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

[mr.mike]

. I don't mean to sound like a downer - I would do it again in an instant! I love it there any time.

The GF was fantastic as always though. The girls and I made ornaments w/our CM friends, met the lady that makes the gingerbread houses, saw her demo, just totally enjoyed the resort and the CMs that trip. It is the perfect WDW hotel for Xmas. You will love it & hopefully your kids will, too!! DD11 and I had to really twist DD8's arm to get her to even go down for Easter this year. They like their holidays at home. Maybe in a couple years we can try it again.

Enjoy planning - but make sure you book everything you think you might want.

Channing

Channing, you definitely do not sound like a downer.
You have me very excited with all you have said so far.

I have felt very 'at home' when we have stayed RPC so its nice to hear you say 'it is the perfect hotel for Christmas'.

Just realized the Candelight Procession show at Epcot will be happening. I've always wanted to see that. I wonder if our 2 younger children (2 and 4 by that time) will be able to sit through it.

This is crazy how excited I am and I still have 3 other trips first.
I wonder...do they award the castle stay on Christmas eve? hmmmm

 

[mr.mike]

Hi-I am not sure, this may have been asked and answered somewhere, but I can't find it......is there a place at the resort where I could purchase a 1/2 gallon of milk? Thank you for answering.

I know there is milk but can't remember if it comes in the half gallon size.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Hi-I am not sure, this may have been asked and answered somewhere, but I can't find it......is there a place at the resort where I could purchase a 1/2 gallon of milk? Thank you for answering.

Gasparilla's is open 24 hours and they have milk. I don't think it is that big though...

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Channing, you definitely do not sound like a downer.
You have me very excited with all you have said so far.

I have felt very 'at home' when we have stayed RPC so its nice to hear you say 'it is the perfect hotel for Christmas'.

Just realized the Candelight Procession show at Epcot will be happening. I've always wanted to see that. I wonder if our 2 younger children (2 and 4 by that time) will be able to sit through it.

This is crazy how excited I am and I still have 3 other trips first.
I wonder...do they award the castle stay on Christmas eve? hmmmm

Mike, CP isn't that long... I didn't take DS3, but he was disappointed in not going (He had seen clips from the Samantha Brown Travel Channel show about Holidays at WDW) We are going this year (he will be 5). I would recommend making a dinner reservation at Epcot that includes a CP viewing- everyone is going to want to see that show (especially your week) and this gets you a guaranteed seat.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Mr. Mike - I am glad you're excited! You should be.

I really want to see the CP too, but got some honest views from CMs so we haven't yet....They compared it to a church service and DD isn't used to sitting thru mass. When we did Xmas there my youngest DD was only 6 and thought that was a bit young and she'd be board & squirmy. It looks beautiful & maybe our next holiday visit I will get to see it. Have you seen the lines for it?? Even the dinner package lines....you have to line up 1/2 hr to 45 min early on the dinner package. That alone turned me off a bit. I would only do the CP Dinner package, but then they made it so you have to eat before the CP so the time choices are kind of strange. Maybe they'll change it back this year due to a lot of people complaining about that issue.

OK, now I am thinking maybe we need to do Xmas there this year. I don't have anything booked for Thanksgiving.......

Wouldn't that be something to win the castle on Xmas Eve?? I always wondered then, do you have to pay for your RPC room that night, too, even if you're not using it? And you'd have TWO to pay for!?!

Happy planning!

Lives4Disney

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

Hello again..different topic here. I have seen photos of and read about guests getting cute towel animals from "mouse"keeping. I think my girls would LOVE to see these. How often does Housekeeping leave these cute little critters behind? Would a little note accompanying their tip help to request some? Do guests take them home to keep as souvenirs? Or do we need to leave them behind when we check out? Thanks for any info!

Along these same lines--- about how much is an appropriate tip?

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I'm not sure I would quite compare CP to a church service. It is mostly singing with a little reading of the the Christmas story in between songs. I think it is only about 45 minutes long and if they get restless you could certainly leave!

Channing, excellent point about the lines! We went the week after Thanksgiving so the dinner reservation line was not so bad (certainly not what I would expect for Christmas week).

