(2014-2020) Disney's GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA + VILLAS Information & Questions

[Sue M]

But found CS place in AK on Discovery Island that has lobster Mac & cheese, Eight Spoons? My friend sent me th Allears link. And Smiling Crocodile has pulled pork & grits. Omg! I need to try both! And for those on DDP these are snack credits. Wow

 

[trishadono]

Wishes..There is A LOT of new resort specific merchandise. ..But for some reason...I don't have any pictures......there are GF logo hoodies..tee shirts..even a sweater like top...GF pillows...I needed a few of those...cups...pens..the general stuff...a truly nice variety...all available in May Mouse Mercantile. ..

Summer Lace had quite a bit of new things too..particularly some new VB purses... I did take some pics of those. ..View attachment 151145
Oh..and for Trish...some Lilly stuff...View attachment 151146

Lys favorite "must do!", to visit Summer Lace and the wonderful offerings not available in sleepy upstate NY, lol!

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Just back from a stay at GF RPC for the first time. Although the lounge was very nice I will say the offerings did not blow me away. The only daily variety was in the evening appetizers (5-7pm service) and even those had several repeats over the 6-day stay. I was pretty much carbed/sweeted out by day 3 for breakfast and some protein would be nice (cold turkey, ham, and cheese just doesn't cut it and hardboiled eggs are fine once, but not every single day). Having something to drink or snack on at your leisure is pretty convenient and for a relaxing, park-light trip it was just right.
But, if asked if I would return or recommend I'd have to think about it. The room was very nice with a great view but not nearly as quiet as I would have expected at this level of service.

 

[trishadono]

Can anyone compare Disneyland Hotel e ticket CL with gf's either RPC or SL?

Is it just coffee at 6:30 or full breakfast at dlh?

Not a lot of info on the Disneyland thread.

Choc covered strawberries ??? We love those and gf stopped offering.

We also have a tea time booked at DLH (it's new ) so we are looking forward to the near gf experience in CA.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Can anyone compare Disneyland Hotle e ticket CL with gf's either RPC or SL?

Is it just coffee at 6:30 or full breakfast at dlh?

Not a lot of info on the Disneyland thread.

Choc covered strawberries ??? We love those and gf stopped offering.

We also have a tea time booked at DLH (it's new ) so we are looking forward to the near gf experience in CA.

Is it all about the food in California too???

 

[trishadono]

Is it all about the food in California too???

I always think to myself my dd acts more like Blue than me, lol!

She complained all Aoa trip no CL breakfast! She loved it otherwise.

It does look from pix that some of the offering from ca are same as fla. I'll will post when I get back.

 

[Sue M]

Is it all about the food in California too???

Tom, it's always about the food!!

 

[Dariansue]

Wishes..There is A LOT of new resort specific merchandise. ..But for some reason...I don't have any pictures......there are GF logo hoodies..tee shirts..even a sweater like top...GF pillows...I needed a few of those...cups...pens..the general stuff...a truly nice variety...all available in May Mouse Mercantile. ..

Summer Lace had quite a bit of new things too..particularly some new VB purses... I did take some pics of those. ..View attachment 151145
Oh..and for Trish...some Lilly stuff...View attachment 151146

I feel like I'm HOME again!!!!!! Thanks for the pictures!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Since we know it is all about the food, note my new ticker, I must confess -- as a newly found food allergy sufferer -- yes, I not only carry an epipen, I carry a backup epipen too! My oldest niece, 24 year old, suffers with glutten and dairy allergies -- holy cow is Disney is allergy considerate. Not only did every restaurant from my favorite, Narcoossee's, to the Art of Animation Land of Flavors have a menu which looked exactly like the general menu, but had a notation under ever item on the menu as to who could eat that particular item. Plus, a chef would come out and make suggestions and substitutes for other items. The AOA was actually the best place in the World for both of us, as I have a severe tree nut allergy and her afflictions are common among kids as well -- we had an incredible amount of options there.

So, back to the GF, on the night all of the kids were flying in from various locations, the oldest two flew in on time and went off to Raglan Road for some fun, and lots of gluten free options. The youngest two had their flight cancelled at the last hour, and were offered a cab ride from Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to LaGuardia in New York, and JetBlue picked up the tab as they should - so they ended up coming in 3 hours late which meant I was on my own for dinner.

