Grand Floridian not as grand as I would have thought.

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

And it has nothing to do with the construction.

I had clicked that having my room ready early was a priority.
I wasn't expecting 9am but had hoped for say 1pm-2pm.
It was 3:30pm...

We had gone to DS since it wasn't ready when we arrived at the resort.

So by the time we got back to the resort and went to the car to retrieve our luggage and take it to the room we were dripping sweat.
The room we were assigned was not the correct room category that we paid for.
We called and they fixed it and gave us another room but as I found out later they marked every magic band that were not the current one as "lost" which meant we had to go to guest relations at the park to have that fixed since I was using a different band that day.

In the bathtub/shower the water would not just come out of the tub or just come out of the shower which created a terrible shrinking noise.

And tell me why we had to jiggle the handle on the toilet to get it to stop running and be able to flush?

We are the type that are in the parks from open to close and park hop to 3 parks some days so after walking anywhere from 11 to a record for us 15.5 miles in a single day we don't have the energy to call about it so it did not get fixed.

We are unlikely to stay there again.

 

[SaucyBoy]

The Grand Floridian, like most of the MK resorts except for maybe WL, is the biggest scam at WDW. I've never understood the love and affection it gets from folks nor why it commands such a high price point. The rooms are ugly, it has mediocre food options, and the grounds in general leave a lot of be desired. And like most WDW resorts, most of the people who work there have absolutely no concept of what it means to work at a supposed deluxe resort. It's all so elementary and embarrassing.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Sorry you got a bum room. They aren’t all like that.

 

[Richie248]

Sorry it wasn't up to par. Based on your post and being in the parks all day, maybe a deluxe like GF isn't worth it in general. Also, check-in starts at 3pm so you weren't too far off from check-in time. Seems like most of the hiccups were during check-in. I also had similar issues the last time I stayed at GF. Strange. While I always wish my room were ready earlier...I never expect it....pleasantly surprised when/if it happens.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Sorry it wasn't up to par. Based on your post and being in the parks all day, maybe a deluxe like GF isn't worth it in general. Also, check-in starts at 3pm so you weren't too far off from check-in time. Seems like most of the hiccups were during check-in. I also had similar issues the last time I stayed at GF. Strange. While I always wish my room were ready earlier...I never expect it....pleasantly surprised when/if it happens.

I've stayed at the Contemporary and Polynesian.
I found them worth the money even as someone who isn't at the resort that much.
I'm booking a bounceback offer for Polynesian for next year.

I know having your room ready in the morning is no longer the norm as it was several years ago.
I know it's just a request so that part wasn't that big of a deal buy the fact that it was the wrong room was pretty annoying.

 

[Richie248]

I've stayed at the Contemporary and Polynesian.
I found them worth the money even as someone who isn't at the resort that much.
I'm booking a bounceback offer for Polynesian for next year.

I know having your room ready in the morning is no longer the norm as it was several years ago.
I know it's just a request so that part wasn't that big of a deal buy the fact that it was the wrong room was pretty annoying.

Mind me asking how the monorail was? When I stayed at GF a few years ago, it was down quite a bit.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Mind me asking how the monorail was? When I stayed at GF a few years ago, it was down quite a bit.

It was up and running any time I wanted it during this trip.
When I stayed at Poly it was in 2021 when the monorail was not fully back up and running so took the boat to MK and bus to EPCOT.

 

[Alanzo]

Stayed at The Contemporary in 2021 and it really is a different experience with little kids to be able to walk back and forth from MK. Worth it is completely subjective.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Sorry to hear about your GF experience.
Just curious, if you are “in the parks from open to close” why pay so much for a shower and bed?
We were at WDW two weeks ago. Stayed at AS Music. Got upgraded to preferred room. Room was ready at 7am when we checked in. We tipped bell service to take our bags to the room.
Great room and great trip.

 

[celluloid]

The Grand Floridian, like most of the MK resorts except for maybe WL, is the biggest scam at WDW. I've never understood the love and affection it gets from folks nor why it commands such a high price point. The rooms are ugly, it has mediocre food options, and the grounds in general leave a lot of be desired. And like most WDW resorts, most of the people who work there have absolutely no concept of what it means to work at a supposed deluxe resort. It's all so elementary and embarrassing.

It is hurt further by the terrible monorail operations compared to years past.

Fun fact for anyone who does not know. Before Eisner came in, the major onsite MK hotels, all that were there really, were charging less than many of the hotels on 192.

