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

[Janet2k]

I also have video of our Grand 1 cruise...

Mlill, I loved your videos! I can tell you had a perfect cruise – the sunset looked gorgeous and so did the Wishes fireworks show, ~sigh.~ Thank you for sharing a part of your Grand Floridian vacation here in the GF FAQ thread.

 

[Janet2k]

haha sounds like a great deal! glad to see you back on here and posting!

Heatherlynn444, thank you. I'm still wading through pages of this thread but am hopeful that I'll get to read about your Grand Floridian honeymoon or at least see a link to your trip report. By the way, the photo of your New Orleans' wedding (the one in your signature) is lovely. Congratulations on your recent marriage! I wish you all the happiness in the world.

 

[Janet2k]

Cinderella Fan, thank you for sharing the photo of you standing in the lobby of the Grand Floridian in your wedding dress. It was a lovely picture. And congratulations on your recent marriage! I wish you all the happiness in the world.

 

[Janet2k]

I saw in my journey through these pages a report on Turret room 4321…it just looked absolutely incredible…

Glorydaz, congratulations on your upcoming honeymoon. I hope you have a wonderful time on it – and what a great way to start out your new marriage. I’ve been married for over 22 years and still am waiting for my honeymoon (perhaps for my 25th anniversary I’ll finally get it – hope springs eternal!).

It sounds like you probably read about my stay in Room 4321: click here. It really is a lovely room and my photos do not do it justice.

If you get the opportunity to stay in that room, I hope you enjoy it as much as my daughter and I did. We weren't on our honeymoon, but that minor detail certainly did not detract from our having an absolute ball in that lovely room. The two of us felt like a couple of Princesses high up in a tower. And with my daughter's waist-length hair, we could have played Rapunzel and kicked up our Royal Palm Club stay a notch or two. But since we did dine with at least one Prince during our vacation (click here), and since a couple of other Princes had a glass slipper delivered to us while we were doing our laundry (click here), I think we had plenty of fun.

Again, congratulations on your upcoming marriage. I wish you all the happiness in the world.

 

[Warmwinds]

...or maybe not

 

[Janet2k]

...or maybe not

Warmwinds, I'm sorry that you edited your post. I spent a few minutes typing up a response to it. I will post it below in its entirety. Thank you for posting. Don't ever worry about being flamed. I've been here too long (and am too old) to personally flame you or anyone else.

Here is my response -- I hope it sheds a little light on things. If it doesn't, please feel free to post here again or send me a message. I'll try to explain things in further detail. Here goes...

I see that you’re new to the Dis (January 2007). Welcome. I haven’t noticed any posts by you in this thread yet, but I have about 16 more pages to go before I am completely caught up. Perhaps I’ll see one of your posts soon.

I’ve been a member of the Dis for quite a few years. I’m planning an upcoming vacation which will include a stay at the Grand Floridian. Part of the vacation planning process is catching up on what my fellow Dis’ers have posted here in this thread. I enjoy reading about their stays at the resort, and I enjoy viewing their photos and videos. Everyone sees the resort in a different light, and that is what the GF FAQ (and Dis website) is all about – the sharing of information from lots of different perspectives. I enjoy that aspect of it.

I wish the FAQ threads were strictly that, but over the years they have evolved. They’ve become living, breathing entities. My guess is that the Moderators have allowed that to happen in order to harbor a free-flowing atmosphere where folks aren’t afraid to post of their experiences, both the good and the bad, or ask their vacation planning questions, no matter how silly they think they might be. Since this thread is long (261 pages), I would love to see it archived and a new one begun. But that is up to the Moderators. When they feel the time is right, they’ll handle things as they see fit.

As I began catching up on this thread, certain things caught my attention and I have commented on them. For example, my post to TiggerAllie. I hadn’t heard of Memories by Sarah before I had read her post. I went to the website that she mentioned and I looked it over. I have used the services of similar websites before and now I have bookmarked this one for future reference, thanks to TiggerAllie’s post. I also enjoyed DisneyDoogie’s addition of nostalgia to this post. The room rates from 1989 were quite interesting to read. I appreciated DisneyDoogie’s taking the time to type up those rates and post them here in the thread.

