The *New* Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Frequently Asked Questions (FEB2004) Part 2

[lynr]

That's good to hear you've had same day responses, maybe when I've emailed them I've just hit a bad day.

I think maybe it is because of the weekend. Earlier in the week Calvin was responding within minutes of my email. Now I sent one early this morning and haven't heard anything. Probably with the holiday a lot of people are off.

Lyn

 

[ClareH37]

I think maybe it is because of the weekend. Earlier in the week Calvin was responding within minutes of my email. Now I sent one early this morning and haven't heard anything. Probably with the holiday a lot of people are off.

Lyn

Thanks Lyn, that would explain it.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I think calvin is off sundays and mondays

SOme weekends when I emailed him directly they came back with an away message

 

[MA pigletfan]

check out the ticker...we are staying at GF for the first time in december!!!!!!!!!! i hear alot about the RPC but can anyone tell me about sugarloaf?? i am so excited!

 

[Jen66]

Kelly,
You leave tomorrow don't you? Have a wonderful, magical trip! I cannot wait to hear all about it when you get back!

 

[johnsonet]

check out the ticker...we are staying at GF for the first time in december!!!!!!!!!! i hear alot about the RPC but can anyone tell me about sugarloaf?? i am so excited!

MA pigletfan Congratulations! The GF is a fabulous place to stay I have only stayed in Sugar Loaf once and it was 8 years ago. We had a great time. The location of the building is really convenient to everything (boat dock, pools, Main Bldg., Gasparilla Grill); the offerings have changed in recent years and I think you are in for a real treat. Others on this board, like triplefigs and TammiMcMan will be of more help.

Have fun!

 

[Jen66]

check out the ticker...we are staying at GF for the first time in december!!!!!!!!!! i hear alot about the RPC but can anyone tell me about sugarloaf?? i am so excited!

I cannot really help you with info about Sugarloaf, but congrats on your upcoming stay!! I am sure you will have a fabulous time

 

[Dis Ohana]

I love this thread, gets me so excited about our trip. I know we're going to love the GF!

This is our very first once in a lifetime possibly never to be repeated any time soon dream WDW vacation -- that said, I decided to go all out when we chose our resorts.
We are currently booked at the GF RPC for 3 nights, then we move to the AKL CL for 2 nights, specifically to take advantage of the Sunrise Safari. I then had us booked at the YC for 2 nights in a Junior Suite, I thought it would be a nice way to end the trip.
But I've been hearing not so good reports about the YC/BC, and you all get me so worked up about the GF and now I'm thinking that maybe we should just move back to the GF after the AKL.
What would you do?
GF 3 nights; AKL 2 nights; GF 2 nights
OR
GF 3 nights; AKL 2 nights; YC 2 nights?

I appreciate and value any advice you might have.

 

[johnsonet]

I love this thread, gets me so excited about our trip. I know we're going to love the GF!

This is our very first once in a lifetime possibly never to be repeated any time soon dream WDW vacation -- that said, I decided to go all out when we chose our resorts.
We are currently booked at the GF RPC for 3 nights, then we move to the AKL CL for 2 nights, specifically to take advantage of the Sunrise Safari. I then had us booked at the YC for 2 nights in a Junior Suite, I thought it would be a nice way to end the trip.
But I've been hearing not so good reports about the YC/BC, and you all get me so worked up about the GF and now I'm thinking that maybe we should just move back to the GF after the AKL.
What would you do?
GF 3 nights; AKL 2 nights; GF 2 nights
OR
GF 3 nights; AKL 2 nights; YC 2 nights?

I appreciate and value any advice you might have.

I'm tempted to say, go back to GF for your last 2 nights...

But what about the proximity of the YC to Epcot? Will you miss that?

I too have been reading the disappointing YC/BC comments and I changed from 4 nites at the BC to 2 at BC (DD really loves SAB), followed by our final 2 nights to CR, which my daughter has never been to. I was tempted to go back to GF (which is where we'll be starting our vacation ) but this will be a way for her to experience the Contemporary, plus I'm excited about the new rooms

 

[ClareH37]

I was last at the YC in December 2006 and loved it - the IPO staff are the best (read my earlier post that I'm disappointed in the GF IPO staff ), the club level staff are lovely, nothing was too much trouble for them, and although the lounge itself is pretty small, the food selection was as expected (i.e. not a meal replacement, just snacks), but the best thing for me is the location. It's great being able to walk in and out of Epcot/MGM back to your hotel.

 

[minniesota]

I've done many split stays with the GF and (fill in the blank) and my only advice would be to end with the GF! Once and only once, we started at the GF and then moved to our other resort and we were all disappointed. There is something about the GF that makes everything else pale in comparison - at least for us. We have stayed at the YC 3 times and I do like it better than BC and BWI but we liked the BCV the best (we had a 2 bedroom) in that area. We are staying at RPC in October and it's the first time in 10 years that we are staying put at one resort!

 

[princessesrule4]

Dis Ohana,

We have only stayed GF RPC for the last 5 trips because we just love it! We have stayed Poly Concierge and we did enjoy it, but RPC is still our favorite! We will be going back in December and can't wait!

We have a short trip scheduled for August and we are staying YC concierge garden view. I mainly booked this because the Epcot resorts were the only thing available at the AP rate! We will be at SAB most of the time before the P&P party and it will be nice to be close to Epcot for the 2nd day! I know some of the YC reviews haven't been that glowing but it wouldn't be fair to compare it to GF RPC, so we are not. We are thinking of it as a place to get snacks and drinks and help with ADR's from their wonderful IPO.

