Is Grand Floridian Worth it?

[a1canesfan]

GF is absolutely my favorite resort and we stay there every trip, if availability permits. I can’t speak to the outer buildings and I understand anyone who says it’s inconvenient to have to walk out to your room (for that reason I don’t stay at the Poly either) but staying in the main building is just awesome. You can’t beat the convenience and the ambience of the GF lobby. Sitting in the lounge and taking in the orchestra every night is the perfect ending to a day of magic, IMO. I understand it’s completely a subjective thing as to whether it’s worth the money... we use BB rates when we can get them to make it more affordable...but for someone who doesn’t spend a lot of time in their resort or isn’t particularly into that kind of ambience I get why they’d say it’s not worth the extra money. Like some have said, you might be best served to try it and see how it suits you.

 

[oceanmarina]

Having stayed once at both, I would probably go with AKL. Especially with a savannah view. We had one there and it was an amazing experience watching the animals on our balcony. I'll never forget having a cup of tea and zebra domes in the morning, watching all the animals. Truly magical. We had no problems with th buses at all, never waited more than 15-20 minutes for one. The monorail however was less reliable when we stayed at GF.

I will say that the food options are better at GF. They also have turndown service which is always such a nice touch.

The theming is truly amazing at both resorts. But if you can save $$, I would go with AKL

 

[LMO429]

If you are looking to save $ and Love AKL I would stay there. If you are saving 1000 by switching then I would then treat myself to minnie vans to make your life convenient. Maybe you would spend 100 to 200 on minnie vans and being far from the rest of the parks would not be a big deal

 

[terri33inne]

Our 'splurge' trip was a December trip to GF... We LOVED it! I love the whole atmosphere, walking around the gardens, the rooms, being on the monorail, etc, etc.

In December it is soooo beautiful, and magical. I think it comes down to personal preference, but to me the Christmas decorations were magical at GF. All the flower beds were filled with red poinsettias, with white deer in them, the tree in the lobby is breathtaking, and the gingerbread house.

 

[CalifLynn]

Last June was our first trip staying onsite (went about 3 years ago and stayed offsite) and we could not make up our minds on where to stay. So we did a 3 way split stay - 2 nights at GF, 3 nights at YC and 2 nights a AKL (Savanna view).

Hands down we felt GF was "worth" it. Did not feel like YC was worth the price of a deluxe and although we loved the awesomeness of waking up with the animals, thought it was a "one and done" kinda thing.

From the moment we walked into the GF we felt special. Check in went smoothly. It was raining, so the bellman told us to wait undercover while he went to get a cart to take us to our room with our luggage. He probably spend about 45 minutes with us driving us around and telling us about the resort. The feel of the resort was relaxed, we never had any problem with transportation. Rode the monorail to MK and then took the boat home or park hopped from MK. Our room felt way more spacious than at AK. We watched fireworks from Gasparilla while having dinner. We liked the GF so much that we found ourselves going back there just to relax in the middle of the day. That trip was just me and my 15 year old DD, and both of us would return in a heartbeat. It is pricey, but I think everyone should experience it once in their life.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Hello all!

We are planning a college graduation trip to Disney for next December. We booked the GF using a BB offer and got a lagoon view. None of us have ever stayed at the GF before but it's always been a resort we've wanted to stay at, especially for a special occasion.

However, we could save almost $1000 by switching to AKL standard view. We've stayed at AKL before in a savannah view and enjoyed it.

For those of you who have stayed at the GF could you share some of your experiences? Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons of the resort? Thanks in advance!!!

If only there was a four seasons in Orlando !

 

[Rob Troxel]

We have been regulars at the Grand Floridian since it opened in 1988. For us, the stunning lobby makes us all feel great and the concierge floors are quite well done with all the immenities right there. I also like Conch Key building for the water taxi access. Last June we stayed at the DVC GF building and it is a winner too. Centrally located, You can make an easy walk to the GF lobby or walk right over the the Polynesian. For that matter there is a walking trail to the magic Kingdom as well. Somehow we always come up with the dough but I can tell you this is not a cheap place to be.

Realistically we just cut down the duration of our trip as a way to control the costs. The rack rate is excessive and if you can't get a deal, don't go there. Our son is a DVC GF member and he was able to get points that reduced our room costs considerably. You don't have to be a member to get a points deal. So I guess we are saying it is worth doing at least once. Good luck on your trip!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Is it worth it? Well, that's up to you.

