Are you sure were at a WDW resort.

real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Curious as ever.Never been to the flagship of Disneys resort the one & only GF. But friends who have just returned had a awesome meal there,and decided to look around.Their views were interesting to say the least.Yes it's awesome,creme de la creme,like five stars plus more,but they said it felt like they wer'nt at a WDW resort.The theming of other resorts were more,Disney esk so to speak.What are your opinions of the GF.?:confused:
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DisneyWall-e said:
Its a beautiful resort. I cant afford to stay there, but it is beautiful.
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Me neither,Iam a moderate man,but if I had small children they would be looking for the Disney magic feel good atmosphere and something tells me the GF may be missing out in that department,or I could be way off.Time will tell.
 
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docdebbi

docdebbi

Well-Known Member
i feel GF is very disney-esque. each hotel at WDW transports you to a different time and place. the GF does that beautifully, you are totally immersed in a more elegant, peaceful time: turn of the century Victorian grandeur.
this theme may not be as attractive to a child as the animal kingdom lodge, or caribbean beach, but it has appeal for many other ages or groups. there are child friendly elements; they have a great water play area, just refurbed last week, but it was great even before, and the pool is open 24 hours. i spent many an hour there with a 10 month old who woke up at 5 am every day, while his parents still wanted to sleep! that's what grandmoms are for! there is afternoon tea for little girls, mary poppins breakfast, and a pirate cruise from the dock.
so while children are not their target audience, there is plenty for them. but more importantly, i do feel like i am at a disney hotel while i am there. i am totally transported out of my own little world and to somewhere else.
just like i feel at most other hotels there, except for the Boardwalk Inn. hey i grew up and live at the Jersey Shore- i feel like I am experiencing a typical saturday evening while I am there. except no snooki ;)
 
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Hakunamatata

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
We have never stayed there but have been to it for the character meal and V&As once. Its not a place that we want to stay. If given free, yes, but would much prefer the Poly, Wilderness or Contemporary if we were going to drop that kind money. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge on our honeymoon and I think I could live in that place.
 
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zurgandfriend

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
My dear wife loves the Grand Floridian, my dear son hates it and says it's too "stuffy" for him. He is a Contemporary man all the way. I perfer the Wilderness Lodge myself and really want to try the yacht Club however my wife and son put up a fuss so we usually flip a coin between GF and Contemporary. The GF is a grand hotel and enjoyable to stay at as is the Contemporary, so in the long run I figure as long as I'm at Disney I'm happy.
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Before I stayed there, I didn't have much interest. After I stayed there, I fell in love with it. The rooms are gorgeous - By far the nicest appointed and cleanest of any resort I've stayed at. The food is excellent. Mousekeeping there is almost an attraction in itself.

I find that many people (myself included) that don't care for the resort, haven't stayed there. Once you stay there, you realize just how beautiful it is. The Polynesian is more my theme, but honestly, is not anywhere on the same level as the GF.
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Interesting answers,but for the $$$$ it should be Grand. Iam gonna have to give it a visit for lunch on my next trip and do my mouse detective work.;)
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
captainkidd said:
Before I stayed there, I didn't have much interest. After I stayed there, I fell in love with. The rooms are gorgeous - By far the nicest appointed and leanest of any resort I've stayed at. The food is excellent. Mousekeeping there is almost an attraction in itself.

I find that many people (myself included) that don't care for the resort, haven't stayed there. Once you stay there, you realize just how beautiful it is. The Polynesian is more my theme, but honestly, is not anywhere on the same level as the GF.
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Cheers,But you've got my imagination running riot.Why is mousekeeping almost an attraction in itself? Surely she doesn't sing like Giselle in Enchanted?
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
real mad hatter said:
Cheers,But you've got my imagination running riot.Why is mousekeeping almost an attraction in itself? Surely she doesn't sing like Giselle in Enchanted?
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The housekeeping staff does some sort of parade through the lobby (and maybe the grounds) of a Victorian nature. They bring fresh linens to the room daily in wicker hand baskets. Every room gets turndown service, served with a chocolate.
 
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Kelsybelle

Kelsybelle

Active Member
DisneyDebNJ said:
I just didnt care for it at all, personally none of my family did. In our experience the CMs werent friendly at all, and actually felt kind of stuffy to us. I vowed to never stay there again. I'll take the Poly any day over GF. Its a much more laid back feel.
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Exactly! My DH and I stayed at the GF on our honeymoon and honestly, I was kind of homesick for the Poly the entire time! I'm not sure I would stay there again only because we love the Poly soo much. It's definately somewhere I wouldn't stay with my 6 yr old DD, the vibe didn't say "kids" to me. It does have a great lobby for people watching, fun shops to poke around in, the grounds are beautiful, 1900 Park Fare is a fun character experience and the spa is great.
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
captainkidd said:
The housekeeping staff does some sort of parade through the lobby (and maybe the grounds) of a Victorian nature. They bring fresh linens to the room daily in wicker hand baskets. Every room gets turndown service, served with a chocolate.
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Cheers for that! Hmm,Mouse keepers parading thro the lobby in a Victorian nature,ooh la la.Now I understand why it's $$$$,;)
 
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pmaljr

pmaljr

Well-Known Member
real mad hatter said:
Curious as ever.Never been to the flagship of Disneys resort the one & only GF. But friends who have just returned had a awesome meal there,and decided to look around.Their views were interesting to say the least.Yes it's awesome,creme de la creme,like five stars plus more,but they said it felt like they wer'nt at a WDW resort.The theming of other resorts were more,Disney esk so to speak.What are your opinions of the GF.?:confused:
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I guess it depends on whether you like Main Street USA or not. If that's just a place you walk through to shop and to get to other places in Magic Kingdom and you don't care about the bands and singing, old vehicles, and the barber shop, then it's going to be too stuffy. That Main Street USA sort of feeling has always been the vibe I get when being at GF, even though it represents the Victorian era, and that's just as much "Disney" as anything else. Just remember that Disney takes you to another place and time, whether it be in the future, past, or in fantasy. So, I feel that GF more than accomplishes that.
 
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Glasgow

Glasgow

Well-Known Member
The pricing is such that it caters more to older patrons (in general) who are with older kids or no kids at all - hence, the more "mature" themeing. This is all a generalization, of course, I'm just talking about it from a cost and marketing perspective. Having said that, I much prefer Poly, AKL and WL .. GF is too "nice" for me .. lol.
 
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