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

[Mousecrazy22]

No, you can't walk from the GF to the MK.

Welcome to the GF FAQ,Terri and Crit!

Thanks for the quick reply and the welcome!!!

 

[Janet2k]

Wow! So many newbies around here. Welcome! I hope you all enjoy your upcoming Grand Floridian vacations.

 

[Janet2k]

I think I will just go ahead and do what I originally planned to do, as you said, have the cake delivered to the marina and we will serve it and eat it up on deck!

Sounds like fun getting chauffered around between resorts by the Grand 1, Janet!

Lives4Disney, it sounds like you have a plan. Are you going to order any beverages from Private Dining to enjoy with your cake? Milk for the children? Champagne for you & your husband? (By the way, congrats on the weight loss.)

Yes, it will be fun for our group to be picked up by the Grand 1 in one location and then dropped off in another location. I hadn’t thought of it before as a big, white limousine without hubcaps. That’s a cute visualization.

One of the folks in my group was teasing everyone about taking belly dancing lessons. I laughed at her comment and then flashbacked to a prior WDW vacation. I searched through my laptop and found what I was looking for. I uploaded my little home video to Google so that I could share it with them. You might enjoy it, too, since it is appropriate for your own vacation: click here.

It would be wild if my group attended dinner in Morocco one night. We’re crazy enough to do it, and if we do, I’ve got my camcorder ready to record any group belly dancing.

 

[lynr]

I am getting excited. We leave for our trip in less than a month now. And I am 48 lbs less than this time last year!! (Just had to throw that in there since I just stepped on the scale, LOL) Gotta shoot for more than 50 lbs for my 40th.

Lives4Disney: Congratulations on your weight loss I know you'll make your goal of atleast 50 lbs in a month I bet it will be closer to 60. What is your secret? I have been trying to loose weight for a year now and was down 32lbs but I have recently put 8lbs back on. I am a big stress eater. My MIL passed away this week and I can't stop eating. I guess I better stick to Disney planning and stay away from the food. I be in debt but thin.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Janet - TOO FUNNY!!! I think I'd have to be pretty falling down drunk, though, to get up there and do that!!!!! More power to that lady!! My girls did it last time and they really had fun. Morocco is a fun place to eat. We had an awesome waiter that let my littlest one wear his fez during dinner, too! It was a fun experience.

I think champagne sounds really good with cake and the girls will probably do lemonade. Not big on milk in the hot weather.

Lynn - Thanks for the congrats about the weight loss. I have been doing Weight Watchers points since last August. I put on 69lbs with my last pregnancy (six years ago) and lost a bunch right away, but staying home with my kids it just seemed to pack right back on. The WW has been an awesome thing for me. Before that I was an exercise maniac, but just didn't make the right food choices (and portions too). WW has opened up my eyes to the mistakes I was making and taught me new ways to look at my "diet". For me it has been more of a food lifestyle change so it's not killing me like a regular old diet. I don't know if it's something you've tried, and I have heard some folks just really didn't think it would be for them, but it has been the easiest thing for me. I don't even work out like I used to. I walk my dog and go about my life and the weight has come off. Not super quick anymore like the first few months, but I am not suffering, either. The loss has gotten very slow at this point. Hoping now that the weather is nicer and I am out walking more and swimming it will pick up a bit, but I enjoy eating so I don't deprive myself as much as I should, LOL. (AND, belive me....I am looking forward to some of my favorites at WDW! ) Sorry to hear about your MIL. That's tough. I understand about stress eating. Hang in there. Sounds like a hard time right now.

To Terry in Hawaii (LUCKY!), and Mousecrazy, and MissKris! You will LOVE the GF - It's the best.

Happy planning, everybody!!

Lives4Disney

 

[kaysmommie]

I was wondering if they have a childs wading pool at GF? We have a reservation for Poly but I'm pondering switching to GF garden view. The poly doesn't have a kiddie pool and Captain cooks will be moved and not have refillable mugs, so thats my motivation for switching. DD 6 will be devastated because she wants to stay at Poly? We could only do GV, does anyone know what the best location for GV is as far as being close to pool and main bldg. Thanks in advance.

 

[Janet2k]

I was wondering if they have a childs wading pool at GF?

Kaysmommie, a children’s wading pool is located next to the quiet pool (the older pool). The themed pool (the newer pool) has a zero-depth entry area that the little ones also love.

As to what building to request, take a look at the GF map before you decide: click here. (Note: The "theme" pool isn't shown on the map but it's located on the beach in-between the Summerhouse and the Wedding Pavilion.)

 

[Janet2k]

Kaysmommie, if you look at the resort map, item # 22 is the kiddie pool: click here.

