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

[Dis Ohana]

I was one of the people asking for the email address - I guess they were having trouble with it because I kept having it sent back as undeliverable. I tried it again and it went through! Thanks for posting it.

 

[BCV23]

Hi everyone....I am new to the Dis boards....I am getting married in Nov and we just booked our Honeymoon @ the Grand Floridian for the week of Nov 12! I am soooooo excited! I haven’t been to Disney since I was 5 and FH has never been.
I will try to read all 300 and so pages of this thread….but any important things we MUST do or see or MUST NOT do or see please I would love the help!

TIA!!!

Hi Kris and welcome to the DIS!

I'm very impressed that you read this entire thread.

My only advice is to be sure to enjoy the magic that is in the GF. All WDW resorts have so many special things about them. It is easy to get caught up in the parks but be sure to stop and smell the roses at the GF.

Happy planning and welcome again.

 

[Lives4Disney]

The new check in procedure at the GF concierge level is to SKIP the concierge desks.....GF has hired new curbside CMs to greet and take you directly to your room - SKIPPING the concierge desks and the drinks are gone from the 3rd floor desk area, too. (Maybe this is RPC only - not sure if this applies to SL,.....BCV's experience sounds like the old version) If the room is not ready, they will take you directly to the lounge where you can hang and wait for the room.....this has been an issue because we all know the rooms are usually not ready by arrival. This is the "new" plan. Not sure why the need for the new procedure, but I know I will miss checking in with the great concierge CMs on the 3rd floor, and as Irisbud said, having a drink while the concierge CM at the desk does the paperwork and cuts the cards and informs us about things etc. The old way was really welcoming and we got to know these wonderful CMs and felt very "at home" because they'd remember us, too. I think when we stay RPC again I will tell curbside I prefer to check in on the 3rd floor like always.

Citricos was really good for us, too. We need to try the GF Cafe and Narcoosees in November.

Still having a GREAT time at the World!!! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!

Happy planning,

Lives4Disney

 

[princessesrule4]

Thanks for the input on Citricos and GF cafe for dinner! We still haven't decided- I think I'll see what times are available for both since we are only a week away now! Both menus sound great!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

thanks for the info channing
I will see how they do it at the sugar loaf in November
I am trying Narcooses in July and cant wait and we are eating at the Gf Cafe I love the gf cafe

 

[BCV23]

Channing, that's interesting info about checkin. How do they obtain the credit card info if you skip the desk.

To be clear, we were met curbside by a CM in a GF suit. There were actually two of them and one left with a family while Hannah waited with me for my DH to park. We were then escorted to the lounge. Of course in RPC the lounge and desks are on different floors.

Anyway, it doesn't seem much different to me other than the new CMs curbside with their clipboards.

And we've had it happen so many different ways anyway. At AKL it was as Irisbud described it. Same with RPC and some trips to the Polynesian. Last club level stay at the Polynesian, the bellstand checked and our room wasn't ready. All hte golfcarts were already delivering people so we were told there would be a short wait. We said we would just walk over and asked that they alert the desk so we would be admitted. Once in SL we just walked into the building on our own. Selfparked and walked in.

None of it matters to me. I do appreciate when the room is ready and we are led directly to it. If that's what happens now at the GF, I'm glad they're following the Polynesian's lead. We checked in at 11am and our room was not ready until 2pm at the GF this time.

princessrule, we've dined at Narcoossee's too many times to count. We used to love lunch there as well as dinner. Unfortunately, it's dinner only now but it is very good and the view is marvelous. Citricos is also excellent and usually a bit more quiet. GFCafe and Citricos enjoy the same courtyard views except Citricos is on the second floor. GFCafe is a great choice for all three meals. We have lunch there every trip whether we're staying at the GF or not. For dinner it is more moderately priced than the other two restaurants.

 

[marcij]

Channing, that's interesting info about checkin. How do they obtain the credit card info if you skip the desk.

They met me at the car and took me directly to my room. He had a credit card slip with him, wrote down my info and I signed everything.

Channing -- I think I would rather stop at the desk as well. Something about going directly to the room made me feel like I'd missed a step. I'm glad to hear you are still having a great time!

 

[BCV23]

They met me at the car and took me directly to my room. He had a credit card slip with him, wrote down my info and I signed everything.

Channing -- I think I would rather stop at the desk as well. Something about going directly to the room made me feel like I'd missed a step. I'm glad to hear you are still having a great time!

Oh, very cool. I would love that! Maybe we'll have to make sure we arrive later next time!

 

[princessesrule4]

They met me at the car and took me directly to my room. He had a credit card slip with him, wrote down my info and I signed everything.

Channing -- I think I would rather stop at the desk as well. Something about going directly to the room made me feel like I'd missed a step. I'm glad to hear you are still having a great time!

I'm definitely going to miss stopping off on the 3rd floor to check in and have some lemonade while the kids play checkers and wait for us! I agree with you all that it seems a little less personal to just check in at the curb. I will let you all know how it goes when we check in to RPC next week!!

Alicnwondrln,
Narcoosees is great! We were celebrating my 40th last June and the food was wonderful, they had personalized "happy birthday" menus and a delicious cake. We had a great table next to the water! We're doing California Grill this year for my birthday which is always wonderful! Hope you enjoy Narcoosees!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I never put a cc down
I usually give them cash or nothing
we will have to see how it works

 

[CastleLight]

Will the concierge staff greet you if you are arriving via ME?? How would they know you are on the bus?? I guess since I'm arrving around 11pm, we won't be greeted curbside.

