Review, Photos & Video: New Rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has newly reimagined rooms, which replace the bland & boring accommodations previously found at Walt Disney World’s flagship hotel. This shares photos & video of the redone rooms, plus our thoughts on how these compare to their predecessors and other DVC studios at Walt Disney World. (Updated July 2, 2023.)
As background, this project started as a transformation of one building at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa into approximately 200 Disney Vacation Club studios. Following that conversion, a larger-scale reimagining started encompassing all of the remaining hotel rooms, restaurants at the resort, and more. You can read all about all other components of the project in our Grand Floridian Resort Reimagining News & Construction Updates for 2023.
Suffice to say, all of the outer buildings now have the new rooms, and crews have moved inside the main lobby to begin reimagining the with “Enchanted Gardens” as the unifying visual style. The scope and scale of the renovations in the main lobby are unknown, but walls are up and work is expected to progress in phases. With that out of the way, let’s turn to the new guest rooms in both the new DVC building and all of the outer buildings of the hotel side of the Grand Floridian…
Although it’s the most expensive hotel at Walt Disney World, our opinions of Grand Floridian have been a bit…mixed…over the years. In our Deluxe Villas/Disney Vacation Club Resort Rankings, the Villas at Grand Floridian have occupied one of the top 3 slots ever since they opened.
For what it’s worth, the new Resort Studios are substantially different from the existing DVC building at the Grand Floridian. This is true both of the rooms themselves and their location. We really like both, but we’re also a party of two. Families or those who want to prepare light meals in the room will likely favor the older villas (which were also recently redone, but in a different style).
By contrast, our Rankings of Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World put the Grand Floridian dead last up until 2023. This has been a controversial take, and we’ve had to reconcile this discrepancy numerous times by perplexed readers. It all came down to the guest rooms.
For what it’s worth, the Grand Floridian performs much better in our new Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best. It’s still not #1, but the supposed flagship hotel has moved up the list a lot!
Since first publishing this review and room tour of the Resort Studios last summer, we’ve now also stayed in the new rooms on the hotel side of the Grand Floridian and done a return visit to the DVC Villas side, too.
The hotel side rooms are almost exactly the same, minus a microwave. No surprise there.
The only other difference we noticed is that the soundproofing in our room on the hotel side was really poor. This is not something that would’ve conceivably changed during the renovations, so it presumably has always been an issue. It’s never a problem we’ve had in any past stay at the Grand Floridian–and we’ve done a dozen-plus over the years–so hopefully we just got unlucky with a bad barrier.
Nevertheless, we felt it was worth mentioning because it was really that bad. Aside from that, we don’t have any major ‘new notes’ from subsequent stays. The new Grand Floridian rooms themselves are still fantastic. These are what Walt Disney World’s flagship hotel rooms should be.
Above is a video tour of the new guest rooms at the Grand Floridian.
This should give you an idea as to the layout and details of the room, and just how much the look has changed with these renovations. From there, we’ll break down the details with a photo tour…
There is a ton of texture and detail to the new rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The interior design exudes a stately quality and is imbued with luxuriousness.
Details like crown moulding, wall paneling, intricate bed frames, a gorgeous rug atop the floor, and nice light fixtures give the room a sense of sophistication.
These rooms stand in stark contrast to the more straightforward rooms on the hotel side of the Grand Floridian. Here, details and textures abound. There is no confusing these with a mid-range Marriott or Hilton.
While the new Grand Floridian rooms don’t jump out to me as being overtly Victorian, they do feature ornamentation and opulent decor, plus Mary Poppins design motifs and art. I’d call this Victorian meets modern–a fresh and posh intersection of two otherwise disparate design styles.
The interior design is generally pretty, with subtle sophistication, clever and engaging uses of texture, an abundance of accent paneling, and upgraded finishings throughout. From the plank flooring to the chandelier, the features have been plussed in a variety of ways.
There’s also a nice heft to the bench, end tables, lamps, and other furniture. The cabinet doors and drawers move smoothly, and simply feels higher end. These little upgrades are not apparent from photos, but imbue the room with a greater sense of luxury than its predecessor.
Functionally, the new rooms at the Grand Floridian are likewise fantastic. There’s an abundance of storage space–under the elevated beds, in the closets, bathroom shelves, and there’s even a dresser under the television.
There are tables and cubbies for phones and whatever else you might need around your bed. Consistent with other new rooms around Walt Disney World, an array of outlets and USB charging ports have been added.
