Grand Floridian rooms

[mebucko]

Hello!
A brand new world for us! We have been Poly People for years, and thought a change of tempo would be nice and invigorating!
We know the Grand is more $$ than the Poly (Garden View), but what would be recommended at the Grand - Garden(Standard) or Lagoon view? Which buildings? The trip is not pending, so we have some time to put pennies ($$$) aside in the jar, We see the rack rate differences - Wow, the Lagoon View is heart-pumping!
It will just be the two of us, so room size is not that important..
Would love and value some input from people who have stayed there.
Thanks so much in advance!
Ch-Ears,
Bill
(PS - DON'T tell the Tikis!!)

 

[Mukta]

I just stayed there in Dec. I was in Sago Cay. The resort was just beautiful. The rooms were spacious, the toiletries were the H2O Sea Salt (which I love) and the chocolates on the pillows were a nice touch.

I think I had a garden view, but I am not sure. We were really close to the water too.

I usually stay at BC and this was my first time at GF, so I know how you feel.

 

[Tuvalu]

Hey Bill!
You know I am also a Poly person, but we took a little break from the Poly during the construction and stayed at the GF in June 2014 (Sago Cay theme park view) and June 2015 (Boca Chica lagoon view.)
Here are some pictures of our room:

Here is our balcony and our lagoon view from Boca Chica:

We were able to watch both the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes from our balcony. We actually preferred the location of Boca Chica as the quiet pool is right outside the door.

The beds were AMAZING, so comfy! Another nice thing about GF is that all rooms receive nightly turn-down service and have bathrobes (not just club rooms.) @Mukta mentioned the different toiletries.

We really enjoyed our stays. But as soon as the Oasis (quiet) pool construction is complete, we'll be going HOME

 

[mebucko]

I just stayed there in Dec. I was in Sago Cay. The resort was just beautiful. The rooms were spacious, the toiletries were the H2O Sea Salt (which I love) and the chocolates on the pillows were a nice touch.

I think I had a garden view, but I am not sure. We were really close to the water too.

I usually stay at BC and this was my first time at GF, so I know how you feel.

Thank you so much for the info - what a great hotel!!
We will definitely give it a try!
The atmosphere seems very relaxing, and not at all "stuffy"!
Have a wonderful week!
Ch- Ears!
Bill

 

[mebucko]

Hey Bill!
You know I am also a Poly person, but we took a little break from the Poly during the construction and stayed at the GF in June 2014 (Sago Cay theme park view) and June 2015 (Boca Chica lagoon view.)
Here are some pictures of our room:
View attachment 129792 View attachment 129793 View attachment 129794 View attachment 129795

Here is our balcony and our lagoon view from Boca Chica:
View attachment 129798
View attachment 129796
View attachment 129797
View attachment 129799
We were able to watch both the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes from our balcony. We actually preferred the location of Boca Chica as the quiet pool is right outside the door.

The beds were AMAZING, so comfy! Another nice thing about GF is that all rooms receive nightly turn-down service and have bathrobes (not just club rooms.) @Mukta mentioned the different toiletries.

We really enjoyed our stays. But as soon as the Oasis (quiet) pool construction is complete, we'll be going HOME

 

[mebucko]

Thank you, Tuvalu (fellow Poly Person). The photos are great. We just spent 8 days at "Our Poly" in December, and still love it, but ready for a temporary break.
We really enjoyed our walks to and meals at the GF, and thought we would give it a try. Same views - different atmosphere.
Thanks so much!
Bill

 

[s&k'smom]

We were in Conch Key October 2013 and stayed in a dormer room facing out towards the big pool, absolutely loved it. Not stuffy at all, so relaxing. I would stay there every time but hubby wanted to try Contemporary last trip. You'll love it. Gasparilla Grill is open 24 hours which worked out so well for us too.

 

[mebucko]

We were in Conch Key October 2013 and stayed in a dormer room facing out towards the big pool, absolutely loved it. Not stuffy at all, so relaxing. I would stay there every time but hubby wanted to try Contemporary last trip. You'll love it. Gasparilla Grill is open 24 hours which worked out so well for us too.

