Wilderness Lodge or Grand Floridian

[daisylovesdisney]

Thank you to all for the advice and ideas! We decided to try out the new resort studios at Grand Floridian so we can try something new. Crossing our fingers that most construction will be finished by April 2023.

My family stayed at the GF resort studios in late August and we LOVED it there. Wishing you a wonderful stay in your upcoming trip!

 

[SharonZ]

I've stayed at both, multiple times. I really enjoyed Wilderness Lodge, but still prefer the Grand Floridian - especially for transportation convenience. I also love the restaurant choices. Believe me, you can't go wrong with either one. Have a great vacation!

 

[CrystalClear82]

I'm team Wilderness Lodge. We prefer the peacefulness that the resort provides at the end of a long park day. It's a little easier to keep track of the kids, if youre allowing them to fill up their mug independently or what not.

That being said, I'm also a fan of trying new places. It makes sense to stay in the MK area if you're going to be visiting the park a good bit....My vote for be for the Contemporary.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

Hope you enjoy your trip! I would've done the same thing and gone with GF. While WL is our favorite resort, it's fun to try new places too.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Since becoming parents, we've stayed with our kids at Boardwalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian (all dvc rentals). While all of them are fabulous, Wilderness and Grand Floridian are my favorites.... so it's a toss up as far as I'm concerned. Depends a lot on the vibe you want. Grand Floridian is elegant with beautiful grounds and a luxury feel. Fireworks views . Access to parks is amazing. I love having the monorail at our disposal to get to MK (in literally like, 2 minutes) - but being able to take the boat or even just walk when we didn't want to have to wait for transportation at all... it's a huge perk.

Wilderness Lodge is SUPER relaxed, calming, peaceful. It feels like a world away from the parks when you get back, the best way. Great dining right on property, and the boat to MK is fab. Only drawback to me is that it's buses to all other parks, and the boat is not *quite* as convenient to MK as having the triple-threat transportation option like at GF.

Both resorts have splash pads, which we loved with our littles - mileage may vary since you have kids who are a little older. But the GF splash pad wins for us since it's right next to the pool bar

 

[PolyRob]

We are purchasing a VGF contract and would love to hear your opinions. Why did you choose the Grand Floridian in the DVC universe. What are the things about it that draws you to it?

WELCOME HOME!

I may be biased as a VGF owner, but it’s my favorite DVC resort. The location to MK is amazing! You can boat, monorail, or walk.

I personally think the studio and villa layouts are superior to both CCV and BRV. The VGF deluxe studio sleeps 5 and has 2 showers. BRV studios sleeps 5 and CCV studios only sleeps 4. Both have 1 single shower. BRV villas have nice flow, but a 1-bedroom sleeps LESS than a studio. I am not a huge fan of the galley kitchen in CCV. The new VGF resort studio category is great because it’s the same exact room as the cash side so you can get the same accommodation, but for a lot less money. Sure CCV has cabins, but look at the VGF grand villa! (watch season 5, episode 24 of The Middle if you want to experience how lavish it is)

The flagship resort gets extra special touches like a dedicated concierge in the original villa building, dedicated parking lot, separate porte-cochè, covered walkway so you don’t get rained on, etc

I also took resale value and renting demand into consideration when purchasing. VGF (before it actively sold again) was the most expensive WDW resort on the resale market.

BRV/CCV are both lovely, but VGF is the best! You won’t regret your VGF purchase!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I saw you’ve made your decision OP but I did want to mention a couple things to keep on your radar.

-Any news on the GF lobby being refurbed. It’s not official that it’s happening but it’s kinda expected it could happen since even the restaurants have been remodeled. It’s also rumored the hotel portion will get a remodel but again, nothing official. Disney has been so tight lipped it’s impossible to know what the state of that hotel will be come April so I would watch the Disney blogs or boards in case something happens that would upset your trip and you want to try to move hotels.

-BRV is currently being refurbed so it might not feel like what you remember in the room. Not sure on the speed with which it’s happening but Disney recently released photos.

 

[Sammie]

Grand Floridan is fabulous. Being that close to Magic Kingdom, being able to walk over now. Great restaurants. We find it as relaxing as any resort, Large rooms. Our favorite location is Conch Key or Sago Cay.

 

[jldcherry]

My family stayed at the GF resort studios in late August and we LOVED it there. Wishing you a wonderful stay in your upcoming trip!

Are there any location requests we should make based on your experience? We normally request a first floor room at Boulder Ridge just because we don't like waiting for the elevator, but maybe at Grand Floridian we'd get a nice view if we're higher up?