 

[Janet2k]

Kaysmommie, something else that I forgot to add -- the resort’s theme pool has a water play area: click here. The kids love playing in that area, waiting for the water to squirt up from the ground. As an FYI since the Dis’ map didn't show the theme pool, here’s Google Earth's aerial view of the resort: click here. The theme pool area is located towards the bottom of that photo (next to the compass).

Since the resort complex is quite manageable, I won’t recommend one lodge building over another. Each building is lovely and has something slightly different to offer. For example, some buildings are located closer to Gasparilla Grill, while other buildings are located closer to the Water Taxi Dock, and so on. In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Have fun planning your vacation.

 

[grandflo89]

My wife and I has a full meal aboard the GrandOneon June 3rd 2006.We started with champagne. shrimp cocktail, sourdough bread,filet & lobster tailwith augratin potatoes,followed by chocolate souffles.We still enjoyed two hours on deck fro the electric water pagaent and wishes.


grandflo89

 

[terryfromhawaii]

Thanks for the welcome BCV23!

Welcome to the GF FAQ,Terri and Crit!

 

[Janet2k]

My wife and I has a full meal aboard the GrandOneon June 3rd 2006.We started with champagne. shrimp cocktail, sourdough bread,filet & lobster tailwith augratin potatoes,followed by chocolate souffles.We still enjoyed two hours on deck fro the electric water pagaent and wishes.

Grandflo89, thank you for passing your experience along. If you have any photos to share of your cruise, please consider posting a link to them here in the FAQ thread. There are at least two of us in this thread who have cruises planned for our upcoming vacations (and there might be others lurking about who have chosen to keep their plans a secret for now). I would love to see your photos, and I think the others would also.

I have a few questions that I hope you won't mind answering. How many people were on your cruise? How long did your meal take? How long was your cruise? Was there anything that you would have done differently if you had to do it all over again?

For the cruise that I’ll be attending, we’ll have a fairly large group on it. I believe the boat has been booked for two hours. My friends informed me just the other day that they only want desserts & drinks served aboard since most of us will be dining together beforehand. It’s taken a little while for our group to get coordinated in regards to this event, but I think everything is finally falling into place. I’m really looking forward to an evening on the water with everyone. It should be one of the highlights of our group vacation.

Again, thank you for passing your information along, and if you have anything further to add, I would enjoy hearing it.

 

[kaysmommie]

Kaysmommie, something else that I forgot to add -- the resort’s theme pool has a water play area: click here. The kids love playing in that area, waiting for the water to squirt up from the ground. As an FYI since the Dis’ map didn't show the theme pool, here’s Google Earth's aerial view of the resort: click here. The theme pool area is located towards the bottom of that photo (next to the compass).

Since the resort complex is quite manageable, I won’t recommend one lodge building over another. Each building is lovely and has something slightly different to offer. For example, some buildings are located closer to Gasparilla Grill, while other buildings are located closer to the Water Taxi Dock, and so on. In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Have fun planning your vacation.

Thank you Janet for your help. We have never stayed at GF before only eat in there restaurants and DD likes the tea party w/ Alice.

 

[MickeyMac]

If you would like, I have pictures of the Grand One yacht here: http://mickeymac.smugmug.com/gallery/1449827

We were recent Guests for a private dessert party for friends of ours who got married (not on the yacht.) It was wonderful.

 

[Janet2k]

We have never stayed at GF before only eat in there restaurants and DD likes the tea party w/ Alice.

Kaysmommie, if you stay at the Grand Floridian, I hope you have a wonderful vacation (and if you stay elsewhere, I hope it's just as wonderful).

As to the Wonderland Tea Party, my daughter loves it, too. She also loves the Pirates Cruise and the Grand Adventures in Cooking Class. The Cooking Class is her all-time favorite, though. If you want to see my photos of those activities, just let me know and I'll post the links to them.

 

[Janet2k]

We were recent Guests for a private dessert party for friends of ours who got married (not on the yacht.) It was wonderful.

Oh, MickeyMac, I am going to pour over your photos. Thank you so much for posting a link to them. If you'd care to add any further details, please do so.

 

[Janet2k]

MickeyMac, I just reviewed your photos. All that I can say is, "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!" The photographer did a wonderful job capturing the beauty of the Grand 1. Yowsa!

I can't thank you enough for posting your link to those photos. I hope you don't mind, but I just shared your photo link with the people who are joining me on the cruise. I don't believe anyone has seen photos half as lovely as yours are. I know they will be excited to see just how fine a craft the Grand 1 is. Again, thank you, and if you have anything further to share, please do.

