Where to Stay Wednesday; Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Greetings Disney travelers! Today’s ‘Where to Stay’ post is about the iconic Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This resort opened in 1988 & was modeled after the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH as well as the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California. It might be why I am partial to it, but instead of being in the beautiful White Mountains of NH it is located on Seven Seas Lagoon with views of Cinderella’s Castle! I might prefer castle views over snow, but I am a little biased.
The Grand Floridian offers many wonderful spots to eat from; 1900 Park Fare (character dining) to the Enchanted Rose (a spot with lots of character), to the award winning Victoria & Alberts, even if you’re not staying here it is worth visiting here just to eat, or shop! The Grand Floridian has some great places to shop around. I love just walking through the different stores. One of my favorite times of year here is Christmas time, when they have the life sized gingerbread house. The gingerbread house is made of real gingerbread & they sell gingerbread cookies and other treats from it! It is just so cool, if you’re in Disney world during the holidays it is worth checking out!
The reasons I hear that people may not want to stay here is their budget or they think it is too fancy. While I do agree you need a larger budget to stay here over a value resort, the Grand Floridian is worth adding to your bucket list. Save up, stay a night or even two here. Stay at a less expensive place for the majority of your trip and then treat yourself to a couple nights here at the end of your visit. It will be worth doing at least once! With some people thinking it is too fancy, I have to agree to disagree. While this is one of the nicest resorts on Disney’s property, it is a Disney resort. You will see many families here with children of all ages. They offer poolside activities & movie under the stars just like the other resorts. This style might not be for everyone and that’s ok too!
My number one reason I would recommend staying here is LOCATION!! The Grand Floridian is one monorail stop away from the Magic Kingdom or you can walk via the new walking path!! This is a game changer for someone like me, walking to and from the parks is my absolute favorite way to get there. The best part is at the end of a long day when everyone is waiting for the boat or the monorail, you can just walk back to your room. Something, I should mention is when going to the Magic Kingdom you’re one stop away, but when you’re going back to the resort the Grand Floridian is the last stop on the monorail. At the end of a long day it is nice to not have to wait & be crowded on the transportation.
For me I love to stay at resorts in the heart of Disney. With things to do for the non park days, like eating and shopping. This resort has all that and more! Did you know you can see the nightly Electrical Water Pageant here each evening? And they have views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks! My last reason I love to stay here, has to do with location (it really is the best) you can walk over to the Polynesian resort giving you more options for shopping & dining. Ok I like to eat and shop while in Disney, can you blame a girl?
Have you ever stayed here? Or wanted to know more? Please let me know I would love to hear from you!
