Why hate the GF?

[jmargarone27]

Every time I go to Barnes and Noble, I glance to see what's new in the world of Disney travel books. The other night when I was there, every single book trashed the Grand Floridian! Why does everyone hate the GF suddenly?!?!

 

[ImagineerDude]

Well the fact that it's wayyyy expensive for just a nice hotel is one thing, on top of already-expensive Disney. I plan on actually staying at the GF one day, but until that day comes I'll continue to visit the resort because it's absolutely beautiful and it's restaurants are divine. I really haven't gotten the whole snobby thing that some people complain about the GF having. There are snobby people in Animal Kingdom to Downtown Disney and even in the All-Star Resorts. I haven't noticed anyone really complaining about the GF recently, and I really don't see why...if you (not talking about you, original poster) can't afford it save up for the next trip or don't stay there and just visit...

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

It's a beautiful hotel that is now marred by a cheap and ugly DVC addition and the prices are now so laughably absurd for what you get that it's not to be believed. I used to really enjoy staying there. Not anymore. I'm AKL only at this point.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I enjoy Wendy's but I would trash the burgers if they cost $23.99.

 

[NYwdwfan]

The Grand Floridian is billed as the best Disney has to offer. Any time you are dealing in absolutes you are going to get people looking to contradict the statement. In addition, when you have a place that attracts people that expect to be pampered you are going to have people complain that it was not up to their standards.

 

[dreynolds1982]

Yeah I think like others have said, it is nice, but the costs are astronomical. But, Disney charges those rates because they can. Demand drives prices. That resort, even more so than the other monorail loop resorts, is in constant demand.

That being said, even regardless of the prices, AKL is my pick of the Deluxe resorts. I think being on the monorail loop is a bit overrated. I guess it is more valuable to you if you are traveling without a car, though Disney resort transportation does a pretty good job. Plus I've always found the theme to be a bit on the stuffy side.

Of the monorail loop deluxes, Poly would be my pick, with Contemporary second and GF last. Actually, Contemporary is far more convenient because you can actually walk to and from MK, though from a theme standpoint it is the most standard/plain.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Yeah I think like others have said, it is nice, but the costs are astronomical. But, Disney charges those rates because they can. Demand drives prices. That resort, even more so than the other monorail loop resorts, is in constant demand.

You'd be shocked how many rooms go empty at the GF each night. Disney's current hotel pricing strategy makes zero sense.

 

[MaxsDad]

It's a beautiful hotel that is now marred by a cheap and ugly DVC addition and the prices are now so laughably absurd for what you get that it's not to be believed. I used to really enjoy staying there. Not anymore. I'm AKL only at this point.

I stayed at VGF for a week this month. I am oblivious to your experience there of course. I own at AKL and share in your love for that resort.

I am a little unsure of your logic and reasoning in your statement about the VGF however. Perhaps it is more emotional than mental. "Cheap" can mean a lot of things. It is not inexpensive. Also, the rooms themselves are the nicest villas I have stayed in, and I have been to everywhere but SSR. "Ugly" I just do not get. They look the same as all the other buildings on property. White Victorian with red roofs.

I am curious enough to ask if you could elaborate on this comment, as you really enjoyed your stay there before, and now say it is diminished.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I stayed at VGF for a week this month. I am oblivious to your experience there of course. I own at AKL and share in your love for that resort.

I am a little unsure of your logic and reasoning in your statement about the VGF however. Perhaps it is more emotional than mental. "Cheap" can mean a lot of things. It is not inexpensive. Also, the rooms themselves are the nicest villas I have stayed in, and I have been to everywhere but SSR. "Ugly" I just do not get. They look the same as all the other buildings on property. White Victorian with red roofs.

I am curious enough to ask if you could elaborate on this comment, as you really enjoyed your stay there before, and now say it is diminished.

By cheap I'm referring to the exterior of the new wing - obviously the price to stay there is anything but cheap. The VGF building is a lower grade version of the architecture used on the main hotel itself, which is in contrast to the rooms, which as you said are some of the nicest DVC has to offer.