So, off to Narcoossee's without a reservation and in to see my old friend, the barman, Sergio. After a proper greeting and a glass of wine, it was on to dinner at the bar. I started with the shrimp and grits (I love grits as I spend a ton of time in southwest Arkansas for work), they were delicious, next I decided to have something new -- I'm a big fan of ahi, but I catch that myself and can get it up north all the time, so I opted for the black grouper. It was served with a sauvignon butter sauce in one ramekin and a romesco sauce in the other, along with it was some herbed gnocchi and some roast cauliflower. To say it was outstanding, would be fair. For desert, since I'm much more of a savory guy than a sweets guy, I opted for the artisanal cheese platter, I'm not usually a fan of the brie, but it was pleasant. However, the blue cheese, wowwwwwwww!!!

So, it is all about the food.

BTW, once the girls arrived at 115am due to flight delays, we whisked them back to the grand and then promptly ordered them their choices, which both turned out to be the vanilla French toast -- they loved it.

Tom

 

[Dariansue]

Since we know it is all about the food, note my new ticker, I must confess -- as a newly found food allergy sufferer -- yes, I not only carry an epipen, I carry a backup epipen too! My oldest niece, 24 year old, suffers with glutten and dairy allergies -- holy cow is Disney is allergy considerate. Not only did every restaurant from my favorite, Narcoossee's, to the Art of Animation Land of Flavors have a menu which looked exactly like the general menu, but had a notation under ever item on the menu as to who could eat that particular item. Plus, a chef would come out and make suggestions and substitutes for other items. The AOA was actually the best place in the World for both of us, as I have a severe tree nut allergy and her afflictions are common among kids as well -- we had an incredible amount of options there.

So, back to the GF, on the night all of the kids were flying in from various locations, the oldest two flew in on time and went off to Raglan Road for some fun, and lots of gluten free options. The youngest two had their flight cancelled at the last hour, and were offered a cab ride from Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to LaGuardia in New York, and JetBlue picked up the tab as they should - so they ended up coming in 3 hours late which meant I was on my own for dinner.

So, off to Narcoossee's without a reservation and in to see my old friend, the barman, Sergio. After a proper greeting and a glass of wine, it was on to dinner at the bar. I started with the shrimp and grits (I love grits as I spend a ton of time in southwest Arkansas for work), they were delicious, next I decided to have something new -- I'm a big fan of ahi, but I catch that myself and can get it up north all the time, so I opted for the black grouper. It was served with a sauvignon butter sauce in one ramekin and a romesco sauce in the other, along with it was some herbed gnocchi and some roast cauliflower. To say it was outstanding, would be fair. For desert, since I'm much more of a savory guy than a sweets guy, I opted for the artisanal cheese platter, I'm not usually a fan of the brie, but it was pleasant. However, the blue cheese, wowwwwwwww!!!

So, it is all about the food.

BTW, once the girls arrived at 115am due to flight delays, we whisked them back to the grand and then promptly ordered them their choices, which both turned out to be the vanilla French toast -- they loved it.

Tom

My mouth actually watered! Sounds like a great dinner! Can't wait to go to Narcoossee's again!

 

[jennw75]

It's pretty unlikely that a Deluxe Queen room would be available if you are going in May, but I wanted to let you know that if you call to ask about these rooms, they are actually just listed as Deluxe Room Main Building CL and not as Deluxe Queen as we all refer to them on here. Some newbie CMs get really confused if you ask for Deluxe Queen because it only specifies bed size on the Deluxe King Main Bldg CL rooms. I think they can see that the Deluxe room has 2 Queen beds if they pull up the room description. Although the Deluxe Queen room says occupancy of 4, that does not apply if you have one in a crib. I was told 4 and an infant in a crib is allowed, but I'm not sure about two cribs?? They were actually supposed to change the occupancy max on this room since a Queen size sleeper sofa was added when they renovated, but someone dropped the ball BIG TIME! The rooms would easily sleep 6 now just like the deluxe rooms at some other resorts allow! We have even had a rollaway in these rooms several times when my girls didn't want to sleep together. It never hurts to call and ask again if the Deluxe room is available for your dates

I just booked the Deluxe queen for December with 5 people in the room. No problems and I booked it online.

