Grand Floridian Trip Report (July 8-10)

Nabas

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 5, 2013
We are leaving the Villas at the Grand Floridan (VGF) today after a brief 2-night stay to see what it was like before the theme parks opened.

Some random observations:

We appreciated seeing online photos of the blue fence before we arrived but wish Disney had warned about this beforehand as it does subtract from the overall experience. In other words, Disney provided no "heads up" and we only found out about the blue fence from disboards.

We called Member Services before arriving and were told we would have access to the Courtyard Pool. Obviously, we did not due to the NBA. Member Services needs to get its information updated.

Even though the Grand Floridian Resort rooms were closed, it's lobby was fully staffed. Conversely, the VGF was open yet there were no Cast Members there. You want your luggage delivered to the room? You had to walk over to the GF lobby to find someone. You had an issue with your key? You had to walk over to the GF lobby to get help. Very bad show.

We had dinner at the Grand Floridian Café and greatly enjoyed our meals. Lots of social distancing in place, which was good to see. But there were only about a dozen other tables occupied, so they were not busy.

We had breakfast at Gasparilla Island Grill. The appropriate social distancing was in place there as well. All self-service areas were blocked off. We saw only 3 other families while we were there. Service was slow, with Cast Members sometimes wandering away from their assigned stations, my guess is because there was so little for them to do most of the time. I'm not sure how they'll manage once they get busy.

The water temperature in the Beach Pool was shockingly cold for July. The pool itself did not get overly crowded.

The Enchanted Rose was closed because of the order to close bars in Florida but Cast Members in the lobby told us it would open at 4 PM.

Cast Members were friendly but seemed to know less than we had learned learned from reading online. Some told us that either this was there first day there or that they did not normally work at the Grand Floridian.

In general, there were lots of differences to a normal visit. Areas blocked off and shops closed.

With the theme parks opening tomorrow and crowds picking up, I suspect the overall experience at the Grand Floridian will improve.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top