The VGF building lacks the architectural details and flourishes seen on the main buildings. There are giant blank white walls, and no detail on the faux windows/towers. It very much looks like a cheaper version of the main building, and that is disappointing - the Grand was gorgeous, and now it's got this thing in front of it that doesn't quite match. It's off just enough to be distracting. Would it have been so hard for them to actually recreate the resort's style? It's utterly bizarre.

I used to love the Grand - gorgeous rooms, and I ran the gamut from "garden view" to main building concierge. The resort still has much to recommend - the orchestra in particular is a favorite. But frankly, for the amount of money it costs to stay for a week, I can buy a car. It's just beyond the point of matching up to what is offered, and I won't do it anymore. It's like setting $7K in a pile and lighting it on fire.

The only resort I still like is AKL (Jambo). I'll stay at POP/AOA if it needs to be cheap. The prices are just laughable now, and no amount of Disney in-the-bubble magic can make up the value at this point.

The addition of DVC also strains the resort's infrastructure, in particular for transportation. I don't have numbers to back this up, it's just the feeling I've gotten every time I'm at the resort since DVC was added.

And this is SUPER nitpicky, but the theme has gone from old Florida luxury to Mictorian-British Disney mishmash. Character silhouettes in the tile, Alice at the pool. Doesn't make any sense. That's a very minor quibble, but it's illustrative of a larger issue within the company - theme is no longer respected or carried out; they just try to find new and exciting places to shove cartoon characters.

 

[acishere]

The cost is just too high for what they are offering. That is a problem with Disney resorts in general, but it is most obvious with their flagship because it is making the Four Seasons seem reasonable in comparison.

Some people could also not be fans of the style of the resort and that effects their judgment. I always thought that GF, Poly, and CR should share the flagship designation that is bestowed upon GF.

 

[MaxsDad]

By cheap I'm referring to the exterior of the new wing - obviously the price to stay there is anything but cheap. The VGF building is a lower grade version of the architecture used on the main hotel itself, which is in contrast to the rooms, which as you said are some of the nicest DVC has to offer.

The VGF building lacks the architectural details and flourishes seen on the main buildings. There are giant blank white walls, and no detail on the faux windows/towers. It very much looks like a cheaper version of the main building, and that is disappointing - the Grand was gorgeous, and now it's got this thing in front of it that doesn't quite match. It's off just enough to be distracting. Would it have been so hard for them to actually recreate the resort's style? It's utterly bizarre.

I used to love the Grand - gorgeous rooms, and I ran the gamut from "garden view" to main building concierge. The resort still has much to recommend - the orchestra in particular is a favorite. But frankly, for the amount of money it costs to stay for a week, I can buy a car. It's just beyond the point of matching up to what is offered, and I won't do it anymore. It's like setting $7K in a pile and lighting it on fire.

The only resort I still like is AKL (Jambo). I'll stay at POP/AOA if it needs to be cheap. The prices are just laughable now, and no amount of Disney in-the-bubble magic can make up the value at this point.

The addition of DVC also strains the resort's infrastructure, in particular for transportation. I don't have numbers to back this up, it's just the feeling I've gotten every time I'm at the resort since DVC was added.

And this is SUPER nitpicky, but the theme has gone from old Florida luxury to Mictorian-British Disney mishmash. Character silhouettes in the tile, Alice at the pool. Doesn't make any sense. That's a very minor quibble, but it's illustrative of a larger issue within the company - theme is no longer respected or carried out; they just try to find new and exciting places to shove cartoon characters.

Thanks for your time, response and viewpoint.

 

[rufio]

It's a beautiful hotel that is now marred by a cheap and ugly DVC addition and the prices are now so laughably absurd for what you get that it's not to be believed. I used to really enjoy staying there. Not anymore. I'm AKL only at this point.

So... how is the DVC addition "cheap and ugly"? Most of us DVC members are pretty excited about staying there. It looks gorgeous! You do realize that AKL is about half DVC too, right?