The lighting is also brilliant. In addition to the chandelier, there are sconces flanking the beds and a variety of other light sources that offer a high degree of control over the lighting.
Newer rooms with their more customizable lighting is a welcome change; it’s nice to get acclimated for bed with lower and moodier lighting.
About the only thing that strikes me as a bit awkward with the redesign is the moving the desk to the entryway. In the comparable hotel rooms, it’s between the bed and balcony.
I assume this was necessitated by the addition of closets, paneling, and nightstands. As someone who actually uses hotel room desks, I don’t love the trend of removing or minimizing them, but it’s not a huge thing. I can use my laptop on the sofa or in bed. Plus, I think the wallpaper behind the mirror and the whole look of this area really pops. It makes a great first impression, and punctuates the design as a whole.
Another highlight of the redesigned room is the bathroom. The gold frame and back lighting all around the patterned border is stunning–a nice continuation of the room’s signature style. There’s more brushed gold around the vanity, and more Mary Poppins-inspired watercolor artwork on the wall.
There are two sinks, quartz countertops, towels under the counter, and individually-packaged H2O products.
The bathrooms also feature marble tile floors, and combination shower and bathtubs.
Compared to the Riviera and other recently-redone resorts, the shower/tub area is a bit of a disappointment. Comparatively, those are nicer and more luxurious, whereas this feels decidedly average. (On the plus side, they did replace the toilets. That shouldn’t merit commentary, but does since we’ve had thrones so ancient they might technically qualify as antiquities.)
Across from the two queen beds is a sofa sleeper, which is how the new Grand Floridian rooms can accommodate 5 guests.
Grand Floridian has some of the largest hotel rooms at Walt Disney World, so there’s plenty of space for the dedicated beds and the sofa sleeper. Personally, we prefer the fold-down unit in the regular Deluxe Studios–but that’s probably because there are only two of us. This seems like a great option for larger parties (although I can’t imagine that sofa is an ideal sleeping situation).
Above the sofa is Mary Poppins art, which reminds me a lot of the concept art for Cherry Tree Lane in the United Kingdom pavilion at EPCOT. This is probably just regular Cherry Tree Lane art, but still. What could have been!
In general, these rooms remind me a bit of the recent reimagining of Citricos. That doesn’t contain many overt references to Mary Poppins, but it evokes the feel of the film. I would say the same is true of these rooms. I really like the end result–it’s classy, sufficiently themed, luxurious, and functional. For me, the new Grand Floridian rooms check all of the boxes.
As a reminder, this is what the hotel rooms at Grand Floridian looked like previously (pictured above is a vaulted dormer roof room–the standard ceilings make this look much more vanilla). It’s important to have this as a frame of reference, as I suspect many people haven’t stayed at the Grand Floridian recently or have rose-colored memories of the hotel rooms.
It’s possible to quibble over stylistic choices or functional design decisions with the reimagined rooms at the Grand Floridian. The theme may skew too modern, or not click for everyone. I totally understand that. However, I think it’s worth having the before/after visual comparison. To me, it’s a night and day difference. (Frankly, I don’t know how anyone could call the before better, but I recognize that tastes vary.)
From a DVC perspective, the Resort Studios are also a big winner for us thanks to their centralized location–this building arguably has the best location at Grand Floridian, being near both pools, the main lobby, and restaurants. (Personal preference, but we prefer this building to the main one–it’s too loud.)
We honestly don’t mind the location of the Villas at Grand Floridian, but we also walk over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort a lot. With that path likely closing for a couple of years in the near future, that won’t be a selling point. Big Pine Key will be the unequivocally superior spot.
Photos of the new-look common areas also look excellent. I really like the furniture, flooring, artwork, and wallpaper.
From my perspective, this is the first time Imagineering has hit a home run with the Grand Floridian remodel. (If only Enchanted Rose Lounge were done in this style!) An overhaul of the lobby seems like an inevitability at this point. Although I don’t think that’s necessary (do the Grand Canyon Concourse in the Contemporary first!), I do think this style could be used as the basis for a refresh.
That’s probably going to get me excoriated among Walt Disney World purists. As a realist, I think this style is pretty much the best-case scenario when accounting for tastes of modern guests and the price point of the Grand Floridian.
While WDW diehards might love the lobby and overall aesthetic, I’d hazard a guess that the hotel does not comport with the expectations of the first-timers or casual guests who actually book it.
Ultimately, the reimagined rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa are easily the biggest before/after improvement of any hotel room at Walt Disney World in the last decade.
