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

[wildviper]

This is my first post!
Thank you for the pictures Janet2k. Seeing the rooms gave me goose bumps; I can't wait for my next trip to DW. We took our first trip to Disney World in March 2003 and we are hooked! We stayed offsite but visited the DVC offices and received a nice tour of BW. WOW! We postponed our March 04 vacation so we could stay onsite. We plan to make DW an annual family tradition, staying at a different onsite resort each time.

 

[chamonix]

welcome wildviper.

To answer my own question posted upthread,

Does the GF health club have a stationary bike? We will be staying at the Poly next week and dh would like to pop over to exercise. I know he would have to pay a daily fee there (not a problem) but don't know if they even have a bike...? Anyone?

Dh went over to the GF a couple mornings to work out. He bought a pass for our whole trip though, so he didn't have to pay daily. It was kind of expensive, I thought.
Anyway. There was only one upright stationary bike, but there were 3 or 4 recumbent bikes. (Did I spell that right? LOL The kind where you are sitting down with your legs out in front of you.)
Just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Thanks for the great pictures. We will be at the GF in a few weeks, can't wait! Hope we get a castle view in our lagoon room. It's our 20th anniversary this year...we spent our honeymoon at Disney too, although off site. So we're doing it up, and bringing our 14 y.o. daughter with us...no way was she going to miss a WDW trip

 

[DisneyHoneymooner84]

For the treatments should they be booked prior to the vacation or is it not too busy that they can be booked upon arrival? Also is a tip expected by the people performing the messages? I am guessing yes but I would like to know from someone that knows for sure.

Thank you!!

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by Harambe
We don't really care about a view from the room, but like to be close to monorail, bus stops, food, etc. Which building would you choose?

Harambe, my favorite building is Conch Key but that is because of its lagoon view and the fact that it is right there next to Narcoossee's Restaurant, the Marina, and the Water Taxi Dock. If you want to be near the monorail/bus stop/restaurants/grill, the main building is the best choice, followed by Big Pine Key. Heck, really any of the GF's lodge buildings would be a great choice. The resort is not very sprawling so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Please click here for GF Resort map.

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by wildviper
This is my first post!

We took our first trip to Disney World in March 2003 and we are hooked!

We plan to make DW an annual family tradition, staying at a different onsite resort each time.

Wildviper, welcome to the Dis! You sound just like I did when I had my first WDW vacation and stayed on-site. Many years have passed since that time and I have now stayed in 14 of the WDW Resorts (I'll be adding three new ones to that total after my next vacation). My family also joined the DVC a few years ago, so we plan on vacationing in WDW for many years to come. It's nice knowing that your family will be keeping my family company over the years.

I hope you get to experience the GF on one of your upcoming vacations. It is truly a Grand resort.

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by chamonix
To answer my own question posted upthread, Dh went over to the GF a couple mornings to work out. He bought a pass for our whole trip though, so he didn't have to pay daily. There was only one upright stationary bike, but there were 3 or 4 recumbent bikes. Just in case anyone was wondering.

Chamonix, thanks for the information. It has been a few years since my husband has worked out in the GF's health club, so it is nice to know what kind of equipment exists in there today.

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by AuroraluvsPhillip
We will be at the GF in a few weeks, can't wait! Hope we get a castle view in our lagoon room. It's our 20th anniversary this year...

AuroraluvsPhillip, congratulations on the 20th wedding anniversary! I've got my fingers crossed that you'll get a lagoon view room. Have a magcial vacation and a happily ever after.

 

[Janet2k]

Originally posted by DisneyHoneymooner84
For the treatments should they be booked prior to the vacation or is it not too busy that they can be booked upon arrival?

DisneyHoneymooner84, I haven't done any spa treatments at the GF yet but with anything Disney, the sooner you can book it, the better. You never know when a spa is going to be booked up and I'd hate to think that you would be unable to get the spa treatment that you wanted because of that situation. I tend to play it cautious with anything that I really have my heart set on and always book in advance if I can.

 

[Janet2k]

Since I seem to be in this thread a lot tonight, I should probably share a little bit about what’s going on with me and the Grand Floridian Resort.

Many years ago, during one of my family’s Grand Floridian vacations, my husband and I watched the Wedding Pavilion being built. I told him that someday I thought it would be wonderful if we could have a vow renewal ceremony there. Being the smart man that he is (and always agreeing with his wife), he so kindly agreed.

Fast forward a few years. My family always seemed to be vacationing in WDW during our wedding anniversary. I actually did look into a Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal ceremony a few times but never made it beyond the “looking” stage. I was in that same stage again last year right before I had an accident and broke my leg. My broken leg and surgery quickly squashed any dreams that I had of a vow renewal ceremony. But with the kind help of the Grand Floridian Resort, I was able to plan a very unique wedding anniversary dinner instead. I wrote about my anniversary dinner party in detail in my trip report on the Dis – please click here to read it (look for the post entitled “A Few Notes Before I Begin Describing The ‘Haunted Mansion Movie Set Dinner’ Event”).

