We got back last night from 10 days at the Grand. We had a wonderful stay and i thought I would share my thoughts.
--We requested Sago Cay, upper floor, quiet room. Unfortunately, we got a dormer room. I did not care for it. i wanted to immediately change rooms but DH was playing the part of Mr Grumpy Pants when we first arrived and didn't want to walk back to the front desk and wait for me to get a new room.....
We made the best of it but agreed if we were assigned that type room again, we would request a room change. We were in the second to last room, 4th floor, monorail side near Gaspies/main building/convention center. I will say, the room was very quiet and we never heard our neighbors except our last night. I believe they were out late at the
MNSSHP and were a little too chatty in the hallway after midnight...
--Mousekeeping did a great job cleaning our room each day however they were very inconsistent in time and toiletries replenished. We had service a few days around 10:30am but most days between 3-4pm. One day, mousekeeping came at 4:15pm. We left the room so they could clean it. We came back at around 5:30. As soon as we got in the door, someone knocked, it was turndown service. Huh? "Uhmmmmm.., not yet please. We will be leaving for the parks in about an hour. Thank you." They also would sometimes leave 3 chocolates, sometimes 4. Towels were sometimes 3 left, sometimes 5. Toiletries would be either none or 2 sets. Very strange.....I guess different mousekeepers had different views of how many people were in the room???? IDK
--Loved the new larger TV and the Keurig coffeemaker in the room. The larger toiletries are also great because there is more product and the tubes standing upside-down makes it much easier to get the product dispensed without wasting. The beds are SOOOOOOOOooooo comfortable. I may have to look into getting that brand in a few years when we replace our mattress.
--Bus service and monorail was very good except for returning from DHS. We had awful luck waiting for a bus here and both times waited over 20 minutes to return to GF. We took our first Uber ride from GF to TL and it was easy and efficient. Did the same on the return. I hate that they no longer have direct buses to the water parks from the hotels.
--We ate at Gaspie's, Beach Pool, room service, and GF Cafe. Gaspie's food was OK. Not great. The food at the beach Pool was really good! GF Cafe food was good but service was very poor. Room service was a disaster. I ordered the day ahead for early breakfast to be delivered at 6:15am. I ordered a GF breakfast plate for DH, pancakes with chocolate chips for DD19, allergy(egg, peanut, tree nut) mickey waffles with a side of potatoes for DD16, and allergy(GF) mickey waffles for me. When the server came, there was no bread for DH, no chocolate chips in the pancakes, one allergy waffles and one reg waffles. Really? The poor server went back and about 15 minutes later returned with my waffle, DH's biscuit, and some "apology orange juice". Needless to say, neither DD16 or myself felt comfortable eating the food delivered. She ate the potatoes and sausage. I had a few bites of my waffle and it tasted awful. Lesson learned. We will never order room service again for breakfast with 2 allergies in the room.
--The lobby was as beautiful as ever. We were able to sit and listen to the band on several occasions. Love the smell of the GF each and EVERY time we walk in. Ahhh......
--The pool was fun. My husband loves chatting with Pete the bartender at the beach pool. Very friendly guy. We ordered food here twice and it was outstanding. Each time, a chef/manager? came to our table to discuss food allergies and options. i had the best GF sandwich ever!! It was a grilled chicken breast with herb seasoning on a gluten free bun with a marinated tomato, lettuce, provolone cheese, and sliced avocado. So yummy! (I had them serve the pesto on the side and I was glad because it was too garlicky for my taste) Dh had the chicken nuggets with the sweet chili dipping sauce, DD had the lobster sliders, my other DD had the allergy hot dog one day and the chicken sandwich another day.
--We saw Richard most days. I took a picture of him with Dh and the girls one day. He is such a treasure!
--We really enjoyed watching the fireworks from the patio outside Gaspie's. Great view and the speakers playing the music just adds to the experience.
--DD19 and I went to the Poly one evening for dessert. I got a Dole whip and she got a chocolate croissant and we ate them while we strolled back to the GF along the path. So lovely with the tiki torches, the luau music, and then the beautiful tranquility of the VGF and GF at night. Just heavenly
--Our whole family just loves the feel and layout of the GF. It is so quick to walk anywhere. Gaspies is easy to pop in to refill your mug or grab a bite to eat. Sit inside or outside at the tables overlooking the marina and the castle across the lagoon. It never feels crowded or super hectic although we have never been during the holidays, LOL. We visited POR and POFQ this trip for a meal and to get a feel for the resorts. While POR was lovely, we decided it was just too hectic for us. The Riverside Mill had pretty good food but we disliked how busy and chaotic it felt. Not easy to just drop in and refill a mug or relax with a bite to eat. POFQ was surprisingly nice. More quaint and very relaxing. Big drawback being the pool area. The whole pool area seems very kid oriented and no adult feel to be found. They REALLY need to retheme that pool. Great kids water play area and playground. Also had the best counter service meal of the trip. Shrimp and grits were an A++++++
--We were at an outside table at Gaspie's during the solar eclipse. It was interesting but not as dark as we hoped. Just like an early dusk. The most interesting part was seeing all of the managerial types that poured out of the building and onto the patio with their suits/dresses/etc while all looking through their solar glasses. I had too chuckle inside because they looked ridiculously awkward.
--Loved FOP! I didn't get to ride NRJ because I wasn't feeling well that morning but family said it was visually interesting but kinda boring. Would ride again with FP but wouldn't wait over 15 minutes in line. On the other hand, FOP was so good, we would be willing to wait an hour to ride that if we had no FP. That is how we rate rides in our family, by how long we are willing to wait to ride them
Also really enjoyed the new Soarin Around the World and the Behind the Seeds Tour.
Sorry so long and I probably missed something I wanted to say. Still tired from my vacation...hahahahaha. Our plane was delayed almost an hour and a half sitting on the tarmac waiting for clearance because of bad weather. We finally got home last night around 9:30pm. Any questions, just ask! Can't wait to go back in a few years and experience all of the new rides that will be open by then!!