Would You Stay at Grand Floridian? Beach Avoidable? No Parent Bashing Please!

[margot31]

I would stay there if I had the money. I would never tell my children what happened there. I lived in FL for a few years and always looked for alligators when waiting for the boats. I know they are in there. We could say the same thing about 2 other resorts on that same lake that have beaches.

Do I think that Disney might want to put up signs saying possible alligator sure but I would never let something like that prevent me from staying at one of those resorts.

 

[Selket]

I booked my first trip to the GF and it's in a few weeks now. My kids are older but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there or any of the hotels with a toddler or any age child. Like another poster - I've seen alligators at CSR - and not sure where else at Disney - definitely at Kennedy Space Center and other places in Florida though. They are everywhere near water like that. Up in the hotel areas the risk is exceptionally minimal. I'm sure the pool itself is more dangerous for a toddler typically.

If the thought of being at the GF bothers you in any way though - I would skip it for this year and plan to stay there in another year. Even with my upcoming trip and not worrying at all about the gator part - still I know it will seem sad to look out of the hotel and think that happened just a few short weeks ago. Just for that I've been considering whether to change my reservation.

 

[katyjeka]

We have stayed at GF only twice in the last twenty years. It is expensive and our girls like other resorts better and at half the cost we kind of just broke away. Why pay thousands more just to have our girls wish they were at POP. Kids, I don't think I'll ever figure them out. I do remember when our oldest was three playing in the water at Wilderness Lodge. It was pretty murky so it didn't last long.(You were allowed back then)With this being said, we would never be afraid to stay at GF because of an alligator. It is a tragic accident and a nightmare for everyone involved. I just don't see where the risk is higher. GF is a beautiful resort with very caring staff. The rooms are very comfortable and it is very convenient to the parks.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

At this point (I also have a 2 year old), I would not be able to stay there just bc the whole event is so upsetting to me. I don't know how I'll feel about it a year from now, but at this point, there is no way I could stay anywhere close to the GF bc the whole thing would just be too upsetting - not bc I am afraid of gators there.

 

[nicki.momof3]

I would stay there because it is safe. The situation that happened was horrible and my heart goes out to that family. I could never imagine what they are feeling. That being said we have stayed at all the deluxe resorts dozens of times and we also have never hang out on the beach. The closest we get to the beach is the firepit near the beach at the beach club.

If it is on your mind I would not stay there. How about Animal Kingdom Lodge It is a beautiful resort with no water and the animals make it amazing for anyone that stays there. I would seriously consider it.

Anyone visiting FL has to be aware of alligators. We were on Tom Sawyer Island (Magic Kingdom) last April and we looked over and saw a alligator resting on the shore just below the walkway around frontierland. It was about 2-3 feet long. It as nowhere that it could access people. We asked one of the cast members about it and they said they are common and it was not in a place that it could get to a person and that there were aware he was sunning himself there (unless someone was crazy and jumped into the riverway around Tom Sawyer Island). We have also seen one on the golf course (Magnolia). We just played around him and did not go near him. If you are not a golfer - Magnolia is the course by the Grand Floridian.

Alligators are all over FL and WDW. You have to use common sense and keep your eyes open. Follow the posted signs and rules and you will be fine. Everyone has to remember we are in their habitat. I read last night that there are over 1000 alligators in FL.

 

[Dreamin192]

We stayed there a few weeks ago with our five year old and two year old twins. They loved the splash pad. It is near the beach where this occurred but my kids never even had any interest in it. We've stayed Poly and Grand and never once did anything on those beaches, always seemed pointless to me since you aren't supposed to get in the water.

Anyway, we loved it and would/will stay there again.

 

[ELSA711]

Yes, but I think visitors need to be aware that this goes beyond GF and Poly. There are fresh bodies of water all over WDW, near every resort.

CBR, POR and FQ to name a few. I believe SS, BWI and CS all have fresh bodies of water near them as well.

This entire story makes me sick. My heart aches for this family.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Would we stay at the GF? Not even for free! Between this horrible incident and the fact that WDW was scouted very recently as a terrorist attack destination; I plan to keep my family out of harm's way and away from Disneyworld.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Yes, but I think visitors need to be aware that this goes beyond GF and Poly. There are fresh bodies of water all over WDW, near every resort.

CBR, POR and FQ to name a few. I believe SS, BWI and CS all have fresh bodies of water near them as well.

This entire story makes me sick. My heart aches for this family.

Every Disney resort is near fresh water.

PO, SSR, OKW: Sassagoula River
Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, GF, Poly, Contemporary: Seven Seas Lagoon
CSR and CBR have their own lakes
Boardwalk Yacht/Beach: Crescent(?) Lake
AOA/Pop: Hourglass Lake
The All-Stars have some little lakes.

For the least amount of lake, you need to be at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is the only resort without lake involvement.

 

[TJA]

The reason I created this thread was to get info on the RESORT not to discuss mine or anyone else's parenting or the incident of that little boy.

