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

[gidge]

I am getting two adjoining rooms atleast thats what I was told) in Garden view.....I cannot imagine any rooms at GF not being nice........but has anyone stayed there and is lagoon much better..should I switch??

 

[MickeyMac]

I wish SL had a better location with some really good views! I would have booked it if it did! Still teetering on the main building.....

Tinks, Sugarloaf has some really pretty views - I love the Marina side. Perhaps because I live near the ocean and could sit and watch the Grand 1 bobbing on the water all day, I find it soothing. The main pool/Boca Chica side is not bad, either.

It's funny - at most luxury resorts, a view of the marina would be desired. Yet when you've got an honest-to-goodness castle nearby, I guess the boat in the pond looks a little bit less impressive.

Gidge, we stayed garden view in July, and absolutely loved it - I was worried about bookign lagoon view, too. We were in Boca Chica, facing Narcoosees on one of the lower floors. It is a very lovely resort. My only problem there is, I don't want to go to the parks.

 

[gidge]

What is the deal with "conceirge"? I thought it was tea and maybe wine and cheeses............what else is involved? Thanks

 

[BunnieGene]

It is a very lovely resort. My only problem there is, I don't want to go to the parks.[/QUOTE]

That's my problem too...I want to enjoy the resort as much as possible

 

[Cass]

What is the deal with "conceirge"?

With concierge you have access an advance itinerary planner to help with your ADR & any other requests/needs you might have.

You have a lounge area where you get breakfast (muffins, fruit, toast, bagels, donuts, cereals, coffee/tee/hot choc/juices)

You get snacks and soft drinks/tea/coffee during the day

You get hot appetizers + cheese crackers, dips, veggies etc... in the late afternoon/evening

you get desserts, wine, liquors in the evening.

The concierge will help if you have a problem or need to change your ADRs and they have been known to (in my experiences) be able to get you in to places that are full.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I am getting two adjoining rooms atleast thats what I was told) in Garden view.....I cannot imagine any rooms at GF not being nice........but has anyone stayed there and is lagoon much better..should I switch??

You can definitely request adjoining rooms (side-by-side - not connected), it's just not guaranteed. I'm sure it was noted as a request on your reservation and you can follow up 3-4 days before you arrive at the resort. Availability will depend on the resort capacity for your stay.

Garden views are very beautiful at the GF. In some buildings, they are a little nicer than others (Sago Cay, Conch Key), but still all are very good (no chance of a parking lot view). Lagoon is a great choice if you want to have a water view and chance of seeing the MK.

 

[nicolemarie]

Hi All!

Just a little more GF SL input. We stayed at the GF SL during our post Thanksgiving trip this year and loved it! I will give one negative though. Let me start by saying that the service, location, overall feel, etc. was wonderful!! We loved it and other than RPC which I have never done, I am sure it doesn't get any better at Disney. My understanding is that the RPC does have the same food offerings, just a different atmosphere with over looking the lobby, hearing the orchestra, and certainly more convenient to everything at the resort. Here is the ONLY rub, IMHO. If you expect the food offerings to compare to say, the Ritz Carlton Club level, they do not - not even close. (Although the nightly rate is probably more than a Ritz Club Level!!) The breakfast is plenty of food if you aren't doing a sit down, and the snacks at lunch and appetizer type things at dinner are nice to munch on when you come in and out from the parks. But I found that breakfast was the only time I felt the food was anything more than just a nice little perk. My only point here is this - the concierge is such a great "feeling". They pamper you a little more, are happy to help you with planning, give you that little bit of spoiling that makes your trip over the top. But IMHO, don't pay the extra expecting for the food to compare to a Ritz club or other five star. Pay the extra because it is Disney's best of the best and you will not regret it!!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Hi Nicole, I'm glad that you had a nice vacation to the GF. I think that you'll find most agree with you. While the food offerings are a nice extra, what you're really paying for is the higher level of service. You'll find most people on the DIS who give advice about staying concierge, indicate that the food offered is in no way intended to be a meal replacement plan. The GF is probably one of the resorts though, that does offer a more upgraded service in this area. I've stayed at the YC, where from 11am-4pm, you munched on goldfish crackers, gummy worms, pudding cups and nuts. Compared to the GF, where you might see a light salad, hummus dips, chips & salsa, cold stuffed slices of chicken breast from 11am-1pm and from 2pm-4pm, that wonderful afternoon tea.

 

[nicolemarie]

I absolutely agree with you Tammi - by the way, you seem to know more about the GF than anyone on the DIS! Your posts (as well as this whole thread) were so helpful to me in planning our recent trip. I think most folks that have stayed on Concierge do realize its the perks you are paying for, not the food. But, for those who have not, they might (like me) be expecting something similar to a RC and be a little let down - just wanted to share that side of the coin!

 

[princessesrule4]

Since we have decided to stay RPC for Christmas, we have pretty much decided to stay SL in June since we don't spend much time at the resort.I hope we don't regret not staying RPC but I feel like we are at the pool,waterparks, parks so much during our June stay that we wouldn't really get to enjoy the Main Building like we did last month! So, tell me everything you love about SL! Thanks so much!

