Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Review
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Deluxe Resort hotel at Walt Disney World, located near the Magic Kingdom on the monorail loop. It is the flagship hotel at Walt Disney World, with the highest nightly rates of any resort. This review takes a look inside the recently refurbished guest rooms plus common areas, and analyzes whether the Grand Floridian is worth the money.
Anyone who has read my Walt Disney World Deluxe Hotel Rankings and seen Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in dead last place knows exactly where I stand on this hotel. Before I delve into why I’m not a fan of “the Grand”, it is worth noting that this hotel does have many fans and guests who swear by it. If money were no issue or I didn’t care about value, I’d probably enjoy it a bit more, too.
My issues with the Grand Floridian can be reduced to this: its nightly rate is not even remotely commensurate with its quality. To be fair, the Grand Floridian does have a lot of selling points, and the recent refurbishment to the guest rooms to make them stylistically cleaner and more contemporary certainly helped. Fundamentally, though, this is simply not remotely on par with a luxury hotel with rates starting at $550/night.
Let’s take a look at why it is not (or, why it might be) worth the money…
My biggest complaint about the Grand Floridian used to be that, while ornately detailed, it felt way too much like you were staying in the guest room of your well-to-do grandma who was out of touch with interior decorating styles of the last 20 years.
The refurbishment simplified the look of the rooms, making them much less visually busy while still retaining a requisite level of sophistication. I’ve heard some people complain that the refurbishment stripped them of some of their character and unique theme, but I disagree. The execution of the theme had made the rooms age poorly, and it felt less like a modern Victorian hotel room and more like a time capsule of the late 1980’s take on the Victorian era.
To me, the new look of the rooms better balances the Victorian theme with modern luxury, and they are all the better for it. I still don’t think you have quite the level of detail or unique quality to justify that $550/night+ price, but the rooms are a marked improvement.
I would have expected the tub to be “grander” or replaced altogether with a walk-in shower.
The bathrooms seemed less well appointed, although the counter-tops and tiling were fairly nice.
The fresh and modern take on Victorian evident in the guest rooms can be contrasted with common areas in the Grand Floridian. This, in particular, is my “favorite” detail of the hotel and representative of the hotel’s problem areas.
I’m guessing these stunning paintings are Grand Floridian opening day originals, and somehow still grace the walls of the hotel. It could be argued that these are exactly the kind of dated decor you’d find on the pages of an issue of Country Living magazine, circa 1988. It could also be argued that the artist behind these masterpieces was a true visionary so far ahead of his time that his genius won’t be fully recognized until the year 2071. I mean, a fancy monkey posing on a classy foot stool? If that’s not my spirit animal, I don’t know what is.
If for some reason you find yourself thinking, “wow, those paintings are pretty boss…where can I score a set?!” I would suggest trying a garage sale somewhere in the countryside of Indiana. I’ve seen “art” like this regularly priced for around $1 at said garage sales. (You’re welcome?)
Therein lies my biggest problem with Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It is inarguably grandiose and sophisticated in places, but all too often the execution of the Victorian theme feels dated–and I mean to the late 1980s and early 90s, not the actual Victorian era.
You have some areas with tremendous detail and a sense of luxury, but too many places where it simply feels like an unnecessarily stuffy version of grandma’s house.
And it’s not that the Victorian theme has an inherent sense of this grandmotherly-ness to it. Both Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel demonstrate how a Victorian hotel doesn’t need to feel like a “historic” hotel.
Speaking of the theme, due to the overall style, slight sense of stuffiness, dining sophistication, and other features of the hotel, we do not view this as a great option if you’re doing Walt Disney World with Kids and are primarily concerned with their reaction to the hotel. It is a much better option for Honeymooning at Walt Disney World.
As for adult amenities, the Grand Floridian is a pretty ‘loaded’ hotel. While they aren’t the most thematically exciting, it has nice pool areas and a new Alice in Wonderland water play area that was added around the time of the Disney Vacation Club Villas at the Grand Floridian.
Another highlight is the dining. Victoria & Albert’s is far and away the best restaurant at Walt Disney World, and the perfect place for a special occasion. While Citricos has disappointed us on a couple of occasions, our recent visits to Narcoossee’s have proven excellent–much better than the last meal there (our Narcoossee’s review needs to be updated–I’d now consider Narcoossee’s in the 8.5-9 range).
The classy Mizner’s Lounge and the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra likewise up the adult factor and make it an excellent place for a date night at Walt Disney World. Counter service dining is so-so, but the Grand Floridian is probably behind only Animal Kingdom Lodge in terms of overall dining among Walt Disney World hotels.
