We stayed here in November of 2015. See? We don't go every year! We skipped 2016! Ha!
Once again, we arrived at night, so my pictures are a bit dark. All of the photos from all of these posts have been iPhone photos as well, so they aren't perfect, but you get the idea.
The lobby of the GF is by far and away the most impressive of the big three. It's stunning. You're often serenaded by live piano music, and it all just feels so grand. For some, that has been a complaint - that it all feels too grand, and even a bit stuffy. Just something to keep in mind.
Once again, the bedroom has a similar layout to both the Contemporary and the Poly. I'll go ahead and tell you now that the GF was by far my least favorite. I know. There are people (many that I know!) who absolutely LOVE it. In theory, this should be my favorite hotel. But it's just not. It's not only my least favorite of the big three, it's my least favorite of all the Disney hotels that I have stayed at AND visited. I know. I'm sorry.
Take all this with a grain of salt. We all have different opinions. I'll tell you why it was my least favorite though. First, the decor is lacking. It's doesn't really feel Disney to me. It's very...sparse feeling. It also feels old and tired, even though it's been refurbished. They could have done a MUCH better job in my opinion. The mauve and taupe color scheme just isn't for me.
The lighting in the bathroom was really poor. If you're practically blind, like me, this is a much bigger deal than it sounds like.
The balcony seemed (and in fact, I believe was) much smaller than the other two. It also feels super closed off for some reason. Many rooms had big pine trees obstructing their view of the magic kingdom.
For good measure, here's the hall and front door.
The pool was nice, and my kids enjoyed it. We had a very hard time finding anywhere to sit as people had places towels over most of the chairs and then apparently left the area (while still claiming their chairs). I've heard that this is a big problem on cruises as well. There also isn't much shade. That said, the pool is still leaps and bounds better than the one at the Contemporary.
Finally, I had to share this, because I love it. If you're there during Christmas, they construct a life-sized gingerbread house. They sell shingles in the store just around the corner and they're great! You can even get them dipped in chocolate!
I'll be sharing more reviews, including a review of our afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian, soon! Let me know if you have any questions, or topics you'd like me to cover!
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