Disney’s Grand Floridian Villas Review
The Villas of Disney’s Grand Floridian is a separate Disney Vacation Club wing that’s part of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. As you may know, the Grand Floridian is one of Disney’s most iconic resorts. It sits along the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon and is easily recognizable with its white exterior and bright red roof. Most guests will notice the resort sitting across the water as they make their way to the entrance of Magic Kingdom. Given its proximity, the resort is only a short walk, boat, or monorail ride away from the theme park.
For this review, we’ll focus on the Grand Floridian Villas, which are formally called The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, a Disney Vacation Club Resort. Disney Vacation Club is synonymous with the word timeshare. Guests can purchase into the Disney timeshare program and use their points to reserve a variety of guest rooms in any of Disney’s Villa Resorts.
You do not, however, have to be an owner or hold any points to stay here as a guest. Disney makes rooms available to anyone who would like to book them. We’ve had the opportunity to stay in a deluxe studio in the villas wing and consider it an upgrade when compared to a standard resort room. Below, we’ll discuss our experience and other amenities you’ll find at the resort.
If you happened to stumble across this review and aren’t familiar with the types of resorts at Walt Disney World, let me provide a brief overview. Walt Disney World has over 20 resorts. Those resorts fall under categories like value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villa. The Grand Floridian is a deluxe resort. The Grand Floridian Villas, however, is a deluxe villa resort. Therefore, the resort and villas are two separate entities on the same property. This is the case with every deluxe resort at Disney World, except the Yacht Club. Major amenities like pools, recreation, and dining are shared among all resort guests.
Below, we have an updated map of the Grand Floridian Resort. If you look closely, you’ll see that The Villas building sits on one far side of the resort, consisting of rooms 1101-1622. Additionally, Big Pine Key transitioned to a DVC building in the resort’s last refurbishment. That building has a unique room type, a resort studio. We’ll touch on it and the other types of villas as we continue.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Villas opened in 2013. Those familiar with this portion of the resort will recognize the Mary Poppins fountain with penguins, which is the centerpiece of the lobby. If you are a regular resort guest, you will probably never see the fountain unless you make an effort to walk over to the villas. So, if you are a Mary Poppins fan, remember to check it out during your vacation.
One of the things I enjoy most about staying in The Villas is the privacy. The resort’s main lobby is often hustling and bustling with resort and day guests combined. So many people visit the resort for dining or to relax in the lobby for a bit. Each of the buildings at the resort has a mini-lobby.
Right outside the villa’s main entrance, you’ll find a porte-cochere. It’s a wonderful place to drop off your luggage when arriving by vehicle. However, if you require bell services, you’ll want to stop at the resort’s main entrance. This area is not staffed; a cast member will bring your things over from the main building. A separate parking lot sits adjacent to the building.
Below is a photo of our deluxe studio. This room is somewhat more spacious than a standard hotel room. It was also light and airy. The back of the room features a wall of windows that lead out to a balcony. Since this stay, these rooms have been slightly updated. The fold-out sofa has been replaced with a Murphy-style bed. So now the sofa folds down, and a queen-size bed is revealed in its place.
The deluxe studio at Grand Floridian Villas sleeps up to five guests. A separate trundle bed pulls down from underneath the television. It allows space for a small child to sleep. These beds are a bit smaller than a regular twin-size bed, so use your best judgment on whether or not it will work for that 5th member of your travel party.
The artwork detail in the trundle bed is precious. It says Sweet Dreams and features Dumbo and his mother.
Here’s a look at the space without the trundle in use. A table and two chairs provide a decent place to enjoy a meal or get a little work done if needed.
The deluxe studios have a regular queen-size bed. Lamp fixtures on each side of the bed provide a little extra reading light.
You’ll see additional square footage in the bath and kitchenette areas. The split bath is where the room upgrade really shines.
This space is split with a walk-in shower and a full-size vanity on one side. The opposite side features a toilet and a tub with a shower combination. The mirror over the vanity area featured a built-in television.
You could probably watch the news and keep up with current events if you like, but what fun would that be? The other half of the bathroom is a water closet of sorts with a tub and shower combination.
Guests with small children will appreciate the tub over the walk-in shower.
The extra walk-in shower, however, is a nice touch.
The shower also has a rain shower option in addition to a detachable shower head.
The kitchenette area is also a huge plus in a villa resort.
