(2014-2020) Disney's GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA + VILLAS Information & Questions

[Rachel GB]

I think I may have responded to you earlier on this, but not sure? SL is a tricky building for room requests IMO. Ultimately the only rooms I really would NOT want to be in are first floor around the atrium, third floor at the ends (dormer balconies) or fourth floor (dormer balconies). I could live with everything else. Our room in April was on the 3rd floor, middle, facing the marina. I liked the room/view, we could see some (key word, some) fireworks. It was somewhat noisy as noise floats up from the lounge through the atrium. Not terrible, but you know when they start setting up breakfast. We get up early anyway so not really a big deal.

FYI, on those last two comments... yes, you can/should e-mail DSS with your room requests and ask to have them noted on your reservation. I would strongly recommend this over faxing. The last few times I've asked when checking in, they read off the room request on my reservation which was nearly verbatim what I had e-mailed DSS, so I have a high level of confidence in that method. If you do fax, you want to do it before a couple of days before arriving. Rooms are assigned roughly 5 days out, so you want to get everything into DSS or fax sometime before then.

Just one person's opinion, but hope that helps!

@GADisneyDad14 , THANK YOU! I really appreciate your suggestions!
Yes, you did respond to me before (I think I tagged you saying so in my post? Maybe not?), but I can't find it! I reached out to DSS via email today with a few questions, so hopefully I'll hear back soon.
I'd love to request MAYBE too many things???
1. Two queen beds and one day bed configuration (The room type lists two queens as an option? Or a King? HECK NO, I want my SLEEP 5!)
2. A quieter room on a higher floor
3. Facing marina ("some fireworks" view?)
I'm a little unsure as to how requesting a quiet room would affect the other two requests. I guess it's really just a roll of the dice, too, when it comes to room requests!
Thanks again!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@GADisneyDad14 , THANK YOU! I really appreciate your suggestions!
Yes, you did respond to me before (I think I tagged you saying so in my post? Maybe not?), but I can't find it! I reached out to DSS via email today with a few questions, so hopefully I'll hear back soon.
I'd love to request MAYBE too many things???
1. Two queen beds and one day bed configuration (The room type lists two queens as an option? Or a King? HECK NO, I want my SLEEP 5!)
2. A quieter room on a higher floor
3. Facing marina ("some fireworks" view?)
I'm a little unsure as to how requesting a quiet room would affect the other two requests. I guess it's really just a roll of the dice, too, when it comes to room requests!
Thanks again!

Lol, cool... you're probably sick of my opinions then.

You don't need to request two queens/daybed. Most of the rooms are that configuration anyway, and Disney (usually) isn't going to put two adults and two kids in a King room. So it's 'nearly' close to a given you'll have a 2 queen room by default.

The 'quiet' room one is a bit more of a dilemma to me. I always worry those sorts of subjective requests may get lost with a room assignor who doesn't really know what that means. Although I'm not sure what to do in that circumstance either. Maybe some others will chime in with thoughts.

 

[HairyChest]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

 

[allsaintsatx]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

Are you an AP? We had a rack rate room at the Poly for late October, and just a few days ago released AP rates for late Oct thru Dec. We ended up switching to a GF Outer Building GV for $30 less per night than the Poly, I think it might be 25% off for AP? So now we are staying at the GF for the first time ever! There were still some GV rooms available last time I checked.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@allsaintsatx If I didn't know any better, it would appear to me you've caught the CL bug....

Enjoy SL!

 

[trishadono]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

I have stayed at yc. I liked it because it was like a younger brother to gf. The lobby and grounds were similar with grandness. I am not sure about the new rooms however. The hardwood/no carpeting is a bit stark. Although I have learned that rooms always look better in person.

It was nice to be on the boardwalk but I do try to get a mono resort when I can.

I def liked the lobby and shops and grounds. I didn't like not having a QS. Rooms set up worked. All have a balcony. The halls can be long and it feels like you walk a ways however you are not outside in the elements. Everybody likes the pool there but the quiet pool was a treat. There is a huge hot tub there that no one was ever in. We loved that!

Yachtsmans steakhouse is a really nice place to eat too!

I would pick gf over yc because I'm a mono person. However it is a lovely resort and I am hoping to try the cl there now it's remodeled.

