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

[asta]

Aww, what a shame.



Thanks very much for that info. Is it a permanent change? After so many years of counting on the monorail for traveling to and from dinner, that will be a big change for us. Thanks again, asta.

More great photos, KCmike and janeapplemeadow. Thanks so much.

Hi johnsonet!

It is hard to be sure but from the wording that is being quoted it sounds like it could be for longer than just maintenance. It sounds like it could be permanent 'for now'.

 

[kaffinito]

More breakfast photos.

Thank you! I spy my favorite cream cheese spread in this photo

For those of you who might not read the theme park board, there is a thread there about monorail service stopping 1 hour after regular park closing hours beginning July 11 for the Epcot monorail and August 1 for the MK. That means no monorail at the end of EMH, special events or late dining. Boat and bus service will still be available. I thought it would be a good idea to post this here so that no one is surprised.

Thank you for the info!

 

[threebeesatdisney]

SOOOO exciting! I have been to Disney many times but staying at the Grand is an experience all it's own! When in 2012 are you planning on going?

We are planning on June 2012. I laughed when I saw your Mom had figured out the surprise. There's no fooling a teacher. LOL!
I hope she has the time of her life and you too. Make MAGICAL memories!

 

[disneydreamin247]

For those of you who might not read the theme park board, there is a thread there about monorail service stopping 1 hour after regular park closing hours beginning July 11 for the Epcot monorail and August 1 for the MK. That means no monorail at the end of EMH, special events or late dining. Boat and bus service will still be available. I thought it would be a good idea to post this here so that no one is surprised.

I'm curious what this means foe ECV users since they can't ride the boats.

 

[asta]

I'm curious what this means foe ECV users since they can't ride the boats.

I would imagine that their answer will be that buses are provided. The announcement had wording to the effect that transportation at those time will be by boat or bus.

 

[disneydreamin247]

I would imagine that their answer will be that buses are provided. The announcement had wording to the effect that transportation at those time will be by boat or bus.

This is tremendously inconvenient and grossly disappointing. I booked Poly and GF because mom uses an ECV and I have 2 kids with one in a stroller. Why pay for the convenience when it's being half-way rescinded?

 

[asta]

This is tremendously inconvenient and gossly disappointing. I booked Poly and GF because mom uses an ECV and I have 2 kids with one in a stroller. Why pay for the convenience when it's being half-way rescinded?

I agree that this would be a tremendous hardship for someone in your situation. I can't imagine how busy both the boats and buses will be at the end of the night. A small hope is that they make sure that only guests staying at a particular resort is using that resorts boat/bus. That might make this change a little easier.

 

[threebeesatdisney]

I would imagine that their answer will be that buses are provided. The announcement had wording to the effect that transportation at those time will be by boat or bus.

I just hope that it isn't a permanent thing. That is the beauty of staying at a monorail resort....riding the monorail at the end of the night back to your resort.....

 

[catyanna]

More breakfast photos.

WOW! That looks fantastic. Thank you so much for posting these. Everything looks delicious!

 

[BCV23]

Here's a link to the original post with a quote about the MK and Epcot monorail. In reading it, I'm holding out hope that it refers to the direct MK monorail as well as the Epcot loop. Perhaps the resort monorail will run as it always has?? I hope!

We're in the same boat, disneydreamin247. My DD uses a power chair. BTW, strollers can go on the small launches as long as they are folded. Or perhaps they will use one of the larger boats?

Time will tell.

 

[disneydreamin247]

Here's a link to the original post with a quote about the MK and Epcot monorail. In reading it, I'm holding out hope that it refers to the direct MK monorail as well as the Epcot loop. Perhaps the resort monorail will run as it always has?? I hope!

We're in the same boat, disneydreamin247. My DD uses a power chair. BTW, strollers can go on the small launches as long as they are folded. Or perhaps they will use one of the larger boats?

Time will tell.

Folding and carrying a stroller while being the only mobile person to take care of both kids is no easy feat. I'm gonna need two extra arms! Even with DD in her sling it's not feasible.

 

[BCV23]

Folding and carrying a stroller while being the only mobile person to take care of both kids is no easy feat. I'm gonna need two extra arms! Even with DD in her sling it's not feasible.

LOL, I know it's not. Been there, done that.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

When guests staying at the Monorail Resorts are at the Magic Kingdom for PM Extra Magic Hours they always had the boat service for guests staying at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. Plus anyone staying at the Contemporary can use the walkway when going back there. Although I wonder if they will need to add extra boats when the Resort Monorail doesn't run, because would WDW want to add buses from the Magic Kingdom to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian given their close distances.

