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

[Mousemommy1]

Thanks DDN I had no idea that you could do that!



bethclayton I see nothing wrong with that at all!



Now why doesnt this surprise me..?? Changing your trip aound.. but with a new twist...now you have gone from resort hopping to adding cruises! LOL.. I personally think that in the summer months..most especially with children..you are better off in SL than RPC..I would take the extra $$ and stay CL on the cruise...Have done it and its absolutely wonderful!

and ..Congrats on booking your first Disney cruise...

I'm out of control!!!!

The cruise is something we've thrown around for a long time....but have never committed to. However, as our August trip will be the 5th (and for me 6th) in 5 years, we were starting to realize that we were running out of things that we want to do.

The purpose of next years trip is to ride the mine train....good reason, right.
So, as long as that is done, we are good, so no real need for our usual 11 days and voila! The Disney Cruise was booked!

However, we will now just purchase the 4 day military hopper which saves us a ton and since we won't go into the park on our arrival day....a TPV room in RPC was looking

 

[mickeynut1]

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween

We checkout today. Sob. My daughter and I have decided we could live in this two bedroom dedicated villa. It is so lovely. I free with Blue Skies about the Magic Bands and triple sheeting. Both are winners with my family.

Sorry your trip has come to an end .....but glad you enjoyed the villa. Can't wait to hear all about it .

It is a great resort to spend time in, we love hanging out, having a meal, listening to the music.~sigh~

Me too .

Good morning fellow GF fans!

HappyHalloween!!!

Right back atcha .

happy halloween, everyone! it's a perfect halloween day here.... unseasonably warm for PA but very foggy, overcast, still, and spooky.

Glad you had a nice Halloween day . Our temps were warm, but it has been raining since last night, with the rain going through tonight .

I'll second that! It's why we spend as much or more time at the resort as we do in the parks!

Same here.....we spend way more time at the resort than at the parks and I'm fine with that .

The only cure of ADS (after Disney syndrome) I know of is to start planning the next trip!

I totally agree .

Have wonderful day to all the people on my favorite thread on the DIS! Only 49 more sleeps until we get to Orlando (and then we spend a couple days on the darkside) and then 53 days until our Christmas stay at the Grand!

Same to you . The days will go by before you know it and you will soon be relaxing at the Grand .

We don't really celebrate Halloween down here in Oz. However, the other day, I did pass a store window that had a Mickey Halloween Candy Bucket from a MNSSHP!

It's always fun seeing Mickey stuff .

MickeyNut I bet it was a Mickey Halloween at your house! Trip tweaking?? Spill the beans girl wanna hear all about it...

You know it ......can't have Halloween (or any holiday) without Mickey . I also added some Disney Halloween decorations to my brothers house.....gotta get that niece of mine thinking the right way . No tweaking done as of yet, but I'm working on it .

Thanks for your continued review.....can't wait to see all of your great pics .

 

[bethclayton]

blue, thank you for indulging us with your reviews! i am totally glued to this thread to look for updates, lol!

i really hope the bus situation doesn't become the disaster that AKL became. i hadn't even thought of that. when we stayed at AKL i was so impressed with the bus service... but then we visited AKL a couple of years later after kidani was built and the buses were a nightmare, to the extent that we have never stayed there again even though we long for it.

 

[kerriburke]

.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

mickeynut - I hear ya, we've had nothing but rain for 3 days straight. I'm so ready to see the sun!

BlueSkies - thanks for more review! I laughed about your wish for a child's MB, I have wondered about the size. I have small wrists, too, most bracelets and watches are too big for me, even on the tightest setting.

Cute story about thinking you may have met BCV23 and her DH on the tour. I'm sorry it wasn't, I have met them and they are, indeed, extremely nice people.

follow that mouse and k&a&c'smom i have a confession. i had this delicious smelling basin soap. it was face soap but it was making my face break out like crazy. but it smelled EXACTLY like the GF lobby and i couldn't get enough of that. so i took that sucker in its soap dish and put it on my nightstand for an entire week just to get the smell. i know, i know. soap dish on my nightstand. loser!

Loser for having the soap on your nightstand?! If that were so, you would be in good company! Which Basin soap smells like the lobby? I cannot go into the store(sob!) due to allergies, but DD does - she'll want to know which one to bring home next trip.

Soooo.....we cut our GF stay from 10 nights down to 5....because we added a cruise (our first ever) on the Disney Dream!!!

Now, I'm looking at the RPC because it's only 5 nights.

It's only $683 more....I'm sooooooo tempted.....would you do it????

In a heartbeat!!

I'm out of control!!!!

The cruise is something we've thrown around for a long time....but have never committed to. However, as our August trip will be the 5th (and for me 6th) in 5 years, we were starting to realize that we were running out of things that we want to do.

