On our most recent Disney World trip (October 2022) we were so fortunate to get to stay 6 nights at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. I mean, for lots of Disney fans that’s the DREAM right? Especially 90s kids—remember that episode of Full House where they go to Disney World? On our past trips, I would look out across the lake from the Magic Kingdom entrance to those gorgeous red-roofed buildings and just dream of staying in a place so fancy and so close to the magic. So when we had the opportunity, we jumped on it. (I’ll tell you how we afforded Deluxe on a Value budget below!) So did it live up to my (quite lofty) expectations? What’s is it really like to stay at one of Disney’s most expensive resorts?
How to Stay Deluxe on a Value Budget
The Grand Floridian is possibly the most expensive resort at Disney World, with rack rates starting at around $700/night depending on the time of year. I’m not saying this to brag, but to tell you how we were able to afford to stay here.
So how did we go from a family that usually stays at Pop Century to spending 6 nights in a newly refurbished Resort Studio at The Grand Floridian? Renting DVC points. We especially lucked out because my brother-in-law owns Disney Vacation Club. He was planning to rent out some of his points on a website like DVC rental store, but asked us if we wanted to rent directly from him instead. It was a win-win because we paid a bit less per-point than we would have renting points from a third party, and my brother-in-law didn’t have to pay any fees as we paid him directly. And we were able to spend 6 nights at The Grand Floridian for only a few hundred dollars more than it would have cost us to spend them at our originally booked Pop Century.
The moral of that story is if you want to stay in one of Disney’s Deluxe hotels and don’t have DVC points of your own, rent them if you can! It’s the cheapest way to stay deluxe at Disney World. There are lots of sites out there that make it a breeze to rent DVC points—just a quick google search will provide lots of options!
Room
We stayed in one of the new DVC resort studio rooms. These are different from a DVC deluxe studio in that they do not have a kitchenette and are not in the main DVC building at The Grand Floridian. These are in the Big Pine Key building. I loved the location of these rooms! It’s just a short walk to the monorail, the lobby, and the quick-service restaurant.
The room itself was STUNNING with a very subtle Mary Poppins theme. (Can you see the birds on the chandelier in the picture above?) These rooms are very spacious with plenty of room to walk around both beds. I loved that there was a sofa! It is so nice to have a place to sit that isn’t a bed. The drawers under the television were so nice and large.
The bathroom is gorgeous! The setup is similar to any other Disney bathroom, with the toilet and shower/tub combination in a separate room from the sink and mirror. All of it is very spacious with plenty of storage.
This room does have a beverage cooler and a Keurig coffee maker. And one of my favorite parts of any Deluxe hotel room is having a balcony! I loved enjoying my coffee out there every morning.
Our one complaint was the noise. Sound travels too well in this building. We had other guests in the hallway yelling to each other at 7:00am, there was also a lot of landscaping taking place in the early mornings, and weddings were happening at all times of day. This may have just been because of the time of year we were there, but we definitely noticed that there was quite a bit of noise.
Food
We loved the food at The Grand! Gasparilla Island Grill is the quick-service location here, and it was outstanding! Mobile ordering here was a breeze, and there were always seats available. We usually ate here in the evenings, and it was such a nice place to sit and relax with a nice meal. And they’re open late! I think they serve dinner until 10pm most nights. (If you read our Animal Kingdom Lodge review, you’ll remember that our main complaint about The Mara was how early it closed.) Our favorites here were the mojo chicken bowl, the mac and cheese, and the desserts from the bakery case. They also have lots of sandwiches and flatbreads to choose from.
We also had breakfast at The Grand Floridian Cafe. This is a table service restaurant, so you will need an advance dining reservation. We had excellent service and food here, with a seat right next to the window looking out over the grounds of the resort. So pretty and relaxing! The menu here is pretty standard for a Disney breakfast including pancakes, french toast, Mickey waffles, eggs benedict, etc.
There are so many restaurants to choose from, and they just get fancier from here! These were the two we ate at, but if you have your sights set on something a bit nicer you’ll definitely have your pick here at the Grand Floridian.
Transportation
Transportation at The Grand Floridian is a dream! Obviously you’re on the monorail, which makes it a breeze to get to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. (The monorail ride to Magic Kingdom is only like 5 minutes!) You can also take a boat or walk to Magic Kingdom. The convenience of the walking path cannot be underestimated. Especially at the end of the night when the lines for the monorail and the boat are staggeringly long. The walk takes less than 20 minutes.
You still have to take a bus to get to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The bus stop is quite small with an undefined line, which hits very different if you’re used to the bus stops at Pop Century. But there are benches, which is nice if you’re hitting it at an off time of day! The Grand Floridian often shares busses with the Polynesian, but we never felt like the busses were overcrowded.
Amenities
The Grand Floridian has a lot of amenities that we didn’t use. It has a very highly rated spa and some really beautiful pools. There’s also a splash pad for littles with an Alice in Wonderland theme that is so cute! Our kiddo isn’t always into a pool day, but he does love arcades. The arcade at The Grand is very small, especially if you’re used to the arcade at Pop Century. So that was a bit of a drawback for our family. It did still have a couple of massage chairs, however, which I appreciated.
You also just can’t beat the proximity of this resort to the parks. We watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the steps outside Gasparilla Island Grill twice and it was just the best. They even pipe in the music! (Also a great way for noise-sensitive kiddos to view the fireworks as they’re not quite as loud from this location and not loud at all if you snag a window seat inside Gasparilla Island Grill.)
Overall
We loved our stay at The Grand Floridian and we would stay there again in a heartbeat. The room was beautiful and spacious, and I enjoyed the heck out of that balcony. We could see the Magic Kingdom entrance between the buildings, and I loved that! We also loved the plentiful food and transportation options at this resort (two of the top things we look for!).
For me personally, though, the resort itself didn’t feel as comfortable or homey as some other resorts we’ve stayed at. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful resort! Particularly the lobby, however, may be just a bit too fancy for me personally. If that is your vibe though, I think this resort could be a top pick for you!
Additionally, the noise was a bit of a nuisance, and always almost running into people’s weddings was a bit much. And while we absolutely love the monorail, (and I can’t believe I’m about to say this) I think we love the Skyliner more. You never feel crowded on the Skyliner and unless it’s the end of the night you almost never have to wait in a crowded area for it. I know the Skyliner is much more subject to going down in the case of weather and things like that, but overall I think it beats out the monorail for me by just a smidge.
As a family, we rate The Grand Floridian 7.5/10!
Have you stayed at The Grand Floridian resort? Where does it fall in your lists of favorite Disney resorts? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
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[…] This was our fourth stay at a Disney Vacation Club resort. We are not DVC members (yet!) but have been lucky enough to be guests of a DVC member in our family and have rented DVC points (which you can read more about in my post about The Grand Floridian). […]