Just back from GF and AKL

[stellaxluna]

Just got back from 7nights at GF and 3 nights at AKL...any questions, please feel free to ask

 

[johnsonet]

Francesca! Had you stayed at either of the resorts before? Were you traveling with children? Which did you prefer? Or did they complement one another well? Did you miss the monorail when you were at AKL? And the bright colors and fabrics? Were the rooms noticeably smaller at AKL?
We have always stayed at GF (6 times) and I've always loved it and never had the desire to stay anywhere else but in planning a trip with my parents, I think they'd love (and me too!) the AKL b/c of the incredible theming and the animals. (I've actually spent one night before at the AKL when there was a problem with my reservation at GF two years ago - not nearly enough time to get a feel for it).
Were you in concierge at either resort? I am really excited to hear your thoughts on the very 2 resorts I'm interested in. Thank you!

 

[stellaxluna]

Hi Liz,

No have never stayed at either resort b4, i picked them out solely from research on the internet...my original plan was to stay 10 nights at GF, but the more i researched the more AKL also appealed to me so i switched my reservation to split, 7 at GF, 3 nights AKL...also i had been getting nervous coz so many people have all bad reviews about GF, and great ones about AKL...

We were 6 people, my parents, me, my 19 yr old son and his 19 yr old friend, and my 6 yr old son....We LOVED GF!!!!! After my second day at GF w/out even seeing AKL, i tried to cancel AKL, and add 3 more days to GF but i couldnt there were no rooms available
The GF is just soooo beautiful, the rooms were very pretty, (lagoon view)i loved the patterns, much bigger, brighter rooms than AKL, AKL rooms are small and very dark, (I had savannah view)....housekeeping was great, (not so great at AKL)...my parents loved walking the grounds, even the lobby was sooo nice to just sit and listen to the band play at night...the restaurants are all great, gasparillas is open 24/7,(maras closes at midnight) 6 yr old loved the pools, the guys love the boats, i could go on and on, the whole feeling there was just special...then we switched to AKL, and i suppose that going from the brightness of GF, to the dimness of AKL, kinda downed our spirits.... it was nice, but looking out over the lagoon, seeing Mk, and the other resorts from the balcony , seeing the monorail, hearing the MK train, the lobby, the grounds, etc etc was for me, way nicer than looking out at the animals...also theres not as much to see at AKL, no grounds to really walk around...we ALL agreed that we didnt really care for AKL that much, and we all LOVED GF!!!!!...my 6 yr old begged me to take him back....the over all feeling is just wonderful at GF...

I know this for sure I will never stay anywhere but the GF, I am already planning to go back next summer, i didnt do concierge this time but i will next time, so im not sure how it was...hope this helps, enjoy your stay....one more thing, we TOTALLY missed the monorail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tkldisney]

It seems like I've been waiting forever to see a post from someone just returning from GF. We'll be staying at the GF in Oct. We also have lagoon view. Which bldg/room were you in and could you see MK? Did anyone do Spa treatments?
Glad to hear it was great, we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary so want to make it special!

 

[stellaxluna]

tkldisney:

we were in Boca Chica, i believe the rooms were, 8409, and 8411...you could see magic kingdom from both rooms,(space mountain, astro orbiter) but one of them you could see castle only if u stood towards the right side of balcony...i liked boca chica and proximity to everthing....

 

[crs7568]

Francesca,
I am so happy to hear that you had a great time at the Grand Floridian. We will be staying there for the first time in a few days! We are so excited and I was hoping that you could answer a few questions for me. Were there robes in your room? Did you get turn down service automatically? Were there small fridges in the room?

We feel the same way that you do about the AKL. It was a nice experience, but overall just a bit too dark and cramped in the room.

Thanks!
Caryn

 

[nutsforgolf]

Do you get the chance to eat in any of the restaurants. Please provide your reviews. We are going next Friday.

Thanks

 

[asta]

We just got back from a fantastic trip to the GF on July 26. We ate at Narcooses, Gasparillas, breakfast at Park Faire, and the afternoon tea. All were great. My youngest daughter and I particularly enjoyed the afternoon tea. The scones with Devonshire cream and strawberry jam are now my daughter's favorite food. Our waiter could tell that my daughter was a little nervous and made a big fuss over her. He brought out extra tea (at no charge) in order to find one she liked and kept checking to make sure she was OK with her selections. This is now one of the things that we will have to do when we return.

 

[tkldisney]

asta,

I was thinking about doing the afternoon with my niece, while hubby is getting massage. We're going to to facials, but they don't take as long. Do men do the afternoon tea too? Maybe we could all go.