The purpose of next years trip is to ride the mine train....good reason, right.
So, as long as that is done, we are good, so no real need for our usual 11 days and voila! The Disney Cruise was booked!

However, we will now just purchase the 4 day military hopper which saves us a ton and since we won't go into the park on our arrival day....a TPV room in RPC was looking

I think you've made your case...you should book RPC. There. Decision made.

....
i really hope the bus situation doesn't become the disaster that AKL became. i hadn't even thought of that. when we stayed at AKL i was so impressed with the bus service... but then we visited AKL a couple of years later after kidani was built and the buses were a nightmare, to the extent that we have never stayed there again even though we long for it.

Me, too. If I'm being totally honest, this very situation has been my fear since VGF was announced. We, too, have had issues with the AKL buses since the opening of Kidani; many people say that is not the norm, but we've had 2 trips now where we have waited...and waited...and waited - even for the AK bus! It's like...2 minutes away.~sigh~ We love AKL, but have not spent as much time there in recent years, mostly due to our bus experiences.

 

[Candy Orlando]

K&a&c'smom and BlueSkies, I don't like to wear bracelets. Maybe if I take off the gray part on the MB I won't mind wearing it because it will be lighter. I hope it fits.

 

[Circusgirl]

I saw a photo today of the bulldozers taking out the hill at Sunset Point, a long time favorite of ours as well. It's hard to see much loved places change, I know.

I think you will end up loving the Grand almost as much as the Poly. We are Poly lovers who were converted to GF lovers over the years. For us, they seem almost like sister resorts as it is so easy to move between them for dining, shopping, etc.

Hopefully someone can help with your question about the noise in the next couple weeks.

Oh, I'm sure you know this, but the lowest room category at the Grand is garden view - no standard room views. Very few bad views at the Grand! A handful of rooms with what most would term "less desirable" is about it.

Thanks for the info! The Grand sounds like the Poly in that way, with a majority of rooms having good views.

I'm trying to keep an open mind and hope to find much to love about the "new" Poly. Hopefully we'll be chatting in a few years about our new discoveries!

You will LOVE the GF . The Poly is our favorite and as much as I'd love to stay there for our upcoming trip in March, the construction wouldn't bother me, but the closure of the volcano pool is a deal breaker . With that said, the GF is a great alternative . The grounds are beautiful and the overall feel of the resort is .

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm looking forward to relaxing around the resort and enjoying all it has to offer.

I don't have an exact answer for you..but having stayed at the GF a few timse during the construction there..and having a room overlooking the VGF during the height of construction..we never heard a thing in the room...so I would think that you would be ok in Boca Chica since it would be quite a distance away from the work going on over at the Poly.. enjoy your first GF stay..I bet it wont be your last!!

That is great news. I am looking forward to the water view, so will stay put and continue to anticipate lovely mornings and evenings at the resort!

 

[princessmocha]

YAY! Your trip will be here before you know it. Which "dark side" resort will you be staying in? We love them all, though HRH and PBH are our favorites.

We are going to be staying at HRH. I thought it would be the one my kiddos would enjoy the most. We are getting very excited in our house. DD has been sitting with me and looking through all the pics of the Grand.... We can't wait to see the gingerbread house and all the decorations. Soooo excited!!!

 

[BCV23]

trishadon, so excited for you. We had an accessible villa with tub so did not have the large shower in the master. The separate shower in the second bath was spacious and had a rain shower head as well as the normal one. Two months a From now for you.

My pleasure, Elena. ADS.....love it. I always follow that advice. Our next trip is in Feb and we're wait listed for VGF.

Thanks, mickeynut1. We start cruising today so that eases the pain a lot!

BlueSkies, it would have been so nice to have met you! I enjoyed your review. We were talking about Magic Bands with a CM we know. He said the supposedly making the band tighter on hot days makes it cooler on hot days. Did you try winding yours all the way to the color part of the band? And as noted, you can remove the dark grey part. I liked being able to modify fast passes as needed in the park. Also Spaceship Earth went down during our FP window. I received an email saying we could choose to go to any one of quite a list of attractions any time that day to use FP. Soarin and Test Track were not on the list so I suppose that varies based in availability.

K&a&c'smom, I don't plan on a review but will say congrats to any one who owns at VGF. Stunning.

grannyminnie, have an awesome vacation.

Hi to all!

 

[grannyminnie]

blue, thank you for indulging us with your reviews! i am totally glued to this thread to look for updates, lol!

i really hope the bus situation doesn't become the disaster that AKL became. i hadn't even thought of that. when we stayed at AKL i was so impressed with the bus service... but then we visited AKL a couple of years later after kidani was built and the buses were a nightmare, to the extent that we have never stayed there again even though we long for it.

This is one reason I'm happy that we are close enough to drive down..

