Grosvenor Resort

[Piebald]

I had a couple of questions about it. Has anyone stayed in it? We were lucky enough to book a room there from April 7th-10th. They told us all the hotels were booked and we found a room there (we booked it Saturday!!).

Is there Disney transportation available or is it a hotel shuttle that will take us?
Will it pick us up at night or should we take a DTD bus from the parks and find our way from there? Is the hotel far from DTD or is it walking distance?
And last....is it nice? lol . Thanks guys.

 

[markc]

The reason why it's one of the unbooked hotels is mainly due to it's poor reputation. Sadly I've stayed at it once, and will never again. Poor Service, rundown rooms, and an overall bad experience has left me never wanting to go back to that place. Some people have had good stays there, but I've read a lot of negative reviews on the internet. They don't use Disney transportation, but rather their own bus service that is run between the Downtown Disney hotels, which dont' run as frequently as Disney busses and are generally more crowded and less convienent.

It's only "plus" is that it's within three minutes walking distance to Downtown Disney, which is nice.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Piebald,

I won't tell you my experience was as bad as that of markc. I stayed there for 2 nights in October because I had business just north of Orlando, didn't want to stay in Lake County, and got a fantastic rate of $65 per night. For that rate, I felt I got my money's worth.

The Grosvenor is an older hotel. It may have been one of the original hotels built at Lake Buena Vista, and it sortof looks like it. But on a positive note - it has secured parking and you can literally walk across the street to Downtown Disney. Yes, it has the bus service to all the Walt Disney World parks which is a major convenience. Also, there are some tower rooms that come with a very nice view. The room was old, but it was cleaned every day.

I am not going to tell you the Grovesnor is super nice. I had no complaints with my room and would stay there again under the right circumstances.

 

[dizneeboy]

I stayed a long time ago. Back then it was just mediocre. As long as you got a decent rate, I think you'll be happy. I'm not sure what everyone else thinks, but you may get better/more frequent bus service if you just walk over to DD and catch one of the buses there to the TTC??

 

[dox]

I stayed there for several days over Memorial Day Weekend 2000. The rooms were a bit old, but they were clean and well maintained. The staff was very courteous all around from the front desk, the bar, the pool area, and the restaurant. They have a Breakfast Buffet, and the staff there was always friendly and willing to provide you with anything you need. The pool area was decent. If you don't intend to spend tons of time in the hotel the hotel is more than adequate and a lot better than several of the hotels along 192 and I-4.

Now the really horrible thing about this hotel which applies to all the Disney Village hotels is the bus service. Service here is horrible. Takes forever and is so slow. Luckily Grosvernor, when i was there, is the last hotel to get picked up, but means you are the last to be dropped off. Plus bus service at certain parks takes place at greater intervals. So if you are planning to divide your days and take afternoon breaks, bus service becomes impediment. I ended up taking taxis and even took a disney bus to downtown disney and walked over to the hotel. My suggestion is rent a car if you plan to go back and forth. Will make your life so much easier.

 

[figmentmom]

Well, my experiences at the Grosvenor have always been different. I have stayed at the Grosvenor Resort MANY times; I was there in November of 2003, and I'm going back this July. I love it there, and not just because of the excellent rates! They have two beautiful pools, both sparkling clean and well-landscaped. There's a whirlpool, and a kiddie pool, too, under a sun shade. There's a 24-hour cafe in the lobby, and a full-service restaurant and lounge on the premises. The rooms are nicely decorated, and each room comes with a free small refrigerator. There's an ironing board, iron, cofeemaker, and hair dryer, no big deal, but I've stayed in lots of more expensive hotels that DIDN'T have those things. It's all spotlessly clean, and the staff is very friendly.

The best thing about the Grosvenor, though, is its location. It's literally steps away from Downtown Disney (Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side). (It's also steps away from the Disney bus stop, although I'm pretty sure you'd have to take a bus back to a Disney resort and then transfer buses at the resort to get back to any of the major parks.) It's very close to the Crossroads shopping plaza, with a convenient (if pricey) grocery store within walking distance. The hotel plaza area has a great walkway between all of the area hotels, terrific for jogging or just relaxing.

The bus transportation is just fine. Getting to the parks in the morning has never been a problem. However, you must keep in mind that the buses that pick you up at the parks to return to the hotels follow a strict schedule (and yes, it has always been my experience that they DO follow it!) They leave the parks at a quarter to and a quarter after the hour - so get there 5 - 10 minutes before then, and you will be in plenty of time to board the bus and head home. True, if you wait until the parks close and leave along with thusands of other people, you will have to either stand on the way home or wait for the next bus - but if you time things carefully, you'll be fine.

Hope this helps! PM me if you want any specific information.

 

[conntom]

AS people know Iam a big fan of the Groscenor Resort.
I was just there in Dec and I love it no it's not the best Hotel
but it's a good one and the Buses are brand new and not that
pack but thats at the time I went.
There is a great Buffet Breakfast it's now a official WDW
Hotel so it can't be that bad. I hope you like it I think you will
for the Price.







P.S No I don't own stock in the Hotel.

 

[MonorailBlack]

I like it a lot. Never had a problem. Bus transportation was fine, even ran thru eride nights. Rooms are clean, and the fotn desk staff is very nice. Has a 24 hour cafe up front, very handy. Very nice gift store as well. The best is their pool. You can actually sit in it and watch the fireworks from Pleasure Isalnd. The walk to Downtown Disney is very nice and short. I cannot complain, but it has to be a good price. Summer, I paid about 70-75 a night, during the weekend. Anything else, just ask.

 

[DisneyHoneymoon]

My DH and I stayed at the Grosvenor May 2002 for our honeymoon, and we really enjoyed it, and found the accomodations very nice. We chose valet parking for our rental car, and nothing was better than going downstairs and giving our name to the bellhop and having our car promptly appear.

The proximity to Downtown Disney is great; we are huge Cirque de Soleil fans as well as enthusiastic about Gloria Estefan's restaurant Bongos. We always enjoy our meals at Downtown Disney, and it is just a short walk away from the Grosvenor.

Last summer we returned to Disney, wanted to go back to the Grosvenor -- but got a great rate on the Hilton, right across the street, from Priceline.com. Blecch! We would never stay in the Hilton again. The only positive thing I could say about the Hilton was that it served genuine Starbucks coffee, because I am an addict! We felt our room at the Grosvenor was much better; sparkling clean, roomier, and the best part was our striking view of Disney World. The fireworks display was spectacular, right from our window!

I think for the price, you get a great deal and very attentive staff at the Grosvenor.

One tip for the dining room is to ask for the same server every meal you eat in (sit in their section). It adds an even better quality of service.

Also character meals are available for the kids, on site if you are into that type of thing. We don't have children, so that's not what appeals to us.

So go to the Grosvenor with confidence!