The Disney inflation of this beyond the regular inflation is wild and at some point they got everyone agree to the demand enough to where it pays for the lack of volume of sold out availability. Quite wild.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Sorry to hear about your GF experience.
Just curious, if you are “in the parks from open to close” why pay so much for a shower and bed?
We were at WDW two weeks ago. Stayed at AS Music. Got upgraded to preferred room. Room was ready at 7am when we checked in. We tipped bell service to take our bags to the room.
Great room and great trip.

We have stayed in every value, 2 moderates, and now 3 deluxe.
For us we have found that how easy it is to get to and from the parks is a big factor.
The monorail resorts offer multiple ways to get to MK and an easy way to get to EPCOT.

And the buses to HS, AK, and DS are pretty regular and reliable.

Stayed at movies for a last minute short trip in December and found ourselves waiting a l8ng time for buses and it seemed like they took the scenic routes.

Not saying I will never stay value or moderate but it's easier to justify staying deluxe when you get 35% off and that price is split between 2 people.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Stayed at The Contemporary in 2021 and it really is a different experience with little kids to be able to walk back and forth from MK. Worth it is completely subjective.

I always think this when people debate onsite vs offsite, it’s all subjective, same with economy vs moderate vs deluxe, what’s wasteful for some is worth every penny for others.

I think a lot of things feel wasteful until you’ve experienced them, I could never comprehend the price for a suite at a sports event until a friend invited me and I experienced it, I could never comprehend paying the price for a lay flat business class seat on an airplane until we got an upgrade offer (at a big discount) and we experienced it. A lot of luxury items seem wasteful until you’ve experienced them…at full price they still aren’t worth it to us but as an upgrade or with a promo they absolutely make sense.

Paying the extra price for deluxe lodging probably isn’t worth it for the average person (myself included) but if you can afford it there’s definitely benefits that make it worth it.

 

[celluloid]

Honestly for the cost, you can stay offsite for so much cheaper, be ritzy and get breakfast and other amazing treatments. Pay for parking and Genie Plus both standard and individual lightning lane and still stay cheaper than most of the upper onsites with none of the perks above.

Disney kind of priced me out of reasonably with the slacking things that are important to me.

 

[Marionnette]

And it has nothing to do with the construction.

I had clicked that having my room ready early was a priority.
I wasn't expecting 9am but had hoped for say 1pm-2pm.
It was 3:30pm...

We had gone to DS since it wasn't ready when we arrived at the resort.

So by the time we got back to the resort and went to the car to retrieve our luggage and take it to the room we were dripping sweat.
The room we were assigned was not the correct room category that we paid for.
We called and they fixed it and gave us another room but as I found out later they marked every magic band that were not the current one as "lost" which meant we had to go to guest relations at the park to have that fixed since I was using a different band that day.

In the bathtub/shower the water would not just come out of the tub or just come out of the shower which created a terrible shrinking noise.

And tell me why we had to jiggle the handle on the toilet to get it to stop running and be able to flush?

We are the type that are in the parks from open to close and park hop to 3 parks some days so after walking anywhere from 11 to a record for us 15.5 miles in a single day we don't have the energy to call about it so it did not get fixed.

We are unlikely to stay there again.

Wow! Sounds like a not-so-deluxe stay and I don't fault you for not being impressed. But I want to point out a few things in their defense (and believe me, I am NOT a Disney apologist!)

1. Check in at the resorts is after 3 PM. Getting your room earlier than 3:00 is a nice perk if it happens but even requesting "early check in" is viewed as just a request and not a promise.
2. GF, like all Disney resorts, will store your luggage for you. It did not have to stay in a hot car all day and you could have driven right up to the door to unload your car and have bell services handle the luggage. Once you returned from the park, you could have called to have the bags delivered to your room. You didn't need to haul them from the GF parking lot to your room yourself.
3. MB issues seem to be common at GF. I also have a number of MBs and could only have one that opened my studio door and the desk at the VGF building had to program that one to work! The rest were fine for the parks. My brother also experienced issues while staying club level there. He could use his MB on the elevator to get to RPC but the door to his room wouldn't open. He made multiple trips to the front desk to resolve the issue and every night, the same problem returned. I understand your frustration.
4. Your room sounds as if it is in serious need of plumbing attention. Had you called maintenance, they would have addressed it while you were in the parks. As it stands, the next guest has to deal with those same issues. Hopefully, they will call to get it corrected. If no one ever brings it to their attention, how is maintenance supposed to know that the showerhead whines or the drain is slow?

I understand your resolve not to stay there again. I have one restaurant at WDW that I refuse to eat at after having a bad experience there over a decade ago. My family ate there December 2021 and from their account, it was even worse.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Wow! Sounds like a not-so-deluxe stay and I don't fault you for not being impressed. But I want to point out a few things in their defense (and believe me, I am NOT a Disney apologist!)

