DGF and I had a great trip this past week to The Grand Floridian. This was my first time staying on property - previously I've stayed at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Since this was my first time staying "in the world," I decided to go all out and spring for a Royal Palm Club room in the main building.
Check In & Room Assignment
I booked a main building - standard room type, but was upgraded upon check-in to a deluxe king room with a theme park view. This was really a magical moment, a big thanks to Sophie at the front desk! Shortly after I checked in at the front desk, a RPC concierge greeted me by name in the main lobby, and took us upstairs. We had a few snacks while the concierge briefed us on RPC amenities, Resort activities and dining options.
We were assigned room 4208, on the Clarendon Level, located directly above Gasparilla Island Grill. The RPC concierge referred to this as a "hidden level," and admittedly I was a bit confused when reading "2nd floor" on our room assignment text. I wasn't aware of the Clarendon level prior to our stay. There were things we liked and disliked about this room:
We Loved:
- View of the Castle/Wishes Fireworks
- Immediate proximity to the pool elevator. We did not have to walk through the main lobby or RPC lounge after our afternoon/evening visits to the pool and hot tub.
- Immediate proximity to the main building laundry. We love keeping our clothes "Gain Fresh," so this was a nice amenity.
- The quiet hallway.
We Didn't Love:
- Taking 2 elevators to get to our room from the Monorail (#FirstWorldProblems...)
- The "burnt cheese" smell from Gasparilla Island Grill in the elevator.
- The kitchen smells from Citricos/Victoria & Albert's in the hallway.
Resort Dining
During our trip, we dined at Citricos, had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, enjoyed afternoon tea at The Garden View Tea Room, and gave the Grand Floridian Cafe a second chance after a terrible experience this past March. I'm happy to say that all of these dining experiences were top notch, matching the level of service we experienced elsewhere at The Grand. When we return in September 2016, we'll definitely be trying Narcoossee's and Victoria & Albert's. I even gained a taste for two of the resort's "signature" drinks during our stay - The Mizner Cooler (Gin, St. Germain, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup) from Mizner's Lounge, and the Key Lime Whip (Skyy Citrus Vodka, Key Lime Juice, Vanilla Ice Cream) from Beaches Pool Bar & Grill. We were, however, disappointed with the late-night pizza we ordered from Gasparilla Island Grill. It was, quite frankly, one of the grossest food items I've ever had on Disney Property.
Royal Palm Club
Having visited The Grand on prior trips to Disney, I was well aware of the lobby culture attached to this hotel. I am a musician by trade, so naturally, the lobby pianist and society orchestra really make this resort one of my all-time favorites. In my research of Disney's various concierge experiences, I found RPC to be the most appealing, and thus, most worth the extra expense. DGF and I enjoyed waking up to the beautiful breakfast spread each morning (especially the Citrus Muffins,) and returning in the evenings for delicious hors d'oeuvres. Our most favorite amenity, and possibly a new tradition of ours, was sneaking back to our room with Champagne and a plate of Strawberry Uncrustables to watch the fireworks. The RPC lounge is made extra special because of it's vantage point to the lobby and all that goes on there. Having experienced it for a week, I would argue that RPC was entirely worth the extra expense.
Conclusion
On previous trips, I've done 4 parks in 4 days, trying to get as much done as possible in a small timeframe. This trip, however, was our chance to "stop and smell the roses." We took 7 days and 6 nights to soak in the magic, and I'm so glad that we did. DGF and I paced ourselves in the parks, enjoyed a great selection of ADRs, attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (loved it,) and really took time to enjoy The Grand Floridian to its fullest. You could stay at The Four Seasons for the same money, or spend half and stay at The Ritz, but you can't really put a price on watching Wishes from the hot tub after a long day at the park.
As a kid, I'd always dreamed of staying at The Grand Floridian, and I finally got around to doing it this year. Every bit of it, from the excellent service, high victorian styling, beautiful landscaping, and the amazing lobby smell left me looking forward to our next trip. The Grand is now our "home," and I can't wait to be back!
woohoo!
Ah, I will continue to stalk away LOL. Meanwhile, everyone please keep posting those GF pics....35 days!
! Good luck with your RPC discount! I tried to get a discount applied to my February RPC king deluxe with the RO rate yesterday, but I guess I was too late. They only had the Deluxe Queen available, and it only saved me $330 off rack rate. I know that's significant, but I want the king since it's just me and DH for that trip, so I'm holding out for an AP discount...hope it works!
