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Grand Floridian Resort restaurants, shops and courtyard pool to close for refurbishment this year
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
SeaCastle
Well-Known Member
The new area seems very incongruous. Does anyone else think that the area seems a lot more stark and less landscaped? Did they take down any trees when they were refurbishing the pool? The picket fence seems out of place, though I can't tell if that was there before.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Probably for the same reason they changed the pool at DAK Lodge from a brown, which resembled a watering hole in Africa to more or a blue: because guests are largely stupid and think a pool is dirty if it isn't bright and blue.
kane47
Well-Known Member
It does seem less landscaped. Maybe it is the plastic fence that goes around the pool blocking out the beauty and openness from ground level. It now has the same kind of fencing that my local Burger King and Taco Bell has to block the view of their dumpsters.
kane47
Well-Known Member
The direction the resort is taking is of concern to me. I know some people will love the pool, splash pad, and new DVC and some will not. I feel that the sight lines of the GF are getting cluttered and ruined. The sense of class and refinement are rapidly fading away as the price to stay at this resort soars. I hope families will enjoy this resort as much as mine did for years to come. But for my family who are no longer children, the resort is losing many things that used to attract us there. It is getting harder and harder to my older teens to want to stay at the GF. Not because of the atmosphere but because two of the main areas they liked to hang out during the day are not longer viable options for them.(Beach and Deep end of Courtyard pool). Lots of pressure to go else where in the country every-time now. It makes me sad and very disappointed
Here is the Courtyard Pool Bar menu
http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/courtyard-pool-bar/menus/01apr2013-courtyard-pool-bar-menu.htm
http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/courtyard-pool-bar/menus/01apr2013-courtyard-pool-bar-menu.htm
cgulls
Active Member
The direction the resort is taking is of concern to me. I know some people will love the pool, splash pad, and new DVC and some will not. I feel that the sight lines of the GF are getting cluttered and ruined. The sense of class and refinement are rapidly fading away as the price to stay at this resort soars. I hope families will enjoy this resort as much as mine did for years to come. But for my family who are no longer children, the resort is losing many things that used to attract us there. It is getting harder and harder to my older teens to want to stay at the GF. Not because of the atmosphere but because two of the main areas they liked to hang out during the day are not longer viable options for them.(Beach and Deep end of Courtyard pool). Lots of pressure to go else where in the country every-time now. It makes me sad and very disappointed
I'm not criticizing or arguing (honest) but I've seen similar criticism and I don't get it (not that I need to). The Grand Floridian isn't the Four Seasons or even the hotels its design was based on. Among Disney World hotels it may be among the least themed in terms of Disney characters or other IP but at the end of the day, it's still a Walt Disney World (theme park) hotel. I don't know how "refined" any hotel is where the normal attire in most of their restaurants includes Donald Duck t-shirts.
Again, I'm not criticizing the hotel (we're going this month!) or your post but I do think that what they're doing does fit the property just fine. Then again, ask me if I still feel this way after spending an afternoon listening to the clanging bell of the new splash area!
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that fence looks really cheap and tacky looking. If I remember correctly, I don't think there was a fence around the pool before. Everything looked much more open and the pool just kind of fit there naturally. While I do understand their desire to fence it in for safety reasons, I think it's kind of jarring to the landscape that was there.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Is it for safety or for preventing trashy people from pool-hopping when they haven't paid to stay at the resort. It's a viable issue when you allow everyone to come to your resort (purportedly for dining) and it seems that the plan is to eventually have all WDW pools fenced in (look at Art of Animation). Personally, if it makes for smaller crowds at the pools and ensures that only paying guests are present, I'm for it.
kane47
Well-Known Member
I understand the need to enclose the pool for safety sake and to prevent pool hopping. Putting a plastic fence around the pool isn't the way to do it. The Grand is already running with an Alice and Wonderland theme, so why don't they use manicured hedges, or gardens. This would make a natural barrier for the pool. It would also look much more natural and tie into the current theme of the resort.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Agreed. And if they truly wanted a physical barrier beyond landscaping, you could even come up with a way to sort of hide actual fencing in between the hedges.
