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

[CastleLight]

At the suggestion of you fine people, I contacted the IPO staff a few months ago about having them make a V&A reservation for the first night of my honeymoon. They answered my e-mail, and asked me to call with a bit more information (which I did). The 180 day mark is coming up in the first week of January, so I was wondering what I should do to follow up. Should I send another e-mail? Do you think I should be on the phone on the 180th day trying to book my reservations too - or should I leave it in the hands of the IPO staff?


Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

[3for Me]

Hay all you GF experts I need your help and advice. We have a 6 night stay booked at Sugar Loaf for November 2007.

We have since decided to sail away on the member cruise and by doing so it will require us to downgrade our accomodations. It comes down to 6 nights garden view or 5 nights lagoon view.

Can anyone tell me which you prefer and why? Pros and cons? And which bldg or location to possibly request for garden and lagoon?

Thanks everyone

Well, I am not sure this is EXACTLY the type of answer you are looking for, but I will give you my limited experience/opinion. We have stayed in my ALL TIME FAVORITE ROOM at the GF in Boca Chica. It was a corner room facing the lagoon on one balcony and the MK on the other. (So this room may now be catagorized as a MK view room) It was 8345 - but 8245 and 8445 should be generally the same I think(?).

The next time, we stayed in a GV in Sugar Loaf. Great view for a GV - we had the marina/monorail outside our door and concierge service of course. From everything I have read, this is one of the best "garden" views. We really enjoyed it and were grateful to have it, but....

I have to say, that overall I liked my Boca Chica room much better. We stay conceirge most of the time that we travel, and usually this is a big, big plus for us. In this one instance, I have to say that the view/feel was worth more to me than concierge - I think I would even stay one less day to have that view again, especially if I were also going on the cruise (lucky you!).

With that said, we love Boca Chica for Lagoon views, and maybe others can help you with GV recommendations. I don't think there are too many "bad" views at the GF.

The view/two balconies we had in this particular room were just so special for me personally. I think I would just ask myself how important I really thought the difference would be to me.

If you are going on a cruise, you are going to be looking at a lot of water anyway, so maybe the GV room and the extra night might be the way to go. So many decisions....

I know this is sort of a round about way to answer your question, but I hope it helps.

Have a great trip, no matter what you decide!

 

[cobbler]

3forme-
Thanks, that is kind of what I am looking for. Personal expirences, preferences and the like.

Any more would be appreciated.

 

[TiggerAllie]

Help!
My aunt lives outside of Orlando (about 45 mins from Disney). She's feeling blue this Christmas, and I'd love to send her a gingerbread house from the Grand Floridian. Does anyone know if I can pay to have the gingerbread house delivered? (like, would the disney florist people do this?)
If anyone knows of a service like this or can give me a number I can call (preferable tomorrow morning!) I would be greatly appreciative!
I brought one home to my parents this year, and they think my aunt would love one too.
Thank you so much!

 

[Janet2k]

From my family (click here) to yours, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy and blessed holiday season.

 

[Janet2k]

To k&a&c'smom and Misti, welcome home! I'm going to try to catch up on this thread over the next couple of days. Hopefully, I'll get to see some of your Grand Floridian vacation photos (my fingers are crossed that you've got some photos to share!).

For those of you who are heading to WDW (or who are already there), have a wonderful vacation!

 

[Janet2k]

My aunt lives outside of Orlando... She's feeling blue this Christmas, and I'd love to send her a gingerbread house...

TiggerAllie, I'm so sorry I didn't see your post until now. I hope you were able to get something to your aunt and that she had a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas to your family!

 

[Janet2k]

I contacted the IPO staff a few months ago about having them make a V&A reservation for the first night of my honeymoon. They answered my e-mail, and asked me to call with a bit more information (which I did)...

CastleLight, congratulations on your upcoming honeymoon! I've been married for 22 years and still have not had a honeymoon (but I did have a Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal two years ago that was magical beyond belief so I probably shouldn't complain, eh?!).

