GabnJer
Registered: April 2013
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sun April 14, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Cast Members, Room, Pool, Food....
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Cons:
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having to leave!!!!
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Stayed there in August, 2012 at the Outer Building Club Level....OMG! It was positively perfect. There was always food there, not enough to fill you for a lunch or dinner, unless you just kept going up, but it was sustaining until a lite dinner.
The Cast members were amazing and right there for ANYTHING you needed.
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EpcotRstFan
Registered: July 2012
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Tue July 31, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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room quality, food quality, view, housekeeping staff, lounge staff
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Cons:
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desk staff
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We were upgraded to the Royal Palm Club and boy, did we feel like a mountain of Pixie Dust had been dumped on us!
We were in a room with a lovely view of the Polynesian Resort and beach, that was very close to the lounge.
The food in the lounge was oustanding--the best we've had in WDW Club Levels, and the staff that laid out the food was delightful...as was housekeeping.
The cons here came from the person who checked us in, and the desk staff working on the club level. The man who told us about our upgrade and checked us in was reluctant to join in the celebration with us. We were over the moon and he was all business. I even half-jokingly asked if I could hug him...and he actually said, "No!" Luckily, we didn't let him put a damper on our happiness. The staff members working the desks in/near the lounge were a little full of themselves, and generally unhelpful.
These blips aside, it was a rare treat, and I would stay here again in a heartbeat!
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dancemom
Registered: January 2012
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Thu June 14, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Lovely lounge that was never crowded
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Cons:
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Not all rooms are on the club level
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My husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary with a trip to the Grand Floridian. We stayed at the Royal Palm Club and loved it. Our room had a view of the Magic Kingdom which was fabulous, but it wasn't on the same floor as the lounge which was the only downside. The food at the lounge was excellent and offered a great variety--much better than other club level resorts we have stayed at. The lounge was large and never seemed crowded. It was very relaxing to sit in the lounge and look over the grounds during the day and listen to the band play at night. The club staff were nice but not overly friendly and not always knowledgable. But overall it was a wonderful trip and well worth the money.
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Trishadono
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Thu May 31, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Food selection was wonderful!
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Cons:
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The club room was not an interesting space.
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Just got back from a one night stay at GF Sugar Loaf Key. It was just my dd17 and myself. We were escorted from our taxi directly through the lobby and to our room for check-in by a very nice and knowledgeable young woman. I was disappointed not to have our marina view request honored. However, since we were given a 3rd floor room on a inside corner(left of main entrance to building) it was a very private space with view of pool.
Within a few minutes our suitcases arrived via a friendly bell hop. We were able to check in at 8am which was awesome considering we only had one day!
We enjoyed the food and drink offerings in the lounge. I noticed the staff worked very quickly and efficiently to keep the place well stocked and clean. As to friendliness, I also noticed they worked hard to be "invisible" so no one would feel uncomfortable helping themself. However if you approached a staff member they were very friendly and knowledgeable. I had a few short conversations with several of the staff members and really appreciated Jerry! He was great!Only negative of SL is the layout of the club space as compared to other lounges. The closeness to pool, hot tub, marina and main building however where great plusses!
The GF itself was as expected, monorail quick, pool beautiful, turndown service wonderful, Mousekeeping was very friendly and accomodating. In all it was a GRAND stay!
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RKaspro877
Registered: May 2012
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Mon May 28, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Atmosphere, staff, location, lounge
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Cons:
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none
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I just returned from a stay at the Grand Floridian and had a Magic Kingdom view room in the main building. I loved staying here and feel the price was well worth the experience. We were greeted at the Magical Express by Ryan who checked us in and explained the hotel and concierge benefits to us and the service was first class during our entire stay. The view was lovely and we had a great view of the MK fireworks each evening from our balcony. The staff that hosted the lounge was great and the offerings were always fresh and plentiful. The evenings we were in our hotel, we would stop at the lounge, grab a cup of tea and a plate of desserts and go up to our room and watch the fireworks from our balcony. The main pool was very relaxing and the staff at the pool bar was very friendly. The monorail and bus service was very convienient and the longest we waited for a bus was 15 minutes at the Animal Kingdom. Usually the bus came along within 5 minutes. I would definitely stay here again!