1. Check in at the resorts is after 3 PM. Getting your room earlier than 3:00 is a nice perk if it happens but even requesting "early check in" is viewed as just a request and not a promise.
2. GF, like all Disney resorts, will store your luggage for you. It did not have to stay in a hot car all day and you could have driven right up to the door to unload your car and have bell services handle the luggage. Once you returned from the park, you could have called to have the bags delivered to your room. You didn't need to haul them from the GF parking lot to your room yourself.
3. MB issues seem to be common at GF. I also have a number of MBs and could only have one that opened my studio door and the desk at the VGF building had to program that one to work! The rest were fine for the parks. My brother also experienced issues while staying club level there. He could use his MB on the elevator to get to RPC but the door to his room wouldn't open. He made multiple trips to the front desk to resolve the issue and every night, the same problem returned. I understand your frustration.
4. Your room sounds as if it is in serious need of plumbing attention. Had you called maintenance, they would have addressed it while you were in the parks. As it stands, the next guest has to deal with those same issues. Hopefully, they will call to get it corrected. If no one ever brings it to their attention, how is maintenance supposed to know that the showerhead whines or the drain is slow?

I understand your resolve not to stay there again. I have one restaurant at WDW that I refuse to eat at after having a bad experience there over a decade ago. My family ate there December 2021 and from their account, it was even worse.

We ALWAYS plan on the 4:00pm checkin time that Disney gives you (at least at DVC, checkin time is 4:00pm). We’re usually pleasantly surprised when a room is ready before hand.

Something to note, you can go up to check in at the front desk as soon as you are at the resort. They often prioritize whoever has checked in physically at the resort. My only “poor” experience was that my room wasn’t ready even at 5:00pm, but as it turns out, a few minutes later I got a notification and I got upgraded to a one bedroom. Come to think of it, they upgrade A LOT of people during the quiet season. It often seems like they want to combine everyone into one building or one area. Also, the app just didn’t notify me until 5:00pm, but the room was supposedly ready more around 4:30pm.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I’m guessing this is why they don’t let you pick an exact time anymore. Sometimes it’s just not possible because they were full the night before.

We used to request 9am, and usually got in by 10/11.

This past May, we could only pick “morning” or something similar. When we hadn’t gotten our text by around 12:30, we still had to check out of our offsite “arrival night hotel.” We had our dog with us, so we drove to The Cabins and asked if we could hang out until the room was ready. And just like that, the room was ready.

We knew full well we might have to wait until 4, and that’s fine if we did, so we appreciated getting in early.

We’ll be doing the same in a couple of weeks.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I’m guessing this is why they don’t let you pick an exact time anymore. Sometimes it’s just not possible because they were full the night before.

We used to request 9am, and usually got in by 10/11.

This past May, we could only pick “morning” or something similar. When we hadn’t gotten our text by around 12:30, we still had to check out of our offsite “arrival night hotel.” We had our dog with us, so we drove to The Cabins and asked if we could hang out until the room was ready. And just like that, the room was ready.

We knew full well we might have to wait until 4, and that’s fine if we did, so we appreciated getting in early.

We’ll be doing the same in a couple of weeks.

Yeah when I booked I could choose an arrival time but noticed when I looked at my check in details the week before that option was gone. Hence why I chose to check off the room being ready as a priority.
Totally understand it's only a request so like I said the bigger issue was more that it was the wrong room as we needed to change and get ready to go back to Poly for Trader Sam's.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

If the two previous guests followed your logic and didn’t alert the staff of the problems with the bathroom, you didn’t, and the guest after you didn’t, guess what? It’s not getting fixed…You GOTTA speak up (ESPECIALLY at these prices), or I hate to say it, but you’re part of the problem too.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

If the two previous guests followed your logic and didn’t alert the staff of the problems with the bathroom, you didn’t, and the guest after you didn’t, guess what? It’s not getting fixed…You GOTTA speak up (ESPECIALLY at these prices), or I hate to say it, but you’re part of the problem too.

I agree, sometimes our desire not to be “Karen’s” actually adds to the problem, when we stayed at Aventura at Universal the reading lamp fell off the headboard when we tried to turn it on, just a loose set screw so I hung it back up and finger tightened it but I also let them know at the front desk when we checked out so they could properly tighten it, they thanked us and gave us a discount we didn’t even ask for. Most hotels are pretty good at fixing issues, they need to know about them to do it though.

 

[Alanzo]

If you're staying at and paying for a deluxe resort (but really any Disney property) and there is something obviously wrong with your experience you should immediately, politely-but-assertively, seek out a resolution form the hotel's front desk manager. They will do their best to "make it right"!