Many Many Questions

[shaynar]

Good morning!

DH sprung a last minute trip on me (for next week) but hasn't planned anything and is giving me carte blanche. It'll be the last time we'll have an adults only trip anywhere for a few years. It would be for 2 days.

I'm thinking GF CL. It's only for 2 nights and CL is only $75 per night more than a normal room. I've never stayed at the GF. We really like BC, AKL and Poly, but we want to stay close to MK since we'll only have 2 days and time will be of the essence. We're also thinking of taking down time since DH really can't handle the heat or the crowds. So mornings and evenings in the park and days by the pool. I figured GF would fit all those needs. I'm just wondering if I'll like it - the rooms don't "do it" for me.

We were originally considering WL CL, but I hear that the lounge is still under construction.

One of my thoughts is that ME would pick us up 4 hours prior to our flight out (Canada) and I don't like that. So I'm thinking a rental car - but it seems a waste.

Also Please list your tips for a short trip and avoiding heat and crowds in August. (If that's possible!!!)

 

[Shanti]

Good morning!

DH sprung a last minute trip on me (for next week) but hasn't planned anything and is giving me carte blanche. It'll be the last time we'll have an adults only trip anywhere for a few years. It would be for 2 days.

I'm thinking GF CL. It's only for 2 nights and CL is only $75 per night more than a normal room. I've never stayed at the GF. We really like BC, AKL and Poly, but we want to stay close to MK since we'll only have 2 days and time will be of the essence. We're also thinking of taking down time since DH really can't handle the heat or the crowds. So mornings and evenings in the park and days by the pool. I figured GF would fit all those needs. I'm just wondering if I'll like it - the rooms don't "do it" for me.

One of my thoughts is that ME would pick us up 4 hours prior to our flight out (Canada) and I don't like that. So I'm thinking a rental car - but it seems a waste.

Also Please list your tips for a short trip and avoiding heat and crowds in August. (If that's possible!!!)

We just stayed at the Grand Floridian and loved it. Not sure what you mean about the rooms not "doing it" for you. Since the latest refurbishment they've had a pretty simple, almost generic, look, but so has Beach Club's rooms since its recent refurbishment. If you want better theming in your room, I'd stay at a Poly Villa- they're lovely and very well-themed.

But we found the Grand to be very beautiful, in spite of the plain room. I would go with Royal Palm Club level, so you'll be in the main building, can listen to the musicians at times while relaxing in the club lounge, and your room will be very close to the monorail. If that's too expensive, no worries. We didn't stay club level at all & it was wonderful. We had a theme park view room in Sago Cay, so got to see the monorail to our left, and the castle straight ahead. Wow!

Dinner at Victoria and Albert's, maybe? It'll be a long time before you have time for such a leisurely meal (I'm assuming there's a baby on the way).

For sun protection in summer, I use a good UV umbrella. This is not a regular umbrella, but one specially lined to protect from the sun's rays- you can find one on Amazon. It works wonders. I also wear waterproof Teva sandals, so that getting stuck in a sudden summer shower doesn't give me miserable wet shoes.

Have fun! We just got back on Wednesday, and crowds were relatively low during our trip. It is hot, though, so definitely make use of the pool. Maybe an afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon? That was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

[lsyorke]

Have you check room availability? That may limit your choices, or point you in a direction.

 

[Upup4fun]

I luv the GF! Never done CL, so I'm really envious. When we went for our Honeymoon we also ate at Victoria and Alberts and Narcooses. This year we are trying Citricos.

My husband loves the pools there and always gets an icy cocktail midday!

 

[RustManFan]

I was going to say... this close to the trip you may have to go with what is available

 

[disnut8]

Also Please list your tips for a short trip and avoiding heat and crowds in August. (If that's possible!!!)

My lifesaver for summer trips is very simple. Take a washcloth with you. Fold it up as small as you can. Place that into a Ziploc type bag. You can put this into a pocket or whatever you carry for the day. When you become sweaty, go into a restroom, get the cloth under cold water and wash all exposed parts of your body. You can even go into a stall and do more than that if you want. When done, put cloth back into bag and repeat as necessary all through the day. On our last trip over July 4th, I just kept wiping my forehead with the wet cloth throughout the day.

 

[kiford]

We've never done CL at GF but have stayed several times. We like Conch Key because it's close to the boat launch which makes trips to MK easy and tends to be less crowded than the monorail.

I second V&A's if you can get reservations this late. We're doing it for the 8th time in December. Citricos is quite nice too for an adults only dinner.

Pool time in the afternoon is a very good idea, although just chilling in the room (which are nice and large) in the afternoon maybe napping or watching TV is a good way to keep out of the sun or even sitting on the balcony if you can get a room with a decent sized balcony.

