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

[Lives4Disney]

Glorydaz - Congrats on your upcoming wedding/honeymoon!!

I think Lindsay has it right. I know you should book a honeymoon room as the room category, not just a standard concierge room - just as she described - and those turret rooms are request only. I think there are only 6 of them. Do all the requesting you can!!! Talk to MS and also make sure you email or phone the IPO dept too as they have access to the room assigners. You can mention the specific room number that you prefer, but if not available that you prefer any turret room over the standard. There will be benefits to the standard honeymoon rooms, too - such as the view of the castle and fireworks, though. I don't think any of the turrets has a MK view - maybe one does?? Maybe it is the one you love.

The honeymoon rooms are only 10 to 15 dollars extra/nt. A great deal!

Happy planning. I hope you get that special room!

Lives4Disney

 

[Tinkaroo]

hey Tinkaroo, thanks for all the info! I will definitely try Member Services to see what I can do. We are starting our disneymoon at the Gf Dec 10th for 3 nights , then off on the Wonder for another 3 and finally SSR (home) for yet another 5 nights! My birthday is on the 19th and I couldn't think of a better place to spend it than in Disney with my sweetheart

Michelle

How wonderful! We are doing something similar for a belated 30th b-day for me earlier that month (Wonder for 4, GF Honeymoon RPC for 3, SSR for 5). It will be just me and DH for the cruise and GF, but then our extended family arrives for the SSR leg. Should be fun - I hope!

Good luck with MS!

 

[Glorydaz]

wow...30!! I wish I just celebrated my (gasp) 50th!!! odd though, that whenever I'm in Disney, I revert back to that giggly 7 year old full of glee!

Michelle happy planning!

 

[Tinkaroo]

wow...30!! I wish I just celebrated my (gasp) 50th!!! odd though, that whenever I'm in Disney, I revert back to that giggly 7 year old full of glee!

Michelle happy planning!

Disney keeps us all young!

 

[3for Me]

We are currently planning to book a MK view at GF...Do you think SL would be better thank a MK view room? I know that is like comparing Apples to oranges..but just wondering.

This is strictly my opinion, but having done both, I much preferred the MK view. That being said, I am all about the view and we did have a corner room in Boca Chica which had two balconies one which overlooked the SSL and the other the MK/Monorail.

I really liked Sugar Loaf, and we had a beautiful marina view, but DH and I both agreed that nothing compared to the other room.

We are pretty big concierge people as a rule, but for some reason, this room really stuck with us.

I think the key is to decide which is more important to you- view or concierge service. Seems simple, but you still have to decide! What a great choice to have to make!

Have fun planning!

 

[dingoballs]

I agree with 3forMe.

That being said, I am all about the view and we did have a corner room in Boca Chica which had two balconies one which overlooked the SSL and the other the MK/Monorail.

Ever since we stayed in the corner room, first floor, at Boca Chica, we are spoiled. The two balconies are great, as is the view and being right on the lake. We would choose view over concierge also...

 

[Glorydaz]

Glorydaz - Congrats on your upcoming wedding/honeymoon!!

I think Lindsay has it right. I know you should book a honeymoon room as the room category, not just a standard concierge room - just as she described - and those turret rooms are request only. I think there are only 6 of them. Do all the requesting you can!!! Talk to MS and also make sure you email or phone the IPO dept too as they have access to the room assigners. You can mention the specific room number that you prefer, but if not available that you prefer any turret room over the standard. There will be benefits to the standard honeymoon rooms, too - such as the view of the castle and fireworks, though. I don't think any of the turrets has a MK view - maybe one does?? Maybe it is the one you love.

The honeymoon rooms are only 10 to 15 dollars extra/nt. A great deal!

Happy planning. I hope you get that special room!

Lives4Disney

good morning to you and Tinkaroo!

I just got off the phone with Member services ( they are really so so nice!). I was able to add the request for a King bed AND I requested a Turret room also...while an MK view would be nice, being it's our honeymoon, the King bed seemed a little more important to me.. as for upgrading with cash, that is not doable as the actual reservation is not made with cash. also, apparently, points are only usable for a standard RPC concierge room ( not sure why- 70 points per night is pretty high in my book!) not really a big deal in my book either.

we were going to book our Wonder cruise with points but I felt it was a ridiculous amount and we ended up doing that as a cash ressie (cat 3) ...I also found out that the dining plan cannot be added on to this portion of our stay as it is not one of the 7 DVC properties. also not a big deal, I'll just use the dining plan on our SSR portion of the trip...

just wanted to send a HUGE thanks to you guys - what an amazing wealth of information! when I grow up, I want to be just like you!