Do you mind checking in RPC twice ? That would be the only thing that would bother me a little bit - what if you got a MK view the first part of your stay but not the last - would that bother you? I definitely agree with saving RPC for last as the icing on the cake!! It is fabulous and the staff, food ambiance is unrivaled IMHO!

Have a wonderful trip whatever you decide!!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Pigletfan, hi neighbor! Sugar Loaf is a great building. I always use the phrase Bed & Breakfast when I describe it. At least that's the feeling I got when we stayed there. It's very cozy and I thought it felt very personal. Views from that building are by request only and you have a choice of garden or marina. Unfortunately, marina doesn't quite offer a castle view, but you may get lucky and see some fireworks from the balcony. A little secret at Sugar Loaf is that lodge tower rooms are also available by request. There are 3 of them, which offer some additional space and a living room. The room isn't separated, but it feels similar to a deluxe room. They all have garden views and the top floor doesn't have a balcony.

Dis Ohana, one thing you can say about the YC is that it's proximity to Epcot and MGM can't be beat. As far as the club level lounge though, it just can't be compared to the other two. I probably would not go so far as booking a club level room again at the YC, however I'd definitely spring for a water view or junior suite. The fact that the junior suite comes with club level access is just a bonus. In that regard, you're paying for the room and not necessarily the lounge. You also wouldn't have to plan on trying to find a seat in the lounge. Just ask them for a tray and bring your food selections back to your room. You'll have a lovely water view from your balcony and there's probably not a better place to sit and enjoy your breakfast or glass of wine.

 

[MA pigletfan]

Pigletfan, hi neighbor! Sugar Loaf is a great building. I always use the phrase Bed & Breakfast when I describe it. At least that's the feeling I got when we stayed there. It's very cozy and I thought it felt very personal. Views from that building are by request only and you have a choice of garden or marina. Unfortunately, marina doesn't quite offer a castle view, but you may get lucky and see some fireworks from the balcony. A little secret at Sugar Loaf is that lodge tower rooms are also available by request. There are 3 of them, which offer some additional space and a living room. The room isn't separated, but it feels similar to a deluxe room. They all have garden views and the top floor doesn't have a balcony.

howdy back neighbor! thanks for the info..do you remember what kind of offerings they had in the lounge? i heard they now offer the same as the RPC in terms of food and liquor...i am so excited to stay there

 

[TammiMcMan]

Piglet fan, Kelly is actually on her way to Disney as we speak to stay in Sugar Loaf. I'm sure she'll report back on the current offerings.

 

[Dis Ohana]

Thanks for the replies to my question. After thinking it over, we probably would be better off being closer to Epcot on those days. We've been to Disneyland many times before so we're not planning on spending too many days at MK.

Tammi, that's a great suggestion. I think I would rather sit on my balcony with a tray of snacks anyway . I'm not so much concerned about the level of the lounge offerings as the overall feel of the resort itself. I do not want to be disapointed in the room or the hotel. I'm glad you had positive feedback about the junior suite.

princessrule: I hope you enjoy your stay at YC in August, please come back and post a review of how it goes.

johnsonet: You're right, I would miss being able to walk to Epcot! Have a wonderful trip, CR does look great.

minniesota: I wish we could just end at the GF, but that would only give us 2 days since we want to be at AKL on Sunday for the Sunrise Safari. That would be the best solution though!

ClareH37: I'm so glad you had a positive experience with YC -- I am actually having the AKL IPO do all my planning. They are very responsive and offered to do it all for me even though I am resort hopping. I hope you have better luck with the GF IPO!

 

[BCV23]

Pigletfan, we were in Sugar Loaf in May and RPC last Sept/Oct and the offerings are the same. Continental breakfast in the am, some light things around lunch...pates, spreads, etc., great scones at tea time, various appetizers from 5-7 and desserts from 8-10. Ice tea, lemonade, coffee and hot water for tea or cocoa are out all day. Do you have any specific questions? If you do a search you might find more detail. The appetizers vary day to day. Desserts probably did as well but I didn't try any at all this trip.

 

[MA pigletfan]

nice...so 5-7 is "cocktail hour " then...how fun! i am trying to get dinner reservations at 8 so we can enjoy the pre-dinner appetizers/wines and the later coridials..etc... when was tea time, do you remember?

 

[mirlow]

nice...so 5-7 is "cocktail hour " then...how fun! i am trying to get dinner reservations at 8 so we can enjoy the pre-dinner appetizers/wines and the later coridials..etc... when was tea time, do you remember?

Coffee 6:30-7:00
Grand Beginnings 7:00-10:30
Refreshments 11:30-2:00
Afternoon Tea 3:00-4:30
Twilight Refreshers 5:00-7:00
Cordials and Desserts 8:00-10:00

I had my welcoming letter from our visit in Oct.

We're going back again this September.

Enjoy!

 

[scanne]

Hi!

My mom, grandmom, aunt and DD will be having tea on July 12th. My mom's birthday is July 8th and my DD's birthday is July 14th (we're having lunch at CRT on her actual birthday). My grandmother will be turning 85 on August 4th. I'd like to order something special, but not Cinderella's Slipper dessert. Do you know of any other specialty items that would be celebratory in nature? I can't afford to do a mini cake for everyone and I'm still toying with the idea of getting a cake through the MK bakery for DD's birthday lunch. I'm thinking something small...any ideas?

Thanks!

Also, does anyone know the number for GF Private Dining? I had it in my planner book, but lost my planner book and had to get a new one.