 

[BabyFu18]

Since we know it is all about the food, note my new ticker, I must confess -- as a newly found food allergy sufferer -- yes, I not only carry an epipen, I carry a backup epipen too! My oldest niece, 24 year old, suffers with glutten and dairy allergies -- holy cow is Disney is allergy considerate. Not only did every restaurant from my favorite, Narcoossee's, to the Art of Animation Land of Flavors have a menu which looked exactly like the general menu, but had a notation under ever item on the menu as to who could eat that particular item. Plus, a chef would come out and make suggestions and substitutes for other items. The AOA was actually the best place in the World for both of us, as I have a severe tree nut allergy and her afflictions are common among kids as well -- we had an incredible amount of options there.

So, back to the GF, on the night all of the kids were flying in from various locations, the oldest two flew in on time and went off to Raglan Road for some fun, and lots of gluten free options. The youngest two had their flight cancelled at the last hour, and were offered a cab ride from Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to LaGuardia in New York, and JetBlue picked up the tab as they should - so they ended up coming in 3 hours late which meant I was on my own for dinner.

So, off to Narcoossee's without a reservation and in to see my old friend, the barman, Sergio. After a proper greeting and a glass of wine, it was on to dinner at the bar. I started with the shrimp and grits (I love grits as I spend a ton of time in southwest Arkansas for work), they were delicious, next I decided to have something new -- I'm a big fan of ahi, but I catch that myself and can get it up north all the time, so I opted for the black grouper. It was served with a sauvignon butter sauce in one ramekin and a romesco sauce in the other, along with it was some herbed gnocchi and some roast cauliflower. To say it was outstanding, would be fair. For desert, since I'm much more of a savory guy than a sweets guy, I opted for the artisanal cheese platter, I'm not usually a fan of the brie, but it was pleasant. However, the blue cheese, wowwwwwwww!!!

So, it is all about the food.

BTW, once the girls arrived at 115am due to flight delays, we whisked them back to the grand and then promptly ordered them their choices, which both turned out to be the vanilla French toast -- they loved it.

Tom

I have to ask if gnocchi and French toast were made allergy friendly?? I have a gluten, dairy and food dye allergy and I'd be super impressed if those items you were describing were made allergy friendly!

 

[ToyStory3]

Hi all! We just booked GF CL Sugarloaf for this May. We've never even stepped foot inside the GF so we have NO idea what to expect. We've seen it from the monorail - that's about it. Our last couple trips have been to the BCR. We're super excited but now I'm trying to get my hands on any info I can about the resort. Any suggestions for room recommendations for standard view, outer building, CL? Upper floor and balcony? Any great trip reports that anyone can recommend? I've been trying to find some but haven't had much success yet. Will be reading this board a lot in the next few months. Thanks!!!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I have to ask if gnocchi and French toast were made allergy friendly?? I have a gluten, dairy and food dye allergy and I'd be super impressed if those items you were describing were made allergy friendly!

Sorry to say, they were not allergy free, the younger two do not have any food allergies.

Tom

 

[Sue M]

Since we know it is all about the food, note my new ticker, I must confess -- as a newly found food allergy sufferer -- yes, I not only carry an epipen, I carry a backup epipen too! My oldest niece, 24 year old, suffers with glutten and dairy allergies -- holy cow is Disney is allergy considerate. Not only did every restaurant from my favorite, Narcoossee's, to the Art of Animation Land of Flavors have a menu which looked exactly like the general menu, but had a notation under ever item on the menu as to who could eat that particular item. Plus, a chef would come out and make suggestions and substitutes for other items. The AOA was actually the best place in the World for both of us, as I have a severe tree nut allergy and her afflictions are common among kids as well -- we had an incredible amount of options there.

So, back to the GF, on the night all of the kids were flying in from various locations, the oldest two flew in on time and went off to Raglan Road for some fun, and lots of gluten free options. The youngest two had their flight cancelled at the last hour, and were offered a cab ride from Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to LaGuardia in New York, and JetBlue picked up the tab as they should - so they ended up coming in 3 hours late which meant I was on my own for dinner.