But instead they went with the plastic picket fence.
kane47
Well-Known Member
I'm not criticizing or arguing (honest) but I've seen similar criticism and I don't get it (not that I need to). The Grand Floridian isn't the Four Seasons or even the hotels its design was based on. Among Disney World hotels it may be among the least themed in terms of Disney characters or other IP but at the end of the day, it's still a Walt Disney World (theme park) hotel. I don't know how "refined" any hotel is where the normal attire in most of their restaurants includes Donald Duck t-shirts.
Again, I'm not criticizing the hotel (we're going this month!) or your post but I do think that what they're doing does fit the property just fine. Then again, ask me if I still feel this way after spending an afternoon listening to the clanging bell of the new splash area!
I understand your points. My main concern is the lack of entertainment for my teenage family members at this resort. The two main areas which they enjoy have just been removed (beach) and reworked to limit the swimming area(CYP). Walking in pools don't do it for them. I understand your point that Disney is for families and agree 100% it should be family friendly and have characters. Disney, however should not exclude older children and young adults. These two demographics are being squeeze by Disney's new direction for their hotel pools. The theme of the hotel has always been Victorian, which is supposed to be classy and clean. It is not the Ritz, Waldorf, or Four Seasons, I know that. The Waldorf can be booked for half the cost of the GF with much nicer rooms. But its not Disney. It does not have the Disney feel. Although not overpowering in its theme, the GF is Disney. It is its flagship resort. It meant to be "Disney" upscale. The new directions in my opinion are dragging it down. That being said it is just my opinion and I am just venting. I am sure many familys will absolutely love the new resort features. It is still an amazing hotel and the feeling there is like no other. You and your family will a great time there. Make sure you give an update on how your trip was. I can not make it down until summer.
kane47
Well-Known Member
I am not trying to be mean or critical. Please don't take it that way. I appreciate yours and everyones opinion. That what makes this form fun.
cgulls
Active Member
Fair points.
71jason
Well-Known Member
Saw it in person last night, have to agree. So cheap/tacky that I'm wondering if it's temporary.
tikiman
Well-Known Member
A few years ago when I was speaking to someone about the issues that need to be addressed at the Polynesian pool they mentioned all Disney pools will be fenced off eventually.
DebDeb
Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree with you more! I am not happy with the direction GF is going at all. Starting with ruining the view with the DVC monstrosity! And losing the beach! Yuck! No offense to DVC members and time will tell, but I can't imagine adding that amount of guests to that resort. Everyone trying to use the same pools, elevators, monorails, boats, restaurants, you name it all at the same time. I foresee long lines. They took a homey, quaint hotel and made it into a big one on the same amount of space. That was the beauty of the Grand for us at least, you felt like you were on a relaxing vacation, not just at WDW. I hope that I am wrong and that it all runs smooth and it just a grand as it always is and has been. It won’t stop us from going to WDW it just might make us pick a different resort.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
I'm not criticizing or arguing (honest) but I've seen similar criticism and I don't get it (not that I need to). The Grand Floridian isn't the Four Seasons or even the hotels its design was based on. Among Disney World hotels it may be among the least themed in terms of Disney characters or other IP but at the end of the day, it's still a Walt Disney World (theme park) hotel. I don't know how "refined" any hotel is where the normal attire in most of their restaurants includes Donald Duck t-shirts.
Again, I'm not criticizing the hotel (we're going this month!) or your post but I do think that what they're doing does fit the property just fine. Then again, ask me if I still feel this way after spending an afternoon listening to the clanging bell of the new splash area!
No, the GF charges rates that in some cases are double what I've paid to stay at Four Seasons locations. It was designed as the flagship of the Disney hotel chain. It is supposed to be 4-5 star/diamond caliber, but often is typical 3-star anywhere hotel. The problem is, and @TP2000 is great at explaining this, Disney really struggles to offer that level of service even at the ridiculous price points it charges (Spirited aside: Got an email from DLR offering 'great' rates for the summer. They were $321 for PPH, $415 for DLH and $500 for Grand Cal. Those were the starting points. I want to know what goes thru the minds of people dumb enough to spend that.)
And Donald Duck tees shouldn't be accaptable anywhere at the Grand beyond the pool, the arcade and the coffee shop.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
It doesn't prevent people from getting in. Gates get left open and people will open it for you. And it does nothing at all for safety. When is the last time a child wandered away from his/her parents and wound up dead on the bottom of a resort pool?
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Don't think so.