The All New Grand Floridian FAQ - MAY 2009

[BlueSkies]

PrincessTrisha We are big fans of SL and have stayed there many times over the years...its is very centrally located on the GF grounds...close to the main building, the boat dock and the beautiful courtyard pool too...

The lounge in the SL lobby cant be beat for convenience either...and if I am not mistaken the accessible room is on the first floor right off the lounge area...(there is a pic of it on allearsnet)...

Having the food offerings in the morning(not to meniton the afternoon snacks and the hot and cold appetizers in the evening) and the coffee and drinks all day is another nice convenience!! all of the ammenities offered make for an even more relaxing trip!

I truly dont think you will be dissapointed! Have a great trip!

 

[praline3001]

Here are the blue prints for the main building new flooring

 

[praline3001]

the construction I saw for the outer lodges (SL and Conch)

Those are the only ones I took. I was busy having fun and forgot to take photos for those leaving soon!

 

[Scott MC]

<sigh>

 

[k&a&c'smom]

PrincessTrisha - If there are 4 adults in your room, I don't think you would have used the daybed, anyway, unless one of the adults is very small. Other than to sit on and put things on, we don't use it. If they said the room is smaller, though, that might make a difference to you.

I think the food offerings will be nice, and for me they make the DDP unnecessary. And they give you an option if you are too tired to head out to find food, or in too much of a hurry in the mornings.

As BlueSkies stated, I don't think you will be disappointed. But you have to decide which theme appeals to you more, as the GF and Poly resorts are very different. One nice thing about staying at the one is that you can always visit the other so easily!

Praline - thanks for the photos, especially those of the plans for the floor! Very nice. And thanks for the ones of the construction, that is a lot of equipment, huh? I wonder how long that will be going on.

 

[toodycat]

We are planning a trip to the GF at the end of August and were concerned when we read about the construction as our DS suffers from hyperreactivity, a condition that makes loud noises physically painful. (We tour the parks with this considered in our game plan. We've done stuff like watch the fireworks from a boat in the lagoon rather than subject him to the crowds and noises in the park.) Anyway, we were naturally worried about what impact the construction would have on DS' comfort, so my husband--- who frequently works with contractors and understands construction lingo better than I do--- phoned the GF to find out the extent of the renovations and their impact on guests. Here is what he was told:

1. The tile in the main lobby is being replaced. It is being replaced section by section, not ripped up all at once. The new tile has already been cut and sized, so guests will not be hearing the whine of the tile saw. The center area of the GF lobby is still carpeted. Brook's photos give you a very good sense of what is being replaced. Right now, the CM says they are still working on the second floor, but they will probably be up to the first by the time we arrive.

2. The exteriors staircases i.e. emergency exits or fire escapes on Sugarloaf and Conch are being renovated. At this point, much of the project involves lighter work, such as painting. There will be some noises during the day, beginning at about 9 a.m. The CM he spoke to does not project any serious discomfort to Sugarloaf guests nor will it affect access to the pool areas adjacent to Sugarloaf. Concierge food will still be available in the same place.

That's pretty much what we know for now. DH is going to call for an update about two weeks before we leave, so that if something has been changed, we can decide what to do.

Hope this helps.

 

[johnsonet]

KILLER pics, Praline3001 How awesome that you're able to share those blueprints here on the DIS

What's the deal with Sugar Loaf?? Are they just doing exterior work? I feel for those checking in soon - I'd be SO disappointed if I were led out to THAT (*eta, toodycat's post just answered that for me!)

Work has been going on at the GF forever, it seems. When DD and I were there last August, there was activity like that over at Big Pine Key. When we were staying at the Poly this March, and passed by the GF in the boat from MK, there were lifts and things outside of Boca Chica.

Did the resort seem as busy as usual?

 

[simplymama]

The CM he spoke to does not project any serious discomfort to Sugarloaf guests nor will it affect access to the pool areas adjacent to Sugarloaf. Concierge food will still be available in the same place.

I guess it's all in what one calls discomfort. We were just in Sugarloaf for two days on the end of an RPC stay, and found it VERY upsetting to have workers right outside our balconies on their crane lifts staring right in at us as they worked. I have photos btw, if anybody doubts me. When you stay at the GF, lets face it you are paying for the view and atmosphere, as much as anything else. I think Disney should close down rooms, right outside construction zones. Not the whole building or anything, just the rooms directly in front of the work area for the few days they do the work. Not what we thought we would be paying for.

