Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

“Another Wonderful Stay”

I recently spent five nights at the Grand Floridian with my wife and almost two-year-old daughter for a trip to Walt Disney World in late April. It was our second stay there in just over six months, after a prior visit left us impressed with the property and its recent renovations. Returning for a … more

I recently spent five nights at the Grand Floridian with my wife and almost two-year-old daughter for a trip to Walt Disney World in late April. It was our second stay there in just over six months, after a prior visit left us impressed with the property and its recent renovations. Returning for a longer stay only reinforced how much we enjoy this flagship Disney resort, which manages to feel like an elevated Disney experience amid the chaos that Disney World can represent. Renovations: Ongoing renovations have been part of the Grand Floridian experience for years, but at this point they feel essentially complete, with only a few minor projects remaining. Since our last visit, the lobby is no longer a construction zone as it was last year, and it was nice to see the Perch lobby bar and Grand Floridian Tea Room now open and looking great. Work in the guest room buildings is also fully finished and has been for a while. I understand that the Grand Floridian Café, the final unrenovated restaurant, will be updated later this year, though it’s currently open and operating as usual. The only work we noticed during our stay was minor exterior construction around the porte-cochere. Aside from seeing a few construction walls in one small area that we had to walk around when walking to/from the parking lot, it had no real impact. Pre-Arrival and Arrival Experience: We originally booked four nights using one of Disney’s “bounce back” promotional rates at the end of our prior stay, then later decided to add a fifth night at the beginning. Because the promotional rate was no longer available, the first night was under a separate reservation (but was in the same room category). I called Disney hoping they could link the reservations and ensure we stayed in the same room throughout. While the cast member was pleasant, I found it frustrating how much emphasis they placed on the fact that avoiding a room change was “only a request” and that they couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t have to move. By the end of the call, I basically expected to have to go through the annoyance of moving rooms based on the tone. Most hotels would easily handle this behind the scenes without making it sound difficult or uncertain. Ultimately, things were totally smooth, and we didn’t have to move, so the unnecessary confusion right up until arrival was annoying. I also asked to submit a couple room requests when I called (we were hoping for a king bed, a room with a tub/shower for our daughter rather than just a stall shower, and a quiet room). The room we received ended up being excellent, and met every request other than having a king bed, which we didn’t mind at all, given how great the room was otherwise. Prior to arrival, I also completed online check-in through the My Disney Experience app, which allowed us to receive a text message once the room was ready, bypassing the front desk entirely. I received the text that our room was ready around 2:45 p.m., just before standard check-in time. It was nice knowing the exact room location before arriving later that evening and being able to quickly go straight there. We arrived around 10:00 p.m. and parked in the complimentary self-parking lot, which is close enough to the lobby that I wouldn’t bother paying for valet parking, other than if hunting for a self-parking spot will bother you. The security guard warned us that the parking lot was extremely full, and we might need to use the separate lot for the Villas at the Grand Floridian, which would have been less convenient. We ultimately found the last available spot in the main lot, while many others had resorted to makeshift parking spots. This was an ongoing issue. Parking during the day was easy enough to find, but the lot became completely packed every evening with very few spots available, if any. Hotel Room: The Grand Floridian has a wide range of room categories. Standard guest rooms are located in the Boca Chica, Conch Key, Sago Key, and Sugarloaf Key buildings, with resort, water, or theme park views. Theme park and water view rooms face the lake (including direct view of the Magic Kingdom in the case of the theme park view option), while resort view rooms generally overlook landscaping or pools. One thing I appreciate about the resort’s layout is that very few rooms seem to have genuinely poor views, even in lower categories. In addition to regular rooms, all rooms in the Main Building are club level rooms with access to the Royal Palm Club, while the remaining two buildings hold DVC timeshare rooms. We’ve stayed on the club level before and loved it, as well as in the original DVC villas and had no complaints there either. Our most recent stays have now been in regular rooms in the outer buildings, and have also been great experiences. All of the outer buildings look similar on the outside and inside, with a lobby with an open atrium when you enter, and the common areas refreshed with the “modern Victorian/Mary Poppins” theme that exists throughout the property and in the guest rooms. This time, we booked a standard water view room and were assigned a room in Conch Key, which is conveniently located just steps from the boat dock to the Magic Kingdom and next to Narcoossee’s restaurant. None of the buildings feel far away from anything really, and we especially liked the proximity to the boat dock in Conch Key, even if it was slightly further from the main lobby than some other buildings. We were incredibly lucky with our room assignment (Conch Key 7425). Noise had been our biggest issue during our previous stay, when we were initially assigned a room beside the elevator and ultimately moved rooms due to the noise. This time, after simply requesting a quiet room in advance, we were placed at the very end of the hallway, in a corner room with no connecting door. It was as far from the elevator and atrium as we could be, and that was perfect. We heard no hallway noise at all during the stay. The room itself was also unusually spacious because of its corner layout, complete with an extra armchair and ottoman and just some other extra open space. It also featured two separate balconies: a smaller dormer-style balcony and a larger balcony out a side door that wouldn’t normally be there. We typically dislike the dormer balconies on the higher floors of this resort because they feel small and too