This reimagining brought with it greater usability, attention to details, luxurious finishings, thematic flourishes, and a range of other details. Whether you’re assessing from a function or form perspective, these are a marked improvement.
I’d go a step further than that, and say these are the best guest rooms at Walt Disney World from an objective perspective–or at least in contention for that. Personally, I prefer a handful of other rooms (the actual new style is more my speed and suits our needs better) but it’s hard to criticize much about what Walt Disney World has done here.
They took the most boring and bland rooms at the flagship resort and turned that into something distinctly Disney and that manages to meld modern sensibilities with Victorian style. That couldn’t have been an easy task, and there will no doubt be criticisms of the aesthetic and design choices, but given the competing priorities, I’d say the new rooms at the Grand Floridian are practically perfect in every way.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of these new-look rooms at the Grand Floridian? Do you prefer these rooms or other alternatives? Do you like this room redesign, or are you not a fan of the hotel room style? If you’re a Grand Floridian (hotel) fan, are you upset by this or indifferent to it? Hoping that more of a comprehensive overhaul will be announced? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’m with you about the Contemporary’s atrium desperately needing to be redone. However, I’d go one further and say the Pool area should be redone and made as nice as Storm Along Bay or the new Disneyland Resort. The Contemporary could be the flagship resort on property. It’s iconic and unique.
We stayed in one of the renovated deluxe studios in Big Pine Key in April, 2023, while deciding which property to choose as our DVC home resort. While this room was by far the prettiest Disneyworld room we’ve stayed in so far (the chandelier! the Mary Poppins decor!), we won’t ever stay there again. The walls are so thin we could distinctly hear every word of every conversation our neighbors had over the course of our four-day visit. It was like we were all sharing one big room. We can’t remember such poor insulation in any hotel — even non-Disney ones that cost 80% less. It was a surprise to say the least.
The room is so cute, though, that we brainstormed about coming back again and staying there if we were on a rope-drop-to-kiss-goodnight schedule (where neighbor noise didn’t matter), but if you’re on that kind of schedule you won’t get to enjoy the room.
If noise truly isn’t an issue for your family, the balcony affords clear views of both the MK fireworks and electric boat parade as well as a pretty decent view of the Epcot fireworks. The beverage cooler is large and quiet. The microwave and coffee maker both looked new but there is a warning not to use them at the same time. If Disney had properly (or even somewhat) insulated the rooms we would have considered making the GF our home resort.
They look so good, I’d previously thought why would anyone buy GF DVC except for location because the decor is so blah, but these have changed my mind, I love the water colour flower Monet look.
Hi , I’m looking to book a studio at the Grand Floridian second week of January 2023, but wanted a new renovated one. It seems to be an impossibility to book (I’ve tried using a Disney agent and she cannot guarantee a renovated one) What are the steps to take, I’m not a Disney Vacation Club member.
Thank you!
Ps great, informative read!
Beutiful but based on the beverage cooler I wouldn’t book. I need to at least keep milk for my coffee and yogurt cold.
We own DVC at VGF and just changed our Deluxe Studio reservation to a Resort Studio. These new rooms are absolutely beautiful with all their intricate design details. Additionally we are looking forward to 2 real beds. My kids won’t sleep on the bellow-the-TV pull down twin beds due to hitting their heads if they sit up quickly. They will sleep on the twin in the Resort Studio. The bed situation is enough to make up for the beverage cooler instead of real mini fridge and the lack of a second shower. I don’t see these as problematic in any way or violating the “spirit” of DVC at all.
*below*
Love the look but will never be able afford staying there.
I don’t know your budget, but if you rent DVC points, it might be more affordable than you think. We just booked a GF Resort Studio, Standard View, for August 2023 on rented points (from a reputable vendor) at a cost of $418/night. Rack rate for the same dates (that is, what Disney would have charged us to book the same room through them) is $816/night. Even at the discount price, it’s a big of a splurge for us, but it’s a lot easier to swallow when you know you’re paying almost half price!
Your thoughts echoed mine as well from our recent stay Tom. We were looking for a few days on property to tag onto our recent trip and managed to snag 3 days in a Lagoon view when the building officially opened for reservations. I am a DVC member, but rented another member’s points resulting in a huge discount from buying a cash room at GF (something I’d never do).