 

[toodycat]

Simplymama---Not that I doubt you at all, but could you post the photos? I am trying to get a sense of what the project entails and would be very grateful. If staying at Sugarloaf will make my DS miserable, I am going to have to re-think my plan. Many thanks!

 

[praline3001]

KILLER pics, Praline3001 How awesome that you're able to share those blueprints here on the DIS

What's the deal with Sugar Loaf?? Are they just doing exterior work? I feel for those checking in soon - I'd be SO disappointed if I were led out to THAT (*eta, toodycat's post just answered that for me!)

Work has been going on at the GF forever, it seems. When DD and I were there last August, there was activity like that over at Big Pine Key. When we were staying at the Poly this March, and passed by the GF in the boat from MK, there were lifts and things outside of Boca Chica.

Did the resort seem as busy as usual?

I should have asked but I was too busy having fun and didn't want to bug the CM's while there as the outer lodge construction didn't affect me.

I do know the floor in the main building was NO issue whatsoever...I promise! I was really worried when we left about it but I didn't hear one peep the entire 10 days! Everyday I would take photos of their progress! Those photos were taken my last night there so they are only 3 days old. They still had Minzers open so its not that awful!
The orchastra was in front of the monorail entrance and played their little hearts out every night.

****side note*** for those interested in music and are musically inclined PLEASE check out their base sax! This is NOT a baritone sax but an actual base sax! It was made at the turn of the century and is soooo cool as orchastra's don't use them anymore. They have such a deep sound ..AMAZING! The sax is acutally owned by the GF, not the players. My DH and DS are musicians and were awed by this huge base sax. Everyime we stopped to listen (which was a lot as DS LOVED them) they would pick up the base sax it play it for him as they knew how much he loved hearing it DS spent several hours with the band and got to know them REALLY well. Great guys!
done with the side note*****

As to the outer lodges ~ I only saw the construction workers and screens up during the day~ by evening they took everything down and then started again the next morning (after the parks opened) They are also redoing the flower beds in front of both lodges as they had them all tore up and I saw the gardeners there everyday as well.

One more thing, the GF cafe has a new head chef! Their steak is the best at Disney!!!!!!!!!! We ate at les ceillers and it was a total bust .... that place has really gone down hill BUT my entire family agrees the best place we ate at (and we ate there twice) was GF cafe! So if your booking ADRs and want steak ... TRY THERE! We thought it was better than YC even! Chef Tim is really super nice and came out to our table to introduce himself and make sure he knew how we liked out steak even! They changed my french onion soup they now add leeks to it EWWWW but Chef Tim was quick to explain he could skip the leeks so I got my same old favorite french onion soup 3 times while there ... and even got my brother hooked on it now that stuff is like a drug to me

 

[praline3001]

I guess it's all in what one calls discomfort. We were just in Sugarloaf for two days on the end of an RPC stay, and found it VERY upsetting to have workers right outside our balconies on their crane lifts staring right in at us as they worked. I have photos btw, if anybody doubts me. When you stay at the GF, lets face it you are paying for the view and atmosphere, as much as anything else. I think Disney should close down rooms, right outside construction zones. Not the whole building or anything, just the rooms directly in front of the work area for the few days they do the work. Not what we thought we would be paying for.

I saw the workers on the balconies as well during the day ...and I thought to myself the same exact thing! I would have been ticked to have construction workers looking through my windows!

 

[simplymama]

Simplymama---Not that I doubt you at all, but could you post the photos? I am trying to get a sense of what the project entails and would be very grateful. If staying at Sugarloaf will make my DS miserable, I am going to have to re-think my plan. Many thanks!

Here are two that I have uploaded... This was what it was like when they weren't working on it. This did not come down at night. This was there the whole time. Still not what one expects to look at from your resort balcony.

Oh and here is the one of when the worker was swinging around to start painting OUR balcony.:eek Couldn't believe that one...

 

[Scott MC]

What's the deal with Sugar Loaf?? Are they just doing exterior work? I feel for those checking in soon - I'd be SO disappointed if I were led out to THAT

Exactly my thoughts. I won't be staying in Sugarloaf, but I might have a view of it from Boca Chica, and there's a possibility I may be placed in Conch.

UGH!

I know that some on here will jump and say that construction is a part of life, but I'm paying a huge chunk of change to stay here, and I may not be able to afford to do this again soon, if ever. This is so upsetting.

