Grand Floridian not as grand as I would have thought.

[the_rich]

Anytime I've had a problem they have always taken care of it. A few times they really went above and beyond what was warranted. But they need to know there's a problem first.

 

[surfsupdon]

Outside of nostalgia, MK Resorts are thé worst! I said it

 

[Disstevefan1]

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.

Sorry to hear this. It looks like the most expensive rooms at WDW are just as poorly run and maintained as the least expensive ones.

 

[harryk]

Stayed at GF or a regular, yearly basis, from the 1970's 'till purchased DVC, WL in 2001. Never had any problems and always used the 'Grand Plan' for stays. The 'Grand Plan' is long gone. Now at WL (Boulder Ridge) whenever experienced difficulties in the room, just called and in minutes someone was at the door ready to fix the problem. Have stayed at BoardWalk Villas and never had any problems and at Saratoga Springs. Have found that when something is not correct - speak up - you are paying for a vacation not problems. I have found that the personnel in the resorts try to take good care of their guests - they don't want complaints and if you don't bring up the problem at the beginning - the problem will eat away at you. Pick up the phone and let them know or stop by the front desk on way out and let them know. The problem will be gone when you return.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

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"!

Yes, and in my experience they do more than enough.

I had a loose towel rod at Caribbean Beach one time and they gave me $200, and fixed it that day.

 

[Lilofan]

Sorry to hear this. It looks like the most expensive rooms at WDW are just as poorly run and maintained as the least expensive ones.

The maintenance cast earn the same rate whether they work at All Star or Grand Floridian but perhaps budget cuts impact the way things are run and inability to get corrected / improved.

 

[Lilofan]

Outside of nostalgia, MK Resorts are thé worst! I said it

Unless if you are Princess Diana and her sons when they visited MK and stayed at the Grand Floridian. Her suite was repainted, carpet and mattresses replaced with new, etc prior to her magical vacation.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

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.

I'm pretty sure they sit on the text message and won't send it until you arrive at the resort. My last trip, we had 4 different groups staying at the Poly and nobody got a text until we rolled up to the security gate for the first time. We all arrived at different times and each text message came through exactly as each family pulled up. It activated instantly, even before we talked to the security guard so it wasn't like he activated anything manually. I'm pretty sure it was tracking my location through my phone and/or MagicBand.

 

[Doberge]

I'm pretty sure they sit on the text message and won't send it until you arrive at the resort. My last trip, we had 4 different groups staying at the Poly and nobody got a text until we rolled up to the security gate for the first time. We all arrived at different times and each text message came through exactly as each family pulled up. It activated instantly, even before we talked to the security guard so it wasn't like he activated anything manually. I'm pretty sure it was tracking my location through my phone and/or MagicBand.

Yes, it seems they are are assigning rooms and then releasing either after guests arrive or released as guest recovery for guests who *do* arrive early but don't have a room (and the person that originally had this room assigned never knows). I think it works well. This summer at our last 5 check-ins in which we were on property "early," 4 times our room was ready either before noon or upon inquiry at the resort. The exception was Grand Floridian where our room was not ready until after 5:30pm.

 

[Beacon Joe]

Outside of nostalgia, MK Resorts are thé worst! I said it

That could probably be said for the entirety of WDW at this point.

As for the GF specifically any hiccups we've experienced there over the years were promptly addressed and sometimes even compensated for.

My only longstanding gripe is with the descent of Gasparilla Grill. Reduced hours, reduced menu. Getting rid of the chicken and brie sandwich made me die inside just a little. And yes, I'm an adult, but sometimes I like to indulge in WDW chicken tenders and packets of Heinz BBQ Sace - why on earth do I now have to walk to the Polynesian (well, even that's not doable anymore) to get a larger serving of chicken tenders on their own and without the kiddie sides/drink?

And I'll never forgive them for removing the Mitsukoshi sushi. RIP.

 

[marni1971]

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?

This. This this this.

 

[FutureCEO]

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.

15.5 miles a day (it says about 32000 steps) in a theme park seems a lot. Did you walk to your other parks?

 

[ChrisFL]

So one guest leaves at 11:00 AM, mousekeeping comes in, gets the room ready (Along with how many other dozens of rooms) and is supposed to also check the plumbing and everything else, have a maintenance person get it fixed prior to the next guest who wants to check in EARLY before 3:00 PM, got it.

Ok, I'll try to be less snarky but that's the reality. Having said that, I've heard good and bad about the GF. I think it's a beautiful resort but seems they could do some things to keep it up a bit more.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

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.

…hmmmm…interesting

 

[monorail81]

Stayed at GF or a regular, yearly basis, from the 1970's 'till purchased DVC, WL in 2001.

That’s pretty impressive considering the GF didn't open until 1988…

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

15.5 miles a day (it says about 32000 steps) in a theme park seems a lot. Did you walk to your other parks?

The day we got 15.5 miles we walked from our room to the bus, then spent the first half of the day at HS, about 1:30pm we got on the skyliner to CBR, then walked to the bus stop and took it to AK, then rode EE and Dinosaur twice, then took the bus to Poly and got a Dole Whip, then took the monorail to MK, then took a boat back to GF.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That’s pretty impressive considering the GF didn't open until 1988…

Yeah but besides that.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Those saying I should have told someone about the bathroom.
I agree that I probably should have but wasn't really thinking about it effecting the next guests.
However you saying that housekeeping would not be aware of the issue if I didn't say anything SHOULD be completely false. The issues were quite obvious if you flushed the toilet or turned on the tub/shower and they should be doing those things during the cleaning between guests.
If they aren't that's a whole other issue right there.

 

[ChrisFL]

15.5 miles a day (it says about 32000 steps) in a theme park seems a lot. Did you walk to your other parks?

I walked 28000 steps in one day at Universal a few weeks ago

 

[Lilofan]

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.

Stayed at Coronado called operator on room issues, connected me to Housekeeping base and items were fixed in the next few hours.