls and metal towel rods.

I'm sure they won't go with a modern look, I guess I'm just feeling anxious over unknown changes.

I totally agree... Not a fan of changes at all...and I think that the whole dressing/bathroom area at the GF works perfectly for families trying to all get ready at the same time...


As trishadono posted, all 9 rooms on the second floor are booked as "deluxe king" rooms. Other than the jacuzzi, they are more like TPV than deluxe! To me, the restricted access is a negative - but I guess I've not been there on my honeymoon.



I like the look of the villas, too, but mostly because I've been looking at the Grand Villas - with their marble bathrooms!! I will never be in one of those, I'm sure.

I like the BCV kitchen/living area, but I have to agree, some of the photos of the bedrooms are not to my liking. As usual, the bedspread clashes with the rest of the rooms - not that I'm a fan of the white duvet look, as everyone knows.




I forgot to respond to BlueSkies about the split stays. We've done 3-way splits before, one year we even did a 4-way WDW split (with Hard Rock making a 5th!), but that was our longest trip at 16 days overall.

We love the WL, the public areas are so pretty. I preferred the old decor, with the cowboys and Indians paper in the sink area, but the rooms prior to the current ones (with brown bedspread) was still fun. Not as much a fan of the new decor, but I'm sure it will grow on me.

We would definitely return to WL, but I doubt we would book CL again. For us, it wasn't as worth the extra - the food service was a bit minimal, not as much selection as other resorts, and they closed the lounge between service. Inconvenient. The CMs were very nice, though, and we loved the view of the lobby from the lounge.

Holy cow...a five way split!!! I bet it was fun though..trying so many different places....But I'm sure much more manageble given the amount of time you were able to vacation for! We have tried the Hard Rock too...nice resort...but we missed being at Disney...LOL...


I re-read your previous post with the response from IPO, and thought it was possible they were trying to say they would give you an upgrade for your first night (from std. to deluxe king) if someone cancels. It sounds as if they thought that was what you were asking for, rather than simply a king bed in a std. room. I got a similar response once when I asked if 5 adults could occupy a SL deluxe room - they seemed to think I was hinting for an upgrade to a suite, when all I wanted to know was whether or not to make the request for deluxe or stick with a regular room!

Good point about the upgrade to TPV king rooms. There should be one or two king bedrooms overlooking the courtyard - I saw them, but that was a couple years ago, so they may have been switched out. That seems like a lot of work for no gain, so I can't imagine, but anything's possible. And the rooms Lulu'sMom referenced are over the Beach Pool area; two rooms, one on each floor, right next to the octagonal king deluxe rooms above M. Mouse Mercantile, overlooking the monorail.

I have had evasive answers from IPO in the past, you often have to clarify what you are looking for to get the right answer. Kind of frustrating.



I think they do something at the resort (not sure if there is anything specific to the CL), but it's like the other holiday treats - they like to keep it a surprise! From posts from other DISers, I think they put a note under your door (or in the room) stating what to expect in any given year. We'll be looking forward to your report!



There is no "pool view" category at the Grand, it is technically considered "garden view" as you may get a view of the courtyard pool, marina or the landscaped area behind Sago Cay. Be sure to add the request for pool view to your reservation, there is no guarantee but hopefully you will get it. I would add a request for Boca Chica as well.

I'm not sure how good the fireworks view is from the beach, it faces a bit away from the MK. One of the best spots for fireworks viewing is the marina area in front of Gasparilla's - but you can't see the EWP there.

As trishadono posted, the dock will give you a view of both.



Good tip! We do enjoy seeing the EWP from the water, but haven't tried timing it that way; we just happen to be on the boat occasionally.

Both good tips ...We have tried to time it to be on the boat during the fireworks and it really is sooo nice...

MickeyNut You are a bad influence...LOL...I am not making any more suggestions around here..DD liked them all...DH not so much... LOL...

scottmel I would guess that there is going to (probably already there...??) be some type of walking path from VGF to the GF main building...and it does appear to be in pretty close proximity to the main buidling...so my guess would be about 10 minutes???

