The *NEW* Grand Floridian Resort and Spa FAQ thread (Nov 2007)

[nbsmjs]

Questions about the GF ---

what is the situation with parking? if we stay there and decide to use our car to get the parks like animal kingdom or mgm, is it a total hassle? is self park really that far away? does valet parking cost a lot? does valet take forever to bring you your car in the morning?

also, is it really necessary to get a water view or is a garden view just fine if we are looking to save money?

thanks!

 

[Tinkaroo]

Questions about the GF ---

what is the situation with parking? if we stay there and decide to use our car to get the parks like animal kingdom or mgm, is it a total hassle? is self park really that far away? does valet parking cost a lot? does valet take forever to bring you your car in the morning?

also, is it really necessary to get a water view or is a garden view just fine if we are looking to save money?

thanks!

Welcome to the GF thread!

The self-parking lot is a bit of a hassle. DH and I are perfectly healthy, walk around WDW without complaint, etc. - but DH took one look as to where the self-parking lot was, and decided he wanted to valet during our trip.

It's not so much the distance that bothers me, it's that you have to cross the street to get to it - just seems to add time! So, we figured we're staying at the GF - just pay the $10/day to valet. (You do need to tip every time you get your car out, though.)

We never had a wait to get our car, but we always called down to the valet station 5-10 mins. before we left our room. It was always waiting for us.

I think the garden views at the GF are just lovely! I'm not a huge view person, admittedly, but I wouldn't pay the difference between a garden view and a lagoon view just to see a little bit of water. In fact, there are several garden views where you can see some water, without paying the extra money.

For us, we'll either book a GV room, or stay concierge, at the GF. I don't feel like, for us, it's a good use of our $$ for anything inbetween.

 

[grannyminnie]

For those of you going soon, have a Grand Christmas! Enjoy that wonderful place, and for those of us NOT going, boohoo!!

 

[Lives4Disney]

For those of you going soon, have a Grand Christmas! Enjoy that wonderful place, and for those of us NOT going, boohoo!!

Ya....booooohoooo!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Grannie Minnie, how's your knee??? I tripped over my big ol' dog last week (dummie me didn't turn the light on for a quick trip to the laundry room ) and smashed my knee on our slate floor. I am not usually such a klutz. Tuesday my car got hit by a drunk driver. I need a change of luck. My tail bone still hurts. Hope your knee is better. Mine doesn't like to bend. I don't know how long to give it til I call the doctor.

Have a great time GF travelers! It's a beautiful time to go.

OMG....I just realized my AP expires today. I don't think I am going to renew it, though. First time in a long time I won't have one.



Lives4Disney

 

[irisbud]

Ya....booooohoooo!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Grannie Minnie, how's your knee??? I tripped over my big ol' dog last week (dummie me didn't turn the light on for a quick trip to the laundry room ) and smashed my knee on our slate floor. I am not usually such a klutz. Tuesday my car got hit by a drunk driver. I need a change of luck. My tail bone still hurts. Hope your knee is better. Mine doesn't like to bend. I don't know how long to give it til I call the doctor.

Have a great time GF travelers! It's a beautiful time to go.

OMG....I just realized my AP expires today. I don't think I am going to renew it, though. First time in a long time I won't have one.



Lives4Disney

Channing, it sounds like you need some Pixie Dust !!!

Hopefully your luck will turn around!

 

[Tinkaroo]

Ya....booooohoooo!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Grannie Minnie, how's your knee??? I tripped over my big ol' dog last week (dummie me didn't turn the light on for a quick trip to the laundry room ) and smashed my knee on our slate floor. I am not usually such a klutz. Tuesday my car got hit by a drunk driver. I need a change of luck. My tail bone still hurts. Hope your knee is better. Mine doesn't like to bend. I don't know how long to give it til I call the doctor.

Have a great time GF travelers! It's a beautiful time to go.

OMG....I just realized my AP expires today. I don't think I am going to renew it, though. First time in a long time I won't have one.



Lives4Disney

Yes, I agree - have wonderful trips December GF'ers! I'd pay just about anything (maybe even those ridiculous holiday rack rates ) to be back in the 4th floor RPC lounge right now. No one here will make me fresh oatmeal/raisin cookies.

