Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Villas: A Detailed Review (Photos)

While visiting Disney World for the grand opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, I stayed one night at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is Disney’s flagship hotel. It started as a Deluxe Disney Resort Hotel and received a major addition to add a Disney Vacation Club property, so the resort now serves both traditional cash guests and DVC guests. I stayed as a DVC guest in the Villas in a Deluxe Studio.

Let’s take a look around!

Lobby

The lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort is quite beautiful, as you would expect. It is quite large and houses the dining locations towards the back. Right at the front, though, there’s a large stage where an orchestra plays several times a day!

One of my favorite details was the tile design on the floor of the second floor before you walk out of the main building to the monorail.

Tinker Bell in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

Pluto in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

Goofy in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

Donald Duck in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

Mickey Mouse in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

Minnie Mouse in the tile on the second floor as you enter the hotel from the monorail.

The Villas also have a lobby. While it’s much smaller, there are some really cool details.

This American Eagle statue is made completely from chocolate!

This Penguin statue is also made of chocolate!

These playful penguins welcome you to The Villas at the Grand Floridian!

This water fountain is right outside of the Villas lobby.

Transportation

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is one of the few Disney Resort Hotels on the monorail line. While it is across the lagoon from Magic Kingdom, it is not yet within walking distance. However, Disney is building a walking path that includes a bridge over the lagoon and under the monorail line to get to Magic Kingdom.

Grand Floridian offers some excellent views, and Disney is about to make it much more convenient with a walking path to Magic Kingdom.

Recreation

Grand Floridian has a lot to do!

There’s a marina where you can rent a variety of watercraft.

Watercraft range from a small two-seater to a large yacht.

Walking around the resort offers some beautiful views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. This would be a great place to watch the fireworks!

Grand Floridian also has a couple of pools. One pool has some cool fountains and a hot tub. Another has a white sand beach nearby.

These fountains spray up from the floor of the zero-depth-entry pool.

Senses

Treat yo self! While this was mostly a working vacation, it was a vacation, nonetheless. We visited Senses Spa and treated ourselves to a 50-minute hot stone massage.

Disney World has two Senses locations. One is at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, and the other is at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. You can see my review of the Saratoga Springs location here.

Disney’s Grand Floridian’s version of Senses is located just across from the Villas at Grand Floridian. The spa is very nice, and our treatments were quite relaxing. The locker rooms offer secure lockers, fluffy white robes, food and beverages, and steam rooms and whirlpools in each locker room.

While Senses at the Grand was really nice, I preferred my visit to Saratoga Springs for one reason: The lounge rooms. At Saratoga Springs, the lounge room was co-ed, while at Grand, it was not. When I visited the Saratoga version, I was with my mom, so it wasn’t a problem. But this time, it was supposed to be a fun, romantic experience for my husband and me. However, because we were only allowed to be together in the treatment room and were separated in gender-specific lounges, it wasn’t quite the experience that I was looking for.

Room

We stayed in a Deluxe Studio at Villa Grand Floridian. The room is well-appointed with a comfy bed, a convenient kitchenette, and a beautiful bathroom!

This is a deluxe studio at the Grand Floridian Villas.

There are three beds in this room sleeping up to five people.

The love seat folds out into a sofa-bed, which sleeps another two adults.

The television stand also folds down into a bed, which will comfortable sleep a child or a small adult. — The television stand also folds down into a bed, which will comfortably sleep a child or a small adult.

Just outside of the bathroom is a good size closet complete with shelving, a hanging rack, and two soft robes!

Right next to the closet is a small but well-stocked kitchenette with a sink, a fridge, a microwave, a coffee pot, and some essential dishes.

I was quite impressed by the bathroom in this deluxe studio! The bathroom is separated into two parts including the washroom with a shower and a bathtub/shower and toilet room.

The bathroom mirror has a television in the mirror!

The shower and washroom area is very high-end!

VGF still offers travel-size versions of their famous H2O-brand items.

The second part of the bathroom, which is separated by a pocket door on two sides, has a toilet and a bathtub perfect for washing the little ones!

Our room was a standard view, but the balcony offered some really nice views.

I could even see <a href=

There was no shortage of Disney magic at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Villas was a really nice hotel. We enjoyed the views, the location, and a really nice room. There are other Disney options available for much less cost and/or much fewer points and similar amenities, so if value is important, other resorts might be a better fit.

Have you ever stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or Villas? Would you like to?