Is GF really worth the money?

[sungoddess]

We had decided to stay at AKL for our Apr. 2006 visit. We are staying 4 nights and Ii had thought about splitting our stay to GF for 2 nights and then AKL for 2 nights. We will be celebrating our 15th anniversary, so i thought GF would be special for that and then the kids (2,5,8 &11) would love AKL. I have always wanted to stay at GF but it seems like alot of people are saying it isn't worth the money (especially since we'll need 2 rooms). any opinions/advice would be appreciated!

 

[AaronandJessica]

i would suggest for anniversary with a romance theme the POLY! just a little less, but so romantic. Walks in the white sand, with tiki torches. Awh.. wish I was there now.

jessica lynn

 

[Troy08]

Why don't you have the kids go to the kids club at AKL and you and hubby book it over to the GF for dinner at Victoria and Alberts. It's pricey, like 200.00 with tip, but a it's a lot cheaper then two rooms at the GF. Or, if food isn;t your thing, how about his/her spa treatments. Indulge a little.......

On another note, the WL is very romantic also. So muchg to look forward too......

 

[DVCJEN]

GF is okay IMHO. Worth the money? I don't really think so. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and the service was good, but for us it didn't have the "Disney Magic" feel that several of the other resorts have.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Obviously, only you can decide on the "worth" of staying at the GF. We have stayed at both several times and both have their merits.

We just returned from the GF in July and will be there again in September. I think your children would enjoy the AKL for the animals and theme. I also think they would have a blast at the GF with the Monorail and MK being so close.

Tough Decision, however, you won't go wrong with either choice.

Good Luck!

 

[dsneygirl]

IMHO no it's not worth the money. I would rather stay at AKL or the Poly. Like others have said it is beautiful and good service but it just didn't have the Magic for us like other resorts do.

 

[paladin]

And no matter how "worth it" some of us may consider it, it really does come down to personal preference. Most folks have their favorite and it may be because of atmosphere, location, etc. Some feel a deluxe is never "worth" the additional price over a value. Think about what you want and what you like, maybe look at pictures and see if it appeals to you and then decide if the additional expense works for you. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!

Grand Floridian Resort and Spa Photos

 

[sungoddess]

thank you for all your responses. it seems like maybe a poly/akl split would be better. the gf seems to be a little over-rated. there seems to be many poly lovers out there. i know the kids will love akl. we went to hawaii for our 10 year anniversary, so maybe the poly would be a neat reminder of that! it is so confusing! i know any choice would be a good one, it is just a matter of preference. thanks for your input.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

thank you for all your responses. it seems like maybe a poly/akl split would be better. the gf seems to be a little over-rated. there seems to be many poly lovers out there. i know the kids will love akl. we went to hawaii for our 10 year anniversary, so maybe the poly would be a neat reminder of that! it is so confusing! i know any choice would be a good one, it is just a matter of preference. thanks for your input.

As you can see by my earlier post...we love both. And, as much as I love the GF, If you had asked about the POLY and AKL...I would have said the POLY!
It is my first and still my favorite WDW Resort!

 

[sungoddess]

hi wdw lifelong fan,

i am thinking i might surprise my husband and do the poly. since hawaii was our 10th anniversary trip and our best vacation it would be perfect. the feeling seems more laid back and fun. my kids love all things hawaiin too, so they would probably love it too. we went to the luau last time and they still talk about it. which wing/room type should i request? thanks!

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

hi wdw lifelong fan,

i am thinking i might surprise my husband and do the poly. since hawaii was our 10th anniversary trip and our best vacation it would be perfect. the feeling seems more laid back and fun. my kids love all things hawaiin too, so they would probably love it too. we went to the luau last time and they still talk about it. which wing/room type should i request? thanks!

Sounds Like a great plan. Which room category are you thinking of booking?

 

[webray]

We have stayed at both resorts and GF is definately not worth the money.

AKL..worth every penny and then some.