Then there are the grounds, which are lovely. The Grand Floridian typically has well-maintained gardens, nice paths, and pretty fountains, all of which make for a pleasant post-meal stroll.
The resort is not too spread out, and walking around the Villas towards the Wedding Pavilion and Polynesian Village Resort–or just sitting in a quiet swing along the beach, is an enjoyable experience.
To take advantage of all of these highlights of the Grand Floridian, my recommendation would be staying at the superior Polynesian Village Resort (if your budget allows), and walking or taking the monorail over for a date night, and then having a peaceful nighttime stroll back to the Poly.
In terms of other amenities at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, there’s also something to be said for its location on the Magic Kingdom monorail line, as well as the boat transportation available, but several other Deluxes have just as convenient of locations, for substantially lower price points.
Another thing I appreciate about the Grand Floridian is its beauty at Christmas. The tree in the lobby and the huge gingerbread house are both gorgeous, and highlights of my Free Self-Guided Yuletide Tour at Walt Disney Word. With that said, the lobby can be packed at this time of year, so I would not want to stay in the main building.
Overall, where you stand on the Grand Floridian is probably a matter of personal preference. Some people will want to book it regardless, as there’s a certain cachet in staying at the most expensive Walt Disney World hotel. Others might not have experience with real world luxury hotels and think the Grand is perfectly adequate. Others still might legitimately love the Grand Floridian and find my qualms about its style over-blown. Personally, for this amount of money–even understanding that staying on property at Walt Disney World costs a premium–I expect perfection. The Grand Floridian is a far cry from perfection, and simply not worth the exorbitant rates it charges, at least in my opinion. If luxury were my utmost concern, I’d book the Four Seasons at Walt Disney World. If I weren’t so worried about luxury or were taking a trip more geared towards kids, I’d book one of the other thematically superior (in my opinion) and significantly cheaper Disney hotels.
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YOUR THOUGHTS…
Do you love the Grand Floridian, or do you agree about its dated theme and style? Would you consider splurging on a stay here, or is it too expensive? If you’re a fan of the Grand, what do you consider its selling points? Planning on staying here someday? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Hi! I’ve stayed at the GF on opening day and many times after that. Its my Dad’s favorite place to stay. We love cocktail hour with the piano player playing and having old-time drinks. The empty bird cage used to be filled with finches. I loved that. Too bad they did away with them. The ‘paintings’ that you pictured are not paintings, they are prints. Most hotels and resorts use prints since they are pennies to re-produce rather then spend thousands on originals. I’m a professional artist and have my work in sports bars some originals, some prints.
The best steak house is Victor/Victoria I think its called in a gazebo type building on the water. So good, great atmosphere. Christmas time at the GF is always a treat and my son and I just love to go there to look at the decorations….the big tree on the floor where the monorail is will always remind me of my Mother who would love to pose in front of it. I can go on and on….we where there at Disney worlds opening day way back then and have stayed at all of the resorts as they opened since back then it was very in-expensive. We are a Disney family! Thanks for the pictures.
We love the Grand Floridian! It is the best of all Disney resorts, and we have stayed at most of them, including the Polynesian, Beach Club, Yacht Club, etc. The GF, particularly the main building, is the most distinguished, refined, and luxurious of all Disney Resorts. Once you stay there, you won’t want to stay anywhere else. The daIly piano player and band in the lobby are totally relaxing, and the on site dining is adult oriented (Victoria and Alberts is world class, and Narcoossees and Citricos are top notch. We totally disagree with the author’s opinions about the GF.
Carol and Joe – 5 time guests. Most recently, April 2019
we absolutely LOVE the Grand Floridian! the first time we went, our daughter was 4 1/2 years old…. I did not think it was too stuffy at all, even w/ a little one. Let’s face it, you’re paying for the monorail….. and that was one of the reasons we chose it. We didn’t want the Contemporary because of the noise, the Poly kind of seemed dated at the time we first went, (although we would totally stay there now ) but there’s something serene about the Grand. We loved the Grand Floridian Cafe and the 1900 Park Fare Breakfast. The pools are fantastic, and you can’t beat watching the electric parade from your balcony. There’s so many magical reasons to stay here. I totally get that it’s not for everyone…. but for us, it’s amazing. We are planning our 3rd trip to the Grand for 2020, and I cannot be more excited !
We love the GF and are returning for the 3rd time, April of this year. We love the Club Rooms and the staff!! We just love Disney World and how special everyone makes you feel.