Channing - ouch - it does sound like you need a change of luck! I'm sorry to hear about your car, but it sounds like you're very lucky that it's just your car and not you. Drunk drivers make me so mad!

And my AP expired last Friday.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

[Lives4Disney]

Yes, I agree - have wonderful trips December GF'ers! I'd pay just about anything (maybe even those ridiculous holiday rack rates ) to be back in the 4th floor RPC lounge right now. No one here will make me fresh oatmeal/raisin cookies.

Channing - ouch - it does sound like you need a change of luck! I'm sorry to hear about your car, but it sounds like you're very lucky that it's just your car and not you. Drunk drivers make me so mad!

And my AP expired last Friday.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Oh ya, i totally agree. I am not even that upset because it really is a GOOD thing nobody was hurt. That jerk could have killed somebody. The officer used foul and strong language when talking about him. It happened right as the kids were being dismissed and walking home from school & it was really a Godsend that nobody was hit but my car. My car can be repaired. I have just had a really wacky crazy string of weird bad incidents lately!! I almost fell again just a few minutes ago because my boot got caught between the storm door and the step and I didn't, haha!!! I need to wrap myself in bubble wrap.

 

[grannyminnie]

Good grief, Channing! You are just on a "roll", aren't ya??
You determined to hurt every body part? My knee is almost healed, I think. I never did go to the dr with it because I felt like it just needed time. I haven't been able to bend it until recently and still don't want to put any weight on it. That tail bone injury...my sister had one of those and said it took a while for that to heal.
I can't believe I'm hearing you saying you wanna be back at the GF... ! Aren't you the one that said you were "Disneyed out"???

 

[Cinderella Fan]

Well, we ot back from Disney on Wednesday. I am in the process of uploading pics to Photobucket, which is proving to take FOREVER!! The mass uploader isn't working with my Dell, so I am having to do it 20 at a time.

I will say this, the Poly wasn't really for us. For the price, yes, it was great. But, I had to REALLY fight the urge to move over to the GF. In fact, on our first night I had a little too much celebratory champage at the Cali Grille, and Joe (concierge at the GF) and I had everything ready for us to move on Sunday morning. BG put a stop to it, said I had to stay at the Poly and give it a fair try...

Hope everyone is having a good week. School is out for us and we don't have to go back until after the New year!!!!

 

[BrianD]

Hey everyone, just checking in live from the Yacht Club! We just moved over here today after spending five great days at the GF! We had a great time and were upgraded to LV (had GV booked) and were on the first floor of Big Pine Key looking out towards the Wedding Pavilion and the Poly. It was a great room and we really liked the location of Big Pine Key. The longest walk was to Gasparilla's but even that was not bed.

As for the new rooms, overall I really like them from a decor & luxury standpoint. They look MUCH nicer in person than they come across in the pictures. And the new toiletries are very nice. I love the shampoo and bar soap for the shower. From a functional standpoint though, we really missed the drawer space and the table! I had to live out of the suitcase while the wife and kids used up the four small drawers. We even had to store the diapers in the night stand cabinet. Now that we are over here at the YC, I can really see the difference. There is SO much drawer space here and it is great. But we definitely thought it was a nicer looking room. And of course the TV was great, EXCEPT it appears they no longer offer good old channel 96 (the Disney cartoons loop) with these new TVs, and that was sorely missed. Again, the kids are happy to have that now over here at the YC.

We had turndown service every night which was great as usual. All of the CMs at the GF were great, in fact, we are noticing that pretty much all the CMs everywhere at WDW seem to be really happy and friendly this time around. More so than usual. Even the guests (for the most part) seem to be pretty nice. It is definitely good to see.

One other note about the GF, the lobby (and really the entire hotel) was very busy at all times. The lobby was very busy every day. We saw the "mystery lady" in there at least 4 different days, sitting in a different place each day. Also, WDW in general has been much more crowded than it was on this week two years ago, but, as some others have said, the wait times at the attractions are not too bad.

Oh, and one other thing, we ate at 1900 Park Fare for dinner and our daughter really loved it, and the food was decent, but it was definitely more about the characters at this meal.