Yes, Blue, I am SUPER-excited! Reading your TR is especially fun, since we are so close. That lobby is calling my name!

Beth, you know you're in good company (GF soap on your bedside table)! I have been known to open a bottle of the shampoo just to smell it!

Mousemommy, I agree with k&a&c'smom...I would upgrade to RPC for that amount in a skinny minute!!

Mickeynut, you WILL keep us posted when you tweak that trip, right??

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween

We had TWO t-or-t'ers!! It's been many years since we had any, so two is an improvement, if you can believe it. And in the rain!

K&a&c'smom and BlueSkies, I don't like to wear bracelets. Maybe if I take off the gray part on the MB I won't mind wearing it because it will be lighter. I hope it fits.

That tip from DisneyDmbNut and the one from BCV23 to make it tighter in hot weather have given me hope.

Thanks for the info! The Grand sounds like the Poly in that way, with a majority of rooms having good views.

I'm trying to keep an open mind and hope to find much to love about the "new" Poly. Hopefully we'll be chatting in a few years about our new discoveries!

Me, too - looking forward to it! In the meantime, join in and have a Grand time!

We are going to be staying at HRH. I thought it would be the one my kiddos would enjoy the most. We are getting very excited in our house. DD has been sitting with me and looking through all the pics of the Grand.... We can't wait to see the gingerbread house and all the decorations. Soooo excited!!!

You're gonna love both resorts!! The kids will love the pool at HRH, it's a lot of fun. Lots of games in the afternoon. And of course, the Grand is fabulous at Christmas.

trishadon, so excited for you. We had an accessible villa with tub so did not have the large shower in the master. The separate shower in the second bath was spacious and had a rain shower head as well as the normal one. Two months a From now for you.

My pleasure, Elena. ADS.....love it. I always follow that advice. Our next trip is in Feb and we're wait listed for VGF.

Thanks, mickeynut1. We start cruising today so that eases the pain a lot!

BlueSkies, it would have been so nice to have met you! I enjoyed your review. We were talking about Magic Bands with a CM we know. He said the supposedly making the band tighter on hot days makes it cooler on hot days. Did you try winding yours all the way to the color part of the band? And as noted, you can remove the dark grey part. I liked being able to modify fast passes as needed in the park. Also Spaceship Earth went down during our FP window. I received an email saying we could choose to go to any one of quite a list of attractions any time that day to use FP. Soarin and Test Track were not on the list so I suppose that varies based in availability.

K&a&c'smom, I don't plan on a review but will say congrats to any one who owns at VGF. Stunning.

grannyminnie, have an awesome vacation.

Hi to all!

Wait listed for Feb. - you must have loved the villas! I'll keep my fingers crossed it comes through.

Thanks for the info, especially about the MB. Sounds like they are a great success!

Enjoy your cruise! What a great way to extend the Disney experience.

This is one reason I'm happy that we are close enough to drive down..

Yes, Blue, I am SUPER-excited! Reading your TR is especially fun, since we are so close. That lobby is calling my name!

Beth, you know you're in good company (GF soap on your bedside table)! I have been known to open a bottle of the shampoo just to smell it!

Mousemommy, I agree with k&a&c'smom...I would upgrade to RPC for that amount in a skinny minute!!

Mickeynut, you WILL keep us posted when you tweak that trip, right??

LOL about the soap and RPC.

Wish we were what I would describe as "close enough to drive down"! We do drive some, but it takes us a good 22+ hours of drive time - usually done in 2 days.

Just 3 more days!

 

[jojomickey]

Hello Everyone!!!

I have not posted much lately ,its hard to get excited since our trip is so far away.
I still check in often and enjoy reading about everyone trip and upcoming trips,but I had to ask this question, with the talk about the smell of the soap smelling like the grand,we love the smell of the lobby we wish we could bottle it up and take it home!!! Can anyone tell me if the new DVC lobby smells like this? We are proud new owners of the new villas and we really hope it does!!

 

[grannyminnie]

Thanks for the well-wishes, BCV! You enjoy your cruise!!

jojomickey, lucky you, to own at the new villas!! How far away is your next trip?
I love the smell of the lobby too, and wish they sold that in a bottle!!
Someone posted earlier that there are some bath bombs in Basin that have the smell, but they didn't indicate what the fragrance was called.

Hope you're having fun, DisneyDmbNut!

k&a&c'smom, we're only 6 hours! (well, that's when we meet at our parent's house to drive from there. I have to drive 4 hours to get to their house, but will break up the drive this weekend.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OMG I am so upset, I just lost two hours worth of work!

Recapping I wanted to thank you all for your information and enthusiasm about the Grand Floridian - it helped us plan our own recent trip there.

I took some pictures with all of you in mind, and wanted to share them, as a thank you. I hope you enjoy them and that they may be helpful to someone!