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ldeglian
Registered: August 2006
Posts: 85
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Review Date: Sun January 1, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Lovely resort, great staff
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Cons:
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I love the GF. It is by far, my favorite resort. That's why even though we were staying at POFQ with a group for a few days, I had to book several days here at the end of our stay in early Dec. We stayed in the Royal Palm Club in the main building. I really enjoy being close to the action of the lobby and listening to the band at night or just hanging out in the lounge during afternoon tea. The scones are worth coming back from the parks to enjoy!
We were in room 4416-a location I had requested on the same floor as the lounge. The room was spotless, but looked in need of some minor repairs...some of the floor molding was missing in the dressing area, the light in the bathroom was odd and not very bright, etc. We were only there 2 nights so I just left the info upon leaving, but the room was not up to usual standards.
The monorail was busy as were the buses, but we never waited more than 10 mins for a bus or monorail....a far cry from the ove 30 min we waited for each bus leaving POFQ for the 5 days before!
All in all we love the GF and will be back in 2012.
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gadabout
Registered: December 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Mon December 19, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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location
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Cons:
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none
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The Grand Floridian really has two levels of concierge service, Royal Palm Court in the main building and Sugarloaf in an adjacent building. I feel there should be a separate listing for each as they are different. We stayed at Royal Palm Court Dec 7 to Dec 11. It is in a league of it's own. The concierge lounge on the 4th level of the main building is stunning with views out over the property in all directions through the large windows and seating extends around the balcony overlooking the main lobby. It was breathtaking looking down on the enormous Christmas tree and fabulous Gingerbread House whilst enjoying the orchestra or piano performances alternately. The food offerings had something for every taste from the healthy oatmeal in the morning to the scrumptious scones and fruit tarts at afternoon tea. I saw people enjoying a wine or a cognac but what I loved was the coffee machine which provided real coffee all day.
The Grand Floridian is a destination on its own at Walt Disney World and definately a place to savour the experience.Vonnie, at the concierge desk went out of her way to be helpful and accommodating, and the cast members were unfailingly attentive, especially at the lounge.
We had a lovely room overlooking the marina with a direct view to the Magic Kingdom. Fireworks from the balcony at nights was a special treat.
The very best thing about the Grand Floridian is that it is welcoming to all and certainly not to be missed by anyone visiting WDW at Christmas or indeed at any time. Come right in off the monorail station on the 1st level and find yourself transported to Victorian splendor. All are able to sit in the lobby and enjoy the music and if you love weddings there is often a bride gliding across the beautiful carpet or floating down the magnificient stairway. In fact there were nine weddings on Saturday December 10.
Staying in the main building allows guests to have a bird's eye view of all this and to enjoy the whole passing parade. The parks are an add on for us as the 'Grand' is the main event. A wonderful experience.
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SheriBMC
Registered: October 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Fri October 28, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Beautiful resort!
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Cons:
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Inattentive staff
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Well, this is a mixed review! I do love this resort, but this trip was just not up to par. We spent 3 nights at the GF in the Sugarloaf concierge building. I would stay at the GF again, but would not spring for the club level. This is a great location for families with small children and the club level rooms are a great deal for them. I travel with my husband, no children, so it was not for us. It seemed like we were in a poorly run daycare center every time we went down to the lounge. One morning we got our breakfast and sat down to eat. There were a lot of children and we started to watch the swarms of children grab things from the trays with their hands. One small boy took a handful of small muffins and then saw his mothers reaction and he walked back to the tray and put them back. The best was watching a girl drop chunks of fruit on to the floor, then pick them up and put them back into the bowl on the buffet. Oh my, that was it for us! Now I realize that it's the parents job to supervise their children but there didn't seem to be a lot of that going on. It seemed like at all hours of the day or night the kids were just allowed to roam and graze at will. We also watched the concierge staff stand off to the side and chat while this was all going on. I do realize it is a fine line for them to be dealing with parents like that, but I think they should watch over what happens and try to intervene when the kids get out of control! Sadly, that did not happen. Needless to say, we picked up our breakfast and put it off to the side and made other breakfast arrangements.
