*The Official VILLAS AT DISNEY'S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA Group* - **THE PERCH BAR OPENING NOVEMBER 10th!!**

[PolyRob]

True true. I like the more 70s vibe to contemporary BUT they could upgrade it to a more modern 70s vibe I do like the artist they chose a lot to freshen it up. I never stayed at blt befire the refurb but I heard it was rough im really glad they did it justice

Yeah the first floor looks great, but two through four need a lot of love!

I would have rather seen the Joey Chou artwork in the cash rooms than the Incredibles. It works well with the Mary Blair mural.

 

[Girlstar30]

Yeah the first floor looks great, but two through four need a lot of love!

I would have rather seen the Joey Chou artwork in the cash rooms than the Incredibles. It works well with the Mary Blair mural.

I was jealous of the incredible rooms when I first saw them because I saw the baylake rooms pictures (prerefurb) and I was like man thats lame themeing why dont we get something cool lol.

I have heard a lot of people think the same as you, didnt like incredibles. I think its pretty risky focusing on one movie for a room unless its something classic and beloved ie Mary poppins

 

[PolyRob]

I was jealous of the incredible rooms when I first saw them because I saw the baylake rooms pictures (prerefurb) and I was like man thats lame themeing why dont we get something cool lol.

I have heard a lot of people think the same as you, didnt like incredibles. I think its pretty risky focusing on one movie for a room unless its something classic and beloved ie Mary poppins

Yeah the one theme is hard when it's so in your face. Even AoA has variety between Little Mermaid, Lion King, Nemo, and Cars.

I love The Incredibles as a movie, but I personally think it cheapens the CR cash side. I'm glad GF cash and BPK have tasteful Disney IP theming.

 

[muppets3d]

This refurb is making me happy I own a favorite week at VGF, to be honest.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Absolutely stunning! I'm having a psychotic break and considering dropping my Poly for GF. (I know it's a completely insane idea for me and hopefully I'll be able to hold off for a long time or forever).

Do it. I just did

 

[mrsap]

Grand Floridian Resort Refurbishment To Continue Through Mid-2026

While there are some parts of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort that will be wrapping up refurbishment very soon, Walt Disney World has provided an update on the anticipated refurbishment schedule for the entire resort. More specifically, Walt Disney World has finally provided an ending timeframe for the work. Here’s the latest.
Here’s the new announcement from Walt Disney World, now with a “mid-2026” timeframe for the completion of the work.

As part of the ongoing enhancements at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, refurbishment work will continue in select areas through mid-2026. Guests may see or hear work during daytime hours. Efforts will be made to minimize disruptions, and most pools, dining, and other amenities will remain available for Guests to enjoy.

As renovations continue at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the gingerbread display will not be available during the 2025 holiday season.

It’s unclear what the scope of work will be that will last into next Summer, but we expect that the majority of work taking place in the lobby will be wrapped up soon, and the Garden

 

[mrsap]

Picture posted on FB…


Posted by Kim Jameson

 

[cruisehopeful]

Do it. I just did

Congratulations! I'm going to live vicariously through you for a while. I'm not ready to take the hit on my Poly points. Plus, I told my husband that I wouldn't buy more DVC.

When Poly sells out, I'll have to book a stay at GF and let my husband be the one to come up with the idea to sell Poly and buy GF.

 

[mrsap]

Carpet/Elegant Herringbone Tile transition revealed!!

Thanks @2vets for sharing!

 

[mrsap]

Disney’s Grand Floridian Lobby Bar Gets Chairs and Lighting​

The new bar in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is officially opening next week, but it looks ready for a potential soft opening any day now.

The Perch Bar​

We learned that the birdcage-inspired bar will be called The Perch and is scheduled to open on Monday, November 10. Crews have been putting final details on the bar, which is surrounded by white curtains.


New golden glittering disco ball-like lights hang inside the bar. They have gold butterflies on them.


The planters around the bar were filled with fresh green foliage overnight. Crews have installed bar equipment.



Behind the shelves installed a week ago is a new stained glass panel. Cabinet doors were added to the sides.



