The grandest of DVC episodes starts here! Join a panel of experts to dive deep into Disney Vacation Club’s Villas at the Grand Floridian room types. From studios to the grand villas, we’ll talk about the views, the new DVC building at Big Pine Key, the value of our points, and tips for owning at the Grand Flo. Listen all the way to the end of this episode for some great tips on which rooms to request for your next Grand Floridian DVC stay. Special shout out to DVC News for their in-depth guide to all things DVC. Episode 201
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The grandest of episodes starts here! Join Tim, DVC News contributor, and owner at Disney Vacation Club’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, DVC’s Boardwalk Villas, and Disney Vacation Club’s Riviera Resort; Emily, of the DVC Round Table and Resort Loop as well as owner at Disney Vacation Club’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa and DVC’s Villas at the Grand Floridian; and Matt, owner at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows and DVC’s Villas at the Grand Floridian.
Let’s start with Disney Vacation Club’s Villas at the Grand Floridian room views options. We get a whopping three choices of room view types at DVC’s Villas at the Grand Floridian. They include standard view, lake view, and theme park view where you can get a sweet glimpse of the Walt Disney World in Florida’s Magic Kingdom theme park. Emily has only ever stayed in the standard view rooms at DVC’s Villas at Grand Floridian but has been lucky to score partial theme park views of the Magic Kingdom or a nice pool view. Emily recommends asking for a fireworks view to be able to see the Magic Kingdom’s nighttime show. Matt has stayed only in lake view rooms in studios and in one bedroom Disney Vacation Club Villas while at Grand Floridian. He loves that you can see Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle with that view. Tim has stayed in standard view rooms as well while staying at DVC’s Villas at Grand Floridian.
The theme park view rooms at Disney Vacation Club’s Villas at Grand Floridian will only exist in the brand newly converted DVC building, Big Pine Key. These resort studio rooms will cost you a lot of points because there is no better view than facing the Magic Kingdom from DVC’s Grand Floridian. These points will cost you a pretty penny though, breaking 50 points per night for a studio at the most popular times of the year for Disney Vacation Club members. Emily believes that if there’s a club room style aspect to these theme park rooms, it would make it worth it.
However, these new room types do not have kitchenettes, so seasoned Disney Vacation Club members who want our bread and butter amenities like a kitchenette, you won’t find them here. Since Disney Vacation Club’s Villas at the Grand Floridian Big Pine Key building is converted from the Disney hotel side, they are much more like hotel rooms than deluxe studio rooms that we love in Disney Vacation Club. However, if you want two queen beds in a studio room, you can get them here at DVC’s Villas at Grand Floridian Big Pine Key resort rooms. This is also true for the bathrooms in these new Grand Floridian rooms. Comparing these new resort rooms to the existing Grand Floridian studios, members might feel that they’re losing amenities other than the kitchenette, like additional bathroom space. These resort studios at DVC’s Grand Floridian are a little bit bigger than the deluxe studios.
If you’re lucky enough to get one of the DVC Grand Floridian resort studio rooms overlooking the quiet pool, there are a few resort studio rooms that will be bigger than the rest. These rooms will quickly become some of the most requested by Disney Vacation Club members at the Villas at the Grand Floridian. Not all the rooms in the Grand Floridian Big Pine Key building will be configured the same. Because the Big Pine Key resort studios are retro-fitted at the Grand Floridian, there will be many options for room layouts. Keep an eye on dvcnews.com for more information.
Both Emily and Matt have stayed in DVC’s Villas at the Grand Floridian 1-bedroom units as well. These are some of the fanciest rooms in all of the Disney Vacation Club network. The layouts in these 1-bedroom units host a circular design, which is unique and efficient for moving around the unit. These Grand Floridian units also have a split bathroom that allows for privacy between travel party members or between parents and kids. Matt recommends hitting up Basin in Disney Springs and picking up some luxurious bath bombs to enjoy in the 1-bedroom Villas at the Grand Floridian.
The 2-bedroom units can be either dedicated 2-bedroom units or a 1-bedroom and a studio lockoff combination. If you need a studio and a 1-bedroom independently, booking it as a lockoff is a better deal points-wise than if you booked those DVC Grand Floridian rooms separately. This is known as the Disney Vacation Club “lockoff premium,” but this DVC topic we’ll need to save for another time.
If you want a bougie experience within Disney Vacation Club, book the Grand Floridian’s Grand Villa. It contains a private media room! These DVC Grand Floridian Grand Villas are popular reservations for events like bachelorette/bachelor parties, baby showers, and more. These Grand Villas at DVC’s Grand Floridian all have a technical lake view designation, but most have good views of the Magic Kingdom as well. The Grand Floridian’s Grand Villas also exist on one level, so they feel quite spacious, especially if you have a large party. As a bonus, the Grand Floridian Grand Villas also have the shortest walk to both pools where you can rent cabanas.
Let’s talk DVC points. If you’re a Disney Vacation Club points stretcher, this resort is not for you. However, some of the lowest dues in all of DIsney Vacation Club can be found right here at DVC’s Villas at the Grand Floridian. Grand Floridian is a great resort to own as long as you stay at it sparingly and really take advantage of your DVC 7-month booking window. These Grand Floridian rooms are also easy to rent, especially to bridal parties because Walt Disney World’s Wedding Pavilion also exists at the Grand Floridian. Don’t forget the ease of the monorail at DVC’s Grand Floridian. This is one of the best deals in terms of where to own your points long-term within the Disney Vacation Club network.
If you’re looking to book some of the most desirable rooms at the Grand Floridian, look no further than the original Grand Floridian building’s standard view rooms on the third floor or higher. You can see a great view of Disney’s monorail from here. Check out the far west side of that building where a small “L” section of the building exists. You can find simultaneous pool and monorail views at DVC’s Grand Floridian here. If you’re going to spend the DVC points on lake view, try to get in the building closest to Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows because you can sometimes score a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks and the water pageant. Did we convince you that Disney Vacation Club’s Villas at the Grand Floridian is your next DVC home? Even if you don’t own your points at the Grand Floridian, we encourage you to stay here just once and try it for yourself.
Credits:
- Chad Pennycuff – Host and Curator of Magical Stories at My DVC Points
- Sam Schapman – Episode Producer
- Tim Krasniewski – Guest
- Emily Hicks – Guest
- Matthew Chase – Guest
- Derek Sasman – Audio Editing
- Jill Creighton – Show Notes
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