The All New Grand Floridian FAQ - MAY 2009

[MommyGina]

bethclayton - I am so glad you had a "Grand" time. Did you book RPC or were you upgraded? If you mentioned this before, sorry if I missed it. Last year we were upgraded to SL from GV. I have booked SL this year. Maybe I will be magically "upgraded" again!

To my family, you can't beat the Grand! That is why we are going back in 132 more days!

 

[3princess mommy]

I loved hearing your experience at the Grand. This is our first time staying Deluxe thanks to the 40% off pin. I can't wait to go as I have always wanted to stay at the Grand and reading your post has gotten me more excited
only 130 more days

 

[bethclayton]

bethclayton - I am so glad you had a "Grand" time. Did you book RPC or were you upgraded? If you mentioned this before, sorry if I missed it. Last year we were upgraded to SL from GV. I have booked SL this year. Maybe I will be magically "upgraded" again!

To my family, you can't beat the Grand! That is why we are going back in 132 more days!

we had booked RPC. to my mom, it was of utmost importance that she be in the main building because she has mobility issues. ironically, in the end, she rode that little scooter all over disney world about 12 hours a day, lol. but it was their first trip and she was worried, and she wanted to make sure she could get to the shops and restaurants independently, so the main building made her feel more secure.

enjoy your trip! what excitement to be upgraded from GV to SL! that club level really spoils a person, doesn't it?

 

[MommyGina]

I loved hearing your experience at the Grand. This is our first time staying Deluxe thanks to the 40% off pin. I can't wait to go as I have always wanted to stay at the Grand and reading your post has gotten me more excited
only 130 more days

We will be there at the same time! You will absolutely love, love, love the Grand Floridian. I can't wait to take my annual walk on the path from the GF to the Poly with my refillable mug and have my children look at the bricks on the path. The dates on the bricks jog their memory and we talk about what has happened on thoses dates. It is a real family time memory that I cherish.

 

[MommyGina]

we had booked RPC. to my mom, it was of utmost importance that she be in the main building because she has mobility issues. ironically, in the end, she rode that little scooter all over disney world about 12 hours a day, lol. but it was their first trip and she was worried, and she wanted to make sure she could get to the shops and restaurants independently, so the main building made her feel more secure.

enjoy your trip! what excitement to be upgraded from GV to SL! that club level really spoils a person, doesn't it?

Club level did spoil us. That's why we took the plunge this year to CL. My mom can't travel anymore. She did use the electric scooter for two years and then went to a wheelchair. She said it would give my husband exercise because of all the food he was eating! LOL!!!

Glad they had a great time!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

CL totally spoils you. Especially FREE CL

 

[k&a&c'smom]

pixie921 - Don't worry, the servers at WDW are used to people asking for changes, it is one of the best destinations I know of for anyone who has a special request. My younger son has always been a bit of a picky eater, and they were very good with him over the many years we've visited the World.

Citricos is one of our favorite restaurants, everything we've had there was delicious. And it doesn't seem stuffy at all.

bethclayton - Glad to hear your vacation was so magical! Isn't it great when things come together like that?

 

[Goofdad]

We ate at Gasparilla's (not so good),

first off, glad to hear you all had wonderful visits at the GF.
My entire family is currently going through GF withdrawl and it's terrible... I'm still reading/posting here because disboards is the best "fix" I can get until the next trip.

I felt the need to take up the cause for Gasparilla's.
I understand that it is nowhere near the standards set by other GF restaurants, but as a "quick serve" option, it is wonderful (IMO).

"Quick Service" is often pretty sketchy/fast-food anywhere you go in WDW. Gasparilla's steps it up a notch with the quality of food they serve.
Their "Bounty" Breakfast, burgers, and chicken sandwiches are far superior to any other "quick serve" meal I found in WDW.

And I suppose that the arcade made it a great place to be with the kids; a place where parents can actually eat their food while the children are entertained a safe distance away.

Huge fan of Gasparilla's here. Some days your schedule just doesn't allow for full sit-down meals and Gasparilla's was a fantastic option for us under those circumstances.
And as with all GF Cast Members, the people could not have been any more helpful and hospitable.

 

[BCV23]

I am trying to find out the difference in a concierge room & whether or not it is work it.

With the exception of suites and deluxe rooms, there is no difference in the rooms. The extra cost is for service and location. One of the first posts on this FAQ explains what club level entails. Happy planning!

We will be there at the same time! You will absolutely love, love, love the Grand Floridian. I can't wait to take my annual walk on the path from the GF to the Poly with my refillable mug and have my children look at the bricks on the path. The dates on the bricks jog their memory and we talk about what has happened on thoses dates. It is a real family time memory that I cherish.