So, off to Narcoossee's without a reservation and in to see my old friend, the barman, Sergio. After a proper greeting and a glass of wine, it was on to dinner at the bar. I started with the shrimp and grits (I love grits as I spend a ton of time in southwest Arkansas for work), they were delicious, next I decided to have something new -- I'm a big fan of ahi, but I catch that myself and can get it up north all the time, so I opted for the black grouper. It was served with a sauvignon butter sauce in one ramekin and a romesco sauce in the other, along with it was some herbed gnocchi and some roast cauliflower. To say it was outstanding, would be fair. For desert, since I'm much more of a savory guy than a sweets guy, I opted for the artisanal cheese platter, I'm not usually a fan of the brie, but it was pleasant. However, the blue cheese, wowwwwwwww!!!

So, it is all about the food.

BTW, once the girls arrived at 115am due to flight delays, we whisked them back to the grand and then promptly ordered them their choices, which both turned out to be the vanilla French toast -- they loved it.

Tom

Was the shrimp & grits the same as GF Cafe? It all sounds yum. Where was the French toast? Gaspys or Cafe?

 

[BabyFu18]

Sorry to say, they were not allergy free, the younger two do not have any food allergies.

Tom

Ahh I see, thanks for the clarification I was about to get really excited for some dishes I can't normally have!

 

[trishadono]

Hi all! We just booked GF CL Sugarloaf for this May. We've never even stepped foot inside the GF so we have NO idea what to expect. We've seen it from the monorail - that's about it. Our last couple trips have been to the BCR. We're super excited but now I'm trying to get my hands on any info I can about the resort. Any suggestions for room recommendations for standard view, outer building, CL? Upper floor and balcony? Any great trip reports that anyone can recommend? I've been trying to find some but haven't had much success yet. Will be reading this board a lot in the next few months. Thanks!!!

Go read the first page of this thread carefully.

I prefer the marina side myself but the other side has relaxing views of the courtyard or pool.

There is also CL info on the CL thread. Again , page one is a must read.

My last stay there was 8/15 and we loved it.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Was the shrimp & grits the same as GF Cafe? It all sounds yum. Where was the French toast? Gaspys or Cafe?

I haven't had the shrimp and grits from the GF Café so I can't confirm...but I'll have to try theirs next trip to compare. The French Toast was 24 hour room service--we have a little tradition of doing a late night breakfast at least once per trip.

Tom

 

[BlueSkies]

Excellent! I've never visited OKW! Of course I could just monorail to MK or Epcot and hop on the OKW bus, but taking the boat from DTD sounds more fun! I love the boat ride down the river from POR!
Prob on the way back I'll bus to MK


I sure am! I may have to get it at both places, lol. It is rich, but I figure if I don't finish it, I can have it packed up for breakfast!

Yes, I hope all of you in the NE, and Middle having these crazy frigid temps, stay safe. I can't imagine temps that cold.

I like the way you think Sue ...

@BlueSkies - glad you had an amazing trip and I love all the pictures!!

Thanks for thinking of me! I've got my blog up and running and redesigned and that's been fun (and helping me stay accountable)! Overall, I'm down 17.2 pounds in 6 weeks and am hoping to end February strong!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone - I hope everyone is feeling loved by friends, Disboard buddies, family, significant others, or even just showing yourself some love today!!

loveshak Congrats..that's an awesome start!!! Wow! Glad that you enjoyed the pics...I do have more to share...It just takes forever to post them ..lol.....When I have more time during the week I'll gladly share some more!

Just back from a stay at GF RPC for the first time. Although the lounge was very nice I will say the offerings did not blow me away. The only daily variety was in the evening appetizers (5-7pm service) and even those had several repeats over the 6-day stay. I was pretty much carbed/sweeted out by day 3 for breakfast and some protein would be nice (cold turkey, ham, and cheese just doesn't cut it and hardboiled eggs are fine once, but not every single day). Having something to drink or snack on at your leisure is pretty convenient and for a relaxing, park-light trip it was just right.
But, if asked if I would return or recommend I'd have to think about it. The room was very nice with a great view but not nearly as quiet as I would have expected at this level of service.