 

[Cinderella Fan]

Lynn - Thanks for the congrats about the weight loss. I have been doing Weight Watchers points since last August. I put on 69lbs with my last pregnancy (six years ago) and lost a bunch right away, but staying home with my kids it just seemed to pack right back on. The WW has been an awesome thing for me. Before that I was an exercise maniac, but just didn't make the right food choices (and portions too). WW has opened up my eyes to the mistakes I was making and taught me new ways to look at my "diet". For me it has been more of a food lifestyle change so it's not killing me like a regular old diet. I don't know if it's something you've tried, and I have heard some folks just really didn't think it would be for them, but it has been the easiest thing for me. I don't even work out like I used to. I walk my dog and go about my life and the weight has come off. Not super quick anymore like the first few months, but I am not suffering, either. The loss has gotten very slow at this point. Hoping now that the weather is nicer and I am out walking more and swimming it will pick up a bit, but I enjoy eating so I don't deprive myself as much as I should, LOL. (AND, belive me....I am looking forward to some of my favorites at WDW! ) Sorry to hear about your MIL. That's tough. I understand about stress eating. Hang in there. Sounds like a hard time right now.

To Terry in Hawaii (LUCKY!), and Mousecrazy, and MissKris! You will LOVE the GF - It's the best.

Happy planning, everybody!!

Lives4Disney

Congratulations on your weight loss. I know how hard it is to get off some lbs. You are to be commended on your willpower!!

I just realized that we will be at the GF at the same time. I hope you have a great vacation!!

 

[MickeyMac]

Hi Janet, wow, you made my night. Thank you so much! It took me a while to get the shots right, and I had to go back a couple of times (oh pity!) but they were gracious about letting me onboard. Thank you so much for your wonderful reception of my photos, and yes, please share them. That's why I took them, and I just noticed I'm missing a few of them up there. You and others have graciously shared so much with me, that it's little enough that I can do in return.

The main thing I noticed about booking the Grand One is that it's not easy to do. You book the ship from the marina, dining from another number, and if you want specialty items, those come from all over god's green earth. At the present time, there is no "Grand Coordinator."

I don't know if I would be good with the details. We were 12 adults, the max on board the ship. The couple who rented the boat (1 hour; Wishes cruise) also ordered desserts and hors d'ouvres. They took care of every detail, I was quite spoiled! It was a lovely spread laid out on the table in the cabin by the time we arrived. We provided our own champagne (we each brought our own bottle; we were allowed to do so since we didn't have butler service) We toured the harbor a bit and laugh ourselves silly signing the Guest Book and reading over all the wonderful celebrations that taken place onboard (and I'm now realizing I forgot to sign it! :lol Right before Wishes, the Captain asked us how we would like to dock the ship. We selected the back of the boat face the castle (like my technical terms?? LOL!) He tuned to the frequency so we could listen to the show, along with watching the fireworks. It was lovely. At some point, I will post photos of the shots from the back of the boat, but I took a couple thousand that week and it's a bit much to go through.

After Wishes, he asked us where we would like to view the Electric Water Parade and we opted to stay where we were and watched from in front of the Grand. It was lovely.

I'm not sure what else to provide, other than Tip Your Driver! I went topdeck (ha ha, I *SOUND* like I know what I'm talking about!!) and talked to them while we were watching the fireworks and the show, and it was amazing to see what he had to do while we were having fun. The pontoon boats drift, sometimes by accident, and sometimes not so much (especially if they didn't book a boat with sound) so they would pull up close. Well, you can't do that with something the size of that yacht, and it would be dangerous for them and for us. He not only had to keep an eye on where we were positioned, but on all the other pontoons that were lining up near us. If they got to near, he had to warn them off, etc. It was all done very quietly and privately. If I had been downstairs, I would not have noticed. He also made sure that the boats were lined up, so no one was obstructing views. I've been on pontoon cruises before, and noticed a huge difference in the effort of his driving. I digress.

I hope this helps. I don't know what to add other than what I just did, since we've only done one cruise. Next time I'm wearing more sensible shoes. I really wanted to go out on the front of the boat, but didn't dare! LOL!

 

[Lives4Disney]

Oh, MickeyMac - I love you! What an awesome review and pictures.

I have the Grand 1 booked for the evening of my 40th bday for a Wishes cruise and I am constantly doubting myself (the cost!!) and worried about will it be worth it? Will I regret it?? (You get the picture) I am going to order a bday cake & champagne and lemonade for my daughters. My husband doesn't know about my secret bday gift to myself, LOL, so I don't know when/how to break it to him. I KNOW what you mean about difficult to book! I had my wonderful IPO CM checking into it several times a day for me (actually 2 CMs were working on getting it for me) Then of course I was out when the marina called (I took a 1/2 hour walk) and they left me a message that it was available and if I wanted it to call back. I did and got that same answering machine! Talk about stressful. It worked out, though...so it was meant to be.

Anyway, THANKS so much for the fabulous pics and your wonderful review. I will just have the best time, I know it now.

THANKYOU THANK YOU THANKYOU for taking the time to share your pics and experience on the Grand 1.

Lives4Disney