 

[simplymama]

Exactly my thoughts. I won't be staying in Sugarloaf, but I might have a view of it from Boca Chica, and there's a possibility I may be placed in Conch.

UGH!

I know that some on here will jump and say that construction is a part of life, but I'm paying a huge chunk of change to stay here, and I may not be able to afford to do this again soon, if ever. This is so upsetting.

We were paying for three rooms, and all of them looked out at this. I was unhappy and asked to be moved, but they couldn't accomodate us elsewhere.

For me personally I didn't have a problem walking by and seeing consturction on the grounds . I mean construction does have to happen at times.

But I strongly feel that they should close down the rooms that are directly in the construction zone. It just seemed so wrong to me that this is the view we paid for:-(

 

[praline3001]

Scott, just make sure to put on your request NOT to be put in Conch. If you in another lodge you most likely won't notice the construction. As I said they pick up everything in the late afternoon.


I almost switched to SL once I heard about the floor in the main building but stuck it out. I am so glad I did! I didn't hear anyone mention the construction in SL and conch and it was a lot more invasive than the main building. We come back to our room in the afternoon to get out of the heat and I did see the workers on people's balcony's (not just in the buckets) All I could think of is if I decided to take a quick shower to get the sweat off of me and seeing some man at my balcony window there would have been heck to pay!
Something else I saw was all of the workers were in hard hats and there was a sign about it being a hard hat area... all I could think of is what about the guest?! Did they get hard hats issued to them at check in?

If your planning on being in the parks during the day, the construction won't bother you. If you planning for afternoon breaks or not spending a lot of time in the parks than the construction will bother you if your staying SL or conch.

 

[simplymama]

As I said they pick up everything in the late afternoon.]

They remove some of the temporary screening, but they did not remove the solid white fences and heavy equipment that was below are rooms. It was there all night when were there.

 

[billnang]

OMG, I am upset... We are staying at SL in 27 days to be exact,, This trip as you all know is not cheap and I have children 2 of which are small... This is my dh dream to stay at the GF and we are doing it because as a family of 6, next year I will need 2 rooms and will not be able to stay at the GF ... so this trip we decided to go for the GF.. now seeing these picture, makes me a nervous wreck and very disappointed... My son will love seeing the equipment, and is a very active child (which also makes me nervous with all that equipment) but I planned on being at the resort during the afternoon for breaks, I can' imagine Iwill enjo looking out and seeing that...

so, my question... who do I call to voice a concern?

Angela

 

[simplymama]

OMG, I am upset... We are staying at SL in 27 days to be exact,, This trip as you all know is not cheap and I have children 2 of which are small... This is my dh dream to stay at the GF and we are doing it because as a family of 6, next year I will need 2 rooms and will not be able to stay at the GF ... so this trip we decided to go for the GF.. now seeing these picture, makes me a nervous wreck and very disappointed... My son will love seeing the equipment, and is a very active child (which also makes me nervous with all that equipment) but I planned on being at the resort during the afternoon for breaks, I can' imagine Iwill enjo looking out and seeing that...

so, my question... who do I call to voice a concern?

Angela

Since you are staying Sugarloaf, I would think your best bet would be to send the IPO an email requesting a room without a view of the construction. Also specify that you have little ones napping in the afternoon and you don't want to be disturbed by noise.

Hopefully they will accomodate your needs.

Good Luck! This has been going on in Sugarloaf since we were there, the last week of June/first days of July, so maybe it's almost done. You can hope!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

billnang- It sounds to me as if their attitude is "it won't affect the guests", though it clearly IS affecting some of them. So I'm not sure that a call is going to help. Hopefully the construction on SL will be finished by the time you arrive, that is still nearly a month away.

ETA - That is good advice, simplymama, asking IPO to note that you want to be on the opposite side of the construction is probably the best thing.

 

[haleofafamily]

We are going in Sept and decided to add-on nights at the GF because of great AP rates. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us so the pictures and talk of construction have me worried.
I just called the GF directly and asked about construction/refurbs going on and was told that nothing is being worked on now or in the future. I told the CM that I had just seen pictures online of balconies being painted and she said I talked to my supervisor and there is nothing going on. So I asked about tiles being laid in the main building and she said no nothing. I said we are talking about the Grand Floridian right?? and she said yes there is no refurb or construction going on now or in Sept.
I must say I trust my Dissers, but I don't know what to think of that conversation!