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

[Lives4Disney]

Mr. Mike - AWESOME report!!

We have a few RPC CMs that we really really like and Mejay is one of them. She always remembers us and makes us feel really welcome. I know the guy from MO that you are talking about. Yes, I HOPE he doesn't know how he comes across in such a patronizing way, but ....hello?? It is so obvious it is almost funny in the after thought. He has to know. I am glad it's not just me.....although DH has never had any issues.

Glad you had such a nice time. Some of our most fun vacations were ones taken with friends. We did spring break DL with our AZ friends and I still smile when I think about the wonderful times we had.

Very strange about the speakers at the marina, but now that you brought up the Poly....I have RARELY heard that hawaiian music folks on the DIS talk about hearing throughout the pathways. During July, we walked from GF to Ohana and around the Poly a bit and did not hear a peep out of the speakers. Somebody needs to spend some money improving the WDW resort sound systems.

Hope you think of more to share. I miss that place.

Lives4Disney

 

[mr.mike]

I know the guy from MO that you are talking about. Yes, I HOPE he doesn't know how he comes across in such a patronizing way, but ....hello?? It is so obvious it is almost funny in the after thought. He has to know. I am glad it's not just me.....although DH has never had any issues.

you described that perfectly...you do almost laugh afterwards.

Glad you had such a nice time. Some of our most fun vacations were ones taken with friends. We did spring break DL with our AZ friends and I still smile when I think about the wonderful times we had.

The best part of going with these friends is they have been there only once or twice and hardly saw any part of the world. At the end of the trip they thanked me for planning everything, the days at the parks, the restaurants and the "off" day we spent at the cabana. They really saw a broad section of Disney and it made me feel good they enjoyed it all.

I'm downloading my pics now from my camera and i didnt have 600 but almost 1000 pics!!!.

This trip was so good it will be very hard not staying RPC on any other trip.

 

[Tinkaroo]

This trip was so good it will be very hard not staying RPC on any other trip.

This is the one thing I'm worried about!

Thanks for sharing your trip report, mr.mike! Sounds like a great time, despite some rain and the not-so-Disney check-in. Mejay sounds fabulous!

 

[princessesrule4]

Thanks for your great report! Glad you had a wonderful trip!

I love Basin - we go a little crazy in there,too - the CM gave us a free bottle of lotion because we spent a certain amount when we were there 2 weeks ago! They are so nice there!

I know what you mean about RPC! We haven't been able to stay anywhere but there up til our trip to the CM Atrium Club 2 weeks ago. And while we really enjoyed the Atrium Club, we decided that GF RPC is still our absolute favorite! Can't wait to be back there in December!

 

[HMeyers]

I know everyone has explained the photo session at GF but I wasn't real familiar with photo pass so I just want to make sure I understand it correctly.
If I preorder a photo pass CD for $100 will I get all the GF photo session pictures (40 I think, right?) AND all of the park pictures that we get taken by Disney photogs? This will give me the copyrights to them so I can take them anywhere to get printed? Sorry, but sometimes (usually) I need more explaining than a normal person. We usually don't get that many pictures done but for $100 this seems like a real deal. Also, does anyone know how long the session lasts?

My brain is fried from all the Disney planning

bumping back up to try to get an answer

 

[irisbud]

Mejay was me and BF's favorite RPC CM on our last trip. She was great!

 

[Lives4Disney]

I know everyone has explained the photo session at GF but I wasn't real familiar with photo pass so I just want to make sure I understand it correctly.
If I preorder a photo pass CD for $100 will I get all the GF photo session pictures (40 I think, right?) AND all of the park pictures that we get taken by Disney photogs? This will give me the copyrights to them so I can take them anywhere to get printed? Sorry, but sometimes (usually) I need more explaining than a normal person. We usually don't get that many pictures done but for $100 this seems like a real deal. Also, does anyone know how long the session lasts?

My brain is fried from all the Disney planning

Hi, I am sorry, I have never done photopass or been interested in it or on this new GF photo session thing, either. I haven't seen any discussion regarding either on this thread. I have seen photopass questions and answers on the "Theme Park" thread & "Budget Board". Maybe try over there?? I was hoping somebody here would answer for ya, but maybe nobody knows.

Good luck! The reason I haven't ever cared to try iphotopass is that I heard many people had their photos get lost and many didn't turn out very well. Maybe they've improved things. We did get our picture taken by them w/Santa on Xmas Eve and honestly, it didn't turn out any better at all than the exact same pic a CM took w/our own camera.

Lives4Disney

 

[lynr]

Just got back from our Carnival cruise on Sunday night now it is time to repack.

Only one more work day until I leave for our short labor day weekend trip to Disney. I have requested room 4021 and I am crossing my fingers that we will get it.