 

[nicolemarie]

The SL is cozy, same food offerings, closer to the boat launch, and not as busy as the main lobby since only people with a SL key can come inside. It is a great way to experience concierge and you will love it. We have small children and they thought it was special to always have a treat to get when we were coming and going from the resort. My DH and I, though we are not really drinkers, did enjoy snagging a "to go" cup of wine on our way out in the evenings after the children (and us!) had napped. I think you made a good move staying SL in the summer and RPC at Christmas. While SL is great and you'll not be missing anything in the summer, I would think (though I have not personally experienced it) that RPC would worth every penny for the Christmas atmosphere. Two GF trips - both concierge - you CAN NOT go wrong!!! Have fun!!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Here's a "what if" question...
If you're staying GF concierge (main bldg) before a cruise- would you pick the pick up time from GF to go to the port AFTER the lunch offerings at GF so you could eat a little of that before leaving- or leave earlier and just eat on the cruise? (not sure when you're able to find something to eat on the cruise- and btw, pick up time does not mean using DCL transfer... it's using FL tours so we can arrange our own pick up time)
Trying to figure out when we should leave GF. At first I was thinking leave earlier- get to port earlier... but if it's a long time until we can eat something on the cruise, then perhaps we'd do better to leave a little later and take advantage of concierge offerings before we leave GF that day. Not sure when check out time is either- 11am or can you check out later?

 

[Lives4Disney]

Here's a "what if" question...
If you're staying GF concierge (main bldg) before a cruise- would you pick the pick up time from GF to go to the port AFTER the lunch offerings at GF so you could eat a little of that before leaving- or leave earlier and just eat on the cruise? (not sure when you're able to find something to eat on the cruise- and btw, pick up time does not mean using DCL transfer... it's using FL tours so we can arrange our own pick up time)
Trying to figure out when we should leave GF. At first I was thinking leave earlier- get to port earlier... but if it's a long time until we can eat something on the cruise, then perhaps we'd do better to leave a little later and take advantage of concierge offerings before we leave GF that day. Not sure when check out time is either- 11am or can you check out later?

Hi, check out time is 11 am, but you have access and use of the lounge all day on your day of check out. You MIGHT be able to get a later check out (maybe 1 pm), but in all of our stays to any WDW resort, we have never been lucky with that.

As far as the food offerings, they stop bfast service at 10:30 and there is about an hour before more snack type foods come out. They usually have veggies/dips, crackers, flatbreads, cheeses/spreads, fruit, nuts, munchies. I think these are out for a couple hours and then tea service is about 2 pm with cookies, cakes, scones. I am sure you will find enough to tide you over - or you could make a lunch ressie at one of the GF restaurants like GF Cafe.

In RPC and SL they have food out most of the day!

Good luck & happy travels - I LOVE RPC!!!

Lives4Disney

 

[marcij]

We will probably be picked up around 11 for our cruise. I like the lunch buffet they serve, and you can go to it right after you board. On our first cruise, we went to AKL in the morning and took the transportation from there. I felt like we were rushed all afternoon, even though we were staying cat. 3 and had concierge help before and at check-in. Our last cruise, we were picked up from the GF around 11, and had more of a leisurely paced afternoon. Now, you can do even more things on the website, so it isn't quite as crucial to be there early, but I'd still rather be there and not have to rush.

I hope you have a fabulous trip.

 

[jacksmom]

Thanks for everyones help so far ! But,I keep coming up with more ?'s ... Will my SL room have a fridge?? Or is this something I need to request? Thanks!

 

[triplefigs]

Thanks for everyones help so far ! But,I keep coming up with more ?'s ... Will my SL room have a fridge?? Or is this something I need to request? Thanks!

It has the minibar (which we left locked). We requested a fridge at check-in, and it was delivered within an hour.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Here's a "what if" question...
If you're staying GF concierge (main bldg) before a cruise- would you pick the pick up time from GF to go to the port AFTER the lunch offerings at GF so you could eat a little of that before leaving- or leave earlier and just eat on the cruise?

I completely agree with MarciJ, check out by 11am and get to the port. Food is offered in both the sit down restaurant (Parrot Cay) or seat yourself (Topsiders/Beach Blanket), as soon as boarding begins (around noon). I think the buffet is incredible and wouldn't miss an opportunity to eat Strawberry Soup. It was great to have some time to get acclimated to the layout of the ship and not feel rushed.

 

[garada3]

It has the minibar (which we left locked). We requested a fridge at check-in, and it was delivered within an hour.

Where did they put the fridge in the room? I am a bit concerned about space as we are a family of 5. I have read that storage space can be a bit tight.

DO you think that a fridge is a request that I can make of IPO before we arrive?

Thanks

 

[traci]

Garada~
just wanted to let you know we were in a dormer room (the smallest) and we had 2 cribs in there. The babies still had room to play...hope this eases your mind a bit regarding space
We are a family of 4 and used all of the drawer space and the closet...mind you we also had 2 strollers in there, diapers, formula and baby food

 

[triplefigs]

Where did they put the fridge in the room? I am a bit concerned about space as we are a family of 5. I have read that storage space can be a bit tight.

DO you think that a fridge is a request that I can make of IPO before we arrive?

Thanks

It went under the sink in the bathroom, so there was not a storage issue. You can go ahead and ask IPO for the refrigerator, but I still had to request it after we got to our room. It came up in about 30 minutes. You can see the fridge (college dorm size) in the lower right of this picture.



As far as storage space goes: We had 5 people and TONS of clothes. I made custom t-shirts for all of us for each day of our 8 day trip plus had all the long sleeve shirts for layering, 6 princess costumes and 2 Prince costumes... you get the idea. We just asked Mousekeeping for extra hangers (35) and hung everything up. Everything else we unpacked into the dresser. Bell Services stored our empty suitcases.

Have fun!