Show the lowest price for this hotel
All About the Extras
Children receive activity books and crayons at check-in as well as a pin if they're celebrating a birthday. Private in-room babysitting or parents' helpers can be arranged by contacting Kids' Nite Out, Disney World's preferred childcare provider at (407)828-0920.
Grand Floridian Spa & Health club (located in its own building part way between Grand Floridian and the Polynesian resort) offers a full-service gym with treadmills, stair steppers, upright and recumbent cycles, elliptical cross trainers, Smith machine, cable crossover and free weights. The Health Club also features a full circuit of Life Fitness and Precor strength equipment. Guests must be at least 14 years of age to use the equipment, and an adult must accompany teens ages 14 to 17.
Facials, body therapies, soaks, massages, wraps, manicures and pedicures are all on the spa menu. Children ages 4 to 12 can try a facial, pedicure, massage or manicure (each treatment is 25 minutes and a parent must be present).
Like all Disney resorts, children are treated like VIPs. It is not unusual for staff to hand out stickers to children passing by or flowers to little girls dressed as princesses. And of course, in room TVs offer plenty of Disney programming for kids.
Recently renovated guest rooms (2007) have beautiful curved desks, upgraded pillow-top mattresses, flat-screen TVs, plus new wall treatments, bedding and carpets. Search for the hidden Mickeys carved in the desk legs, as well as other classic Disney characters which are very subtly placed on the bedspreads, the topiaries in the wallpaper, and even in the drapery pattern too.
"Extra Magic Hours" allow all Disney Resort guests to take advantage of shorter waits for their favorite rides each day when one Disney theme park opens an hour early or stays open up to three hours after the official park closing. Check the weekly schedule when you arrive.
Over 20 percent of Grand Floridian's rooms and suites (more than any other Disney resort) are considered concierge-level, where guests receive added perks like attentive help with booking park tickets and dining reservations, printing out airline boarding passes, plus access to the concierge lounges.
Getting There
Introduced in 2005, guests of 23 Disney owned-and-operated hotels can use Disney's complimentary "Disney's Magical Express" service and check their bags at their hometown airport, bypass baggage claim at Orlando International Airport, and take Disney's comfortable motor coaches to their resort, where your bags "magically" appear in your room, albeit a while after check-in.
The service must be booked in advance and is not available with all airlines. Check with a Disney agent when you make your reservation. If your airline is not a program participant, you can still take the complimentary bus; just claim your bags in baggage claim then head to Disney's Magical Express desk in the airport for your bus assignment. Note: Return bus service is scheduled three hours before your flight time.
With all that extra time at the airport, we discovered a great restaurant in the Hyatt lobby that is located directly above the security lines. Take the elevator up to 4 where you can relax in comfortable chairs, watch TV, or dine on sandwiches, sushi, delicious omelets and assorted other items at McCoy's restaurant. Children receive a wooden airplane loaded up with chubby crayons for use during the meal.
For those driving and/or renting a car the resort is approximately 26 miles from Orlando International Airport.
The Art of Smart Timing<%2525252Fspan>
Disney's value season, January to mid-February, late July to October 1st, and post-Thanksgiving through mid-December, is where you'll find not only the best pricing, but also the smaller crowds and shorter wait
Show the lowest price for this hotel
Sure, free drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi rank high on the lists of most desirable hotel perks among travelers in general, but when it comes to visiting with kids in tow, which hotel amenities are most revered by families? From onsite airline check-in to in-room babysitting and kid concierges, con...
Favorite family biking locales in North America combine stunning scenery with a relatively easy grid of bike trails and uncongested backcountry roads. All of these locales offer exhilarating rides, guaranteed to inspire all ages to travel on two wheels. Many of the cities on the list, like San Anton...
1. Celebrate a Historic Anniversary. Boston's historic Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary this year -- the perfect time to take in a ballgame while enjoying the history of America throughout the city. Give your school-aged children an up-close and personal history lesson by visiting some ...
The unofficial start to summer is nearly here, and this May 25 to 28 weekend is filled with enticing deals for families. Get out there and start your summer!
Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Escape to the Colorado mountains for a two-night Memorial Day Family Escape at the Broadmoor. ...
There are few rites of passage as exciting as taking a child on his or her first camping trip. Families bond while roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, making shadow animals on the tent wall, chasing after fireflies and inhaling fragrant whiffs of pine. Whether you are an experienced camper from pre-...
1. The National Mall
There's no question that the National Mall, the two-mile strip of wide-open green stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol and surrounded by Smithsonian museums and national monuments, is a must-see destination for kids. "The Mall," chock full of our nation'...
1. gogo Kidz Travelmate
If you're traveling with a child weighing less than 50 pounds, you won't want to leave home without this ingenious contraption that in seconds lets parents convert most car seats into a stroller. With the gogo Kidz Travelmate, there's no more lugging both a heavy car seat ...
On a recent ski vacation, my family of five traveled with five cellphones, three laptops, three iPads, two iPods and just for good measure, a GPS! Given the prevalence of electronic devices in our daily lives and our somewhat compulsive reliance upon them, taking a true vacation feels almost imposs...
The 1969 film, "If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium," depicted a funny, but sometimes all too true, look at a tour group of Americans traveling through Europe so quickly they barely knew where they were and what they were seeing.
Today, tour groups are quickly becoming an attractive option for ...
When you think of an all-inclusive vacation, your mind goes straight to the Caribbean, doesn't it? But you don't need to leave the country to get an all-in-one vacation -- resorts in the U.S. also provide all-inclusive getaways with accommodations, meals, and activities all packaged in one easy pric...