Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

The iconic and timeless Victorian-style Grand Floridian Resort & Spa takes pride of place moments from the Magic Kingdom and on the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon. It's a beautiful, sedate and stunning home-from-home. With arguably some of the most fantastic views of Happily Ever After, and an elegant, relaxing theme, this really is a beautiful place to stay when visiting Walt Disney World. Arrival: We arrived as a resort-transfer guest from the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, the resort next door, after a rather bad experience, so our hopes were high for our final night in the USA. We arrived at the vehicle entrance and presented our Magic Band, but unfortunately it would not work (we'd shortly find out why at check in). Security waved us in after a quick name check, and we made our way to find a car parking space, of which there was plenty available. Much the same as at the Polynesian, Bell Services were ready to greet us as we exited our vehicle in front of the building entrance. They assisted us in lifting our luggage out of the boot (trunk) and onto a trolley. We were directed inside where we were greeted with a Cast Member to complete the check in process and, again, unfortunately our resort transfer had not yet been completed. It took a few minutes for the Cast Member to make a call and locate our booking, but once she had, the process was effortless. Just the addition of a credit card, a scan of a Magic Band and issue of a room key & map and we were on our way. We headed outside to give Bell Services our room number, and they informed us our luggage would be sent to the room shortly. Next we walked the shot distance to the car to park it before heading to the room on foot. Resort: The Grand Floridian is nothing short of stunning. It has an elegant, fresh and clean charm, and always (in my experience) a much calmer, sedate feel to it. Whilst there are children present, it definitely feels a much more adult space, which makes for a nice change from the rest of Disney World. With fountains, flowers and open greenery, with the most fantastic lake views, it's an incredibly relaxed resort to explore on those baking hot Floridian afternoons. The main atrium, at time of our visit, was under renovations, so the left hand side is, sadly, surrounded by a rather unsightly construction wall. It almost perfectly cuts through the middle of the open lobby space - a large, open, multi story central hub for the resort. With an ornate glass and metal elevator and the most wonderful piano music being played live by a Cast Member, in addition to that signature scent, this really does feel premium when you enter. Resort Studio - Theme Park View: We'd booked a Resort Studio - Theme Park View - as mentioned, this was a reservation transfer from the Island Tower due to our unsatisfactory experience the night before, so this was all handled by the Guest Experience Manager on the ground. We headed towards Building 9 - Big Pine Key, a moments walk from the main atrium, but set in it's own building. Entering the building, we could tell instantly that the quality and charm followed on over to this building - everything was perfectly presented. A miniature atrium with separate corridors / wings leading off of it, and a couple of elevators, with plenty of vases and flowers decorated the open space. We took a left down the corridor and headed to our room. Walking in, we were immediately pleased with what we saw - a nice, bright, airy room with two full size beds - a far cry from our previous night at the Polynesian Island Tower. The room had PLENTY of space to wander, with a large, inviting sliding window/door onto the patio. To the right hand side was the bathroom facilities and toilet - in their own, separate space. There were matching "his and hers" sinks and a large, full width wall sized mirror, with the shower-over-bath & toilet in a separate room. I still have the same issue with the toilet being in a separate space to the sinks - it seems unsanitary - but this is a step up from the last room. The bath was a fair size, and the shower had really good water pressure. Back in the room was a large dressing table with mirror on the wall, with a lovely little stool to sit on and prepare yourself for the day. To the right was a locked door into the next room (we were not here with others, so this remained locked throughout the stay), followed by the large chest of draws beneath the TV. This had a ton of room for clothing - more than sufficient for what we needed. There was also a huge double wardrobe with hangers, so no need to cram everything into this unit. The two beds were full Queen size (USA) and had a really nice feeing set of bedding and the comfiest pillows I've experienced across all of WDW property (And plenty of them too). A large green rug was set underneath both beds, with a shared bedside cabinet / night stand in-between each. There was also a shelf on the wall by each bedside too, with charging/power outlets. The large sliding door to the balcony space allowed in lots of natural light, which was a blessing. It did have a set of thick curtains, and also a veil, so you had varying options when it came to privacy and lighting. Two heavy set metal seats and a table adorned the space, leaving lots of room to walk around. The view is the biggest selling point - a clear, unobstructed view of Cinderella Castle over at the Magic Kingdom awaits anyone staying on this side of the building. The Seven Seas Lagoon is directly next to the balcony too, providing the most relaxing space I've experienced at Disney to date. The boats glide back and forth all day, shuttling passengers to and from the Grand Floridian & Polynesian resorts and the Magic Kingdom. We also had some greenery and small trees/bushes outside to the right of the balcony, offering a bit of privacy too. At no point did we feel overlooked by those passing on the boats - in fact, we waved at the passengers on many occasions! One thing - bring bug spray! We were badly bitten and wish we'd packed it. It's to be expected when relaxing by the water in Orlando though, so that one is on us! Happily Ever After: I've been fortunate to see the nighttime spectacular from a bunch of different locations across property, but this one, hands down is my favorite. It offers the most beautiful view, from relative ground level and a sense of serenity. As with all Magic Kingdom area resorts, the soundtrack is streamed live to the TV, so watching the fireworks and lights is a beautiful experience. Whilst the fireworks are in the distance, they really do feel incredibly close to you throughout the entire show. It does get rather loud though, but this is to be expected what with the location being so close to the park. Final Thoughts: The Grand Floridian is a stunning resort, close to the Magic Kingdom. The theme is not overtly Disney, and offers a more premium, relaxed feeling to your stay. The facilities are beautiful and the grounds are heavenly. This, for me, is my new "bliss" resort to stay in and I cannot wait to return.