We went to the 8:15 show and the latest ADR they would grant was a 5:30 at Le Cellier. If you go to the earlier shows you would definitely be eating at lunch time.

If you decide not to actually get a package and don't want to wait in line for a seat in the ampitheater, you can certainly hear it very well from the American Gardens. We caught a little of it later in the week while DS wanted to look at the train by the big tree in the American Pavillion. That is another option as well!

 

[Lives4Disney]

Kristen, Dd is such a mover and a shaker she wuold have gotten squirelly when she was 6. I remember the CMs asking if she sits thru church and we are bad Catholics taht don't go anymore. Heck I can barely sit thru mass. I just thought paying the hiked up CP DP price and then waiting in the hideous line and having her tell me she's bored, and keep asking when is it over.....You get the picture!! Several CMs said don't go - she'd be bored. It looks great to me though. Maybe I will get to do it this year.

I called - I have the 10:30!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Kristen, Dd is such a mover and a shaker she wuold have gotten squirelly when she was 6. I remember the CMs asking if she sits thru church and we are bad Catholics taht don't go anymore. Heck I can barely sit thru mass. I just thought paying the hiked up CP DP price and then waiting in the hideous line and having her tell me she's bored, and keep asking when is it over.....You get the picture!! Several CMs said don't go - she'd be bored. It looks great to me though. Maybe I will get to do it this year.

I called - I have the 10:30!!

Hooray for the 10:30!!

I never even thought about the hike in the CP price. We always have the DDP so I don't think about it since there isn't a price change for us (it is still 1 TS for the 1 TS meals and 2 TS for the 2 TS meals)

Anyway, Mike, to answer your question, if your children can sit through church, they will be fine (Although the program is much more secular than a catholic mass). If you are worried just try to listen to some of it from the Garden area

 

[marcij]

Mr. Mike -- I loved CP, but my kids did not. They were super bored. We did this in 2005 when they were 7 and 10. It takes a long time for the choir to file in, so they lose attention in it right away.

I think Kristen's idea of listening from the garden area is a good idea, or you could chance it if you don't mind eating really early (since you probably don't want the 8:15 with little kids which would be closer to an early dinner-time seating I think) and be prepared to get up and walk with one of them if they don't like it. It's a beautiful setting (trees with twinkle lights) but the benches are long and hard in my opinion and not all that easy to get in and out of.

It sounds like you are planning a fabulous trip and I'm green with envy! I'd love to be there before or during Christmas, but the school schedule (along with family) has only allowed after Christmas visits the last couple of years. Have fun!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Yeah I think the milk isnt that big.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I have an AP and DDE as well and I think its better than the DDP for my family but we are different.

 

[Tinkaroo]

mr. mike - I'll jump in and say that we had the opposite experience with the CP and my 2 young nieces this past December. They were 5 (almost 6) and 4 at the time, and they enjoyed and did great in the 8:15 showing of the CP! I'm sure it has a lot to do with attention spans of the children, how much they like music, etc. I had made them CD's the previous Christmas of the show, and since they particularly love Christmas music, they were familiar with all the music beforehand and really looked forward to it.

Sadly for us, Phylicia Rashad ended up not doing our CP (she was the original narrator scheduled for our dates, and I would have loved to see her). However, Monique Coleman (of High School Musical and Dancing with the Stars fame) took her place, and particularly my 5 year old niece was thrilled to see her. I will say, she did a fine job with it, too.

The CP is my all-time favorite thing to do at WDW during the holidays. It is very well-done. Definitely do the dining package, though - I would not want to stand in those stand-by lines.

 

[mr.mike]

Channing,
That's not bad if it is like mass. Our older two are fine and the baby loves when they music is played. One of my daughters will be 4 by that point and she is not too bad at sitting still.

Wouldn't that be something to win the castle on Xmas Eve?? I always wondered then, do you have to pay for your RPC room that night, too, even if you're not using it? And you'd have TWO to pay for!?!

I'd assume you'd have to pay, it is not like they can rent it to someone else unless its your last night. Hey, maybe we could sublet it.

And actually this Christmas will be the last Christmas we can all still fit into a standard room. My son will be 2 in December so I will need 2 rooms or a suite for Christmas 2009 when we have the extended family all planning on going.