enclosed with high walls. However, we didn’t mind in this case since we had the lucky situation of having both a larger standard balcony and the dormer balcony, plus different views from each. We made good use of both and loved all the outdoor space. The biggest surprise was that our “water view” room also had a great theme park view. From the dormer balcony, we could see Cinderella Castle directly and watch the Happily Ever After fireworks every night, complete with hearing the music piped in from the nearby boat dock and Narcoossee’s porch. We also had front-row views of the Electrical Water Pageant each evening. When I asked, a cast member confirmed the room was still categorized as water view, despite the surprise theme park view. Getting back to the room itself, we really like the updated décor of the rooms at the Grand Floridian. They strike the perfect balance of feeling like you are staying at a whimsical Disney resort, but also with finishes that are commensurate with the price point (or at least close to it). The rooms are also thoughtfully designed, with plenty of storage, deep drawers, and the ability to tuck suitcases beneath the beds. The bathrooms are functional as well, with good counter space and a sliding door separating the vanity from the tub/shower and toilet area, though the sliding doors themselves didn’t operate especially well. Robes were provided in the closet, and I appreciated the recent addition of full-sized hand soap dispensers rather than just tiny bars of soap to wash hands. Housekeeping also consistently left plenty of towels, which isn’t always the case. We always sleep really well at the Disney resorts, but it has nothing to do with the bedding, and everything to do with how tired we are. I always complain about this, but even at a hotel as expensive as the Grand Floridian, there’s no actual duvet on the bed (more like a thicker sheet), and the pillows feel lumpy and low-quality. The mattresses are fine, but on the harder side. Especially at the higher-level Deluxe Resorts, Disney can and should offer more substantial and upscale bedding. Housekeeping did a fine job, and the housekeepers were typically friendly when we’d pass them in the hallway. I would call to request cleaning in a specific time range each day, and every time, the room was cleaned when we had requested. Hotel Amenities: Spending time at the resort is really important for us during a trip to Disney World, and the Grand Floridian is the perfect spot to relax and recharge. We love spending time in the lobby, sitting in the beautiful atrium and listening to the pianist. The perfectly manicured grounds are also a perfect place to walk around and let our toddler have some freedom to roam. The resort has two pools and a children’s water play area. The Courtyard Pool, closest to most guest buildings, is fairly simple but large, with zero-entry access, a hot tub, and plenty of seating. The Beach Pool area offers more, especially since it includes the Alice in Wonderland-themed splash playground, which our toddler absolutely loved. She spent so much time running through the shallow water features and small slides. Other amenities include a marina with pontoon boat rentals, and a gym and spa near the DVC villas. The walking path connecting the Grand Floridian to the Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is another nice feature, and we enjoyed walking there for breakfast at Kona Café. The resort also offers poolside games, outdoor movies, and other family activities, though we never received a schedule for them this time like we had on prior visits, when one was just placed in our room. We also enjoyed nightly views of both the Electrical Water Pageant and Magic Kingdom fireworks. While we had a good view from our room, great spots to see the fireworks if you don’t are from the boat dock near Narcoossee’s and the outdoor seating area at Gasparilla Grill. Dining: We’ve tried nearly all of the dining options at the Grand Floridian over several trips, and the overall mix is strong. At the top is Victoria & Albert’s, the fine dining restaurant with a tasting menu and one Michelin star, and no kids allowed under 10 years old. The other primary upscale (but still family-friendly) restaurants are Citricos and Narcoossee’s. We loved Citricos on a trip last year for its refreshed Mary Poppins-inspired décor and Mediterranean-influenced menu. Narcoossee’s is the seafood restaurant in its own building by the lake with Magic Kingdom views. Since we had a great meal there on our last trip, we decided to visit again this time, and it was another great experience! Service was friendly and attentive, and virtually everything we ate was very good or great. The included sourdough bread gets things off to a good start, and the calamari was solid. We also tried the steamed king crab, which was $49 for a half pound, and worth every penny. The blackened redfish was a really tasty entrée, and a lobster tail on the side was also well prepared and really made it a perfect seafood feast. They have some great cocktails too, with the salted mascarpone espresso martini being my favorite. The Main Building also houses the Grand Floridian Café, 1900 Park Fare, and the recently reopened Grand Floridian Tea Room. Grand Floridian Café still feels somewhat generic and dated, so its planned renovation later this year should be useful to refresh the space. We really enjoyed the food at the 1900 Park Fare character buffet during a previous visit, but found the overall character experience and service underwhelming. In addition to all of the restaurants in the Main Building are two bars. The more substantial one is Enchanted Rose, which is the Beauty and the Beast–themed bar on the second level of the lobby, which we didn’t visit this time. Separately, the smaller Perch birdcage bar in the lobby is a brand-new option that we really liked on this trip. The bar is small, with limited seating, but it never seemed overly crowded, and it’s also set-up well to grab a drink from the bar and then take it to any of the seating areas in the lobby. On a busy evening, they also had a server coming around throughout the lobby to take drink orders. I found the staff to be friendly and the drinks to be great. The Floridian 75 was absolutely delicious, and high quality in using Taittinger champagne, which is also available by the glass. Quick service food court-type food is available at Gasparilla Island Grill (the main quick service spot in the Main Building), and by each of the pools. We went to Gasparilla almost more times than I can count on this trip, for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Overall, I was impressed with the offerings there, and thought quality was surprisingly solid for quick