My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon and thought it was a wonderful experience. There are some tangible reasons why the Grand Floridian is so special. The architecture and grounds are beautiful and the location is phenomenal - we walked to and from Magic Kingdom and watched the fireworks from just outside our room (the hotel played the soundtrack to the fireworks through the speaker system so we felt like we were in the park!). But there are also some intangibles that make it such an amazing hotel, especially for Disney fans. "Disney magic" pervades the property, from the friendly staff to the little touches that make your stay so special. I will always fondly remember sitting in the lobby with my wife listening to the world-class pianist playing Disney songs. The high cost means I won't stay here often, but for special occasions it is worth it. It feels elegant but still comfortable and casual, and offers an amazing base to have a Disney World adventure.

The Grand Floridian is beautiful, without question, and the location and numerous transportation options make it the perfect base for Magic Kingdom visits. However, I felt like I was provided the bare minimum to cycle me through my stay at the lowest possible cost and effort to the hotel and its surprisingly aloof staff. I didn't speak to a single cast member during my stay, and there are zero thoughtful details to make a guest feel appreciated. I once saw this hotel described as focused on "high throughput", not customer experience, and I found that description to be absolutely spot-on. Overall, I found this hotel to be cold, lacking charm, and a poor value at such a high price point.

I would rate it a 4 for normal hotel but for the money we spent my expectations should be higher. Place is beautiful and great location. Three issues and I am not going to list cost as we knew what we were getting into. Loss luggage for my daughter’s room. Pool closed and you have to manually check when it reopens. Garden pool has three flood lights that are run by noisy and gas smelling generators. These flood lights are not needed. Totally ruin the ambiance of the fire works and noise and smell is a turn off. For company that promotes green wasting gas like this is insane.

We spent 3 nights at the end of June, and it was a wonderful experience. We stayed in a Club level 1 bedroom suite. We could see the fireworks from our balcony. The rooms were large, and there was a large pull out sofa for the kids. We had nice breakfasts and lunch/snacks on the club level. Easy access to the monorail. One day we took a very expensive private tour, and were picked up at 2pm. So, we spent the morning at the pools, which were very nice and not crowded. However, on the last day, we came back at 1pm from the MK to get our luggage, and the Mad Hatter pool was packed. Service for us was excellent. First night at 11pm the hair dryer was missing, they brought us a new one right away. We got home and found that 3 metal water bottles were missing, left in the luggage storage. With help from a Disney operator I filed a lost and found report on line. Acknowledged immediately, and a few days later, the 3 water bottles arrived, no charge. Finally, our private guide, Kayla, was awesome. An expensive vacation, but well worth it. No rain.