Then, I needed to get a Weekday Select pass for my husband and the girl at the concierge desk told me there was "no such thing". After a little checking she found out that there was such a pass and printed one up for us. And on our final day I woke up early to go down to the boat dock to watch a rocket launch from the Cape. It was beautiful and I had a great view across the lake to the right of the Contemporary resort. I got some great pictures and was a happy girl. I went back to our building only to find that my key did not work. I got into the building because someone was leaving. When I got up to our room I could not get in. My Husband was taking a shower so I had to go back down to the concierge desk and try to remedy the situation. For some reason my husbands key did not work anymore either. So we were told if we wanted to get into our room we should just get one of the CM's and they would let us in. They could not reissue our key because it was our checkout day so we just grabbed our stuff and left. We were very disappointed with our stay. I do think it is a great place for families with small children but not for adults looking for a relaxing getaway! We have had better luck with the Boardwalk, WL and AKL concierge.
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CG42
Registered: October 2011
Location: New York
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue October 25, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything
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Cons:
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Nothing
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I must say that we already had a great start to our family vacation. We transferred over to the RPC from the Yacht Club club level. We started our day with a character breakfast and then spent our time in Frontierland. Around 1pm we decided to go back to the hotel and check in. Well, I must say what a wonderful experience that was! We told the reservation desk we had to check and within a few minutes "Denny" took us under his wing and truly made us feel so special. Although we were early, Denny ran through a brief description of all the amenities and within 10 minutes we were on our way to our room. Denny checked us in and for the first time we signed our key card.
All the remarks that the GF is geared towards adults are absolutely not true! My son (6) had a blast. Our room was on the 4th floor and just about everyday, we played table chess and or checkers. Every staff member was really fantastic and eager to help!
Most mornings we went upstairs and enjoyed the morning spread: fresh fruit, yogurts, granola, cereal, bread, bagels, cold cuts, etc. Afternoon snacks had a great variety of veggies (loved the dressed asparagus), cheese, wide variety of crackers, bbq potato chips, cookies, scones, etc. The hors d’oeuvres available were plentiful with a couple of hot and at least three variety of cold every day. We were there seven nights and I believe each night the offerings were different. My son especially enjoyed the cupcakes available too. We were able to request beers and wine through the afternoon and evening hours.
I originally wondered if staying in the Main Building was really worth the extra money. I must say it was worth every penny! Not only did we get to enjoy the pianist and danced a few tunes to the orchestra, but the convenience was really worth every penny. Everyday we would drag ourselves back to our room and knowing we only had to take an elevator to our floor was really reassuring!
I honestly say that I cannot wait to return to the RPC. Everything detail was right on the mark. A+++++ all the way!
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alagille
Registered: September 2011
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sun September 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Location, light meal options, pool proximity, monorail
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Cons:
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cost
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We were greeted at the Magical Express by a concierge member and taken directly to our room where our check-in was completed. We stayed 4 wonderful nights. It was ready early, so we then were able to change quickly and hop on the monorail and were off to Magic Kingdom right away. When we returned from the MK, we enjoyed snacks, milk, sodas a much needed nap. Mickey had recorded an anniversary greeting and a staff member soon brought an autographed Mickey and Minnie picture and chocolates for our 9th anniversary celebration.
The evening drinks were both domestic (plus a delicious Yueng Ling beer) and a few import beers, and wines. I don't recall the brand wines, sorry. Each night, the hot horderves were rotated and quite good. Breakfast and evening foods both had fruit which was great with the kids as well as 6:30am to 10pm milk availability. Concierge breakfasts were yogurt, cereal, ham, turkey, cheeses, fruit and bagels/pastries with spreads. I typically rise very early and was able to eat breakfast at nearby quick serve Gasparilla Grill- inexpensive sandwiches. If you are a light eater, you could easily eat just the concierge items all except for lunch which had sparse food choices.
The toiletries were Spa-grade upgraded and plentiful. Housekeeping and turn down service were wonderful.
The concierge staff were able to make a few work related email/copies for us so that helped out a lot.
The pools were easily accessible from our room and entertained the kids well. The nightly pool movie was just on our front lawn. We were able to borrow a life jacket for our youngest son to use at the pools.
Although the cost was an extra $125/night for concierge level, by the time you figure the benefit of drinks and at least 1 to 2 meals/day that we didn't overeat at a restaurant, my family got our money's worth. The service was impeccable too. I will be back, but want to try the Poly concierge level too. Now, on to the second half of our vacation with the in laws at Ft Wilderness Cabins. (I don't want to leave GF!!)
