The **NEW** Grand Floridian FAQ!(MAY 2011)

[mariamouse]

Goofdad-- Your pictures are beautiful and totally made my evening! We will be there to see the decorations in person in just 18 days!

I see that your room was in Big Pine Key based on those room view pictures.. do you happen to remember your room #? How did you like that room location?

Thank you again for sharing your pictures and I'm glad that you had a great trip!

 

[Lulu'sMom]

phyllis~WOW! What an upgrade! SO happy that you had a fabulous time!!!!

And goofdad! Ahhhhhhhh! Pure bliss! Those pictures! Sigh! I'm in heaven looking at them! Thankyou for posting these!

 

[Goofdad]

Goofdad-- Your pictures are beautiful and totally made my evening! We will be there to see the decorations in person in just 18 days!

I see that your room was in Big Pine Key based on those room view pictures.. do you happen to remember your room #? How did you like that room location?

Thank you again for sharing your pictures and I'm glad that you had a great trip!

yup - Big Pine Key - room 412. It was fantastic. We had a nice balcony view (as you can see) and we could see the fireworks.

We have stayed in Sago Cay, Conch Key, and now Big Pine - and the Big Pine view was our favorite so far (though none are bad).

EDIT:
Also - the in-room Coffee is EXCELLENT.
I'm not a fan of the in-room coffe machines, they're usually pretty bad.
But the ones at the GF were great... if you're one of those people that like coffee but avoides the clunky in-room machines, do yourself a favor and try it at the GF, it's free, it's good, and you'll thank me later.

The XMas decorations are incredible - and the MVMCP Fireworks are like nothing you've ever imagined - the finale spreads across (seemingly) the whole horizon line. Usually the MK fireworks have a few nice bursts on either side of the Castle - MVMCP has a spread of 4 bursts on either side (8 total?) - it's just a massive scale.

Also, the Fantasyland expansion is there in plain view - the Beast's Castle is the easiest to see (my DD6 was very excited to see it) and they've done an amazing job with the "forced perspective" making the new Beast Castle look high and dramatic (if you ride the train, you can see the backside and really get an idea of how small it is) - the illusion they've created is perfect.

 

[mariamouse]

yup - Big Pine Key - room 412. It was fantastic. We had a nice balcony view (as you can see) and we could see the fireworks.

We have stayed in Sago Cay, Conch Key, and now Big Pine - and the Big Pine view was our favorite so far (though none are bad).

The XMas decorations are incredible - and the MVMCP Fireworks are like nothing you've ever imagined - the finale spreads across (seemingly) the whole horizon line. Usually the MK fireworks have a few nice bursts on either side of the Castle - MVMCP has a spread of 4 bursts on either side (8 total?) - it's just a massive scale.

Also, the Fantasyland expansion is there in plain view - the Beast's Castle is the easiest to see (my DD6 was very excited to see it) and they've done an amazing job with the "forced perspective" making the new Beast Castle look high and dramatic (if you ride the train, you can see the backside and really get an idea of how small it is) - the illusion they've created is perfect.

Thank you so much for the info!! I may put in a request for that room location. Can't wait!

 

[Goofdad]

Thank you so much for the info!! I may put in a request for that room location. Can't wait!

I just re-read my post - the Beast's Castle is in plain view IN MK - not from the GF - just want to make sure that's clear.

I have not idea what room category we had (Garden View, Lagoon View, etc) We signed up for GView - and ended up with this view.
Based on phyllis1966's post above, there were a lot of people getting upgrades and we must have been one of them.

 

[bowbat]

phyllis1966 -- What an amazing upgrade!! Yay for you!

Goofdad -- gorgeous photos! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mariamouse]

I just re-read my post - the Beast's Castle is in plain view IN MK - not from the GF - just want to make sure that's clear.

I have not idea what room category we had (Garden View, Lagoon View, etc) We signed up for GView - and ended up with this view.
Based on phyllis1966's post above, there were a lot of people getting upgrades and we must have been one of them.

Thank you again for the info! I look forward to seeing the Fantasyland changes up close. And, believe it or not, your room was actually a garden view room! The GF has great garden views, right?! You just lucked out with one of the best garden views.

 

[Lisann]

Those photos are crisp, clear and gorgeous!! Thanks for taking photos of the not so common scenes (Mary Poppins, the poinsettias, etc.).

 

[pas130]

goofdad beautiful photos...thank you!!!!

