Thursday, September 16, 2010

Guest Post: Grand Floridian Part 1



My favorite place at the Walt Disney World Resort is The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. I know what you are thinking, that it is stuffy or too fancy but that is just not true. There are many families with children spending their vacations there so stop worrying about it and check it out. The Grand Floridian opened back in June 1988 and it is the Walt Disney World Resort's flagship resort. There are so many wonderful ways to spend your time at the Grand Floridian while you are on vacation. I have stayed at the Grand Floridian many times now and my family loves it. My children call the Grand the "Vonnie Hotel" because of a Cast Member who makes many of our stays memorable. I will be posting a series of articles all about the Grand Floridian Resort and why I love staying there. I will be passing most of them to Amy here at Growing Up Disney or on the blog on my website.

If you are looking for more information about the Grand Floridian Resort, you have to check out a website called Where the Magic Lives. This site created by Channing Wilson is truly amazing! Channing has been staying at the Grand for years with her family and she knows her stuff. Planning a vacation to Disney can be overwhelming so if you have chosen to stay at the Grand Floridian Resort, checking out Where the Magic Lives can help answer your questions and give you a real feel for what it would be like to stay there. The website has tons of pictures and information all about the Grand such as accommodations, suites, pools, dining, shopping, and so much more. The Grand offers beautifully landscaped grounds and some fabulous amenities.


The Grand Floridian has a "Main" building and this is where you check in when you arrive. You will only be staying in the "Main" building if you booked a club level room in the Royal Palm Club. I will be getting into the differences between the Royal Palm Club and Sugar Loaf Club later on. The only other things in the "Main" building are shopping, dining, Ivy Trellis salon, and the monorail station on the second floor. There are 5 outer lodges not connected to the "Main" building at the Grand Floridian and they each have different room categories such as garden view, lagoon view, and theme park view. If the view from your room is important to you and you are not sure of what building to request, then you need to check out this page all about it. This resort books up quickly especially during the Holidays like the 4th of July, Easter, and of course Christmas.


As you explore Where the Magic Lives you can learn about so many different experiences when at the resort. We rented a private cabana one day at the beach pool and I loved it. I found it relaxing to have some extra space of our own and some shade for the kids. It was expensive but I would do it again especially if I was there in the summer. There is the Garden View Tea or maybe you want to rent a boat from the marina. Are you celebrating a family reunion, birthday, or anniversary? If so then explore the Grand Floridian Bakery and Private Dining gift options available to you. Over the last several years we have had many cakes and treats made while at the Grand and with enough notice and money they can create some amazing things. This past January we had a cake made and it was spectacular. I love all things Alice in Wonderland and especially the Queen of Hearts so naturally I wanted a Queen of Hearts cake. We chatted with Donnie about what we wanted and a few days later we had this. I love this cake and it screams "Off with your head" and I really love all the details they were able to add to it.

These are just a few of the things that make the Grand Floridian Resort such a Magical place to make memories. If you have any questions about the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, please feel free to contact us.  Next time I'll share some pictures and my thoughts about dining at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Contributed by Kelly H. Russo, owner of Travel with the Magic and one of our Minnie Moms.

6 comments:

  1. We stayed at GF for our honeymoon in 1996 just before Christmas. BEAUTIFUL!

    Every night we were able to watch the MK fireworks from our balcony. I didn't know about the bakery! Wish I had to have arranged something for DH while there.

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  2. This is my dream hotel. I have longed to stay there for years. I have friends who married and honeymooned there, just divine! One day maybe, fingers crossed I win the lottery :-) great post

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  3. Our wedding reception was in one of the ballrooms at the Grand. The cake was wonderful and GORGEOUS!!! If I haven't posted a picture, I will soon. We were "given" a beautiful room in the main building for our wedding night. The room was octagonal and looked out over the wedding pavilion. We could hear the orchestra while in our room.

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  4. I love the Grand and the Cast Members who work there.

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  5. I love going to this resort, especially at christmas time! thanks for the great article Kelly!!

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  6. We love the Grand, but some people don't. We just did a Grand Floridian Review on Mouse Chat http://www. MouseChat.net, our weekly Disney Podcast, and it was a split vote.

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