Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, FL

My wife, 18-month-old, and I recently spent two nights at the Grand Floridian, along with my parents who joined us in a second room, and we all had a very nice stay. The Grand Floridian has been our favorite resort at Walt Disney World for a while, but we hadn’t had a chance to visit in several years, and are ultimately very glad that we returned. It was great to see the progress that has been made to refresh the resort recently, and we were pleased to find that construction didn’t impact our stay in a major way. We really loved the newer guest rooms, which still feel fresh and thoughtfully designed, even two years after they debuted. A stay at the Grand Floridian is generally very peaceful, with a touch of refinement. Renovations: It’s important to address the ongoing renovations at the Grand Floridian, especially since this is Disney’s most expensive flagship resort and has had significant construction recently. Our last stay here was in 2019, when the rooms felt bland and the resort looked a bit tired, though we still found it charming. Since then, Disney fully renovated the guest rooms in 2023, and resumed lobby and common-area updates this year. Overall, the net effect feels very positive. Everything looks fresher and more vibrant, while maintaining the resort’s classic charm with a Victorian seaside feel. We were particularly nervous about lobby construction during this trip after seeing some rough photos earlier in 2025, but it wasn’t as disruptive as expected during our Halloween stay. The lobby was nearing completion at that time, but still had draping around the new bar under construction, with a good bit of loud drilling during the day. I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in the main building (the club level rooms) during that noise, but it didn’t affect us much since we were staying in an outer building and only visited the lobby periodically. By the time I’m writing this, I know that the new Perch birdcage bar has opened in the lobby, ending that noise and visual disruption. At this point, I believe construction on the tea room off of the lobby is the only remaining lobby project, and since it’s off to one side, it doesn’t impact the space nearly as much as other construction did. Arrival Experience: Prior to our stay, I completed online check-in so we could get a text message notification once our room was ready and go directly there using the My Disney Experience app as a room key. I had also called in advance to make a couple of requests. We had booked two rooms, so we requested that they be near each other. We also requested a king bed in each room if possible. We ultimately did get rooms very close together, but neither one had a king bed, which often seems like an impossible request to get at Disney World. Some Disney resorts offer rooms with king beds as their own room type, which is the only time we’ve ever had a king bed at Disney World. When the room types don’t guarantee bed configuration and could be either 2 queens or 1 king, which is the case at Grand Floridian in the standard rooms, we only ever seem to be assigned 2 queens, regardless of our requests otherwise. We arrived at the hotel around 11:00 am, and our room was not yet ready. We parked in the self-parking lot (which is convenient to the lobby, so I wouldn’t bother with the paid valet parking) and made our way to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. I ended up getting a text message around 2:30 pm to let us know that our room was ready. Hotel Room: Room categories at the Grand Floridian can be a bit confusing. Standard rooms (with resort, water, or theme park views) are in the Boca Chica, Conch Key, Sago Key, and Sugarloaf Key outer buildings. Theme park view and water view seem to look at the marina and lake surrounding the resort (with Magic Kingdom views for theme park view), while resort view seems to basically cover anything else, with most rooms looking internally at the landscaping and/or pool. All club-level rooms are in the Main Building with access to the Royal Palm Club, and the remaining two buildings hold DVC timeshare rooms. We’ve stayed on the club level before and loved it, as well as in the original DVC villas and had no complaints, but this was our first time in a standard room, which was overall a positive experience as well. We booked a basic resort view, and were pleasantly surprised by the building we were in, Boca Chica. Unlike some other Disney resorts where the outer buildings feel a bit barebones, Boca Chica had an actual lobby with seating and an airy atrium. The refreshed design matches the new “modern Victorian/Mary Poppins” theme that the renovations are going for, and feels bright and pretty. Our initial 2nd-floor room (8222) had two queens, but its location was poor, since it was right next to the elevators and opened directly onto the atrium. We immediately noticed noise and expected it to be a recurring issue. Before unpacking, I went to the front desk to ask about moving to a quieter room, and also mentioned that a tub/shower would be easier with our toddler, as the initial room only had a shower. The cast member I spoke with was great, and offered two alternatives that would hopefully be quieter and had a tub/shower: one room farther down the same hall and not by the atrium (8228 instead of 8222), or a room in the next building over, Conch Key. We chose the one just down the