I stayed at Disney World's most expensive hotel that costs $900 a night. Here's what it was like and why it was worth every penny.

I stayed at the deluxe Grand Floridian Resort at Disney World.

Jenna Clark

• I stayed at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, where rooms cost $900 a night on average.
• I'd definitely stay again for its deluxe amenities, fireworks view, and proximity to Magic Kingdom.
• The "Mary Poppins"-themed rooms were beautiful and the most spacious I've seen at Disney World.

Even though I only live a couple of minutes from Disney World, I still enjoy a staycation. I was very excited to reserve a stay at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. 

My first and only other stay at this resort was more than 10 years ago on a family vacation, so I was looking forward to seeing the recently refurbished guest rooms that were part of the company's property-wide renovations tied to its 50th-anniversary celebration in 2023.

I booked a one-night stay in a standard room that typically costs about $900 a night. But the resort also has larger suites and villas that range over $4,000 a night. 

When we arrived, we had to pass through security.

There are security gates at the entrances to the parking lots at Disney World resorts.

Jenna Clark

Luckily passing through the gate didn't take long.

A member of the security team just asked to verify the name on the reservation and to see our IDs.

Once we were dropped off, we took some photos outside of the resort.

I stayed at the Grand Floridian with my sister Casey.

Jenna Clark

It was a beautiful day and I wanted to snap some photos outside of the resort before heading inside. 

A kind employee driving by in a club car offered to take our photos when he noticed me and my sister posing for a couple of selfies.

We took him up on his offer and grabbed a photo together.

Once we arrived at the front of the resort, we were greeted by a very personable employee.

We met Randy by the front door of the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

Randy was one of the nicest employees we met. When we told him we were checking in, he walked us inside while telling us some fun facts about the resort along the way.

I enjoyed listening to what he had to share about the hotel. The fun fact that stood out most to me is that the huge chandeliers in the lobby are supposed to resemble pineapples.

The check-in process was seamless.

We were greeted by more kind employees at the check-in desk.

Jenna Clark

There was no line to check in, which I was grateful for.

Though the official check-in time was 3:00 p.m., our room was ready when we arrived about 20 minutes prior.

As I checked in, I received a map of the resort illustrating the building with our room.

Our room was located in a separate building from the lobby.

Jenna Clark

Before leaving the desk, the employee handed me a map of the resort and circled the building we'd be staying in. 

I took some time to admire the beauty of the lobby.

The Grand Floridian has Victorian-style decor.

Jenna Clark

I was impressed by the lobby's theming.

I loved the Victorian-inspired decor with its beautiful sofas and hanging chandeliers.

I noticed a lot of characters decorating the floors, but my favorites were Prince Charming and Cinderella.

There are fun character motifs on the floor of the Grand Floridian lobby.

Jenna Clark

Not many people look down when walking through a hotel lobby, but in this instance, I was glad I did.

I saw a lot of characters on the floor including Chip from "Beauty and the Beast," Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy.

I also spotted Prince Charming and Cinderella.

The resort assigned us to room 8314 in the Boca Chica building located near the quiet pool.

We stayed in the Boca Chica building at the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

I was very happy with our room location since it wasn't too far from the main lobby building, which houses various shops and dining locations including the Grand Floridian Cafe, Cítricos, Enchanted Rose, Victoria & Albert's, and Gasparilla Grill. 

It only took us about three minutes to walk to our building, Boca Chica, from the lobby.

When I've stayed at other resorts in the past, I sometimes had to walk nearly a mile to get to the main building from my room or take an internal bus, which I find bothersome.

The resort is on the smaller side, but employees were still driving golf carts to drop off guests' luggage.

Compared to some other Disney resorts, the Grand Floridian was very walkable.

Jenna Clark

Even though an employee offered to drive me to my building in a club car, I declined as I didn't have any cash to tip and wouldn't have wanted to ride without doing so. 

I think it's a nice touch for guests though, the staff truly provides the utmost "princess treatment."

I've stayed at almost all of the resorts at Disney World and the Grand Floridian is the only one where I was ever offered a ride around the property.

Our building resembled a mini version of the lobby.

The Boca Chica building had its own mini lobby.

Jenna Clark

Upon walking into the Boca Chica building, one of the first things I noticed was that it looked like a miniature version of the main building with the lobby. 

It served as a wonderful spot for taking some more photos before heading up to our room.

The size of our room pleasantly surprised me.

Our room had two queen beds.

Jenna Clark

For a standard room with two queen-sized beds, I couldn't believe how spacious it was.

It had two televisions which I'd never seen in a standard-size room at Disney before.

Although it was just me and my sister staying in the room, I'd say it was large enough to comfortably fit at least four people.

It even had a second area I wasn't expecting.

There was a little living-room area in the hotel room.

