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

[Lives4Disney]

We will be arriving at the GF 1 month from today for our daugthers surprise birthday trip. I have been really excited about staying at the GF. It is the one hotel at WDW I always wanted to stay at and now we will. I must say, after reading the other GF thread I am now a little concerned. Alot of negative posts. I know on this site there are a few regular posters who only have good things to say and if anybody has anything negative to say they are immediately jumped on but 90% of the other thread has negative things to say.
I guess I will have to draw my own conclusions but I do hope I can be a HAPPY GF poster.

ok, I know you're talking about me and my fuss several pages back. I am not usually one to be a skeptic at all to other people's experiences, but that person & post was kind of odd & came out of the blue. Never saw that person ask any questions regarding the GF at all...maybe they had no idea what the GF is like....should have thought/planned ahead. Complaining about "quiet" guests and ranting about no towel animals, no "lobby bar", and dirty GF pools....that is just a bit off the mark.

Anyway.....back to your statement about that other thread. Most of those posters had issues years ago and also many of the complaints are about the theming or lack of. Also, many of those people call the GF "stuffy". It is all in the eye of the beholder IMO. You know it's a Victorian themed resort. It is a deluxe. Any deluxe resort anywhere could be perceived as "stuffy". It's a DISNEY hotel and it is very family oriented- not stuffy at all. Maybe the theme makes it feel more formal, but stuffy?? No way. The CMs at the Grand are the best. I have met concierge CMs, housekeepers, valet CMs, lounge staff, cake decorators, shop CMs, one of the pianists, the wonderful orchestra members, etc....they are regular folks and super helpful and kind. These posters that consider the GF "stuffy" are bringing that onto themselves with their own baggage. If you are not happy with the feel of the place once you're there, just ask to be moved. You can switch resorts if available. As for the self parking that they are also complaining about over there......well, we usually fly/limo, but in July we did drive and self parked and honestly, I think our spot in the YC parking lot was much farther than the GF parking spot!

Hope it turns out to be a nice stay. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.....I am still hoping people read that thread and believe it. Maybe there will be more rooms and discounts available at the Grand. Heck, I read all the wonderful hype on the Dis about the Poly and believed it and stayed there and it was a bust. (tried 3X ) The Poly is not my happy spot.

Lives4Disney

 

[wdhinn89]

ok, I know you're talking about me and my fuss several pages back. I am not usually one to be a skeptic at all to other people's experiences, but that person & post was kind of odd & came out of the blue. Never saw that person ask any questions regarding the GF at all...maybe they had no idea what the GF is like....should have thought/planned ahead. Complaining about "quiet" guests and ranting about no towel animals, no "lobby bar", and dirty GF pools....that is just a bit off the mark.

Anyway.....back to your statement about that other thread. Most of those posters had issues years ago and also many of the complaints are about the theming or lack of. Also, many of those people call the GF "stuffy". It is all in the eye of the beholder IMO. You know it's a Victorian themed resort. It is a deluxe. Any deluxe resort anywhere could be perceived as "stuffy". It's a DISNEY hotel and it is very family oriented- not stuffy at all. Maybe the theme makes it feel more formal, but stuffy?? No way. The CMs at the Grand are the best. I have met concierge CMs, housekeepers, valet CMs, lounge staff, cake decorators, shop CMs, one of the pianists, the wonderful orchestra members, etc....they are regular folks and super helpful and kind. These posters that consider the GF "stuffy" are bringing that onto themselves with their own baggage. If you are not happy with the feel of the place once you're there, just ask to be moved. You can switch resorts if available. As for the self parking that they are also complaining about over there......well, we usually fly/limo, but in July we did drive and self parked and honestly, I think our spot in the YC parking lot was much farther than the GF parking spot!

Hope it turns out to be a nice stay. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.....I am still hoping people read that thread and believe it. Maybe there will be more rooms and discounts available at the Grand. Heck, I read all the wonderful hype on the Dis about the Poly and believed it and stayed there and it was a bust. (tried 3X ) The Poly is not my happy spot.