As I’ve been posting, I’ve added some information of my own. For example, my post to Glorydaz gave the link to photos of room 4321 from one of my vacations. My post to Johnsonet gave the link to the puff pastry that she was commenting on. I did that for two reasons – because it is the same pastry that is served in the Garden View Lounge and because Disney does a nice job with taking photographs. Folks who are new to Disney vacations might not know that Disney has photographers for hire. I used one for my event at the Grand Floridian last summer, and Macrosswife used one for portraits at the Grand Floridian for her wedding anniversary. By reading my post and Macrosswife’s post, I am hopeful that other folks will learn of Disney’s photography service, or at least be curious enough to ask further questions.

It is the sharing of this kind of information that makes the GF FAQ thread (and the Dis website) a valuable resource when it comes to vacation planning. I have learned much over the years in this thread. I hope I have given back a little something in return.

And speaking of Marcrosswife’s photographs, I am thankful that she, Mlill, Heatherlynn444, Marcij, Lives4Disney, Traci, Triplefigs, Lynr, BCV23, Ducklite, Misti, and a whole bunch of other Dis’ers have kindly shared their photographs and/or their stories of their Grand Floridian vacations. I know how unnerving it can be to share such personal information. I sincerely appreciate their taking the time to do so. Thanks, everyone.

Yes, sometimes posts do go off track – in this thread I have read a myriad of posts about Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (and have found myself suddenly craving them), and I have also read a myriad of posts about the CR (and can’t wait to experience one of the newly refurbished rooms for myself). But for the most part, everyone has simply been sharing information regarding the planning of their vacations. Dis’ers have been doing that since this thread began years ago. And I suspect this will continue well into the future, be it here in this particular thread, or in the thread that will one day take its place.

Before I close, if you see a post and want to know what it was regarding, click on the arrow inside the blue box. It should take you to the original post.

I hope that helped. And I hope to see you posting here in the GF FAQ thread.

 

[Janet2k]

We had a MK view room. I don't remember the number but it was the last room at the end of the 3rd floor hall. We loved sitting on the balcony at night and watching the castle change colors...

Minnie my my, it sounds like you had the same room that my husband and I had two years ago. I only have a few photos posted of that room: click here. One of these days I hope to post more. However, I do have quite a few photos posted of the room exactly one floor up: click here. Both of those rooms were lovely.

I completely agree with what you said. The rooms overlooking the marina have lovely views of Cinderella Castle: click here and click here. I wish I had that view here at home.

Thank you for posting about your recent stay. It sounded like it was wonderful. By the way, I'm so glad to hear that you met a fellow Dis'er (Lives4Disney) during your vacation. How fun!

 

[Warmwinds]

Janet, after I wrote my post I realized that in a thread with over 3,000 posts an extra dozen or so off topic mean very little in the scheme of things ...and I totally understand about boards and posters becoming friends and going off on tangents - I guess because there were just so many of them in a row, that when I saw that more pages and posts had been added I was excited about reading new information, and instead found myself almost feeling like a voyeur on someone's personal e-mails.

I've posted on many other threads, and as some of you know I am going to the GF soon, but alas only for one night - it will be an anniversary treat for my DH and I after having dinner at V&A's that night - we are still keeping our off-site condo, just decided to not have to leave after dinner, and looking forward to soaking in the atmosphere of the GF for that one special night. I really have no specific questions, a lot have been answered already from what I have read.

There is an Edit feature for a reason (although I haven't figured out how to Delete, which is what I really wanted to do)...and since I had changed my mind after posting, I will only say that I appreciate your explanation, although I'm sure you can understand my wondering why all of your missives could not have been sent via the Private Messaging system. I don't even have the right to say "carry on" or "ignore my post since you did read it", so I'll just say...nothing.

 

[triplefigs]

Warmwinds, you had a valid question. Hope you'll join in all the banter and love of the GF. You are going to have such a wonderful anniversary!

 

[Warmwinds]

Thanks, Triplefigs. Celebrating our 30th at the GF in 6 days!

