Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is just as grand as I remember it, from when I stayed here for an Agent Education Program back in the Spring of 2016. The Cast Members at the front desk were as cheerful and welcoming as always. This time around, we had some extra pixie dust sprinkled on us and our room was located in the Main Building, which is usually reserved for Club Level guests. Since the Club Level is not currently being offered, guests are being spread out through the resort to include the Main Building- so dreams really do come true! I have stayed in the Sugarloaf Club before (Outer Building) but never in one of the Main Building Club Levels. We were on the 3rd Floor, which is where the Royal Palm Club can be found.
Rooms– Our room (4328) was incredibly spacious for the five of us and I found it to be much longer than most Standard rooms. When you walked in, there was a desk and the closet area with safe. To the left was the bathroom area, complete with double sinks, hamper for linens, and tub/shower and toilet in a separate room from the sinks. My favorite H2O+ bath product were there, in individual sizes versus the big bottles that Disney had begun transitioning over to, and replenished regularly with limited housekeeping. To the right, our room had two Queen beds, a sofa/day bed, dresser with built in cooler and large TV. The nightstand between the two beds also provided great storage for clothes (we could use all the space we could get!!!). Our room also featured a wet bar that had a sink, Keurig coffee maker (I was thrilled to see this as I need my morning coffee and the old style pods just never tasted good to me!). Since we were up on the 3rd floor, we also had a really nice balcony overlooking the Beach Pool, splash area and Seven Seas Lagoon (with views of the Polynesian Bungalows). The balcony had two chairs and a small table.
Dining– Most of the restaurants were open at the resort, with the exception of 1900 Park Fare and Citricos. Our first night, we enjoyed a birthday dinner for my mom at Narcoossee’s and had a great view of Cinderella’s Castle. For breakfast, we mobile ordered from Gasparilla Island Grille five mornings I think and the food was always great. Portions in Disney are on the larger size so if you have kids with smaller appetites, consider having them share meals. Poolside, we enjoyed lunch on our arrival day from Beaches Pool Bar & Grill at the Beach pool. Courtyard Pool Bar was also open over at the Courtyard Pool. The one spot I did not get to that I really, really wanted to was The Enchanted Rose. This lounge definitely drew a crowd in the evenings and often times there were lines to get in. I was just too exhausted after our park days and opted to crawl into bed!!
Amenities– Both pools and the Splash Pad were open and hopping – thank goodness because it was a HOT week!! We never ran into any issues with the pool hitting capacity, having to wait in line to enter or being denied entry. The spa at the resort is still closed, along with Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the salon. I’m sure this is the same at any resort, but, chairs did fill up early at the pool. They are also spaced apart to encourage physical distancing. There were definitely plenty to go around, between the pools, splash pad and beach. But people definitely started lining up at 10am for the gates to open!!
Shopping– All of the shops were open at the resort, including Basin White, M. Mouse Mercantile, Curiouser Clothiers (with my favorites of Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines- seriously how is there not a Disney Lilly print yet?!?!?!) and Sandy Cove Gifts and Sundries (thank goodness they had aloe!!).
Transportation– The monorail to the Magic Kingdom was operational, as usual, and I love that you were able to do your temperature check and bag check at the resort vs. having to wait in the line at the park. This made for a much easier and quicker process!!! The boat is also running the loop from Grand Floridian – Polynesian Village – Magic Kingdom. To get to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs, bus transportation is available. Assigned seating by party is done by the driver/station attendants to allow for physical distancing and there are plexiglass/plastic barriers to separate parties on the buses and monorail with seating markers as well. To get to Disney Springs, we actually took an Uber which was about $20 each way. This got us to and from quicker and just made life easier that day. By mid-week, we needed it. We also took an Uber from Grand Floridian to the Riviera Resort for our breakfast at Topolino’s, which was also about $20 and well worth it. After breakfast, we were able to take the Skyliner into Epcot, which we all enjoyed!!
Activities– Each afternoon, there were games and activities taking place by the pool. There were also activities at the resort (for a fee) along with Movies Under the Stars. It was really great to see these things taking place to create as normal of a resort experience as possible.
Overall, the Grand Floridian delivered on every aspect of our trip and our stay was, well, grand! I’m so glad we got to stay here and deep down, I think my oldest enjoyed himself even though his favorite, the Polynesian Village, was not our home base for this trip. You really can’t go wrong with any of the Deluxe resorts in Disney and with the current offers, I’m seeing some pretty great savings!! Want to chat about getting you to the magic? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch real soon!