We never thought we'd stay deluxe. It was "too expensive for us." We go every year for Christmas and in 2015 we had enough of commuting to and from the parks with all the traffic during the week of Christmas. The breaking point was when it took us 2 hours to get back to POFQ from EPCOT. We did a "one-time" trip in 2016 and stayed BC. We were incredibly spoiled. We'd run to EPCOT for a quick breakfast, we went to EPCOT for a little while during NYE; we walked to DHS; it was great. So much so, that our on-etime trip turned into a repeat in 2017.

We stayed Poly for 2017 Halloween and were underwhelmed. I think it was more because for years we built it up so much. It was our dream stay and it didn't live up to the BC. ALTHOUGH, the monorail was incredibly convenient.

During an impromptu trip for Easter, we stayed at Coronado. It was cheap and easy and we didn't have a problem traveling to and fro the parks. Still, we missed the ease of walking back from EPCOT when we needed a break.

So, it's up to you. Personally, I'm not sure I'd ever stay at GF. Maybe for one night—just to see how it is, but I can't justify paying all that for a room I'll barely be in. Was having a lagoon view at BC nice? Absolutely. Did it matter when we did a standard view this year? Nope. We paid for location, not view or names.

 

[dragonfly57005]

My family’s first choice.
Poly is too busy.
GF is beautiful and relaxed.

 

[toodycat]

We love it. I would stay there for every trip if I could. Now that my son is grown and we need two rooms, I can’t always justify the cost of two rooms at the GF. However, it is the definition of magical...beautiful grounds, beautiful rooms, an amazing lobby, great restaurants and excellent transportation options. I’ve also had the most positive experiences with GF CMs and received liberal amounts of pixie dust in the form of upgrades, flowers, cakes and comped meals. Once, we were dining at the GF but staying at the WL. We missed the last boat and the GF concierge drove us back to the WL. The CMs at the GF are beyond dedicated. If you can stay there, do. I don’t think AKL is as special and a standard view room won’t be as much fun as a savannah view room. I know people say that you are only in the room to sleep, but for us the resort is a very important of any vacation. We usually plan to spend at least one day lounging by the pool and enjoying our resort. The GF is perfect for that.

 

[westie55]

This November I stayed at the GF for the first time after staying at many other resorts, some of them multiple times (AKL, BC/YC, SSR, WL, POR, CBR, and AoA). Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed staying at every Disney resort I've been to. I love the unique theming and character of each resort and enjoy how different resorts give my vacations a different feel. I find that the cleanliness and service is wonderful at all the resorts at every price point. Staying at the GF was unto itself, however. It was wonderful. The atmosphere can't be beat. I loved being so close to MK and easily being able to get to the other monorail resorts for dining. It was amazing being able to see the castle from Gasparilla's. Whether it's worth staying there, IMO, depends on what amenities of the resort you plan to use. If you are not dining at any of the restaurants (we loved having so many fine dining options so convenient to us and also went to Gasparilla's a lot), don't plan to be served food and drinks at the pool, don't plan to listen to the band in the lounge, rent a watercraft etc. then no, the extra price you pay on top of the other resorts probably isn't worth it. Having all of this at our fingertips, however, in a beautiful setting made us fall in love with the GF. Will I go back? Definitely. Will I always go back? Definitely not. It's too expensive and when I travel with my sister or parents we don't use those amenities as much to justify the cost. I second another poster who suggested renting DVC points at the GF to bring the cost down. That's what we did. The YC and WL I found underwhelming. AKL did have significant wow factor for me, particularly the lobby (which I think is Disney's best), but the GF offers more overall IMO, especially when you factor in location. The buses at the GF, incidentally, were shared with the Poly but we had excellent luck and never waited more than about 5 min for a bus. GF is the 2nd stop after the Poly which worried me that the buses wouldn't have any seats left, but that never happened. Love the GF!

 

[Nancyg56]

I really like the GF and have stayed there twice. I find that it is incredibly relaxing for my family. We tend to use the resorts we stay at as part of our vacation, but like to have a respite from the hustle and bustle of the parks when we return. The outer buildings of the GF provide that for us, and yet we have a short walk to the main building when we want to be inside. It is a good compromise for us.

I also find that the GF is a very compact resort with plenty of amenities close by.

My DD and DSIL prefer the Poly, and were kind of shocked when their teen DD told them that she is a Grand Gir since her Nana took the family there. "Thanks Mom!!"

