The All New Grand Floridian FAQ - MAY 2009

[mmmears]

Lilmattie,

We stayed in a standard RPC room earlier this month. It had 2 queen beds and a daybed and slept 5.

I've read on here that the deluxe queen rooms, while larger, only sleep 4 since there is no daybed.

There are suites that can accommodate more people as well, but that starts getting very pricey...

Hope this helps! I think that staying RPC at xmas would be perfect!!!

 

[Lilmattie13]

Thanks so much mmears. It is nice to hear they have queen size beds instead of the double beds that they have at POR. It was a little tight lol

Are the rooms with the queen size beds just in a particular area in the main building? Just curious.

Thanks again.

 

[TinkTatoo]

We got back 4 days ago from our 5 week vacation in Florida and we ended it with our very first stay at the Grand. I was a bit apprehensive about our stay here as the Grand seems to attract a band of fanaticism not seen at any other resort. All I can say is that I now know what every one sees in this place as we had a totally relaxing and enjoyable stay.

We checked in around 9am and after we’d given bell services a couple of bags to keep in locked storage we were escorted over to Sugar Loaf and given some insights into the resort on the way (most of which we already knew from the good folks on the Dis.)

We had a 1st floor room, which was handy when we wanted to nip down to the lounge for a coffee or a soda. This part of our vacation was total relaxation with just the odd trip into the parks for dinner or to catch one or two of our favourite rides. We spent most of the time by the pool and I loved the Sugar Loaf location as we could chill by the pool and pop back into the lounge for a coffee or a soda.

The large pool was our favourite as it rarely felt crowded and we loved the oversized Jacuzzi. We weren’t as keen on the beach pool as it always seemed to be busy and quite noisy. I’m glad we didn’t book a cabana as they seemed to be very close together and not too private (we had a cabana at the Hard Rock Hotel and there was loads more space between neighbours). The beach itself was lovely and we rarely saw anyone on it. DD loved lying in a hammock and playing in the sand.

We thought the offerings in the lounge were nice although our favourite is still the Atrium Club as it’s much more spacious and has couches as well as tables and of course that awesome view.

The staff we encountered were, on the whole, first class and all seemed to take pride in and enjoy their work. We had a great bell hop – John, who was a real character and the lounge ladies were a delight. I have to agree with Scott Mc though that we found one of the concierge desk staff to be very snippy and too full of self importance, but the rest of them were great.

The works going on in the main building was slightly inconvenient but didn't really bother us too much and the new tiles are going to look fantastic when they are finished

All in all we really enjoyed our stay at the GF and look forward to going back again.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Great pics, and glad you had a nice time at GF!

 

[MommyGina]

I agree with TinkTatoo and Scott MC about the CMs at the Concierge desk. My friend had a package sent to Sugar Loaf from MK. She did this on Sunday and was told that it would arrive on Monday by 12 noon. She went to her room, no package. She asked the concierge. The rude lady didn't even bother to check in her book to see if the package was logged in, which it is supposed to be. She just shook her head no. Didn't want to be bothered. Now we were on a wild goose chase. Went back to MK guest service. They didn't have it. It showed that it was sent out on Monday 8:30 a.m. When to Sandy Cove store in the main building at GF. They checked and didn't have anything. Went back to the concierge in SL. Different CM at the concierge checked and it showed that it was in her room. The CM told my friend that sometimes packages are put in the closet. She went up to the room and checked in the closet and there it was.

Now if the concierge had bothered to check in the first place, this would have saved a lot of time and frustration! She was just too lazy.

 

[BlueSkies]

MrsKCKitty What a nice way to celebrate your DHs 40th birthday!! Dont forget to let them know in any of the restaurants that you will be dining in as they usally will do something special..the signature restaurants will personalize the menus too!! Makes a nice keepsake...I celebrated a special birhtday at the GF a few years ago and it was truly magical!!

LilMattie I remember your wonderful story about your anniversary trip and that terrific upgrade...but the thing about staying CL is that once you do there is no going back!! Never stayed at the Poly s no help from me on that...sorry!!

Tinktatoo Beautiful pics! Thanks for posting them...

I am a long time SL fan although I have never stayed RPC to be able make a comparison...but as far as the CL CMs... the phrase 'one bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch' comes to mind... having stayed CL many times over the years I will say the disgrunteled CMs are few and far between..CL CMs seem to be the cream of the crop...as a matter of fact last year we asked to tour RPC to get a better feel for it and the CMs were absolutely wonderful...from the girl who greeted us when we got there...to the very nice man who not only showed us around the lounge but gave us a tour of some of the rooms too...overall we have generally had very good interractions with the CL CMs....its one of the things that makes us want to stay CL over and over again...

 

[herecomesthesun]

MrsKCKitty What a nice way to celebrate your DHs 40th birthday!! Dont forget to let them know in any of the restaurants that you will be dining in as they usally will do something special..the signature restaurants will personalize the menus too!! Makes a nice keepsake...I celebrated a special birhtday at the GF a few years ago and it was truly magical!!

