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

[disneyw/kids]

Okay one more question for those of you who have been to the GF recently. Do there TV's in the rooms have ports to hook up your own DVD player? I know our tv at the WL lodge had the red,yellow,white ports on the front of the tv so we hooked up our own small dvd player but I have never stayed at the GF and was wondering if anyone knew about the TV's. thanks. Thanks tami for the picture sites just what i was looking for.

 

[DisneyNotes]

I'll try to remember to take notice in November while we are in GF RPC. We'll have our portable DVD player with us, too, and our DV camera. I'm sure we'll try it.

 

[lmhall2000]

Well, keeping a very long story short...I think I'm going to be able to surprise my family about staying at the Grand Floridian...originally was supposed to walk the 1/2 marathon with my WISH buddies....no discounts that week and a pulled back muscle made me rethink the value of it...booked the BC....found out the slide will be closed that time....the only other option for a family of five was the Contemporary Tower...booked it but checking out the decor made my head swim....figured, Hey, if I'm committing to that high of a rate (this is our family's last trip to Disney for atleast 10 years) why not go whole hog and see if I can get a GF discount rate. BINGO!! After a very diligent search from a sweetheart of a CM...we booked a GV for the last week of January first of Feb....the family still thinks we're at the Contemporary...

I figured this one surprise would make it a fun way to start out. I've gone through most of the posts...trying to get a feel for the resort..sounds lovely..am a little anxious about feeling "at home" there...we'll feel like Mary Ingalls when she first went to the big city and a real hotel...we're simple and laid back and have only fine dined once in our lives. This will be a dream to stay here...loved "Somewhere In Time" and this resort brings back that era so completely!

Would love to hear if any buildings are preferred over another..our only request is that it be non-smoking...two of our children have asthma and having a clean fresh smelling room goes a long way in making a great stay. I'm going to check out some pics from posters...thanks so much for putting this thread together and making it easy to feel informed while planning!
Thanks!
Tara

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Boca Chica is my favorite and although lots of other prefer other Lodges this oner to me was perfect.

You can get a garden view there that includes a view of the Lagoon, Contemporary, MK (no castle, but you can see Sacpe Mountain and the Railroad and you can see the monorail glide by in the distance. This is room 8339 - it is the far end of Boca and on the map appears that you can see nothing, but it's a wonderful view for a Garden Room. You can sit on your balcony and see it all, but it is considered a standard view room/garden view) We were upgraded to 8345, but the rooms from 8339-8345 are incredible and some are considered garden.

It's about a 4 min walk from the Main Lodge to the rooms. Maybe 5 with little ones in tow - although we enver rushed because it was so pretty! It is not close to the main pool, but the quiet ppol is right our front of the Lodge.

It is extremely relaxing there..yes, a little bit more formal than the other deluxe resorts, but I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Am traveling to mousefest for 5 nights - what was supposed to be a quickie trip became 5 nights and am staying at POFQ, but so wish I'd be at GF! Cannot bring myself to pay so much because I'll be alone and meeting friends at mousefest.

Not to worry, you do not have to eat anywhere formal. The Grand Floridian Cafe is great for breakfast and they have a very popular character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.
Enjoy!!


Here another link with some good photos of GF:
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/costcalc.asp?pageFunction=researcher&year=&resId=GF&submit1=go!

 

[DisneyNotes]

ImHall2000

You will love the Grand Floridian. It is beautiful and BaciBecky is right in that you won't mind the size of the resort because the walks are so beautiful. You'll even leave your room just to walk through the grounds or sit by the water. Although this hotel is formal, most of the guests are not. We are all just there to enjoy Disney and like anywhere else in Disney, there are tons of children. (We all look the same after a long day at the parks.) They do offer casual dining as well as fine dining. With kids you are likely to spend time in the Grill (fast food) grabbing a sandwich or bagel or eating in the parks as you run from ride to ride.

We like the main buidling, but one time we had a great room in Sago Cay. Those GV rooms on the backside of that building face the small inlet of the lagoon and the monorail. It was peaceful and quiet and we watched the monorail day and night from our balcony. It was also very close to the marina, which is where my kids spent most of their time with the water mice boats. We had a cool snap one night and the next morning the warm lagoon had a fog hanging above it. It was beautiful! We sat on our balcony for a long time that morning and just enjoyed the view.

Now, I'm ready to return. Luckily, we leave Nov 11th!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Ohhh.. DisneyNotes ..

I'm jealous!!! In good way

How I'd love to be back at GF this time...sigh... I also saw the mist on the lagoon..breathtaking!

The grounds are sooo pretty and you just feel you're a million miles away from everything - drop your worries at the door

The Grille was closed last month - wonder if it's open yet.

Anyway, once at the GF and it's hard to stay anywhere else!