If you asked the IPO to make your Victoria & Albert's reservation, then I wouldn't worry about it too much. But to help put your mind at ease, please ask them to give you your dinner reservation's confirmation number. Once you have your confirmation number, all should be right with the world (as in Disney World).

My family has dined at Victoria & Albert's many times over the years. I finally took my daughter to dinner there during our summer vacation. She loved it. I do have plans to share photos of our meal, and actually began uploading some of them a few weeks ago, but real life got in the way before I could complete my photo album. Here is the link to it: click here. I promise to share it again once my photo album is complete. At that time I will also share the special Chef’s Tasting Menu that we dined on that evening. It was a ten-course meal that included two sets of dessert each. If memory serves me correctly, the wait staff had to roll us out of the restaurant that evening. Our bellies and taste buds were satisfied beyond belief. Yum!

I hope your Victoria & Albert's meal is equally as scrumptious as ours was. Again, congratulations on your upcoming honeymoon!

 

[Janet2k]

...November 2007... We have since decided to sail away on the member cruise and by doing so it will require us to downgrade our accomodations. It comes down to 6 nights garden view or 5 nights lagoon view.

Cobbler, you received wonderful advice from 3for Me. I don’t have much to add.

If I were you, I would simply decide if I wanted a garden view or a lagoon view, and then I would book the appropriate room category. For example, if I were going to be spending a lot of time in my room, then a lagoon view would be the logical choice. But if I wasn't going to be in my room much, then the garden view would be logical choice, especially since I could apply my savings towards an extra night of vacation (always a good thing).

I have stayed in the Grand Floridian many times over the years and in all sorts of rooms/suites. I haven’t had a bad room yet. Here is the link to my main on-line photo album: click here. Search through the albums (they’re in alphabetical order) for my Grand Floridian ones. You’ll see some of the rooms that my family has stayed in (and their views). I haven’t shared photos of all of our rooms, but I have shared enough to give you a general idea of what the rooms/suites look like. Please remember that photos do not do the rooms justice (at least mine don’t).

Have fun planning next year's vacation! (By the way, I’m a DVC member, too.)

 

[TiggerAllie]

TiggerAllie, I'm so sorry I didn't see your post until now. I hope you were able to get something to your aunt and that she had a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas to your family!

Thanks to Memories by Sarah (www.memoriesbysarah.com) I was able to get my aunt a GF gingerbread house. GF wouldn't let me buy it over the phone or deliver it--I needed someone who could go to the GF, purchase the house, and drive it over to my aunt's Sarah was able to do this within 2 hours from when I first called her. It really made her Christmas.

 

[MinnieSummer]

Just returned from our 5 day stay at GF. The trip overall was a success, even the rain on Christmas Day held off when we needed it to so we got to see the CP and have our Dinner without getting soaked. But, my impression of GF was lacking. The handicapped room was great and our location was great (Big Pine Key with a pool view). OUr rooms were clean and maid service was incredible (three towel creatures) but there was a piece of gum on the elevator wall the entire time we were there. The restrooms in the main building are NOT handicapped accessible even though they have handicapped stalls. I got stuck in one and had to have my mom stand up so I could tilt the chair enough to make the sharp bend into the stall. The bell services were OK when we arrived but terrible when we checked out. (We waited over 45 minutes in the driveway waiting for our luggage -- only to discover that it had been brought down and put in the lobby for some unknown reason) I had requested a wheelchair for my mom as hers broke the morning we left and was given an very old MK one that was no longer in use over there. It wouldn't close properly, had a rip in it and the breaks didn't work. Of course when I asked if they had another one we could use they didn't so we had to make the best of it. The CM's I encountered were as helpful as they could be during the holidays but with the exception of a couple I didn't feel that any of them would be great on a less busy day. I had hoped to be able to sit in the GF lobby and enjoy the entertainment but -- and this is the same complaint I have about any hotel with character dining -- the lobby was packed with all the families waiting for their turn to dine with Cindy and there we few or no seats to be found. (A long time ago I had breakfast at Cape May and had to wait for our table in the lobby. I said then that if I had paid to stay in that hotel and had to deal with the mess created by Character dining, and not be able to eat there because of everyone from everyplace else I would be furious. Well, you guessed it, I was none to happy.) But that wasn't really an issue I was prepared for it. I guess I was just expecting more than I got. I was dissappointed on other levels as well. I really hate the yellow lights on the GF tree. The white ones looked so much better. I guess I just expected a big "WOW" factor and it just didn't seem to be there. When we walked into AKL for dinner on Christmas Eve I felt more of a WOW than at GF. Even my DD felt the difference. For the money we spent I definitely felt that something was lacking. But hey, I can say I stayed at the GF now.