 

[johnsonet]

VERY interesting!! Thank you for responding. I can totally see how going from GF to ANYTHING would be a downer if it was your first visit!
In our case, we have been to the GF so many times that I don't think I'll be too disappointed regardless. Especially for only 3 nights. I wouldn't be "trying it out" on a 10-night trip!! :0 Also, all but one of our GF trips have been in Spring or Summer months. The summeriness of the GF always was perfect. The trip I am planning now is in November and the posts I've read about the firepits and darker tones appealed to me for Fall - and the rich smoky smells.
The Mara not being open past midnight is a very good point, although odds are that wouldn't factor in on this trip for me either. The CM who drove us over to AKL from the GF 2 years ago when they put us up there for one night - told us that the GF is consistently filled to 80% capacity which is excellent in the hotel industry. At that time the AKL was only filled to about 30-40% he SAID. This is why people so often get upgraded to savannah views at AKL, I guess. But maybe it won't be too long before AKL builds a large following and is able to keep Mara open 24-hours-a-day.
Anyway, thanks again! Glad you had fun!

P.S. Robes and turn-down are standard at GF

 

[johnsonet]

Boca Chica is my favorite building!!! Stayed there our last 4 trips! (8141, 8432, 8201 and ??) Love it!
And for those of you interested in the restaurants - 1900 Park Fare is terrific for character meals the food is always great and PLENTIFUL for b'fast and dinner. Afternoon tea is so decadent and fun, DD and I did it TWICE during our Spring Break trip this year. If the men in your party like tea, scones and jam, devonshire cream, delicious finger sandwiches and small, elegant sweets, then by all means include them! I've definitely seen men there...I haven't been to the other restaurants there...

 

[stellaxluna]

"I am so happy to hear that you had a great time at the Grand Floridian. We will be staying there for the first time in a few days! We are so excited and I was hoping that you could answer a few questions for me. Were there robes in your room? Did you get turn down service automatically? Were there small fridges in the room?

We feel the same way that you do about the AKL. It was a nice experience, but overall just a bit too dark and cramped in the room."


Yes there were 2 robes in each room, turn down was automatic, and there were small fridges, which you get a key for, so if u plan on keeping something cold in there i cant see why not...you may want to take your stuff out b4 they count the items they have in there so you dont confuse them

Have a great time at GF!! Wish I was going again in a few days too!!

 

[stellaxluna]

"Do you get the chance to eat in any of the restaurants. Please provide your reviews. We are going next Friday."

Hi nutsforgolf,

I got a chance to eat at 1900PF, Narcoossees, and Citricos...
Narcoosees -food was great, service was great
1900PF - food was very good, i think i liked everything but 1 fish item, service was good too...
Citricos- my new favorite restaurant!!!!! Cant wait to go back...

 

[Cris]

those are the mini bars, they are not meant for your personal items. You can request a fridge from housekeeping after you have checked into the room.

And glad to hear your "Grand" report

 

[Eeyore18]

I'm glad I found this thread. We are going in 9 days and are very excited about staying at the GF. We requested a dormer room. Does anyone know if there are dormer rooms in each building but the main one? I don't know if I should make a specific request, or just wait and see where we end up. Do they offer a quick place to have breakfast for those early mornings?
Do they provide towels at the pools?
Can't wait to go!!

 

[phyllis1966]

Eeyore18,

I don't know about all the buildings, but we were in a dormer room in Conch Key last year and loved it! They do have towels at the pool, and Gasparilla Grill is the GF's version of a food court, but nicer inside (they have seating and video games inside, too). I think they're open till the wee hours, if not 24/7. There you can either order a quick hot beakfast sandwich, or serve yourself bakery items, fruit, cereal, etc. It's a great place for late-night snacking, too, and you can purchase and refill your refillable mugs there, if you choose to buy them. We didn't know about the refillable mugs while we were there, because I had not yet discovered the DIS, but you can bet we'll buy 2 of them this year!

Have a great time - you will love the GF!

 

[johnsonet]

Gasparilla's is indeed 24 hours...each pool has its own towel supply and return bins. You will FLIP over GF! It is gorgeous. Each lodge bldg. has its own dormer rooms. I love Boca Chica but each bldg is nice. I have never been in a dormer room but have read many times how happy people were in them!
Enjoy!

 

[stellaxluna]

Eeyore18,

Have a great time you are going to LOVE the GF!! I guess your questions were already answered...enjoy!!

 

[stink]

This is great info. I am going to GF in December. We have a Garden View room. Are there "better" Garden View rooms to request. Is it worth paying for an upgrade to a lagoon view ? Are there coffee makers in the rooms ?

 

[stellaxluna]

Hi Stink,

I dont know anything about garden views, but I loved the lagoon view!! I think its worth it...there arent coffeemakers in rooms, but i think you can request 1...have a great time....