i don't get it

[MickeyNicki]

You will be fine! Have a fantastic time!

 

[MusiqChic99]

No need to worry at all or feel out of place there. Yes it's a hotel with elaborate detail but it's Disney World! Personally I think all hotels at Disney are wonderful. Even the value resorts are themed beautifully. I think the room size at deluxe hotels is one of the deal breakers for me. We always took family with us so we would get 2 adjoining rooms and they just "fit" us better. Not because we are "better"...we are Wal-mart bargains hunters too!!

So relax and enjoy your wonderful gift!

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

Congrats on your surprise trip! Have a great time and if anyone at GF thinks they are better than anyone else then thats their problem and not yours!

 

[PeterAll]

I wonder if your 'friend' even shops at Wall Mart. Do you know if there is one near her?
I'm sure you'll feel great at any resort you like.

 

[LJH77]

Wow!!! A surprise visit to the world, the Grand Floridian no less!!!! Thats amazing how lucky are you? I don't understand what you're confused about? You've been given a great gift by a great guy - why can't you just enjoy that? You're friend was implying that Pop is busier and louder and bigger, I don't think she was implying that you are only fit to stay at a Walmart type hotel - which I think is what you are saying in your post (correct me if I'm wrong it's hard to pick up how things are being said when written).

As someone who has stayed at some of the deluxes and stayed at lots of deluxe hotels around the world (and some total dives I have to add - a hostel in New York where I caught scabbies thanks!) I just have to say - we aren't nasty stuck up people! Why and who would make you feel out of place? Just because someone can afford to stay at very nice hotels doesn't mean they are not nice, approachable people.

I've stayed at all levels of Disney resort and I find that the deluxes are usually just quieter and smaller than the other levels and have a few more amenities like bigger rooms, more transport options, spas, more restaurants etc. It's just a slightly different experience.

As one of the posters said before me, you never know the circumstances of the person who you are standing next to.

You paid for your hotel room fair and square so why shouldn't you feel comfortable? Hold your head high and go and enjoy that hotel!

 

[PeterAll]

As someone who has stayed at some of the deluxes and stayed at lots of deluxe hotels around the world (and some total dives I have to add - a hostel in New York where I caught scabbies thanks!) I just have to say - we aren't nasty stuck up people! Why and who would make you feel out of place? Just because someone can afford to stay at very nice hotels doesn't mean they are not nice, approachable people.

Yikers!! How did that happen? Where in NY. I'm going to NY this summer and don't want to catch that!

 

[LJH77]

Hahaha No you don't want catch that! Euch! I think it was scabbies but the doctor wasn't sure so was making a guess. Probably caught it from the matress....it was manky! (There's a good scottish word for you - just means very very unclean, I think it's a good adjective to use here.) Mind you I'm guessing it was the hostel, I suppose I could have caught in anywhere who knows. However that has to be the most discusting place I've stayed and I've never caught anything else (not even so much as a cold) anywhere else so it seems logical.

It was some random hostel called the Banana Hamock or Banana Cabana or...whatever... I think I've blanked it out. It was so grosse, I don't know what possesed us to stay there! How ridiculous! Oh well we were young and probably couldn't afford to go anywhere else!

Don't worry it's probably been closed down now by the department of Health! Although my next time in New York was spent at one of the International Hostels which are much better and have to be up to a certain standard otherwise they get struck off the list...which is good!

It's cool though, it's a story to tell!

 

[followme2disney]

I once turned down a practically free AKL relocation upgrade from Pop in 1/02 when Pop didn't open on time because I didn't think I would feel comfortable at a deluxe resort. I hate to even think about how stupid I was. Then in 12/02 I was upgraded to the Poly when CBR closed. I took that upgrade and I have known that I fit in just fine at deluxe resorts ever since. No matter what resort you are coming from, everyone is usually getting up in the morning to spend a hot and exhausting day in the parks. And if I think about it, probably many of the clothes I wear on vacation come from Wal-Mart whether I am staying at a Value or a Deluxe.

 

[Taja]

Relax and enjoy. You'll be fine.

