Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The property opened on June 28, 1988, as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997. The resort contains 867 rooms among six buildings at an average of 400 square feet (37 m2) per room.
| Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Magic Kingdom Resort Area |
| Resort type | Deluxe |
| Opened | June 28, 1988 |
| Theme | Victorian seaside resort |
| Areas |
|
| Rooms | 867 |
| Suites | 25, including the Victorian Suite, the Roy O. Disney Suite, the Walt Disney Suite, and the Grand Suite |
| Green lodge | Yes |
| Website | Official website  |
The Grand Floridian is categorized as a "deluxe" resort. It is also distinguished as Disney's flagship and most opulent resort.[1]
History and influences
editThe Grand Floridian was inspired by the Victorian-era beach resorts built along Florida's east coast during the late 19th and early 20th century. Its exterior is modelled after the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, and Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California, with red gabled roofs and white walls.[2] Additional design inspiration was taken from the former Belleview-Biltmore Hotel in Belleair, Florida.[2]
Initially, Walt Disney wanted a Polynesian resort (reflecting Adventureland), the Contemporary Resort to echo Tomorrowland, and other resorts that mirrored the 'lands' of the Magic Kingdom. Main Street and The Grand Floridian act as analogous reflections. The resort was designed by the Disney company and executed by the architectural firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo.[3]
Along with Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, the Grand Floridian sits on the shores of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon near the Magic Kingdom. The hotel occupies land that had been earmarked for an Asian-themed resort during the initial development of Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1960s.[4] The Beach Boys performed at the Grand Floridian in 1988 to film the music video for their song Kokomo.[5][6][7][8] In 1992, a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) convention center opened adjacent to the hotel, which contains a business center.
Incidents
edit- On October 9, 1989, a 33-year-old woman from Glen Cove, New York, was killed when a tiny speedboat collided with a ferry boat. She and her 8-year-old son were broadsided by the ferry while trying to videotape friends and family members who were water skiing in the Seven Seas Lagoon. A crew member and a visitor on the ferry dove into the water and rescued her son. The boy was not hurt in the accident.[9] The family sued Disney for $240 million, claiming that the ferry's operators should have seen the speedboat before it came so close.[10]
- On June 14, 2016, two-year-old child Lane Graves was fatally attacked by an American alligator which dragged him from the shore of the resort's beach into the Seven Seas Lagoon. The child's body was recovered a day later.[11][12][13] A lighthouse sculpture paying tribute to the child was unveiled in 2017 at the resort near the incident's location.[14]
Gallery
edit-
The lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort
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The Port Cochere of the Villas
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A view of the Grand Floridian from the monorail 150km with Cinderella Castle, 2007
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The Grand Floridian property as viewed from the entrance to the Magic Kingdom
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Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa taken from Seven Seas Lagoon
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Sculpture dedicated to Lane Graves, a boy killed by a wild alligator at the resort in 2016
See also
edit- Victoria & Albert's
- 1900 Park Fare
References
edit- ^ "Grand Floridian Construction Project". Laughing Place. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009.
- ^ a b Kurtti, Jeff (1996). Since the World Began: Walt Disney World, The First 25 Years. New York, New York: Hyperion. p. 125. ISBN 0-7868-6248-3.
- ^ Dunlop, Beth (1996). Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p. 107. ISBN 0-810931427.
- ^ "Walt Disney World A History in Postcards".
- ^ "The Beach Boys Kokomo Soundtrack Cocktail". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021.
- ^ "John Stamos talks Beach Boys, haircuts, which 'Full House' set pieces he owns, his 'Kokomo' tank-top, Huntsville concert, more". AL.com. July 2014.
- ^ "25 years ago: Love it? Hate it? "Kokomo" was #1 for the Beach Boys - David Carroll's Chattanooga Radio and TV". David Carroll's Chattanooga Radio and TV. October 13, 2013.
- ^ Lambert, Molly (July 31, 2015). "Chasing Kokomo: The Secretly Dark 'Cocktail'". Grantland.
- ^ "Woman killed when boat collides with ferry at Disney". Boca Raton News. October 11, 1989. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ "Victim's Kin Sue Disney Over Fatal Boat Collision". Orlando Sentinel. February 25, 1990. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "Alligator attacks 2-year-old boy at Disney's Grand Floridian, recovery effort continues - Orlando Sentinel". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ "Alligator drags two-year-old boy into lagoon at Disney World resort in Florida". June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ "Alligator attack at Disney World: two-year-old boy's body recovered from lake". The Guardian. June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ Stump, Scott (August 8, 2017). "Disney World Unveils Lighthouse Sculpture to Honor 2-Year-Old Boy Killed by Alligator". Today. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
External links
edit28°24′41″N 81°35′12″W / 28.411444°N 81.586792°W
| Preceding station | Walt Disney World Monorail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney's Polynesian Village Resort One-way operation
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Resort Line | Magic Kingdom Park Next clockwise
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