 

[heatherlynn444]

Heatherlynn444, thank you. I'm still wading through pages of this thread but am hopeful that I'll get to read about your Grand Floridian honeymoon or at least see a link to your trip report. By the way, the photo of your New Orleans' wedding (the one in your signature) is lovely. Congratulations on your recent marriage! I wish you all the happiness in the world.

thanks so much! if you want to read my TR or see my professional pics just check out my siggy for teh links! have a great night!

 

[Janet2k]

I totally understand about boards and posters becoming friends and going off on tangents...

Warmwinds, I hear you. It was very hard not to get sucked into the Krispy Kreme posts here in this thread. I was craving doughnuts like crazy as I read post after post about those delicious doughnuts. It was like torture! ARG! But thanks to the posters in this thread, I now know what resorts on-property have Krispy Kremes doughnuts and also where a store is located off-property. It might not have been a topic that should have been mentioned in the GF FAQ thread, but I wasn't about to complain (of course, my stomach certainly was!).

I still haven't had a chance to catch up on the rest of this thread (I had to take my daughter to Tae Kwon Do lessons earlier), but from what you mentioned in your post, I will probably stumble into one or two posts from you. I look forward to reading them and hearing about your upcoming stay at my favorite resort, the Grand Floridian.

 

[Janet2k]

I'm trying to make my way through this thread and I have another question. Can anyone walk by the honeymoon rooms on the 2nd floor? I've stayed at the GF many times, but never noticed these rooms when walking around the public areas of the 2nd floor (Citricos, Bally's, etc.) I know the 2nd floor honeymoon rooms are part of the RPC, but I am really looking for some privacy - and quiet. Maybe I'd be better off booking a room on the 3rd or 4th floor, since they are accessible only by the RPC card key. What are your thoughts??

CastleLight, I know folks have already answered your question. I thought I would provide a few photos so you can see how isolated this area is from the rest of the resort.

The resort rooms on the second floor of the Main Building are only accessible via cardkey (a.k.a., your resort room key). These rooms (and the other rooms in the Main Building) are strictly concierge rooms belonging to the Royal Palm Club category.

To get to the second floor resort rooms (also known as the “Honeymoon Rooms”), you would take the elevator that is located on the backside of the resort near Gasparilla Grill. I have a photo of this elevator but don’t have the time to locate it now. When I do locate it, I will upload it to my on-line photo album and post a link to it here in the GF FAQ thread. That way folks who are unfamiliar with the resort will have a better time visualizing its location.

When you get in the elevator, you must put your cardkey in the slot in order to activate any of the elevator’s buttons. Once your cardkey has been registered as being valid for the Royal Palm Club, you will press the 2nd floor button and it will light up. The elevator will then rise to the 2nd floor. I should note that this elevator can also take guests up to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. I use this elevator all the time when I am returning from the swimming pool in my wet bathing suit (I don’t like walking through the lobby in a bathing suit). Due to the location, this is a very private elevator since no one can use it unless they are a Royal Palm Club guest (the elevators in the main lobby can be used by anyone who is heading to the 2nd floor in order to shop, dine, or gain access to the Monorail Platform).

When you get off the elevator on the 2nd floor, you will find yourself in a small lobby area: click here. The elevator that you’ve just exited isn’t shown in my photo, but it is located to the right of the armchairs. Sitting on the table in between the armchairs is a House Phone.

The resort rooms (a.k.a., Honeymoon Rooms) on the 2nd floor are located down the hallway in the following picture: click here. The resort rooms are only found on the right side of that hallway. The right side is also the side that overlooks the marina – it has a lovely view of the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella Castle. On the left side of the hallway are rooms for the resort’s staff – that is, break rooms, storage rooms, a service elevator, etc. The laundry room is also located on the left side of the hallway. An ice machine is found inside the laundry room: click here.

With the off-the-beaten-path location of these resort rooms, the second floor is extremely private. I think it is a nice location for couples who are looking for peace and quiet. Then again, it is the Honeymoon Floor. Since I’ve never had a honeymoon, maybe those folks get wild & crazy in the middle of the night, who knows.

I hope this helped.