Jenna Clark

I liked that there was a living area nestled in the back near the patio. It had a television, couch, chairs, and a coffee table.  

The room also had so much natural lighting, especially in this back section. 

I took full advantage to take some in-room photos and get some vitamin D.

The television was personalized, which made the room extra magical.

Our TV had our last name on the screen.

Jenna Clark

When I walked into the room, I was happy to see my last name written on the television screen.

It was a nice personal touch and made the room feel even more homelike.

One of the first things I do when I walk into a hotel room is test the bed and pillows.

I loved how comfortable the pillows were.

Jenna Clark

I'm quite specific when it comes to mattresses and pillows. But the bed was the most comfortable I've ever experienced at a Disney resort. 

Even when taking photos, I immediately noticed how soft the mattress was. My head sunk right into the pillows, which I loved.

The room decor was practically perfect.

There were "Mary Poppins" touches around the room.

Jenna Clark

One of the things I was most looking forward to during my stay was seeing the resort's newly-refurbished "Mary Poppins"-themed guest rooms.

From the ambient music played on the televisions to the artwork hung throughout the room, everything was practically perfect.  

I especially loved the chandelier in the room.

The chandelier had little birds along the edge.

Jenna Clark

My favorite piece of decor was the chandelier ornamented with glass birds.

The room also had a nice bathroom.

There were two sinks in the bathroom.

Jenna Clark

The room's bathroom was also spacious, with a beautiful shower and a double-sink vanity area.

I appreciated the complimentary toiletries in the bathroom.

Disney World offers H2O products in resort bathrooms.

Jenna Clark

What really impressed me about the bathroom was the complimentary products.

I love the scent of the H2O products, especially the sea salt ones, so it was lovely to use them during my stay.

Although I am not a coffee drinker, my room featured a coffee bar.

There was free coffee you could make in the room.

Jenna Clark

I don't drink coffee, so I didn't take advantage of the in-room coffee bar with a Keurig machine. 

But if I knew about it ahead of time, I would've brought some hot-cocoa K-Cups.

When I looked inside the closet, I noticed two pairs of Grand Floridian slippers and robes.

The little touches in the room were quite luxurious.

Jenna Clark

This is the only Disney World hotel I've stayed at where I've seen complimentary slippers.

Although they were just lightweight spa slippers, they were comfortable to wear when walking around the room and after taking a shower. 

I decided not to try on the matching robe, but it was super beautiful to look at.

The patio offered beautiful views of the resort and the quiet pool area.

Our room had an attached patio with a great view.

Jenna Clark

I don't think I could've asked for a better patio view, overlooking the quiet pool.

It offered a beautiful vantage point for the sunset.

After spending some time in the room, we went to explore the resort and came across a beautiful fountain.

The Grand Floridian property is really beautiful.

Jenna Clark

Naturally, I wanted to take some photos in front of the fountain because it was so beautiful. 

I think it might be one of my new favorite photo spots. I liked that I was able to really capture the resort's ambiance.

The beach area had several games guests could play.

There was a foosball table by the beach.

Jenna Clark

I didn't get too close because I didn't want to get all full of sand before dinner. But I noticed the resort had games available by the beach, including foosball, chess, and cornhole.

I decided to spend some more time in the lobby and watch the piano player.

There's a grand piano in the hotel lobby.

Jenna Clark

One of my favorite parts of my stay was watching and listening to the pianist play Disney classics for the guests in the lobby. 

I liked that he played a lot of songs from "Alice in Wonderland" since the movie is present in the resort's theming. 

When it was time for dinner, we headed up to the Enchanted Rose on the second floor of the main building.

Enchanted Rose is a themed lounge at the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

I couldn't stay at the Grand Floridian and not go to the Enchanted Rose.

It's themed after "Beauty and the Beast," which is my favorite Disney film.

The lounge surpasses many others on the property when it comes to theming.

Enchanted Rose is "Beauty and the Beast"-themed.

Jenna Clark

I requested to be seated at a table in the library room since I prefer the aesthetic.

I don't like bar environments as someone who doesn't drink alcohol, so I appreciate the different themed rooms. 

Enchanted Rose is home to one of the best nonalcoholic drinks on the property.

I love the rosemary cooler at Enchanted Rose.

Jenna Clark

Whenever I visit Enchanted Rose, I always get the rosemary cooler ($7).

It's a delicious blend of lemonade, vanilla, and rosemary — the perfect mix of bitter and sweet flavors.

We shared three small plates, but the seasonal flatbread was the best thing I tried.

There was a seasonal flatbread on the menu when I visited Enchanted Rose.

Jenna Clark

Since Enchanted Rose is a lounge and not a full-service restaurant, we shared three small plates: house-made truffle fries ($14), hummus ($12), and a seasonal flatbread ($18). 