 

[bosstoboss]

I'm confused about the new check-in. Why would they want to do it this way? What about sitting with the CM's while making dining reservations and so on, why would they even take the drinks away when we still need to sit and talk to them....it was nice having a drink while they took care of these reservations.

The cost of staying RPC keeps getting steeper and they keep taking perks away....doesn't make sense to me. I am a little dissapointed.

 

[irisbud]

Will the concierge staff greet you if you are arriving via ME?? How would they know you are on the bus?? I guess since I'm arrving around 11pm, we won't be greeted curbside.

Castlelight, we arrived via ME, and they were there to greet us. The poor girl must have been standing there forever, as our bus got lost, we were the last of four stops (she went to the Contemporary even when she was repetedly told by everyone on the bus that NO ONE was staying there, then waited about 10 minutes at the curb) and I think that the woman driving was trying to see how slow she could go and still keep moving! I digress, though... I guess they must call ahead to the resort when you check in at the ME counter?

We did arrive during the day, though. I don't know about that late at night. I'm sure they will take care of you though

Have a great trip!

Amy

 

[BCV23]

I'm confused about the new check-in. Why would they want to do it this way? What about sitting with the CM's while making dining reservations and so on, why would they even take the drinks away when we still need to sit and talk to them....it was nice having a drink while they took care of these reservations.

The cost of staying RPC keeps getting steeper and they keep taking perks away....doesn't make sense to me. I am a little dissapointed.

I can tell that I'm seeing this differently than others posting but to me they have added a level of service. You get truly personal and convenient attention.

You can still go to the desk any time you need help making reservations, etc.. For those of us who have nothing to do but the cc, it eliminates a whole step and we can start vacation that much quicker.

There are still drinks in the lounge.

 

[irisbud]

I agree, BCV. I don't know that I would consider it taking away a level of service; it is just a change in the type of service offered, if handled properly.

My issue with AKL was not that we went directly to the room, it was that it was done in a poor and sloppy manner, IMHO. We still had to go back to the lounge to give our credit card number and have it added to our keys. Also, they did not even show us where the lounge was located. I knew from the DIS, but not everyone would, KWIM?

If they show you to your room or the lounge, offer you a drink, take your card information, and offer to answer questions and show you around if you feel it necessary, then yes, it is really a more personalized service. If they take you to your room and leave you hanging, then it's a downgrade IMO.

 

[BCV23]

Good points, Amy.

And you're certainly right about the lounge at AKL. If you don't know your way around that resort, you could be clueless about the location of the lounge unless your room was on the 6th floor.

Castlelight, arriving that late I would suspect that you will need to check in at the main desk. Perhaps you could email IPO and inquire?

 

[marcij]

I can tell that I'm seeing this differently than others posting but to me they have added a level of service. You get truly personal and convenient attention.
You can still go to the desk any time you need help making reservations, etc.. For those of us who have nothing to do but the cc, it eliminates a whole step and we can start vacation that much quicker.

There are still drinks in the lounge.

I agree with your assessment. We were greeted at the Four Seasons in Paris and in London this way, and I think this is Disney's attempt to try to reach a higher service level. On the resort thread, there are constant complaints about paying so much for the GF, but not getting service like at Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton resorts. This might be their reaction to those posts.

I did like those perks myself at those resorts. I just don't prefer it at the GF. I think it's all in what we are used to. If you want to stop at the desk, I'm sure all you'd have to do is ask and they will comply.

 

[bosstoboss]

I can tell that I'm seeing this differently than others posting but to me they have added a level of service. You get truly personal and convenient attention.

You can still go to the desk any time you need help making reservations, etc.. For those of us who have nothing to do but the cc, it eliminates a whole step and we can start vacation that much quicker.

There are still drinks in the lounge.

BCV23.....I know there are still drinks in the lounge, and I know that you can still go to the desks and get help (I've only been at RPC 11 times) ....I'm talking about the drinks on the 3rd floor, it is a petty complaint, but I wish they didn't eliminate it.

 

[BCV23]

BCV23.....I know there are still drinks in the lounge, and I know that you can still go to the desks and get help (I've only been at RPC 11 times) ....I'm talking about the drinks on the 3rd floor, it is a petty complaint, but I wish they didn't eliminate it.

LOL, I wasn't implying that you didn't know. It just doesn't matter to me where they are. But I understand what you mean....once we're used to something, it can be hard to get use to changes.

Another reason I like the change is that it would speed it up for everyone I would think. If you arrive at the desk and the CMs are helping current guests with reservations or whatever, it is a pain to wait especially as it can be some time depending upon the guest.

By the same token, arriving guests don't occupy the time of the CMs at the desk which makes it easier for current guests to get help.

I just wish our room had been ready and I could have sampled checkin in the room. Our wait for the room was 3 plus hours which is longer than I think we've ever waited in a low season. And it was Friday am which is probably not a busy checkin time.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Being checked in from your room at RPC is nothing new. The first time we had that done, was back in 2002 and I thought it was a very nice gesture. The kids were getting settled, changing into bathing suits and Meejay was chatting with us as a family. We've also had check-in done on the 4th floor at one of the lounge tables, while having a snack and sipping on ice cold lemonade.