Highlighting this part of your post so hopefully people stay on-topic with your question. Someone above posted some great pictures which shows where the splash pad is in relation to the beach. They are close, but you can definitely avoid the beach since you can get to the splash area via resort grounds. Also, you can even avoid the beach at the beach pool. And the courtyard pool is definitely away from that beach area, so you'll be fine there. You'll just want to avoid the roasting marshmallows and movie on the beach.

 

[sotoalf]

Would we stay at the GF? Not even for free! Between this horrible incident and the fact that WDW was scouted very recently as a terrorist attack destination; I plan to keep my family out of harm's way and away from Disneyworld.

So where would you vacation?

 

[ELSA711]

Every Disney resort is near fresh water.

PO, SSR, OKW: Sassagoula River
Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, GF, Poly, Contemporary: Seven Seas Lagoon
CSR and CBR have their own lakes
Boardwalk Yacht/Beach: Crescent(?) Lake
AOA/Pop: Hourglass Lake
The All-Stars have some little lakes.

For the least amount of lake, you need to be at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is the only resort without lake involvement.

Thanks! I was sure all mods and deluxes (sans AKL) had lakes or near lakes but was unsure of values.

 

[Spoiledraf]

I'll be there in September without hesitation. I don't think I would want to be there right now, simply because it's probably a little hectic, but I probably have a better chance of hitting the powerball lottery than getting attacked by a gator or a terrorist. I'm sure that beach and all others will be roped off in a visually acceptable way so as not to look out of place and more accurate warning signs will be very obvious. 100 days to go!!!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Okay so my husband and I are planning our daughters birthday for next year, Grand Floridian was our choice because of the Alice & Wonderland themes (shes a huge fan!) With recent events I am now hesitant, I know tragedies happen and this was most likely a freak accident, we have another daughter who will be 2 when we go next year so of course its really hitting home. How close is the beach/lagoon area to the pools? Is the beach lagoon area something that we can avoid all together or is it something you have to walk by? Please no parent bashing or hateful comments, I am just a concerned mom who has never stayed in this resort knows nothing of the layout and wants to make a good decision for my family =) Thanks! Also any other resort that has Alice in Wonderland Motifs is appreciated! You just can't beat that awesome looking splash pad tho!

To answer your question, I would stay at the Grand Floridian. I was just there last August (staying at the DVC resorts) and I fell in love with the resort. It's SO beautiful. We used the pool with the feature slide exclusively, and never really had occasion to use the beach area except maybe for a quick stroll. I would love to stay there again. That said, I don't know about right now. Like you, I'd be thinking about what happened. It's still way too recent. But next year? Yes, I would have no issue with that.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I would go there right now if I could. We stayed there in April. The GF is a wonderful resort and what happened there was a tragic accident.
During our stay at the GF, we actually didn't go on the beach once, but we have no interest in it and I personally have never allowed my kids to go near that water anyway. Never mind the gators, but bacteria and it just LOOKS nasty.

 

[loves to dive]

I stayed there when my son was young, stayed at all the MK resorts at that time because they were all that existed. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. I can honestly say, having stayed at most of the resorts with beaches, we have never once even stepped foot on the beach area so it's pretty easy to avoid. Do be aware though that the wildlife is there, everywhere on the grounds, no matter what resort you stay at or what park you visit.

 

[uagirl]

I would stay there in a heartbeat. A freak accident could have happened anywhere. We are from the south an know to look out for gators and other wildlife. I would take my kids to the beach and play. I would enjoy every minute of our trip. I refuse to let fear control my actions.

 

[RedSox68]

The GF is a gorgeous resort and if I could afford to stay there I wouldn't hesitate. We have walked that beach between GF and Poly and it is a very pretty area and the gardens are lovely. I think it would be a great place to celebrate your daughter's birthday!

 

[Silvermist999]

We've stayed at Contemporary (Bay Lake Tower), Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge and would love to stay at the Grand Floridian one day. It is a beautiful resort. All of these resorts I mentioned surround the Seven Seas lagoon/Bay Lake. If there are alligators in these waters (which we now know there are), there's always a risk I believe. But this one family's horrific tragedy is really serving to educate all of us guests (me included), who were oblivious that alligators existed on Disney property. We will definitely be more aware of our surroundings in the evenings when we walk outside at these resorts. I wouldn't hesitate to stay.

 

[RedSox68]

Remember when you make your choice that this wasn't an unavoidable tragedy. This wasn't a child who bolted past watchful parents into danger with no warning. If you follow basic safety precautions and stay out of the areas marked "stay out," you will be fine.

We do not have to be hateful or bash, but we should acknowledge that these people willfully and deliberately violated an important safety rule and that was the direct cause of this tragedy. It was not just a freak accident, it was like trying to jump off the People Mover. Someone did something foolish and it ended badly. Hopefully it will give the next person pause before they decide those signs don't really mean it.

Really -- just had to get that untrue and nasty blaming remark in there didn't ya!