 

[terryfromhawaii]

What do they mean when they say outer lodge Sugar Loaf?

 

[Lives4Disney]

Hi, fellow GF FANS!! I am sitting at MCO waiting to catch my flight home. I had another super stay at the Grand. I love that place. I am sorry MinnieSummer's stay didn't live up to expectations. Mine was wonderful. I really liked the decorations & thought they were lovely and festive. As always, Southern Elegance Limousines started off our trip great, arrived at the Grand to curbside check in, Joe checked us in upstairs. We were in room 4405 with a beautiful view of the castle and marina and the Grand 1......it sat in the marina several nights and I would have loved to book it for a Wishes cruise again, lol. My BEAUTIFUL Xmas tree was in our room when we got there. I was very happy with it and no regrets. It wowed the kids and warmed up the room with Christmas cheer. We hung our Mickey wreath on the door with a 3M thing that worked perfectly and left no mark. We put Disney lights up draped on our sliders with 3M hooks, too, and hung the kids' stockings up on the drawer knobs. It felt festive enough to me. Private Dining delivered our gingerbread house the next morning when we were out for another surprise for the kids. It was lovely and we really liked the gingerbread this year. Two years ago we thought it was awful, but they must have done a little tweeking and it was delicious.

Our favorite concierge CM, Vonnie, added so much magic to our trip. She is the BEST at her job and is so generous with her Disney magic touch. We were celebrating Jojo's bday this trip and she had wonderful things happen for Jojo, in addition to other little things And thanks to concierge Joe, too, for helping us a few times with things. Thanks to Mejay for remembering us and making us feel so welcome.

Vonnie introduced us to a wonderful lady that decorates the Gingerbread houses and she very kindly decorated a GORGEOUS cake and platter for my Jojo's bday celebration. I will post pics later. I took a lot! Ellen is the gingerbread lady that does the daily demos at the Grand on gingerbread decorating. She is so talented & was so sweet to us. We enjoyed her demo twice. Just another great CM at the Grand. I can't wait to plan my next stay. Trying to figure out WHEN!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Minnie My My(Myra) & CinderellaFan (Angela)in the lounge. Angela, I picked up the litho last night - THANKS so much that was sweet of you to give me that ticket. I have to add that you looked just beautiful in your wedding gown. . I was so surprised to get the chance see you all dressed up!! I also met a really nice lady in the monorail TWICE on different days that lurks but doesn't post and she recognized us from my previous pics!! Hi, to her if she's reading this!!

I loved the decorated plates of cookies the GF delivered to the rooms - VERY nice touch on Xmas Eve. My DH and Jojo were in the room - the rest of us were in the lounge...DH was in the bathroom and Jojo answered the knock (she should know better!) and received the platter of treats and she told us they were for her from the GF for her birthday! We all had a laugh at that one.