hall. The slight location change helped with the noise issue, while maintaining the same view. I really appreciated the helpful service to make the change. This cast member understood my concern, sympathized and apologized, and quickly took action to solve it. Even after moving, we still found noise to be a bit of an issue (but not quite as bad). The room door was very thin, and it was easy to hear hallway traffic early and late in the day as people were leaving for or returning from the theme parks. There was also a surprisingly large gap at the bottom of the door to the hallway, which contributed to letting noise and light in. We also had a connecting door to another room, which allowed noise to come through that way. We brought a sound machine for our daughter, which helped, so I would recommend using a sound machine or white noise app at this resort. Getting back to the room itself, we were very happy with the updated décor. I think Disney hit a great balance here. There are minor Disney touches in the rooms (things like Mary Poppins references in the art, and a penguin from Mary Poppins hidden among the birds on the chandelier), but it’s not over-the-top, and the overall feel is simply pretty and floral. I believe the rooms here are the largest standard rooms at Disney World, and felt nicely sized, but also filled up quickly with all of our luggage and baby gear. However, I thought the rooms were thoughtfully designed with a good amount of storage space, including large drawers under the TV, some more hanging and shelf space in the built-in wardrobe/closet, and even the simple large table with a bench that was helpful to lay things out. I also like that all of the Disney hotel room beds have storage for luggage underneath, so it was easy to hide away our suitcases. Bedside tables, reading lights, and outlets were also thoughtfully laid out, which we appreciated, and having a full-sized couch was nice. The bathroom was also nice and generously sized, with good counter space and the tub/shower and toilet separated from the vanity and sinks with a sliding door. Robes for the bathroom were available in the closet next to the bed. The final room amenity was the balcony, which was pretty large with two chairs and a small side table, as well as a nice view of the Courtyard Pool and grounds between the various buildings. Since we had booked the base level “Resort View”, we were particularly happy with this view. At other Disney resorts, we’ve gotten some pretty bad views with the base level room (roof, parking lot, dumpster), but this was a lovely view. It does seem like most rooms at the Grand Floridian have at least decent views because of the way the resort is designed. While I did sleep quite well here after long days, the bedding at the Disney resorts is a bit pathetic, especially at the Deluxe Resorts like Grand Floridian where the rates sometimes hit $1,000 per night or more. There’s no real duvet on the bed, and the pillows feel very lumpy and low-quality. The mattresses are fine, but not particularly plush. For the price point, more substantial and upscale bedding should be offered. Housekeeping did a fine job, and the housekeepers were all friendly when we’d pass them in the hallway. I called on the phone in the room to request cleaning at a specific time one day, and when we returned, the room was clean and ready to go exactly as hoped, so we were happy. Hotel Amenities: Although our stay was short, we enjoyed time at the resort. Hearing the pianist playing in the lobby in the evening is always a highlight for us (although he was drowned out by drilling from the bar construction at times), and we also enjoyed strolling the beautifully-maintained grounds and letting our daughter run around in the grassy areas. The resort has two pools and a kids’ water play area. The Courtyard Pool is the closest to most guest room buildings, and was just steps away from our room. It’s a pretty basic pool, but it’s large with zero-entry and has a good amount of seating, a separate hot tub, and a pool bar/quick service dining option. The more interesting Beach Pool wasn’t far away either, on the side of the resort closer to the DVC villas. That area was ideal for us since it has an Alice in Wonderland-themed water playground that was fun for our 18-month-old, but would be even better for older kids. She absolutely loved running around in water that was shallow enough for her. The Beach Pool itself is zero-entry with a large waterfall and pool slide. It was unseasonably cold during our stay, so we appreciated that the pool was nicely heated. There is also a pool bar at this pool with some quick service food options. There is also a marina with pontoon boats for rent, and a gym and spa near the DVC side of the resort. The hotel’s walking paths continue past Disney’s Wedding Pavilion to the Polynesian Village Resort, so it’s great that you can also easily walk over there, which we did for a breakfast at ‘Ohana. It was a very pleasant and easy walk. The newer Island Tower at the Polynesian is also particularly close to the Grand Floridian. There are some other activities, such as organized activities by the pool during the day, and outdoor movies on the lawn near the pool on certain nights. You can also watch the Electrical Water Pageant light show in the lake each evening, in addition to catching glimpses of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Dining: We’ve tried nearly all of the dining options