Is Grand Floridian really worth....

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for all the replies, still thinking about it really - will probably wait a little while but a fair chance we will go for it. Though that will probably change again tomorrow!

The first night is something we have also thought a lot about, and still are, it does seem like a waste of money but don't really want to swap and change accomodation too much.

 

[jtlover]

Thanks for all the replies, still thinking about it really - will probably wait a little while but a fair chance we will go for it. Though that will probably change again tomorrow!

The first night is something we have also thought a lot about, and still are, it does seem like a waste of money but don't really want to swap and change accomodation too much.

Just thought, if you stay at GF or any disney hotel why not get the ME coach and then hire a car on the day you move to the villa, will save a bit of money which will go towards the cost of GF

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Just thought, if you stay at GF or any disney hotel why not get the ME coach and then hire a car on the day you move to the villa, will save a bit of money which will go towards the cost of GF

Yeah, we have thought about that too. Thanks

 

[T16GEM]

Personally, I could never justify that kind of cost for a hotel per night no matter how nice it was!

As you say you are paying nearly the same for your villa as you would be for 3nights at the GF, and IMO I would rather spend that extra on doing things with the family during the holiday, maybe some special activities that you wouldn't usually do while on holiday.

I guess I love my villas though!

 

[wayneg]

Personally, I could never justify that kind of cost for a hotel per night no matter how nice it was!

As you say you are paying nearly the same for your villa as you would be for 3nights at the GF, and IMO I would rather spend that extra on doing things with the family during the holiday, maybe some special activities that you wouldn't usually do while on holiday.

I guess I love my villas though!

A year or so ago I would have agreed, I have stayed in hotels upto £150/night. Got no more enjoyment as a £20/night room, apart from Savannah room at AKL but still wouldn't pay rack rate for that.
As I get older I am changing(Yes Moira I know you knew I would) maybe I know years are passing bye and no idea how many years we can go(only in my forties but where's the last 16 years gone since our 1st visit, and whats around the corner?) maybe its because we can't go as often just now, I don't know but after experiencing biz class flights this year I would say if you can afford it its worth it. Same with hotels, if its what you want and you have the money its worth it. A room is somewhere to get my head down to sleep but fully appreciate people get more from from a hotel than we do.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Personally, I could never justify that kind of cost for a hotel per night no matter how nice it was!

As you say you are paying nearly the same for your villa as you would be for 3nights at the GF, and IMO I would rather spend that extra on doing things with the family during the holiday, maybe some special activities that you wouldn't usually do while on holiday.

I guess I love my villas though!

Hiya my dear

Yes I know exactly what you mean and that's our dilemma too.
Like you, as you probably know from my ramblings over the years we are villa people also. Next years holiday we have 13 nights already booked in one, and over the years have spent the majority of time in them which to be honest suits us and we wouldn't dream of changing that - especially as Joshua loves the private pool and that feeling of being at home too.
He is such a 'home-boy'.

Unfortunatley he likes it so much that it's common for the evenings , say after 6pm to be a bit dull, when I say 'dull' that's an exaggeration but he likes to relax at the villa and doesn't want to go out (bless him), whereas I do. Over the years I have gone out a fair bit on my own, which after a while itself becomes a but dull especially having to drive everywhere. His Autism is obviously a factor here also.
He also doesn't like eating out much which again is a handicap.

I have very little social life at home, partly by choice, but when we are in Florida I feel 10 years younger, have a nice tan and like to smarten up a bit and go out in the evening (which is a total contradiction to what Joshua wants to do). Get round this as best I can by going to the nearby Outback for a drink, or similar places - but naturally cannot really 'drink & drive'.
So...varying the holiday is becoming hard, which is kind of why we didn't go for a couple of years, hence having only stayed on site once that's something new we can do. Whilst we have travelled all over Florida in the past we again for his benefit don't want to do that anymore, so that's where on-site for a few nights comes in.
Figure a Magic Kingdom location, or EPCOT would be good for all of us and Julie would enjoy going out too. Have been past Grand Floridian 100s of times but never thought about staying there until we had a look around in April.

What Wayne says too is also kind of relevant, we too are getting older (an obvious thing to say I know)...but potentially as Joshua gets older our lives get harder, he will never be able to do the things most lads will, so it's making the most of his youth - partly why we try and go to Florida as much as we can.

So that's my life story. Dear me after that lot I doubt anyone will post on this thread again!

 

[torsie24]

I would certainly pay it Johnny (and will be for our wedding trip), we spent a lot of time at the GF on our recent trip as all of our wedding day (and therefore the planning) is going to be held there.

