*The Official VILLAS AT DISNEY'S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA Owners & Lovers Group* - LOBBY REFURB BEGAN 4/14!

[trishadono]

I'm so excited I wanted to share that I was able to get a VGF Deluxe Lake view studio (not resort-in the original DVC building) for 1 night in January. My love for VGF began when, near the end of the pandemic I found myself in a "use 'em or lose 'em situation with points" so I was able to get 4 nights in a Lake View Studio and fell in love. I even spent a whole day sitting in my studio or on my balcony, enjoying the "once in a lifetime"(I thought) view. This one night is more than I expected to be able to do again. Can't wait! I'll probably be on the first floor (since I booked an accessible tub and the only one is 1104 according to TP), and I can't wait to see the EWP again!

I lobe watching EWP too! Glad you get to come back!

 

[mrsap]

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels Share Fireworks Viewing Procedures for Fourth of July 2025​

There will be no restrictions on viewing fireworks from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, regardless of whether a guest is staying at the resort or not.

 

[muppets3d]

I am checking out of big pine key this morning. One thing I will say is anybody who says this building is not noisy needs to get their hearing checked because you can hear everything. I mean every time your neighbors flush a toilet or run the shower and when a man urinates, you can hear the sound. It goes without saying that you can hear absolutely everything in the hallways as well. Everyone in my area of the building has mostly been considerate and it’s quiet at night though.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I am checking out of big pine key this morning. One thing I will say is anybody who says this building is not noisy needs to get their hearing checked because you can hear everything. I mean every time your neighbors flush a toilet or run the shower and when a man urinates, you can hear the sound. It goes without saying that you can hear absolutely everything in the hallways as well. Everyone in my area of the building has mostly been considerate and it’s quiet at night though.

“Dear Male Guests,

In consideration of your neighbors, we kindly ask that you sit or aim slightly off to the side when urinating so as not to disturb your fellow guests.

Also, in order to conserve water and reduce sound pollution we have a “If it’s yellow, be mellow… if it’s brown flush it down policy…”

Thank you in advance.

Grand Floridian Management”

 

[muppets3d]

“Dear Male Guests,

In consideration of your neighbors, we kindly ask that you sit or aim slightly off to the side when urinating so as not to disturb your fellow guests.

Also, in order to conserve water and reduce sound pollution we have a “If it’s yellow, be mellow… if it’s brown flush it down policy…”

Thank you in advance.

Grand Floridian Management”

I haven't been in a hotel building this loud in years. I'm not joking. I slept fine because like I said the rooms around me were quiet at night. But I don't know if I would have been able to take an afternoon nap (I'm not a napper anyway).

 

[AstroBlasters]

I haven't been in a hotel building this loud in years. I'm not joking. I slept fine because like I said the rooms around me were quiet at night. But I don't know if I would have been able to take an afternoon nap (I'm not a napper anyway).

We are locked into the original villas building, but always travel with a white noise machine(s) on vacations in an attempt to mitigate such issues.

 

[muppets3d]

We are locked into the original villas building, but always travel with a white noise machine(s) on vacations in an attempt to mitigate such issues.

Yeah I always travel with a fan for a few reasons but noise being one.

 

[muppets3d]

@Girlstar30 wanted me to write a follow up on my big pine key stay. I am at the airport facing a seriously delayed flight, so why not now.

I found the cast members at Grand Floridian were a complete 180 vs. January. Everyone was kind and welcoming and what you would expect from Disney, especially at the Flagship. I didn't experience any issues this trip. To me as someone who has stayed at Grand Floridian twice this year about 6 months apart, it feels like Disney completely re-trained the cast from the custodians all the way up to the front desk.

In January I felt like the cast had the attitude of, "we don't care if you like us, we're the best so we'll be here after you're gone."

It's obvious that someone higher up got feedback and made changes. I did tell my guide about our experience and we know our guide well enough that he knew we weren't complaining just to complain.

My room was clean. Overall as far as a studio goes, I think the BPK studios are MUCH better than the VGF deluxe studios. I can write more about that if people care, but I mostly wanted to give an update about my issues with the cast in January since @Girlstar30 asked.

 

[mamaofsix]

@Girlstar30 wanted me to write a follow up on my big pine key stay. I am at the airport facing a seriously delayed flight, so why not now.

I found the cast members at Grand Floridian were a complete 180 vs. January. Everyone was kind and welcoming and what you would expect from Disney, especially at the Flagship. I didn't experience any issues this trip. To me as someone who has stayed at Grand Floridian twice this year about 6 months apart, it feels like Disney completely re-trained the cast from the custodians all the way up to the front desk.

In January I felt like the cast had the attitude of, "we don't care if you like us, we're the best so we'll be here after you're gone."

It's obvious that someone higher up got feedback and made changes. I did tell my guide about our experience and we know our guide well enough that he knew we weren't complaining just to complain.

My room was clean. Overall as far as a studio goes, I think the BPK studios are MUCH better than the VGF deluxe studios. I can write more about that if people care, but I mostly wanted to give an update about my issues with the cast in January since @Girlstar30 asked.

So you like BPK better than the original deluxe studios, even with the noise issues?

