The All New Grand Floridian FAQ - MAY 2009

[cosmicrays]

Can you convince me that I too will love Sugar Loaf... We have it booked... but keep thinking.. Is it worth it...

Angela

Sugar Loaf is great! I loved it when we stayed there.

 

[suzcruz]

BCV23- yes, we were upgraded at checkin & we absolutely loved it! I know on this thread people seem to prefer RPC but Sugarloaf was so great, i can't imagine how it could be better. The concierges were so helpful, they changed and made many ADRS for me.

I also thought i ended up saving money by staying there as I did not need to buy breakfast/soft drinks/alcohol. I had ordered a case of water from Costco but ended up not needing it. I gave it to the concierge to give to a nice family i met in the lobby. My daughter and her friend got DVDs every night to watch in bed too. The staff was really friendly & i would stay there again in a heartbeat. I was considering the BC/YC for the pool but when we went there for dinner I was so happy that we went with the GF instead, it just had a quiet & lovely atmosphere. Plus my husband really liked the convenience of the monorail.

Also i missed my Magical Express bus to the airport and they arranged a private van at no cost (i did tip though!)
which was just some extra Disney magic!

I had to rush thru MM so did not notice the rug but the round racks were still there as well as shelves.

 

[mefordis]

I'm doing a split stay BC / GF concierge. I was wondering if they will arrange for our transportation from BC to GF the morning we are to check in. We want to make park opening at MK, so I'm not sure how to do this. We also have a 1 year old and a 5 year old, so we'll need carseats if we are to take a car service.

Should we just pack up our things, have them transport them to GF for us, then head to the park taking the MK bus? When we take our break around 2pm we could then go directly to GF. Would this work?

 

[billnang]

I'm doing a split stay BC / GF concierge. I was wondering if they will arrange for our transportation from BC to GF the morning we are to check in. We want to make park opening at MK, so I'm not sure how to do this. We also have a 1 year old and a 5 year old, so we'll need carseats if we are to take a car service.

Should we just pack up our things, have them transport them to GF for us, then head to the park taking the MK bus? When we take our break around 2pm we could then go directly to GF. Would this work?

This is exactly the vacation split I wanted to do.. I wanted BC dh wanted GF,,, but with 4 kids to re pack, I chose not to....have fun...
Angela

 

[mefordis]

I hope I don't regret it! I'd personally rather stay at the GF the entire time but my 5 year old really wants to go to that pool!

This is exactly the vacation split I wanted to do.. I wanted BC dh wanted GF,,, but with 4 kids to re pack, I chose not to....have fun...
Angela

 

[billnang]

I hope I don't regret it! I'd personally rather stay at the GF the entire time but my 5 year old really wants to go to that pool!

I still would do it for the pool and different location. We chose GF sugar loaf for the full time...

 

[johnsonet]

I'm doing a split stay BC / GF concierge. I was wondering if they will arrange for our transportation from BC to GF the morning we are to check in. We want to make park opening at MK, so I'm not sure how to do this. We also have a 1 year old and a 5 year old, so we'll need carseats if we are to take a car service.

Should we just pack up our things, have them transport them to GF for us, then head to the park taking the MK bus? When we take our break around 2pm we could then go directly to GF. Would this work?

What a great split. You will have a blast.
I think you should do exactly what you've spelled out in your 2d paragraph That's what I would do. It will be wonderful to leave the MK and arrive so quickly at the beautiful GF
Let IPO know the approximate time you plan to arrive. Hopefully, you will have been assigned a room that will be ready when you are.

 

[mefordis]

Awesome! Thank you! I am so excited! 3 nights doesn't seem long enough, but I will enjoy every minute of it!

Stupid question: what does IPO stand for? I'm guessing it's the concierge desk, correct? I contacted them about my ADRs already and they are soooo helpful! Before I called them I called WDW Dining and I was on hold for over an hour and got NOTHING I wanted!

Also, it is my dd and my birthday (both Sept birthdays). Should I tell them or is that tacky?

Thanks!

What a great split. You will have a blast.
I think you should do exactly what you've spelled out in your 2d paragraph That's what I would do. It will be wonderful to leave the MK and arrive so quickly at the beautiful GF
Let IPO know the approximate time you plan to arrive. Hopefully, you will have been assigned a room that will be ready when you are.

 

[mmmears]

I'm doing a split stay BC / GF concierge. I was wondering if they will arrange for our transportation from BC to GF the morning we are to check in. We want to make park opening at MK, so I'm not sure how to do this. We also have a 1 year old and a 5 year old, so we'll need carseats if we are to take a car service.

Should we just pack up our things, have them transport them to GF for us, then head to the park taking the MK bus? When we take our break around 2pm we could then go directly to GF. Would this work?

Sounds like lots of fun to me!!! We're doing the same split, but with a few days of AKL thrown in the middle... Just have them move your luggage and go to the MK in the morning like you suggested -- it should work well.

Awesome! Thank you! I am so excited! 3 nights doesn't seem long enough, but I will enjoy every minute of it!

Stupid question: what does IPO stand for? I'm guessing it's the concierge desk, correct? I contacted them about my ADRs already and they are soooo helpful! Before I called them I called WDW Dining and I was on hold for over an hour and got NOTHING I wanted!

Also, it is my dd and my birthday (both Sept birthdays). Should I tell them or is that tacky?

Thanks!