I think it all depends on what you want from a resort and how you will use the amenities when you are there. WE all loved AKL but my family does not want to stay there again due to travel times. I did not mind the distance but they felt it was too far away from most of the parks.

 

[holden]

We stayed in a 2Br DVC room last June. We loved it! I especially liked how small the resort is. You can walk anywhere in just a few minutes. You can also walk to the Polynesian. Can’t wait to stay there again!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hello all!

We are planning a college graduation trip to Disney for next December. We booked the GF using a BB offer and got a lagoon view. None of us have ever stayed at the GF before but it's always been a resort we've wanted to stay at, especially for a special occasion.

However, we could save almost $1000 by switching to AKL standard view. We've stayed at AKL before in a savannah view and enjoyed it.

For those of you who have stayed at the GF could you share some of your experiences? Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons of the resort? Thanks in advance!!!

For us, the GF is worth the extra cost. We've stayed at AKL twice and love everything about it, but we also love everything about the GF. As others have said, the resort grounds are beautiful/relaxing and there is a variety of great dining options at the resort and close by at the CR and Poly. Plus, since you've already stayed at AKL, it might be nice to try something new .

We do plan to spend most of our time at the parks, as we always do. We don't swim, but we definitely love the dining at GF. We've never stayed at a monorail resort before, so that is one thing that is making us really want to stay there!

I'm not sure what the price per night is but we are saving roughly 1800 overall. It definitely would be a once in a lifetime trip to stay there.

If the extra cost is doable, I'd spend the extra and go with the GF. The rates are going to continue to increase as time goes on, so if this is a once in a lifetime trip to stay there, I'd go for it now. Good luck!

 

[bluejasmine]

Was not aware that they were shared. Thank you!

That depends on the time of yr when I was there last they didn't share.. We d idnt have any issues with buses but really everyone can have different experiences..

 

[Mousemommy1]

Like others have said, you have to determine what would make it "worth" it to you. The GF is my absolute favorite resort and I love everything about it! It's the perfect resort for a celebration, IMO. I think you should give it a shot!

 

[alohatigger]

GF is a beautiful hotel, but there are many things about it you can enjoy without actually staying there (restaurants, lobby, shops, boat ride to the MK). We stayed 1 night in a club level room in the Main Building, and it was a wonderful treat, but we won't be doing it again for a while. I wasn't very impressed with the pool situations either. We love the Beach Club! Great pool, walk to Epcot and HS, relaxing rooms, beaches and cream ice cream shop. The AKL is also wonderful, just a bit farther from everything.

 

[Micca]

GF is very nice but it's not $1000 nicer than AKL. OTOH you have stayed at AKL before, and you said you've always wanted to try it for a special occasion. This might be the occasion!

 

[NYCgrrl]

I booked a 2 night CL stay for the man's family at GF since Poly was fully booked at the time. They were reserved for Sugar Loaf but it was filled when they checked in and thus were upgraded to the main hotel's CL area. Hubba hubba....what a view, what a suite of rooms! They stayed in a 3 B/R, 3 bthrm suite with a living room,dining area for 6 or 8 and kitchen plus 6 terraces. The man asked me if we'd be charged for the upgrade; gave him "the look" that said is yer brain turned on?" and he dialed it down, LOL. The room was fantastic for a tad over 1K a night (standard CL rm price for 12/30 and 12/31) and just the type of amenities I would think I should have for on my own vac, LOL. We watched the fireworks over MK on New Year's Eve and then rushed to another window to see other fireworks who knows at what park but really who cared. It was magical. Spent the night and stuffed our faces at the concierge's lounge the next morning before they checked out and moved their luggage over to our "lowly" standard room at Poly until they drove their car back to Ft. Lauderdale later in the evening.
Good memories and I'm scheming for a return to some kind of CL for our own use. I'm sure I would balk at the true cost of their suite but I say do it when you're young and the memories will last.

Have fun making your decision.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We loved it but we had a great deal at the end of August otherwise I would never pay the ridiculous price for a room there.

Pro’s monorail, beautiful lobby, electric water parade, fireworks every night, rooms are big and comfy. Deck off of room was awesome. Rooms in outer buildings are still very close to main lobby. The wonderful smells in the lobby. The dining options.

Con’s the price!! Bus service to other parks a little slow, that really is it for the cons.