Need help and info on Grand Floridian (and Contemporary) please.

[Minnie824]

Next year (sometime in Nov or Dec) we plan to take our DD (who will then be just 2yo) to Disneyworld. We're debating between staying at the Yacht Club or the Grand Floridian. We've been to the YC before so we have info on that, but we've never stayed at the GF and need some help.

First of all, which resort should we stay at? We had planned all along on the YC but now are thinking it might be nice to try a new hotel and be closer to MK since thats probably where we'll spend the most time with a 2yo.

Ok, assuming we stay at the GF, is the main building only suites and concierge, or are there regular rooms there? If you request a room in the main building, are you guarenteed that? If not the main building, which one is the best, and how do you request the views? How are the restaurants and pool for a 2yo? Anyone have any problems at the GF ever?

Any information would be great. Thank you!

Ok, just modified this to include the Contemporary too. Now we're confused and thinking maybe thats a possibility as well, so same questions for there too. Thanks.

 

[aahmom1]

Ok, assuming we stay at the GF, is the main building only suites and concierge, or are there regular rooms there? If you request a room in the main building, are you guarenteed that? If not the main building, which one is the best, and how do you request the views? How are the restaurants and pool for a 2yo? Anyone have any problems at the GF ever?

I don't think there are any regular rooms in the main building, if there are they run almost twice the cost of a standard room.

I've stayed in Sago Cay 3 times and the one by the pool, I'm sorry I can't remember the name, once. Sago Cay was very nice, close to Gasparilla Grill and not very far from the big pool. If you want a MK view, request lagoon view, that's what I plan to get this time.

1900 Park Fare is wonderful for kids. Gasparilla Grill is also nice to grab a hamburger or soemthing like that. You can eat outside of it too, which is also nice with a 2 year old.

There is a pool especially for the very little ones at the GF too.

You'll love the GF, I highly recommend it.

 

[Calcio]

With a 2 year old, and most of the likely stay in the MK, I'd highly recommend the Grand Floridian. The monorail will zip you from the 2nd floor boarding station at the GF to the MK in virtually zero time, so a tired little one can be back and resting almost instantly.

We were at the GF over last Christmas, and stayed in the building closest to the boat launch and Narcossee's (sorry the name escapes me). It was a very nice normal room, but it was on an upper floor with a small balcony which a small child could not see over since the railing was solid wood. I'd recommend a room on a lower floor with larger and more traditional see-through balconies. You could also hear the wolf howling at the haunted mansion when you we on the balcony, a nice thought if you like the attraction.

I also was surprised at the number of small children at the GF when we were there. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised given the location and time of year. There are 2 large pool complexes, and I think the one nearest the main building has a beach-type area where a small one can walk out a ways.

As an adult, I much prefer staying at the BW/YC/BC area, since MGM and EPCOT are where I spend most of my time. Getting to the MK from there requires a bus ride, so you couldn't easily go back and forth to your room from the MK as you could at the GF.

Also, there is a small boat that makes the circuit between the GF, Poly, and MK. In the evening we just went out and rode it around, sitting in the back and feeling relaxed while we enjoyed the scene. I'd highly recommend it, especially since your little one would likely be asleep!

Enjoy

 

[Greg K.]

Grand Floridian will be perfect for you and your little one!

For buildings, I can recommend either Sago or Conch -- Conch is closest to the boat dock, which you will LOVE at the end of a long day. Just hop off the boot and 30 seconds later, you can be in your room. Also, if you stay at Conch, you can request a MK view...you could see the fireworks right from your room!

The convenience to the MK is the BIG selling point for the GF if you have kids.

But there is also the unparalleled level of service, the luxury, the sheer Oh-My-Gawd-ness of the place. It's just so darn NICE. And it's very kid-friendly, too. The 1900 Park Faire is fun for breakfast or dinner, and the new pool and beach add a LOT to the experience, too.

 

[BounceyOne]

We absolutley LOVE the GF. OUr children are 3 and 12 and they enjoyed it as well.
We also love the contemporary.
If your little one goes to bed early you might want to try the CR with a MK view so you can enjoy the sites and sounds from your balcony at night. The fireworks are great from there!

 

[MatthewNY]

I was going to request a dormer room until reading the above post. Is that a dormer balcony that was too high for a small child ?! I'm glad I read that as I have a 4 year old daughter who I would want to be able to see the Castle and the water pageant. If I don't get a dormer room what floors have regular balconies and which is best for MK and Water Pageant views ?