The room hit all the right notes for us as well with everything you noted. Location, space, storage, decor, etc. were all topnotch. Little things the wall sconces for phone storage for those losing the nightstand battle were appreciated. We could live without the sink in the kitchenette area since the bathroom had 2 but did have a few minor nitpicks. The cooler instead of a fridge is not the greatest, the desk was mostly useless for our family and essentially became somewhere to store our luggage and the shower seems to have a design flaw (in our experience) with the extended shelf that was created to give more space accumulating water. Overall though, we had an absolutely fantastic time in this room to cap off the end of our trip.
Beautiful. I haven’t been thrilled with past remodels, and likely won’t stay here due to the price in all honesty, but now I’d actually want to. One of the best remodels I’ve seen as of late.
Only thing I will say is that while I love this lobby for its purpose in this location, I wouldn’t want the main GF lobby to be remodeled in this way. I think the current lobby of the GF is the one remaining bright spot of the resort. It’s one of the main things they had going for them since the rooms were so tired.
Drop dead gorgeous! I love it! I do miss a desk and an ergonomic desk chair. A table and a straight chair are also nice especially if there is no desk (yes I am approaching age 60 so comfortable chairs matter! 🙂 However, I would be thrilled to rent a DVC with 2 queen-size beds. My family are all adults and my daughter would be so happy to not get stuck on the couch! I like a microwave and a small fridge; I never cook but I can make simple snacks or reheat meals. But most of all, the rooms, the lobby, and even the halls are beautiful, classy, bright and fun. Homerun, Disney!!!
Beautiful rooms and a great update on the new rooms!! ! What’s a ballpark figure for price per night on these rooms?
Now if they could just come up with some luxury guest rooms for families of 6…
I’m absolutely blown away by how nice these rooms are. I was starting to really become concerned that Disney deluxe hotel rooms weren’t much more than a nice holiday inn express with some hidden mickeys. I love the bold choices using blue and gold along with the chandelier. Brilliant- and a proper upgrade to fit with what is the new Disney World clientele…. rich people!
Tom, thank you for this review as it’s the room we are booked into next month. A question about the sofabed, is it adult sized? I can sleep on the single pull down bed under the TV in Polly, are these the same size? Can’t tell from your pictures.
Hi. We were just in these rooms. They are very nice. The sofa sleeper was used by someone who is 5′-1″ and she was comfortable. If I had to sleep on it being 5′-6″ it would not have been so comfortable but probably manageable if needed.
Here’s the one thing I don’t understand: from a legal perspective, how did Disney get away with adding rooms with fewer amenities for the same nightly points value?
As for the sinks..I mean there’s sinks in the bathroom if you REALLY want to wash dishes. If you want to cook in the room, pack a small George Foreman grill in your checked bag and enjoy yourself some delicious grilled cheese sammies and quesadillas.
I have never seen a DVC contract and I’ve never been a DVC owner, but I would imagine there’s no guarantee on what amenities/features are provided across units. I mean, while many owners will be frustrated by the lack of a kitchenette, there will also be many owners jumping to sacrifice that kitchenette in order to get a studio with two queen beds and a pullout instead of one queen/king and a pullout, which is more common. So long as DVC is clear about what you are getting in the specific unit you book, they can charge however many points they want. If owners don’t want to pay that price, they will probably lower the points cost. If they sell out immediately they will probably raise it.
We’ve got a split stay in October and one of the resorts is the Grand Floridian Villas studio in the new building. We rent DVC points, so we’re totally okay with the room. I’d prefer a microwave but can live without it. Don’t need the sink since the dishware is disposable since the pandemic. We’d much prefer two beds over one bed and a sleeper sofa.
We’d never stayed in the Grand Floridian before because the villas were just too separated from the lobby, transportation, and Narcoossees, so this building is way better in that regard, too. Can’t get everything for nothing, so the price we’re paying (figuratively speaking) for being in the new rooms is worth it. And we always enjoy refurbished rooms over outdated ones. The Contemporary Resort is the one exception to that.
I’m so excited about this!! My girlfriends and I booked Resort Studio rooms here for a long weekend in January. I previously refused to stay at GF due to the ‘assisted living home’ style rooms for $900/night. We chose these specifically for how amazing the design is, the location, and two queen beds!! Many people could care less about having a microwave or even a sink at Disney. I’m planning to vacation and eat out. I’m not going to be cooking. Heck I just stayed in a Riviera 1 bedroom for a week and we didn’t make one meal in the Kitchen! Haha. I just chose it for the size and decor and because it’s awesome. When you have multiple adults sharing a DVC room you don’t want to fight over who gets a real bed. This is a huge win!
I am very excited about a DVC room with 2 queen beds. Finding affordable options for a family of 5 is so hard at Disney.