is the Grand Floridan worth the $$

[flea1267]

My daughter's dream is to stay at the Grand Floridan....is it worth the extra $$ that it takes to stay there? Any comments are welcome and appreciated!

 

[scanne]

We have stayed there twice - once on our honeymoon, and we paid rack rate for a Lagoon View Room. The second time was Dec. 01 and we got an AP discount of $199 per night for a Garden View room.

Was it worth it? Well, I have to say yes because our honeymoon was completely magical and romantic and I loved every minute of being at the GF! Our Dec. trip was worth it b/c of the discount.

It is MY dream to stay there for my DD's 5th birthday! That's not for another 4 years, so if rack rates keep going up, I had better start saving now!

Now if my DH were to answer this question, he would say no. He compares the GF to 4 and 5 star hotels like the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, etc. He doesn't feel that the amenities and service are up to par of the aforementioned. But I see it differently. You're paying for Disney's ammenities, like being on the monorail, large rooms, Disney hospitality and service.

I bet I'm not helping at all. Sorry! If you want to fulfill your DD's dream, I would do a split stay - maybe with POR. So you can experience it for yourself and then decide. You probably would be able to get a AAA discount on the room, too. Good luck and I hope more people respond so you can really get a broad spectrum of experiences.

 

[grimley1968]

I hate to be the downer here, but I think it's not worth the extra money, personally. If you want to stay on the monorail, you can stay at CR or Poly for much, much less money. If you merely want to stay within a boat ride of MK, you can stay at WL or FW cabins for even less money. Out of a choice between CR, Poly, WL and GF, I think WL and Poly by far have the most charm, theming and overall fun than CR or GF. It's just my opinion, though.

 

[ducklite]

Worth is a subjective word. Only you can determine if it's "worth" it, based on your budget and vacation style.

Anne

 

[DisneyMomx7]

It all depends. In 2003 and 2004 I would have said definitely worth it. NOt just for the ease of transportation (although with three small children that definitely was a big plus) but there was just a "feel" to the GF that I can't put into words. And no it was not stuffy just "grand".

This year we were so excited. We stayed 15 nights (during 4th of July) in a lagoon view room and couldn't wait. We had the worse experience with mousekeeping and just felt very let down. Now it might be because we were there during a very busy holiday time because I've seen others who have gone recently and they had a wonderful time.

Before DH would not stay anywhere else, not he will not stay at GF this upcoming vacation. We are staying one week at CBR (with in laws) and 5 nights at Poly, then onto HRH.

 

[dawnsb]

I agree with ducklite. I remember seeing the GF for the first time and saying to my Mom "I want to stay there!". My family always stayed offsite the 2 other times we visited.

The first time I took my DH we stayed at the WL. We love it there and will stay there again - it was definitely "worth the money" spent.
The second time we went I rented DVC points at the BW Villas. Our room faced Epcot. While the view was wonderful, we will not stay there again - we do not feel it is "worth the money".
We are going in November to see the Christmas decorations - staying at the GF. We'll see if the money spent was "worth it" or not at that time!

Dawn

 

[disneyandme]

We love the GF -- my mom especially. It's great to have lots of food choices within walking distance and it's one stop from the GF to MK and one stop from the MK to the GF by boat. It's also very serene-- and we travel with little kids. Even when it's busy, it never seems crowded and it's very quiet. Mouseskeeping had gone down a bit on our last trip, but it got better after a qick phone call. good luck making a choice.

 

[Janet2k]

My family loves the Grand Floridian Resort. When I was planning my Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal last year, I had to follow my heart and put a Grand Floridian stay right in the middle of my two-week vacation. It was hard jostling everything around, plus it meant that my family would be staying in a different resort than the bulk of our guests (I had booked five rooms at the BoardWalk Villas for my immediate family), but I had to do it (I think I mentioned this somewhere within my trip report – click here). The Grand Floridian Resort was where my husband and I had fallen in love with Walt Disney World vacations. How could we be celebrating the happiest day of our lives and not be staying in our favorite resort? We couldn’t, and thus I booked a three-night stay at the Grand. It was magical.

I should mention that I also found myself longing for a Grand Floridian stay during my (recently completed) summer vacation. I followed my heart and squeezed in a few nights at my favorite resort. My family had another wonderful vacation.

There is just something about the Grand Floridian that I adore. It is hard to put into words (and if you ever saw my face when I described it, it would look all swoon-y, if there is such a word). I feel this sense of calmness and tranquility whenever I am visiting or staying at the resort. I feel completely at home there and oh-so at peace.