Thanks for sharing your review here... I agree that the RPC lounge is surely a very nice place to relax and indulge in a little food and beverage...Of all of the CLs..the GF does have the largest selection of offerings ..particularly in the mornings...between the hot oatmeal and toppings..yogurt granola several selection of fruit..ham lunch meat style and fresh turkey..hard boiled eggs (which actually is a more recent addition) two different cheeses..cereals..regular, skim as well as soy milk,juices, buns and muffins ,and also the toasting station with a few different types of bread and bagels butter , cream cheese and an additional flavored cream cheese (the strawberry one was very good!) that changes each day ..the breakfast is only supposed to be a continental breakfast...so I think that they pretty much cover that and then some..lol..although..you are right..it is mostly the same every day...sorry to hear that you weren't so happy with what was offered tho..one suggestion would be the GFC for more of a variety ( its our go to when the kids start to ask for a breakfast hotter that toasted bagels..lol) ...they have terrific offerings ...like eggs benedict with lobster...yum!

Curious about the room...were you on the atrium side...or the side closer to the lounge? If you did decide on a future stay...the rooms on the atrium side do tend to have less foot traffic...and seem to be quieter....

Can anyone compare Disneyland Hotel e ticket CL with gf's either RPC or SL?

Is it just coffee at 6:30 or full breakfast at dlh?

Not a lot of info on the Disneyland thread.

Choc covered strawberries ??? We love those and gf stopped offering.

We also have a tea time booked at DLH (it's new ) so we are looking forward to the near gf experience in CA.

Sorry no answers from me my friend...but...Looking forward to hearing all about your DL trip! So please keep us all posted!

Is it all about the food in California too???

Yes indeed!!!!

I always think to myself my dd acts more like Blue than me, lol!

She complained all Aoa trip no CL breakfast! She loved it otherwise.

It does look from pix that some of the offering from ca are same as fla. I'll will post when I get back.

I knew that I liked that kid!!

I feel like I'm HOME again!!!!!! Thanks for the pictures!

You are very welcome!! I'll try and get more posted during the week!

Since we know it is all about the food, note my new ticker, I must confess -- as a newly found food allergy sufferer -- yes, I not only carry an epipen, I carry a backup epipen too! My oldest niece, 24 year old, suffers with glutten and dairy allergies -- holy cow is Disney is allergy considerate. Not only did every restaurant from my favorite, Narcoossee's, to the Art of Animation Land of Flavors have a menu which looked exactly like the general menu, but had a notation under ever item on the menu as to who could eat that particular item. Plus, a chef would come out and make suggestions and substitutes for other items. The AOA was actually the best place in the World for both of us, as I have a severe tree nut allergy and her afflictions are common among kids as well -- we had an incredible amount of options there.

So, back to the GF, on the night all of the kids were flying in from various locations, the oldest two flew in on time and went off to Raglan Road for some fun, and lots of gluten free options. The youngest two had their flight cancelled at the last hour, and were offered a cab ride from Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to LaGuardia in New York, and JetBlue picked up the tab as they should - so they ended up coming in 3 hours late which meant I was on my own for dinner.

So, off to Narcoossee's without a reservation and in to see my old friend, the barman, Sergio. After a proper greeting and a glass of wine, it was on to dinner at the bar. I started with the shrimp and grits (I love grits as I spend a ton of time in southwest Arkansas for work), they were delicious, next I decided to have something new -- I'm a big fan of ahi, but I catch that myself and can get it up north all the time, so I opted for the black grouper. It was served with a sauvignon butter sauce in one ramekin and a romesco sauce in the other, along with it was some herbed gnocchi and some roast cauliflower. To say it was outstanding, would be fair. For desert, since I'm much more of a savory guy than a sweets guy, I opted for the artisanal cheese platter, I'm not usually a fan of the brie, but it was pleasant. However, the blue cheese, wowwwwwwww!!!

So, it is all about the food.

BTW, once the girls arrived at 115am due to flight delays, we whisked them back to the grand and then promptly ordered them their choices, which both turned out to be the vanilla French toast -- they loved it.

Tom

Love the new ticker!!! It ALWAYS about the food!!! (sorry about the new allergies tho...not fun..Epipen is a good thing!) You truly are a great uncle...and like Dariansue...my mouth is watering!

