I need advice on GF.... please!

[karebear1]

I am staying for 1 day in January at the GF , but this is one resort I know practically nothing about. What room catagories are there? And what are the best rooms in each catagory to request?

thanks!

 

[AuntRoeRoe]

I just returned from a great stay at the GF. I know there are garden view rooms, water view rooms and at least two types of concierge rooms as well as some suites. I paid for a garden view room and ended up in the Boca Chica building room 8341 with a slightly obstructed view of Cinderella's castle. It was a great room as I was able to view the Wishes fireworks at night from my balcony. I would definitely request to be in Boca Chica again if I am ever fortunate enough to have another stay at the GF. I hope this helps.

 

[karebear1]

That does help Roe. Thank You.

Can anyone else tell me about their room? Where was it is what kind of view did it have?

 

[madonna31]

I've been to the GF many, many times. It is my favourite WDW resort. My most recent stay there was for 13 nights last May.

• Boca Chica is the best building to ask for if your staying Lagoon View

• Conch Key is the best building to ask for if your staying garden view (ask for the side that faces the Marina)

• Closest building to the old pool (garden or lagoon view) is the Boca Chica

• Closest building to the new pool (garden or lagoon view) is Big Pine Key.

If you eat at the Grand Floridian Cafe - be sure to ask to sit in 'Izzy's' section, you won't be sorry.

Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[TammiMcMan]

karebear,

Will you be spending the entire day at the resort? If so, then I'd definitely recommend the main building concierge if you can afford it. It's perfect if you are arriving early and planning on relaxing there all day. Depending on the time of year and occupancy, you can let your concierge pre-planner know that you will be arriving early and they will make a note for the room assignor. You'll be met either at your car or in the lobby by a concierge greeter and taken upstairs for a private check-in. If you're room isn't ready, there is a beautiful, spacious lounge to relax in and get a cool drink or something to eat. They have offerings throughout the day and end it in the evening with delicious desserts and liquers. It's a great spot to sit and listen to the orchestra play. You can request a castle view room (not guaranteed), but if you do get one, you can grab a glass of wine from the concierge lounge, take it back to your room and enjoy the fireworks from your balcony.

If you are not planning on being around the resort much or really want to experience the beauty of the GF, then I'd go with the garden view. As a previous poster mentioned, Conch Key is great for this and it's a nice quiet building.

If you want to explore, there is path that connects the GF to they Poly that is very nice to walk on. You can also go to the boat dock and take a ride on the resort launch. It travels around the lagoon to the Poly, the MK and back to the GF.

The GF Cafe is a great spot for any meal. It's casual and we always ask for Izzy too. Gasparilla's Grill is their 24 hour counter service and the food is pretty good here also.

HTH,
Tammi

 

[karebear1]

Thanks everyone for your input! All the info you gave me helps alot. We will be there for the entire day- arriving first thing in the am too. We're coming from VWL, and leaving early Saturday morning to take our first ever cruise... with who else but DCL! My sister and her husband are staying at the GF for the week, so we're staying there Friday night so we can share a limo ride to the port on Saturday morning.

Staying concierge makes good sense. I didn't think about being without a room for the whole day. I've never stayed concierge before- so I'm really gonna think about that. o you think this resort will be very crowded in mid January? The marathon is the weekend before this, but most people leave by Monday. What are the other advantages to concierge other then food and easy check in? Are there special things they can arrange for you that you couldn't do yourself? Mayeb special baskets in the room etc?

And one last thing.... does anyone have a map of the resort that I can see? I know there's one on WDWIG, but I can't really read it.

Thanks!

 

[TammiMcMan]

karebear, we were at the GF from Jan 3-9 and the concierge area was nearly empty. Our room was ready at 9am and we were even upgraded to a beautiful room on the 5th floor that had palladium windows.

Concierge will definitely help out with preparing gifts for your room and they can even arrange a private dining experience for you and your family. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant like a four course meal. They can set up something as simple as a bottle of champagne and those beautiful white chocolate Cinderella slipper desserts.

Here's a map of the GF http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/gfmap.html . It's a good size and very easy to read.

The other nice thing is that the spa is a short walk and if the weather is bad or you just want to treat yourself, you can set up an appointment ahead of time or wait and have concierge do that for you. I believe now that the healthclub fee is waived if you are staying at the resort and they have a beautiful facility with separate area's for men and women.

Tammi