Christine

Say hello for me to GF!

 

[DisneyNotes]

"Anyway, once at the GF and it's hard to stay anywhere else!"


I love that quote. So true, so true.

 

[Barb A.]

We were just at the GF last week and we stayed in Conch Key. We had a garden view room and ended up with a marina view. It was fabulous. It had a view of the lagoon and we could watch the monorails going by. If you leaned out and looked right a little you could see the castle and the fireworks. We were on the fourth floor and it was non-smoking.

 

[all4wdw]

Does anyone know if Gasparilla Grill is open yet? We are headed to GF at Thanksgiving. Thanks!

 

[DisneyNotes]

I'll try to remember to ask the concierge during the next phone call about the grill. I hope it's open!

 

[minniesota]

We just returned from a stay at GF and had the most fabulous time! This was or 4th stay and we went with a 2 br-suite this time. Concierge check-in was awesome and quick - our suite was ready when we arrived at 1:30. We were on the 5th floor in Big Pine Key and had a view of the beautiful wedding pavlion and the lagoon. Our suite was the cameo theme and was so spacious - we loved it! Housekeeping was excellent and turndown service was so great to come back to at the end of the evening.

The concierge lounge was wonderful and we took advantage of it for breakfast, cocktail hour and desserts/cordials! Everything was plentiful and if you needed anything, they got it for you. Those chocolate covered strawberries seemed to disappear quickly!

I loved the updated lobby - it is gorgeous. And the orchestra and grand piano are such a nice touch. The grounds are beautiful and we only used the quiet pool. Gasparillas was still closed and they had a few things at Summerhouse but the kids were disappointed in the pizza. It was that or sandwiches - kids said there were also breakfast items available.

We LOVE the GF and after this stay it will be hard not to incorprate a stay there every time! Any questions? I'll try to answer.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Minniesota,

I'm so glad you had a great time. One question, how did your sis and bil like the GF and the suite? Do we have another LL convert?

Tammi

 

[lmhall2000]

Chocolate covered strawberries! My faves! I wish we could swing a Concierge stay...but maybe I can find those sweet things at the tea room!

Thanks for sharing your report..it sounds lovely! I've been reading a bit about some resorts undergoing refurbishments and read that the lobby at GF had been refurbished...does anyone know if any of the buildings/rooms have been updated lately?

Thanks!
Tara

 

[Davids-Coco]

All the talk on the Resort Board has me wondering:

Upgrades at checkin - do you get the room cheaper? Is there any benifit? We are already going to be in a delux concierge (no other way than main building ) and was thinking about maybe a one bedroom suite.

 

[DisneyNotes]

I've been wondering about upgrades, too. Do they offer them or do you have to ask and I'd love to know about the pricing, too.

Minniesota - since you were in a suite, was the great lounge you described the RPC? If so, I'd like to know the soft drink and milk situation there. Are they available all of the time? I like Diet Cokes and my son needs his milk before bed. Can I count on the lounge for those requests? Also, did the lounge ever get crowded or was is always pleasant and peaceful?

 

[TammiMcMan]

Upgrades are not out of the question at the GF, but what you'll normally see is a view upgrade from standard to lagoon. We've stayed at the GF on a number of occasions and have received 2 complimentary upgrades both during a slow season. Our last trip was a spur of the moment so I booked a standard room. When we checked in I asked about an upgrade and was quoted rack rate, ouch. I don't think it happens often, but it does happen.

Tammi

 

[Barb A.]

There was a sign outside that said Gasparillas would reopen Nov. 1.

 

[DisneyNotes]

So glad Gasparillas will be open when we get there. My sons can't go very long without food. Thanks so much for the information.

 

[minniesota]

Tammi - LOL Oh, yeah, my sister is definitely a CL girl but can't say the same for BIL. He's just like that and since he's had money "issues" for 55 years, I guess there's no changing him now. His idea of money well spent is insulating, sheetrocking and painting his garage! LOL

DisneyNotes - Yes, we were in the RPC lounge and there were beverages available every time we were there. There was milk out in the evening - my daughter is a big milk drinker! The lounge did seem fairly quiet and peaceful - mornings seemed busier but we always found a place to sit and there were 8 of us! Things did get a little wild during the "cocktail" hours on Friday night - lots of little ones running around with no supervision. But it only lasted about 10 minutes when one little tyke (about 2) fell and konked his head pretty good near the cappacino machine. The parents finally sprung into action and things settled way down. We really enjoyed the atmosphere of the lounge and loved the offerings! Wish I was there now!

 

[DisneyNotes]

Great. Thanks for the info. Good to know that we're set for milk. I'd heard that you had to ask for soft drinks and bottled water. Is that still the case?

Also, any RPC lounge servers you would suggest for special requests? Did you see any of them go out of their way for the guests?