2014 Grand Floridian Resort & Villas FAQ: Vacationing in Grand Style!

[mickeynut1]

mickeynut -

We just checked into SL yesterday!!! I love the rooms they are so fresh. I am focusing on all of the new things in the rooms I like and not the things I miss. I love the high back chair and the sheer curtain design. The rooms are very elegant. This is the 5th year we have been here this time of year and I don't recall the pools ever being this crowded. They are not checking magic bands at the pools. Is anyone else here now and experiencing the this.

Sounds like you're having a great time .

Good Evening to my fellow GF lovers!

Sorry I've been MIA again, I have no excuses other than laziness...Everything is fab here, still planning my imaginary BIG b-day trip . I may have hinted in one of my last posts about a four legged patient, that is my DA's dog who she had taken for a walk and was severely attacked by another dog, I'm happy to say she had surgery yesterday and it went fabulous, the Princess(not her name but what I call her) came home earlier this afternoon & doing well

Hi ahcupcake

Glad to hear the surgery went well for your aunt's dog. I hope she continues to do well and has a fast recovery .

I believe this, so far, has been our best vacation ever. In the past, we really have not done much because my DS has Autism Spectrum Disorder with sensory issues. He is also on a special diet, multiple supplements, and needs shots every three days.
However, he has done AWESOME!!! He's enjoyed the parks, got on many rides without a problem, loves the pools....soooo we are just taking advantage and riding the wave.

Sounds like a fabulous trip is being had by all . Glad your DS is having a great time and is enjoying the parks as well as the pool/resort time .

 

[Gitts2008]

You don't have long to wait, it will be September before you know it .



I'm just so excited that I fear I will be exhausted by the time we leave

 

[yolie912]

Thanks! Does anyone know if SL section has the Deluxe rooms? Should I even bother to request it?

 

[disney meema]

Wow so funny! My 2 boys have blonde hair and blue eyes but we think their hair will be brown. My husband has dark brown and I have light brown hair. My mom has red hair but she always frosted it when I was growing up so I completely forgot...and then our little Minnie was born and shocked us all...not just with the red hair but she made her surprise delivery appearance in the front seat of our Expedition! Haha, and yes it is the same car we will be driving to the world...lots of great memories in that car. . Soon to be many more. Thanks for the tips on walking at the resort.

Wowza Twoole crazy birth story since you see it on the news once in a while but I'm sure you never thought it would happen to you ... What a blessing and what a surprise delivery : ) Not to mention a real special multi use vehicle lol

 

[threelilbears]

Could anyone tell me if it would be do-able to attend the 6PM performance of La Nouba (I'm told it lasts about 90 min), and make it back to Narcoossee's for a 9PM ADR? We would take a taxi.
TIA

With a taxi, you should be absolutely fine!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

With a taxi, you should be absolutely fine!

Great - thank you so much! Wasn't sure what to expect with all the construction.

 

[threelilbears]

Thanks! Does anyone know if SL section has the Deluxe rooms? Should I even bother to request it?

Yes, they have the deluxe with the sitting rooms. It never hurts to request

 

[disney meema]

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do?

***I'm hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your family & friends at home or wherever the weekend take you : ) We are off by 2 pm today for a long 3 day weekend of country fun : ) Dwight Yoakam concert on Friday, a national BBQ competition all day Saturday and more country music all weekend. Only 78 days until our disney vacation and little by little it's getting closer ... and I possibly even closer if I hit the GO button while I'm out of town this weekend.

 

[threelilbears]

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do?

Is there such a thing as too long of a trip to Disney??? I think NOT! I would add 3 more days to your GF stay. Seems like the least complicated & most enjoyable solution to an awesome problem! I wouldn't want to switch resorts three times and be "homeless" in-between, have to pack/unpack etc. HAVE AN AWESOME TIME!!!

 

[curtnamy]

Has there been any update on the return to regular operating hours for the monorail???

 

[Maxie86]

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do?

***I'm hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your family & friends at home or wherever the weekend take you : ) We are off by 2 pm today for a long 3 day weekend of country fun : ) Dwight Yoakam concert on Friday, a national BBQ competition all day Saturday and more country music all weekend. Only 78 days until our disney vacation and little by little it's getting closer ... and I possibly even closer if I hit the GO button while I'm out of town this weekend.

Since you are going for F&W I would definitely book an Epcot resort. Can't beat walking back to your resort and avoiding the crowds leaving Epcot at the end of the night.

 

[trishadono]

Thanks! Does anyone know if SL section has the Deluxe rooms? Should I even bother to request it?

I put in my request last year " request lodge tower room due to traveling with a teen boy and girl and need extra space".

It worked!!