LilMattie I remember your wonderful story about your anniversary trip and that terrific upgrade...but the thing about staying CL is that once you do there is no going back!! Never stayed at the Poly s no help from me on that...sorry!!

Tinktatoo Beautiful pics! Thanks for posting them...

I am long SL fan although I have never stayed RPC to be able make a comparison...but as far as the CL CMs... the phrase 'one bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch' comes to mind... having stayed CL many times over the years I will say the disgrunteled CMs are few and far between..CL CMs seem to be the cream of the crop...as a matter of fact last year we asked to tour RPC to get a better feel for it and the CMs were absolutely wonderful...from the girl who greeted us when we got there...to the very nice man who not only showed us around the lounge but gave us a tour of some of the rooms too...overall we have generally had very good interractions with the CL CMs....its one of the things that makes us want to stay CL over and over again...

I became a CL fan thanks to DAunt BlueSkies and there is no turning back now. The CL CMs were so incredibly lovely that my DD7 plays a CM at home. I am not kidding. It started after our June 2009 trip. She puts goodnight notes on our pillows, created and displays her own room-service menus, makes pretend dining reservations, picks flowers from our garden for our bedside tables, and turns our television on to a lovely music station. Come to think of it, she is part concierge, part mousekeeper!

Seriously, I sincerely think the CL CMs go above and beyond for the most part.

 

[BlueSkies]

hcts There is no doubt in my mind that your DD is a future WDW CM in the making!!! Hey maybe she'll even be in the college program... But I know that I am thinking way ahead...for now its fun to see how much she enjoys playing concierge/mousekeeper!!! I think maybe she has gone on one too many GF trips...( if there ever could be such a thing!!!)....

 

[mmmears]

hcts There is no doubt in my mind that your DD is a future WDW CM in the making!!! Hey maybe she'll even be in the college program... But I know that I am thinking way ahead...for now its fun to see how much she enjoys playing concierge/mousekeeper!!! I think maybe she has gone on one too many GF trips...( if there ever could be such a thing!!!)....

I don't think there is such a thing as too many visits to the GF!

 

[Disbug1]

Does anyone have pictures of a lodge tower room interior? Thanks!

Anyone?? I too would like to see pictures of a lodge tower room Also are they in the "Main Building" ?? Or in Sugar Loaf??

Thanking you in advance

 

[minniesota]

Anyone?? I too would like to see pictures of a lodge tower room Also are they in the "Main Building" ?? Or in Sugar Loaf??

Thanking you in advance

I haven't stayed in a lodge tower room but found a couple of photos:

The lodge tower room is a bookable category of rooms in all of the lodge buildings except Sugar Loaf where the 3 lodge tower rooms are by request. There are no lodge tower rooms in the main building; there they are called turret suites and you would have to book a king deluxe room and request a turret suite. Hope that helps!

 

[kandb]

We are staying at the Grand in October in a GV room. Just wondering how much more a CL room is. What are the advantages? Do the CL rooms all come with food/beverages during the day? Thanks, Linda

 

[minniesota]

We are staying at the Grand in October in a GV room. Just wondering how much more a CL room is. What are the advantages? Do the CL rooms all come with food/beverages during the day? Thanks, Linda

Congratulations on staying at the GF! We love the GV rooms there - heck, we love all the rooms at the GF!

To answer your question, CL rooms in Sugar Loaf generally run about $150 more per night than a GV room; in the Royal Palm Club (main building), you would pay around $325 more per night. The advantages are both tangible and intangible. Yes, food and beverages are provided throughout the day in the CL lounges (reports indicate the same food is offered in both SL and RPC).

Continental breakfast runs from 7 - 10:30; Refresher snacks are offered from 11:30 - 2:30; Afternoon Tea is from 2:30 - 4; Twilight Refreshers from 5 - 7 and Cordials and Desserts, 8 - 10. Beverages and fresh fruit are available throughout the day.

We have always made use of the continental breakfasts and there have been many times that the Twilight Refreshers (think heavy hors d'ouvres) was plenty for dinner (along with some wine/beer and followed by dessert!) This is especially true if we've had a bigger lunch. And I love the Afternoon Tea if we happen to be at the resort!

CL planners can make your ADRs and secure other reservations for you. The GF CMs have always been so great during our stays. The ambiance in RPC is one of those intangibles that only you can decide if it's worth it.

Hope that helps.

 

[SWDisney]

Congratulations on staying at the GF! We love the GV rooms there - heck, we love all the rooms at the GF!

To answer your question, CL rooms in Sugar Loaf generally run about $150 more per night than a GV room; in the Royal Palm Club (main building), you would pay around $325 more per night. The advantages are both tangible and intangible. Yes, food and beverages are provided throughout the day in the CL lounges (reports indicate the same food is offered in both SL and RPC).

