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

[Lives4Disney]

Channing - it's amazing that you, me and Denise have never run into each other yet! I think we were actually at YC the same time this year (we were there June 28-July 12). We definitely seem to have similar tastes! Let the planning begin!

Robyn....ya! We were there in overlapping dates. We stayed GF July 1-4, and then YC July 4-9! Too funny. We had a much better YC time this yr than last summer actually and we would do it again for sure. We had YC bus issues and a couple housekeeping things, but over all they seemed much better than last yr. GF is my favorite (of course), but YC is my favorite Epcot resort - second only to GF. I like it much better than the crazy BC and the BW is OK, but SAB tilts the scale to YC.

We are going back to GF in Nov....if not sooner if I can eek out a little quickie stay.

Happy planning,

Lives4Disney

 

[triplefigs]

Too funny! DH just saw my post on the computer (forgot to hide it!) and said, "so should I be expecting another Disney charge on the CC soon? We haven't even been on this trip and you have 2 more planned?" He just shook his head at me. At least he didn't say no!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Too funny! DH just saw my post on the computer (forgot to hide it!) and said, "so should I be expecting another Disney charge on the CC soon? We haven't even been on this trip and you have 2 more planned?" He just shook his head at me. At least he didn't say no!

Tell him HH doesn't count!

Lori

 

[triplefigs]

Tell him HH doesn't count!

Lori

I did! Especially since it's a girls' weekend and is really cheap!

 

[garada3]

Well, I contacted our AAA agent (if you need a great one, PM me). She said the AAA rates should be out in Aug (thanks, Lindsay!). I asked her to book RPC Standard room for Nov 29-Dec 7. The only reason I book with a AAA agent is because I can keep the discount and add on the DDP. She is FANTASTIC and has been great for every trip. I think we'll go with Room only for now, and then see if we get APs or want to add the DDP once they release the details for 2008. I am so excited! And Kristin, that would be great if we were there the same time.

Triplefigs -

It sounds as if you are very familiar with using AAA -

Is your agent booking room only RPC at rack rate and then applying the AAA rate when they are released in August? Is using a AAA agent the only way to have the AAA and the DDP?

I know this is the GF thread but I thought it would be okay to post my questions on this thread as I am asking in order to better understand taking advantage of AAA and reserve RPC for our next visit.

I did figure out when I can make our room only reservation for our next RPC stay...March 12, 2008, 500 days out

 

[dingoballs]

Robyn....ya! We were there in overlapping dates. We stayed GF July 1-4, and then YC July 4-9! Too funny. We had a much better YC time this yr than last summer actually and we would do it again for sure. We had YC bus issues and a couple housekeeping things, but over all they seemed much better than last yr. GF is my favorite (of course), but YC is my favorite Epcot resort - second only to GF. I like it much better than the crazy BC and the BW is OK, but SAB tilts the scale to YC.

We are going back to GF in Nov....if not sooner if I can eek out a little quickie stay.

Happy planning,

Lives4Disney

What is the SAB?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

What is the SAB?

SAB which means Stormalong Bay, is the swimming pool for guests who stay at the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.

 

[dingoballs]

Thanks CR Resort Fan 4 Life.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks CR Resort Fan 4 Life.

You're welcome.

 

[Lives4Disney]

What is the SAB?

CR Fan is right.....SAB is a great pool for guests of the YC/BC and BCV - fun for kids especially. There are different little sections to the pool and it is a freeform, rocky and sandy bottom pool. Very neat. There is a small lazy river, a whirl pool, a shallow sandy beach pool area.....a shifting sands area, a huge waterslide and more. Very fun for a summer stay & surprisingly due to it's huge size it never seemed crowded. (except the line for the slide )

Garada, that's great you made your March ressie!!! I am so debating WDW or someplace else for spring break. Our break falls the last week in March and I know with Easter Sunday right there, the place will be overflowingly packed. If it were just DH, myself and the girls I'd be there, but DS16 is getting worn of the place....then again, last year he bailed out on us the day before we left for CA, so maybe I should just do what I want anyway - which is WDW and RPC. Maybe I need to make a call tomorrow morn.....