Most crew members on site Thursday morning were on the ground but one crew member was working on the bar’s roof. There are now chairs arranged at the counters, including a short section of counter on one side.


The short section of counter has two shorter chairs but the rest of the chairs are bar stool height. They have patterned light beige backs and arms. The padded seats are brown.



The chairs sit on the bar’s herringbone tile, separating it from the lobby’s new carpet.


The interior of the structure has plain gray-brown flooring. Guests will sit outside while bartenders work inside.



A golden foot rest runs around the bar’s exterior.


The Perch is where the lobby’s real giant birdcage used to sit, across from the elevator. Check out The Perch menu.

More Grand Floridian Lobby Work​

Construction walls are down from in front of the Garden View Lounge, but still block the two doorways. There are curtains around an area in front of the tea room for a crew member to paint the Grand Floridian logo on the wall above. There was previously a seashell-like 3D element on this wall.



There will now be a flat golden GF logo with vine-like filigree. A matching design will also be added on the other side of the lobby. The Garden View Lounge will reopen next year.



Next to the tea room, the back staircase is blocked again with curtains.

 

[mrsap]

According to DFB:

The Perch Menu is now Live on Disney’s Website.

You can see it HERE.

 

[mrsap]

Nice picture of the bar posted on FB.

Posted by Kim Jameson

 

[Cfabar1]

Am hoping they can figure out what to do with the remaining abandoned spaces at GF... the kids club and Bippidi Bopped Boutique...

So glad the tea room is returning. I wonder if the new enclosures mean it will be more open or less open than before... Either way, glad it is returning in some fashion at all.

 

[Girlstar30]

Question, when a refurb like this happens is it paid by mf's and do mf's tend to go up before or after ?

 

[Cfabar1]

Question, when a refurb like this happens is it paid by mf's and do mf's tend to go up before or after ?

depends on what is part of the association, what is a common element, etc.

room refurbs are primarily paid by members.

if they are doing a good job, a capital reserve fund is built up based on useful life of the things that need to be done, so it builds up over time and then is drained when there is a refurb, and rebuilt again over time.

 

[mamaofsix]

Question, when a refurb like this happens is it paid by mf's and do mf's tend to go up before or after ?

Since this is the main lobby for regular cash hotel guests, not the DVC building lobbies, I wouldn't think that member dues are paying for it? But I could be wrong.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Congratulations! I'm going to live vicariously through you for a while. I'm not ready to take the hit on my Poly points. Plus, I told my husband that I wouldn't buy more DVC.

When Poly sells out, I'll have to book a stay at GF and let my husband be the one to come up with the idea to sell Poly and buy GF.

It’s mostly because we’re a family of six now and weren’t impressed with the layout at PIT.

To me, VGF in some ways feels like an extension of Main Street USA, and walking down that avenue always makes me happy.

BLT feels like an extension of Tomorrowland, which, need I say more?

 

[mrsap]

New Gingerbread Brownie and Returning ‘Let It Snow’ Mousse Bring Christmas to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort​

Holiday treats are arriving at Walt Disney World, beginning with the new Gingerbread Brownie and returning “Let It Snow” from Gasparilla Island Grill.


These are available through January 1, 2026. Gasparilla Island Grill will also offer Stollen Bites beginning on November 18.


Gingerbread-spiced brownie with salted caramel ganache


We didn’t think this would be good but we actually enjoyed it. The brownie is thick and moist. It has a nice subtle chocolate flavor.


The frosting reminds us of Golden Grahams cereal in the best way possible. The gingerbread flavor is not overwhelming.


It’s large and shareable. The little gingerbread house with a Mickey on it is cute and takes a great picture.

Rating out of 7: 6

Almond-praline mousse, confit apricot, and orange chiffon


This is a solid offering but we weren’t blown away by it. The texture is delicate with a light almond flavor. You have to dig a bit for the apricot, but it’s there. The citrus cuts nicely with the dessert.


It is not sweet at all, which we appreciated. It’s a little underwhelming, however. If you like almond and want something light, you could grab this. It’s not something we will run back for anytime soon.