We now go in December to avoid the heat but we used to go in May and we would go early to the parks (we're not really morning people but it does beat a lot of the heat), come back about noon and do pool or room until 2-2:30, then go for dinner at or close to the parks at about 3 pm for an early dinner so as to avoid the worst of the heat. By the time you're finished dinner, it's a bit cooler and a lot of other people have had it for the day so it's less busy. Or we'd sit in a lounge in the parks or one of the resorts in the early afternoon, have a drink or two and people watch and just talk. Then we'd eat about 5-ish and again you'll miss a lot of the heat and be refreshed and ready to go when a lot of others have had it.

In the earlier part of the afternoon when it's still hot is when we'd hit the longer attractions like shows, 3D movies, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Nemo and Friends, or any attraction that has a large part of the line inside with air conditioning.

For sun protection, given that you're Canadian and can buy this (it's not available outside of Canada), I highly recommend Ombrelle SPF 60. We use it all the time and never get burned and we're both very fair skinned. We use this in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Yes, picking up 4 hours prior to a flight sucks but you're there for so little time that renting a car seems expensive and a hassle. And regardless of whether you drive or DME drives, you still have to leave somewhere close to 3-4 hours prior to a flight because of it being international and security can be awful at MCO. Better to leave the driving to someone else.

 

[kathyfog]

You could try uber to go to airport. Not too pricy and more on your schedule

 

[mister morrow]

i'm looking at availability for next week and there is a lot more than i thought would be available.

I would pick BWV- the price difference is small, the rooms are nice, there are tons of dining options, and you can walk to epcot.

The last time i've been to august was during the last week, our family usually took breaks and swam at the resort everyday. The crowds were really low, but I could imagine moderate crowds.

 

[BobC]

I think your plan is a good one. I always try to stay close to MK since I'm a park hopper and tend to go to MK more than any other park. Plus, it's nice to be close and just go there to kill a few hours if you have time to kill.

DME isn't bad, but if time is important to you it can be a bit time consuming. They take care of the deluxe resort guests though and usually stop WL, CR, and GF making GF the first stop.

I'd do Uber since it's easy and a direct stop. No waiting at the bus stop for your bus to come to the airport and dealing with the crowds on the packed bus.

 

[Mousetopia]

We've never done CL at GF but have stayed several times. We like Conch Key because it's close to the boat launch which makes trips to MK easy and tends to be less crowded than the monorail.

I second V&A's if you can get reservations this late. We're doing it for the 8th time in December. Citricos is quite nice too for an adults only dinner.

Pool time in the afternoon is a very good idea, although just chilling in the room (which are nice and large) in the afternoon maybe napping or watching TV is a good way to keep out of the sun or even sitting on the balcony if you can get a room with a decent sized balcony.

We now go in December to avoid the heat but we used to go in May and we would go early to the parks (we're not really morning people but it does beat a lot of the heat), come back about noon and do pool or room until 2-2:30, then go for dinner at or close to the parks at about 3 pm for an early dinner so as to avoid the worst of the heat. By the time you're finished dinner, it's a bit cooler and a lot of other people have had it for the day so it's less busy. Or we'd sit in a lounge in the parks or one of the resorts in the early afternoon, have a drink or two and people watch and just talk. Then we'd eat about 5-ish and again you'll miss a lot of the heat and be refreshed and ready to go when a lot of others have had it.

In the earlier part of the afternoon when it's still hot is when we'd hit the longer attractions like shows, 3D movies, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Nemo and Friends, or any attraction that has a large part of the line inside with air conditioning.

For sun protection, given that you're Canadian and can buy this (it's not available outside of Canada), I highly recommend Ombrelle SPF 60. We use it all the time and never get burned and we're both very fair skinned. We use this in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Yes, picking up 4 hours prior to a flight sucks but you're there for so little time that renting a car seems expensive and a hassle. And regardless of whether you drive or DME drives, you still have to leave somewhere close to 3-4 hours prior to a flight because of it being international and security can be awful at MCO. Better to leave the driving to someone else.

**** I too hate that early pick up..in the old days pre-security worries it WAS excessive in my opinion. I assumed that to be true still this last November but due to a nice long trip I decided to not worry about it and take the Magical Express at their "early" time...WELL I am glad I did!! They got me there promptly and I was not flying internationally but the wait to get through security was absolutely insane..I suppose others are used to it but I was SHOCKED..it had been a while. (pre 9/11) A HUGE crowd just standing to filter in then once "in" a lonnnng line to get through. It was a week day! By the time I got to my gate I had just enough time to grab something to eat fast and we were boarding.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

GF is wonderful! If you want CL, I would actually pick Sugar Loaf this time of year. You'll be closer to the pool and will save some $$.

I would simply take a cab or uber to the airport. It should be about $50