Even if traveling in a smaller group if you put a reason it may help.

Good luck!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do?

***I'm hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your family & friends at home or wherever the weekend take you : ) We are off by 2 pm today for a long 3 day weekend of country fun : ) Dwight Yoakam concert on Friday, a national BBQ competition all day Saturday and more country music all weekend. Only 78 days until our disney vacation and little by little it's getting closer ... and I possibly even closer if I hit the GO button while I'm out of town this weekend.

Definitely do it!!! You only live once. But I agree with PP -- book either YC/BC or BWI -- when we are at F&W (not too long now) we love walking in through the IG, and "finding our way home" after F&W, lol. There is so much to see and do, we look doing a nice leisurely stroll home to burn off some of the calories!

Tom

 

[Anonomom]

Hi all,

We got back yesterday from a split GF/YC stay. Id asked before we left about the price of a case of water at the Sundries shop. Turns out it's $17 for a case of 24 12-oz Dasani bottles. They also sell gallons of water for about $4; though that stuff is much cheaper, it tastes terrible. For the YC leg of our stay, we just held our noses and paid for the case. Still marginally cheaper than buying water in the parks.

We ended up staying in a ground-floor room in Boca Chica. I hate to admit it, but we were not impressed. The decor was not my taste -- way too much institutional beige paint, and it bugged me that the bed pillow and scarf (both a burnt orange) clashed with the heavy, maroon-and-gold curtains. The room lacked some of the thoughtful touches we've come to expect from Disney -- there wasn't enough storage space, for instance, for our family of five to unpack fully for a 3-night stay. And the lights over the beds are (a) not individually controlled, and (b) not dimmable, both of which made hanging out in the room after the kids were asleep quite difficult. Unfortunately, the balcony wasn't an option either, as when I went out there the first night, I found a snake using it. It was just a tiny little guy and according to my research, not poisonous, but still, it killed all desire I had to hang out on the balcony.

The weather was brutal this week, so I'm sure it was coloring my perceptions, but I found the grounds at the GF really unforgiving. There was simply no shade to be had anywhere, not even on the verandahs lining the main building. Our walks to Gasparillas, the main building and the boats were very short, but they were also very unpleasant.

I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer -- I really did want to love the Grand. But it wasn't my taste. Still, I'm glad we tried it!

 

[ms tom morrow]

Has there been any update on the return to regular operating hours for the monorail???

The Disney website still says the modified schedule will be in place "through end of summer 2014," but I read on wdwinfo that the modified schedule will be in place through September 27th. I REALLY hope this is true because we are arriving at the Grand on September 28th!

 

[mickeynut1]

Could anyone tell me if it would be do-able to attend the 6PM performance of La Nouba (I'm told it lasts about 90 min), and make it back to Narcoossee's for a 9PM ADR? We would take a taxi.
TIA

I agree with threelilbears that you should be fine if you use a taxi for transportation .

I'm just so excited that I fear I will be exhausted by the time we leave

You are going to have a great time .

Does anyone know if SL section has the Deluxe rooms? Should I even bother to request it?

Yes, there are deluxe rooms in SL and they are by request only. I agree with the pp that it never hurts to make that request .

Has there been any update on the return to regular operating hours for the monorail???

I don't have the answer, but hopefully someone who is there now (or just returned) will be able to help .

Hi all,

We got back yesterday from a split GF/YC stay. Id asked before we left about the price of a case of water at the Sundries shop. Turns out it's $17 for a case of 24 12-oz Dasani bottles. They also sell gallons of water for about $4; though that stuff is much cheaper, it tastes terrible. For the YC leg of our stay, we just held our noses and paid for the case. Still marginally cheaper than buying water in the parks.

We ended up staying in a ground-floor room in Boca Chica. I hate to admit it, but we were not impressed. The decor was not my taste -- way too much institutional beige paint, and it bugged me that the bed pillow and scarf (both a burnt orange) clashed with the heavy, maroon-and-gold curtains. The room lacked some of the thoughtful touches we've come to expect from Disney -- there wasn't enough storage space, for instance, for our family of five to unpack fully for a 3-night stay. And the lights over the beds are (a) not individually controlled, and (b) not dimmable, both of which made hanging out in the room after the kids were asleep quite difficult. Unfortunately, the balcony wasn't an option either, as when I went out there the first night, I found a snake using it. It was just a tiny little guy and according to my research, not poisonous, but still, it killed all desire I had to hang out on the balcony.

The weather was brutal this week, so I'm sure it was coloring my perceptions, but I found the grounds at the GF really unforgiving. There was simply no shade to be had anywhere, not even on the verandahs lining the main building. Our walks to Gasparillas, the main building and the boats were very short, but they were also very unpleasant.

