Is Grand Floridian really not kid-friendly?

[Tylerandhayleysmom]

Hello all my name is Gina and I'm very new to the DIS Boards. Have a question that's been bothering me while booking this year's vacation resort at WDW. So, my family and I went to the ever so awesome WDW Polynesian Resort and stayed the week of Thanksgiving last year. It was our first time at WDW and we had a blast. I'm booking our 2014 week of Thanksgiving resort again, but due to some possible re-construction at the Poly's volcano pool (which we LOVED BTW) we decided to stay at GF instead. However, I keep reading here and there that the Grand is not "kid-friendly"!!! Is this true? I'd like to stay there, but afraid that my 3 and 7 year olds will be looked at as "pests" the way people describe is as a not so kid-friendly atmostphere. HELP?? Anyone with first hand experience on this please enlighten me. Thanks for any and all feedback that you can provide.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello all my name is Gina and I'm very new to the DIS Boards. Have a question that's been bothering me while booking this year's vacation resort at WDW. So, my family and I went to the ever so awesome WDW Polynesian Resort and stayed the week of Thanksgiving last year. It was our first time at WDW and we had a blast. I'm booking our 2014 week of Thanksgiving resort again, but due to some possible re-construction at the Poly's volcano pool (which we LOVED BTW) we decided to stay at GF instead. However, I keep reading here and there that the Grand is not "kid-friendly"!!! Is this true? I'd like to stay there, but afraid that my 3 and 7 year olds will be looked at as "pests" or something they way people describe the not so kid-friendly atmostphere. HELP?? Anyone with first hand experience on this please enlighten me. Thanks for any and all feedback that you can provide.

It is very kid friendly. The themed pool over near the villas is loads of fun for kids. There is a character meal there at 1900 Park Faire. My son was about ten when we stayed there and he loved it.

 

[staceyrhood]

Growing up we stayed there every year, very kid friendly. Even more so now with the kids pool area...it's awesome!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Hello all my name is Gina and I'm very new to the DIS Boards. Have a question that's been bothering me while booking this year's vacation resort at WDW. So, my family and I went to the ever so awesome WDW Polynesian Resort and stayed the week of Thanksgiving last year. It was our first time at WDW and we had a blast. I'm booking our 2014 week of Thanksgiving resort again, but due to some possible re-construction at the Poly's volcano pool (which we LOVED BTW) we decided to stay at GF instead. However, I keep reading here and there that the Grand is not "kid-friendly"!!! Is this true? I'd like to stay there, but afraid that my 3 and 7 year olds will be looked at as "pests" or something they way people describe the not so kid-friendly atmostphere. HELP?? Anyone with first hand experience on this please enlighten me. Thanks for any and all feedback that you can provide.

My kids were 11 and 5 when we stayed at the GF. They loved it.

 

[Crystal824]

I have never stayed at the GF, but we have been there several times to eat with our DD (1900 Park Fare and GF Café). We have never felt that it wasn't kid friendly. We also didn't take our child the to the signature restaurants in the GF, which may be a bit less kid friendly than the hotel or other restaurants.

 

[kmb584]

The Grand is incredibly kid-friendly! My DD is 4 and we've stayed there on 4 out of her 10 trips to WDW; she loves it. The new(ish) Alice in Wonderland is fantastic and we enjoy the beach pool quite a bit as well. My little one calls it the "princess hotel" .

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Go your kids will not be pest. In the morning you will find a lot of kids in the lobby as they wait for their reservation for the character breakfast. Don't worry its Disney it can't get any more kid friendly than this.

 

[sohappy]

I think that the deluxe resorts are less kid themed than the moderates and much less than the values. That doesn't make them not kid friendly though. We have stayed at almost every deluxe resort on property and love them all. I will say that my 11 and 8 year olds went gaga over the night we stayed at All Star Movies. They didn't like the room but loved the over the top theming.

 

[Tylerandhayleysmom]

I feel much better about going! Thanks so much guys for your feedback!

 

[davale4]

When ever I read of posts referring to the GF as "not kid friendly", I wonder if it's people that have not stayed there and experienced it first hand. Our family has been staying there since my youngest child was 18 months. We go every year and stay in the main building (RPC) and my kids absolutely love it. Some of the staff have been working there for years and they actually recognize us and the kids when we go. My daughter is always sad to go and gets hugs from them before we leave. They are very kid friendly and make them feel very special. Every year we go, they can't believe how fast the kids are growing and go above and beyond to please them. Can't wait to go again this year in August!!!