service dining. While there were some misses, most things were pretty good. For breakfast, we enjoyed pastries from the self-serve pastry case, and enjoyed the custom acai bowl option. For lunch, we enjoyed the chicken club sandwich, and our toddler couldn’t get enough of the basic kids’ mac and cheese (which I’m pretty sure is just a standard one found throughout Disney World). It could get pretty crowded at Gasparilla, so we did mobile ordering when we could, to have the food ready to go when we arrived. We did notice that it seemed they would sometimes purposely delay mobile ordering so that the next “available” time would be almost an hour away (particularly in the morning). I’d then go in person to order, and it wasn’t all that crowded, so it was unclear why mobile ordering was so delayed. Gasparilla also has some of the best seating of any dining venue at the resort, with a perfect outdoor patio by the marina with views of Cinderella Castle. We also had food from the quick service at the Beaches Pool Bar & Grill by the Beach Pool on one occasion. Food there was definitely a bit slow to come out, but the overall quality was along the same lines as any other quick service option within Disney World. Finally, room service is also available, which wouldn’t seem special in most places, but the Grand Floridian is the only resort at Walt Disney World where Disney offers room service. I find this odd, but it makes the Grand Floridian unique. We didn’t use room service on this trip, but it’s always nice to have as an option, and it seemed popular based on all the trays we saw in the hallway. Transportation: We only used Disney transportation to visit the Magic Kingdom on this trip, and had no issues. The Grand Floridian’s convenience to the Magic Kingdom is one of the main reasons we love it. It’s the final stop on the resort monorail before the park, so you can be there in just a few minutes after boarding the monorail on the second floor of the lobby. There also almost always seemed to be a monorail right there or arriving within less than 5 minutes when we wanted to go to the park, which made things so easy. Returning by monorail is slower though, since the Grand Floridian is the last stop in that direction. We instead always took the boat back, which stops at the Grand Floridian first, before the Polynesian after. There was only one time in the evening after the parade at Magic Kingdom when the boat wasn’t efficient. The line was long and no boat seemed to be en route, so we ended up taking the walking path back, which is the third option to get to the Magic Kingdom. I like the path, which provides a peaceful 15-20 minute walk along the lake. Service: Every time we visit a Disney resort, it’s service that we struggle with, not really the rooms or other amenities that are offered. Disney’s Deluxe Resorts charge luxury hotel prices, but the service often feels uneven or indifferent, reminding you they aren’t true luxury properties. On this trip, I would say that service generally was fine and pleasant at the resort, and we had no real issues. However, I also don’t know that a single cast member was really memorable or impressive either. We had several encounters that highlight how cast members simply aren’t trained in providing appropriate service. They are just too comfortable saying no, rather than yes, and don’t anticipate needs or go above and beyond to help make things smoother for guests. Examples on this trip included the following, which were admittedly all small things and didn’t affect our trip, but highlight a service culture that’s not commensurate with the price point: -One afternoon, when we ordered a sandwich at Gasparilla Grill for lunch, my wife and I planned to share it. Since the sandwich was being made to order, we asked if it could be cut into two separate halves for us, and we were actually told no, they wouldn’t cut it, and that we should use one of the flimsy plastic knives for guests. This was totally perplexing and poor service. I still can’t figure out why they wouldn’t simply cut a sandwich for us, particularly given that they had the proper tools to do so and we didn’t. -There was a day when a thunderstorm came through rather unexpectedly, and the pools had to close because of it. Once the storm had passed, a lot of guests went outside in hopes of re-entering the pool area. However, it was still closed despite now-sunny skies, so several people asked a lifeguard who was stationed by the pool entrance when the pool was expected to re-open. Instead of simply reciting whatever Disney’s rule is regarding pool re-opening after a storm, and giving some sense of an estimated re-opening time or explanation of why the pool was still closed, the lifeguard had an attitude and acted like it was an absurd question. Disney clearly has policies about pools and storms, and it would have been significantly more helpful if he had told us what those rules are and tried to provide information to set realistic expectations, rather than actively choosing not to be helpful. -When we ordered lunch at the Beaches Pool Bar & Grill, we initially didn’t see that there is the bar, plus a separate window just for ordering quick service food. We only saw and joined the line by the bar, where others in front of us were successfully ordering both drinks and food. When we finally got to the front, we were not ordering any alcoholic drinks, just food, and the bartender refused to simply put in our order, saying we were required to go to the other food-only window that we hadn’t seen. This required waiting all over again in a completely separate line. Would it really have been so hard to place our order (since they obviously can put in food orders at the bar)? A nicer and more helpful tone and a note about the correct place to go in the future to order food would have been much more appropriate. Overall: Overall, we had another very positive stay at the Grand Floridian this time. With renovations just about done, the property is looking its best, inside and out. We got especially lucky in having a perfect room, which contributed to a memorably good experience. The convenience to the Magic Kingdom with a toddler also can’t be understated. Our only real wish, which we’re not holding our breath for any real improvement on, is service that aligns with the hotel’s cost. The service at Disney resorts really doesn’t differ whether you’re paying for the cheapest value resorts or are at the expensive flagship hotel. I’d rather the service be great across the board, but the gaps are definitely evident when you get to the higher end of Disney’s offerings. Even with that, we still enjoy our stays and visits to Walt Disney World, and we will definitely be back to the Grand Floridian.