Well, I will sign off for now. We are here at the YC for three nights, and then we are headed back home for Christmas. I have to admit we are enjoying the quietness of the YC this time around, because that GF was hoppin' the whole time. But it was a great stay, and we'll be back next December!

Off to the Yachtsman tonight for a late dinner. My parents joined us yesterday and they are a big help, so they are watching the kids so that we can get a little time with just us adults.

I'll check in again hopefully before we head home! TTFN!

Oh, and it looks like they are still working on Sago Cay but towards the end of our stay it almost started to look like people may be staying in parts of now. But not sure though.

 

[NeverSayNever]

Hi Everyone!

Best to everyone that is about to leave for the GF XMAS trip... it will be wonderful!

Brian glad to see you and your family enjoyed the GF... hoping you took lots of pictures to share with us!

Speaking of pictures, those were some really nice pictures that were posted, I so so enjoy looking at them all. Thanks for posting.

Granny... glad to hear that your knee is feeling better.

Channing... Hmmm.. some bumps and bruises huh, maybe a little heat, better yet a little Florida sunshine perhaps say at GF... there ya go, perfect reason to return real soon! (Seriously though, sorry to hear about the car and recent mishaps, thank goodness no seriosu injuries and and school dismal wow!)

Still a little bummed about not getting to GF for our XMAS trip becasue of Mother Nature but know that after XMAS I will be happy to have something to look forward to in Feb. I have already started to look at Dec 2008 thinking maybe ... and saw how much was already unavailable. Still thinking about it though, may just have to make a resv!

ENJOY!

Best,

 

[grannyminnie]

Channing, I forgot to mention that I'm so glad you were not injured when the jerk hit your car! With everything that's going on with you, a seat in the CL is just what you need right now, huh??

 

[Lives4Disney]

Grannyminnie....oh yes I AM Disneyed out for sure. My annual pass expired yesterday and I don't even care. I am kind of feeling over that place at the moment. I am not renewing. Give it a few months though maybe. I just miss the GF. I love that place it's just the extremely rude pushy nasty park crowds that really did me in. It made it unpleasant and even stressful.

Cinderella Fan - I feel the same way about the Poly. Too bad you couldn't get BG drunk enough to switch over to your GF, haha. I can't wait to see your pics. Glad it was a fun time anyway.

Brian - Sounds like all is great!! Thanks for checking in and your thoughts on the new rooms. I totally agree with ya. Hope you have a wonderful time at the YC. That is neat that your parents came, too. I thought the YC rooms were really laid out nicely - love that bathroom sink area w/the ottoman and the nice dresser in the entryway, too.

Neversay Never - some of our BEST trips were taken the end of January, beginning of February. Not particularly weatherwise....dress for everything including 30 degree nts - but crowdwise. Lots of fun when the place isn't summer or holiday crowded. It makes a big difference on the quality of the trip IMO. I really feel like I need a slow season getaway vs. how we can travel now only during school break peak season times. Hope you can book and plan something soon to look forward to.

Happy day,

Lives4Disney

 

[grannyminnie]

Don't know if I mentioned this, but I am going back in a couple of weeks (!) with my daughter and two "grands" and stay at the WL. This has been an "on again, off again" trip, but we seem to be on again. I believe the crowds will be lower, between those leaving after the new year, and those coming in for the marathon weekend. Here's hoping for ok weather, but we'll be prepared no matter what.
I'm excited because this is my three year old grandson's first visit!

 

[jd99]

Surprising the kids with a long weekend (five night) trip to the GF in mid January. It's our first time ever staying at GF as we usually stay at Poly when on the monorail line or at the BC/YC/BCV when we want to be near Epcot.

A little disappointed that the Courtyard Pool will be closed when we are there (moreso that we just found out last week after booking this only in October but that's another story). DW and I are so looking forward to the GF we hope it won't detract from the atmosphere.

We had a somewhat bad experience this summer being put in rooms that were "formerly smoking" and needing to move a couple of times because they hadn't yet been cleaned completely. Wanting to avoid that, I want to request only a formerly non-smoking building. From what I have read, that would be Sago Cay, Conch Key and Boca Chica. Three questions:

1. Am I right on my assumption above about the formerly non-smoking buildings?
2. Any recommendations that you can make that WON'T have us overlooking what may be a construction site at the Courtyard Pool (we have garden view).