The kitchenette comes with the following amenities: a standard coffee maker with supplies, a toaster oven, paper towels, dishes, silverware, glassware, a mini fridge, and a sink.
As far as housekeeping goes, DVC members or guests who have rented DVC Points will receive the following:
For stays of 7 or less consecutive nights in the same Vacation Home, the Disney Vacation Club Resort will provide a “Trash & Towel” service on the fourth consecutive day of the stay.
For stays of 8 or more nights, Full Cleaning Service is provided on day 4 and Trash & Towel Service is provided on day 8 (after which the cycle begins again on day 12). This service schedule applies regardless of whether you are using a Member-discounted cash reservation, Vacation Points, or a combination of both.
This is standard across the board for all Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Regular guests receive daily housekeeping at deluxe resorts.
Refrigerators in the deluxe studios are larger than what you’ll find in the standard resort rooms.
Having a microwave is another perk. You won’t see microwaves in standard rooms or the new resort studio room type.
The closet in the room is a decent size, with several storage compartments.
A safe is tucked inside for storing valuables.
The only real issue with the room was the overall lack of storage. While the closet was a decent space, the only in-room storage was in the drawers under the bed.
We had a resort view room. It did, however, offer a pleasant view of the monorail.
I spent a decent amount of time out here during our stay and enjoyed the view.
Every morning, I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the balcony before preparing for the day. We have a separate guide with the details on where to get coffee at the Grand Floridian.
Regarding Room types at the Grand Floridian Villas, the following options are available:
- Resort Studio (Resort View, Preferred View, Theme Park View)
- Deluxe Studio (Resort and Preferred View)
- One-Bedroom Villa (Resort and Preferred View)
- Two-Bedroom Villa (Resort and Preferred View)
- Three-Bedroom Grand Villa (Preferred View)
All one-bedroom suites and larger feature at least one king bed mixed with various other combinations, a laundry room, multiple baths, and a full kitchen. Disney has added virtual tours in recent years for each floor plan on their website.
Outside of the actual room upgrades, the Grand Floridian Villas offer a few extras in the immediate area. For starters, the resort is conveniently located near the main resort’s entrance and lobby. A covered walkway is provided between the villas and the main building. It’s the only building that offers a covered walkway to the lobby.
The Grand Floridian Villas are only a few steps away from the Beach Pool. The pool has a zero-entry area, a feature water slide, and a waterfall. We rank it high on our list of the best pools at Disney World. For more photos and pool amenities, see our guide to the pools at Disney’s Grand Floridian.
Senses Spa and the hotel gym sit directly in front of the Villas.
The gym offers everything you need to maintain a normal fitness routine during your stay.
A barbecue and grilling area sits to the right of the fitness center. It’s a nice perk for the Disney Vacation Club.
Guests might also like to take advantage of the sports court, which sits in front of the parking lot. Equipment is available at the front desk inside the villas wing.
The Grand Floridian wedding chapel and the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort sit on the opposite side of the villas building.
This brings us to another huge perk of staying at the Grand Floridian Villas: the resort’s walkability. Not only can you walk to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, but you can also walk past the Polynesian to access the Transportation and Ticket Center. From there, you can board the monorail to Epcot.
Of course, you can also board the monorail at the Grand Floridian and take it all the way around to the Transportation and Ticket Center. But the walk is extremely pleasant. I wouldn’t miss taking a walk here for the world.
Plus, you can walk to and from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, we enjoyed our stay and prefer the deluxe studio over a standard room because of the kitchenette and bathroom layout. However, the most significant factor for us is almost always the price. We would pick a standard room over the deluxe studio if the price were more reasonable. You’ll want to consider those extra amenities when making your decision.
Guests of both deluxe and deluxe villa resorts get the same amenities, such as early theme park entry and extended evening benefits. You’ll want to make sure to take advantage of both these amenities during your stay.
As far as location goes, it’s hard to beat the Grand Floridian. If you plan to spend a good deal of time at Magic Kingdom, this resort is so convenient. The park is the next stop on the monorail when it leaves the resort. If you visit for a special event, like Mickey’s Halloween or Christmas Party, you’re going to love being able to get back to the room so quickly at the end of the night. You will also feel comfortable leaving the park for breaks when it gets hot or if you were to tire.
For more on Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, you might enjoy the following:
This review is part of our collection of Disney World Hotel Reviews. You may also find it helpful to explore our guide to Disney World Resorts for an overview of all resort options. Check back with Resorts Gal soon for more reviews and updates!
In the Comments
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