Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa was the third and final resort we stayed at during our three resorts in three nights stay. We have been inside the lobby countless times, and eaten at many of their restaurants over the past few years, but we haven’t stayed in many years (and Kalyn not at all!). We were excited to check out the rooms and amenities for resort guests only.

The Room:

Our room was a standard two queen bed room in one of the free standing buildings. It was located t near the boat launch and Narcoossees. We were on the first floor right inside the ‘mini lobby’ of the buildings so while the walk to the main building was a little longer, we did not have to wind through any hallways. The ceilings in the room were super high, which made the room feel even larger. The bathroom was NOT great. There were two sink and mirror outside of the toilet/shower area, which was fine, but the main issue was the size and status of the toilet/shower room. While we are definitely spoiled after staying at the Riviera with it’s brand new marble bathrooms, we expected a lot more from the bathroom. That toilet/shower room was so tiny that the door barely cleared the toilet when shutting. The toilet, shower and tile were also definitely showing their age. The toilet barely flushed. If you’ve stayed at any of the All Star Resorts, you know the power the toilets on Disney property can have. This was about 1/10^th of that, lol. These rooms still have carpeting, which would be fine if most other resorts weren’t moving to laminate floors which all around feel cleaner and open (maybe this is just a me thing?! LOL). Grand Floridian does allow for a 5^th sleeper on their sleeper sofa, so it works for bigger families! There was a balcony, too which was nice! All in all, we feel that for the price of the resort, we expected more when it came to the room. Not that it wasn’t nice, it was just all very… standard.

Transportation:

What Grand Floridian lacks in rooms, it makes up for in transportation to Magic Kingdom . The monorail is *chefs kiss.* We left our room and were in Magic Kingdom within 15 minutes (including security and temp check!!). There is also a boat to Magic Kingdom, and now the new walkway! The line for the monorail was long after park closing, and on the way back to the resort Grand Floridian is the last stop as it moves clock wise (Contemporary, Ticket & Transportation Center, Polynesian, THEN Grand Flo) so we decided to walk. It is a really nice path, which takes ~20 minutes. Just know that you can get stuck waiting for the Water Pageant bridge to go back down if it is around that time. With all of the options to and from MK, this resort is ideal for guests who will be spending a majority of their time in that park.

The downside of transportation is that the convenience to MK is about where it ends. In pre-Covid times, you could either walk or take the monorail to the TTC and hop on another monorail to Epcot. This made getting to two parks a breeze. Now that the Epcot monorail is not running, you have to bus to three parks, which is not ideal. While there typically aren’t as many people rushing to the parks at Deluxe Resorts, there may be waits associated with the busses. Also, the bus to Animal Kingdom from the Magic Kingdom Resort area takes a LONG time. Factor at least 20-25 minutes for the bus ride alone…

Food:

Okay okay, Grand Floridian also makes up for the rooms with their AMAZING restaurants. Narcoossees is one of our favorite restaurants on property. We get dinner there almost every trip. When firework shows were still playing, they would pipe the music in so you could watch the fireworks from the windows, or out on the deck. It was pretty special. This trip we ate at Narcoossees for dinner and Grand Floridian Café for breakfast. We were blown away by breakfast here. We split the quiche (comes with watermelon and arugula salad), side of oatmeal with banas foster topping on the side, and the Grand Floridian breakfast which came with eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheesy potatoes. My mouth is watering thinking about it. The food was so good, and came out super hot. I cannot remember how much we paid, but it was extremely reasonable for a hearty and fresh breakfast. Currently 1900 Park Fare is closed, so Grand Floridian Café is using that room for overglow. We would have much preferred being in the main room with all the windows as we feel the 1900 Park Fare room is fairly dark and enclosed, but beggars can’t be choosers. To get this reservation we joined the Walk Up List! There was about a 50 minute wait, so we brought our bags to the car, walked around the resort, and when our time was up they sent a text letting us know to return! The whole process was easy, but plan ahead given the potential wait times!

There are a couple of other restaurants available right now (and more that are currently closed) so plenty of options for the whole family. We really love having lots of options because it makes it easier to find something when we don’t feel like leaving the resort!

Shopping:

Grand Floridian has your typical resort gift shops that offer sundries, Walt Disney World merchandise, toiletries, etc, but they also have a couple of high end Disney inspired clothing stores! We have found super cute Vineyard Vine and Lilly Pulitzer items here in the past. If you are planning to go to a signature restaurant, but didn’t pack appropriately, Grand Floridian has you covered! There is also a small Basin shop inside the resort. It smells delicious when you walk past, and we always stop in for a bath bomb or soap to take home – They make for a great little gift, too!!

Pools:

Our FAVORITE part of our stay at Grand Floridian was the pool. We left the park early, and spent our last day before heading home lounging. There are plenty of seats, and the pool bar is awesome with some food available as well. The pool was a zero entry, so we were able to sit in the water and get some sun without fully immersing ourselves. The pool never felt crowded, and all guests were respectful of each other. There were no issues with lines waiting to get into the pool area (distancing efforts) at the main pool. There is a second pool with an Alice in Wonderland themed splash pad, but we did not visit that pool. It is a bit smaller, and we were really happy lounging in the shallow water of the main pool! We also loved the plush cushions on the lounge chairs! It really is the little things in life LOL!

Overall:

Grand Floridian is always perceived as the royal jewel of Walt Disney World resorts. It is truly ‘grand’ and beautiful, but with a price tag of almost $500 for our one night (with a discount!) we feel there are other resorts around property that are way more “worth it.” The pool, dining, and transportation to Magic Kingdom truly cannot be beat, but the rooms need updating. If you are celebrating a special occasion, or plan to spend most of your park time in Magic Kingdom, this is definitely a top contender. If your trip will consist of more Epcot or Hollywood Studios based days, we recommend an Epcot resort. We feel the rooms at the Grand Flo compare to Beach Club or Boardwalk, and pale a bit when compared to Yacht Club. Those resorts will also (likely) come in at a lower price point that the Grand Floridian. It was fun and beautiful, but we will most likely not be staying again any time soon. We will, however, stop back for breakfast at Grand Floridian Café and dinner at Narcoossees!!!

Room –

• One king size bed option. One king size bed and one double size sleeper sofa option. Two queen size bed option. Two queen beds and one sleeper sofa option. Multiple views available.

Transportation –

• Monorail to Magic Kingdom. Monorail to Epcot (currently unavailable)
• Busses to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom

Dining –

• Sit Down Restaurants (currently available)
  • Grand Floridian Café – Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily
  • Narcoossee’s – Open for dinner daily
• Quick Service (currently available)
  • Gasparilla Island Grill – open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily
  • Enchanted Rose – bar – Open 4pm – 11pm
  • Beaches Pool Bar & Grill – Open daily 11am-8pm

Pools –

• Two pools available. Splash pad available

Shopping –

• Sandy Cove Gifts and Sundries – snacks, knick knacks, souvenirs, bath products
• M. Mouse Mercantile – souvenirs, clothes, ears, hats, jewelry
• Curiouser Clothiers – Disney inspired designer clothing