Calling all GF experts

[Tinkerfreak]

OK guys I know that the best place for info on the GF is from all of you on Intercot.
We are considering staying here next year and I have a few questions.
1) How is the transportation? Is it a pain to switch monorails at the T&TC?
2) How big are the rooms? We stayed at the Poly in Tokeleau and the room was a great size. How do GF rooms compair to the room we stayed in?
3) How are the concierge lounges? Are there any views of the MK from the either lounge and what kinds of food offerings do they have?
I think one of the lounges has limited offerings so I'm wondering what that means and if those concierge rooms are cheaper than the main tower concierge rooms.

Sorry to ask so many questions but we have never stayed there before and don't know much about it.
Thanks!!!

[BeccaO]

To answer your question about transportation, it is one of the best places to stay to take advantage of the monorail. Just think, when you go to the MK, you get off at the first stop!!! As for changing at the TTC, it's not that big of a deal, it's actually very convenient. The buses pick-up and drop off right out front of the GF, they offer a covered area with benches and a TV to watch while waiting.

I don't really know the dimensions of the rooms, but the rooms are pretty good sized. Most rooms can sleep 5 people I believe. They offer what they call deluxe concierge rooms in the main building which are really roomy and they only run about $20-$30 more a night than the regular concierge room, and it is well worth it!!!!!! The concierge rooms that are located in Sugar Loaf Key, which is a seperate building, are average sized. They do not offer alcohol with the food offerings in this building. This building is a little different from the main building concierge, I prefer the main building myself. I also don't think the food offerings are quite as extreme as the ones in the main building. I'm sure someone else will come along and shed some light on things I have not.

We always stay in the Royal Palm Club which is what they call the Concierge rooms in the main building. If you have a chance to stay there, take it. Nothing beats it, you can spend time in the lounge on the 4th floor and listen to the orchestra play, it is just an all around great atmosphere. I can't wait to get back to it in January!!!!! Whatever you choose, you won't be dissapointed at the GF!!!!!:thumbsup:

[MiceWork]

Hi from Brazil!

Me and my girlfriend stayed at GF last july. It was a wonderful experience! The best hotel i´ve ever been on WDW!

1) You have monorail acess to MK and EPCOT, and bus services to and from all the other parks. No pain at all regarding the T&TC.

2) The rooms we´ve stayed at (we flushed three days of our trip to Miami just to get some extra days at WDW, so we had to switch rooms at GF) had plenty of space. I´ve heard that GF have some of the largest rooms on WDW.

3) YES, they have concierge levels! We stayed at a concierge building during the last three days of our trip... Very expensive, but the food was good: snacks, a large assortment of breads and cold cuts, and many many type of pastries. All beverages included. And for the view, depending of the room you´ll get a good view of Cinderella´s Castle and the fireworks from the balcony.

I hope this info is good for you. Any more questions, please let me know!

[TammiMcMan]

Here are my thoughts and a few corrections on what was previously posted.

#1. Aside from the monorail and boat option to the GF, I'm not a huge fan of the GF transportation. It can take a while getting places. We've actually figured out a few shortcuts, like going to the MK and getting on the BC/YC or BW resort bus when we want to go to Epcot or MGM.

#2. Square footage of a Poly standard room is 404 feet, a GF standard room is 403 feet. The GF also offers a lodge tower room with additional space and deluxe concierge rooms. Lodge tower rooms are not on the club level, they can be booked in any of the outer buildings. Deluxe concierge rooms can only be found in the main building. There is not much of a price difference for more floor space, but unfortunately, they only will accomodate 4 guests. The GF is just finishing up room renovations, so all new bedding, curtains and furniture.

#3. Yes there are two club services offered at the GF. Just to correct BeccaO's report of the Sugar Loaf lodge concierge, it is full service. They offer exactly the same things as the main building. The differences are that Sugar Loaf feels more like a bed & breakfast. It's a little cozier and much more compact. There are no views to speak of from the lounge and room views are limited to requesting garden or marina. A few marina rooms will give you a fireworks view, but you won't see the castle. The main building has more ambiance and for that, a much more significant price tag. The lounge has an interior balcony which overlooks the main lobby. There are some private outdoor balconies above the monorail and overlooking the courtyard pool. You can see some of Illuminations from there. Room requests include marina (overlooking the castle), garden and lagoon (overlooking the beach). The deluxe rooms have a garden or lagoon view.

In terms of food offerings, they're a little on the gourmet side and they do offer things that you can't find in other lounges. For example, they serve champagne in the evenings and there is an additional service called "afternoon tea". It comes complete with trifle on certain days and warm scones with devonshire creme.

A couple of hidden gems at the GF include the cabana rentals that are available at the theme pool and the GF Cafe.

[SBETigg]

Tammi, champagne and trifle? Two of my favorite things! Maybe we'll go concierge next time. Yum.

The GF is my favorite resort. Tammi has the details down except I have to disagree with her on transportation. We found the GF to be the most relaxed and very easy of all the resorts with regards to transport, though many will argue for the Poly having them beat. I don't like walking to the TTC, so taking the monorail around and switching to the Epcot monorail is fine with me and never much hassle.