What a sweet tradition.

CL totally spoils you. Especially FREE CL

first off, glad to hear you all had wonderful visits at the GF.
My entire family is currently going through GF withdrawl and it's terrible... I'm still reading/posting here because disboards is the best "fix" I can get until the next trip.

I felt the need to take up the cause for Gasparilla's.
I understand that it is nowhere near the standards set by other GF restaurants, but as a "quick serve" option, it is wonderful (IMO).

"Quick Service" is often pretty sketchy/fast-food anywhere you go in WDW. Gasparilla's steps it up a notch with the quality of food they serve.
Their "Bounty" Breakfast, burgers, and chicken sandwiches are far superior to any other "quick serve" meal I found in WDW.

And I suppose that the arcade made it a great place to be with the kids; a place where parents can actually eat their food while the children are entertained a safe distance away.

Huge fan of Gasparilla's here. Some days your schedule just doesn't allow for full sit-down meals and Gasparilla's was a fantastic option for us under those circumstances.
And as with all GF Cast Members, the people could not have been any more helpful and hospitable.

I think that's a good summary except I do think both Captain Cook's at the Polynesian and Contempo Cafe at the CR serve good food, too. Different from GG but just as good.

 

[pixie921]

pixie921 - Don't worry, the servers at WDW are used to people asking for changes, it is one of the best destinations I know of for anyone who has a special request. My younger son has always been a bit of a picky eater, and they were very good with him over the many years we've visited the World.

Citricos is one of our favorite restaurants, everything we've had there was delicious. And it doesn't seem stuffy at all.

Sounds good -- with all this positive info, we're definitely going to be giving Citrico's a try!

 

[maiapapaya]

I'm hoping my DH and I can take a future anniversary trip to the GF and I was hoping to get some info on room types (there seems to be so many, it's confusing!) We would prefer a room with one king bed instead of two queen (but it's not a must) and a MK view (this is non-negotiable! ). Under which room category would a room like this be found? Would we have to go with a suite or club level? TIA!

 

[BCV23]

Hi maiapapaya! Fun to see you here, too.

You could book a theme park view and request a king bed. There are reportedly very few standard rooms with king beds though.

There are also rooms on the second floor of the main building (RPC) that have king beds. They used to be called honeymoon rooms but I think they might be called deluxe now? Someone will be along to knows. At any rate, they are concierge rooms and so quite a bit more.

There are also some larger rooms with a king bed in RPC.

HTH a bit. Mostly I wanted to say hi to a fellow Polynesian groupie.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

maiapapaya - it looks like you should be able to book an outer building - theme park view and get what you want. The king bed request would be simply a request, however, no guarantee. Here is the new description of the room category, thanks to johnsonet for posting this earlier in the week:

Outer Bldg - Theme Park View
All rooms have 2 queen-size beds or one king-size bed, table and chairs, ceiling fans, vanity area with 2 sinks, and bath. Most rooms offer day bed and private balcony. All rooms are non-smoking. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available. Amenities include in-room safe, high-speed Internet access (additional fee), voice mail, phone in bath area, robes, hairdryer, iron, ironing board, refrigerator and coffeemaker. A crib is available upon request. Magic Kingdom View Rooms offer views of Magic Kingdom theme park.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Hey everyone!

Great news! Some things have lined up well so DD10 and I will be going to the GF in June rather than December! I asked her if it was okay if we didn't go in December (I'm cashing in on that gift card promo) and she said it was OK and "after all, Mom, you know I love the pool there!" So many things have happened to us over this past year that it will be a way overdue vacation.

I've had lots of fun :::sarcasm::: booking dining ressies online but we got everything we wanted except for Le Cellier. Most of our dining will be at the GF (can't wait to try Narcoosee's and Citricos) but we're having a few meals at the Poly as well.

I just saw an episode of Cake Boss where they went to Disney and stayed at the GF. Makes me even more stoked to stay there!

Just had to share with you all. Eventually I'll get around to changing the ticker.

 

[maiapapaya]

Hi maiapapaya! Fun to see you here, too.

You could book a theme park view and request a king bed. There are reportedly very few standard rooms with king beds though.

There are also rooms on the second floor of the main building (RPC) that have king beds. They used to be called honeymoon rooms but I think they might be called deluxe now? Someone will be along to knows. At any rate, they are concierge rooms and so quite a bit more.

There are also some larger rooms with a king bed in RPC.

HTH a bit. Mostly I wanted to say hi to a fellow Polynesian groupie.