We saved GF for our anniversary as well, because it is suppose to be disneys primo resort..well, we would have rather stayed at the all stars than GF. WE definately got treated better at all stars. At GF we stayed main building concierge...what a joke. The concierge staff is rude, the rest of the GF castmembers could care less whether you are there or not.

At AKL..we have done concierge and all different levels of rooms...every stay..every stay has been totally outstanding.

We have also visited with other guests who have stayed at both resorts..concierge and not. All preferred AKL.

 

[CarolA]

For what the GF charges I expect top drawer service like you get a places like the Ritz Carlton. What I got was a beautiful hotel with very, very sub par service for the prices. It would have been fine at a moderate, but was not acceptable at those rates. (Let me point out that the valet service was so bad that there was NO EXCUSE! LOL! At a hotel like this you should NEVER have to flag down someone to take your car or wait 30 minutes to get it back!)

 

[noseybuddy]

We had decided to stay at AKL for our Apr. 2006 visit. We are staying 4 nights and Ii had thought about splitting our stay to GF for 2 nights and then AKL for 2 nights. We will be celebrating our 15th anniversary, so i thought GF would be special for that and then the kids (2,5,8 &11) would love AKL. I have always wanted to stay at GF but it seems like alot of people are saying it isn't worth the money (especially since we'll need 2 rooms). any opinions/advice would be appreciated!

Nope, not worth the money.

 

[sungoddess]

hi again,

thanks for all your advice. i am excited to try the poly (and still do 2 nights at akl also) thanks to all of your awesome information! i would have been very disappointed to stay at gf and think it wasn't worth the money. i am not sure what type of room? any opinions about that? maybe lagoon view? i thought about concierge but it seems like we will be at parks most of the time so it wouldn't be necessary. is there something i am missing about it that i should consider?

 

[Suzanne74]

I haven't stayed there but personally I don't think it is worth it for 2 nights, rooms with kids. I like the suggestion of the one poster - leave the kids at the club and go off to GF on your anniversary for dinner. For only 4 nights, I wouldn't recommend splitting your stay anyway - esp with 2 rooms and kids. Too much hassle, even if they move your luggage. I rather be settled and enjoy the 4 days ahead of me

 

[marcij]

We just did a split stay with 4 nights at AKL and 4 nights at the GF. These are our absolute favorite resorts. This was the first time at AKL and we loved seeing the animals. The pool was good and we loved the staff there. We have stayed many times at the GF and really love it. It's bright and airy, the rooms are a nice size, and our kids love both the pools. It's great to watch the fireworks from your room if you have lagoon view, and my kids love watching the monorail, too.

Is it worth the money? Only you could decide that. It depends on your budget, lifestyle, likes and dislikes. To me, it's worth every penny.


I agree with the above poster -- for 4 nights I would not take the time to move resorts. If you will be spending more time at the MK, I would pick the Poly if you are unsure of the GF, so that you can hop on the monorail. If you are evenly splitting the time in parks, you might try AKL -- your kids will really love it.

I hope you have a magical trip!

 

[kelscross]

It wasn't worth the money when we went. But like someone else said...it's a personal preference. We just didn't think the service was any better there than at the AllStars but you are paying for location etc.

 

[delilah]

I have only stayed at GF once, and that was actually for a discounted rate during a CME meeting. To me, it was definitely worth what I paid for it, which was about the same as I have paid for other hotels for CME meetings, most recently at Kiawah Island in SC. I would definitely stay again for a meeting, but, wouldn't pay full rate. Then again, I never pay full rate, as a rule.

 

[shelly3girls]

We absolutely love the GF but like others have said it is very much a personal preference. We had a poor experience at the AKL and will never stay there again not even for a cheap rate but I know others who rave about it. We also love the Poly. We alternate our stays between the GF and the Poly (with a split stay at BCV w/DVC). We once had a bad stay at the GF but every other stay has been absolutely magical. The theming of the Poly is very romantic. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. If money was an issue I would definitely choose the Poly especially if you feel you will need to justify spending the extra money on the GF.