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catyanna
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue August 23, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Location, service, beautiful resort
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Cons:
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NONE
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My family & I stayed in a room at the SugarLoaf bldg the last week in July. Once I made my reservation I was contacted by the IPO w/i 24 hrs. I had already made all my dining ressies so I didn't need them for that but they did answer a few questions I had very quickly. When we arrived our check-in was fast & our luggage was brought to our room right away.
The food in the lounge was very good. With a different selection every night. It was nice having drinks & coffee available all day long.
The down side of our trip was that we ALL got ill w/ the stomach flu while there. But we all agreed that if we were going to be sick while at Disney, the bast place to do it at was The Grand! The staff was very helpful with options to keep our 3 yr old busy while the rest of us were in bed sick. They had the chef make some chicken broth for us & brought it up to us w/ some fresh watermelon. That & the ginger club were a lifesaver for us. I would definitely stay there again. In fact, I am finding it hard to stay anywhere else ever again.
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missy
Registered: August 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 78
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Review Date: Tue August 2, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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food, staff
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Cons:
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had to go home
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This was our first time staying in RPC. The food was plentiful and good. The Cast Members were very polite and the eating/lounge area was very clean. Can't say enough about the concierge staff too. They were very nice and helped when we needed help. They went out of their way to do anything for us.
Can't wait to go back.
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disneybarbie
Registered: July 2009
Location: Surrey, England
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Mon July 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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cast members, location, decor & ambience, lounge food & drink
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Cons:
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none
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We stayed at the Grand Floridian as part of our honeymoon in June 2011. Originally we booked a theme-park view room, but our travel agent was able to apply a special offer to our booking and upgraded us to the Royal Palm Club concierge level.
We arrived early on our first day at 9am, a cast member greeted us outside the hotel and led us straight up to our room - 4319. It had beautiful views of the courtyard pool, the Polynesian resort, wedding pavilion, monorail - and in the distance we could see Thunder Mountain and hear the Magic Kingdom train!
All of the check-in process was taken care of in our room; which was huge! It had a separate entrance area, large bathroom, several armchairs and sofas as well as two double beds.
We received the turn down service each evening - the curtains were drawn, bed sheets pulled down and two chocolates left on the pillows.
The Grand Floridian has a different range of toiletries to the other Disney resorts and housekeeping left us many bottles of each product.
There was always a Cast Member on the concierge desks between 7am and 10pm, they always greeted us and asked how we were. I had forgotten to pack my camera battery charger, and when I asked concierge if there was somewhere on property I could buy one - a cast member got out a box filled with every camera and phone charger imaginable, and just gave me one to use for our whole stay!
We also liked the dvd library that was available at the concierge desk for us to use, for no charge.
The food on the fourth floor was great - we used this for breakfast most mornings of our stay and sometimes to get an afternoon snack. Everything looked freshed and was plentiful.
One evening we sat in the lounge and had a drink with canapes while listening to the band play in the lobby. There were also chess, checkers and backgammon tables set up on the third floor.
We used the courtyard pool a few times during our stay, and also had a couples massage at the Grand Floridian Spa one afternoon. We arranged a private photo session with a Disney photographer one evening and this was fun - we have some lovely photos around the resort now.
We found the transportation to and from the parks to be great - less than 10 minutes to get from our room to the Magic Kingdom on the monorail, and we'd usually get the boat back from there as it was the first stop. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, and there was often a CM at the bus stop who would ask us where we were headed. It was easy to get to other resorts for dinners as we could get the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and then a bus from there; we get a boat or walk to the Polynesian and it was a short monorail ride to the Contemporary Resort.
We ate at Citricos one night and were given special personalised menus and glasses of champagne 'from Mickey Mouse' for our honeymoon. We also ate at Victoria & Alberts' one night which was a stunning meal; the service, food and ambience were impeccable - again we had personalised menus to keep, and at the end of the meal the waitress presented us with a special chocolate bread from the pastry chef and a red rose for me.
We booked a speciality fireworks cruise one evening from the Grand Floridian marina. We both really enjoyed this; our skipper took us over to Bay Lake where we saw the Electrical Water Pagaent, the locations of Discovery Island and River Country - as well as an alligator in the lake! The view of Wishes was spectacular - we had pink champagne & chocolate-dipped strawberries to have while watching the fireworks.
Overall we had a fantastic stay at the Grand Floridian and I would highly recommend concierge level for an extra special Disney trip.