 

[jmargarone27]

You'd be shocked how many rooms go empty at the GF each night. Disney's current hotel pricing strategy makes zero sense.

I used to think the GF went vacant a lot of the time, but my cousin who worked there said behind the values, it's one of the most popular hotels and is the most filled deluxe. I have tried multiple times to stay there without luck!

 

[jmargarone27]

By cheap I'm referring to the exterior of the new wing - obviously the price to stay there is anything but cheap. The VGF building is a lower grade version of the architecture used on the main hotel itself, which is in contrast to the rooms, which as you said are some of the nicest DVC has to offer.

The VGF building lacks the architectural details and flourishes seen on the main buildings. There are giant blank white walls, and no detail on the faux windows/towers. It very much looks like a cheaper version of the main building, and that is disappointing - the Grand was gorgeous, and now it's got this thing in front of it that doesn't quite match. It's off just enough to be distracting. Would it have been so hard for them to actually recreate the resort's style? It's utterly bizarre.

I used to love the Grand - gorgeous rooms, and I ran the gamut from "garden view" to main building concierge. The resort still has much to recommend - the orchestra in particular is a favorite. But frankly, for the amount of money it costs to stay for a week, I can buy a car. It's just beyond the point of matching up to what is offered, and I won't do it anymore. It's like setting $7K in a pile and lighting it on fire.

The only resort I still like is AKL (Jambo). I'll stay at POP/AOA if it needs to be cheap. The prices are just laughable now, and no amount of Disney in-the-bubble magic can make up the value at this point.

The addition of DVC also strains the resort's infrastructure, in particular for transportation. I don't have numbers to back this up, it's just the feeling I've gotten every time I'm at the resort since DVC was added.

And this is SUPER nitpicky, but the theme has gone from old Florida luxury to Mictorian-British Disney mishmash. Character silhouettes in the tile, Alice at the pool. Doesn't make any sense. That's a very minor quibble, but it's illustrative of a larger issue within the company - theme is no longer respected or carried out; they just try to find new and exciting places to shove cartoon characters.

I don't know if you ever stayed there two room renovations ago, but a couple buildings were Alice in Wonderland fhemed and Mary Poppins was present in the decor as well. This was in the mid 90s to early 2000s. So there has always been an element of characters. Personally, I don't think the characters in the marble detract from the GF's sophistication and elegance. But that's just my opinion!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

So... how is the DVC addition "cheap and ugly"? Most of us DVC members are pretty excited about staying there. It looks gorgeous! You do realize that AKL is about half DVC too, right?

The rooms are beautiful, and DVC itself doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me at AKL. But the exterior of VGF is sloppy and cheap. All they had to do was go to the effort of duplicating the style of the original buildings...and they didn't. Will it affect your stay? No, but the details used to be important to Disney.

 

[Minthorne]

It's not my cup of tea. Ive never stayed and I'm not sure I ever will. I don't hate it - it's a great style - just too foofie for me.

 

[surfsupdon]

And this is SUPER nitpicky, but the theme has gone from old Florida luxury to Mictorian-British Disney mishmash. Character silhouettes in the tile, Alice at the pool. Doesn't make any sense. That's a very minor quibble, but it's illustrative of a larger issue within the company - theme is no longer respected or carried out; they just try to find new and exciting places to shove cartoon characters.

THIS! This is exactly why Beach Club feels so cheap now. They shoved cartoon characters into the decor.

 

[jlsHouston]

Stayed 2 weeks in August - Amazing!

Really ? So did we at the end of August and I really ended up not liking the GF. I don't feel the DVC addition cheapened the resort but I do think it put a whole lot more bodies on the property using the dining and pools

 

[jlsHouston]

I used to think the GF went vacant a lot of the time, but my cousin who worked there said behind the values, it's one of the most popular hotels and is the most filled deluxe. I have tried multiple times to stay there without luck!

Really? I would have guessed CONT or BC were the most booked deluxe resorts.....

 

[Andrew C]

The only thing I hate about the GF is not being able to stay there except once in a blue due to the price. But when I make my millions, that will change.