at the Grand Floridian over several Disney World trips, and the overall mix is strong. At the top is Victoria & Albert’s, the fine dining restaurant with a tasting menu and one Michelin star, and no kids allowed under 10 years old. We ate there once a few years ago and loved the experience, but have not had a chance to revisit it since. The other higher-end (but still family-friendly) options are Citricos and Narcoossee’s. Citricos, in the Main Building, has been refreshed with a bright, loosely Mary Poppins theme, a nice wine list, and a menu with light, somewhat Mediterranean-focused dishes. We ate there earlier this year and had a wonderful meal. Narcoossee’s, the seafood restaurant in its own building by the lake, was recently renovated as well. We didn’t like Narcoossee’s the one time we tried it several years ago, but decided to give it another chance on this trip, since it has been renovated and was so convenient to our room. While I prefer Citricos overall, service at Narcoossee’s was excellent and the food was solid. The calamari and complimentary sourdough were good starters, and the surf-and-turf was tasty. The lobster was outstanding, and the filet was pretty good, but not as memorable as the lobster. Their kids’ meals were also a hit with our daughter, who enjoyed the kids’ salad, fish entrée, and Disney cupcake for dessert. On the lobby level of the main building are Grand Floridian Café, the 1900 Park Fare character buffet, and the tea room (currently under construction). We did the character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare on this trip, which was a mixed experience. The recently refreshed interior was nice, and the buffet food was surprisingly good. Highlights included the breakfast pizza, strawberry soup, bread pudding, and eggs benedict. Cocktails that we ordered, however, were not nearly as good. All three we tried were either overly sweet or just poorly made and not well balanced. Service at 1900 Park Fare started on a pleasant note, but declined after a couple of simple requests. First, we asked our server about the “omelet of the day,” which a sign by the buffet listed as a food option. However, we didn’t actually see omelets on the buffet or a place to order one. We asked our server about it, and she told us omelets are an option that’s included, but confirmed that you have to order them through your server. However, she seemed oddly reluctant to place the order, and really discouraged it. She insisted an omelet would take “forever,” though the actual wait wasn’t unduly long when my mom still went ahead and ordered one. What really turned the experience negative was a poor experience with the character portion of the meal. We were seated in the side room in a back corner, which just wasn’t a great table location to begin with. We were the first ones seated in that room while it was otherwise empty, and other groups filled it up later. As the meal progressed, we had been there for over an hour and were basically done with breakfast, but not a single character had made their way into our room at all. A couple other groups near us even left without seeing the characters. Our daughter was getting restless, so we mentioned the issue to our server, since we’ve found that servers at Disney character meals are usually proactive about making sure you have seen the characters, and this was so unlike our other character meals on this same trip. Rather than offering to check-in with the character staff when we brought up the issue, or trying to help expedite things in some way, our server’s attitude noticeably cooled toward us after that, which I found odd since we didn’t view or vocalize that we felt it was her fault, and just hoped she could help. When the characters did finally get to our room, we were still one of the very last tables they came to in the back corner. While the characters themselves (Cinderella, Tiana, Mirabel, and Aladdin) were all really cute and interacted nicely with our daughter, the long wait and generally indifferent attitude from the staff were frustrating. We were there on our check-out morning and ended up very rushed to check-out after that, since the meal dragged on for so long. While I would love to return for the food, it would be hard to do so given the negative service and character experience. In addition to all of the restaurants is a popular bar, Enchanted Rose, which is the Beauty and the Beast–themed bar on the second level of the lobby. We’ve had both just ok and good visits there in the past, and would go again, but didn’t make it this trip. The smaller Perch birdcage bar in the lobby is also a brand new bar option that opened just after our stay. Finally, quick service food court-type food is available at the Grand Floridian at Gasparilla Island Grill (the main quick service spot) and by each of the pools. Transportation: We only visited the Magic Kingdom on this trip, so we didn’t use much Disney transportation, but everything we did use worked well. The Grand Floridian’s convenience to the park is one of the main reasons we love it. It’s the final stop on the resort monorail before the Magic Kingdom, so you can be there in just a few minutes from boarding at the monorail station on the second floor of the lobby. Returning by monorail is slower, though, since the Grand Floridian is the last stop in that direction. We preferred the boat, which stops at the Grand Floridian first on the way back, going to the