Sounds great, s&k'smom!
Really appreciate your input!
Ch-Ears,
Bill

 

[LAKid53]

Both stays have been in Sago Cay, on an upper floor in a dormer room. Had a garden view but we could easily watch the fireworks from our balcony. Quite frankly, I prefer that building because it is far enough away from the big pool so you don't get the noise but close to the main building for access to the restaurants. Plus, you are just steps from the marina area and another fantastic place to watch the fireworks. In addition, you can walk along the walkway running in front of the building and sit on benches right at the Lagoon to see the fireworks. We managed to get a dormer room on the 4th floor with a king bed and since the room had only 1 bed, it was even more spacious. The drawers in the dresser suck, though, because they are so small - look like they are 12 inches by 12 inches.

If you want to splurge for a Lagoon view room, ask for one at the end of the building. Otherwise, your Lagoon view will be of the monorail, not the park.

 

[mebucko]

Both stays have been in Sago Cay, on an upper floor in a dormer room. Had a garden view but we could easily watch the fireworks from our balcony. Quite frankly, I prefer that building because it is far enough away from the big pool so you don't get the noise but close to the main building for access to the restaurants. Plus, you are just steps from the marina area and another fantastic place to watch the fireworks. In addition, you can walk along the walkway running in front of the building and sit on benches right at the Lagoon to see the fireworks. We managed to get a dormer room on the 4th floor with a king bed and since the room had only 1 bed, it was even more spacious. The drawers in the dresser suck, though, because they are so small - look like they are 12 inches by 12 inches.

If you want to splurge for a Lagoon view room, ask for one at the end of the building. Otherwise, your Lagoon view will be of the monorail, not the park.

Thanks!
The more we read responses like yours, the much more likely we are to make the Grand our "home" on the next trip! I'm going to run a copy of a GF map and start saving! We love the Garden View at the Poly, so that would be fine, too. Small drawers would be a challenge, but the King bed would be good!
Thanks again!
Bill

 

[PrincessRachelT]

We just got back from a stay at the GF! We stayed in Conch Key, garden view. We had a view of Narcooses and of the lake. We liked it because after a day at the parks, we barely had to walk to our room from the boat launch. It was also an easy walk to see the water pageant at night! No matter where you end up, it's a beautiful resort.

 

[mebucko]

We just got back from a stay at the GF! We stayed in Conch Key, garden view. We had a view of Narcooses and of the lake. We liked it because after a day at the parks, we barely had to walk to our room from the boat launch. It was also an easy walk to see the water pageant at night! No matter where you end up, it's a beautiful resort.

Thank you!
We have always enjoyed meals at the GF and walking around the grounds - beautiful all around! Very relaxing!!!
Have a great day!
Bill

 

[mebucko]

Thank you!
We have always enjoyed meals at the GF and walking around the grounds - beautiful all around! Very relaxing!!!
Have a great day!
Bill

Good Morning!
Forget chocolates and flowers - give WDW stuff!!
Has anyone ever stayed in the Big Pine Key building? I was wondering how the room views were classified - lagoon,garden, pool views?
Thanks!!
Bill

 

[Tuvalu]

I have stayed in Big Pine. The rooms that face the pool are garden view and the rooms on the opposite side ( that face the Poly) are lagoon view. The rooms on the left end of the building are also lagoon view.

 

[mebucko]

I have stayed in Big Pine. The rooms that face the pool are garden view and the rooms on the opposite side ( that face the Poly) are lagoon view. The rooms on the left end of the building are also lagoon view.

Hi Tuvalu!
Thanks so much! If we got the lagoon view, we could still keep in touch with "our" Poly (we stay in the Fiji Longhouse).
Did you like Big Pine as opposed to Sago or Boca Chica?
Thanks again!
Bill

 

[Tuvalu]

We had the view in Big Pine that overlooked the Poly and found it peaceful. Those rooms also face south so the balcony was in the shade all day long, so quite comfortable to be out there no matter time of day. Big Pine is also convenient to both pools and quick access to monorail. But it is one of the larger buildings and I think the most popular for guest placement, so there were always people in the elevators, common areas, etc. of the building.

