I want to ask if anyone has stayed at the Grand Floridian and if so is it worth the money?

I stayed there in May. Yes, it was expensive, but it was our Honeymoon. Thus, it was worth it to us.

Whether it is "worth the expense" will depend upon your personal cash flow and how easily you can afford to go.

The GF is certainly the top resort at WDW, yet it's not my favorite. I still like Beach Club, Boardwalk, Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Price aside.... our biggest hang up is that it is almost too formal in nature. I mean, it's theming is top notch and it really is a "grand" place. However, I see it as a place for adults who want to splurge on themselves, sans kids.

Even with that said, Ive always wanted to stay there but would rather save some bucks and stay at WL or the BC myself.

We are a family of four and had a teenage son and a 7 year old daughter when we stayed there. It seemed a bit to formal for our family and money aside it is not one our our favorites. It depends why you are staying there I guess. For a special occasion it would be great.For a vacation I think my money is better spent at the Polynesian or Wilderness lodge. We also spent comparable money to the GF last year and stayed at the Beach Club and had a great time.
:cool:If your there towards Christmas make sure you see the Gingerbread house at GF though.

We stayed there for our Honeymoon and it was perfect and romantic right up to dining at Victoria and Albert's. But, as far as staying there again, I wouldn't with children.

It's so expensive and we'd rather stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge or one of the moderates like Port Orleans Riverside. So kid friendly and the $avings is a bit better. The bunk beds for the kids are a hoot!

We were thinking about the GF too, but decided to spend less and go with the Yacht Club. Now we have some extra cash to have a dinner at V&A at the GF. So we'll still get to experience the hotel at least for one night.

Nope, not worth the money. We stayed there for Christmas last year, me, DD8, DH and DM. I was thoroughly not impressed. It didn't even come close to meeting all the hype I had heard prior to our stay. This year it's AKL which always WOWs me from the second I walk in the door.

We were thinking about the GF too, but decided to spend less and go with the Yacht Club. Now we have some extra cash to have a dinner at V&A at the GF. So we'll still get to experience the hotel at least for one night.

Funny, I really thought I posted on this thread before... Oh well, anyway: this is exactly what I had intended to suggest. We would love to stay there every time we go, but it is very expensive so it's kind of a once-in-a-while thing for us (and some people don't care for the hotel at all anyway!) instead, when we're not staying there, we get our fill of GF by dining at one or two of their restaurants (always V&A, sometimes 1900 Park Faire, sometimes Citrico's) and then we also do a massage there another time during our trip. Get the best of all worlds that way: save money and get your GF fix!:D I'm glad you managed to read my mind even though I'm too stupid to manage to post my thoughts!:rolleyes:

Here's what I did a few weeks ago:

Take a taxi from POFQ to GF around 9 am.
Hang in the lobby and enjoy the atmosphere; shop in the stores.
Go to the marina and rent a boat for an hour or so.
Visit with some friends for a while.
Get a massage in the Spa.
Go for high tea.

(We left at this point, about 6 hours after we arrived. If I were to stay for the rest of the day....)

Hang in the hammocks and take a nap.
Eat dinner at Citricos or Narcoosee's.
Watch water pageant and fireworks from the beach.
Take taxi back home.

It was the best way to enjoy the hotel, use some of its ammenities, and NOT pay the high per day rate!

Worth it! Been going to WDW for 30 years and we stayed at the Poly, Contemporary, Boardwalk, Beach Club, Ft. Wilderness Camp, Caribbean Beach and NOTHING beats the GF in my humble opinion.

Price aside.... our biggest hang up is that it is almost too formal in nature. I mean, it's theming is top notch and it really is a "grand" place. However, I see it as a place for adults who want to splurge on themselves, sans kids.

Even with that said, Ive always wanted to stay there but would rather save some bucks and stay at WL or the BC myself.

We also thought it was too formal. It's definitely a pretty place, and we loved V&A and the spa (while our kids were on the Pirate cruise).

But the laid-back atmosphere of the Polynesian is what draws us....we *LOVE* that place.

Never stayed there but I always feel intimidated when I walk in. For my anniversary this year, we ate at Citricos. We were in khakis and polos and felt mildly underdressed.

Its gorgeous, don't get me wrong -- but I feel more in my element at AKL. Its also the home of one of my favorite eateries -- Boma. Still my favorite by far -- when it falls into the budget. For all other occasions, its usually Coronado. I love the pool there and its convenient.

We had breakfast there, the whole lot of us, and we all agreed that it would be heaven to stay there, if only we had the money to do so. I vote YES. Plus, it's walking distance to MK, and monorail service to both MK and Epcot. I love the feel of the place.

too stuffy for kids..and me lol....very pretty but when I go Disney I want laid back and fun!

too stuffy for kids..and me lol....very pretty but when I go Disney I want laid back and fun!

This is like the continuation of a discussion I was having with one of my roommates last night: I firmly believe that dressing nicely and carrying one's self with the sense of decorum due in polite company is not the opposite of fun! Just like wearing a tie can be fun... You just have to find the right tie!