I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer -- I really did want to love the Grand. But it wasn't my taste. Still, I'm glad we tried it!

Thanks for your review. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your GF stay. With that said, I'm glad you were able to try it because now you know it's not a resort for you. I hope you had a nice trip overall .

 

[BC1836]

Despite the refurbishment and restyling at the GFR, some rooms remain unchanged, viz., the 5th floor suites. It's still good to see the old touches, especially the Mickey Mouse desk lamp and the framed wall hangings; however, these rooms need new furniture and rugs.

All the best from the GFR...day #6.

 

[twoolle]

I checked out the in-room literature & did not see this addressed. So I just called housekeeping to inquire about this for you. My husband is the exact same way so I can totally relate! I asked them if they have stools for guests with small children to use so that they can reach the sink. She said they have "standard stepping stools." I then asked if they were available in all buildings & she said yes. HTH!

thank you so much for calling for me! Now I can mentally remove is from the packing list.

Thank you! I believe this, so far, has been our best vacation ever. In the past, we really have not done much because my DS has Autism Spectrum Disorder with sensory issues. He is also on a special diet, multiple supplements, and needs shots every three days. However, he has done AWESOME!!! He's enjoyed the parks, got on many rides without a problem, loves the pools....soooo we are just taking advantage and riding the wave. BC1836 Still hoping that we eventually catch up at the lounge before 8/24.

DS4 has sensory issues as well and we will be making our first trip to the world next month. I am nervous about it but hope that preparing him ahead of time with most of our plans will help. He gets hyper focused and if he sees something he wants to ride he can't think about anything else until he does it. Might mess with our touring plan a little! Also, here's to hoping they have lots of PBJ sandwiches there!

Wowza Twoole crazy birth story since you see it on the news once in a while but I'm sure you never thought it would happen to you ... What a blessing and what a surprise delivery : ) Not to mention a real special multi use vehicle lol

yes it was a crazy ride but what a blessing she is...We pulled into the ER entrance, DH ran inside to grab someone and out she came. By the time he returned with 20 hospital staff I was holding her in my arms (although I didn't know she was a "she" as I was too scared to look!" She will be 15 months tomorrow and took her first few steps yesterday.

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do? ***I'm hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your family & friends at home or wherever the weekend take you : ) We are off by 2 pm today for a long 3 day weekend of country fun : ) Dwight Yoakam concert on Friday, a national BBQ competition all day Saturday and more country music all weekend. Only 78 days until our disney vacation and little by little it's getting closer ... and I possibly even closer if I hit the GO button while I'm out of town this weekend.

if I didn't have little ones with me and I was going to F&W I would def stay at Epcot resort! It would be like 3 vacations in one! When we drive to WDW we will stop 2 nights along the way so I will pack a separate suitcase for the 5 of us just for those 2 nights, so we don't have to drag everything out of the car. Maybe doing something similar could help with the packing and unpacking. (Have a suitcase designated for each hotel. Then 1 for shoes and toiletries! Enjoy your long weekend! Sounds just like what our family would enjoy. We love BBQ and country music!

 

[ahcupcake]

Good Morning

Hi ahcupcake

Glad to hear the surgery went well for your aunt's dog. I hope she continues to do well and has a fast recovery .

Thanks Mickeynut we're glad she's recovering too cause it didn't look too good for a few days

Have a question ... Thinking of adding 3 nights to the front our trip ... I must be crazy to spend 18 days at WDW? We've done many 10 day trips & 14 day trips but never 18 days. The problem is we are all set to arrive at AKL 9th of November for 10 nights and then 4 nights at GF, but with the F&W festival ending on the 10th of Nov. will only have 1 day to attend. I really want to see more of the festival and go to a few special events so thinking of booking Nov. 6 through the 9th at a non club level room ... Is. 18 days too long? Or should I just go for it and book GF room for those first 3 nights? Or an Epcot resort? Or just forget about it? My husband is so easy going so he's okay with it either way so not sure what's holding me back from just booking and changing our flights ... What to do?

***I'm hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your family & friends at home or wherever the weekend take you : ) We are off by 2 pm today for a long 3 day weekend of country fun : ) Dwight Yoakam concert on Friday, a national BBQ competition all day Saturday and more country music all weekend. Only 78 days until our disney vacation and little by little it's getting closer ... and I possibly even closer if I hit the GO button while I'm out of town this weekend.

