Disney's Grand Floridian
Beach Resort
At A Glance |
Big, Expensive, Deluxe, Posh
and exuding luxury, the 800 room Grand Floridian is one of
the original three resorts, and probably still the best looking,
due mostly to its excellent and incredibly detailed Victorian
theming. |
Overview
The Grand Floridian Beach Resort and Spa was opened
on June 28th 1988, and is the crown jewel of the Walt Disney World
Resort hotels. The Grand Floridian Beach Resort is themed to be
reminiscent of turn-of-the-century Florida, and has over 800 rooms.
The hotel lobby is absolutely magnificent, with
vast stained glass domes, and huge glass chandeliers suspended
from the ceiling five storys above. There is often a pianist in
the center of the lobby providing light background musical entertainment,
or alternatively a small orchestra on one the balcony.
The shops are restaurants are reached either via
an open-cage elevator or a grand Victorian staircase.
The Grand Floridian boasts the finest of WDW's dining
establishments, and an ambiance that just exudes opulence and
luxury. This resort boasts a marina filled with watercraft and
a lovely white sand beach (the site of 1995's professional beach
volleyball "King of the Beach" tournament).
The shops at the Grand Floridian make you feel like
a pauper as price tags usually exceed wallet capacity (at least
in my personal experience). There are some lovely items for sale,
so if you have a shopper in the family, beware! The lobby of this
hotel is magnificent. Themed like the Victorian era, it has a
piano (which is manned for live music occasionally, especially
in the evenings), a small orchestra pit on the second floor balcony
overlooking the main floor, a glass enclosed brass cage elevator,
and many details that make you feel like you are in the 1870's.
One of the main advantages to the Grand Floridian is the large
number of restaurants that are available at this resort.
Rooms
There are over 800 rooms at The Grand Floridian,
each of which features it's own Victorian decor complete with
ceiling fan.
Food and Drink
The Grand Floridian has several restaurants to choose
from. Gasparilla Grill is a snack bar. The Grand Floridian Cafe
provides simple table service meals similar to those at the Plaza
Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. 1900 Park Faire, one of my personal
favorites, is a buffet-style restaurant that features alot of
character visits. Narcoossee's is a steak and seafood restaurant
nestled on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon while Flagler's
specializes in Italian dishes. In addition, several lounges are
scattered about the property for the refreshment of the parched.
The top restaurant at WDW, though, is Victoria and
Albert's. Victoria and Albert's provides extremely refined food
and service, at premium prices, to a very limited number of guests
each night. Jacket and ties are required for the male diners at
this premium restaurant while ladies are expected to be dressed
appropriately, too.
Activities
The Grand Floridian has a heath club, as well as
many other recreational activities (tennis, volleyball, croquet,
swimming -- in the pool or on the beach, and a gameroom). Shopping
is a wonderful experience here, too, as long as deep pockets abound.
Otherwise, stick to window shopping. I remember the price for
a Grand Floridian bathrobe being in the $200-$400 price range
on a trip several years back. I didn't buy it.
Recreation
Shopping
Checkin/Checkout
Guest Services
Disney Transportation
The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT can most easily be accessed
via the monorail. Buses carry guests to other WDW locations, while
Water taxis can also whisk the waiting to the Magic Kingdom and
a few other destinations on the lagoon.
Directions to the Resort
|