 

[ktlm]

Since DD (7) has been born we've stayed with her at WL, Poly, GF and BC and the GF is by far her favorite. We've stayed there with her twice. It is Disney- it is definitely kid-friendly. The CMs there are terrific with the kids and the adults. There is a tv area with little chairs that runs cartoons all day in the lobby by the elevator.

We first stayed there because when she was 3 and 4, DD was absolutely begging to stay there after eating at 1900 Park Fare for dinner. She called it Cinderella's hotel back then. So, as I was booking a bouceback for the next year when she was 5, and she was sitting there with her big eyes asking me to book the GF, instead of the Poly, I caved. We stayed there when she was 5, and again when she was 6. On any given night, you will find a ton of little girls dressed up as Princesses waiting for 1900 park fare and dancing in the lobby to either the piano player or the band.

One of my favorite videos I have taken at WDW is when we were walking through the lobby and the band was playing (I think one of the Jungle Book songs) and DD suddenly stopped and broke into a wild dance and stood in the middle of lobby dancing her heart out for the rest of the song. The CMs around didn't look like they were annoyed or irritated about a kid going crazy in the lobby- they were smiling and watching her. I've never once seen any CM treat any kid as a pest in the GF- not even in the more "upscale" adult clothing stores they have where you won't find as many kids. When I brought DD in those while I shopped, they always talked to her and were very nice to her. I think people who think it is not kid friendly have not stayed there- or maybe they have walked through when a dressed up wedding crowd is in the lobby area or upstairs and felt it was stuffy, or maybe saw dressed up people heading to or from Victoria and Alberts. We did occasionally see some guests that looked like they were in designer clothes or WAY overdressed for WDW wandering around in the lobby, but there were also a ton of kids and plenty of people wandering around in shorts and t-shirts, sweaty and dirty from running around in the parks all day!

 

[jcjen519]

Not true at all. Very kid friendly. Every bit as much as any other resort on site.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just stayed at the GF Villas with my 3, 6, 11, and 13 yo. They loved it. All enjoyed the pool. My 3 and 6 yo especially loved he children's water feature at the pool between the villas and main building. Also, nightly, they have a campfire with free marshmellows.

I have wanted to stay at GF since I was a teen when it opened. It did not disappoint. Be sure to visit the fountain in the lobby of the villas.


One more thing, my sister and I hung out and listened to the piano player in the main lobby. He was swarmed with his groupies--all young children about 3-8 years old. He played their requests and they danced like they were at the ball. And swarmed him like he was Justin Bieber in his pre-arrest days. (The piano player was much better, of course, talent-wise.). One young prince also asked him for his autograph.

The place is supremely kid friendly.

 

[NotUrsula]

There is a difference between kid-friendly and kid-centric. When most people speak of GF not being kid-friendly, I think that what they really mean is that it is not kid-centric -- that it is not designed and decorated specifically with the preferences of children in mind.

To that I say ... thank God. I love Disneyworld, but visiting with cartoon characters is enough for me; I don't want to sleep with them.

I suspect that perhaps what is being referenced is that the decor doesn't feature characters, and that the lobby furniture has actual upholstery on it.

 

[motherof2boys]

I think all Disney Hotels are kid friendly, however on our first trip (my Boys were 5 & 8) after walking thru the Lobby they both said they wouldn't want to stay there b/c it was too "girly". We had just eaten dinner at 1900 Park Fare (which they loved!) 7 years & 8 trips later we will stay there eventually b/c we now own DVC so we want to stay in all the Resorts at least once.

 

[monorailsilver]

I have only stayed there once and I was a teenager. Debbie Gibson was at the top of the charts!

So I was a teenager and I went to the main lobby in my bathing suit with my Mickey cover up and I felt under dressed (I needed money...).

I haven't stayed there since then but if I was going again in the next 2 yrs or til poly construction, mainly the pool, was complete, I would choose the GF.

We always see kids. But I do notice the kids are dressed better then us! Not all though. Some of the kids are in perfectly matched outfits, hair perfect and then there are my kids...a tank top and shorts... But kids dress like that everywhere but I notice it more when the monorail or bus pulls up to the GF.

Go and have fun at the GF and if someone snooty looks down upon you just think about how great your life is and how miserable their life is!

 

[tcherjen]

I think it is. We haven't stayed there yet, but we have ate there twice. Breakfast with Alice and Dinner with Cinderella. We thought everyone was great.