Michelle

 

[Mike_in_FL]

There are pros and cons. The good things are you have access to the preplanning office, the food offerings are the same as in the main building, you could REQUEST a Lodge Tower room - which sleeps 4, but has a separate seating area and extra TV, same ammenties as the main building. Also, SL is a great location close to the main building, boats, right near Gasparillas Grill and the garden pool. The negative really (for me) comes down to the view and lounge. The view is either marina or garden...both are very pretty, but in the main building the view could be (request only) MK. Also there is no real lounge - the lounge area is really the lobby of SL. Not a lot of seating areas, no TV (doesn't matter to me, but does to others) and no live music like in the main building. I also think the SL lounge is dim. There aren't windows and not a lot of natural lighting gets in. JMO. It doesn't feel bright and airy to me.

Happy planning!

Lives4Disney

Lives4Disney,

It has been a few years since we were in SL, but I would agree with your observations, especially about the lounge. We were a little disappointed then to discover that the offerings were not the same as "normal" concierge (ie main building, Poly, AKL, BW etc). We are going back in a few weeks, and I have been seeing conflicting reports on whether or not this has changed. It is good to see someone post a definitive answer! Is it still the case that there is no alcohol in SL?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Mike_in_FL]

good morning to you and Tinkaroo!

I just got off the phone with Member services ( they are really so so nice!). I was able to add the request for a King bed AND I requested a Turret room also...while an MK view would be nice, being it's our honeymoon, the King bed seemed a little more important to me.. as for upgrading with cash, that is not doable as the actual reservation is not made with cash. also, apparently, points are only usable for a standard RPC concierge room ( not sure why- 70 points per night is pretty high in my book!) not really a big deal in my book either.

Michelle

Michelle,

We are DVC members also, and I can tell you that on one trip we were able to upgrade a points reservation with cash when we were at the hotel (it happened to be the Poly). It took some time for the CMs involved to figure out how to do it (and what to charge), so it certainly is not something they do very often. It is of course possible that these rules have now changed, as this was a couple of years ago, but you might want to ask when you arrive, just in case

Hope you have a great trip!
Mike

 

[Lives4Disney]

Lives4Disney,

It has been a few years since we were in SL, but I would agree with your observations, especially about the lounge. We were a little disappointed then to discover that the offerings were not the same as "normal" concierge (ie main building, Poly, AKL, BW etc). We are going back in a few weeks, and I have been seeing conflicting reports on whether or not this has changed. It is good to see someone post a definitive answer! Is it still the case that there is no alcohol in SL?

Thanks!

Mike

Mike, from my recent conversations with concierge CMs at the GF, I believe that all the offerings are the same in SL and RPC including the alcohol. I can't remember exactly when the change came about, but it has been maybe a year or so.

Have a great time!

Lives4Disney

 

[Lives4Disney]

Michelle - Enjoy your honeymoon room!! Ya, what was I thinking?? Who cares about the view!! (OK, I have been married too long.....going on 19 yrs with 3 kids )

Hope you get that turret room! Have a fantastic time!

Lives4Disney

 

[Mike_in_FL]

Mike, from my recent conversations with concierge CMs at the GF, I believe that all the offerings are the same in SL and RPC including the alcohol. I can't remember exactly when the change came about, but it has been maybe a year or so.

Have a great time!

Lives4Disney

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Glorydaz]

Michelle - Enjoy your honeymoon room!! Ya, what was I thinking?? Who cares about the view!! (OK, I have been married too long.....going on 19 yrs with 3 kids )

Hope you get that turret room! Have a fantastic time!

Lives4Disney

thanks so much...I have some time to go but 12 hours from now, I'll be at SSR for a short birthday trip with my sister...yeah!

and no, you're not married too long - looks like you got it right the first time (unlike moi) ps/ your daughters are absolutely sweet - enjoy them, time goes fast. mine is 23 already!