The boat launch makes it super easy to get from the MK and the monorail is a short jump to the MK. The bus waiting area is lovely and comfortable, plenty of bench seating, and the buses were always timely and never full when we took them, though the WL did get picked up first, apparently. I hope you try it and have a great stay.

[BeccaO]

The only issue with transportation from the GF is if you are planning to go to another resort, then you kind of have to map out a good way to go. There are many options to getting around, but the monorail in my opinion is THE BEST when staying at the GF!!!!!

The last time I heard, the Sugar Loaf concierge building did not have a liquor license. That is one of the reasons we always chose the Main Building. As for the food offerings, I am not too familiar with that, like I said, it was a while ago that we stayed in Sugar Loaf and that was the first and last time. That was the same trip that my parents were in the Main Building and the food offerings were a little bit different from what we saw in Sugar Loaf. Another reason for choosing the Main Building is because the area that the lounge is in is so small, it was like a huge deal every morning to get a table to sit and eat, the lounge is not suitable for such a large building, it didn't seem worth it to me. If you are spending the extra $$$ you may as well go all out, and that would include access to liquor for me.

[DebK]

When we stayed in the Sugar Loaf building back in August of 2006, there was alcohol served.

[TammiMcMan]

SBETigg, like all the other resorts, I think the transportation depends greatly on the season. I heard lots of complaints about the YC bus system, yet when we stayed there, I thought it was great. On average, our experience at the GF has been that it takes a long time to get anywhere (other than the MK). And the strawberry trifle is yummy!

BeccaO, actually getting to other resorts is very easy. You just hop on the monorail to the MK and walk to the bus stop. All the resort buses are lined up right there. That's how we get to Epcot and MGM, by hopping on the BC/YC bus and walking in through the much less crowded International Gateway.

I want to say that it was sometime in the fall of 2005 that the Sugar Loaf building went to full service (adding alcohol and the late evening food). They've also done some renovations on the lounge there and have added more tables and chairs. I guess paying the extra $150 per night for the main building is going to be dependent on how much time someone will actually be spending there. Our park commando days are behind us, so my husband and I tend to stay and enjoy the resort amenities more, while the kids go off and do the parks. Both club levels are very nice and just offer different styles of atmosphere. In terms of being crowded, that truly depends on what time of the day you try to get a seat. On a few occasions, we've had to bring food back to our room even in the main building. You can usually find someplace to sit though on the 3rd or 5th floor.

[BeccaO]

Oh, Ok, I didn't realize that they had changed that to full service. That was one of the issues we encountered while on that trip that made us favor the Main Building. It's good to hear that they changed it. I enjoy sitting in the lounge on the 4th floor of the main building and listening to the orchestra, it's really nice when you have little ones and don't spend every waking hour in the parks.

I will have to remember to go to the MK and get the buses for the resorts from there. In the past we had made the mistake of going to the TTC to get the bus to the resorts, that was not a real time saving thing to do. Live and learn I guess.

[TammiMcMan]

I will have to remember to go to the MK and get the buses for the resorts from there. In the past we had made the mistake of going to the TTC to get the bus to the resorts, that was not a real time saving thing to do. Live and learn I guess.It must be a long time since your last visit then. Before they built the bus terminal at the MK, you did have to go to the TTC. That all changed quite a while ago. The resort buses drop off right at the entrance to the MK itself.

[irish1967]

Actually, didn't we used to have to go down the ramp and back up to get from the resort monorail to the EPCOT monorail? (I don't know, the trips all blend together) It is easy now - exit one, walk across and hop on the other!

I've never noticed the difference in size between the POLY rooms and GF and with 3 adults and 2 children - if the rooms were significantly smaller, we would have noticed:mickey:

Can't comment on the Conceirge at all - we pretty much stick to standard rooms!

[BeccaO]

We were last there in 2006, but did not resort hop on that trip. Not sure when they changed that whole bus thing at the MK, but did not have to utilize it the past few trips, so don't know if we will have to when we visit this coming up January. It's easier when you have little ones to just stick to the resorts on the monorail. We will be sure to take advantage of the buses from the MK in the future.

[Tinkerfreak]

Wow thanks everyone, I knew I could count on you all for some great info. Tammi I knew you would come through for me as you have done so in the past. You were so helpful in 2005 when I needed info about the BC.
Thanks again. I think we would be happy with the Sugar Loaf Club and don't need to be right in the main Lodge.

[TammiMcMan]

I think we would be happy with the Sugar Loaf Club and don't need to be right in the main Lodge.If you do end up booking Sugar Loaf, when you touch base with the itinerary planning office, you can put in a request for a lodge tower room if you want. They do have 3 available at no additional cost, just by request only. Two of the rooms have a balcony, but the top floor room does not. They all overlook the garden courtyard area. It has some nice added floorspace and the addition of a living room with couch, chair and 2nd tv (it's still all one big room though).

[sloslo]

It's a great hotel and I found the rooms to be larger than most. Try the Citrico's restaurant. It's absolutely fantastic but a little pricey.