Is Grand Floridian Worth it?

[Hootenany]

Our family of 5 (DD 18, DS 16, DS 11, DH and myself) stayed at the GF this past December 15th through 22nd. We stayed in the Sago Cay building with a lagoon view. We go to Disney at least once a year and have stayed at many of the resorts. This was our first time at the Grand and it was absolutely MAGICAL! We loved everything about it! The view of the castle was amazing, amenities were extremely close, outstanding guest services, plenty of space in the rooms... I could go on and on.

Some things to consider are..
-your travel dates in December. We found it to be pretty crowded at the parks. Having security check and the monorail right at the resort was extremely helpful and gave us a bit more time to spend in MK and Epcot. A stay at AKL would mean waiting in lines for the buses, then again more lines for security at the parks.
-The boat ride from MK back to GF was sooo easy with almost no wait.
-Although we didn't do this and I wish that we had, you can watch the fireworks right from the resort rather than in a very crowded MK.
-The shops there are great for all! Our teens especially loved Basin.
-The decorations especially at Christmas.... just wow!

IMO, you can't go wrong at the GF- especially for that time of the year!
Have fun planning and let us know what you decide!

 

[barbliny]

I'll take a shot, with some of my observations - we stayed at AKL 1/17 and Grand Floridian 12/17

One thing that I think makes a difference and that I haven't seen mentioned enough, is the timing of your visit which I see is December. For Christmas atmosphere GF beats AKL.
But, truth be told, I prefer the AKL lobby in general - finding it incredibly relaxing and transports me to a place far away from the Disney hub-bub.
The lobby at the GF can be very busy during the holidays. But, the atmosphere and listening to the 'big band' playing Christmas carols with a view of holiday decorations is priceless.

I'll kind of go against the grain here - I prefer the food at AKL. But, there is much more variety at the GF, and many other places in the resorts nearby.
GF also wins in terms of Gasparillas being open 24-hours.

Rooms are much larger and brighter at GF. There are bathrobes and we had towel animals every day if you like those things.
Fireworks view with castle sitting at the outdoor tables at Gasparillas (or by the dock) is a great perk.

AKL wins in that all of the rooms are in the main building. The outer buildings were fine during our stay at GF, ours was just a very short walk to the main building and not as inconvenient as I thought it was going to be. But, we had phenomenal weather when we stayed, so that made it much easier to deal with.
As an aside, our room at AKL was not convenient to the lobby and was a long walk.

GF stay was a bucket list trip for us - it was only 4 days long and we already had AP, so it was much easier to justify the price. Personally, we loved being right next to MK for our 'Christmas trip'. I don't know if it is 'worth' $1000 more (I think that has a little more to do with the length of the stay also - if it's a 3 day stay it's a lot harder to justify the added expense than if the $1000 is spread over 7 days)

Also, the best way to get back to the GF from the MK is on the boat - it is the first stop. We always took the monorail to MK and the boat back - making it just one stop each way.

 

[toodycat]

Now that you’ve asked, you’ve got me craving GF. I just checked the dates of our trip, but the villas are sold out.

 

[Westiefan]

I have stayed at both multiple times. I would consider a split stay which we do almost every time – stay at AK first maybe for three days and then the GFloridian for three or four.

With AK I really like the pool especially in the colder months at is as it is very secluded and if is it a cool day you will be warm at the pool. The pool at the AK is definitely better than the grand Floridian, which I find to be outdated. When we stay at AK I always book a standard room I think it’s the best deal - when I stay Savannah I feel like I am looking at a dirt pit. I have found one staying at AK that the transportation is OK, but since you’re so removed from everything if can feel overwhelming to go back at night. You will not feel that way at the GF . Because the grand Floridian is on the lake it feels cooler in the winter months at the pool.

I just stayed at the CR and went to GF for dinner and was shocked at the difference – the lobby is, of course, simply stunning at the GF, especially at Christmas time with the gingerbread house and the Christmas trees. However, there are a lot of people milling around at night. The shops there awesome also. I have stayed in a Gardenview room and a Lagoon view room and was underwhelmed by the Lagoon view room – just so you know Lagoon view can look out onto the Polynesian, for example. I think a Gardenview is a better alternative if you can get it and will bring your costs down. I do like the dinner options at AK, but at the GF you have the option of taking the monorail to different hotels. I really like the Wave in the CR and you can also boat hop from CR to WL and eat at those restaurants also. I find the customer service to be better at GF. I had rooms booked at a K last Thanksgiving under two different reservation numbers for some reason they told me I wouldn’t have to switch rooms but in the end I did which seem totally ridiculous to me and I had to rush to remove all of my items. At the grand Floridian they would not let this happen. All said I would do a split stay if you are torn.

 

[tng123]

We stayed at GF for the first time this past Spring. It was incredible! The grounds are gorgeous, and the dining options between there and the other resorts around were wonderful. We had a lagoon view in Boca Chica and we loved that location. It really was magical to watch the electrical water pagent and the fireworks each night. Taking the monorail to MK was awesome - so fast. But I will say, it is much quicker to take the boat back to the resort, over the monorail. I think each time we took the monorail either back from MK or to/from Epcot, it would have issues and we would be sitting on it for long periods of time. So being at a monorail resort wasn't all I thought it was going to be. We had no bus issues going to or from the other parks.
GF will always hold a special place in my heart - and if you can swing it, then I think it's worth staying there at least once.