Trying to review my post...and I am confused..LOL... I think that I multiquoted too many multi quotes...

 

[trishadono]

I am sure this is asked and answered but can you save me some time from reading the thread? If I rent points at DVC GFV, if you had to GUESS, what is my worst case for walking distance from the room to the monorail to go to MK? We always rent DVC a few nights before checking into YC and thought for easy MK access GFV seemed to make sense for our trip next year but I am envisioning in my head a super close access to MK...Am I wrong?

I stayed at CBR in August but wanted to check out VGF so took monorail to Poly then walked the path to GF.

That is an easy walk. As short or shorter than walk from CR to MK. (it would depend on where you started from, we started from Capt Cooks)

The villas are adjacent to the pool so really not that big of a deal. Just follow the path from the pool to the side entrance of the lobby and you are right there! I could make it from pool to monorail in less than 5 and depending on where room was then 10 or less for sure.

 

[Lisa75]

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:

Thank you so much!

Lisa

 

[meredith1]

k&a&c'smom-thank you so very much for looking up the TPV pictures for us. They don't look to shabby! Again, thank you for taking your time to look those up and post them-the fireworks pics are to die for!!!!

 

[JoBird]

Okay I finally have some more pics for you!

Taken from the boat we rented:

 

[JoBird]

And inside:

 

[trishadono]

Jobird: the pics are so amazing

My dh loves boats so I think for our anniversary weekend we should rent one.

Previously we have only tried the water mice but this looks more fun .

Thanks again for posting !!!!

 

[Candy Orlando]

JoBird, thank you so much for these fantastic photos.

 

[scottmel]

I stayed at CBR in August but wanted to check out VGF so took monorail to Poly then walked the path to GF.

That is an easy walk. As short or shorter than walk from CR to MK. (it would depend on where you started from, we started from Capt Cooks)

The villas are adjacent to the pool so really not that big of a deal. Just follow the path from the pool to the side entrance of the lobby and you are right there! I could make it from pool to monorail in less than 5 and depending on where room was then 10 or less for sure.

thank you!!!

 

[bethclayton]

JoBird, I am dying... those pics are wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[DisneyDoogie]

I agree! Great pictures JoBird! A question for you: In the picture of the beach pool (in the evening, in the rain), do you know what is happening behind the construction walls that are there? I don't think it can have anything to do with the walkway between the villas and the main building, can it?

 

[mickeynut1]

I like the look of the villas, too, but mostly because I've been looking at the Grand Villas - with their marble bathrooms!! I will never be in one of those, I'm sure.

I forgot to respond to BlueSkies about the split stays. We've done 3-way splits before, one year we even did a 4-way WDW split (with Hard Rock making a 5th!), but that was our longest trip at 16 days overall.

We love the WL, the public areas are so pretty. I preferred the old decor, with the cowboys and Indians paper in the sink area, but the rooms prior to the current ones (with brown bedspread) was still fun. Not as much a fan of the new decor, but I'm sure it will grow on me.

We would definitely return to WL, but I doubt we would book CL again. For us, it wasn't as worth the extra - the food service was a bit minimal, not as much selection as other resorts, and they closed the lounge between service. Inconvenient. The CMs were very nice, though, and we loved the view of the lobby from the lounge.

I've only looked at pics of the 1 and 2 BDRM villas, but I'll have to check out the Grand villa .

WOW on the 4 way split (5 with HRH) . But you did go for 16 nights, so I guess that would be enough time to stay at several resorts .

I am a fan of the old WL decor as well. The new rooms do look nice, but I don't care for the wood flooring they put in right when you walk into the room......I'm not a big fan as it looks cheap and plastic-y in pics, IMO. I'm sorry you didn't find CL to be that great. The view of lobby from above is one of my favorite things about the lounge and we also love the CMs .

MickeyNut You are a bad influence...LOL...I am not making any more suggestions around here..DD liked them all...DH not so much... LOL...

I will get you over to WL CL some day .......even if it is for just one night to try it out . LOL on DD loving all of the suggestions and DH not liking any of them . I love that Disney has so many great choices, but it also makes it harder .