Since I have already booked for Dec. 2008 in a King Deluxe room, do you think it is too early to contact IPO and put in a room request?

Lyn

 

[karensi]

I'm hoping that those in "the know" can be of some help here. I'm taking my granddaughter to the GF next August (end of Aug beginning of Sept, 2008) for a graduation trip. We have ressies at the GF, main building, concierge level .

This is my dilemma; Should I buy Magic Your Way tics now, for a good price, at Undercover Tourist OR should I wait, not buy any tickets yet, in the hopes that WDW will offer a discount for AP holders for my time period??? I don't have an AP but would obviously buy one, instead of the MYW tic, if I got the discount.

I guess what my question really is....is does WDW ever offer AP discounts at the GF, concierge level?? Is it worth it to pass up buying Undercover Tourist tics now at a good price in hopes of geting an AP discount for concierge level??

This will be my 2nd GF stay, but 1st at concierge level.

What do you think I shold do??

Thanks in advance, Karen

 

[BrianD]

I'm hoping that those in "the know" can be of some help here. I'm taking my granddaughter to the GF next August (end of Aug beginning of Sept, 2008) for a graduation trip. We have ressies at the GF, main building, concierge level .

This is my dilemma; Should I buy Magic Your Way tics now, for a good price, at Undercover Tourist OR should I wait, not buy any tickets yet, in the hopes that WDW will offer a discount for AP holders for my time period??? I don't have an AP but would obviously buy one, instead of the MYW tic, if I got the discount.

I guess what my question really is....is does WDW ever offer AP discounts at the GF, concierge level?? Is it worth it to pass up buying Undercover Tourist tics now at a good price in hopes of geting an AP discount for concierge level??

This will be my 2nd GF stay, but 1st at concierge level.

What do you think I shold do??

Thanks in advance, Karen

I would absolutely hold off on purchasing any tickets right now. The little bit you save on tickets doesn't even compare to what you would save if an AP rate came out. Plus a decent package deal could come out. (Free dining usually occurs this time of year.) Discounts on RPC are not common, but they do occur. So I would wait it out for sure.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I'm hoping that those in "the know" can be of some help here. I'm taking my granddaughter to the GF next August (end of Aug beginning of Sept, 2008) for a graduation trip. We have ressies at the GF, main building, concierge level .

This is my dilemma; Should I buy Magic Your Way tics now, for a good price, at Undercover Tourist OR should I wait, not buy any tickets yet, in the hopes that WDW will offer a discount for AP holders for my time period??? I don't have an AP but would obviously buy one, instead of the MYW tic, if I got the discount.

I guess what my question really is....is does WDW ever offer AP discounts at the GF, concierge level?? Is it worth it to pass up buying Undercover Tourist tics now at a good price in hopes of geting an AP discount for concierge level??

This will be my 2nd GF stay, but 1st at concierge level.

What do you think I shold do??

Thanks in advance, Karen

Congratulations on your upcoming trip!

My first suggestion - are you a AAA member? If so, I would endeavor to get your "room only" reservation with that first. That way, you'll have a discount, even if AP rates aren't released. Plus, it's been my experience that the AAA discount is a better deal on the RPC rooms than the AP discount - this is due to the AAA discount being a % off of the room, while AP discounts recently have just been flat $ amounts off of all deluxes (with no graduated increases for the more expensive room types).

I booked a reservation for RPC for this Dec. last summer with AAA. When AP rates came out recently, as I suspected, my AAA rate was better than the AP. It seems backwards, but that seems to be the case with the more expensive deluxes, and the more expensive rooms.

As for whether you get an AP for other purposes (DDE card, discounts on shopping, tours, etc.), I believe you could always buy your tickets from Undercover Tourist now, and then upgrade them to AP's once you got to WDW - they would just apply the amount of the ticket to the cost of an AP, and you'd just pay the difference.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Tinkaroo]

Just got back from our Carnival cruise on Sunday night now it is time to repack.

Only one more work day until I leave for our short labor day weekend trip to Disney. I have requested room 4021 and I am crossing my fingers that we will get it.

Since I have already booked for Dec. 2008 in a King Deluxe room, do you think it is too early to contact IPO and put in a room request?

Lyn

I say request early and often!

 

[karensi]

BrianD and Tinkaroo, thank you soooo much....what fast replies!!!! I knew I could count on my Dis friends .

OK,so yes, I am a AAA member. Do I wait till a AAA discount rate comes out for my time??? or do I just call CRO (now) and say that I am a AAA member and see if I can get a better rate??

Sorry for my lack of knowledge re the discounts, but we have a timeshare at OLCC, so haven't really been paying much attention to the discount threads. Now, when I need to know, I find out I really dont know anything.