 

[muppets3d]

So you like BPK better than the original deluxe studios, even with the noise issues?

It wasn't an issue for me because it was quiet at night. If I happened to have a neighbor that had a crying baby at night or liked to stay up late and talk/laugh, that would have been an issue.

Going forward if I stay in BPK again I will request top floor.

Yes I do think the BPK studios are better, overall, than the VGF studios. They're not the best studios on property in my mind and there are things that drove me crazy about the room, but they're better than the VGF deluxe studios.

 

[mamaofsix]

It wasn't an issue for me because it was quiet at night. If I happened to have a neighbor that had a crying baby at night or liked to stay up late and talk/laugh, that would have been an issue.

Going forward if I stay in BPK again I will request top floor.

Yes I do think the BPK studios are better, overall, than the VGF studios. They're not the best studios on property in my mind and there are things that drove me crazy about the room, but they're better than the VGF deluxe studios.

Interesting. Thank you!

For us, we prefer the bathroom set-up of the deluxe studios. The three-way split between shower, sink, and tub/toilet is gold if you have kids.

The sound issue is major for us, as we would have to hush our kids constantly for fear of disturbing other guests at BPK.

 

[muppets3d]

Interesting. Thank you!

For us, we prefer the bathroom set-up of the deluxe studios. The three-way split between shower, sink, and tub/toilet is gold if you have kids.

The sound issue is major for us, as we would have to hush our kids constantly for fear of disturbing other guests at BPK.

Yeah I love the bathroom setup of the VGF and Riviera studios for sure.

 

[Cfabar1]

Have they been removing the paneling from the refrigerators at VGF? Watching a recent DVC Fan tour as well as our recent stay there was no paneling on the refrigerator and the stainless steel was visible.

In the past I thought there was paneling over the fridges. Much nicer looking....

 

[AstroBlasters]

Have they been removing the paneling from the refrigerators at VGF? Watching a recent DVC Fan tour as well as our recent stay there was no paneling on the refrigerator and the stainless steel was visible.

In the past I thought there was paneling over the fridges. Much nicer looking....

ChatGPT says it happened between 2022/2023:

Yes, Disney has removed the wood paneling from the refrigerators in the rooms at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, at least in the recently refurbished studios and resort studios.

Refurbishment Details:​

• In 2022–2023, Disney completed a major refurbishment and expansion of the Grand Floridian villas.
• The "Resort Studios" in the Big Pine Key building were added and featured a lighter, modernized design — with clean white cabinetry, Mary Poppins-themed decor, and stainless steel-faced mini-fridges, not wood-paneled ones.
• Around the same time, original DVC studios and villas were refurbished to match the new style. These updates included:
  
  • Lighter floors and finishes
  • Updated bathrooms and kitchens/kitchenettes
  • And yes — removal of the older wood-paneled mini-fridges in favor of standard stainless steel or black appliance fronts

Why the Change?​

The removal was part of a broader design shift toward a more modern, bright, and clean aesthetic, moving away from the darker Victorian-era wood tones of earlier DVC designs.

Let me know if you'd like photo comparisons or floorplan updates — or if you're asking about 1- or 2-bedroom villas specifically.

 

[Cfabar1]

vs

bring back the TVs too! Hyatt Regency Orlando has them....

sad how modern Disney always takes the easy way out... like how they replaced Innoventions with nothing...

 

[AstroBlasters]

vs

bring back the TVs too! Hyatt Regency Orlando has them....

sad how modern Disney always takes the easy way out... like how they replaced Innoventions with nothing...

What TVs?

 

[PolyRob]

Have they been removing the paneling from the refrigerators at VGF? Watching a recent DVC Fan tour as well as our recent stay there was no paneling on the refrigerator and the stainless steel was visible.

In the past I thought there was paneling over the fridges. Much nicer looking....

The Monogram paneled refrigerators were completely replaced with much cheaper Haier french door refrigerators during the refurbishment. The Monogram paneled dishwashers remained, but they are showing their age.

vs

bring back the TVs too! Hyatt Regency Orlando has them....

sad how modern Disney always takes the easy way out... like how they replaced Innoventions with nothing...

YES! The TVs were also sadly removed from the bathroom mirrors in the refurbishment I think they were a maintenance nightmare.

 

[PolyRob]

What TVs?

The original villa building rooms including studios had televisions in the bathroom mirrors



https://blog.dvcrequest.com/new-studio-villa-disneys-grand-floridian-resort-spa/

I believe only PVB bungalows and CCV cabins still have them now unless they were also ripped out?

 

[mrsap]

The original villa building rooms including studios had televisions in the bathroom mirrors

View attachment 981300

https://blog.dvcrequest.com/new-studio-villa-disneys-grand-floridian-resort-spa/

I believe only PVB bungalows and CCV cabins still have them now unless they were also ripped out?

Those TV’s were great! I liked having something on to watch when I was getting ready! They had a music channel as well, so I’d even throw that on once in a while, too! Unfortunately, though, they always had a lot of issues.

 

[LadybugsMum]

I guess I'm one of the few that didn't like those tvs in the mirror.