The Second Bedroom or Studio at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
By Dave Shute
(For the first page of this review of the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian, click here.)
PHOTO TOUR OF A TWO-BEDROOM VILLA AT THE VILLAS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA
You can see the basics of all three of the most common room types at the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa from a Two-Bedroom Villa.
This is because a Two-Bedroom Villa combines
- The master bedroom (left on the floor plan above) and combined kitchen/dining/living space (center) of a One-Bedroom Villa…
- …with a second bedroom very similar to a Studio (right).
In some cases the room similar to a Studio actually is a Studio, connected to the space that’s otherwise a One-Bedroom Villa via a locking connecting door–these are called “lock-offs.”
In others, the space was designed from the start as a Two-Bedroom–these are sometimes called “Dedicated Two-Bedroom Villas,” and so the layout of the second bedroom is slightly different than that of a Studio.
Both my stays at the Villas at the Grand Floridian were in dedicated Two Bedrooms, so all the photos are of a “second bedroom,” not a studio. I’ll comment on the differences between the second bedroom and the Studio as I go. I haven’t stayed yet in a pure studio, so these comments come from studying the studio floor plans, plus some of the comments I’ve gotten since my original review of these spaces.
I’ll start with the second bedroom/studio, go from there to the master bedroom, and finish the photo tour in the combined kitchen/dining/living space.
PHOTO TOUR OF THE SECOND BEDROOM/STUDIO IN THE VILLAS AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN
In dedicated two bedrooms, the second bedroom is accessed from the main entry hall of the villa. On the floor plan, this image is from the entry , turned right toward the hall that leads to the second bedroom. Studios connect to lock-off One Bedroom from the same spot.
As you go down this hall, on one side you’ll find a desk. In the studios, you’ll find here instead an entry door to the main public corridor.
Beyond at an angle is another hallway leading back to the bedroom area, with the closet on one side and the bath on the other.
On one side of the hallway is the divided bath. One part of the divided bath has the typical toilet and tub/shower combo.
There’s a couple of innovations here.
First, instead of one bath space being entered from the other, there’s two doors to the hallway–one to the toilet/tub shown above, and the other to the other part of the bath. These two spaces are also connected internally by yet a third door, so these spaces are remarkably flexible.
The other innovation is that the other part of the bath has not only a sink, as is typical…
…but also a second shower, which is not. These are the most well-appointed and flexible baths you’ll find in a Studio or second bedroom except in the Studios at the Polynesian Village.
Back in the hall, on the other side from the baths in a dedicated two bedroom you’ll find a large closet–above is the half closer to the entry…
…and here’s the second half.
In Studios–and thus in lock-off Two-Bedrooms–things are a little different here.
Instead of the second closet area, you’ll find here a microwave, mini-fridge, and another sink. So families staying in a Studio or lockoff do get the second sink back that’s not in the bath–and those staying in a dedicated Two Bedroom can always send the kids (or dad…) to brush their teeth at the kitchen sink!
Further back in the main part of the room, you’ll find in the dedicated Two Bedrooms two queen beds on one side.
The beds from the back of the room.
A closer view of one of the queens.
In Studios and lockoffs, the further bed is replaced by a couch that folds out into a queen. The couch adds flexibility…but the regular bed is more comfortable.
A bedside table adds two small storage drawers.
On the opposite side of the room you’ll find a small table and chairs and an object with a TV on top.
The TV side of the room from the back.
The table and chairs are nothing special…
…but the object holding the TV is.
In the dedicated two bedrooms, you’ll find here 6 really large and deep drawers.
In the Studios and lock-offs, instead you’ll find under the TV a fold-down Murphy bed. I measured the same bed from the living room of my villa as 72 inches by 32 inches. A standard twin is bigger than this, and although there’s 77 inches clear between the framing elements, I found at my own 71+” that the bed did not work well for me.
Cushioning was fine–I measured the cushion as being more than 5 and a half inches deep. Rather, the issue was my feet hanging off the end and banging into the bed framework. I suspect, though, that this bed will be just fine for anyone 5’6″ or shorter…
Because of the Murphy Bed, these studios sleep five.
Moreover, because the lockoffs have two of these Murphy Beds (one in the Studio/second bedroom, one in the living room) you have ten sleeping spots in 6 individual beds, really adding flexibility to sleeping arrangements.
On the other hand, a Studio has only half the closet space as the Two-Bedroom of a dedicated unit. Some of the drawer space lost from the Murphy Bed is made up for in Studios by drawers built into the frame of the queen bed.
The final component of these rooms is the full-width balcony. (That’s not me; it’s Josh from easyWDW, who came by to check out my digs. You can tell it’s him because he’s funny, and I’m not.)
Dedicated units have a single long balcony covering all bays of the villa; lockoffs have a separation between the Studio and other balconies.
THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE IN THE VILLAS AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN
This review continues here.
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9 comments
To make up for the Studio losing its dresser drawers to the fold down bed, they have dresser drawers built into the bottom of the queen bed.
Thanks Gail!!!
Does the shower in the studio have a ceiling-mounted rain shower head or a wall-mounted standard shower head?
Sorry, George, I don’t remember!!
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that for the lock-offs at VGF you can book 10 people. We recently stayed two nights with my family of four, my parents, my sister and her two sons and my other sister. We were tight, but it is totally legit.
Thanks Maggie!!
First, I want to mention that I really enjoy your site, we are DVC owners, and I find these reviews incredibly helpful when deciding where to stay next. 🙂
Second, the only difference between the Murphy bed in the studio and the one in the living room of the larger units is the artwork at the back – it’s Dumbo in the studio and Jane and Michael in the living room. Otherwise, they are the same.
Also, to answer George’s question (a year and a half too late..) about the shower heads, the tub/shower combo has a normal hand shower. The large second shower has an overhead rainfall shower head as well as a regular hand shower – there’s a knob to switch between the two on the wall.
Thanks Kelsey!! I’m so glad to be helpful, and thanks for the help in return!
see you at disney sep 7 14 fun time at your 4 parks tell mickey i said hello. see you soon
bye
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