Cinderumbrella
I will def do the package, with kids I'd want that guaranteed seating. I'm figuring a lunch around 2pm (if you have to eat before) and then attend the 5pm show.

you can certainly hear it very well from the American Gardens. We caught a little of it later in the week while DS wanted to look at the train by the big tree in the American Pavillion. That is another option as well!

That is good to know but I think I'll take my chances with seating. That way if the older 2 get bored it wont be as easy to wander off and I can tell them this counts as mass.

marcij

It sounds like you are planning a fabulous trip and I'm green with envy! I'd love to be there before or during Christmas, but the school schedule (along with family) has only allowed after Christmas visits the last couple of years. Have fun!

One of the reasons I'm very excited is it will only be my wife and I and the kids. I usually get friends to come along (like this July) or tag along when i see other friends going (like this April).
I always wind up planning everything for everyone, which I truly enjoy, but this will be more fun not worrying that everyone is seeing and riding everything they want and feeling responsible that they enjoy themselves.

It was easier when I only had 1 in school and it was the early grades. Now I dont like to take them out of school BUT this year Christmas is on Thursday so they will only have school on mon and tues (22 and 23rd) I know they wont miss anything from the 23rd so I don't mind them missing those 2 days.
And I think I've decided to drive. We used to drive often but havn't lately. Plane tickets for 6 gets expensive and I love the forced interaction and conversation when we drive.

 

[mr.mike]

Sadly for us, Phylicia Rashad ended up not doing our CP (she was the original narrator scheduled for our dates, and I would have loved to see her). However, Monique Coleman (of High School Musical and Dancing with the Stars fame) took her place, and particularly my 5 year old niece was thrilled to see her. I will say, she did a fine job with it, too.

I will not even tell my 10 year old daughter that Monique Coleman was there. She would go crazy!!
This gets more exciting.. i wonder who will be there this year. I know Gary Sinese does it a lot. I wouldn't mind seeing him.

 

[grannyminnie]

Didn't he do it on Christmas Eve last time?
I believe it's a special honor to be chosen to read on that night!

 

[grannyminnie]

Hello all,
Has anyone heard from werfamily? Are they still there? I'm really curious to read that TR!

 

[DREAMS161]

Hi there. I have been keeping up with the thread. I have to say it is a nice break/escape to WDW in thought anyway. We went to the CP the first week of December 2007. The reserved seating was up front which was nice for our boys to be up close and personal with the orchestra. Our 5 year old fell asleep in Daddy's arms and our 6.5 year old did great. John O' Hurley was our narrator- he was fantastic. I have to say it was a beautiful Christmas experience! I hope you and your family enjoy it too!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Hi there. I have been keeping up with the thread. I have to say it is a nice break/escape to WDW in thought anyway. We went to the CP the first week of December 2007. The reserved seating was up front which was nice for our boys to be up close and personal with the orchestra. Our 5 year old fell asleep in Daddy's arms and our 6.5 year old did great. John O' Hurley was our narrator- he was fantastic. I have to say it was a beautiful Christmas experience! I hope you and your family enjoy it too!

We had John OHurley for our 2006 trip too! He has a TERRIFIC voice for it... something to be said for listening to J. Peterman tell the Christmas story

Mike, last year the narrator list was out 6/20 and the dining packages went on sale 7-2. Definitely make that phone call as soon as the phone banks open that am to get the time/day you want (7am EST)

 

[Lives4Disney]

Hello all,
Has anyone heard from werfamily? Are they still there? I'm really curious to read that TR!

I am curious, too! I've been wondering how it went for them.

Mr. Mike....We are in northern IL - about a 20 hour drive to WDW and I smiled when I read what you wrote about the "forced interaction" in the car....I feel the SAME way! Stuck together in the car we have a lot of laughs. We used to drive down every single year the end of January...did that for YEARS until my oldest started Jr. High and we couldn't take him out for 2 + wks anymore. So, it was flying for us until I booked a last min trip this past July and we wound up driving. It was fun, but now that my kids are older they were all kind of in their own little mp3 and DVD worlds....I missed the days w/out the earbuds and headsets. Enjoy!

Lives4Disney