Putting them in a separate post as I'd reached the limit for images.

 

[jojomickey]

Thanks Grannyminnie!!!

We are about a year away can't wait ,we thought about it long and hard and decided to purchase, our children are older and the family is growing and we all love to go together and now we can.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Probably not as good as the first grouping, but here they are. Enjoy! (Just used an iPhone.)

First glimpse of monorail from parking lot. So exciting!

First glimpses of lobby - glorious at night! And yes, that smell! We miss it already!

Went back for these soaps, they were awesome for gifts!

Walk up to Boca Chica (our building) with Big Pine Key in the background. Loved the location. Our requests were met - ground floor (Garden View) and room that slept 5 (boy/girl teens celebrating their 16th birthday).

View of Courtyard Pool from Boca Chica (with main building in background)

Our room location

View of pool from our deck

Overnight

It was incredibly quiet where we were, yet the resort was fully occupied. We liked the location because we like to be where it's somewhat active, yet, somehow, it was really quiet inside and around the building. I only saw other occupants a couple of times. Lots of people walking around outside, though. Best of both worlds!

More to come...

 

[k&a&c'smom]

DisneyDmbNut - do you leave today? Safe travels, have a great trip!

Hello Everyone!!!

I have not posted much lately ,its hard to get excited since our trip is so far away.
I still check in often and enjoy reading about everyone trip and upcoming trips,but I had to ask this question, with the talk about the smell of the soap smelling like the grand,we love the smell of the lobby we wish we could bottle it up and take it home!!! Can anyone tell me if the new DVC lobby smells like this? We are proud new owners of the new villas and we really hope it does!!

Sorry you have a long wait. I understand, it's hard to read about the World if you don't have a trip coming up soon. A year seems like forever, I know, but it will be here before you know it.

I hope someone can answer about the VGF lobby.

....
k&a&c'smom, we're only 6 hours! (well, that's when we meet at our parent's house to drive from there. I have to drive 4 hours to get to their house, but will break up the drive this weekend.

Only 6 hours! I can't imagine, how do you keep from driving down there on a whim?! Oh, I guess you did say 10 in total...but still. I wish I had family between me and the Mouse. My sister lives in STL, about 3 hours east of me, but that isn't enough of a break to really help.

DD lives near DC now and it is only 12 hours, which to me sounds like an easy day's drive. I am 17 hours from her, for Pete's sake!

OMG I am so upset, I just lost two hours worth of work!

Recapping I wanted to thank you all for your information and enthusiasm about the Grand Floridian - it helped us plan our own recent trip there.

I took some pictures with all of you in mind, and wanted to share them, as a thank you. I hope you enjoy them and that they may be helpful to someone!

Putting them in a separate post as I'd reached the limit for images.

Argh! I hate it when that happens. Looking forward to your photos, when you get a chance.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Probably not as good as the first grouping, but here they are. Enjoy! (Just used an iPhone.)

First glimpse of monorail from parking lot. So exciting!


First glimpses of lobby - glorious at night! And yes, that smell! We miss it already!



Went back for these soaps, they were awesome for gifts!


Walk up to Boca Chica (our building) with Big Pine Key in the background. Loved the location. Our requests were met - ground floor (Garden View) and room that slept 5 (boy/girl teens celebrating their 16th birthday).
....


It was incredibly quiet where we were, yet the resort was fully occupied. We liked the location because we like to be where it's somewhat active, yet, somehow, it was really quiet inside and around the building. I only saw other occupants a couple of times. Lots of people walking around outside, though. Best of both worlds!

More to come...

Love the photos, thanks for sharing! Congrats to your teens, how wonderful they were able to celebrate their 16th at the Grand.

We love Boca, too, and being in the courtyard area for just the reason you describe. We like being in the middle of the action, but have the room quiet at night.

Glad you enjoyed the Grand!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Boca Chica lobby looking toward pool

and hallway

First glimpses of room

Coverlets are navy blue and I agree I don't like them, either. Woke up cold in the middle of the night and loaded bathrobes and jackets on the bed to get warm!

Some niceties around the room

DD pointed out the "special" (embossed) toilet paper

This was a panoramic from out in back of Boca Chica, looking toward the Poly

Some of the things in the store to buy

 

[jillmc40]

Jojomickey - I am in the same boat as you. Our trip is almost a year and a half away . We bought Vgf too and I am really having a hard time not staying there for so long. I just want to go so bad!! That is a great question about the lobby! Have you asked on the owners thread? I am on that one as well.

I was laughing about everyone opening the soap and having it on the nightstand. I actually have the tinker bell lotion and I wear it because it reminds me of the poly lobby. I love it!! I milk my gf soap. I donated a ton of the supplies last year to sandy victims. I had just come home and had a ton. I will have to make it stretch for 500 more days