What is my favorite thing to do at the Grand? I love to simply lie in the swimming pool and stare at the buildings. I try to imagine all the wonderful vacations that have happened at the resort. I know that I have had more than my fair share of happily-ever-after’s there, and I don’t see that ever ending for my family.

Walt Disney World is full of many resorts. I have personally stayed in 20 of them. My favorite Value Resort is the Pop Century. My favorite Moderate Resort is the Port Orleans – French Quarter. My favorite Home-Away-From-Home Resort is the BoardWalk Villas. And my favorite Deluxe Resort is… Well, do you even have to ask? The Grand Floridian, of course.

Flea1267, no matter where your daughter decides to stay, I hope she has a wonderful vacation.

 

[dsneygirl]

I hate to be the downer here, but I think it's not worth the extra money, personally. If you want to stay on the monorail, you can stay at CR or Poly for much, much less money. If you merely want to stay within a boat ride of MK, you can stay at WL or FW cabins for even less money. Out of a choice between CR, Poly, WL and GF, I think WL and Poly by far have the most charm, theming and overall fun than CR or GF. It's just my opinion, though.

I agree with your analysis. DH and I stayed there in 2003 using my sister's CM discount. It was nice but we didn't experience the "magic" we do at other resorts. Maybe it's our personality and style but it wasn't for us.

 

[christianweecare]

Worth is a subjective word. Only you can determine if it's "worth" it, based on your budget and vacation style.

Anne

I agree. DH & I had been toying with the idea of staying at the GF next year for our annual after-Thanksgiving trip. After much consideration we decided that our budget staying at the GF would be mean a shorter stay. Instead we have decided to stay at a moderate next year for a longer stay. We would like to stay at most of the Disney resorts at one time or another. Our budget will determine where we stay each time.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Worth is a subjective word. Only you can determine if it's "worth" it, based on your budget and vacation style.

Anne

I agree.

We are there right now and we love the atmosphere. We also love the atmosphere at all of the WDW resorts.

 

[scanne]

Janet2K,

The way you describe your experiences is so poetic! I've read many of your trip reports and you have an uncanny way of pulling the reader right in. I think you have summed up the sense of "worth" with your post and I hope the OP finds your opinion/review helpful!

 

[Starrin]

We go to WDW twice a year and the last 3 we have stayed at GF. We really like it. As far as being on par with top-notch hotels like Ritz, etc ... no doubt in my mind that it is ... the context of vacation is different therefore you cannot compare apples to apples.

For instance how a top-notch hotel let me down: My wife and I stayed in the Palace Hotel in Madrid (considered one of the top 25 hotels in the world) ... it was our honeymoon, yes they forgot the surprise champagne and strawberries in the suite for when we arrived (even though I was told that a Master Butler would see to our needs ... what a joke) ... like Disney they made up for it when we mentioned that our expectation was not met. So places like The Palace who have "Master Butlers" servicing you ... drop the ball as well.

We have stayed at The Breakers, The Cloister, Perrys Inn Cabins ... all considered top-notch hotels ... gotta say they were all much more money (roughly double), the rooms were better (but you actually spend a lot of time in the room and have your spa treatments come to your room), and the service varied as you inevitably end up calling Concierge saying "I was wondering when ..." politely asking for your services.

We stay at the Waldorf on Park Avenue every holiday season ... I say the same thing to my wife when we walk in ... nice decorations ... but it is no Grand Floridian. These places do not impress me ... but I will say that GF does ... hard to put a finger on it ... but I think it may be sentimental. As a kid my family would vacation at Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island ... looks just like GF but about a gazillion years older ... this might have something to do with it (getting all Freudian now).

I like GF ... we will probably talk about trying others like Poly but it is hard to believe as GF just works for us. The beds are great ... we always talk about how great the mattresses are ... and love the Restaurants, Monorail access, service is always great (but we are not demanding people and never ask for anything but room service) and most of all convenience to MK.

Worth is very subjective. Most our friends think we waste our money/time going to WDW twice a year ... while we could be doing another trip to Italy, Aruba, Spain, etc... Obviously there must be something wrong with us for not hiring a nanny and going down to the islands. Pah-Lease When my wife and I were dating and she mentioned that she had been to WDW 17 times by the age of 12 ... I knew it was meant to be and we choose to spend more money when we go down as it is what you get out of the trip and if GF helps ... go for it.