Hey, BCV23! Nice to see a familiar face here! I almost felt like I was cheating on the Poly by posting here - though a see a few Poly peeps! I'm not sure if I can convince DH to stay at the GF (no offense GF lovers, but he LOVES the Poly). I would like to stay at GF at least once & I figure I might be able to convince him for our 10th anniversary.

maiapapaya - it looks like you should be able to book an outer building - theme park view and get what you want. The king bed request would be simply a request, however, no guarantee. Here is the new description of the room category, thanks to johnsonet for posting this earlier in the week:

Outer Bldg - Theme Park View
All rooms have 2 queen-size beds or one king-size bed, table and chairs, ceiling fans, vanity area with 2 sinks, and bath. Most rooms offer day bed and private balcony. All rooms are non-smoking. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available. Amenities include in-room safe, high-speed Internet access (additional fee), voice mail, phone in bath area, robes, hairdryer, iron, ironing board, refrigerator and coffeemaker. A crib is available upon request. Magic Kingdom View Rooms offer views of Magic Kingdom theme park.

Thanks so much for the info k&a&c'smom! I'll have to start taking some notes & wade through this thread so I can build a case to convince DH that we should try GF at least once.

 

[ajh88]

OMG, we are only 78 days away from our first ever GF stay! I am so excited I can hardly wait!

We have TPV rooms booked right now (with no specific requests for buildings or anything - I don't really care where they put me!). Our first night, we are planning on catching the EWP and Wishes from the hotel - is it possible (or likely) to see both from our rooms? I assume it will be somewhat dependent on which building we are in, but I wasn't sure.

TIA!

 

[psac]

In a theme park view you should definitely see Wishes, and the EWP stretches across the GF lagoon area. Depending on where you are, you might not see all of the floats when they do their "solo" (for lack of a better word), but you'll hear it all!

 

[ClareH37]

I'm hoping one of you GF experts can help please as I've looked through this thread and cannot find any information (I'm awaiting a new pair of glasses so admittedly can't see the computer very well ).

I have today booked a deluxe king main building room, I'd like to know the difference between these rooms and the standard club level rooms (which I've stayed in before), and also where they are located in the main building/views, etc.

Many thanks

 

[BCV23]

Hey everyone!

Great news! Some things have lined up well so DD10 and I will be going to the GF in June rather than December! I asked her if it was okay if we didn't go in December (I'm cashing in on that gift card promo) and she said it was OK and "after all, Mom, you know I love the pool there!" So many things have happened to us over this past year that it will be a way overdue vacation.

I've had lots of fun :::sarcasm::: booking dining ressies online but we got everything we wanted except for Le Cellier. Most of our dining will be at the GF (can't wait to try Narcoosee's and Citricos) but we're having a few meals at the Poly as well.

I just saw an episode of Cake Boss where they went to Disney and stayed at the GF. Makes me even more stoked to stay there!

Just had to share with you all. Eventually I'll get around to changing the ticker.

Congratulations, glad things worked out so well. June will be here before you know it!

Hey, BCV23! Nice to see a familiar face here! I almost felt like I was cheating on the Poly by posting here - though a see a few Poly peeps! I'm not sure if I can convince DH to stay at the GF (no offense GF lovers, but he LOVES the Poly). I would like to stay at GF at least once & I figure I might be able to convince him for our 10th anniversary.

I understand. It took me a while to convince my Polynesian loving DH (and the rest of the family) to give the GF a try. Now he enjoys both. We always dine and shop at both resorts anyway. I like to think of the Polynesian/GF as one large resort with a beautiful walk along Seven Seas Lagoon separating the two different themes.

Happy planning!

OMG, we are only 78 days away from our first ever GF stay! I am so excited I can hardly wait!

We have TPV rooms booked right now (with no specific requests for buildings or anything - I don't really care where they put me!). Our first night, we are planning on catching the EWP and Wishes from the hotel - is it possible (or likely) to see both from our rooms? I assume it will be somewhat dependent on which building we are in, but I wasn't sure.

TIA!

Very exciting! We've had great and complete views of both from a Conch Key TPV room (same exact room 3 times).

 

[heatherlynn444]

I'm hoping one of you GF experts can help please as I've looked through this thread and cannot find any information (I'm awaiting a new pair of glasses so admittedly can't see the computer very well ).

I have today booked a deluxe king main building room, I'd like to know the difference between these rooms and the standard club level rooms (which I've stayed in before), and also where they are located in the main building/views, etc.

Many thanks

these are the 'honeymoon rooms" and there are 2 types, one is a king room on the 2nd floor above gasparillas, and the second is one of 6 turret rooms, octogonal shaped rooms spread over the main building. difference is 2nd floor rooms have balconies, turrets dont, but turret rooms are HUGE and we were lucky enough to get an awesome MK view with ours! also the 2nd floor rooms have jacuzzi tubs.