When you’re planning your Disney vacation, one of your biggest decisions is which resort you’re going to stay at during your trip!
Disney World offers more than 25 hotels with unique amenities, themes, and perks. Its resorts are divided up into separate tiers — value, moderate, and deluxe. And those deluxe resorts can be pretty pricey, but are they worth it?
Deluxe resorts are the most expensive, but they also come with additional perks and amenities compared to the lower-tier resorts. Guests usually have access to larger rooms, fitness centers, and both quick-service and table-service dining, among other bonuses.
One of the most popular Deluxe Resorts is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The hotel is located on the Seven Seas Lagoon within walking distance of Magic Kingdom. Guests have access to high-quality service, dining, and experiences when they stay at the resort. But, it comes at a cost, since it’s also Disney’s most expensive resort.
So, is the cost worth the luxury? We thought we’d find out YOUR answers to the question! We reached out to our AllEars readers to hear their thoughts, and there was a pretty overwhelming agreement. Many of our readers emphasized that they didn’t think that Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort was worth the cost to them, but other Deluxe Resorts in Disney World were.
Many people said they’d rather choose somewhere like Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort or Disney’s Contemporary Resort, if they want to be close to Magic Kingdom. Otherwise, they’d choose options like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts for their transportation and proximity to other parks.
Some people noted that the location of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is great for visiting Magic Kingdom, but its proximity to other parks is a letdown. And, if you plan on spending most of your time in the parks rather than your hotel, it might not be worth the cost to stay at a luxury resort.
However, others said that Disney’s Grand Floridian was a beautiful place to visit during a special trip like a honeymoon or anniversary. Some noted that this resort was a one-time visit for them — it was great for a special celebration, but not someplace they’d stay again.
There’s no denying that this resort is gorgeous. It offers Victorian-style theming to go along with its incredible restaurants and seasonal elements (like the Gingerbread Houses at Christmas time), making it great for special occasions.
Still, if you’re going to spend the money on a Deluxe Resort, you should make sure you’re choosing the place best suited to your vacation needs! If you and your family are avid park-hoppers that only use your resort as a place to sleep, it may not be worth it for you.
Regardless of whether you stay there or not, Disney’s Grand Floridian is worth stopping by, just to take in the atmosphere for yourself. Before you begin planning your next trip to Disney World, check back with us at AllEars for everything you need to know about the parks and resorts!
The Best and Worst Disney Resorts at Every Price Point
What’s your favorite Disney Resort? Let us know in the comments below!
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My family and I got to stay there on a week long split stay that started at Pop Century. We were blown away with the level of service, beauty and location. We were there in December and my mom chose to ignore the parks for the majority of the stay. I loved the view we ended up with as well! The room was spacious for 3 people. We were originally supposed to stay at wilderness lodge, but Disney had to change it and upgraded us for the same price. I would stay there again in a heartbeat if I could find a way. I wonder how the dvc studios would compare to the room we had. I cannot express how much more worth the money grand floridian is for me than boardwalk was the time I stayed there.
When hurricane Irma rolled through I took my family to the Grand Floridian to ride out the storm. My daughter was terminally ill with SMA and we needed somewhere we felt the power would not go out. Under these terrible circumstances we still had the best family vacation (unexpected) we had ever had. We never left the hotel for 3 days and it was great. The staff immediately shifted to indoor activities like family trivia. The music in the lobby was always great. The food (concierge level) was in plenty and great. The food at the Grand Floridian Cafe is a hidden gem. So if I have to go to Disney and spend most of my time at a hotel it will be the Grand Floridian. Side note: we have spent Christmas Eve twice at AK Lodge and we’ve also stayed at Contemporary, Yacht and Beach, Boardwalk, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans, All Star, Swan and Dolphin, and more so we’ve seen a lot of the hotels. The Grand Floridian gets everything right and deserves the price it charges for the effort it puts in.
The one time we got to stay at the contemporary we did have a complaining whiner in our group. But everyone has those people in their family. It was my great aunt. She can be a real sour puss
I stayed at the contemporary once. It was awesome. The Grand Floridian is my dream hotel though. No matter what the cheapskate haters say. Money is always an object. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to stay there. Someday I will. And I won’t whine and complain about it later like some smart elect jerks do.
we stayed at the contemporary resort the first time we visited walt disney world, i was 15 years old. we stayed in the tower facing the magic kingdom. it was amazing!!!!!! it is my favorite. as prices increased, we have stayed at the caribbean resort, which is also a beautiful resort. sadly, i have not been to walt disney world and stayed inside the park for many years. maybe someday i will return.
Money is not object for my family on vacations, the grand floridian is weak sauce.
But feel free to keep drinking the Kool-Aid 🙂
The hotel resembles California’s Hotel Del Coronado featured in the film Some Like it Hot. Pre-covid, I encountered a situation in which people staying at the Grand Floridian had a disadvantage. How can that be? Well, we were staying at the Wilderness Lodge at Christmas time. The bus picked us up first on our way to a park (Animal Kingdom or Studios), and we stopped at Grand Floridian to pick up more. The Grand Floridians had to stand if they could get on. Handicapped visitors couldn’t get on at all. I heard a lady in a scooter yell at her family that she was tired of waiting and she was going back to the room. I’ve only dined at Grand Floridian at 1900 Park Fare. The complaint I hear most often is the location of your room. Most people like to be in the main building which costs big bucks.
Anyone who says they don’t want to stay at the Grand Floridian is obviously lying. You don’t want to stay there because you are cheap. Any excuse you come up with is because you don’t want to spend the money no matter how wonderful the hotel is. You are not fooling anyone
The Grand Floridian is a beautiful resort. I am tired of the constant disrespect it gets from self absorbed cheapskates who just don’t like spending any money
You knock yourself out spending a couple grand a night. I’m perfectly happy being a “cheapskate” as you call it. Most of us aren’t being cheap, we FLAT OUT don’t have that kind of money! Of course, anyone would like to say they’ve stayed there but does that mean that it’s worth the ridiculous price tag? Not in the least.
I agree with you Brandon. It was the first hotel we stayed in WDW, and we were so impressed we stayed there a further three times before buying in to the Vacation Club back in 1993. We have since stayed in a one bedroom in the Grand Floridian Villas I found the
apartment so beautiful I did not leave it the first full day we were there.
This is not worth it to anyone who spends most of their time away from their hotel. All hotels look the same behind closed eyelids.