Michelle

 

[PolyAddict]

I have been going back and forth for weeks now on when and where for our next trip. Anyway, my question is do all the garden view rooms have either a private patio or balcony? Oh, and are there mickey waffles at the counter service location?

Thanks

 

[mlill]

Hi again! I just wanted to take a minute and post a few pictures of the second half of our girl's afternoon at the Grand Floridian! I posted a couple of weeks ago about our GF Private Tea...

Private Tea - Part 1

Private Tea - Part 2

Well, after the beautiful tea, I took my daughters to the Ivy Trellis Salon. (I had called about two weeks before our vacation to make reservations for them.) Jackie and Vicky were wonderful! I'm so glad we did this! The girls looked and felt like princesses when they were done! I even broke down and had my hair done, too! It was expensive, but worth it. When we finally left Ivy Trellis, we went back to our room and got dressed for our Victoria & Alberts dinner. It was a perfect day!

Look at this! Isn't this gorgeous! Jordan's hair turned out great!

They really do an amazing job there! I could NEVER do this! It was worth every penny! I can see why the Dinsey Brides line up to get their hair done at Ivy Trellis!

Have a great weekend everyone!
-Michelle

P.S. I'm sure some of you who know me are thinking, but where were the guys during our girl's afternoon??? Well, they went down to the GF Marina and rented MouseBoats. They terrorized Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake all afternoon! LOL!

 

[DisneyDoogie]

PolyAddict,

All of the gardenview rooms at the GF have either a balcony or a patio.

The Mickey waffles were available at Gasparilla's the last time we were there (May 2006).

 

[Lives4Disney]

Michelle, you had to go and do this to me, lol!!! More great pics!!! I have been having Disney dreams!!! I can't help it. I am a lifer. I love your pictures and now I have seriously been bitten AGAIN by that WDW bug. Those hair styes are beautiful & you take such gorgeous pics. Your girls are lovely.

I was talking to my DH about that cruddy bratty Christmas group that came to WDW the same time we did and how I was kind of having mixed feelings about WDW guests.....he laughed and said they were the type that are used to being waited on. They dump off their Xmas packages at concierge and say "Wrap these".......True story. He was down at concierge and guests did just that.

Also, he reminded me that on Xmas morning (on our way down to Gasparilla's, lol) outside the Walt Disney Suite there were several kids riding electric scooters and bikes around the hallway. Too funny because I have been in that suite and there is plenty of room to ride bikes around in there, LOL!! No need to show off & make noise in the hall. When we got back Xmas afternoon, the bikes & scooters were all parked in a line outside the double Walt Suite doors. Just kind of funny the different types of people that visit during different seasons.

Thanks for the great pics! If I could ever pull my girls away from BBB, we should try the Ivy salon!

Channing

 

[mlill]

Thanks Channing! We really did have wonderful time just hanging out at the Grand Floridian that day. I'm really sorry that you had to deal with such cr*ppy guests during your stay. I guess money doesn't buy true class. It comes from within. We saw sooo many adorable girls coming out of BBB on this trip! (Just like your cuties! ) It made me sad that mine are too old to do that... well, Brenna probably still could get away with it, but not Jordan. I guess taking them to the Ivy Trellis was my alternative to BBB, and it worked out great! Thanks for the nice comments!

-Michelle

P.S. I just transferred some video of the day we moved to our 2 bedroom BWV. I'll be posting it in my TR soon, and you can see what it looks like. How's it going with the DVC point rental?

 

[PolyAddict]

PolyAddict,

All of the gardenview rooms at the GF have either a balcony or a patio.

The Mickey waffles were available at Gasparilla's the last time we were there (May 2006).

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[heatherlynn444]

hello everyone! just got back today from my DISNEYMOON! (1/7-1/14) I am so sad it is over, and my wedding is over...I was JUST there! aahh! back to the real world. anyway, we were lucky enough to get turret room 4021! AAHHH!! and we didnt check in till 7:30 I thought for sure we wouldn't get one! we could lay in the bed and see the castle, it was so wonderful! I plan on doing a dining report and trip report, and I will link it on here, so keep your eyes open! I have tons and tons of pictures!!!!