We just arrived home from our magical vacay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. We had a fantastical Disney-cation as always, but this trip involved an unusual plot twist. We booked club level outer building~ Sugar Loaf for our seven night stay. In case you didn’t know, The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has two different club levels, one in the main building~ Royal Palm and one in the outer building~ Sugar Loaf. According to the cast members, the only difference between RP and SL is the location and more importantly the price (RP, pricier.) The food, drinks and concierge service are reportedly equal. The Royal Palm is located within the main building and its closest to the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, pianist, shopping, monorail and fine dining. Sugar Loaf is just a quick stroll away in an outer building and it’s closer to the things we enjoy; the Marina, Gasparilla’s Island Grill, the Water Taxi and the Courtyard Pool.

O.K. Dawn, onward and upward with the unusual plot twist….. In problem solving there are 5 W’s used for gathering information. When, Where, What, Who and Why, I will use this format in sharing our fortuitous phenomenon with you. Why, you ask? Because its fun and I feel like it, hehe!

• When– it was the third day of our trip
• Where– Sugar Loaf building
• What– a large piece of ceiling tile fell down into the lobby, thankfully injuring no one in its path.
• Who– According to a co-worker, the cast member had just left her desk to grab bottled waters for a guest when the tile came crashing down. Needless to say, thank goodness for the needy, bothersome, thirsty patron or the cast member might be toast and not the kind you want to eat, ba-bum-ching. We came back from the parks, exhausted and noticed total mayhem in the Sugar Loaf lobby. So much so, they gave everyone staying in the Sugar Loaf building an old-school key card for the Royal Palm concierge service until they repaired the ceiling, but more importantly the mess in our lobby.
• Why– who cares why, The Beverly Hillbillies are on their way, Royal Palm here we come. Just kidding , the real Why– We deserved it for our inconvenience and the pure destruction that took over our once quiet lobby.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I now have the skinny on both club levels and can pass on my personal experiences with you. People who say they are the same are insane in the membrane, I felt they were very different. The food and the drinks might be really close, but NOT identical from my experience. The cast members were “on their game” in the main building. Funny thing, the same cast members worked both; but seemed more “with it” in the main building. The truth is, the Royal Palm felt quite different, almost regal and I really hoped it would feel equal. I guess you get what you pay for! I don’t want to throw all the cast members in the Sugar Loaf building under the bus, there were a few front runners, but unfortunately most looked glum, overworked and almost as if they were annoyed by our presence. The Royal Palm Club is our jam! To quote the refined words of my hubby whilst sipping a glass of Champs with his pinky up~ “I work hard so that we can have this (Royal Palm) on vacation and that (thumb gesture towards Sugar Loaf) isn’t this!” Woot….

View of RPC from 5th floor

Pinky up

I would definitely stay at the Grand Floridian Resort again, either in a standard room or in the Royal Palm Club. I did not find the resort to be fru fru or snobby in any way. I actually love the one, the only Richard located near the porte cochère. I also loved the rooms and room size and it felt very disneyious to my family. The Polynesian Village Resort is really our family’s fave, but GFR is a close 2nd, in a different kind of way. We had a lot of great experiences whilst there and will look back on our stay with fond memories. (trip review coming soon)