Lives4Disney

 

[triplefigs]

Triplefigs -

It sounds as if you are very familiar with using AAA -

Is your agent booking room only RPC at rack rate and then applying the AAA rate when they are released in August? Is using a AAA agent the only way to have the AAA and the DDP?

I know this is the GF thread but I thought it would be okay to post my questions on this thread as I am asking in order to better understand taking advantage of AAA and reserve RPC for our next visit.

I did figure out when I can make our room only reservation for our next RPC stay...March 12, 2008, 500 days out

Hi! Yes, the AAA agent is making room only and then applying the AAA discount when it comes available around August. And yes, the only way to have the AAA discount and the DDP is to book directly with AAA. HTH! And Congrats on RPC!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I agree, Robin. We definitely need to meet up! How was the June trip?

June/July trip was fantastic - the only thing was we stayed all 2 weeks at YC (which we loved), but DH and I did get pangs for the monorail resorts and actually tried to switch the last week to a monorail resort but they were all booked up! Kids did love SAB though and it was nice to walk to the EPCOT restaurants. I think next summer we'll probably do a GF or Poly split with YC! Maybe one day we'll all meet up - I'm dying to meet you, Channing and Java - I was looking for Channing's girls (thought I'd know them from the pictures) but you know how crazy vacations get and I guess I was looking at the pool at the wrong time, or the wrong section.

 

[johnsonet]

triplefigs congratulations on your GF RPC plans!! What an exciting trip to have to look forward to!

Lives4Disney Your comments on and photos of the YC really helped push me to go with a couple of nights there after our GF stay... We've never stayed there, my daughter LOVES SAB and I love walking to World Showcase
Thanks!

 

[garada3]

I did figure out when I can make our room only reservation for our next RPC stay...March 12, 2008, 500 days out

Thanks for the input on AAA Triplefigs and for the well wishes Lives4Disney but I am afraid that my post was confusing...

I can book room only on March 12, 2008 as that is 500 days from the trip, which will be in July of 2009

I wish I was going to be back in the RPC next spring

Hope you all can put up with me planning and replanning for the next two years! DH is already

 

[dingoballs]

CR Fan is right.....SAB is a great pool for guests of the YC/BC and BCV - fun for kids especially. There are different little sections to the pool and it is a freeform, rocky and sandy bottom pool. Very neat. There is a small lazy river, a whirl pool, a shallow sandy beach pool area.....a shifting sands area, a huge waterslide and more. Very fun for a summer stay & surprisingly due to it's huge size it never seemed crowded. (except the line for the slide )

Garada, that's great you made your March ressie!!! I am so debating WDW or someplace else for spring break. Our break falls the last week in March and I know with Easter Sunday right there, the place will be overflowingly packed. If it were just DH, myself and the girls I'd be there, but DS16 is getting worn of the place....then again, last year he bailed out on us the day before we left for CA, so maybe I should just do what I want anyway - which is WDW and RPC. Maybe I need to make a call tomorrow morn.....

Lives4Disney

Thanks Lives4Disney. SAB does sound like alot of fun, but we can't seem to get away from the GF... I think you should call to make ressies too. Your son sounds pretty independent... just leave him at home.

 

[asta]

Just got back from the GF last night and haven't had time to read the latest posts (sorry if this is old news) but thought that I would go ahead and share. Once again we loved this resort. Our best meal by far of the entire trip was at Narcooses and we ate at several good restuarants. This place should not be missed. We stayed in one of the new MK view rooms at the end of Conch Key. I think the room actually looks better in person than in the photos. The mismatched woods bothered me in the photos but didn't seem as noticeable in person. Great new shower heads and bath products (especially the body lotion). I think that the new sofa beds are an improvement. They seem much longer and I like how the back pulls down for sleep and flips up for sitting. As far as for other construction, they appeared to be working in Sugar Loaf and on the top floor (5th?) of the main building. There was a construction barrier to the right of the entrance to Sugar Loaf but I still saw guests coming and going from the building. As far as the 5th floor of the main building, I am guessing that they were working there because it looked like white sheeting was hung blocking the view around the interior of the lobby. This was taken down on Friday so I don't know if this meant that they were done.

