Refurbishment coming to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort lobby

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
The older I get the less I care about such things tbh. I'm more content at a place like SWO, Dollywood, or even Hersheypark than a Disney Park lately. But, because WDW has been part of my life since I was 4, you can't really move on. I just find other places more interesting. I personally never got the obsession people have with wanting a themed hotel room. I'm there to sleep and shower, that's it. But, different things for different folks.

That's completely legitimate. Nothing wrong with not caring about that stuff.

For Disney specifically, though, they basically built their name on theming to be different from other parks, and carried that over into the resorts they built. It's part of what people generally associate with and want from a Disney visit. That's not to suggest every person who visits cares about that (I'm sure plenty don't), but it's one of the things that set Disney apart from other places.

It's also part of the reason their room rates are so high. That's obviously not the only reason (location and transportation is a major reason), but you can stay at nice, unthemed hotels not much farther from the parks for significantly less -- not to mention the Swan/Dolphin which are just as close as the Disney resorts but generally less expensive.
 

SaucyBoy

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
That's completely legitimate. Nothing wrong with not caring about that stuff.

For Disney specifically, though, they basically built their name on theming to be different from other parks, and carried that over into the resorts they built. It's part of what people generally associate with and want from a Disney visit. That's not to suggest every person who visits cares about that (I'm sure plenty don't), but it's one of the things that set Disney apart from other places.

It's also part of the reason their room rates are so high. That's obviously not the only reason (location and transportation is a major reason), but you can stay at nice, unthemed hotels not much farther from the parks for significantly less -- not to mention the Swan/Dolphin which are just as close as the Disney resorts but generally less expensive.
I would probably (no definitely) be singing a different tune if they were rethemeing the AK Lodge lobby. I've always found the Grand Floridian to be vastly overrated among the fan base. And perhaps it's because I'm merely 30 and didn't get to experience it in it's true glory days.
 

wdwfan22

Well-Known Member
Other than the Enchanted Rose, which is both an awful fit for the Grand Floridian and terribly designed in general regardless of location.

The fact that they tore out the orchestra for it is just the icing on the cake.
I like the Enchanted Rose. It doesn't fit with the Marry Poppins theme the resort seems to be taking on, but it's better than Mizner's Lounge which i was never a fan of. Sad the Orchestra had to go, but even without the lounge their days were numbered. Disney isn't about offering that type of entertainment anymore.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I like the Enchanted Rose. It doesn't fit with the Marry Poppins theme the resort seems to be taking on, but it's better than Mizner's Lounge which i was never a fan of. Sad the Orchestra had to go, but even without the lounge their days were numbered. Disney isn't about offering that type of entertainment anymore.

Mizner's Lounge was definitely not good, but the Enchanted Rose is the worst kind of faux luxury to me. I was shocked by how bad it looked when I saw it in person.
 

ar81

Member
One of my main concerns is the beautiful marble in the entrances. And the dull blue and gray color palette of the new updates will simply not match; therefore will probably be ripped out which is an atrocity. Also what hasn’t been said is that it definitely does NOT match the exterior. An intricate Victorian white hotel with a red roof doesn’t transition well to a Blue modern IKEA interior.
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
One of my main concerns is the beautiful marble in the entrances. And the dull blue and gray color palette of the new updates will simply not match; therefore will probably be ripped out which is an atrocity. Also what hasn’t been said is that it definitely does NOT match the exterior. An intricate Victorian white hotel with a red roof doesn’t transition well to a Blue modern IKEA interior.
The marble in the lobby is not that old. It was installed around 2007 I believe. So I doubt it is going anywhere.

I get being critical of the color and design choices but I don’t think it’s fair to call this refurb “‘modern ikea.”
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
One of my main concerns is the beautiful marble in the entrances. And the dull blue and gray color palette of the new updates will simply not match; therefore will probably be ripped out which is an atrocity. Also what hasn’t been said is that it definitely does NOT match the exterior. An intricate Victorian white hotel with a red roof doesn’t transition well to a Blue modern IKEA interior.
They left the brown and tan tile in place in the outbuildings, so they will probably leave it in place in the main building as well.

As far as the teal goes, it has long been part of the overall color scheme (see bedding below). They've just reversed the emphasis, with teal being the main color and rose being the accent. They've also obviously cut down significantly on the tans and creams in favor of white.

1672758343748.png
 

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
Any guess when they lobby will be done? The new discounts that came out for the GF for our trip in Sept have me seriously toying switching.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom