Review: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

By Dave Shute

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA

Note: guests at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, for early access to its paid individual system for access to certain rides, and for its Extended Evening Hours.

Our most recent stay, in July (our fifth at this resort), confirms that Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the fifth best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, a monorail resort, has a lot of positives.

It is the third most convenient of the Disney World resorts, bested only by the Polynesian and near-tied with the Contemporary. The quality of dining at the resort is unparalleled. The overall architecture, and its associated Victorian detailing, is as delightful as is to be found at Walt Disney World. Standard rooms–at ~440 square feet–are bigger than those at any other Disney-owned resort.

Its Disney Vacation Club offering, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is also marvelous.

On the other hand, it has perhaps the least kid appeal of any Disney-owned resort at Walt Disney World.

It’s the only Disney World resort with a restaurant (Victoria and Albert’s) that does not allow younger kids, and the only Disney World resort whose largest, most central pool (the Courtyard Pool) is not also the pool designed to most appeal to kids.

The kid-appealing water play area and pool, the Beach Pool, with waterfalls and a slide, is smaller and isolated on the south side of the resort.

The exterior architecture and Victorian detailing, delightful to adults, will have no special appeal to most kids. And the public-space decorating scheme–the floors, walls, public furniture, paintings and such–will have little appeal to kids either.

Adults will recognize the decoration as typical of international high-end hotels that do not wish to risk for even a moment appearing stylish. Those with comfortable elderly aunts will recognize the decor as well.

Guest rooms received a refurb in 2014 that made them much less fussy than before. This paradoxically broadens their appeal while losing a bit of the sharpness of the Victorian theming. All in, for most guests the simpler rooms are an improvement.

It’s not that kids aren’t welcome; kids are completely welcome (well, not at Victoria and Albert’s) and will have a ball here. Rather, it’s that there’s next to nothing about the architecture, detailing, and grounds of Disney’s Grand Victorian Resort & Spa that reinforces that welcome and makes the resort feel kid-appealing.

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

This review of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is divided into six pages

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

Standard rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort are sized at the top end of the deluxe resorts.

They are larger than those at any other Disney-owned resort. Most of these rooms sleep five–two each in two queens, and another in a convertible daybed. Rooms with one king bed are also available, as are multiple other room types, to be discussed later.

Standard rooms are quite spacious, and the overall effect is enhanced by 10′ ceiling heights in the bedroom area.

You can add to this capacity of five a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.

There’s more on accommodations at the Grand Floridian here, and a photo tour of a standard room at the Grand Floridian is here.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT AND SPA

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort has two pools and a water play area with a beach nearby.

The main Courtyard Pool is large, and centered among the accommodations buildings, yielding easy walks and lovely landscaping.

Between the main building and the Villas is a delightful Alice in Wonderland themed kids water play area, below:

Beyond this is the pool aimed at kids, with games and a slide, the smaller Beach Pool:

Also in this area is a beach:

There’s more on the pools at the Grand Floridian here.

DINING AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT AND SPA

With Citricos, Victoria and Albert’s, and Narcoossee’s, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort has adult dining as good as you will find at Disney World.

In addition, 1900 Park Fare offers fun character meals at breakfast and dinner, and there’s more great adult, kid and family dining just a monorail ride away at the Polynesian and Contemporary Resort.

There’s more on dining at the Grand Floridian here.

KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is the fifth-best deluxe resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.

Kid Appeal.

Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal.
None of the moderates do.
All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, its Pop Century Resort and its Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.

Nothing about the design or architecture of the Grand Floridian shouts out that it was built for kids. I rank it fifteenth among the Disney resorts for kid appeal, but it’s really simply tied for last on this measure.

Convenience. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is the third most convenient of all the Walt Disney World resorts in carrying out the itineraries for first-time family visitors on this site.

It is on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, and the Magic Kingdom is the first stop. Returning to the Grand Floridian via monorail is the opposite, as it is the last, fourth stop heading back. At busy times this can be a 30 minute or more trip.

If lines for it aren’t too long, the best choice for returning is the boat, which leaves from near the resort monorail stop at the Magic Kingdom–convenient for assessing lines at each. The Grand Floridian is the first stop on this boat when returning.

These boats are small and don’t permit standing, so checking the line is important.

A recent addition to convenience at the Grand Floridian is a path by which you can walk back and forth to Magic Kingdom.

Epcot requires a trip on the resort monorail to the TTC (the third stop) and a transfer to the Epcot monorail; the other two theme parks are served by buses shared with other resorts.

BEST PLACES TO STAY AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms or concierge rooms. This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.

The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.

On the map (click it to enlarge it), the building at the bottom right is the DVC Villas at the Grand Floridian (separately reviewed here). The main building (center) and Sugarloaf Key building contain only concierge rooms. The Sago Key building (top center) is a little too far from the pools for family visitors, while many rooms in the Boca Chica and Big Pine Key buildings (which make a corner in the center right) are a little too close to the pool and subject to noise–though for reasons noted above this is probably the most quiet of Disney World main pools.

Note that in spring 2022 Big Pine Key (Building 9) will begin a conversion to DVC studios.

This leaves Conch Key as the recommended building, especially its side closest to the main building. It’s a little far from the main building with its shops and bus and monorail access, but it is quiet without being too far from the central pool, and the closest building to the boat dock.

If you are willing to take the risk of pool noise, then a room in Big Pine Key is the next best choice, as it is the building best positioned among the pools and transport options.

BEST FOR:

Any first time family visitors who can afford it, but can’t get into or don’t want to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

WORST FOR:

Families seeking kid appeal. Families too large to fit its 5 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.

THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

This review continues here.

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

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