Staying at Disneys Grand Floridian at Sugarloaf
 

After a very stressful year, we have booked four nights at the Grand Floridian and will stay at Sugarloaf. We would be grateful to those who can share their experience..both good and not so good. Any suggestions for rooms, etc. Our family consists of two grandparents (us) my daughter, my son-in-law and my two dear grandsons ages 5 and almost 3.

This trip is a stretch for us and we are so looking forward to it

Thanks for any help and ideas.

By a stretch I assume you mean financially. Then why stay at the Floridian?

The Contemporary is very nice, a lot less expensive and right beside the entrance to the park.

You do not say what your primary interest at WDW is in terms of parks. If it is the Magic Kingdom then I can understand the desire to stay in one of the three hotels closest (and I'm not so sure the Contemporary is that much less expensive than the GF).

Personally, we much prefer the GF to the Contemporary or the Polynesian because the rooms are bigger and nicer in our opinion. The pool is OK, obviously, although if you want a BETTER pool then you really should stay at the Yacht and Beach where they give you a wristband that keeps ALL the other Disney hotel guests OUT of the pool.

We booked the GF for many reasons. First off, we will be traveling with young children and wanted it to be as easy for us and them as possible. We have stayed at various properties on site but never on the monorail. Our vacation dates are in early Feb..weather can be dicy but the discounts were good. I have heard positive comments about how clean the rooms are (important) and their size. Pool not so important that time of year. Myer, your comment makes tons of sense and I don't want to sound like I am whining. But, it is a family experience that we want to share and we are willing to make it work.

Having never stayed at the GF, I am trying to get info that will help make a good trip great.

I need you guys!

Thanks.

I'm not sure the Grand Floridian is the best place for kids that young. It tends to have many fewer kids than other disney properties and is kind of formal - so the level of activiity of kids that age may be a problem. We have eatern there but never stayed (we won;t stay at Disney due to too many kids) and the meals we had there were either copletely or almsost totally kidless. (Tea one afternoon and dinner at Victoria & Alberts - young kids usually don't do well at 2 hour dinners - understandably.)

We stayed at the Contemporary several years ago, and at The Dolphin. Both when our kids were little, like yours. We have visited the Floridian, and had dinner in their restaurant, with our kids. It is mostly an adult crowd, I thought.

I liked the Floridian's style best. I think it will please the adults. And honestly, kids that young think any hotel is a grand adventure, don't they?

Thanks PeachOut, I agree.

During the years when kids were young, we stayed at many properties. The GF is beautiful and we loved it. What kind of a discount did you get?, if you don't mind my asking.

You say you want to know about experiences good and not so good....we found the Polynesian to be more laid back and consequently more relaxing, and *if* you had asked for advice about a monorail property w/kids, that would have been my recommendation. However, nothing can compare with the breathtaking beauty of the GF!

I am a tad surprised to hear you refer to cleanliness. Having stayed in at least 7 different WDW hotels over the years, I have never known cleanliness to be an issue in any resort of any price.

Hi Socialworker,

The discount was 25% and indeed it was a toss-up been the GF and the Polynesian. I think that the GF won out because we got a better rate at club level than the Poly offered at the time. I know that we will all use and enjoy the concierge.

I did read about some issues at the Polynesian with rooms that concerned me. They could have come from very fussy travelers who are constant complainers and although I heard some griping about the GF, cleanliness wasn't one of them.

Honestly, if my daughter wasn't pregnant and if the thought of standing in line waiting for a bus with a 2 1/2 year old didn't make my hair stand on end..we would be at WL or AK!

We have stayed at the GF with very young children and found it very accommodating. It is more formal, but it is still Disney. Its on the monorail with the Magic Kingdom right around the bend, and of course, the boat will take you to and from the Magic Kingdom as well. I can't comment on the location you chose, but over all, I don't think it really matters. It is not so sprawling that it isn't an easy walk to the main building or the boat dock.

I'm not sure what specific information you are looking for, but I stayed in the Sugarloaf building last february with my mom (65) and my two children, ages 5 and 3 at the time. It was a fantastic trip. The concierge staff was helpful, nothing about it felt too formal and we in fact had a relaxing time (but we definitely are a family that spends half the day at the pool and on the "beach" there and only half days in the parks).

We've also stayed previously at the Polynesian and the experience was very different. We found that resort to have a very hectic, crowded feel to it.

if money is no object, I'd stay in the sugarloaf every time!

Enjoy your family and your trip.

Hope you enjoy your trip. And keep Animal Kingdom Lodge on your radar for a trip when the kids are a little older. We love it, the views, the animals, the relaxed vibe, the Boma buffet. All of the above.