Now where this news is not good when guests of the Monorail Resorts wants to visit Epcot for PM Extra Magic Hours. It's obvious that they will need to take a bus back to their resorts from Epcot, however I am sure a lot of people stay at the Monorail Resorts because of the Monorail service. So shouldn't the rates be reduced because this news means those guests can't take the Monorail's during the hours when the parks are open. Last time I checked PM Extra Magic Hours still counts as the parks being open.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Here is the one negative I just realized about this news. Let's say there are nights when the Magic Kingdom closes at 7:00 PM, well how are guests staying at the Contemporary or Bay Lake Tower able to visit the Polynesian or Grand Floridian once the Resort Monorail has stopped for the evening? One great thing about staying at either location is taking the Resort Monorail to visit those Resorts. Plus how about the other way around when Polynesian or Grand Floridian guests want to visit the Contemporary when the Resort Monorail has stopped? At least the Polynesian and Grand Floridian have a walkway that goes from one resort to another, so those guests won't have to worry about the Resort Monorail.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

kaffinito, I'm glad you see a favorite component of the breakfast offerings! There is usually a boursin cheese spread out in the mornings that DD and I both enjoy very much. Love spreading it on a croissant with some ham.

asta - thank you for the info! I hope this means the express monorail, and not the resort monorail. Kind of a pain, if the resort monorail is shut down as well.

BCV23 - I'll keep my fingers crossed, too. BTW - I can't see the original link in your previous post; could you post it again?

CR Fan - you make a good point. Guests dining at the CR or Poly will have to use boats, cabs, or try to catch a bus that is continuing on to their destination! It's going to be confusing for many, I'm afraid. I remember trying to get from the GF to the WL one summer when the monorail went down for many hours - there are other options, but thinking of them and getting where you need to be takes a while. The boats were overworked that day, it took us a long, long time to get where we were going. *Had I been thinking properly, we would have taken a cab!*

disneydreamin247 - if I were you, I'd contact IPO now and ask what the options will be for your situation during your dates. They should be able to get some kind of info for you that will help you plan.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

As long as there is food in RPC, DS doesn't care what it is! Last year when we stayed in SL, he would ask if he could go get something to eat. Of course he could. He would come back up and tell me what he ate. Not 20 minutes later, he would ask if he could go and get a snack. He was still hungry!

Ah, the life of a teenager. He is eating us out of house and home and not gaining an ounce. Me, I am trying not to eat to much these past few weeks so that I can eat when it comes to Disney!

MommyGina,
I have to laugh, when my 2 nephews saw the food in the morning, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. They couldn't get over the fact, that when they were hungry, there always seemed to be something they could eat. It's 2 years later, and they still talk about the danish and lemonade!

I can imagine teen boys think it's a dream to find food out all day long! I've never booked CL when all my family was with us, that's a fairly recent thing for us - usually just DD and me, although we've taken a few of her friends along on various trips. I wish we had known about it when we had two hungry boys along.

BTW - MommyGina, how is your FIL doing? Good, I hope.

 

[MommyGina]

Hi k&a&c'smom - I saw my FIN yesterday. It was hard to see him the way he was. He is better though. Still having difficulty moving his right side. The blood clot was on the left side of his brain. However, the good news is that he knew me as soon as he saw me and called me Gina. He knew my children too right away. He did feed himself, but took a while. So, for now, we are headed to the GF next Monday!

Still keeping our fingers crossed for the best. He certainly needs some pixie dust. Thank you for asking about my FIN.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Have any of you done both the DxDP AND CL? Would love to read about your experience!

 

[dragonfly57005]

I wonder what bean counter thought that this was a great idea.

 

[BCV23]

MommyGina, I'm glad your FIL is making progress. Hope he continues to improve. So glad for your immediate family that your trip can go as planned. Have fun!

k&a&c'smom, it appears I forgot to post the link.
Here you go!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41775348&postcount=1

CRFan, the ability to use the resort monorail to dine at the other resorts is exactly what I meant. That's what we will miss. Our family doesn't use EMH with very rare exceptions but always dines at California Grill when we stay at the GF or Polynesian. It's fun to go there via monorail but I would hate to worry if we'll be finished with dinner in time to catch the monorail. If the reported change includes the resort monorail, I suppose we'll always drive. I agree that the change in the Epcot monorail will be a pain for monorail resort guests.