One bad note as far as the new rooms in Conch and rude guests. Even though the rooms were newly refurbished, the people in the room below us (we were in room 7329) were smoking away (cigars and ciggarettes). The smoke was very noticeable when we were on our balcony. They kept an ashtray on the balcony rail and just emptied it over the side into the landscaping below. We put up with this for one night, but complained when they lit up again on the second night. I didn't know if we should complain but the GF was very grateful to us for making them aware of the situation. The duty manager showed up after the fireworks (within 15 minutes) to verify the situation and assured us that the problem would not happen again and that a fine would be assessed. (I only wish that the stated $250-$500 fine could be credited to our bill for having to put up with their smoke.) Overall I think that the GF handled this well.

 

[milkshake]

Thanks for the update asta, we're headed over there next month to sugarloaf. We're excited as it's our first time at this resort and at WDW. That is rude of the other guest. I think some people just assume that lighting up on the balcony is ok at most resorts. My hubby is an occational ciggie smoker but we both agree that smoking of the balcony does float over to other rooms and balconies as well. Not cool... especially if there are kids or sensitive nose's within reach. That goes both ways as well. Last year we were in Mexico and the people next door had there TV turned up full blast in the middle of the night. We finally called front desk at 3am. They turned it down but had no clue that it was bothersome to others?? Maybe hearing aids in use? You never know.
For the other experts online, what do you do for transportation to Epcot, Animal Kingdom. Monorial to transfer point, bus? Is there that much time difference involved? How long to they stop at each hotel stop? Sorry for being so uninformed...I'm a serious newbie for WDW.. Thank you and keep up the great info and tips !

 

[milkshake]

Thanks for the upate! We're headed there as serious excited newbies next month. That is rude.. hubby is an occational ciggy smoker but know it's not right to light up even on a balcony since smoke travels~~~
Just wondering from all you GF experts... what transport do you take to and from Epcot and Animal Kingdom? Thanks for all the great tips and advice!

 

[Lives4Disney]

ASTA - Thanks for the update...glad it was a good stay with the exception of the smokers. Glad the GF handled it.

Garada, sorry. I did misunderstand. We don't mind you planning in advance! That's great & something to look forward to and dream about.

Dingo- Ya, I need to talk to him and find out what he wants to do. He will be 17.5 by then and he is def independent. Good, but has a teenage mind of his own, haha. I posted some YC pics a few pages back. They are room pics and in the distance you can see some SAB. I didn't bring my camera down to SAB this time so no great pool pics, but the rooms were great - not new, but roomy and light and I liked the layout.

Robyn - I would have loved to meet you! Ya, I know how crazy vacations get. Kelly was at the GF the same time I was and we had to scrape together a couple hrs to get together and it took a couple days to pull it off! It was wonderful meeting her, though and she was fun to ttalk to. The funnything is, I have met people that I didn't know, but they've seen my girls' pics on the DIS and they've introduced themselves to me. Even stranger, but then we met several times after in the parks etc - even had a monorail car only with them - they were on and we hopped in! .

Happy Day,

Lives4Disney

 

[asta]

I just thought of several other interesting items about our stay in one of the new rooms in Conch Key. Our room had a small frig in it instead of an honor bar. I found that this was much better. The hair dryer was not one of those wall mounted things, it was just a regular hair dryer left on a shelf under the safe in the closet. There was a tray containing a coffee maker and Twinnings tea on the vanity. These items seemed different from our last stay but my memory could be wrong. I think the shower heads were new. With three settings from a wide circle of spray to a smaller circle of massage that felt great after a long day.

Also to add to the discussion about the new decor, I really liked having the chair and the ottoman. It was so nice to be able to put your feet up after a long day in the parks. The new longer sofa was also much more comfortable than the older daybeds. I thought that I would mind not having the table but the rollout table actually worked better because it could be wheeled out of sight when not in use. The huge piece of furniture with the TV, frig, and drawers had plenty of storage. The top of it was at a better height to hold all of the stuff that collects during a theme park stay. And you have the top of the desk also.

As far as the upholstery, the hidden Mickey's in the blue chair have been mentioned but I don't know if anyone has yet mentioned the fabric in the drapes and on the pelmet. Clerverly disguised in the pattern were Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald Duck and I think Goofy. It is subtle but they are there. If I can figure out how to post a photo, I will later.