Continental breakfast runs from 7 - 10:30; Refresher snacks are offered from 11:30 - 2:30; Afternoon Tea is from 2:30 - 4; Twilight Refreshers from 5 - 7 and Cordials and Desserts, 8 - 10. Beverages and fresh fruit are available throughout the day.

We have always made use of the continental breakfasts and there have been many times that the Twilight Refreshers (think heavy hors d'ouvres) was plenty for dinner (along with some wine/beer and followed by dessert!) This is especially true if we've had a bigger lunch. And I love the Afternoon Tea if we happen to be at the resort!

CL planners can make your ADRs and secure other reservations for you. The GF CMs have always been so great during our stays. The ambiance in RPC is one of those intangibles that only you can decide if it's worth it.

Hope that helps.

What is your opinion on SL versus RPC?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

SWDisney - we have enjoyed several stays at both RPC and SL, and the ambiance is different, but the service and food offerings are the same. RPC is a nice splurge, for the access to the main building, the larger lounge overlooking the lobby and hearing the evening music is a nice perk! But SL is very nice as well, and convenient, and quite a bit cheaper, so if you are wanting to try club level but would rather not pay the very high prices in RPC, I wouldn't hesitant to stay in SL.

BCV23 - thanks for the info on the servers at V&A's. We could not tell if any served other tables out of our sight, but as you say, it certainly feels as though you are their only guests, doesn't it?

Citricos was wonderful, we enjoyed it very much, it is such a pretty room. The servers were so nice, and prompt. I think DD and I split the cheese course, then she had the braised short rib with vanilla pasnip puree, it was delicious; I had the Berkshire pork two ways with polenta, it was very good, and reminded us of the pork tenderloin dish at Cali Grill. I had the tropical creme brulee with a lovely dessert wine, and I think DD had the chocolate banana tart. She liked mine better! It was a creme brulee made in the proper way, where the caramelized top had to be struck quite sharply to break it - yum!

 

[minniesota]

What is your opinion on SL versus RPC?

I have only stayed RPC but I have visited the SL lounge.

The lounge itself is more spacious in RPC and is on the 4th floor with great views - very convenient to most of the rooms. It has seldom felt crowded though we do not travel at high peak times. The orchestra and/or piano music is an added bonus later in the day. We enjoy staying in the main building for convenience and we have been very lucky with our room assignments - always a castle view and once an upgrade to a deluxe with tons of space and a killer balcony. Love the lounge CMs!

The SL lounge is on the first floor right as you enter the building so it is convenient for grabbing a quick beverage or snack on your way to the room or from the courtyard pool. The room views in SL are either of the courtyard or the boat marina; you may be able to see the castle from a few of the rooms though not dead-on as you can in RPC. SL has been described as having more of a bed and breakfast feel to it - cozy quarters.

I personally love RPC too much to switch. When I don't stay in RPC, I go with a GV and request Sago marina view. I've never been disappointed!

 

[SWDisney]

Do you know what the "typical" price difference is between SL and RPC? With all of the specials I am trying to determine if we shoudl go RPC since we might not be able to in the future. We have stayed at the Poly on CL in the past.

Thanks.

 

[Figment1990]

Very bizzarre question here. My DSis just said she would consider moving our april 2010 tri pfrom poly to the grand!!! But she wants to know if she can get blueberry muffins at gf? Silly thing but has to do with a childhood breakfast tradition. Anyone know if its a regular menu item?

TIA!

 

[Lilmattie13]

Do you know what the "typical" price difference is between SL and RPC? With all of the specials I am trying to determine if we shoudl go RPC since we might be able to in the future. We have stayed at the Poly on CL in the past.

Thanks.

Well I can tell you this. We were considering doing RPC for the week after Thanksgiving in 2010. I was all set to book then asked the TA for the price difference to do SL on those dates. The cost is $1200 less!!!

I was still all set to pay the extra in RPC until I found out that those rooms usually never are a part of any discount. Because disney usually bets on those rooms selling out, which they do, they rarely offer discounts at that level.

I was dissappointed by that because I was hoping down the road, snag either a room discount of some sorts, a pin code, or free dining if they decide to offer it to the general public until Dec like they did this year.

So to hear it was that much cheaper and we would be much more likely to snag a discount of some kind down the road, we ended up booking SL.

Am a I little dissappointed. YES, Its hard not to be as the room we had last year a magical upgrade to the Turret room on the 4th floor. But on this trip I am taking along not only the dh but the two darling kiddies, and Mom. So the cost was just too big of a factor, especially right before Xmas.

We will still be at club level, still enjoy such a beautiful hotel at Xmas, and hopefully save a little bit of money. We will just have to plan some time to spend in the grand lobby to enjoy the music, shopping and restaurants.

 

[shoppgirl]

Very bizzarre question here. My DSis just said she would consider moving our april 2010 tri pfrom poly to the grand!!! But she wants to know if she can get blueberry muffins at gf? Silly thing but has to do with a childhood breakfast tradition. Anyone know if its a regular menu item?

TIA!

We were in SL last week and DH says he saw blueberry muffins every morning! Enjoy your trip!