No 18 days is NOT too long of a trip. As I saw suggested in some other responses try an Epcot resort since you would like to try F&W so much easier to get there....Question do you have an AP(annual pass) if you don't you should look into getting at least one to save $$$ on the room plus I read that if you are going for longer than 10 days, which you are it also save $$ on park tix plus the hopper feature is included in the pass. And if you are going to WDW again next year the pass is still good I would also invest in a TIW card(Tables in Wonderland) if you have an AP and are not already on the dining plan

Hi all,

We got back yesterday from a split GF/YC stay. Id asked before we left about the price of a case of water at the Sundries shop. Turns out it's $17 for a case of 24 12-oz Dasani bottles. They also sell gallons of water for about $4; though that stuff is much cheaper, it tastes terrible. For the YC leg of our stay, we just held our noses and paid for the case. Still marginally cheaper than buying water in the parks.

We ended up staying in a ground-floor room in Boca Chica. I hate to admit it, but we were not impressed. The decor was not my taste -- way too much institutional beige paint, and it bugged me that the bed pillow and scarf (both a burnt orange) clashed with the heavy, maroon-and-gold curtains. The room lacked some of the thoughtful touches we've come to expect from Disney -- there wasn't enough storage space, for instance, for our family of five to unpack fully for a 3-night stay. And the lights over the beds are (a) not individually controlled, and (b) not dimmable, both of which made hanging out in the room after the kids were asleep quite difficult. Unfortunately, the balcony wasn't an option either, as when I went out there the first night, I found a snake using it. It was just a tiny little guy and according to my research, not poisonous, but still, it killed all desire I had to hang out on the balcony.

The weather was brutal this week, so I'm sure it was coloring my perceptions, but I found the grounds at the GF really unforgiving. There was simply no shade to be had anywhere, not even on the verandahs lining the main building. Our walks to Gasparillas, the main building and the boats were very short, but they were also very unpleasant.

I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer -- I really did want to love the Grand. But it wasn't my taste. Still, I'm glad we tried it!

EEK on the cost of a case of water..Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at the GF. Hope your overall stay at WDW was a good one!

Despite the refurbishment and restyling at the GFR, some rooms remain unchanged, viz., the 5th floor suites. It's still good to see the old touches, especially the Mickey Mouse desk lamp and the framed wall hangings; however, these rooms need new furniture and rugs.

All the best from the GFR...day #6.

If I'm remembering correctly an RPC CM told me that the suites were redone a few years after the last refurb so I'm guessing they were done about 4years ago

Maxie86 & Blue

 

[disney meema]

Thank you so much for everyone who replied .... So sorry I can't multi quote on this dumb dumb iPad lol So thank you and if I don't mention user names it's because of not being able to multi quote , and I don't want to take up 5 or 6 posts doing it individually. But thank you and I needed just a little push to think I was not completely crazy ... I'll take a little crazy anytime though : )
I guess 18 days is to too long & as one poster said you only live once so I'm going for it,
After reading everyone's posts I decided the Epcot area would be best but then I looked and nothing available at any of the resorts with the fall discount room offer or even without the offer(( bummer )) So the options available at deluxe rooms BLT, GF villa, poly, WL or AKL. Of those options I think GF villa might be nice since we've been staying at GF for years yet that would be new for us to stay in the villas and very different than later in our stay at GF RPCL. WL is an option since we were originally booked there before pool construction and with being at F&W I believe it would be okay for a 3 night stay and it's the best price which at this point probably shouldn't matter I guess. But maybe the construction will bug me so ??? BLT is new for us too as we only stayed at the CR atrium level so BLT would be new adventure. Poly is out because of the major construction and AKL will be staying at 10 nights CL so I think that's enough of the wild side of disney. Right now I'm leaning towards GF villa or WL ... While heading out for a long weekend I'll see what my husband thinks but as I mentioned he's pretty go with it and let me know what to pack kind of guy : )
Some other recommendations ...
about it being not moving to 3 resorts - We just stayed last month at 4 hotels during our Disneyland, Universal, San Diego and Las Vegas trip and it was no biggie for us. At WDW they transfer luggage so even easier.

about packing several suitcase for each hotel - flying in to Orlando from Salt Lake City Utah so not sure 3 suitcases is an option, but heck maybe? We go out of town at least twice a month and years ago I would be packing room challenged but I've gotten pretty good at it : ) Plus I do ship my dirty clothes home for the resort to make room for shopping, so 2 suitcases would work for me.

About annual pass - i never even consider it since I booked packages. We have free dining during our AKL part of the stay but not during our GF stay so that kinda of plays into it as how an annual pass would work for us ... Certainly I need to look into it. When we switched from WL to AKL we got a great deal with free dining for CL ( well not a great deal but a great disney deal ) I would totally consider a TIW card if we got animal passes : ) Geez at the cost of this trip it would be a down payment on DVC yikes!

Again thanks all & have a beautiful weekend, geez wrote a dang novel here : )
Debby