Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Review | Disney Resort for Families
If you’re looking for a luxurious stay at Walt Disney World, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is often seen as the crown jewel of the deluxe resorts. With its elegant Victorian-style architecture, lush landscaping, and prime location on the monorail loop, it certainly makes a striking first impression.
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But does it truly live up to the hype for families? We recently stayed at the Grand Floridian to check out the refreshed rooms, and while there’s a lot to love, we left feeling conflicted.
If you’re planning on staying at this resort as a family or with a group of friends, you will want to read below to make sure this will be a good fit for your group!
What is Unique About Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa?
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has timeless elegance and classic charm. Opening in 1988 as Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, the grounds are inspired by the grand seaside resorts of Florida’s Victorian era.
The entire resort was designed to evoke the opulence of the early 20th century.
The resort has long been associated with luxury and charm, offering guests a refined atmosphere just steps from Magic Kingdom. Staying at Grand Floridian Resort is a unique experience, and it is also a fun resort to visit during your trip even if you aren’t staying there as well.
Room Types at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
There are a variety of room types at the Grand Floridian, including standard rooms, club level rooms, and villas in a range of bedroom sizes.
We stayed in a standard room that had recently been refreshed with the Mary Poppins inspired theme.
The newly updated rooms are definitely a highlight. The decor feels fresh, light, and airy, much needed to modernize the resort’s classic style. I loved all of the hidden details throughout the room!
The subtle Mary Poppins inspired elements throughout the space, adding a sprinkle of Disney magic without being overwhelming. The updated flooring, bedding, and lighting all contribute to a more comfortable, upscale feel.
The penguin hidden amongst the birds in the ceiling light fixture was among my favorite hidden finds in the room!
The details are subtle and elegant. I loved the vanity area so much, I’m planning on recreating a similar space at my own house!
This Was an Issue: Bathrooms in Grand Floridian Rooms
However, one major issue in the room significantly affected our family’s experience. We felt like this would be an issue for other families as well. There’s a definite lack of bathroom privacy because of the door types used.
The renovated toilet and shower area now features a sliding barn door, which unfortunately does not close flush with the wall. With visible gaps all the way around (about a half inch gap) this means there’s no real privacy in the toilet room area. Anything that happens on one side of that door is very clearly heard on the other side!
For families traveling together, this is a surprising and disappointing design oversight. A pocket door would have been a much more appropriate choice for a resort of this caliber. Notably, we stayed at this resort during a resort tour of four different Disney World resorts. This was the only resort with this door issue.
You’ll just want to make sure that your VERY well acquainted with everyone that you’re staying with in your room. Because if you weren’t before the stay, you will be afterwards! Or you can attempt closing both sliding doors to gain more privacy, but then you’re back to only one person being able to use the bathroom space to get ready at a time situation.
Other than the bathroom doors, we did love the elegant new design. We felt like the new design fit in with the overall theme of the resort.
Our balcony space overlooked the Courtyard Pool and we used it quite often during the trip.
Dining Options at Grand Floridian Resort
Dining at the Grand Floridian remains a strong point at this resort. All of the dining is easy to get to from the rooms and they also offer a room service option at this resort. We frequently have visited the Grand Floridian to dine at 1900 Park Fare, an enjoyable character dining experience located in the main building.
We enjoyed a number of meals at Gasparilla Island Grill, the resort’s quick service option. The food was consistently good, with plenty of options for both kids and adults.
We also appreciate the quick service locations that have a freestyle drink machine.
Narcoossee’s is another standout table service dining option, offering fine dining with waterfront views that feel extra magical at night. We also loved that we could return at the end of the evening and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their patio.
Dining at the Grand Floridian would be an excellent choice for a date night for couples at Disney World too!
Update: Lobby Refurbishment is Done!
When we were visiting, the lobby was undergoing a multi month refurbishment, completed November 2025.
After the reopening, the lobby now features a casual lounge bar area, additional seating, and a new teal color scheme.
Overall, I think it was very well done and I enjoyed the blend of colors. It felt upscale and approachable. The colors chosen also blend seamlessly with the updated rooms.