Lives4Disney

Thanks I felt the same about the Poly too. Been there, done that, won't be back. The only think that bothers me about the other threads is the talk of lack of cleanliness. To me that is unacceptable. I expect better. Everything else is just an opinion.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Thanks I felt the same about the Poly too. Been there, done that, won't be back. The only think that bothers me about the other threads is the talk of lack of cleanliness. To me that is unacceptable. I expect better. Everything else is just an opinion.

Hmmm.....I am going to have to go back to read that other thread again. I didn't pick up on the cleanliness complaints. We have not had any housekeeping problems ever. Not sure what other cleanliness issues there are. Gonna check because I am curious.

We have stayed Poly, BWI, CR, YC, BC, S/D over and over and over again thru the past 16 yrs. We keep returning to the GF because it has been consistantly wonderful for us. I understand if it's not everybody's cup of tea and if we had problems there that weren't handled nicely we might have second thoughts about the place, too. (because we won't do Poly or BWI again thanks to weird issues & our dissatisfaction the resolutions LOL...I have always wanted to use this snooty guy )

Happy planning,

Lives4Disney

 

[HockeyMomR]

Thanks I felt the same about the Poly too. Been there, done that, won't be back. The only think that bothers me about the other threads is the talk of lack of cleanliness. To me that is unacceptable. I expect better. Everything else is just an opinion.

We did have very slight cleanliness and insect issues during our brief stay in July at GF. To me it is not the issues, but how they are handled by management once brought to their attention. Our issues were handled promptly and followed up by GF management. We found the CMs friendly and helpful. for the lobby concierge staff as they went above and beyond helping our family find an alternative dinner reservation as a replacement for our GF Cafe reservation (our sons were not interested in the princess meal offered at GF cafe at the time).

Our experience at GF was positive - we enjoyed our first stay at GF and would absolutely stay there again!

 

[BrianD]

I would just like to add that the entire point of that "other" thread is to get negative experiences from people. The OP was only looking for negative posts about the resort. That is why you are seeing about 90% negative posts on that thread.

Honestly we could create a similar thread for every resort on Disney property, and they would look just like that one.

On the other hand, this FAQ thread is primarily positive experiences because people who love a particular resort tend to hang out on that resort's FAQ thread. It's also because people who love a resort, stay there a lot, and therefore know a lot about it. But again, all FAQ threads on here are full of folks that love their resort.

So, you could say that the "other" thread makes a nice counter-point to the positive vibes on here. But so what? Obviously there are a bunch of us who love the GF, and I'm pretty sure we're not idiots, so there are reasonable people that think it is a great resort based on their experiences there.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Brian makes a great point. That post is happily looking for unhappy GF campers. Anybody that wants to vent will jump aboard. I am finding it kind of interesting but I don't believe everything I read (anymore haha ).

Hockeymom - I agree 100%. On our very first GF stay we had some troubles.....lots of troubles......it really disappointed me and upset me that so many things went wrong on our FIRST stay, first day even.....well, the way it was handled impressed me & DH and despite the disappointment I felt when the problems occurred, what I do remember most was how the manager handled it. THAT keeps us coming back. I think problems can happen any time, but the important thing is how they are resolved.

Lives4Disney

 

[Sailorwife]

I am heading to the GF in March for a Spring Break trip. We now have a GV room but I am looking at an upgrade to SL. Are the rooms bigger in SL than the GV. We are a family of 5 and the bigger room might be worth it.
Thanks!!!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I would just like to add that the entire point of that "other" thread is to get negative experiences from people. The OP was only looking for negative posts about the resort. That is why you are seeing about 90% negative posts on that thread.

Honestly we could create a similar thread for every resort on Disney property, and they would look just like that one.

On the other hand, this FAQ thread is primarily positive experiences because people who love a particular resort tend to hang out on that resort's FAQ thread. It's also because people who love a resort, stay there a lot, and therefore know a lot about it. But again, all FAQ threads on here are full of folks that love their resort.

So, you could say that the "other" thread makes a nice counter-point to the positive vibes on here. But so what? Obviously there are a bunch of us who love the GF, and I'm pretty sure we're not idiots, so there are reasonable people that think it is a great resort based on their experiences there.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I am heading to the GF in March for a Spring Break trip. We now have a GV room but I am looking at an upgrade to SL. Are the rooms bigger in SL than the GV. We are a family of 5 and the bigger room might be worth it.
Thanks!!!