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“Grand Floridian is pretty, but not perfect”

A beautiful property just across the lake from Magic kingdom and next to the Polynesian, its one of the recent hotels to get new updates. The massive entry area of Grand Floridian is gorgeous and massive ceiling and decor by check in is probably what adds to the resorts popularity. The entire reso… more

A beautiful property just across the lake from Magic kingdom and next to the Polynesian, its one of the recent hotels to get new updates. The massive entry area of Grand Floridian is gorgeous and massive ceiling and decor by check in is probably what adds to the resorts popularity. The entire resort staff was fantastic. The room themes are beautiful and the rooms feel perfect, comfortable beds, pillows, with a mix of tub shower and walk in showers depending on rooms. Its a short boat ride from magic kingdom and the monorail is on the second floor for a direct route to MK. The resort offers buses to 3 of the 4 parks, opting to leave out routes to Epcot, which is a major oversight. While there is a monorail, the time and extra stop and transfer can add to an already tiring day and they are filled quickly and you're often left waiting for the next monorail taking 45 minutes or longer. This is where they take a one star hit. Gaspar grill is good, not upscale, but better than the cafe which serves what they call fried chicken which is something you should not ever get-ever. Its the worst thing I have had anywhere in the world and I mean the world. Steer clear of that place or that food because its thinner than you can fathom with tons of breading and very little chicken, tasting more like leather. It was sent back. But the biggest surprise for this upscale Disney property is the lack of any really great stores. They're generally lackluster and have very minimal merchandise. The mercantile store had way more than I expected and was the best store. Bath bombs store was something no one needs there and was confusing. Upscale and high priced clothing store with limited merchandise and another store carrying degrees of very light Disney merchandise. I'm not sure the hotel with everything warrants a stay more than Boardwalk area hotels, which are cheaper with better restaurants, just my two cents. I get pricing increases at the parks but the hotel prices for everything is to high, but that's my complaint at any Disney hotel.

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“Fabulous!”

Everything was wonderful! Piano player in the lobby, service, food, atmosphere, cleanliness, architecture.....we did not stay there during our visit to Disney World, however, we would have to guess the rooms are equally beautiful and well taken care of. We did eat dinner one night and our meals … more

Everything was wonderful! Piano player in the lobby, service, food, atmosphere, cleanliness, architecture.....we did not stay there during our visit to Disney World, however, we would have to guess the rooms are equally beautiful and well taken care of. We did eat dinner one night and our meals were fabulous along with the service. First class !

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