How is GF without conciege?

[kmermaid]

I am saving all my $ for my dream trip to WDW in May '04. DH wants GF because he loves tennis. I also want to treat my inlaws and get them a room at GF also. Hey I'm not totally unselfish - instant babysitters! But I keep reading bad reports about GF. We would not be staying at conceige and I am such planning nut that I would be handling everything myself even if I was in conceige, so I'm looking for a nice resort with a nice pool and a place for DH to play tennis. CR is out, he hates the look of it. So is there anyone out there who has stayed at GF and liked it?

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I've stayed at the GF three times, once in main building concierge, once in lodge tower garden view, and once in lagoon view. My favorite of them all was lagoon view. We were in Conch Key and had a PERFECT view of Cinderella's castle and the Electrical Water Pageant. Also we could watch the monorail running to MK and CR, and it was handy to be able to see the boat launch. We love the GF, and always enjoy our stays there. The new pool is great, and the courtyard pool is very nice also. There are lots of dining options, which is great, and some nice shops too. Make sure you check out the GF FAQ and also try doing some searches for GF trip reports. Mine are buried back in there somewhere.

Good Luck planning and enjoy the GF!

 

[shannonandtom]

We've stayed there many times and if we weren't moving to Celebration I would stay there again and again....

You won't be disappointed .

Tom

 

[phyllis1966]

We LOVE the GF! October was our 1st stay there, and we're returning in November. Lovely rooms, beautiful grounds, 2 nice pools, terrific dining, friendly staff...My DH wanted to stay there and I didn't think it would be worth it, but it was all that I expected and more - I just love that place!

I'm sure you'll love it, too!

 

[hookedup]

We stayed there for 4 nights in a garden view - we LOVED it and my dh who is one to bargain hunt really really loved it and he keeps wanting us to change our plans for this summer and go back to the GF!

 

[ducklite]

It's a beautiful resort. BUT, for the same price as a gardenview room at the GF you can get a concierge room at the BWI--and they have very nice tnnis facilities there as well...something you might want to think about. Even if you do all your own planning, the breakfast and snacks are nice to have...and as adults you'll probably spend more time in Epcot than the MK, so it's a very convenient location.

Anne

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by shannonandtom
We've stayed there many times and if we weren't moving to Celebration I would stay there again and again....

You won't be disappointed .

Tom

Tom, where in Celebration did you buy a house? We are still looking and it's getting frustrating!!! We plan to be moved in by next June, but we obviously want to buy the house before then

OP, we stayed at the GF last May and it was nice. We didn't stay in concierge...I think that the building that we were in was called Sago Cay. We had a nice view of a marina...I'd stay there again if it weren't so expensive, LOL!!

 

[shannonandtom]

Tom, where in Celebration did you buy a house? We are still looking and it's getting frustrating!!! We plan to be moved in by next June, but we obviously want to buy the house before then

Chrissyk,
We have built a home in East Village and move in about 2 weeks.
I hope you find what you are looking for.

Tom...

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by shannonandtom
Chrissyk,
We have built a home in East Village and move in about 2 weeks.
I hope you find what you are looking for.

Tom...

That's great Good luck with the move!! I like East village...it looks SO different now than when we were there in Feb. looking for a house. They did a great job of getting it built out quickly and well We're looking for an existing home...hopefully what we're looking for will come on the market eventually

 

[Desnik]

We were at the GF in a garden view room and only paid $199 a night with an AP rate. That was 2 years ago, I think. Anyway keep your eyes open a few months before your trip, you could come across a good rate with a code or AP. Remember you only need 1 adult AP to secure an AP rate, the ressie and AP have to be the same name.
Now to answer your question. We loved the GF. It was myself, DH and our then 3yo DD. We had a nice room that looked directly at Narcosees(Sp?). We were very close to the boat launch for the MK. We were treated so nicely. We did not find it to be "stuffy". When we arrived we were taken around on a tour of the resort in a golf cart on the way to our room. The Bellman walked in our room, showed us where everything was and checked out the room to make sure it was o.k. He waited for us to take a look around to make sure we thought it was o.k. and then left. When we went to our patio, the chairs were dirty. We called housekeeping and just requested some windex or something we could use to clean the chairs. Well, almost 10 min. later a gentleman came in, not only did he make those chairs shine LOL he moped the floor, cleaned the table, railings and sliding doors. We couildn't believe it and offered to help, but he wouldn't let us.
We got service like that the whole trip.
Also, one night we were coming off the bus and DD was asleep in my arms, then a Bellhop came over to me with a golf cart and offered to drive me back to my room! Of course I took him up on his offer They also did this for us when we needed to get to our car which was parked in their lot, it is quite a walk from the lobby to the lot, especially with a 3yo.
The resort itself is so beautiful. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you pull up and they say"welcome to the GF"!!!
Like you, I have to plan all aspects of my trip myself. So, I also make my own PS's. I would just suggest not making too many requests on your ressie, that seems to be the root of most of the problems people have that are regular guests, not concierge. We are going back and can't wait! Hope you have a wonderful time planning and wonderful vacation at the Grand.

Also wanted to add, DH and I also hate the look of the Cont.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Desnik
I would just suggest not making too many requests on your ressie, that seems to be the root of most of the problems people have that are regular guests, not concierge. We are going back and can't wait! Hope you have a wonderful time planning and wonderful vacation at the Grand.

Also wanted to add, DH and I also hate the look of the Cont.

As an FYI--we had a TERRIBLE concierge stay, and made almost no requests other than non-smoking for medical reasons. We couldn't have made requests had we wanted to--they were so rude to us it wasn't funny!!!

We also had a nice non-concierge stay, again the only request was non-smoking for medical reasons, although we were guaranteed a room with a castle view as a thank you for trying them again after the concierge debacle.

Even when staying concierge I often make a lot of my own PS's, and the only request I ever have is non-smoking for medical reasons.

Anne

 

[Tara]

Originally posted by ducklite
It's a beautiful resort. BUT, for the same price as a gardenview room at the GF you can get a concierge room at the BWI--

Really? I've stayed at both and thought their room rates were pretty comparable -- about $40 more per night for the GF when we split a stay between those 2 resorts in 2000. Now, this was with DC discount on both rooms. Does the DC put the 2 resorts more on par with each other in terms of pricing, or has the BWI concierge price gone down or the GF price gone up that dramatically?

 

[ducklite]

Lisa--the GF prices seemed to have increased a lot in the past few years.

Anne

 

[boomer626]

Originally posted by Desnik

The resort itself is so beautiful. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you pull up and they say"welcome to the GF"!!!

Desnik,

So glad to see a positive report on the GF. We will be there about the same time as you, and I was getting concerned because of all the poor reviews I've been reading. Hopefully your experience is what we'll have as well. Thanks.

 

[kmermaid]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I think we will be really enjoy GF. Just to be close to MK with two DD while DH is playing some tennis is a big plus. Now my biggest worry is convincing my inlaws to accept my offer to upgrade them from All Stars to GF!