Okay I finally have some more pics for you!

Awesome pics.....thanks for sharing .

 

[MommyGina]

I agree! Great pictures JoBird! A question for you: In the picture of the beach pool (in the evening, in the rain), do you know what is happening behind the construction walls that are there? I don't think it can have anything to do with the walkway between the villas and the main building, can it?

The construction walls have nothing to do with the walk way to the Poly. DH, DS and I walked to the Poly and back with no problem. The walls are around the GF Villas are there for safety reasons.

When we did take that walk, part of the new walk was flooded after a rain storm. There was about 2 inches of standing water on the new concrete sidewalk. Project manager should have graded that area properly. I wonder how flooded it was behind the construction walls because it was clear that the water was underneath there too. Poor drainage already.

 

[JoBird]

Yes, MommyGina- I agree. Poor drainage. In fact, the area that I *think* you are talking about that was flooded on the walkway is right next to a little path that says Cast Members only or something like that. It's a little detour around the huge puddle. We took it. There was nothing back there, only a walkway around the puddle?

Thanks to everyone for their kind words about the pictures I've posted! All of these were taken with my iPad! Couldn't believe how well they turned out.

I have more coming of the DVC area.

 

[JoBird]

Walking from the Poly towards the GF!



I think this is the little cast member pathway on the right of the picture that leads around the huge puddle:





















I snuck up and looked behind the tarp for these:

 

[JoBird]

Jobird: the pics are so amazing

My dh loves boats so I think for our anniversary weekend we should rent one.

Previously we have only tried the water mice but this looks more fun .

Thanks again for posting !!!!

The boat was really a lot of fun. We rented a pontoon, but the dang thing only has a 9 HP motor on it. I think we were the slowest ones on Bay Lake.

I think you should rent the big one out for an Anniversary Wishes party!!!!

 

[JoBird]

I agree! Great pictures JoBird! A question for you: In the picture of the beach pool (in the evening, in the rain), do you know what is happening behind the construction walls that are there? I don't think it can have anything to do with the walkway between the villas and the main building, can it?

I think I have a picture of it in the day. Let me do some digging.

ETA-- not the best but you can see a little of it:

 

[johnsonet]

FABULOUS PHOTOS, JoBird! Thank you so much.

F&W?!? You got it!!

Or how about January??

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.

Somebody needs to re-take Hospitality 101. Jeez.
Hope you get the King room.

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..

Thinking back, the two times we did three resorts were both one week trips.
One time it was POFQ/Contemporary/AKL. The other was POR/AKL/VWL.
I've done a lot of two resort stays though.

I actually unpack at every resort This summer we did three resorts in one week (AKL-CR-BC); another year we did 3 in 12 days (AKL-Poly-GF). Just depends. Splitting between two resorts is more common for me. Sometimes I just feel the need to try a different resort or its club level, especially if it's been newly refurbished When you have lots of trips under your belt, as most of us do, I think it's much easier to split. But I know plenty of people who wouldn't even consider moving. I'm just a resorts junkie

Is the coffee served at the quick service Joffrey's or is it still Nescafe?
We are debating about purchasing the new refillable mugs and this would help our decision.

It was Joffrey's back in January

 

[trishadono]

Thanks Johnsonet!

I thought the response was a little snarky but I am glad I am not the only one to read it that way.

I got so disappointed I almost cancelled my trip!

Then I remembered that there is not a single bad room in the main building so we will have a great trip in spite of the snarkiness

 

[samnbilly]

Thanks Johnsonet!

I thought the response was a little snarky but I am glad I am not the only one to read it that way.

I got so disappointed I almost cancelled my trip!

Then I remembered that there is not a single bad room in the main building so we will have a great trip in spite of the snarkiness

Are you able to keep trying in case someone cancels or modifies their ressie?
I've been calling daily to try & get the room category I'd like & no luck yet..keep trying or ask at check in!!
There was no reason to send that response (letter) They were making it seem like you were trying to get something u didn't request or pay for!