We fell in love with the Resort and to me its amazing location and its beauty is worth the extra. We didn't really like the Poly much at all, it just doesn't have any wow like the GF/AKL/WL do.

A lot of people have criticised me for paying £300/night for the Disneyland Hotel in Paris, but you know what, it made our recent trip SO relaxing and exciting and luxurious, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, it was a totally different experience to any in the past and that's how I want all my DLRP trips to be now, you can enjoy the parks so much mroe when you know you have somewhere gorgeous to return to and somewhere you can get back to without any trouble. We spend a lot of time in our resort room, and AKL was fabulous and we'd stay there again, but GF is definitely top of our list.

If you can afford it then go for it I say! It will really give you some relaxing time and make visiting MK that bit less hectic knowing you can get back so easily.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I would certainly pay it Johnny (and will be for our wedding trip), we spent a lot of time at the GF on our recent trip as all of our wedding day (and therefore the planning) is going to be held there.

We fell in love with the Resort and to me its amazing location and its beauty is worth the extra. We didn't really like the Poly much at all, it just doesn't have any wow like the GF/AKL/WL do.

A lot of people have criticised me for paying £300/night for the Disneyland Hotel in Paris, but you know what, it made our recent trip SO relaxing and exciting and luxurious, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, it was a totally different experience to any in the past and that's how I want all my DLRP trips to be now, you can enjoy the parks so much mroe when you know you have somewhere gorgeous to return to and somewhere you can get back to without any trouble. We spend a lot of time in our resort room, and AKL was fabulous and we'd stay there again, but GF is definitely top of our list.

If you can afford it then go for it I say! It will really give you some relaxing time and make visiting MK that bit less hectic knowing you can get back so easily.

Thanks - also I don't feel you should be criticised for paying that £300 per night, you pay you choose.

 

[gemmybear83]

I completly agree with people paying whatever they want.

However we did stay at Wilderness Lodge concierge level and I wouldnt class the rooms as "luxury" or "deluxe" yes they were nice but certainly not in that class. If I wanted a luxury holiday I think I would rather stay in a true five star hotel offsite instead.

Saying all of this were going abck to Wilderness Lodge next year as we loved the resort and its location - luxury clearly sint that important to us

 

[TraceyL]

If you can afford it & you are going to make good use of the facilities then I would say it is worth it. You have particular circumstances that also stack up in favour of 'splurging'.
We splashed out one year on Poly concierge for 3 nights & loved it but prefer to spend out extra $$s on Universal hotels now
The GF has never appealed to me but if it would suit all of you then go for it

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

We find the GF to be busy with workers during the day, mainly on a morning it is difficult to get around or relax. Some find it a bit stuck up as well, we never found it to be a problem. Would we stay there no for the money there are much better places off site.

 

[2Tiggies]

A year or so ago I would have agreed, I have stayed in hotels upto £150/night. Got no more enjoyment as a £20/night room, apart from Savannah room at AKL but still wouldn't pay rack rate for that.
As I get older I am changing(Yes Moira I know you knew I would) maybe I know years are passing bye and no idea how many years we can go(only in my forties but where's the last 16 years gone since our 1st visit, and whats around the corner?) maybe its because we can't go as often just now, I don't know but after experiencing biz class flights this year I would say if you can afford it its worth it. Same with hotels, if its what you want and you have the money its worth it. A room is somewhere to get my head down to sleep but fully appreciate people get more from from a hotel than we do.

I think it also depends on what you like to do at your hotel and what your family requirements are. I didn't realise that the OP had additional considerations until this was expained later onm so my point of view after that was slightly different to at the outset. The OP is going to spend a lot more time in the resort than we ever do, so considerations are going to be different. Also, it's what you are used to. I guess if you are used to staying at a nice villa, you are going to expect a bit more.

This falls into the same category as upgrading flights - we don't do economy anymore and all it took was one trip, several years ago...!

And yes, I agree: we do change in our tastes. I don't like to think it is linked to getting older (let's rather see it as progressing in our tastes .....).

Keep us posted on your plans and thought processes JohnnySharp 2

 

[T16GEM]

Hiya my dear

Yes I know exactly what you mean and that's our dilemma too.
Like you, as you probably know from my ramblings over the years we are villa people also. Next years holiday we have 13 nights already booked in one, and over the years have spent the majority of time in them which to be honest suits us and we wouldn't dream of changing that - especially as Joshua loves the private pool and that feeling of being at home too.
He is such a 'home-boy'.

Unfortunatley he likes it so much that it's common for the evenings , say after 6pm to be a bit dull, when I say 'dull' that's an exaggeration but he likes to relax at the villa and doesn't want to go out (bless him), whereas I do. Over the years I have gone out a fair bit on my own, which after a while itself becomes a but dull especially having to drive everywhere. His Autism is obviously a factor here also.
He also doesn't like eating out much which again is a handicap.