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GrandmaKristi
Registered: June 2011
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue June 28, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything
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Cons:
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Nothing
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We celebrated our 50th Anniversary at The Grand Floridian. We checked in on May 5, 2011 and checked out on May 9th. We had the same Honeymoon Suite (Room 4430)that we stayed in for our 40th Anniversary.
Our “Mousekeeper” Samang was a very special person. Not only did she keep our room clean and cozy, but she would leave little “surprises” for us. One day a Gardenia in a glass on our table, another day a Mickey balloon. On Mother’s Day she brought us a bouquet of beautiful coral and yellow roses. She always had a smile and a kind word.
The Resort sent Champagne to our room.
We had our Anniversary Dinner at Queen Victoria’s Room in Victoria and Albert’s. They have just received their 12th consecutive AAA Five Diamond Award.
Chef Hunnel came out to say hello. We were well taken care of by Don, Frankie and the Maitre D’ Hotel, Israel Perez.
The food was fantastic, beautifully presented and delicious. Israel cooked the salmon tableside on a Himalayan Salt Stone.
We went to Narcoossee’s for dinner. We were so happy to find our old friend Charlie there tending bar. We had come to know and enjoy Charlie as the bartender at The Gathering Place at
The Institute.
The Calamari there is fantastic and I also enjoyed the Crab and Shrimp Chowder very much. My husband had the Shrimp and
Scallop Fettuccine and enjoyed that too.
Everything about the Grand Floridian is First Class – enjoyed the piano music in the Lobby and the orchestra outside of Mizner’s.
Ate dinner at Citricos. Viviana (Guest Services Manager) is a very welcoming and outgoing person. We had already met her in Mizner’s while visiting with Tammy, the bartender there that has been so great over the years.
All of the cast members were fantastic, from the time we stepped out of our car until we left.
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Dispro
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Mon June 13, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Location, facilites, and food/beverage options
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Cons:
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Cost
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While no hotel is perfect, when compared to other Disney resorts, this is the best. There may be other hotels off-site that are better in some ways, but staying at the Grand Floridian adds a whole new level of "magic" to your Disney vacation that you simply could not find at another location. Both the Contemporary and the Polynesian have some of this "magic" because they are within the monorail loop, but there is something about the Grand Floridian that keeps us coming back.
When we arrived on May 22 and walked into the main lobby, we all took in a deep breath and knew we were exactly where we wanted to be. The main lobby and grounds at this hotel are simply breathtaking. We initially were told that our room was not ready since it was only 11:30 am, so we checked our bags with bell services and were going to head to the Magic Kingdom. However, by the time they took our bags, our room was ready. There was a slight problem with the room they had assigned, but concierge quickly got us transferred to another room, and bell services met us there with our bags.
All of the restaurants here are excellent, with the exception of Gasparilla Grill (which is okay). We thoroughly enjoyed both pools at this resort although the Beach pool with its waterslide and zero entry is our family favorite. The quiet pool is nice in the evening because our kids swim while we sit in the hot tub. It's always nice to grab an evening cordial and walk down by the pier to watch the fireworks.
The food offerings in the club lounge are good. At breakfast, there is always a variety of pastries, meats, cheeses, breads, fresh fruit, cereal, and oatmeal that you can top with walnuts, brown sugar, and raisins. The coffee is always good since they have a variety of flavored syrups to add to your latte. They seem to have added a bit more to the daytime snacks, such as grilled vegetables, to go along with the usual raw vegetables, homemade chips, hummus, multi-grain crackers, spinach dip and other cheese dips and dressings. Make sure you don't miss out on the scones with Devonshire cream at tea time! One of the best things about this hotel is that you can grab a glass of wine and a few appetizers (from 5-7) and listen to the Jazz band before heading off to dinner. If they have Chicken Wellington as an appetizer, don't miss this one either.
Along with the fantastic views that come with this resort, you also get convenience. It is only one monorail stop to MK and the first stop on the boat coming back from MK. It is also great to take the boat to the Poly if you are having dinner there in the evening.
It is really fun to take the time to talk to some of the employees at this resort. Many of them have been here for a very long time and are a wealth of information. They can also tell you about all the different famous people who have stayed at this resort. We have stayed at many different Disney resorts, but have returned to the Grand Floridian for the last three times because it has never ceased to amaze us!
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