I see Disney as the best vacations we have ever had .... without a doubt. We do not see Disney as a once every 4 year vacation but rather something our kids will share with their kids ... and remember when we had pillow fights in the hotel "with the red roof' as DD says.

Long story short we really like GF ... and to compare it to other hotels like the Ritz is the wrong context ... they are not at Disney they are usually in a large metro area and are specializing in something else other than a theme park experience.

I would say that if you are not sure ... go for one night or two nights and see how it works for you....I could not be happier that we did.

I dont want to come off all 'mr international traveler of the world and I know luxury' ... but I think context needs to be evaluated when comparing.

 

[CarolA]

It was not worth it for me. It was beautiful, but I expected excellent service. I had better service at All Stars and at the All Stars it was not delivered with the "Aren't you lucky we ALLOWED you stay here" Sorry, but arrorgance is not service. At the other Disney top level resort hotels I have never had to flag down the valet to take my car or wait over an hour for the same car to be returned. The only place I found ruder front desk staff was the Comfort Inn in Lake Buena Vista, but I only paid $35 to be mistreated there. (And then they double billed me) All in all, I felt that once you get beyond the exterior it is disappointing.


I am sorry as long as Disney charges the rates they do, I will compare it to the Ritz and other hotels at that price range. I don't get the pay Disney a premimum and expect less sevice because your on the monorail (which was INCREDIBLY slow) that seems to be very popular on these boards. (And I got the Ritz Carlton Orlando for a comparable rate which had excellent service!)

 

[pmcue]

If you are going to MK the whole time and want to be close then it could be worth the money. I have to say, though, that none of my kids enjoyed it as much as many of the more kid oriented and themed (Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, Animal Kindom Lodge, etc...). The service at WDW is similar no matter where you go. The resturants here are a bit stuffy. We had a bad experience (with kids with us) and were very disappointed the first time we went. I wrote Eisner and got a free invite back. My wife and I went back thinking it was more a couples place and were disappointed.

To the point of comparing to a Ritz or Four Seasons or mega resort in the Caribbean or Hawaii, this resort is not close.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I think it's worth it, for us. Staying at the GF makes it a perfect vacation for me, and I never feel as sublime at the other deluxe hotels in quite the same way.

 

[disneysnob]

When I was a little girl, my family always stayed at CR-tower. When they started, and then finally completed the GF, I always said that my dream was to stay there. Finally, my dream came true-about 20 laters-and my DH and I took our 3 kids( ) to Disney. We stayed 9 nights at GF. Yes, it was beautiful, "grand", and everything I thought it would be-very elegant. Two years later, we stayed at CR tower. Not as "grand" but I found it to be much more convenient, especially with the three kids. We stayed in a garden view at GF, and it seemed to be a long walk to the monorail, the snack bar/arcade and to the pool with the slide/waterfall. Next June, we're back at CR tower. The kids actually liked it better, and it was great just hopping off the monorail, and onto the elevator to our room. I'm really glad I tried GF-I think, however, if I experienced it when I was a child, it would have had a much more "special princess" feeling,and probably would've appreciated the whole theming more. My only problem now is that I feel like I want to try Poly, just to say we've done all the monorail hotels (and WL, too), and because I hear that the pool is awesome, but I'm thinking it might be very similar layout as GF,( i.e. long walk to our room). In short, I say go for it. Let your daughter's dream come true. They're only young once. Worry about the $$$ later

 

[Hugpug]

IMHO no way is any hotel worth the price tag they have on the rooms at GF . But if you got money to burn go for it. That's not to say I would not love to stay there but I don't think that will ever happen in my lifetime.

 

[robertchance]

if you have a dream and the money to experience it, then go for it and make your own mind up on wether it was worth it. what anyone else thinks does not matter

 

[flea1267]

Thanks to everyone for weighing in on this.....we're not rich by any means, just good ol' middle class but between Christmas, Birthday, Bonuses at work and Income Tax Refund $$$ we are blessed to be able to make our Disney vacations come true about every 18 months and we can swing the GF if we really wanted to....I think I'm going to "go for it" because it will be one "dream come true" I can give my daughter before she's completely grown up and out on her own....when we go she'll just have finished up her first semester in college and I thought "what a treat" to get to come home for the holidays and get to do Disney "GF" style and also my son saw it when he did the Pirate Cruise in June and he even said "Mama I'd love to stay at this hotel". I appreciate everyone's comments and believe it or not get everyone's points...I love this DIS community of "friends". Thanks again everyone