I have very little social life at home, partly by choice, but when we are in Florida I feel 10 years younger, have a nice tan and like to smarten up a bit and go out in the evening (which is a total contradiction to what Joshua wants to do). Get round this as best I can by going to the nearby Outback for a drink, or similar places - but naturally cannot really 'drink & drive'.
So...varying the holiday is becoming hard, which is kind of why we didn't go for a couple of years, hence having only stayed on site once that's something new we can do. Whilst we have travelled all over Florida in the past we again for his benefit don't want to do that anymore, so that's where on-site for a few nights comes in.
Figure a Magic Kingdom location, or EPCOT would be good for all of us and Julie would enjoy going out too. Have been past Grand Floridian 100s of times but never thought about staying there until we had a look around in April.

What Wayne says too is also kind of relevant, we too are getting older (an obvious thing to say I know)...but potentially as Joshua gets older our lives get harder, he will never be able to do the things most lads will, so it's making the most of his youth - partly why we try and go to Florida as much as we can.

So that's my life story. Dear me after that lot I doubt anyone will post on this thread again!

I think you should book it! I knew a lot of what you have said from previous posts and it seems like you deserve the extra few days off if you can afford it!

I don't want you to think I was judging you or anything it must be really hard with Joshua wanting to stay in - we do experience it to a degree with the little ones as they are so miserable when they are tired we tend not to inflict them on other people of an evening as it's not fair on everyone concerned so we tend to go back to the villa and crack open a beer or two by the pool!

 

[TinkTatoo]

Just thought, if you stay at GF or any disney hotel why not get the ME coach and then hire a car on the day you move to the villa, will save a bit of money which will go towards the cost of GF

We do that, it takes the strain off DH driving when we get there (even though he doesn't mind) and it adds to the holiday.

...I have very little social life at home, partly by choice, but when we are in Florida I feel 10 years younger, have a nice tan and like to smarten up a bit and go out in the evening (which is a total contradiction to what Joshua wants to do)......

We'd be the same, which is why we love our Florida holidays so much.

Thinking about what you said, I think the GF would be a good location for you as they have great facilities there but also you're only a monorail ride away from two other hotels, a boat ride from WL and there are two parks in striking distance.

On our last holiday I was in all day with DD who was sick and when DS & DH got back from one of the parks DS didn't want to go out again so I took myself off on the bus to DTD to have a look around and get a bite to eat. I really enjoyed just soaking up the atmosphere so I can appreciate where you're coming from.

We find the GF to be busy with workers during the day, mainly on a morning it is difficult to get around or relax. Some find it a bit stuck up as well, we never found it to be a problem. Would we stay there no for the money there are much better places off site.

There were workers there in the summer but they weren't there in a "Spanish hotel building site" way and they didn't impact on our enjoyment at all (and we spent almost all our time at the resort)

 

[barrysprot36]

Hiya my dear

Yes I know exactly what you mean and that's our dilemma too.
Like you, as you probably know from my ramblings over the years we are villa people also. Next years holiday we have 13 nights already booked in one, and over the years have spent the majority of time in them which to be honest suits us and we wouldn't dream of changing that - especially as Joshua loves the private pool and that feeling of being at home too.
He is such a 'home-boy'.

Unfortunatley he likes it so much that it's common for the evenings , say after 6pm to be a bit dull, when I say 'dull' that's an exaggeration but he likes to relax at the villa and doesn't want to go out (bless him), whereas I do. Over the years I have gone out a fair bit on my own, which after a while itself becomes a but dull especially having to drive everywhere. His Autism is obviously a factor here also.
He also doesn't like eating out much which again is a handicap.

I have very little social life at home, partly by choice, but when we are in Florida I feel 10 years younger, have a nice tan and like to smarten up a bit and go out in the evening (which is a total contradiction to what Joshua wants to do). Get round this as best I can by going to the nearby Outback for a drink, or similar places - but naturally cannot really 'drink & drive'.
So...varying the holiday is becoming hard, which is kind of why we didn't go for a couple of years, hence having only stayed on site once that's something new we can do. Whilst we have travelled all over Florida in the past we again for his benefit don't want to do that anymore, so that's where on-site for a few nights comes in.
Figure a Magic Kingdom location, or EPCOT would be good for all of us and Julie would enjoy going out too. Have been past Grand Floridian 100s of times but never thought about staying there until we had a look around in April.