Ya know, Walt himself once said, about Disneyland, something to the effect of This place would be great if only we could get rid of all these people! (I got this from an MP article as well as somebody's sig line on another forum, but please forgive me for butchering the quote...) At the risk of sounding un-Disney, I totally agree! I have the ability to do something at WDW that I'm really no good at in real life: I can be nice to people and even children! I get in such a good mood at WDW that I'll start chatting with kids in lines or playing peek-a-boo with little kids, singing with my friends and encouraging kids (and adults) to join in etc. The problem is that there is a place for this. Have fun, go on rides, smile, sing, chat, laugh...whatever! Great! But when we're in the lobby of a hotel or a hallway or, heaven forbid, a restaurant, the last thing I want to hear is anybody's screaming kid (and I'll tell you so if you don't do something about it! It's your little bundle of joy, which makes it your problem!) It's not that the hotel or restaurant or movie theater is too stuffy, it's that you haven't bothered to teach your child how to behave in public and the current societal climate has made you afraid of exercising a little friggin' discipline! And don't get me started about children on wheels... </rant>

[This rant is directed at nobody in particular, especially Dawz who seems like a very cool person...it's just that I've been stewing about this lately, and what you said just made me wanna get this off my chest... Thanks to anybody who took the time to read it all!]

Kwahati, don't take this the wrong way, 'cause I really like you....
I felt the same way you did, up until about 18 months ago. :D

But also, I think Heelys should be outlawed.

DH and myself with children hate it when other children are being ridiculously unbehaved etc and we will walk out with our ds 16 months if he is getting "loud"...its just respectful of others who may be on a break from there own children or have none nor want them and I feel GF is a place to go for that...We visited once and would be sooo embarrassed if our kids ran through there like animals..so I hear what u are saying:p

ps-hard enough dealing with my own kids let alone others lol

ps-hard enough dealing with my own kids let alone others lol

Actually, I always go around saying that I hate children, but really, when they're well behaved, I really like them! They can be a lot of fun and a few of them are very cute (I know all parents think their children are cute, but let's face facts from a statistics point of view: some of you must be wrong! Some parents out there are running around with ugly, un-cute children, and they don't know it!) But I think it's best that I play with other people's kids instead of having any of my own, that way when they get stinky, dirty, mouthy or loud, I can just give them back to their rightful owners!:p

too stuffy for kids..and me lol....very pretty but when I go Disney I want laid back and fun!

Kids actually sometimes look out of place here.(Except for the pool). Thats why we never stayed at the GF. Also never tried the Disney Institute. Favorites are the Polynesian and the old Tree Top Villas.


Rollercoaster

I'm with the "GF is too stuffy" crowd. It's really nice to visit, but that plush, old money vibe is just a little too stiff for me. I like to stay a bit above my station when on vacation, but the GF is a bit too far above for my tastes.

Whether it is worth it of course depends on your tastes and why you are going. I was fortunate to have stayed at the GF as part of a business trip (i.e. - I didn't pay unless you count going to a meeting at Disney instead of the parks as payment - which I do :)) and absolutely loved it. I had a view that looked out over the castle in the MK - sort of a dream once in a lifetime type of thing. I am though the type who feels just as at home at the Pop Century as I do at the GF.

On a fairly recent visit a year or two ago (when I was staying at Pop I think) I was at the lobby of the Grand Floridian and there was a single piano player there who was magnificient. I listened to him for over an hour and it was simply a great memorable experience. But my stroll from POFQ to POR in May was also a great memorable experience - as were numerous visits to Pop and ASM. So it depends on what you are looking for and what you can afford and what you want to do with your resources.

I agree with kwahati ,does EVERYTHING have to be about the children? let us have at least one resort for the people that visit without children.after a day of dealing with the crowds it is nice to hide away at your hotel, and enjoy all that the resort has to offer.my money is just as green as anyone else's. we have had many an expensive dinner ruined by little johnny at the next table, and the parents act as if it's our fault that the kid is overly tired.Shula's is the only place that we have found that we can be sure dinner will be a night to enjoy.thats why the extra magic hours have become a joke,what business does a 1 yr old have being up at 11:00pm? maybe if they got to bed on time they would not be so crabby in the restaurant.

we stayed at the grand floridian for about a week in june, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again! when we were there, it seemed like there were children almost everywhere. almost all were well-behaved. the others, well, I think their parents were trying to make them behave. :D

I do agree that it really depends on how you want to spend your time there. a few days there we simply wanted to relax by the pool, and it was wonderful there. if all we wanted was a place to stay for the night, maybe it's not the place to stay at (if cost is a big concern). I forgot which commercial it was that had the line "when you turn off the lights at night, all the rooms look the same." :p

I appreciate the advice . This trip we will be going to the Wilderness Lodge. We stayed at the Boardwalk our first trip .Thats as fancy as I want to get. But I will repeat something the maid said and that is the beds are more comfortable at G.F. she said they put layers of bedding on before the sheets. But I have never had an uncomfortable bed in all our visits.

Here's what I did a few weeks ago:
. . . It was the best way to enjoy the hotel, use some of its ammenities, and NOT pay the high per day rate!
Smart post!
I also hang out at the nicest resorts (Disney and non-Disney) without renting the $300 a night rooms. I'm a teacher. Sigh.