What can you tell me about the Grand Flordian

[Catzle]

Interested in everything. pools food rooms etc. Comparing this with the poly.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Never stayed there but can comment on the restaurants I've eaten at in these two establishments....

Grand Floridian:

1900 Park Fare for breakfast-Excellent character interaction, standard breakfast buffet fare.

Never been to Citricos, Grand Floridian Cafe or Narcossee's but hear good things about them all. Never done their CS.

Just a Note-The lobby is stunningly beautiful...gorgeous

Poly:

Kona-best breakfast we've had on Disney property hands down.

Ohana-Probably the single best meal we've had at Disney.

Never done the luau or CS

Also another impressive lobby who can go wrong with a beautiful waterfall.

[SBETigg]

Location/transportation: Perfect for MK, but you do have to take the Monorail around to the TTC for Epcot. Good bus service, but shared and sometimes you do end up standing. Boat is great from MK, but goes to the Poly first if you want to take it to the MK (also good for visiting the Poly instead of riding monorail all the way around or walking).

Rooms: The Victorian theming doesn't thrill everyone, but I like it. Room size is good/comparable to Poly (but slightly smaller if you get a dormer room). Most rooms (not the dormers) have a daybed and two queens. Bathroom style, sinks on the outside of the tub/toilet area. Each building has pros, cons-- and their own laundry. But the resort isn't really that spread out, so nothing is too far from the marina/dock or lobby/monorail.

Shops and restaurants/lounges: The best of the WDW resorts for me. Basin has great bath things. There's a women's clothes and a men's clothes shop, plus two gift shops (one of which is more of a mercantile). With V & A, Narcoossee's, Citricos, 1900 Park Fare, GF Cafe, and 24 hour Gasparilla Grill on grounds, I could spend a whole vacation here and not leave (of course, that never happens). Also Mizner's Lounge is a great place to grab a drink, and there are two pool bar/ice cream/snack stops.

I like to just sit in the lobby or lounge, soak in the atmosphere, and listen to the piano or band.

Pools/Beach/Marina: The main beach pool is zero entry and larger than the Poly's Volcano pool, I think, plus the Courtyard Pool is a favorite for many. Hot tub near the Courtyard Pool (no hot tub at the Poly). You can see some of the fireworks from the Courtyard Pool. Also, there's a workout room at the GF. AND, there's the beach for kids who like to play in sand or sit out in chairs. The beach is a great place to catch the Electric Water Pageant at night and the marina is a great place to watch the fireworks.

For me, the GF has it all, but the Poly is a second favorite.

[mydisneygirls]

Never stayed at GF and I'm probably one of the few who has no desire to. Don't get me wrong, the lobby is stunning and I've seen the rooms (consierge level) because family has stayed there....it's just not me. We've stayed at the Poly numerous times and this past trip the WL. I love the Poly because of the Hawaiian feel. If you have kids I would say it is more kid-friendly...the volcano pool, great view for the water pageant and also has the white sand beach. You also have a great view of the fireworks from the beach. Poly is my favorite on the monorail resort and WL my second favorite (this resort is fabulous).

I have to say that the GF is the most stunning resort at Christmas time. Just beautiful.

Have a wonderful trip!

[minnie-mouse]

You can't go wrong with either. We love Poly and have stayed there many times. The laidback atmosphere, the grounds are just beauiful and lush. Although we have neverstayed at GF, we have visited many times and eaten there often. It is a bit of a more formal atmosphere, but very beautiful too. Their volcano pool is reall nice and all the gardens and areas to sit and relax ar so nice. You can't beat the convenience of either. Good luck choosing.

[brownie]

I haven't stayed in either but have visited both. The Polynesian feels more relaxed to me.

[Dragongirlx]

I have stayed in both resorts and have to say while GF felt completely glam and very posh I much preferred the Poly. It felt much more relaxed at the poly. I kind of felt out of place at GF. This was in my own head and has got nothing to do with the service that I recieved there which was excellent.
The monorail was a benefit at both resorts but the easy walk from the TTC to the poly was a plus for me and I prefered the beach at the poly too.
If I had to pick between the two I would go with the Poly.
However my fave resort will always be Wilderness Lodge.

[eire]

Well, the GF us lovely but I just find it too stuffy! It does have gorgeous shops, restaurants and lobby!!! My mom thinks it is amazing and we have stayed there at her request when we were kids and also now as adults!!!
However, the Polynesian is and always will be my favorite! I am staying there in April and really excited about it! It's tropical, peaceful, and just a great place to relax when not at the parks!!

Bottom line- both are great and on the monorail!!! Have a wonderful time wherever you land : )

[faline]

Well, the GF us lovely but I just find it too stuffy!

That had been my impression for a long time but didn't get quite the same feeling when we actually stayed there.

It's probably been 7 years or so since we had our only stay at the Grand Floridian but I sill have very fond memories of that visit.

Our room overlooked Narcoosees. We loved that we could see most of the Magic Kingdom fireworks over the roof of that building. We were just a short walk from the dock and liked that we could take the boat to the Magic Kingdom

That visit was the first time we ate at Citrico's (Valentine's Day) and we have returned several times since.

The grounds are beautiful. The rooms are spacious. We even had a laundry hamper in the bathroom! We also loved the safe here - it was huge! Our room balcony was huge as well and I hoped to enjoy it more but it got pretty cold during our visit and we never got the chance to sit out on the balcony.

At that time, the new pool had not yet been built. We got to hang out at what is now the quiet pool once and enjoyed it greatly. After that the temperatures dropped and we never went to the pool again.

We do enjoy watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Poly beach area better than from this location. We also found that the Electrical Water Parade is "backwards" from the location. You see if the correct way from the Poly Beach.

Hope this helps!

[SBETigg]

That had been my impression for a long time but didn't get quite the same feeling when we actually stayed there.

We do enjoy watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Poly beach area better than from this location. We also found that the Electrical Water Parade is "backwards" from the location. You see if the correct way from the Poly Beach.

Hope this helps!

I don't remember the water pageant being backwards from this location for us. I wonder if there was something going on with boats that made it backwards for you? Strange.

[RichGuy]

We've stayed at both in the last 2 years.

As you probably noticed, both are the style that has the main building, and detached buildings on the grounds. I prefer this style to the "all in one" approach that Yacht and Beach club took, with those endless twisting hallways.

I preferred the pool at the Grand, and it has a hot tub, which the Poly does not. They both have lovely beaches, but the Poly seemed to have more beach, so it was a little more private.

The Poly is a short walk to the TTC, which is great.

The grounds and decor outside of the rooms was better at the Grand. In-room decor was similar. Our room at the Poly seemed larger, might have been an illusion.

We didn't hit the lounge at the Poly, so I can't really speak to those. Poly seemed more "Tiki" and the Grand was more relaxed, certainly darker.

Not everyone agrees, but the restaurants at the Grand are some of the best on property. I've never eaten at 1900 Park Fare, but all of the rest I can say are great (the Grand Floridian Cafe was a real surprise, how good it was for 1 table credit). Narcoossee's is a little expensive for what it is, so grab that on the dining plan.

The operation and the staff at the Grand are truly a cut above. They're well staffed, so wait times were short, and they're very helpful, and very, very friendly.