 

[Janet2k]

thanks so much! if you want to read my TR or see my professional pics just check out my siggy for teh links! have a great night!

Heatherlynn444, thank you for the info. I will read your trip report right after I read Mlil's trip report. I hope to do so (my fingers are crossed) very soon. And I can't wait to view your photos. I bet they turned out beautifully.

I love how so many brides & grooms have chosen the Grand Floridian for their honeymoons. I also love how so many single folks, old married folks (such as myself), and a whole slew of other folks have chosen to make the Grand Floridian a part of their vacations, too.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Ok, I obviously take the blame for the Krispie Kreme issue. So what? Now I know if we hurry our butts down to Gaspies MAYBE my kids can have one! Cannot buy them here, so it's good to know on vacaton at our favorite GF we can have them!!

Warmwinds, whatever you had to say.....I missed it, but I think everybody on the GF thread is the nicest of all Disers and a lot of us have been around here for a while, so it's easy to ask questions here and not get "flamed" or dissed. Have a great anniversary & enjoy your special GF night.

Lives4Disney

 

[Janet2k]

Ok, I obviously take the blame for the Krispie Kreme issue.

...I think everybody on the GF thread is the nicest of all Disers and a lot of us have been around here for a while, so it's easy to ask questions...

Doggone it, Lives4Disney, you had to bring up the Krispy Kreme topic again. Why did you have to go and do that? Now my stomach is *growling* like crazy, dagnabit.

And I agree with you -- everyone here on the GF FAQ thread has been so nice. I noticed that the other day as I ~attempted~ to catch up on about 40 - 60 pages. I saw several posts that mentioned a few Dis'ers meeting for the first time during recent vacations. How fun that must have been! I have found that Dis'ers are some of the nicest folks on the planet. Everyone in person has been just as nice as they have been on this website. It's a wonderful community.

Now quit talkin' about Krispy Kreme. I was going to make a run to Target today but now just might have to track down another kind of store -- if you know what I mean: click here.

 

[Janet2k]

When I shared photos yesterday of the lobby area of the 2nd floor (Main Building) in response to CastleLight’s question, it was the push I needed to upload a few more photos. These photos are of the Main Building’s laundry room. Yes, it’s not the most glamorous room at the Grand Floridian, but it’s certainly a necessary one (or a necessary evil, depending upon your point of view).

For those who know me, you know I don’t do laundry. That’s my husband’s job. However, last summer I took a Girls Only vacation with my daughter. We spent almost 5-1/2 weeks in WDW. Unless you travel with steamer trunks full of clothing, at some point you’re going to have to break down and do a little laundry. And that is exactly what happened during week two of my trip – the week that I spent at the Grand Floridian. Yep, this ol’ gal had to stoop to her husband’s level one evening and do a little dirty work.

The funny thing about staying at the Grand Floridian is that the Cast Members are so nice that they make even the most mundane task fun. Over the years my husband has done our laundry countless times at the Grand Floridian. He knows where most of the laundry rooms are located. But since he was stuck at home during my vacation, I had to ask a Cast Member where the laundry rooms were located.

I was initially told that the Main Building’s laundry room was located on the 3rd floor. I questioned this since I had stayed on that floor a few times and didn’t remember seeing such a room. I was then told that it might be located on the 4th floor. Well, I had stayed on that floor too and didn’t remember seeing a laundry room, but I decided to hold my tongue.

My daughter and I set off in search of the laundry room. We couldn’t find it on either the 3rd or 4th floors. However, I heard the voices of a couple of Cast Members from behind one of the Cast Member Only doors. I knocked and when it opened, two Cast Members asked me what I needed. I explained that I was looking for the laundry room but couldn’t find it. I mentioned that I had been told that it was located on either the 3rd or 4th floor. They laughed and said that it was actually located on the 2nd floor. I thanked them for their help. As I walked away, they stopped me. They told me they felt badly that I had been misinformed. They wanted to escort me to the laundry room. I told them that wasn’t necessary, but they insisted. And so my daughter and I were escorted to the 2nd floor’s laundry room. We felt like we had our very own VIP Tour Guides, it was too cute for words. That’s the Grand Floridian for you.