 

[mariamouse]

Does the GF charge an additional nightly fee if there are more than two adults in the room? My sister just decided that she will be joining my mom and me on our trip, so we are now three adults instead of two. If so, what is the nightly fee?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Does the GF charge an additional nightly fee if there are more than two adults in the room? My sister just decided that she will be joining my mom and me on our trip, so we are now three adults instead of two. If so, what is the nightly fee?

All the resorts charge an additional $25 per night for each additional adult, unless you're in a suite or have a king room.

 

[mariamouse]

All the resorts charge an additional $25 per night for each additional adult, unless you're in a suite or have a king room.

Wow! That seems exorbitant. I really don't understand the logic of charging extra when the guest capacity per room is not exceeded-- or at least charging $25 per night! I thought the rate would be, at most, $10. Oh well.

Thank you for the info!

ETA: I just saw here that the additional adult fee is $10 for values and $15 for moderates. Does not seem justified to me at all:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disney-rates-2011.htm

 

[KCmike]

Like everyone else has already beautifully stated...great shots goofdad!

Grand Floridian Nightlife

 

[PixieDustFanatic]

Good morning all! We're back from one of the most magical (and luxurious) stays at the GF.

Being upgraded to a main building, club level TPV room was an amazing surprise - at first when we were met by the lobby entrance and told we could wait up in the lounge, I thought it was a mistake! When we were told it was indeed not a mistake, I was floored - our check-in CM was so happy that I was so happy! After she explained everything about Club Level (which I knew lots about from you all ), she left and I explained to DH and DD that we may no longer have the TPV that we originally booked...they said they were OK with that and were excited about the upgrade anyway. When we got to our room later that afternoon and saw the view, we were in heaven!

We did find out, from our turn-down Mousekeeper, part of the reason we were upgraded (or maybe the entire reason) - it seems that the GF was at 100% occupancy (strange, we thought, for a slow time like mid-November) because Bob Iger, John Lasseter (Pixar) and 298 Disney execs were having a powwow at the GF, and they all took outer building rooms! Our Mousekeeper said Bob Iger likes to keep a low profile, but DH and I figure they take the least expensive rooms so tourists can pay for the more expensive ones, right? Anyway, thanks to Mr. Iger, we enjoyed our first RPC stay. We are totally spoiled now!

Once that beautiful Christams tree went up early Tuesday morning, along with all the other decorations, it was such a wonderful experience to sit in the lounge, eat and drink, and soak up the music and general holiday atmosphere. I think what made DH the happiest was his nightly glass of Kahlua on the rocks (and seeing DD and me so happy)! We felt very pampered, and Melane, Dan, Janice and Jordan were 4 of the pleasant and helpful Concierge CM's we spoke with during the week. Melane helped me to arrange a lovely surprise treat for DD, and I'll post a photo when I get a chance.

Well, back to the real world - I have to get ready for work...talk to you all later...it's drizzly here and I'm a bit bummed to be back...

That explains it! We thought it was because it was our wedding anniversary the day we checked in. We were upgraded from GV outer bldg to the Sugar Loaf! We were totally floored!! We stayed from 11/13-11/19. We were so spoiled....I love the GF it was our first time staying at a Disney resort, I doubt anything else could measure up.

 

[nj1613]

We just returned from the GF Sugar Loaf after a five night stay. Although we are huge fans of the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, we took advantage of the 30 percent discounting. We found the property to be simply impeccable, and very, very quiet when compared with BC/YC. We actually enjoyed the change and welcomed the new location and proximity to MK.

As it relates to staying in the Main Building, I am unsure what all of the fuss is about. It is critical to note, that there is about a 25 percent price difference from the outer buildings of the resort. Although the main building is gorgeous, this is many times overshadowed by the throngs of tourists who just want to take a peek around. From an aesthetic and efficient standpoint, I get it. I know, I know, the rooms are bigger and the restaurants and stores are right there.. But so what, the rooms in the rest of the resort are plenty big enough and offer excellent views of the property. In a nutshell, I just think it is one of those bragging rights things to do, which is cool when you are telling a story to someone. Or, you have so much money, why not?

Overall on the GF. Outstanding stay, and the entire concierge staff at the Sugar Loaf were incredible. The Club Level never disappoints at Disney, and the Sugar Loaf building is located right between the marina and main pool area. Perfect for the kids and adults as it is easy to go back and forth to grab food and drinks from the 5 daily food and beverage offerings.

Just my two cents....

