Has anyone heard Pete’s commentary from this week’s Dis Unplugged where he mentions his recent stay at the GF being terrible? My husband and I are scheduled to stay there on a great FL resident rate in 38 days and I am scared I am going to miss my beloved POR or the awesome refurbed rooms at Pop. Anyone have any encouragement to share? I never thought I’d stay at the GF so part of me thinks we should go for it no matter what just to mark it off our list, but I really want to have a great trip!
Really curious as to what happened, because he did not sound pleased at all.
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Didn’t hear the podcast by but every time we have stayed at the GF it has been fantastic. Beautiful surroundings, lovely swimming pools and great access to MK.
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We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa at GF a few months ago and had a wonderul time. I agree that the grounds and pools are beautiful. Even though we were in a standard view room, we were still able to see some of the fireworks from our balcony. There are a good variety of dining options there too.
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Sorry, but I would ignore what anyone has to say and plan your vacation.
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Just as point of reference he did clarify this was hotel side not villa/DVC side
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I actually am very curious to hear his review. One of the things I personally like about them is they don’t candy-coat anything and aren’t afraid to be blunt and honest about their experiences. If Pete said it was bad, it must have been.
That said I believe anyone can have a bad day and even the best can make mistakes. I also think sometimes if things start going wrong and are not addressed and resolved it can escalate in one’s mind and snowball.
If I were you i wouldn’t change anything. I might listen to what he has to say and perhaps be a little more watchful for the issues he had so as to avoid them yourself. But one bad review doesn’t erase decades of good service
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Thanks for clarifying! I mentioned that we were in a villa to imply that I am not familiar with the rooms on the hotel side, but I did enjoy the grounds, restaurants, and pools. Sorry if I made things more confusing by adding that detail!
I think you have to do your research and you have to understand the risks.
There are few things at WDW where you won’t find someone saying it (hotel or restaurant) was terrible or disappointing.
I’ve frequently talked about my “awful” stay at the Poly. Other people will tell you how much they love the resort. A wise vacationer will listen to both accounts to try to understand how the difference in opinion arose.
Expectations can be a big part of it. Again, these can be made reasonable by doing research.
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I’ve not stayed there, but have been there numerous times for meals, looking around, etc. I’ve not heard his review, but I can’t imagine being disappointed in the GF compared to POR…
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One of my doctors was there recently (GF) on a multi generational trip and the family loved it. I will be watching for Pete’s review because I am curious.
I have been laps with my watching the v-logs so I started to watch. I don’t know what happened but it must have been bad, because he is mad.
I have to say - I was mad, sad, heartbroken- after my AKL CL stay. I will tell people about my experience if asked, but I am at the point that I think if someone wanted to stay there I would tell them to do it. I would hope their trip would be everything I was hoping for when I booked.
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Watching a few other of Pete’s reviews his expectations and priorities do not always match up with my own. That said he probably makes a better critic than me!
The GF has not had a refurbishment in n a while for starters and he is very critical of things being worn. And it sounds like he had a service issue which he is 100% intolerant of. My family had a lovely stay there in 2017 because:
- beautiful property that is never crowded
- GFC is almost as convienient as QS and great, and Gasparilla grill is great QS
- easy transportation
- all interactions with CM were great
I loved POR too. GF is like a smaller, fancier POR with less “around the resort” theming (but still themed!) better food choices and more conveniently located.
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I trust the Dis reviews probably more than I should. I am a huge foodie, and pretty much Pete is my go to for all things dining related at Disney. That being said, I do think that the guys at the Dis have a different perspective because they live there and go often. They also get to experience the best of the best - so comparing GF to say his recent amazing experience at Beach Club (may have been Boardwalk - can’t remember) is a bit different than comparing a deluxe to a moderate. I think that it may not be up to Pete’s gold standard, but for a regular, moderately high-maintenance human like myself I would be shocked if the GF did not please me.
Can’t wait to hear the review, though. Love to listen to their stuff. Appreciate their candid honesty.
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I’ve never stayed at GF, but generally in life I find that people who have bad experiences are the loudest, so people hear them and think “oh no how horrible” but they don’t hear from the thousands of people who had wonderful experiences. Bad experiences happen absolutely everywhere - I once got to All-Star Sports, walked clear across the property to my room, and found housekeeping still in there tossing the room. I had to haul my stuff all the way back across the grounds to the front desk - the CM was pretty horrified and super apologetic, got me another room (that was actually available) and gave me a $50 food voucher for the trouble.
Is it possible that you’ll have an absolutely terrible time? Sure, it’s possible. But I would bet a lot of money that won’t be the case. GF has the reputation it does for a reason.
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Stayed at GF last summer for a week. It was excellent. Zero complaints at all.
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We stayed at the GF last September. We got a great deal from MVT and had never stayed there so wanted to try it. I will say we weren’t as blown away as we were hoping to be. The decor in the room didn’t appeal to us. The service was ok but I didn’t consider it amazing. Loved the boat to MK though.
I would say keep it to try it. People like different things (we decided after this trip we were truly BC/YC people), but you won’t know until you’ve given it a try if it’s up your alley or not. I’ve heard so many people say they thought GF was amazing.
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I have not listened to Pete’s commentary, but I just stayed at the GF in March for my birthday and it was lovely. The lobby is stunning, the grounds are beautiful, the pools are nice, there are good dining choices, transportation to the MK is wonderful and I loved relaxing on our balcony overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon. We had some issues with housekeeping, but that wasn’t enough to spoil our stay. I love POR too, but I was glad we were able to stay at the GF for my birthday.
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If I was to stay at a monorail resort again (not likely), GF would definitely be my first choice. I’ve stayed at the CR, and it’s sterile “moderness” is no different than the numerous Marriotts, Hiltons, Omnis, etc. that I have stayed in over the years. If I wanted no identifiable theming (other than a few remaining hints of 70s moderne) I’d stay off site for a fraction of the cost.
I’ve never been interested in the Poly. Even when I first saw it as a teen back in the 70s, all I could think about were the cheesy “Polynesian” restaurants I used to go to with my parents (although the original lobby waterfall was great; the only thing I really liked about the place). The 21st century “corporate tropical” overlay of the 70s kitsch only made it worse. And even more expensive than it was previously.
The GF is the epitome of luxury, from the awe-inspiring lobby, to the beautifully tended grounds, to the location and water views. Not to mention 3 top shelf TS restaurants. But the only way I would stay there is if I got a really good deal on DVC rental points. To me, NO hotel is worth what they charge as “rack rate” to stay there…
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