Polynesian after (it does the opposite when going to the park). We may have just gotten lucky, but a boat arrived quickly when we used it to return from the park late in the evening, and the ride felt easy and fast. Our room in Boca Chica was also just steps from the dock, so the convenience factor felt particularly high. We also enjoyed taking the walking path to the Magic Kingdom, which wasn’t there yet during our last stay. We tried it once to return from the park in the afternoon, and it was a peaceful 15-20 minute walk along the lake (I believe it’s just over a half mile). Having also stayed at the Contemporary Resort this year, which also has a walking path to the Magic Kingdom, that path is definitely shorter (probably closer to a 5-10 minute walk), but the Grand Floridian path is more enjoyable, with lake views rather than parking lot views. Service: Every time I review a Disney resort, I end up saying the same thing about service: I struggle with it. Disney’s Deluxe Resorts charge true luxury hotel prices, but the service often feels uneven or indifferent, reminding you they aren’t true luxury properties. That said, overall service on this stay was good. Most cast members were friendly and well-meaning, and when we disliked our initial room, the front desk staff was professional and warm in handling the change to move rooms. That experience alone was a pleasant surprise on the service side of things. Still, the small gaps stand out, which aren’t necessarily related to the staff themselves, and are sometimes more about the package of service and amenities that are offered. For example, we wanted to enjoy a bottle of champagne on our balcony one afternoon and needed wine glasses. A true luxury hotel would typically have proper glassware in the room, but ours only had coffee mugs. I first thought to request champagne flutes from in-room dining, but it was closed when I called, and the “front desk” on the phone (which is clearly outsourced) doesn’t handle this type of request. It was a minor issue, but odd. I eventually got glasses by visiting a bar and taking a couple myself, which worked, but also highlighted a small way in which Disney’s hotel service and amenities fall short of true luxury standards, even at their best resorts. Overall: Overall, we had a very nice stay at the Grand Floridian this time. We found the renovations, which are very close to done throughout the hotel, to be re-invigorating a property that has always felt like Disney’s grand dame to us, but was admittedly getting a bit dated. The newer rooms and refreshed common areas have struck the perfect note between being on-theme to maintain the resort’s classic Victorian Florida feel (plus a touch of Mary Poppins here and there), while still having enough modernity to feel fresh. Other than 1900 Park Fare on this trip, we also particularly enjoyed the dining options, lovely grounds, and convenience to the Magic Kingdom, especially with a small child. While any stay at a Disney resort isn’t truly “luxury” at the level we’d like when considering the price, Disney is doing a very nice job with what they’re offering at the Grand Floridian, and it was significantly better than our last stay at a Disney resort earlier this year (the Contemporary).

My husband and I booked a complimentary three- night stay here because we had a Disney Wedding and we filled enough of the Room Block to get three free nights. The room is fantastic, comfortable, and located at a great spot to walk to multiple places within the resort. There is a small Fridge, a coffee Maker, and no microwave. It does come with several glasses and mugs, and no utensils. Everyone was very accommodating and kind, my husband had arranged an entire rose petals on the ground, and all over the bed, and the next day when we came back from our farewell brunch, they were just finishing up cleaning up the room and they made a beautiful towel arrangement with swans in the shape of a heart and put some of the rose petals it was gorgeous. We were treated so well and truly enjoyed the few days of relaxation and alone time after a busy wedding weekend.

No hospitality. Everything is a problem Requested a king bed and waited two nights to move. The morning of the move they said I had to leave my current room by 11am and not be allowed in the new room until 3pm. It’s nearly impossible to dine or have breakfast at the resort and most of the staff has an attitude. Very disappointing for a Disney resort

Our three night stay at the Grand Floridian was nothing short of exceptional. We opted for the club level experience and stayed on the third floor at the Royal Palm Club. The room was spacious, beautiful, and very clean throughout. There was little to no noise noticed from neighboring rooms. The view from the balcony was of the pool area. The biggest benefit of club level was the food and snack service provided on the fourth floor. You could enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks throughout the day, as well as a small fridge containing soft drinks and juices. The food choices featured a wide variety, and everything I tried was delicious. My biggest compliment would be for the resort staff. From the moment we arrived until the time we departed, we encountered friendly and helpful staff members who seemed sincerely happy to be there. We've stayed twice before at the Polynesian, and really enjoyed it, but this experience was unforgettable, and hopefully can be repeated.