News Cítricos to reopen July 15 reimagined to the whimsy and elegance of Mary Poppins Returns

[HauntedPirate]

I hate this hotel. That is all. And pushing yet another unrelated IP into it is just stupid. Disney doesn’t even understand what this monstrosity of a hotel is. Someone needs to put it out of its misery.

It has more in common with the hotels of Beverly Hills that were built in the 80s. There’s nothing Victorian about… well, really anything… in the Grand Floridian. Even the exterior is based on a California hotel. Truly abysmal “theming” at this hotel.

So if I’m reading between the lines correctly… you aren’t a fan.

Gotta love the mish mash they have turned GF into. Bravo, clueless execs!

 

[The Visionary Soul]

It started off as the The Del but now the Grand Floridian is just a catchbin for whatever the average guest associates with "fancy".

Eh, only the exterior looks like The Del. The interior was 100% Beverly Hills in the 80s. Same architectural firm even. When in Beverly Hills you should really check out The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The similarities are striking.

 

[HauntedPirate]

It started off as the The Del but now the Grand Floridian is just a catchbin for whatever the average guest associates with "fancy".

With a price to back up Disney’s version of “fancy”. Ugh.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Love Citricos. Will Book an ADR ASAP.

Don't love an early 20th century London themed Marry Poppins inspired restaurant next to a French themed B&TB Lounge from a the 18th century, in a hotel themed as a turn of the 19th century victorian beach resort.

Just realized that you forgot about the random Disney characters in the marble floors they imported from the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and the Alice in Wonderland Interactive Water Feature. And the Mary Poppins fountain in the other building. Just so we’re clear and on the same page I believe none of it makes any sense at all.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

So if I’m reading between the lines correctly… you aren’t a fan.

Gotta love the mish mash they have turned GF into. Bravo, clueless execs!

Oooo, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?

 

[monothingie]

Just realized that you forgot about the random Disney characters in the marble floors they imported from Hong Kong Disneyland and the Alice in Wonderland Interactive Water Feature. And the Mary Poppins fountain in the other building. Just so we’re clear and on the same page I believe none of it makes any sense at all.

Well at least they got rid of the jazz brass band. I mean that really cuts down on the confusion.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Considering the other monorail resorts, I'm surprised Disney hasn't yet overhauled GF's standard rooms to incorporate Victorian-era Disney characters - that's an integration that has worked well in the other flagships (e.g. Tokyo) and could absolutely increase GF's occupancy rates. Also I believe the Villas have some character details that actually work.

Looks good to me - excited to potentially try it.

It may surprise some who question recent British arrivals, but the resort has had Mary Poppins and Alice for decades. Beauty and the Beast is ridiculous but I’ll defend the Mary Poppins additions.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Oooo, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?

I have had practice deciphering cryptic clues. But in all seriousness, the honesty is a breath of fresh air.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Well at least they got rid of the jazz brass band. I mean that really cuts down on the confusion.

Yeah, get rid of the one thing that people liked, an actual orchestra, and replace it with a single pianist that plays on a limited schedule. Cause that’s a great idea… but it’s in alignment with The Grand Californian’s lobby entertainment offerings, so that makes sense. The hotel has always had more to do with California then Florida anyways so why not?

 

[The Visionary Soul]

It may surprise some who question recent British arrivals, but the resort has had Mary Poppins and Alice for decades. Beauty and the Beast is ridiculous but I’ll defend the Mary Poppins additions.

It never should have. That’s my point. This just adds to the mess it already is.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Yeah, get rid of the one thing that people liked, an actual orchestra, and replace it with a single pianist that plays on a limited schedule. Cause that’s a great idea… but it’s in alignment with The Grand Californian’s lobby entertainment offerings, so that makes sense. The hotel has always had more to do with California then Florida anyways so why not?

It’s not a replacement - it’s a cut. The pianist was always there and would alternate with the band so there was constant live entertainment in the afternoon and evenings.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

It’s not a replacement - it’s a cut. The pianist was always there and would alternate with the band so there was constant live entertainment in the afternoon and evenings.

That’s a fair point. But let’s also keep the spare piano in the corner where the concierge should be or something. Cause who cares at this point? Clearly Disney doesn’t.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

It never should have. That’s my point. This just adds to the mess it already is.

Disagree - I think Victorian-era characters integrated into Disney's Victorian-style resort is probably the least offensive character overlay we could ask for.