Rating out of 7: 4

 

[mrsap]

Disney World Receives Regulatory Green Light for New Grand Floridian Entrance & Other Roadway Enhancements

Yesterday, Walt Disney World received a regulatory green light for a planned new entrance to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and other roadway enhancements as part of a multi-year effort to improve traffic flow around the Magic Kingdom area resorts. A permit was approved by the South Florida Water Management District, giving Walt Disney World a thumbs-up to proceed with roadway adjustments at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Here’s the latest.

Permit Approved for New Grand Floridian Resort Entrance

Walt Disney World filed plans with the state back in September, detailing changes to the main entrance of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the Grand Floridian wedding pavilion, and other nearby roadway improvements.

If this is all feeling a bit familiar, it’s because we have covered these changes before. To be clear, the permit that was approved this week is new. That said, the changes to the Grand Floridian entrance have been known for years. Our first look at the changes came in an October 2021 article where we outlined the plans for the World Drive Phase III work.

Here’s a look at some of the permit images from 2021, showing the planned work for World Drive Phase III. Note that the distinction here is that the 2021 permit was for the work related to the World Drive project, whereas the recently filed permit is for work to connect Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort to the World Drive Phase III project.

In the screenshots below, you can see the planned roundabouts near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and the nearby Grand Floridian Cast Member parking area.

Here’s another screenshot from the 2021 permit, showing the two roundabouts planned to be built west of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Actually, there are three roundabouts in the screenshot, with the roundabout all the way at the bottom left of the image for the planned Seven Seas Drive reroute projectconnected to the new entrance currently under construction for Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. We’re not interested in that roundabout for this article, so we’ll ignore it for now.

Instead, we’ll turn our attention to the two roundabouts near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (in the middle of the screenshot below). The lower (southern) roundabout will connect to the main entrance of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. The upper (northern) roundabout will connect to the Cast Member parking area and the exit to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

With that background out of the way, let’s now turn our attention to the recently approved permit and the changes that will be made to connect Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort to the World Drive Phase III work.


Here’s a permit overlay image that we put together, showing the recently filed permit over a Google Maps screenshot. We can faintly see the two roundabouts in the permit overlay screenshot, one near the entrance to the resort (middle) and one near the Cast Member parking lot (left).

In terms of significant changes, it looks like the main entrance roadway will be extended some 200 feet to connect to the World Drive roundabout. Modifications will be made to the existing Floridian Way roadway to transform it from a two-lane road to a one-lane, one-way roadway that will serve as an exit from the Cast Member parking lot area toward the World Drive roundabout.

No other significant changes are planned for the Grand Floridian Resort entrance. It looks like the existing guardhouse will remain in place, and there are no major changes planned for the resort parking lot.

The northern roundabout will have some more changes as Disney creates a new roadway to connect the current Grand Floridian exit roadway near the convention center with the new roundabout. This will require cutting into the current Cast Member parking lot slightly. It looks like permitted plans call for losing a row or two of parking during the process.

Changes are also coming to the Wedding Pavilion. A new entrance will be constructed south of the current entrance. This will allow for a more natural connection to the planned shift of World Drive North following the completion of the Phase III work. It looks like Disney will make some changes to the Wedding Pavilion parking lot in an effort to retain a similar number of spaces once the new entrance is complete.

Overall, the work outlined in this permit should create better traffic flow in the area once complete. As traffic to the northern gateway of Walt Disney World property continues to grow, the World Drive North Phase III project is much-needed.

If you’re visiting Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort in the coming years, you can expect significant traffic impacts around the resort. While the permit outlines the planned final product, it doesn’t outline the anticipated traffic impacts during the work. Also absent is a timeframe for the completion of the project.

In fact, while the World Drive North Phase III project was first outlined in 2021, Disney didn’t commence work on the project until mid-2023. That means that the World Drive Phase III work that this permit is connecting too is permitted through mid-2028.

Walt Disney World has not officially announced this project on its website. That means that while the ongoing refurbishment project has been extended until mid-2026, we don’t know when roadway impacts to the entrance of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort will take place.

 

[BigBadBobbyH]

Curtain is now down in front of Garden View Lounge