Next in our series of posts featuring Walt Disney World Resort hotels is the most luxurious resort on property, Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort & Spa…..
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa sits on 40 acres overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon between Magic Kingdom and Polynesian Village. It is on the Magic Kingdom resort area monorail. The main building is a large Victorian structure with gabled red-shingled roofs, carved moldings, verandahs, ceiling fans, and other intricate Victorian decor. The main building houses the Grand Lobby which is 5 stories tall with a ceiling of stained-glass domes with massive chandeliers with an open-cage elevator which takes guests to the restaurants and shops located on the second floor.
As beautiful as the Grand Floridian Resort is, it is even more beautiful during Christmastime. The huge tree in the lobby is only outdone by the life-sized gingerbread house next to it. The delicious smell when you walk in the lobby will make you want to grab a cup of coffee, buy a slice of gingerbread being sold in the gingerbread house and sit for a while. The amazing Christmas decorations are continued throughout the resort with beautiful swags and smaller trees more. Just look at these gorgeous pictures….
Accommodations
The Grand Floridian has a total of 867 guest rooms of which 25 are suites. The standard rooms are about 450 square feet with garden view, lagoon view, or theme park view. The rooms have either 1 king bed, 1 king bed with queen sleeper, 2 queen beds or 2 queen beds with daybed. The 1-bedroom suites are about 931 square feet and offer 2 separate rooms, a bedroom and a living room area, with 2 full bathrooms. The 2-bedroom suites are about 1,360 square feet and have 3 separate rooms, 2 bedrooms and a living room area, with 3 full bathrooms. The suites as well as some standard rooms are considered Concierge (Club) level and offer access to the Royal Palm Club or Sugarloaf Club, depending on their location, with personalized concierge service and lounge with continental breakfast, midday snacks and evening wine, cordials and desserts.
There are also 147 villas at the Grand Floridian that are deluxe studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom configurations and range in size from about 375 square feet to over 1,200 square feet.
Dining
The Grand Floridian offers some amazing dining choices. There is 1 quick service location, 6 table service locations, of which 3 are signature dining locations, 2 children’s dining activities, 2 pool bars and 3 lounges. Room service is also available 24/7. Gasparilla Island Grill is the quick service location where guests can refill their mugs and grab a quick meal.
Citricos is a signature dining location that offers American cuisine celebrating savory Mediterranean flavors
Narcoossee’s is a signature dining location offering seafood, steak and more. It is a waterfront restaurant overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Victoria & Albert’s offers an elegant, intimate, 7-course dinner in a Victorian setting, serving modern American cuisine, featuring an extensive wine list.
1900 Park Fare offers multiple character dining experiences…..Supercalifragilistic Breakfast, Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner, and Wonderland Tea Party.
The Grand Floridian Cafe is a casual dining location offering guests breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Garden View Tea Room serves afternoon tea and also the Disney Perfectly Princess Tea Party.
Recreation
The Grand Floridian has 2 heated swimming pools, whirlpools, children’s pool and children’s playground. There is also a health club, fishing, water play area, watercraft rental and bike rental. You can also view the Electric Water Pageant from this resort.
Transportation
The Grand Floridian offers motorcoach transportation to other Disney resorts (transfer required), theme parks, and Disney Springs with water launch available to Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Monorail transportation is available to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot (requires transfer).
Resort Benefits
The Grand Floridian offers 6 merchandise locations, self-service laundry, valet laundry, valet parking, club level concierge and other Disney Resort guest benefits.
This has been a brief overview of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Villas. Have you stayed at this resort? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