Please advise,

Thanks, Matt.

 

[adisneyfan2]

I would definitely recommend an MK monorail resort if that's whre you're spending most of your time. It's nice to be able to zip back to your room for a change of clothes or a nap. We stayed at GF once, (sorry -- can't remember building name) but found that with tired little ones, staying in an "out building" was a pain, because it seemed so far from the monorail, down the elevator, through the main building, then finally to our building & back up the elevator to our room. It was ok when we could use the stroller, but a couple times the monorail was too crowded to accomodate it open, so we ended up carrying sleeping kids all the way. (Uggh!) Even with the stroller, when we were tired, all the doors and extra walking at the end of a long day was kind of a pain. The rooms were nice, but I didn't think any better than YC or Cont. The last few stays, we requested MK view in the Cont. tower. We had awesome views of the water pageant & the fireworks, as well as the castle well into the night. This was a bonus, since our littlest guy could never make it past 9, and our oldest (& us) coud still see the fireworks, etc. The GF pool is better though, because I think it is zero-depth. Cont's is something like 30", so probably too deep for a 2-year old. Of course speaking of pools, BC/YC have Great pools, but then so does MK's Poly....

Have a great time!

 

[Calcio]

Hello MatthwNY

Yes, I was surprised at how small and enclosed the balcony was in our dormier room. There was not a traditional wood or iron railing with mostly air and little sight obstruction. The railing was completely solid all the way across. I'm 5'11" tall and when I stood up against it it struck me in the mid chest, so I could see fine but a little person could not.

I think a room on the second floor has a more traditional balcony (if I'm wrong here, please GF veterans correct me), which your 4 year old dd could look right through. The sight of the castle, fireworks, and water pagent (great sounds too!) is pretty slick.

Good luck

 

[TammiMcMan]

Minnie824,

The main building is all concierge and the Sugar Loaf building contains the lodge concierge service. I've done all three at the GF, standard, lodge and main building. It's our favorite resort and our kids love it there. The new pool is great, with its zero entrance right off the beach and water slide. There is a toddler pool located in the quiet pool area. They also have activities for the kids each day there. GF doesn't have a food court, but Gasparillas grill is surprisingly good for counter service and the prices are reasonable. 1900 Park Faire has a character breakfast with Alice, Mary Poppins, Pooh and his friends. The Cafe is also open for breakfast and lunch dining, again at very reasonable prices. There's also a great spa if you get a chance for some "alone" time. I have not stayed in a dormer room, because I enjoy the larger balcony. We spent a lot of time sitting out there. For a nice MK view, I'd suggest the Sago Cay or Conch Key building. Sago is closer to the main building which has the monorial and also the Disney transport bus stop. It's the furthest from the pools though. The resort is not that large and we found walking from other area's wasn't an incovenience.

I do like the futuristic look of the Cont., but the GF is like staying in a storybook.

Have fun with your planning.

Tammi

 

[*123JOANNA123*]

I'm just back from a stay at the GF with a 3yo and 1yo. I can highly recommend it and loved the fact that we could zip in and out of the MK when the kids got tired. We were upgraded to sugar loaf concierge, so that was an extra bonus- the staff offered to fill the babies bottles with fresh cold milk, we could grab cookies, snacks and cold drinks for them, and we had a ground floor room which meant not too much extra walking.

We ate at Citrico's where they were AMAZING with the kids. They brought out crayons and showed them the chefs working on the desserts. Embarrassingly for us, my 1 yo grabbed a crayon and proceeded to scribble on the table cloth. When I noticed this, I took it off her and explained not to do it. Our waitress rushed over and said 'now don't you worry one bit about this, she's at Disney World now and wants to enjoy herself and that's just fine with us'. How cool is that??

I can't say enough good things about this resort with kids

Joanna

 

[Minnie824]

Thank you all for the help on deciding which we resort we should stay at. I think we've concluded that we're going to get a lagoon view at the Grand Floridian. Now its just a matter of which building to request. Has everyone always gotten the building they requested? From looking at the map of the resort, we were thinking of asking for Boca Chica first and then Conch Cay second. Does this sound good? We want to actually get a good view of the lagoon and hope for a Magic Kingdom view. Thanks again for the help!