The GF is on my bucket list. Somehow, we always end up there, whether we stay at Wilderness Lodge, AKL, POR, Coronado Springs or the one time at All Star Music. We enjoy the boat ride which is gorgeous from MK, take in breakfast at 1900 park fare or dinner at Narcoossee’s, stroll and sit around the grounds and hang out in the lobby listening to the music, smelling the gingerbread house or the aroma from the soap shop, looking at the Mickey’ s hidden around, shopping at the gift shop and wishing we could stay longer. Then we catch the monorail or take the boat back to MK for a night of fireworks, fastpasses and I like to sit on a park bench and just take in the atmosphere. I would love to see an article for people with disabilities, if you haven’t done one. If you have, please let me know. 🙂 What is considered “walkable” by the young and fit or in good health, is a nightmare for people with disabilities, especially if mobility and pain are factors. The only other resort we usually end up at is Beach Club because of Cape May Cafe breakfast. You get the character experience without having to deal with the Chef Mickey crowd’s, while the breakfast food is still good quality. Then we take the boat to DHS as it is not in walking distance for those with a disability. I often find myself sitting and waiting while my family rides the attractions so I enjoy the ambiance of the water, the theming in which I agree all the resorts need to keep, the dining, the shows and the vibe that everyone gets to be a kid again, even if just for a short while!
We love the GF. Yes; it’s expensive, but it is worth it. The hotel is beautiful, the grounds are extremely well kept and the staff is outstanding! We have been to the house of the mouse approximately 25 times. We have stayed at other Disney resorts and they were a disaster. We only stay at the GF!
To All it May Concern, I did not agree with the previous reviews recently about the Grand Floridian Resort. I found the Grand Floridian Resort a Breath of Fresh Air and I felt everything was above and beyond quality of other resorts. The best quality about the Grand Floridian Resort is the Resort Staff. Everyone I encountered on Staff were pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable and appeared to enjoy and like their jobs helping Me, a Guest. I was with my Sister Andrea Smith on Sept. 2, 2018, when I had a need to set up my Disney Grand Express Bus registration for the trip back to the Airport. Miss Morgan from NJ, helped me to resolve my issue quickly and efficiently and provided individualized attention to my needs and was very helpful. Also, She truly was interested in how Our trip with My Niece, age 7, and my Nephew age 3 was going. She provided helpful hints as to what to think about doing at the Park. Also, the Service Staff were very responsive to all Our needs. Our Service Staff, Chris from Miami was very personable and was able to refresh Our room quickly and without hesitation. Chris from Miami also told Our Family about H20+ Softening Mint Foot Rub for aching feet. I am a Combat Veteran and he knew to let me know about the Foot Rub available to all guests. I tried it and was able to have more comfort on the second night of Disney in regards to my feet. I appreciate that I got a tip from staff. Overall, I have been all over the world , and I am a Doctor myself, so I felt the Services at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa were Impeccable due to the Staff’s attention to detail. I would rate this Hotel a 5 Star Hotel, without doubt, as a Guest. We paid more than what the previous blog said, but I felt it was worth it 100% due to the Awesome Staff at the Resort. All staff were Professional and Pleasant which made me feel Happy that Old World Hospitality is not Dead. I am going to stay at this Hotel next year, the next year after that, etc. It was really convenient to the Park and after discovering the Boat Ride directly back to the Resort, it was AWESOME!!! If You have sore feet like Me, it was Miraculous to get back and kick off the shoes!!! Thank You Morgan and Chris or Your Awesome Hospitality. Because of Staff like You both, I am only going to stay at The Disney Grand Floridian in the Future!!! To all that disagree about the Greatness of the Grand Floridian, I stayed at a hotel about 15 miles away, spent money on taxis, until I found out there was a free shuttle (staff never told me), and my toilet did not flush and the paint was soiled/cracking off in my room. It was more along the lines of staying at a Noisy Hotel, hearing Your neighbors, but it was affordable. I guess You get what You pay for. At the Grand Floridian, You cannot hear Your neighbors!!! Important with Screaming Kids, Think about It!!! Very Respectfully, Matt Gomez (Smith Party)! See You All Next Year, Thanks!!!
We love it to, for the exact reasons you stated. We are returning for the 3rd time, April of this year. We love the Club Rooms and the staff!!
Booked July 4th stay for fireworks months in advance. Check in was a disaster. Had to switch rooms. A horrible experience. Certainly Not a magical experience..NEVER again.