IPO stands for Itinerary Planning Office. It's the "concierge" desk you can use before you check in. Once you're at the resort, you can access the desk in the lounge. The CMs at IPO are usually not the same ones you'll meet in the lounge. I love having IPO CMs make our dining reservations -- it saves me so much time & frustration!

I don't think it's tacky -- if you're going around your birthdays you should celebrate them!

 

[rotlex]

Just returned from our 4th trip to the world in so many years. I'm glad I found this thread, as I think our next trip, mid 2010, is going to include a stay at the GF - we have NEVER stayed there, and our DD, 7, has wanted to stay at the "Red Roof Inn", , very, very badly since her first trip when she was roughly 4.

Now, if I can only find a way over the next year or so to actually get one of these gorgeous rooms for under $400 a night, I'll be happy!

 

[johnsonet]

Awesome! Thank you! I am so excited! 3 nights doesn't seem long enough, but I will enjoy every minute of it!

Stupid question: what does IPO stand for? I'm guessing it's the concierge desk, correct? I contacted them about my ADRs already and they are soooo helpful! Before I called them I called WDW Dining and I was on hold for over an hour and got NOTHING I wanted!

Also, it is my dd and my birthday (both Sept birthdays). Should I tell them or is that tacky?

Thanks!

Not tacky at all, in fact I'm surprised they haven't already asked whether you're celebrating anything in particular. I would definitely let them know!
3 nights will be great

Just returned from our 4th trip to the world in so many years. I'm glad I found this thread, as I think our next trip, mid 2010, is going to include a stay at the GF - we have NEVER stayed there, and our DD, 7, has wanted to stay at the "Red Roof Inn", , very, very badly since her first trip when she was roughly 4.

Now, if I can only find a way over the next year or so to actually get one of these gorgeous rooms for under $400 a night, I'll be happy!

Hope you get a good rate. It is possible "Red Roof Inn" - that's funny

Hi mmmears I know you must be getting excited about your trip!

 

[gallam5]

Grand Floridian Concierge - tell me about it?? Or post a link to a thread?
Thanks! SOOOO Much!

 

[johnsonet]

Grand Floridian Concierge - tell me about it?? Or post a link to a thread?
Thanks! SOOOO Much!

We've stayed GF CL several times. LOVE staying in the Main Bldg. - great location... so close to the monorail, lobby, restaurants, pools, etc. It's awesome having the lounge on the 4th floor - yummy snacks throughout the day. We've always had GREAT housekeeping at the GF. CMs on the 3d floor are nice - some better than others (for club level guests only);
GF is a great place to stay at WDW! Here are various pics of mine:

 

[Scott MC]

It all looks heavenly! I just finished making all of my ADR's, so I feel like the planning is complete and now we can just start counting down.
Sooooo close!

 

[PavelB]

I know that several years ago I saw some threads discussing the deluxe rooms in the RPC. I've tried but I cannot find them. Could someone please tell me about these rooms - how many are there, what are there views, etc?
BTW. is there a web site that has floor plans of the RPC.
Thanks in advance.

 

[johnsonet]

I know that several years ago I saw some threads discussing the deluxe rooms in the RPC. I've tried but I cannot find them. Could someone please tell me about these rooms - how many are there, what are there views, etc?
BTW. is there a web site that has floor plans of the RPC.
Thanks in advance.

Misti posted some room layouts on Page 2 of this thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2158108&page=2

I've stayed in 3 different Deluxe Royal Palm Club (King) rooms. One had a view of the Marina and Cinderella's Castle:

and the other two had views of the Wedding Pavilion, the GF's Waterfall Pool and the Polynesian:

k&a&c'smom and several others have stayed in Deluxe RPC and posted pics. Try this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2146279

 

[PavelB]

This thread had some great info. I didn't realize that there were only 6 standard deluxe rooms. I was so lucky to get one! Where exactly are they located? Does anyone have a plan of the entire 4th floor?
thanks

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I just got back from our first GF stay and wanted to say thanks for all of the wonderful information I received in this thead!

The GF exceeded my expectations, it was wonderful! I was really worried that the decor would be too frilly, but I needn't have been concerned, everything was tastefully done.

We rented a boat and cruised around for an hour and it was great! My DD and I also did afternoon tea, and it was lovely! We really enjoyed the boat ride back from MK, it was a nice way to end the day.

Tip: If you need to get to the Poly from the GF skip the monorail and take the MK boat, it stops at the Poly first before heading to MK.

The only downside to the resort was the self parking (not safe to cross a busy street) and Gasparilla's. I had been told (in this thread) that it is better to valet. When we saw where the self-park lot was, we were thankful we had decided to valet (thanks Disers). Gasparilla's is a joke, we steered clear, that place is unbeliveably tiny. DD(11) did eat some soft serve ice cream and she also bought some sushi (I thought the sushi was gross but she lapped it up).

Mickey Mercantile reopened while we were there, and I was not impressed. I was disappointed in the shopping at the GF, the Poly and the CR seem to have better shopping.

Thanks for all of the help in making our stay a Grand one!

 

[nemofans]

What days is the pirate cruise that leaves from GF? What is the launch time?

 

[JoeyAnyc]

We rented a boat and cruised around for an hour and it was great! My DD and I also did afternoon tea, and it was lovely!

Hi Becca, I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed GF. I can't wait until my next trip. I had a quick questions regarding Tea Time. I've passed by the Tea Room for the past 4 years, and I have NO idea why I never participated, being that I LOVE tea and have a cup when I wake up and a cup before bed, 365 days a year.

If you have a moment, I would love to hear a little bit more about this.
Thank you.

Joey