 

[Goofdad]

KC Mike - cool photo, nice work.
I've seen a number of your GF photos now, your photos (and others on the photography board) are a big part of what inspired me to see disney "thru the lens".
I have little kids right now (6 & 2) so I can't fully concentrate on photography down there, but I occasionally sneak in a few shots.

I noticed you're a Canon user - I'm shooting with an S90 point and shoot and a T3i (600D) - but I honestly couldn't lug the DSLR around every day.

Some day, after the kids are grown, I'll get there with plenty of time to take Mrs. Goofdad to a few nice restaurants and bring a tripod/gear/etc for photos/videos.


And, to keep in line with the GF stories here - the concierge was terrific. My DD(6) lost a tooth (quite a big deal, especially in Dis) and I mentioned it to the concierge - they arranged a "Disney" tooth fairy visit... and they were happy/giddy/excited to do it.

 

[pas130]

We just returned from the GF Sugar Loaf after a five night stay. Although we are huge fans of the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, we took advantage of the 30 percent discounting. We found the property to be simply impeccable, and very, very quiet when compared with BC/YC. We actually enjoyed the change and welcomed the new location and proximity to MK.

As it relates to staying in the Main Building, I am unsure what all of the fuss is about. It is critical to note, that there is about a 25 percent price difference from the outer buildings of the resort. Although the main building is gorgeous, this is many times overshadowed by the throngs of tourists who just want to take a peek around. From an aesthetic and efficient standpoint, I get it. I know, I know, the rooms are bigger and the restaurants and stores are right there.. But so what, the rooms in the rest of the resort are plenty big enough and offer excellent views of the property. In a nutshell, I just think it is one of those bragging rights things to do, which is cool when you are telling a story to someone. Or, you have so much money, why not?

Overall on the GF. Outstanding stay, and the entire concierge staff at the Sugar Loaf were incredible. The Club Level never disappoints at Disney, and the Sugar Loaf building is located right between the marina and main pool area. Perfect for the kids and adults as it is easy to go back and forth to grab food and drinks from the 5 daily food and beverage offerings.

Just my two cents....

We loved Sugarloaf as well! And I agree it is the perfect location, and much quieter than the Main building (we've never stayed RPC though) We thought SL CMs a cut above ANY other...JMHO

KC Mike - cool photo, nice work.
I've seen a number of your GF photos now, your photos (and others on the photography board) are a big part of what inspired me to see disney "thru the lens".
I have little kids right now (6 & 2) so I can't fully concentrate on photography down there, but I occasionally sneak in a few shots.

I noticed you're a Canon user - I'm shooting with an S90 point and shoot and a T3i (600D) - but I honestly couldn't lug the DSLR around every day.

Some day, after the kids are grown, I'll get there with plenty of time to take Mrs. Goofdad to a few nice restaurants and bring a tripod/gear/etc for photos/videos.


And, to keep in line with the GF stories here - the concierge was terrific. My DD(6) lost a tooth (quite a big deal, especially in Dis) and I mentioned it to the concierge - they arranged a "Disney" tooth fairy visit... and they were happy/giddy/excited to do it.

KCMike does awesome work

Too cool about the Disney tooth fairy


And Happy Thanksgiving to all here!!

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I've fallen behind, everyone! My middle child had only one day to come home this week, so we visited with him yesterday - I had to forfeit my DIS reading.

Goofdad - beautiful photos, thanks! Glad you had a magical stay, what a pretty view. As mariamouse posted, it is a garden view, I think the GF has the best standard views on property.

Thanks, too, for the update on the decorations and Fantasyland expansion!

nj1613 - Thanks for the review, glad you had such a nice stay. We enjoy SL very much, too. One note - the standard rooms in the main bldg. are the same size as the outer bldgs. Only the deluxe rooms and suites are larger.

We enjoy all levels of rooms at the GF, from RPC to garden view! Each one has it's benefits, we are always glad to be at our favorite resort.

PixieDustFanatic - Congrats on the anniversary, and the upgrade! What a wonderful introduction to WDW resorts - now you are hooked, it will be tough to stay anywhere else.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

... I am a die hard YC fan, but I fell in love with the Grand & RPC. We are planning to go to Disneyland in Dec instead of WDW, but I can't stop thinking about GF. I'm trying to figure out if I can sweet talk DH into a few days in May. I don't know if I can wait til 2013 to get back there!

Good luck with the sweet talk! I hope you are able to get back to the GF in 2012, I'm trying to figure out dates for us as well.

 

[DrMomof3]

Just wanted to wish the nice people here a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Amanda