There is no way that my husband and I will ever be able to top that wedding anniversary. We’re not even going to try. But this year we will be in WDW again for our anniversary and we have finally booked a Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal ceremony. We have an appointment at Franck's Bridal Studio during our upcoming vacation, and at that time we will get to see the inside of the Wedding Pavilion for the first time. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’m sure it will take my breath away and leave me wistful for my Fall vacation when I finally get to say “I do” all over again to my husband.

I have also decided that my husband and I will have to spend at least a few days at the resort where the magic truly began for us – the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. How could we have a Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal and not stay at the Grand? I'm positive it will be another ~magical~ Grand Floridian stay.

 

[Harambe]

Your vow renewal sounds so nice. Best wishes for you. And thanks for answering my question! I was hoping Big Pine was a good choice because I'd love an Alice room, but as you said, all the buildings look fine - so I'm not really worried about getting a bad room!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Janet ~ Here's wishing that your upcoming trip will be just as magical. I can't thank you enough for your advice and assistance with my own anniversary trip to the GF this past January.

We're planning a spur of the moment Disney cruise for the last weekend in May. The ship docks back in the port on Sunday and well Monday is the holiday, so what's a die-hard GF/WDW fan to do? Book one night at the GF of course! It will be DH, myself and our 3 kids for this trip. We booked a standard garden view room this time around. I've read on the restaurant board that the Cafe might have just opened for dinner. Does anyone know anything about that yet? I hope so. I really missed not having that as a dining option.

Tammi

 

[DG-12]

Is the only difference between Royal Palm Club and Sugar Loaf the lack of wine served in the eveing? Trying to decide between AKL and GF concierge for our next trip...

 

[TammiMcMan]

There was that and the lack of the late night desserts and cordials. I heard they were going to add the desserts, but don't know if they've done that yet. Beyond the food/liquor difference, you'll still receive pre-planning assistance if you need it, private check-in and a concierge staff to help you during your stay. The only big differences that I could tell were the room views (you cannot get a castle view in the lodge) and the lounge/concierge area is basically set up in the ground floor lobby. There are fewer tables and less general seating available. In the main building, your rooms could come with an incredible castle view and the lounge is very large, with windows overlooking the grounds. There is also an outside balcony on the 3rd floor and the food and concierge staff are on seperate floors. From the main building lounge you can look down onto the lobby and hear the orchestra and piano playing in the late afternoon and evening. IMO it's got a bit more ambience, but a few people have described the lodge as feeling more homey and comfortable, while the main building felt stuffy to them.

Tammi

 

[BambiTamby]

Oh, Janet!!!!

I am so happy and excited for you and your DH!!!!

You got me excited about our 10th anniversary trip!
I can't wait to finally stay at the GF!!!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I just wanted to share my good news. I am kidnapping my DD7 and my mother and flying them to WDW for 5 days. My DD has always wanted to stay at the GF but we never did because of my husband and 2 sons. We are staying May 21-25. I am so excited. I am picking my DD up from school and then I will tell her on the way to the airport. If I tell her earlier I will have a very upset DS9 on my hands. I've already taken him the DL by himself but he says that doesn't count!

My mother broke her ankle in Dec. and I think the GF will be perfect for us. She can do as much of the parks as she wants and then hang out by the pool.

Thanks for sharing your pictures. We're staying garden view because this will be our 3rd trip this year and I can't justify anything more expensive. I know we will be thrilled.

Lori

 

[arazamataz]

Need some help. What is different about Main and Lodge concierge ? Do both have deluxe guestrooms? I have stayed at BC concierge does GF have different food and services? And last I have 3 teen ds's , are there teens at GF. They what to rent boats which are great at GF, but at night they want to meet other teens.

Thanks

 

[TammiMcMan]

There are really only a few differences between the two. The food offered is the same, however the lodge does not serve alcohol, so there is no wine offering with evening food and they do not have the cordials available in the late night. There was talk that they were going to start serving evening desserts in the lodge, but I'm not sure if that has happened yet.

I don't know about the deluxe rooms being available in the lodge. Even though they are bigger, the deluxes sleep only 4.

The other differences are that there are no magic kingdom views from the lodge and the lounge setup is in the main floor lobby, along with the concierge staff. In the main building, it's a bit more spread out, roomier and you have the added ambience of hearing the orchestra and piano play.

They do have water mice to rent, but I believe the minimum age to rent has recently changed. There is a water slide at the theme pool and inside Gasparilla's grill there is a small arcade area. Because of it's close proximity to the Magic Kingdom, you will see a lot of families with young children and because of the design of the resort, you will see a lot of couples. IMO, if I were travelling with only teenagers, I would probably stay at an Epcot resort. I think with the boardwalk and Stormalong Bay, there is more to keep them occupied over there.

Hope that helps.

 

[arazamataz]

TanniMcMan,

Thanks for the help. It's hard to keep teen's happy. Your right BC is better for them. I still long for the day to go back to GF. Maybe just the DW and I can get away one day!!

 

[TammiMcMan]

We still have a young one, so we can use her as the excuse to stay closer to the Magic Kingdom. My two older ones are teenagers and they did enjoy the time they spent at the resort, but were mostly looking to get away on their own to see the parks and Disney Quest of course. DH and I have been able to sneak away twice to the GF for a long weekend and I would highly recommend that.