Hello all! I’m back! I took a very long leave of absence and I am very sorry about it, BUT I did take another trip to Disney so that’s fun! We stayed at the Grand Floridian this trip and it was SO nice. This hotel is on my list of top five, maybe even top three, places I love to stay when I go to Disney. This is only (I think) the second time I’ve ever stayed here, and it was just lovely!
The whole exterior of this hotel is absolutely gorgeous. All the buildings are white with this orangey red tinged roof and the victorian feel of the whole places is so spot on. The grounds of the resort are so beautiful as well, all the flowers and the pools are so nice and everything feels super relaxing yet very elegant.
Our room was in the Sago Cay building, which was right across from the marina and the quick service restaurant, Gasparilla Grill.
Our room was really nice and it was on the first floor right off of the seating area right when you walk in. It was a great location for getting right out the door in the morning, however, there was a little bit of noise at night because we were right next to the main building entrance and the elevators.
The lobby of the Grand Floridian has the nicest smell of any Disney hotel I’ve ever been in. It’s this really nice clean, fresh smell that immediately makes me think of Disney World and being on vacation. The lobby is also, for lack of a better word, really grand. There are two huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a band stand on the second level. There are so many places to sit and a large staircase (where I saw four separate weddings take photos in the five days I was there).
There are two shops on the first level of the lobby, Sandy Cove Gifts and Sundries and Summer Lace. The former sells food, snacks, and some merchandise and the latter sells fancy clothes and accessories.
There are also two stores on the second level, Basin White and M. Mouse Mercantile. The former sells all kinds of bath and shower goodies from soaps to bath bombs to moisturizers and shampoos and conditioners. The latter sells all kinds of Disney Parks merchandise. There’s also a salon (Ivy Trellis Salon) on the second level!
There are four restaurants inside the Grand Floridian and one quick service. Located on the lower level of the hotel are 1900 Park Fare and the Grand Floridian Cafe. 1900 Park Fare has character dining for breakfast (Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Mad Hatter) and dinner (Cinderella, Prince Charming, Anastasia, Drizella, and Lady Tremaine). The Grand Floridian Cafe is a more casual option, and I recommend going there for breakfast or lunch, the ambiance during the day is just delightful!
Located on the second level of the lobby is Citricos and Victoria and Albert’s. Citricos is a nicer restaurant and isn’t as casual as the Grand Floridian Cafe. Victoria and Albert’s is one of the most exclusive restaurants not even just in Disney but in the state. It’s fine dining at it’s finest.
Gasparilla Grill is located just outside the main lobby and across from the marina. I really enjoyed all the food there and how they operate. For breakfast they do a grab and go where the food is placed on a long hot plate to keep it warm and you can grab what you want. I had Mickey waffles twice for breakfast from there during the trip!
The monorail stop for the Grand is on the second level, and it’s really convenient if you’re going to Magic Kingdom because it’s the very next stop. The only downside is that you do have to transfer monorails a Ticket and Transportation Center to get to Epcot. Nothing can beat the location of the Polynesian, where you can hop the monorail to MK or walk to the TTC if you want to take the Epcot monorail.
But all in all the Grand Floridian is such a lovely resort to stay at. It’s beautiful, there are two pools, it smells great, and it’s got a great location to Magic Kingdom!
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