They're just people. Some nice, some--perhaps not so nice! *LOL*

Children are the same at all levels of WDW resorts--children! And you should just be yourself, as well.

Who knows? Next visit you might be staying in two value resort rooms--and still loving it!

 

[mmmears]

What a nice husband to surprise you with this!

For what it's worth, we love the GF. People there aren't snobby or mean. And they have kids with them at the GF, too! It's really pretty, and really conveniently located. The rooms are bigger, and there are two nice pools, one with a waterfall & waterslide.

I think you'll be very happy there. Dont let the word "deluxe" bother you. It's just a really nice Disney hotel. We dont take vacations very often and it's a long flight to WDW, so when we do go, we like to stay in a nice place. The GF is just that -- a nice hotel in a great location!

Oh -- and you can take advantage of the location by trying all those restaurants at the GF, Poly, and CR that would be hard to get to if you weren't on the monorail.

Have a great time and dont worry! The only people not wearing "theme-park" attire at the GF that we have seen were the brides & grooms getting their pictures taken!

 

[RustManFan]

I can afford to go on vacations more often because I don't go the deluxe route. Like I have treated between 1 and 3 other family members to 4 trips to Great Britain since 2001. If we went deluxe it might have been a once in a lifetime and that isn't what I'm looking for.....

We simply need a nice clean room to sleep in and decent food. Don't need spas or tennis courts or a golf course. Not looking for those on a vacation.

Live simply at home and live simply on the road !!

 

[Lynne M]

There's nothing at all stuffy about the GF. If there were, I wouldn't have stayed there 4 times. It's a beach resort with a Disney overlay, full of kids in bathing suits and grown men wearing Goofy hats. How could it be stuffy?

Sure, you'll see the occasional group in formal wear because the wedding pavilion is right next door, and a lot of the bridal parties use the GF's catering facilities. But that just adds a dash of fun and celebration to the place, IMO. Especially when you see Cinderella's carriage, complete with horses and footmen, passing through the grounds!

It's a relaxing, fun, romantic place. You'll love it. Enjoy!

 

[Crisgw]

Enjoy yourself!!! Tell your friend that the green monster isn't pretty

 

[simonkodousek]

Honestly, the Grand Floridian is just another Disney owned hotel; it will have the usual families rushing through the lobby on their way to and from the parks, crying kids and screaming parents, and noisy pool areas. Yes, it is a very nice resort and definitely worth the money if you can afford it, but there is absolutely no reason that its reputation should be that of an ultra-luxury beach resort with people strutting about the lobby with their noses turned up at the less affluent guests.

Just my $0.02...

 

[skuttle]

We stayed at the GF for our honeymoon and never felt out of place. Honestly, I've felt more out of place walking into the Dolphin at night and having to pass by all of the drunk, dressed up convention people!

 

[lmillercrew]

Give your husband a big hug and say thank you. What a nice gesture for him to surprise you. Your friend is no kind of friend if she feels you don't belong at the GF. I hate it when people talk down to me, like I'll be below my station if I stay there. The GF is my dream hotel. I would love to be you this summer, staying there.

 

[kaysmommie]

I wish my DH would surprise me with GF . Now we usually stay deluxe because we like to relax, and being on the monorail and close to MK are a plus for us. We have stayed at Pop before too and I thought it was absolutely fine, and I don't like Walmart at all. Go and have fun at GF, there is no reason to feel out of place. Your friend sounds Snooty to me. I had a freind once tell me do not stay at Pop because that's for people that can't afford Disney . I was a bit stunned by that comment to say the least. It's completely not true. I have friends who can afford GF every trip but they choose to stay in values and they actually like them. I do like the deluxe resorts better because they are nicer (pools, rooms restaurants) IMO and in a better location usually.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I was just reading your other post about putting 6 people in your room at the GF. I think this vacation isn't really turning out to be a vacation at all when you have this much stress to deal with.

 

[PeterAll]

Were you able to find out if she does, in fact, shop at walmart?

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

What a nice surprise. What a sweet hubby!! I would just be so thrilled if my hubby did that for me - go and enjoy GF. I have always wanted to stay there. (Narcoossee's is just a little walk down the path!!)