My DH and I stayed at the Grand Floridian May 2005 to celebrate our anniversary and our first WDW vacation.
Our room was a dormer room in the Boca Chica building on the pool/garden side. We had requested a king size bed (our only request) but the powers that be couldn't give us one.
Instead we got two queen beds, 2 chairs and a table. Since the dormer are smaller than regular rooms (but they come with a raise ceiling) they have a small balcony but no real sitting area. I was surprised to see that there wasn't a desk in the room either. I say all this to tell you that while the room is really cute, if you have more people in your party than just two, request a different type of room. It was cozy for two adults but I couldn't imagine the room with a child also.
As for the pool view it was fine and not noisy at all. I would've loved to be on the other side of the building which faces the water and the MK but there wasn't a room open. The sitting area on the first floor was great and you could go out the other door to watch the Water Pagent from the grass. If you could get a water view room, you would be able to watch from your balcony.
The main building is BEAUTIFUL! We enjoyed the band music in the afternoon while relaxing on the sofa. Just walking around the resort is an experience in itself. The pools were great but we spent most of our time at the larger pool. For some quiet time you can sit out on the beach in the chairs with the shade structure.
On several early mornings we watch a mother duck and her babies wander around the grounds by the pool. It was sweet to see how the grounds crew watched out for those babies. We also saw several rabbits.
The transportation was wonderful but you almost expect that for a deluxe resort. I would say that some days it took awhile for a bus, but for the most part it wasn't so bad. The boat to the MK was very romantic and we enjoyed it on several evenings. We also rented the mousers and my DH was in
with exploring the lake. Renting two is the way to go if two adults are wanting to ride because they are small and won't go very fast if they are weighed down.
I enjoyed my spa day and DH played several rounds of golf at the Palms and Magnolia courses. He still talks about service the club houses provide and I know he will play golf there again in Dec. 2008. I will say that the spa service was lacking somewhat (they forgot about me once I was back in the relaxing room for close to an hour) but once I was "found again" it was great. They need a better system of tracking their customers and managers who will go that extra mile. Also the walk to the spa was great BEFORE the massage, but when you are finished and need to walk back to the GF......it was a LONG walk!
It would be nice if they provided golf cart shuttle service.
The GF Cafe food is WONDERFUL and we ate there several times. We didn't get to eat at any other GF restaurants on that trip, but I will make up for that on this next one.
Pros:
Monorail
GF Cafe
relaxing feeling
decor
CM's (some helpful, some not)
Cons:
Pricey
Service should equal price
CM's (some helpful, some not)
LONG walk back to room from GF Spa after a Massage