 

[trishadono]

@GADisneyDad14 , THANK YOU! I really appreciate your suggestions!
Yes, you did respond to me before (I think I tagged you saying so in my post? Maybe not?), but I can't find it! I reached out to DSS via email today with a few questions, so hopefully I'll hear back soon.
I'd love to request MAYBE too many things???
1. Two queen beds and one day bed configuration (The room type lists two queens as an option? Or a King? HECK NO, I want my SLEEP 5!)
2. A quieter room on a higher floor
3. Facing marina ("some fireworks" view?)
I'm a little unsure as to how requesting a quiet room would affect the other two requests. I guess it's really just a roll of the dice, too, when it comes to room requests!
Thanks again!

I would make it simple, "upper room , marina side". That would get you pretty much what you want.

 

[thestevied]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

I'm opposite to you, stayed many times at yacht but never GF. I love the yacht and will always happily go back there. Nice rooms, nice area, pool is pretty cool, and we love the boardwalk area especially at night. The atmosphere is great. Plus we love Epcot and specifically world showcase so for us the location cannot be beaten. It's a little annoying having to walk to beach club for the marketplace shop to get drinks and breakfast, but it's only a 5 min walk and you can do the whole walk pretty much inside the two hotels. Don't go thinking you won't enjoy it, I'm sure you'll have an amazing time.
This will be our first time on a monorail resort and we are very excited. It's been my wife's dream resort for a while so hope it doesn't disappoint!!

 

[trishadono]

I made a conch marina side request for my next trip. I'm not sure if any those rooms are gv but since disney doesn't post what they are I am trying. I liked the marina side of sl and this is similar. 14 days! Woohoo

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I would make it simple, "upper room , marina side". That would get you pretty much what you want.

I agree with @trishadono. I eventually drove myself nuts trying to figure out the perfect request in SL. If I had to do it again I would do as she suggests... something simple like that.

 

[trishadono]

Greetings friends! We are booked for outer building garden view in late October. Basically is was the only deluxe room available for our dates but I'm thrilled because while I am a Poly lover I have always wanted to try the GF.

So what should I request if anything? I'm not super picky but I'd like some expert advice!

Some things to consider. Top floor and some of floor below the balconies are dormer not open. Does this matter? If you look at pics of the buildings you can see them.

Any location you like? Will you use the courtyard or beach pool? Or would close to bus and gaspies be better?

For pools BPK is nice. Sago for trans/food.

I just requested conch because I like the boat.

Gv mostly faces inside towards pools/ courtyard or a poor lagoon view. Sago is all gv even though it has a decent water view. I have stayed there 2 times so I want something different.

What I love is getting turndown for non cl. Feels nice! Also on rainy days there are baskets of towels by the doors to the lobby on rainy days. So nice!

I'll be posting some pix in 2 weeks

 

[trishadono]

@BreezysMom i am a poly lover too. I often walk to/from gf poly to visit . I love polys food !

Just to,keep in mind for those who walk. The path from gf to poly is tricky. You have to cut to the beach before or at the kiddy splash thing. You then walk on the dvc sidewalk along the water. You follow this keeping left when you get to the wedding chapel. This goes right to poly. If you walk on right side of vgf you realize there is grass between you and the path and either go back or cut through it.

Coming from poly it's not a problem because you just end up at the gf beach.

I do this walk every trip even when I am not staying at those resorts. I love watching the boats, seeing the castle and hearing the disney sounds. It kind of gives you a break from craziness too.

 

[Rachel GB]

Lol, cool... you're probably sick of my opinions then.

You don't need to request two queens/daybed. Most of the rooms are that configuration anyway, and Disney (usually) isn't going to put two adults and two kids in a King room. So it's 'nearly' close to a given you'll have a 2 queen room by default.

The 'quiet' room one is a bit more of a dilemma to me. I always worry those sorts of subjective requests may get lost with a room assignor who doesn't really know what that means. Although I'm not sure what to do in that circumstance either. Maybe some others will chime in with thoughts.

@GADisneyDad14 , hahaha NO! I'm NOT sick of your opinions at all! I'm grateful for your help, and I have so much fun on these threads .
I think my concern with the bed configuration room request is that they also list "2 queen beds" (NO daybed) as a possibility under the room type, and I do NOT want that.

I would make it simple, "upper room , marina side". That would get you pretty much what you want.

@trishadono , THANK YOU! Awesome idea! That's just what I will do !

 

[kittylady1972]

@BreezysMom i am a poly lover too. I often walk to/from gf poly to visit . I love polys food !

Just to,keep in mind for those who walk. The path from gf to poly is tricky. You have to cut to the beach before or at the kiddy splash thing. You then walk on the dvc sidewalk along the water. You follow this keeping left when you get to the wedding chapel. This goes right to poly. If you walk on right side of vgf you realize there is grass between you and the path and either go back or cut through it.