What Wayne says too is also kind of relevant, we too are getting older (an obvious thing to say I know)...but potentially as Joshua gets older our lives get harder, he will never be able to do the things most lads will, so it's making the most of his youth - partly why we try and go to Florida as much as we can.

So that's my life story. Dear me after that lot I doubt anyone will post on this thread again!

We have a Joshua (aged 17) who seems to be just like your Joshua. We spend an awful lot of time at our Resort and take turns going out for a walk or whatever when Josh needs his chill time in the room. That's why we like to have a balcony so we have some extra space if not using our DVC points.

We stayed at GF last year for 3 nights and thought it wonderful, the pools were not too busy and there was plenty for us to do without being too far from the Resort. we liked the extras that you don't get at any other de-luxe unless staying Club Level; clean towels and bed-lined every day, turn-down with fresh towels are a couple of things I can think of. We stayed in Boca Chica building which is like a Resort itself.

You don't want to know what we've paid for CR Atrium Club for 3 nights over Christmas but it's a special treat for us all and feel it's worth it for us as a family.

Caron

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I don't want you to think I was judging you or anything

Thought never occurred to me you are not like that.

We have a Joshua (aged 17) who seems to be just like your Joshua. We spend an awful lot of time at our Resort and take turns going out for a walk or whatever when Josh needs his chill time in the room. That's why we like to have a balcony so we have some extra space if not using our DVC points.

We stayed at GF last year for 3 nights and thought it wonderful, the pools were not too busy and there was plenty for us to do without being too far from the Resort. we liked the extras that you don't get at any other de-luxe unless staying Club Level; clean towels and bed-lined every day, turn-down with fresh towels are a couple of things I can think of. We stayed in Boca Chica building which is like a Resort itself.


Caron

Hi Caron - yes I understand what you mean, some of the bigger more spread out resorts are not for us and we do like the look of the pools at the GF, the quieter one has cabana rental which for $100 for half a day we really fancy.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have a Joshua (aged 17) who seems to be just like your Joshua. We spend an awful lot of time at our Resort and take turns going out for a walk or whatever when Josh needs his chill time in the room. That's why we like to have a balcony so we have some extra space if not using our DVC points.

We stayed at GF last year for 3 nights and thought it wonderful, the pools were not too busy and there was plenty for us to do without being too far from the Resort. we liked the extras that you don't get at any other de-luxe unless staying Club Level; clean towels and bed-lined every day, turn-down with fresh towels are a couple of things I can think of. We stayed in Boca Chica building which is like a Resort itself.



Caron

Hi Caron - yes I understand what you mean, some of the bigger more spread out resorts are not for us and we do like the look of the pools at the GF, the quieter one has cabana rental which for $100 for half a day we really fancy.

Thinking about what you said, I think the GF would be a good location for you as they have great facilities there but also you're only a monorail ride away from two other hotels, a boat ride from WL and there are two parks in striking distance.

I agree Tink about the location, especially with Magic Kingdom so closeby.

 

[tinks_1989]

I think its just worth to say Im stayin there is worth and how smug would you feel when you are at the bus stop at Studios or some where waiting for a Grand Floridian bus I know I would lol I would wave like royalty he he

 

[torsie24]

I think its just worth to say Im stayin there is worth and how smug would you feel when you are at the bus stop at Studios or some where waiting for a Grand Floridian bus I know I would lol I would wave like royalty he he

Ahahaha, I love that Leanne.

Urgh, one night late after DHS closing time te bus line for Pop was absolutely massive and went all the way past the AKL stop entrance.

So I said "excuse me" to a big American lady, who just glared at me, so then I said it again and she jsut barked at me "the line for Pop starts back there, and I've been waiting for xx minutes". She was so abrupt that I went "I'm not staying at Pop, I'm trying to get into the Animal Kingdom Lodge line! I felt guilty afterwards about how dirty I'd made the word Pop sound, as it looks a super fun resort, but I was so pee'd off at her I wanted to make her squirm a bit, lol.

 

[tinks_1989]

Ahahaha, I love that Leanne.

Urgh, one night late after DHS closing time te bus line for Pop was absolutely massive and went all the way past the AKL stop entrance.

So I said "excuse me" to a big American lady, who just glared at me, so then I said it again and she jsut barked at me "the line for Pop starts back there, and I've been waiting for xx minutes". She was so abrupt that I went "I'm not staying at Pop, I'm trying to get into the Animal Kingdom Lodge line! I felt guilty afterwards about how dirty I'd made the word Pop sound, as it looks a super fun resort, but I was so pee'd off at her I wanted to make her squirm a bit, lol.

lol oh dear

I really want to go to POP to see the huge potato heads

sorry for OTing