My mouth actually watered! Sounds like a great dinner! Can't wait to go to Narcoossee's again!

I second that!!!

I just booked the Deluxe queen for December with 5 people in the room. No problems and I booked it online.

Lucky you ...I am guessing that the deluxe queen that you booked is a non CL room though (great room either way..nice and roomy)...and if you were trying to book CL you should call and double check...I just rechecked the Disney site and did not see anywhere where CL deluxe queen is available for online booking....

Hi all! We just booked GF CL Sugarloaf for this May. We've never even stepped foot inside the GF so we have NO idea what to expect. We've seen it from the monorail - that's about it. Our last couple trips have been to the BCR. We're super excited but now I'm trying to get my hands on any info I can about the resort. Any suggestions for room recommendations for standard view, outer building, CL? Upper floor and balcony? Any great trip reports that anyone can recommend? I've been trying to find some but haven't had much success yet. Will be reading this board a lot in the next few months. Thanks!!!

Welcome ToyStory3 ....What a nice way to get to know about the GF..by staying CL there!! CL in SL offers two views..one of the courtyard/courtyard pool area..and one of the marina (there is a map on page one that will help you see the lay of the land)....first floor rooms are nice and convenient to the pool....but views are nicer from the upper floors...some upper floor rooms on each floor of SL are dormer rooms...with cathedral ceilings (very pretty..and extra visual space)..and enclosed balconies...( I am pretty sure that Erika Murphy (aka TgrLvsPooh) over on the CL thread has some good pics of these rooms and a blog about her stay too)..some people like them..some not...YMMV...the one thing about SL is that the lounge is in the lobby..I liken it to a small bistro ..it has a cozy feel with small table...and therefore its easy to grab a drink or snack whether coming or going from the building... After your stay I hope that you will come back and let us know how your GF stay compares to the BC....Gla dyou will be reading along...lots of Grand Groupies around here that are happy to share any info that they can!

Was the shrimp & grits the same as GF Cafe? It all sounds yum. Where was the French toast? Gaspys or Cafe?

Inquiring mind here too....

~ Lots of new stuff coming ..eventually...lol.. to all of the parks...but read something interesting about the castle show ending in April and a new show that will include Mickey and gang and characters from Tangled, Princess and the Frog (great movie IMO)..and of course Frozen (I guess Frozen fever is still going on) ..anyway..sounds different and fun.... Looking forward to getting to see later in the year!

Hope that everyone is having a terrific Tuesday.... oh and a Happy belated Valentine's Day too!

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Thanks for sharing your review here... I agree that the RPC lounge is surely a very nice place to relax and indulge in a little food and beverage...Of all of the CLs..the GF does have the largest selection of offerings ..particularly in the mornings...between the hot oatmeal and toppings..yogurt granola several selection of fruit..ham lunch meat style and fresh turkey..hard boiled eggs (which actually is a more recent addition) two different cheeses..cereals..regular, skim as well as soy milk,juices, buns and muffins ,and also the toasting station with a few different types of bread and bagels butter , cream cheese and an additional flavored cream cheese (the strawberry one was very good!) that changes each day ..the breakfast is only supposed to be a continental breakfast...so I think that they pretty much cover that and then some..lol..although..you are right..it is mostly the same every day...sorry to hear that you weren't so happy with what was offered tho..one suggestion would be the GFC for more of a variety ( its our go to when the kids start to ask for a breakfast hotter that toasted bagels..lol) ...they have terrific offerings ...like eggs benedict with lobster...yum!

Curious about the room...were you on the atrium side...or the side closer to the lounge? If you did decide on a future stay...the rooms on the atrium side do tend to have less foot traffic...and seem to be quieter....

We were in 4201. (Note that this time of year the tree is bare so it doesn't impact the view! I could see how it would be annoying to get this room when the tree is in full bloom!) Since this room is at the end of the hallway you'd think it would be among the quietest. However the employees utilize the "emergency" staircase all day and night and the door slams and latches very, very loudly. There must be a shift change or something around 3am because I awoke every night at this time to employees having a conversation out in the hallway. And then there are the guests who think that a hotel is their home and they can act anyway they want any time of day. At this price these things are simply unacceptable.