Coming from poly it's not a problem because you just end up at the gf beach.

I do this walk every trip even when I am not staying at those resorts. I love watching the boats, seeing the castle and hearing the disney sounds. It kind of gives you a break from craziness too.

Oooh glad to read this tip thank you! We may have to try this walk.

 

[TxTiggergal]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

We've stayed at both resorts. In fact, Yacht Club is my second favorite resort. (GF is #1 & Poly #3) I expect we will stay there again sometime. We've always enjoyed our YC stays & haven't felt underwhelmed, except for in the lobby. The GF lobby still awes me, every trip. At the YC, we love being able to walk to Epcot or Boardwalk, especially in the evenings for dinner. And we spend a lot of time at DHS & like the boat transportation. The pool is lots of fun, too. Lastly, I like how everything is housed under one roof at the YC/BC. If it's pouring down rain, it's nice to not have to go outdoors to get a drink, snack etc. as opposed to the outer GF buildings. Just my two cents...hope you have a great trip!

 

[Rachel GB]

Reached out to DSS via email yesterday, and had a very kind and informative email response today! I submitted my SL room requests (upper floor, marina side, full balcony), and will call them later today to see if they can help me grab a couple of ADRs I haven't been able to get yet... never hurts to ask ! Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Wood Nymph]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

The Yacht Club is definitely less elegant than the Grand Floridian, but it also costs less money to stay there. The biggest attraction of the Yacht Club is location - walking distance to two theme parks. If you go there expecting a resort as plush and comfortable as the Grand, then you will be disappointed. If you go there with an open mind and a plan to enjoy the new and very different experience of staying at an Epcot resort, then maybe you'll be surprised.

Our favorite resorts have always been Beach Club and Yacht Club, so when we stayed at the GF last December we had a little bit of a difficult adjustment to the monorail resort and different transportation systems. We very much missed not being able to walk to two parks when at the Grand. We also missed the many restaurant options, including the ones at the World Showcase, just steps away from the resort. Once we threw away our Epcot plans (we hated taking two monorails to get to Epcot), we came to terms with the differences at the Grand and just enjoyed what it had to offer. We are looking forward to our return to the GF in November but have added a split stay with the BC for the best of both worlds.

 

[buzzmom12]

Just back from a great week at the GF. We stayed in the main building. The GF is so beautiful and relaxing. It was hot so we spent afternoons at both pools. We did rent a cabana two days. Ate at 1900 park faire, grand floridian cafe and narcoose. Everything was very nice. I can try to answer any questions if you have any. Thanks!!

 

[Ddaba1]

hey guys I need some help. We booked the yacht club this December due to budget constraints but I just cant get excited for it. I usually stay at the Grand which I LOVE. Has anyone stayed at the yacht club here? How was your experience, were you guys underwhelmed?

We booked one night at YC before we went on the Disney Fantasy four years ago. It is beautiful but we had a bad experience with the room's toilet leaking water from the base (absolutely unacceptable) then it took them about two hours to move us to another room. Also, we stayed at the YC Club Level and it is extremely small compared to GF RPC which is were we used to stay back then. The staff at the YC Club level was very unfriendly and also very stingy, locking away food and in general not kid friendly at all. All in all, I think in my humble opinion, the YC is not in the same category as GF by far. Just my two cents. LOL

 

[TxTiggergal]

Some things to consider. Top floor and some of floor below the balconies are dormer not open. Does this matter? If you look at pics of the buildings you can see them.

Any location you like? Will you use the courtyard or beach pool? Or would close to bus and gaspies be better?

For pools BPK is nice. Sago for trans/food.

I just requested conch because I like the boat.

Gv mostly faces inside towards pools/ courtyard or a poor lagoon view. Sago is all gv even though it has a decent water view. I have stayed there 2 times so I want something different.

What I love is getting turndown for non cl. Feels nice! Also on rainy days there are baskets of towels by the doors to the lobby on rainy days. So nice!

I'll be posting some pix in 2 weeks

I'm glad you brought up dormer rooms because I have never stayed in one but am curious what people think of them. I did look at the pics posted on page 1, but I am wondering about the balcony. Are they basically just for standing and looking out, or are there chairs? I assume with the enclosure, one would have to stand to see out over the rail/wall? We'll be arriving in twelve days and I've been thinking how I would feel about a dormer room. Thoughts anyone?