There’s an adorable sitting area for kids to watch television in the lobby and kiddo sized furniture.
For adults, The Perch at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is open from 1pm to 9pm. This casual bar seating area is directly located in the lobby, so its easy to stop by for an evening drink.
The location has replaced the birdcage previously in the area and pairs homage to the classic bird inspiration.
Transportation Options at the Grand Floridian Resort
One of the biggest benefits of the Grand Floridian is its location on the monorail loop. This offers easy access to Magic Kingdom. But with that convenience also comes a downside, this is the busiest of the monorail resorts! Thanks to the resort’s popularity as a stop for visitors exploring the deluxe hotels.
While this makes for a lively atmosphere, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially during peak times like the holidays. For families looking for a calmer experience, the Polynesian Village Resort remains our top pick among the monorail resorts.
During the holidays there can be long waits to board the monorail. Make sure if you are visiting during the holiday season you build in a time buffer to use Disney transportation.
There is also bus service to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The buses are shared with Polynesian Village Resort and wait times soetimes felt longer than usual for a bus to arrive.
If you don’t feel like waiting for a bus or monorail, there’s always calling a Lyft or Minnie Van as an option too!
Activities at the Grand Floridian Resort
There are plenty of activities to enjoy at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa that make it more than just a place to rest between park days. Families can relax by one of the resort’s two pools. The Beach Pool features a 181 foot long waterslide and a fun water splash area for kids.
The pools are both relatively close to one another as well, so its easy to get back and forth between them. The Courtyard Pool offers a quiet setting nestled between the buildings.
The resort also offers movies under the stars, evening campfire activities, and a fully equipped fitness center.
Guests can book a luxurious treatment at the Grand Floridian Spa or take a stroll through the beautifully landscaped grounds and along the walking path to Magic Kingdom.
We also rented a pontoon boat from Captain’s Shipyard Boat Rentals at the Grand Floridian Resort marina.
They do boat rentals by the half hour and you can take a leisurely boat ride around Seven Seas Lagoon. This is a great activity if you’ll be staying at the monorail resorts and looking for something different to do during your stay.
It was fun but a bit stressful trying to dodge all the other boat traffic on Seven Seas Lagoon. If you aren’t a boating regular, we recommend just heading over to the Contemporary Marina to embark from there. As the Bay Lake area has a bit less traffic to navigate.
Grand Floridian Resort During the Holidays
As mentioned previously, the Grand Floridian Resort can get quite busy during the holiday season, but it’s for good reason!
This resort started the trend of over the top decorations in the lobby, and other resorts have followed suit. During recent years, it has become popular to do a Holiday Resort Tour and visit all of the resorts with elaborate holiday decorations in their lobbies.
It’s a beautiful place to visit during the holidays, so I encourage you to stop by to see the gingerbread house if it seems interesting to you. (Paused for Holidays 2025, we will see if it returns for Holidays 2026!) In 2026 there was no gingerbread house due to construction, but they still had the large Christmas tree decor in the center of the lobby.
The Grand Floridian Resort would not be a top pick of mine to actually stay at during the holidays because of all of the extra foot traffic. (We would prefer Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, or one of the moderate resorts instead!)
Would I Stay at Grand Floridian Resort Again?
There’s no denying the elegance and charm of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the updated rooms include some of my favorite color schemes and elements of decor. But for families, the lack of privacy in the bathrooms is a major concern that prevents us from ranking this resort higher on our Deluxe Resort Ranking.
I also had a friend’s trip planned where the Grand Floridian Resort was a contender prior to our recent stay, and we decided on staying at other resorts specifically because of the bathroom door issue.
In our personal ranking of deluxe resorts for families, we placed Grand Floridian Resort 7th out of 9 resorts. While the location and amenities are strong, we’d personally choose Beach Club Resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian Village Resort, or Wilderness Lodge before returning here again.
If you’re seeking a refined Disney stay and are okay with the trade offs, the Grand Floridian may still appeal to you. But if privacy, calm atmosphere, and value for the price are important to your family, there are other deluxe resorts that might be a better fit.
Disclaimer:
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