Sago really feels remote in comparison, though not necessarily in a bad way. It is a smaller building and we did not have a long walk to our room despite being on the end. We had a theme park view but it was mostly of the monorail/castle (we could not see the train station or any boat activity on the lagoon, and could not see the ELP at night.) We liked how close Sago is to Gasparillas and the bus stop.

My favorite view was in Boca Chica, since only paying for lagoon view (as opposed to the more expensive TPV in Sago) also gave us the ability to see the castle, train station, Space Mountain and all boat activity on the lagoon, from ferries to personal watercraft. Watched Wishes and ELP from the balcony too. But the rooms face east, so sitting on the balcony in the morning was not an option. And though Boca Chica is centrally located, you have to walk all the way around the quiet pool to get anywhere.

As you can tell, I liked all three buildings but for different reasons. Honestly I would be happy to stay in any of them again.

 

[mebucko]

We had the view in Big Pine that overlooked the Poly and found it peaceful. Those rooms also face south so the balcony was in the shade all day long, so quite comfortable to be out there no matter time of day. Big Pine is also convenient to both pools and quick access to monorail. But it is one of the larger buildings and I think the most popular for guest placement, so there were always people in the elevators, common areas, etc. of the building.

Sago really feels remote in comparison, though not necessarily in a bad way. It is a smaller building and we did not have a long walk to our room despite being on the end. We had a theme park view but it was mostly of the monorail/castle (we could not see the train station or any boat activity on the lagoon, and could not see the ELP at night.) We liked how close Sago is to Gasparillas and the bus stop.

My favorite view was in Boca Chica, since only paying for lagoon view (as opposed to the more expensive TPV in Sago) also gave us the ability to see the castle, train station, Space Mountain and all boat activity on the lagoon, from ferries to personal watercraft. Watched Wishes and ELP from the balcony too. But the rooms face east, so sitting on the balcony in the morning was not an option. And though Boca Chica is centrally located, you have to walk all the way around the quiet pool to get anywhere.

As you can tell, I liked all three buildings but for different reasons. Honestly I would be happy to stay in any of them again.

Tuvalu, thank you so much.
All three sound great, but Boca Chica sounds wonderful. Is the lagoon view difficult to get in that building? I know there are a lot of factors, and nothing is "guaranteed.", but that would be a first choice.. There are no losers!
We really appreciate your valuable info!! We won't be going for awhile, having just been in December. The first room we had was in our Fiji, but it was a Marina view, and the lights from the pool were BAD (24 of them) pointed directly at our patio!! Plus the music from Trader's was not exactly relaxing. Great if you are in there sipping a lapu-lapu (thanks Disney Deb). And the outside patio was so close to the marina walkway, you could reach out and scratch somebody' back! Finally got moved to our garden view and listened to the luau.We will go back to the Poly, but it was time for a change.
Thank you again!
Bill

 

[Tuvalu]

Tuvalu, thank you so much.
All three sound great, but Boca Chica sounds wonderful. Is the lagoon view difficult to get in that building? I know there are a lot of factors, and nothing is "guaranteed.", but that would be a first choice.. There are no losers!
We really appreciate your valuable info!! We won't be going for awhile, having just been in December. The first room we had was in our Fiji, but it was a Marina view, and the lights from the pool were BAD (24 of them) pointed directly at our patio!! Plus the music from Trader's was not exactly relaxing. Great if you are in there sipping a lapu-lapu (thanks Disney Deb). And the outside patio was so close to the marina walkway, you could reach out and scratch somebody' back! Finally got moved to our garden view and listened to the luau.We will go back to the Poly, but it was time for a change.
Thank you again!
Bill

You are very welcome! When I booked GF, I asked the cast member to note my Boca Chica request on my reservation. When I did online check in, I again requested Boca Chica. Glad you were able to be moved to a better room in Fiji...I like the beach/luau side of that building better than marina too.

 

[mebucko]

Thanks!
We also missed the ducks on the luau side - their visit was part of the morning ritual! You know its bad when you start to give them names!
Have a great weekend!
Bill

 

[Daniella]

We stayed in Boca Chica Room 8230!