The standard rooms in Sugar Loaf are the same size as a GV room.

There are, however, 3 "lodge tower" rooms that are by request only in Sugar Loaf (they're a bookable category in the other outer lodges). These rooms provide an extra sitting area with a couch, plus an extra TV.

 

[Dis Ohana]

We will be arriving at the GF 1 month from today for our daugthers surprise birthday trip. I have been really excited about staying at the GF. It is the one hotel at WDW I always wanted to stay at and now we will. I must say, after reading the other GF thread I am now a little concerned. Alot of negative posts. I know on this site there are a few regular posters who only have good things to say and if anybody has anything negative to say they are immediately jumped on but 90% of the other thread has negative things to say.
I guess I will have to draw my own conclusions but I do hope I can be a HAPPY GF poster.

I've been following that other thread and it seems to me that the majority of the negative posts seems to be based on opinion. A lot of people seem put off by the "vibe" or what they perceive as guests and CMs as being "snooty". I prefer calm to a resort overrun with tired children, I can get that all day long in the parks. I have no problem with that part of it.
The posts about bad service and poor mousekeeping did concern me, but as another poster pointed out, if you go looking for the negatives on any resort you will certainly find it. We're staying at AKL, GF and BWI for our first trip to WDW -- I have read so many negatives and postives on both, it's enough to make your head spin!
I like to read the FAQ threads because they are very informative and mainly positive. I've already paid for my vacation so no bad news, please !
Have fun on your vacation, I'm sure your daughter will love it. I chose this resort mainly for me and my DD .

 

[werfamily]

I would just like to add that the entire point of that "other" thread is to get negative experiences from people. The OP was only looking for negative posts about the resort. That is why you are seeing about 90% negative posts on that thread.

I agree with this, and also wanted to point out a little part of human nature. When something is out of reach for people, it is very common (and actually a good coping mechanism) for them to try and convince themselves that they don't want it anyway. I think this is a big factor of what is going on in the other GF thread. Many people WANT to find something to dislike about the deluxes.

As a disclaimer, I'm saying this having never stayed at the GF. We're from California, so I don't see much of a need to travel across country to visit Disney. But my kids see it differently, so they've talked us into a trip in February. We normally prefer to stay in the club level of a hotel when we travel, and have heard from friends that the RPC is nice, but not on par with non-Disney premier resorts. I imagine that they are somewhat correct, as Disney caters to a very different clientele than the average elite resort, but it will be nice to be able to compare for ourselves.

 

[irisbud]

Hi everybody!

My dad and I got back from our trip on Friday night, but work has gotten in the way of me posting since then (ugh, how many things can you make go wrong in one week?!?)

We had a great trip! The grand was grand, as always! We had booked a MK view room, and got a corner room at the end of Big Pine. I was worried that there might be residual smoke issues as I am allergic but the room was all newly redone, as were the lobby and hallways.

I liked the new decor better in person than I do in the photographs. One plus for room 9147 (the room we had) was that it was one of those corner rooms with 2 balconies and 2 views. It was also larger than a standard room. There was a hallway leading into the room that had the closet in it. After you turned around a 90 degree bend, there was the bathroom in its own section of hallway, then you walked into a part of the room about 6-8 ft wide with a lower celing. In this part there was a sliding glass door that went out to a patio witjh a view of the wedding pavillion and the Poly. In this section there was also a table and two chairs!

The rest of the room was basically your standard room, except that the ugly picture no one seems to like was hanging over the table and chairs instead of over the day bed. There was a mirror over the daybed instead, and it was properly centered. I thought that the room looked much bettwer this way, and the picture is not to terrible either, if you put it in a different context. Out the regular balcony was a nice view of the castle, though one little branch could have been cut off to make it a perfect view. No worries, though! It was great seeing the firworks from there and the electrial water pagent thingie. You could also watch the monorail go by and here the music coming from MK.

Housekeeping was fine. We did not receive any towel animals or extra toilitries, but our room was clean and comfortable. There were robes in the closet though they weren't used during our stay. Turndown came through every night while we were gone and did a nice job.

All in all, we had a great stay. Unfortunatly, I didn't get any pics of the room, but I did get some of the view from the main patio, and I will post them later.