The seasonal flatbread was my favorite. I loved how well the flavors from the artichoke, fig, and ricotta paired.

Sharing everything was enough food to make a meal, and I left satisfied. 

We wrapped up our meal just in time to head back outside for the fireworks.

You can watch Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

The Grand Floridian offers a great view of Magic Kingdom's nighttime fireworks show.

I prefer to watch the show outside of Gasparilla Grill. The music is played in the area and there's a great view of Cinderella Castle.

After the fireworks ended, the hotel employees were making magical moments for guests.

The employees had big Mickey Mouse hands on.

Jenna Clark

When all of the guests were leaving the area, a group of hotel employees put on Mickey Mouse gloves and encouraged everyone to shake their hands while heading back inside.

It was such a magical moment that left everyone smiling on their way out.

We decided to hop on the monorail and go over to Magic Kingdom for some extended theme-park hours.

There's a monorail station attached to the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

One of the best parts about staying at the Grand Floridian is its easy access to Magic Kingdom via the monorail, boat, or walkway. 

Since we were already near the main building, we decided to take the monorail. It was only one stop away from the theme park. 

The monorail got us to Magic Kingdom in just about three minutes, which was amazing.

Since the Grand Floridian is a deluxe resort, we had the option to spend an extra two hours at Magic Kingdom.

We decided to get ice cream at Magic Kingdom.

Jenna Clark

Normally, the extended hours at Magic Kingdom for Disney resort guests are on Wednesdays. But they fell on a Tuesday during my stay, and I wanted to take advantage of the benefit.

We hit up the ice-cream parlor on Main Street for a late-night treat. 

I was tired, so we decided to leave early and take the boat back to the resort.

There's a boat especially for resort guests.

Jenna Clark

The boat ride was fairly quick — less than 10 minutes — which was great when I was tired.

It was beautiful looking at the scenery and other resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon while traveling back to the Grand Floridian. 

The next morning, we checked out and took our luggage to bell services.

We were able to store our bags until we were ready to leave later in the day.

Jenna Clark

Check-out time is 11 a.m., but we were planning to eat breakfast around 10:30 a.m., so we had to store our bags. 

Since Disney hotels have automatic check-out, we just left the room without stopping at the front desk, which I found very convenient. 

Luckily, the bell-service employees were able to store our luggage for us until we were ready to leave later that day.

We headed over to the Grand Floridian Cafe to see if the breakfast lived up to the hype.

The Grand Floridian Cafe is known for its breakfast menu.

Jenna Clark

I'd always heard about how good the breakfast is at Grand Floridian Cafe, and I decided there was no better time to try it out for myself.

I added my party to the walk-up list and we were seated within 30 minutes, which was very convenient considering we didn't have a reservation.

I ordered the chicken and waffles, which were delicious.

The dish was served with a Mickey-shaped waffle.

Jenna Clark

I appreciated that the meal was served with a gigantic Mickey-shaped waffle as opposed to a regular waffle. It added to the magic of dining at Disney. 

I ordered the sriracha on the side because I thought it was going to be spicy. But I ended up not being spicy at all, which I liked. 

After breakfast, I spent some time relaxing in the main pool area.

There are two pool areas at the Grand Floridian.

Jenna Clark

It was very fortunate that the weather was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny because I wanted to go swimming and enjoy the pool. 

Since this was the family pool, there was music playing, children having fun, and adults taking advantage of the poolside bar. 

There were some private cabanas that could be rented. I didn't opt to do that, but it's good to know that's an option if you're looking for something more private. 

Overall, it was a fun place to be. I especially liked the throwback Disney Channel tunes that were playing. 

Before heading into the water, I spent some time soaking in the sun.

I spent a beautiful day at the Grand Floridian pool.

Jenna Clark

I found the pool chairs to be very comfortable — I liked that they were padded. 

Since water cups are free, I got a couple to make sure I stayed hydrated while sitting outside.

When I had enough fun in the sun, I went back to collect my bags and came across these beautiful cars.

There are vintage cars parked near the entrance to the resort.

Jenna Clark

The vintage cars were interesting to look at while I waited for the employee to retrieve my bags.

My stay at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa was nothing short of magical.

I'd love to come back to the resort.

Jenna Clark

My stay at the Grand Floridian was one of my favorites on the property to date. 

It was expensive, but the beautiful rooms and amenities along with the high-quality guest service made it worth it. I definitely want to come back. 

A lot of magic happens at the theme parks, but it also comes from the resorts. Grand Floridian definitely left me with some magical memories.

Business Insider paid a media rate of $480 for this hotel stay. The full rate was about $900.

This story was originally published in February 2023 and most recently updated on April 18, 2024. 

Read the original article on Business Insider

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