Maybe the misalignment was in GF's original 1988 theme ("inspired by Old Florida's beach resorts") instead of simply being a modern interpretation of a Victorian-style hotel, but the character integrations don't bother me at all, Enchanted Rose aside.

Even Cinderella manages to feel at home here, due to the iconic glass carriage that serves the Wedding Pavilion. Certainly beats Snow White and the dwarves hosting a dinner at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Clamman73]

At least they didn't paint the whole thing some dark teal color.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Yuck. “More Disney” nonsense.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Disagree - I think Victorian-era characters integrated into Disney's Victorian-style resort is probably the least offensive character overlay we could ask for.

Maybe the misalignment was in GF's original 1988 theme ("inspired by Old Florida's beach resorts") instead of simply being a modern interpretation of a Victorian-style hotel, but the character integrations don't bother me at all, Enchanted Rose aside.

Even Cinderella manages to feel at home here, due to the iconic glass carriage that serves the Wedding Pavilion. Certainly beats Snow White and the dwarves hosting a dinner at Wilderness Lodge.

You’re confused. There’s nothing about The Grand Floridian that is Victorian. The Grand Floridian should have never been built as it is with that name. All the “Victorian” influence you’ve been brainwashed into believing is based on marketing at the time and a few paintings on the walls. And Snow White should be kicked out of Wilderness Lodge. Trying to justify one mistake with another is a logical fallacy.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

You’re confused. There’s nothing about The Grand Floridian that is Victorian.

The exterior architecture is clearly Victorian-inspired. Is it 100% as ornate and detailed as a Victorian-era building? No, but it's enough to evoke the theme.

That's no different than the other deluxe resorts, setting aside AKL, WL, and maybe Polynesian.

For as long as I can remember, the monorail spiel approaching GF has described it as "a Victorian-style hotel." That's absolutely fair game as far as I'm concerned, as are the character motifs such as Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

The exterior architecture is clearly Victorian-inspired. Is it 100% as ornate and detailed as a Victorian-era building? No, but it's enough to evoke the theme.

That's no different than the other deluxe resorts, setting aside AKL, WL, and maybe Polynesian.

No it’s not. At best it’s based on The Del, which is decidedly not a good example of Victorian architecture. If anything it may fit into Queen Anne (a subset of Victorian, I’ll give you that), but it’s the exception to the rule. That’s why it’s so historic. Regardless, we were talking interior. Nothing Victorian about it.

Also, I find it funny that you just went down a list of the only Deluxe resorts at WDW that I really enjoy. Never cared for the Epcot Deluxe resorts that much… but they do seem to have a bit more cohesiveness than The Grand Floridian. I’ll set aside The Contemporary because that’s it’s own masterpiece, and honestly, The Incredibles overlay probably fits that resort just as well as anything before it, maybe even more so.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

No it’s not. At best it’s based on The Del, which is decidedly not a good example of Victorian architecture. If anything it may fit into Queen Anne, but it’s the exception to the rule. That’s why it’s so historic.

Yep, I've seen the Del and know what it looks like. I actually think its exterior is kind of ugly and that the GF improves on it (setting aside the Villa building, which is hideous).

That said, the Del was built in 1888 and is still considered to be a "wooden Victorian beach resort." That's absolutely what the GF is meant to evoke. Is it the quintessential example of Victorian architecture? No, but very few elements of WDW represent the quintessential version of their inspiration. There are a few exceptions in there, like Morocco in Epcot being impressively ornate, but that knock isn't unique to GF. I just think it's an easier target because the theme is more played out, boring, and typical.

Still, it's what we ended up with, and I don't think the addition of Mary Poppins or Alice hurt it. Even think they'd be a net positive addition to the rooms.

 

[wedenterprises]

You're clearly not alone (GF doesn't appeal to many) but I like it. I also think its exterior actually looks nicer than the hotel it's based on (setting aside the Villa building, which gets the interior right and the exterior so, so wrong).

In any case, they're not bulldozing the resort anytime soon, so I appreciate efforts to enhance it like Cítricos 2.0 and the incredibly convenient walkway to MK.

Will concede that Enchanted Rose is still stupid.

I would concede the enchanted rose as-is if they bring back the orchestra in the same spot. Otherwise at the very least update the exterior colour scheme (and the furniture in the old orchestra pit)