Any help or other advice you might have would be most appreciated!

 

[irisbud]

Surprising the kids with a long weekend (five night) trip to the GF in mid January. It's our first time ever staying at GF as we usually stay at Poly when on the monorail line or at the BC/YC/BCV when we want to be near Epcot.

A little disappointed that the Courtyard Pool will be closed when we are there (moreso that we just found out last week after booking this only in October but that's another story). DW and I are so looking forward to the GF we hope it won't detract from the atmosphere.

We had a somewhat bad experience this summer being put in rooms that were "formerly smoking" and needing to move a couple of times because they hadn't yet been cleaned completely. Wanting to avoid that, I want to request only a formerly non-smoking building. From what I have read, that would be Sago Cay, Conch Key and Boca Chica. Three questions:

1. Am I right on my assumption above about the formerly non-smoking buildings?
2. Any recommendations that you can make that WON'T have us overlooking what may be a construction site at the Courtyard Pool (we have garden view).

Any help or other advice you might have would be most appreciated!

jd99,

The rooms at the GF have been refurbed since WDW became entirely nonsomking. During our October trip, we stayed in Big Pine which used to be a smoking building. I was a little apprehensive, as I am allergic to smoke, but it turned out that I had nothing to worry about at all. The room had just been redone, and I did not have any problems with my allergies; you could not tell that anyone had ever smoked in that room with all of the new materials in there.

 

[jd99]

jd99,

The rooms at the GF have been refurbed since WDW became entirely nonsomking. During our October trip, we stayed in Big Pine which used to be a smoking building. I was a little apprehensive, as I am allergic to smoke, but it turned out that I had nothing to worry about at all. The room had just been redone, and I did not have any problems with my allergies; you could not tell that anyone had ever smoked in that room with all of the new materials in there.

Thanks. That's good to hear. I have to say that the folks at the YC insisted the same when we were there in August but I assure you (and my daughter with asthma can confirm) that 2 of the rooms we were placed in reeked. So I am a little more than apprehensive about it. It was a real pain to deal with and I hope to avoid it this time.

Any thoughts about the best building to not be overlooking the potential construction zone from anyone?

 

[heatherlynn444]

hello ladies! i just got back today from my AKL trip. and let me tell you..i missed the GF SSOO MUCH! I tried not to but kept comparing everything to it. last night we wandered the lobby and watched wishes from gaspys and ate at narcoossees. I teared up when we left the lobby...I was so depressed we went staying there! I also saw the "mystery lady" SO WEIRD!

anyway, we will maybe be doihng a poly/GF slpit stay in january of 08. prob. not concierge but still, i get to be at my beloved gf!

 

[irisbud]

Thanks. That's good to hear. I have to say that the folks at the YC insisted the same when we were there in August but I assure you (and my daughter with asthma can confirm) that 2 of the rooms we were placed in reeked. So I am a little more than apprehensive about it. It was a real pain to deal with and I hope to avoid it this time.

Any thoughts about the best building to not be overlooking the potential construction zone from anyone?

We had the same problem at BC, and I am worried about Boardwalk and Poly on our upcoming trip. I think that the GF undergoing an extensive refurb made the difference. Good luck!

 

[irisbud]

hello ladies! i just got back today from my AKL trip. and let me tell you..i missed the GF SSOO MUCH! I tried not to but kept comparing everything to it. last night we wandered the lobby and watched wishes from gaspys and ate at narcoossees. I teared up when we left the lobby...I was so depressed we went staying there! I also saw the "mystery lady" SO WEIRD!

anyway, we will maybe be doihng a poly/GF slpit stay in january of 08. prob. not concierge but still, i get to be at my beloved gf!

Heatherlynn, I posted on the other thread that you started, but just wanted to say that me and BF were not huge AKL fans either. I think that the atmosphere (or maybe ambiance) of AKL and GF are nearly polar opposites. While the GF is so open, bright, and airy that AKL seemed dark and dreary to me. Our room also seemed MILES from the busses. At least you got to visit this time, and your plan for a split stay sounds great!