The only issue I had with my stay (which was not an issue, just me being selfish and bratty) was looking up at the Roy Disney suite from the outside and wishing I was Staying in THAT room again! Oh well, even once was fabulous.

I'll be happy to answer any questions if I can!

 

[princessesrule4]

Thanks for the report! Big Pine was always our favorite building for an MK view(nonsmoking)
Your room sounds fabulous! Can't wait to see pix. We had a similar room with the hallway and extra sink,etc. in RPC - only 1 balcony though!
Glad you had a great trip!!

 

[SLDL]

Since you mentioned the robes, it reminded me of a question...I have 2 kids who would love the robes...how do I request in-room childsize robes? Just call somewhere when I get there?

 

[princessesrule4]

Since you mentioned the robes, it reminded me of a question...I have 2 kids who would love the robes...how do I request in-room childsize robes? Just call somewhere when I get there?

Unfortunately, there are no child size robes in the rooms anymore !

 

[SLDL]

Unfortunately, there are no child size robes in the rooms anymore !

I thought I could request them? I thought I had read that somewhere...hmm....thanks for the info!

 

[SLDL]

Hello! I am just in a posting mood today. This is sortof OT, but many many pages ago, I was asking about the Alice dresses at the GF & now I am happy to say that I had a friend purchase one for me when she went in Aug. But, now I am having trouble finding an appropriate outfit for my DS who will be 5 at Halloween. I thought maybe some of you might have a suggestion. Of course, the Mad Hatter would be an obvious choice but I can't find that outfit anywhere online! I would love any ideas.

Also, has anyone been to either b-fast or dinner at 1900 lately, since the renovations? I wondered if/how the characters had changed. I believe I read that the mice are no longer at dinner?

 

[Brier Rose]

Hey Everyone!

I guess I have been SO busy party planning that I totally missed this about the GF room refurbs..so I'm in a little bit of a panic here!!

Ok..long story short (or shorter )..we are having a huge Sweet 16 party at WDW October 16th-22nd for our DD, so yeah, we leave in 6 days!!

Anyway..GF is DD's favorite resort, plus we are having a private dinner party there at the Summerhouse and Beach area on the 17th, so we really needed to be there.

I messed up however by waiting too late to make ressies and wound up with a hodge podge of rooms for our stay!

Our first night, the 16th, we have just a GV room booked.
Second night, the 17th, we have a One-Bedroom Outer Lodge Suite booked.
For all the rest of our nights..the 18th-22nd, we're back in a regular GV room again.

SO..my question is this...how would you handle this situation, and how will we be effected by this remodel?

Are there certain rooms I should request, and would I just do 3 separate ones then?

TIA!

 

[LGH1946]

Are all the GF rooms non-smoking?

I don't guess you get any frills in a GV room, do you?

I have never stayed at GF so I don't know what to expect.

But a GV is all that I can afford.

What do you estimate is the amount of the walk from the Sago Cay rooms to the bus & monorail ? Some people say it isn't too far and some have said 1/2 a mile. That is pretty far when you are tired and have a very bad knee.

I have had the GV booked since Feb. I booked the GV because the agent said it was the closet to the transortation. and also the lowest price.

Do you feel like you aren't really at the Grand Floridian when you are staying in a Garden View room?

How do you compare staying in the Tower room of the Contemporary?
How about the Poly? my room there was close to the lobby.

Thanks for all the info. I go on Dec. 2, I am so excited!!!

 

[DisneyNotes]

Are all the GF rooms non-smoking?

yes

What do you estimate is the amount of the walk from the Sago Cay rooms to the bus & monorail ? Some people say it isn't too far and some have said 1/2 a mile. That is pretty far when you are tired and have a very bad knee.

It's close to the bus stop with only a few minute walk. Enjoy the lovely stroll. If you are tired when you get off the bus, then sit on the benches for a few minutes before walking to your room.

Do you feel like you aren't really at the Grand Floridian when you are staying in a Garden View room?

Our first stay at the Grand was in a GV room at Sago Cay. It was beautiful and we loved the building. We have stayed at the Grand several more times since then. That first visit sold us on the lovely resort.

How do you compare staying in the Tower room of the Contemporary?
How about the Poly? my room there was close to the lobby.

I've stayed in the Hawaii building at the Poly and it seemed like I had to walk more there.