The parks were WAY TOO CROWDED for me. I am thinking I need to take a short, cheap trip and just do a park marathon during a SLOW time of year. I cannot believe how crowded the MK was today. I love the MK, but it was just down right awful this afternoon. I couldn't leave fast enough. That is the only good thing about going home. I won't miss the crowds.

The food was fine - I had read a lot of negative things lately - but honestly, I experienced so much less stomach trouble this trip and I believe it must have to do with Disney eliminating some of the fats they used to cook with. I have a sensitive stomach (maybe TMI) but this time was not too much of an issue- which was great for me.

The guys did the Segway tour and really really liked that. It was a hit.

We won Dreams lanyards. My DD6 got to drive the Jungle Cruise boat. We were VIP family at F of the LK. No biggie, but we got a certificate and priority seating. I loved the rain on Xmas Day because the crowds were nonexistant at AK. Walked on everything and LOVED that compared to the other days' crowds.

It was GREAT & I will write more later. Using up DH's battery and he's not happy.

Happy Holiday's everyone!

Channing aka Lives4Disney

 

[s&k'smom]

Has anyone had any experience having groceries delivered to GF? My DH is a very picky eater (autism, OCD, anxiety) so having food in our room is a must. I've been hearing good things about Garden Grocer and was hoping to give them a try.

I'm sorry you didnt get the wow factor Minniesummer, we stayed there 4 years ago and and though there were a "few" things I didn't like (I thought most of it was due to lack of staffing) overall it was fantastic. I can't beat the rate I got through DH's airline discount and they were wonderful to my son.

 

[irisbud]

Channing: Glad you had another great trip! I didn't get to meet Vonnie during our trip, but did get to meet both Mejay and Joe, and thought they were both wonderful.

MinnieSummer: Sorry your trip didn't work out as planned. We stayed at both GF and AKL on our last trip, and we felt that it was AKL that was lacking the wow factor! I guess that's why Disney has so many resorts: Something for everyone! I hope you had a great time anyway!

 

[Lives4Disney]

What do they mean when they say outer lodge Sugar Loaf?

Terry, I believe it just means that the suite is not in the main building - it is in Sugar Loaf which is an "Outer lodge". Suite guests have access to both the SL lounge and the RPC lounge.

Lives4Disney

 

[mlill]

We're home! Our short stay at GF in the beginning of our 2 week Christmas vacation was wonderful! We were in Boca Chica on the 4th floor, and had a MK view. (if you looked past the trees!) The GF was beautiful and it was everything I had hoped for. Walking to and from our 1st Victoria & Albert's dinner of the trip was great! (Yes, we had two dinners at V&A! During our dinner on the 16th, we were personally invited to dine at the Chef's Table for Christmas Eve!!! Being there for Christmas dinner was AMAZING!) The girls & I had our private afternoon tea and I was simply overwhelmed with how great it turned out! (Pictures are coming!!!) Our sunset Grand 1 Wishes cruise on the 19th was perfect, too!!! It was a truly magical evening. WoW! There's so much to tell you guys, but I have to wait until tomorrow! I've got a ton of unpacking and laundry to do first...

Happy New Year!!!
-Michelle

 

[3for Me]

So glad all of you enjoyed your holidays at the World! I am so jealous. Had to stick it out here with the feuding family this year...but I am hedging for a trip next holiday already!

Can't wait to see all of your beautiful pictures!

 

[minnie my my]

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We got home from our wonderful 5 night stay in the RPC on the 23rd. 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. The staff was great and the room was very clean. I had the pleasure of meeting Channing (Lives4Disney). It was wonderful to meet you and your family, Channing. I love the GF at Christmas time. The highlight of the trip is always sitting in the lounge snacking while listening to the band or other special Christmas music.

I hope everyone with upcoming trips has a wonderful stay.

Myra

 

[heatherlynn444]

so glad everyone for the most part had great Christmas trips! I am so excited about my trip I can hardly STAND it! if it wasn't for tis wedding being first and always on my mind I think I would go nuts! or bananas!