Episode 673- The Grand Review

Authored by: ranseus on Monday, January 25 2010 @ 09:45 AM CST

I really think the Grand intended for an older, wealthier crowd.
You wouldn't complain that there isn't a fine dining establishment at Pop Century, or grand suites at Port Orleans. It's just different.

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Authored by: ADP on Monday, January 25 2010 @ 11:27 AM CST

The higher price for the Grand Floridian can be directly attributed to the additional on-site ammenities/choices the other Magic Kingdom resorts can't provide. You have more sit down restaurant choices, an onsite spa and health club, an onsite salon, and more shopping. The Grand Floridian just has more than the others. I believe that inflates the room rates. I understand anyone can use these amenities from other resorts, but having them at the resort you are residing inflates your room rates. Basically, you are better off staying at the Poly or Contemporary and taking the monorail around to the Grand Floridian if you desire to use these amenities.

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Authored by: richard on Tuesday, January 26 2010 @ 05:23 PM CST

Hardees?!?! Show some class, Len, move up to Five Guys.
Anything you pay for at GF (restaurants, spa, etc) is available to anyone, as always.
The GF Health Club is available to Polynesian guests by special arrangement since the Poly doesn't have one. Guests from other resorts can use it for a fee ($12/day).

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Authored by: kellyb30 on Wednesday, January 27 2010 @ 02:32 PM CST

YAY Len! I'm proud of you for admitting to reading New Moon! And the other guys shouldn't give you a hard time. It's a gross misconception that only teenage girls read those books! I'm a thirty something mom who has read them all and works with a handful of men who read them too!

So - Team Edward or Team Jacob? :)

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Authored by: briandunne on Wednesday, December 29 2010 @ 10:28 AM CST

There really is no accounting for personal taste.

Love the podcast - you've taught me a lot about Walt Disney World, which as a newbie has been positively indispensable in finding my way through an expensive and complex vacation destination. For example, the panel seems to visit WDW so often that they're either Disney Vacation Club members, look for less expensive lodgings or living in Orlando, and rent a car while there. My vacation is in part for me to get away from driving everyone everywhere, so I have no desire to have wheels while there. I also rode the bus everyday all through my university years so I have no interest in riding the Magical Express. It's Quicksilver Tours for me.

If Annette's grandma's house place is like the Grand Floridian, it & g'ma must be pretty classy. I would think she'd feel more at home at the Grand.

My first walk-through of the resort occurred on the first night of my first visit [of 3 so far] to WDW, after my family of 5 escaped the post-Wishes crush in a resort-bound launch. I felt like we were being evac'd from Dunkirk. While walking to the main building to meet our ride, I was impressed with the resort's beauty, but felt like a trespasser despite the hearty 'welcome home' the staff directed our way. My then 8, 7 & 3 year old kids sure wanted to stay! We were at the WDW Hilton's "business" level which is [or was] their concierge equivalent - which was nice, but not as close to the cosmopolitan center of the universe, which for me is Disney, as staying in a Disney resort.

Note that Len's 2011 Unofficial Guide to WDW states that the GF's room are larger than the Polynesian's (440 sq ft vs. 415 sq ft).

My goal is to patronize ALL of WDW's concierge levels.

For trip #2 we stayed at the Yacht Club's concierge level. Trip #3 had us at the Contemporary's. Proximity to EPCOT & Magic Kingdom is the best part of the respective resorts, as both were very nice. I thought the Contemporary was nicer, an opinion I attribute to the efforts of a particular cast member [Paul]. The Yacht Club's staff weren't selling the sizzle or 'plussing' at all. Neither was like concierge service in the real world in that they cannot do anything 'concierge-y' for you that you cannot do for yourself, armed with a phone and a laptop. A real concierge can get you tickets to the big game and reservation at the hot restaurant, although you'll pay top dollar for the tix. Love or money cannot get a WDW guest a reservation at Le Cellier if they didn't get it long before their arrival. At WDW, concierge service is all about the food and drink offerings. Whether it's worth the extra cost - it was a couple hundred more than the standard room for our six night stay - is an individual choice, but for my family, the breakfast, beer/wine, appetizers, desserts & cordials reduced our restaurant expenditures a lot. GF also has afternoon tea, which the others don't. I think there's about a half hour every day when the concierge level's NOT offering something to eat or drink.

For our coming trip we wanted to upgrade from the moderate Port Orleans Riverside to either the Poly or the GF's concierge levels. To my surprise, the GF was the least-expensive option. However, it is the Sugarloaf bldg and not the fabulous Royal Palm in the main bldg. Slumming it there is a risk I'm willing to take.

Something I love about the podcast & Len's Guide [ding!] is the proposition that one must reserve judgment and experience a particular attraction, restaurant or resort for themselves and form their own opinion. Accordingly, I'm looking forward to finding out about the GF for myself. I'll try to remember to follow up on this thread.

I'd like to see a thread or Episode about the ins & outs of taxi use at WDW. For example - if you take a cab to Magic Kingdom from your resort thinking it'll be faster than the bus, you'll find yourself dropped off on the TTC side [the wrong side] of 7 Seas Lagoon. Get dropped off at the Contemporary and walk. Also, if you pull the plug on a morning visit and look to jump parks quickly using a cab, make sure you have the taxi number in your cell phone and call while you're walking out of the park as there's not always a cab at the stand at the park's lot.

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