Thanks again, Karen

 

[Kona*Queen]

We could not get an AP rate for our Oct trip. Our TA asked if we would like to swap to SL concierge as that was available, but we decided to stick with our RPC deluxe room on our AAA rate. Not long to go now!!

 

[Tinkaroo]

BrianD and Tinkaroo, thank you soooo much....what fast replies!!!! I knew I could count on my Dis friends .

OK,so yes, I am a AAA member. Do I wait till a AAA discount rate comes out for my time??? or do I just call CRO (now) and say that I am a AAA member and see if I can get a better rate??

Sorry for my lack of knowledge re the discounts, but we have a timeshare at OLCC, so haven't really been paying much attention to the discount threads. Now, when I need to know, I find out I really dont know anything.

Thanks again, Karen

When Disney released the room rates for 2008 earlier this month, AAA rates were released too (I've already got some for trips I have planned next year - including the GF). Call CRO now, and tell them your dates and that you'd like to apply the AAA rate to your original reservation. As long as there's availability (which I would be shocked if it's gone already), you should be good to go. Depending on the season, you can save up to 15% (which is usually the case in value season)!

 

[karensi]

Thank you, thank you, thank you ...Guess what...I just called CRO and got $589 off my price!!! I did the math on the calculator 3 times, I just couldn't believe the great savings!!

Once again, you guys are the best.
Karen

Oh, forgot to say, that was with the AAA rate.

 

[Strikan]

Hi guys. I'm very new to these boards but am having a great time reading all the information here - it's really getting me excited for our trip next year. I did have one question - we are going to GF at the end of April next year and have a deluxe king room in Royal Palm Court. I assume that this is the main building, right? Are these rooms pretty much the same whereever they are or should we request a specific view or even room?

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before, but with a thread that has this many pages, I really do not know where to start looking. Many thanks for any guidance you guys can give.

 

[Tinkaroo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you ...Guess what...I just called CRO and got $589 off my price!!! I did the math on the calculator 3 times, I just couldn't believe the great savings!!

Once again, you guys are the best.
Karen

Oh, forgot to say, that was with the AAA rate.

Enjoy the savings!

Hi guys. I'm very new to these boards but am having a great time reading all the information here - it's really getting me excited for our trip next year. I did have one question - we are going to GF at the end of April next year and have a deluxe king room in Royal Palm Court. I assume that this is the main building, right? Are these rooms pretty much the same whereever they are or should we request a specific view or even room?

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before, but with a thread that has this many pages, I really do not know where to start looking. Many thanks for any guidance you guys can give.

Yes, the deluxe king rooms in RPC are located in the main building, and are considered concierge. (You'll find them more commonly referred to as the Honeymoon rooms.)

There are actually 2 types of this room - one type is similar to a normal GF room, but does include a jacuzzi tub and a balcony with a direct view of Cinderella's Castle. These rooms are on the Clarendon Level, a special area on the 2nd floor of the main building, directly over Gasparilla's Grill and overlooking the marina.

The other type is an octagonal turret room with a couch/minibar area, walk-in closet, and just more general living space. There are also windows on almost all sides, affording a great panoramic view of the GF. There are only 6 of these rooms on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of the main building. Only 3 afford a view of the castle.

Someone posted pictures of their stay one of the octagonal turret rooms not too long ago (posted in early August, I believe, on this thread - try page 421, post 6311 and on). You could go back some pages to find them. Another user, TammiMcMan, who posts over here also has the GF floorplans on her website. If you do a search for her user name and find an old post, just right click on her name, and choose to go to her website.

Hope this helps! I think either room configuration would be fantastic - I'm staying in one myself in December!

 

[krbq]

Gotta agree with HeatherLynn that the filet is excellent. Also, if you don't happen to have a seat close enough to the window, feel free to head out onto Narcoossee's deck to watch Wishes and the EWP.

A heads up for non-smokers: According to the new resort map, the Narcoosee's deck is now one of the very few locations at the GF where smoking is permitted. Because smoking isn't allowed in the hotel rooms or on the balconies or patios, the likelihood of encountering cigarette or cigar smoke at the designated smoking areas at any time is probably pretty good. If you're sensitive to smoke, you may want to look for another location.

And the filet mignon is excellent, as was our entire meal.

 

[K&C]

I having been lurking on this thread for the past 6 months and gained lots of info but I have a few queries I hope you can help with.

We are travelling from Scotland on 6 Oct and staying at the GF for 2 weeks
and I am trying to pack light

What toiletries are in the bathrooms (I've heard foot lotion and body butter mentioned)

What material are the robes made of? Are they too heavy in the heat?

Is the hairdryder provided any good for thick shoulder length hair? (Our electricals work off a different voltage in the UK so no point bringing them)

Thanks for all the help so far.