Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The property opened on June 28, 1988 as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997.

The resort contains 867 rooms among six buildings at an average of 400 square feet (37 m²) per room. A standard room can sleep up to five people.

The Grand Floridian is categorized as a deluxe resort, one of four types of accommodations at the Florida site. According to The Walt Disney Company, it is considered Disney's flagship resort.

History & influences

The hotel was inspired by the luxurious Victorian era beach resorts built along Florida's east coast during the late 1800s and early 1900s; its exterior is modeled after the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California, with red gabled roofs and white walls.

The resort's outer lodge buildings—Sago Cay, Sugarloaf Key, Conch Key, Boca Chica and Big Pine Key—are named for islands in the Florida Keys.

Along with Disney's Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian sits on the shores of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon near the Magic Kingdom. The hotel occupies land that had been earmarked for an Asian themed resort during the initial development of Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1960s.

Dining

• Victoria & Albert's: The most elegant restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort, with a unique menu created nightly and an award-winning wine cellar. A seven-year recipient of AAA's prestigious Five Diamond award, currently the only Central Florida restaurant to receive the designation. Serves dinner nightly. Victoria and Albert's used to have a gimmick where all the servers were "named" either Victoria or Albert. This has been dropped in recent years and all servers use their real names. As of January 2008, children under 10 are no longer permitted in the restaurant.

• Cítricos: American food with a Mediterranean flair. Serves dinner five to seven nights a week, depending on season. Formerly an Italian restaurant called Flagler's that operated until November 1997.

• Narcoossee's: An up-market seafood restaurant with an open kitchen and views of Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom fireworks show, Wishes. Serves dinner nightly.

• 1900 Park Fare: Buffet dining with Disney characters including Mary Poppins and Cinderella. Inside this restaurant is "Big Bertha", an organ built in Paris and used from 1909 to 1955 in a Grand Rapids, Michigan amusement park. The organ's instruments include pipes, drums, bells, cymbals, castanets and a xylophone, and is played by a piano-roll score. It plays short concerts periodically during mealtimes. Serves breakfast and dinner daily.

• Grand Floridian Café: Traditional American fare, with fresh fruit, seafood and burgers. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

• Gasparilla Grill and Games: A 24-hour snack bar with an adjacent arcade area.

Recreation/Spa

The resort offers a white sand beach and two swimming pools, one with a slide and waterfall, and a jacuzzi. Other recreational activities include watercraft rentals, including a 52-foot yacht, guided fishing excursions, a white sand beach, a full array of tennis programs, and preferred access to Walt Disney World golf courses. A one-mile run jogging trail leads to Disney's Polynesian Resort.

The spa offers hundreds of massages, therapies and treatments, all in the $100-$2,000 range.

The Walt Disney World Monorail System, water taxis and buses provide access to other Walt Disney World areas.

Services & amenities

• 24-hour room service
• Concierge desk
• Health club/spa
• Babysitting and child services
• Pak-n-Play crib available
• Self-parking
• Valet parking available for a fee
• Rooms and facilities for guests with disabilities
• Laundry facilities/services
• Beauty salon
• Wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access
• Daily children's programs

As of June 2007, smoking is permitted only in designated outdoor smoking locations.

In 1992, a 40,000-square-foot convention center opened adjacent to the hotel, which contains a business center.

Photos

• A typical guest room of the Grand Floridian.
  A typical guest room of the Grand Floridian.
• The courtyard pool. One of two at the resort.
  The courtyard pool. One of two at the resort.
• 
  View of main lobby from second floor balcony.
• 
  A view of the Grand Floridian from the monorail, 2007.

External links

• "Grand Floridian Resort & Spa section within disneyworld.com". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• "Grand Floridian Resort & Spa". AllEarsNet. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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