While our clothes were in the washing machine, my daughter and I went back to our resort room to retrieve a few more items. We grabbed my camera on the way out the door because we both knew that my husband would never believe that I had done the laundry unless there were photos to prove it. I wasn’t about to let him down. Of course, I won’t be sharing those photos here. There is enough blackmail material floating around out there. I don’t need to add to it further.

I should note that the photos that I will be sharing here were taken by my daughter. For those of you with children, you know that they sometimes take photos of things that adults wouldn’t dream of. I still remember the time my daughter took approximately 50 photos of the TV in the AKL’s Kilimanjaro Club Lounge. Thankfully, she has gotten better over the years, however, she still surprises me with her photos. I’ll share the more normal ones here.

As I mentioned, the Main Building’s laundry room is located on the 2nd floor of the resort – the area that overlooks the marina. Here is what you see when you get off the elevator in this area: click here. The laundry room is located down this hallway, on the left-hand side: click here.

Here are a few more specific photos:
Laundry Room Door
Laundry Room Entrance
Ice Machine
Laundry Soap Vending Machine
Laundry Wash Tub
Trash Can
Caution Sign
Wall Hooks
Laundry Room Information Sign
Washer and Dryer
Washer
Dryer
Wall Art

It’s probably pretty obvious which photos my daughter took, isn’t it? But one never knows when a Dis’er will ask the question, “Is there a trash can in the laundry room?” Or, “Is there wall art in the laundry room?” Thanks to my daughter’s bird’s-eye view, I have the answers to those obscure questions.

The Laundry Room Information Sign states the following information:

- - - - - - -
WELCOME TO OUR VICTORIAN HOME

We hope you are enjoying your stay with us. We have provided washers and dryers for your convenience. For optimum satisfaction, we ask that you please note the following:

*Never leave personal belongings unattended.
*Please check washers and dryers before use to ensure that articles which could damage your laundry have not been inadvertently left in the machines.
* The wash cycle is $2.00 and will last about 30 minutes.
* The dry cycle is $2.00 and will last about 45 minutes.
* For your convenience, a change machine is located at Gasparills’s Grill and Games and is available 24 hours a day.

If you need assistance, please contact our Grand Services Office by touching 7-2481.

Have a Grand Stay!
- - - - - - -

Please note that the above information was from July of 2006. The prices and/or cycle times might have changed.

One final note about vacationing at the Grand Floridian. You never know when ~magic~ will happen. There I was, playing the role of Cinderella, and *cursing* the absence of my husband. As I brought the first clean load of laundry back upstairs to my resort room, a Cast Member suddenly appeared in my doorway. He was holding a beautiful floral arrangement that was topped by a glass slipper: click here. I had to laugh out loud at the irony of the situation. Only in Walt Disney World can the ordinary be turned into the extraordinary. Believe me, I will never forget the time that *I* did the laundry at the Grand Floridian Resort.

 

[CastleLight]

CastleLight, I know folks have already answered your question. I thought I would provide a few photos so you can see how isolated this area is from the rest of the resort.

... With the off-the-beaten-path location of these resort rooms, the second floor is extremely private. I think it is a nice location for couples who are looking for peace and quiet. Then again, it is the Honeymoon Floor. Since I’ve never had a honeymoon, maybe those folks get wild & crazy in the middle of the night, who knows.

I hope this helped.

Thank you soooo much. This did help. It was so very kind of you to show me those pictures and provide such a thorough explanation. I've been on the other RPC elevator, and up to the lounge, etc, but I just couldn't imagine where these 2nd floor rooms were. I guess to get to the lounge from these rooms we'll have a bit of a walk. That's ok! We'll be on our honeymoon! We won't be in a rush to get anywhere.

 

[magical4us4]

Janet2k,

Your photos of the GF laundry room made me miss doing laundry there ! Sounds crazy, but that is what the GF does to you, everything you do there seems wonderful!!

Magical4us4

 

[BCV23]

warmwinds, have a wonderful anniversary stay at the GF.

Janet, your daughter did a very thorough job with her assignment.