Grand Californian

[Belle]

Hey everyone!

Well, as some of you may know, I am trying to swing making it out to the DL Half in Sept! :clap: I am researching hotels, and I trust you all much more than I do the travel reviews on the various hotel websites. So.... have any of you stayed at the GC or the Disneyland Hotel? I'd love some feedback - was it worth the $$$, would you do anything different, is there anything special, etc...

Thanks a bunch! :grouphug:

{hugs}
Belle

[LisaG]

I've stayed at all 3 DL hotels. I prefer the Disneyland Hotel the best. I thought the GRand California was just too expensive and the level of service just didn't justify the added expense. Don't forget Paradise Pier when pricing. Not as much theming as the Disneyland Hotel but still very nice. We were able to stay there at Concierge level for $179 a night once (half what we paid for just a room at Grand California). Oh and PP has a Stitch and Lilo character meal now - though we have not tried that one yet.

The Disneyland Hotel has the best pool hands down and is located near the Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Zone for additional restaurants. Plus my favorite character meal at DL is there - Goofy's kitchen. We love the breakfast there.

[WDWDen]

Hey Belle, Jenine and I stayed at the GC Concierge back in 2002. We had a view of the Grizzley River in CA. The monorail went right past my window!! It was a great place, but the hallways were very long and the pool area was pretty lame. It was also gated in and closed at about 10pm. The overall atmosphere was nice, but not like the WL or AKL.

It is very close to both parks, so walking is easy. Downtown Disney is right there too, so you don't even need a car unless your heading off property.

If I do make it in Sept, we wouldnt hesitate to stay there again. Although I would like to try one of the others. Maybe we'll go for the DL Hotel for the pool.

One thing that annoyed me was, it was very expensive and we stayed concierge level. Well, I left my day planner there during some confussion with our town car service. I called the conceirge staff and they found it and shipped it to me. The lame part was, they added a $20+ charge to my room bill. Its not really a big deal and it was great that they shipped it to me, but I've heard so many great stories about concierge staff shipping things for free over the years that I guess I expected them too. It was not a big deal, but it did leave a tainted taste in my mouth.

If you stay there, you won't be disappointed! :-) Hopefully we'll see ya there! :-)

[Joe]

We have stayed at the PP and the GC, hope to try the DL Hotel with our next trip. The advantage to the GC, I think, is its proximity to Downtown Disney and the parks. But I think I would not stay there again, it is really expensive for what you get. We did enjoy the atmosphere, think WL, but just not sure the $$$ were worth it.
JMHO, your mileage may vary.
Joe

[pixie]

I now have two hotels! :roll: I booked the GC today and need to decide if it's worth it. They didn't have any availability at DL or PP as of now. The woman (Helen) was awesome. I asked to speak with a supervisor when we were done so I could tell them she is the most informative and patient CM I have ever encountered.

I found a site with great pictures and when I went to show them to DH they were gone. Now I can't find the same site again.

So, Belle, I am interested in feedback too.

[roodad]

I have stayed at the DL and GC and favor the DL. IMHO, the GC is just not worth the extra money you pay there and I felt the staff failed to come up to Disney standards - they acted like doing their freakin jobs was an imposition. Nevertheless, I love the architecture of the gc and the restaurants there are excellent. I found the DL staff to be very pleasant and feel the pool there is superior (although certainly not up to the standard of Stormalong). If you have a car, parking access is much better at the DL. I like the rooms of the DL, especially the armoire, which has a scene of an early DL conceptual drawing on the doors. Access to DD and the parks is a breeze from the DL, although access to DCA from the GC is obviously better. I am hoping that the DL will have enough cancellations for me to get in there for the half - if not, I will try to get in at one of the good neighbor hotels.

[Photographer]

I've stayed at Paradise Pier Hotel and Disneyland Hotel. Personally, I prefer the PP because of the beach theme, color schemes, and view of DCA. I treated my roommate and myself a few years back to a stay for our birthdays. We had a great view of DCA and although the windows only open a little, could hear the music playing. I looked at the pool quickly. I think it was plain and on one of the higher floors, outside. They have PCH Grille, an arcade, a gym, and a coffee/pastry shop.

DL hotel has a great entry, you FEEL the magic upon arrival, no doubt about it. The pool is themed as Neverland and is very cute. They have remote control Jungle Cruise boats, a bar, a to-go burger place, Goofy's Kitchen, and an arcade. For me the rooms were too busy. The carpet is a pattern, the drapes are a pattern, the comforter was a pattern and I can't remember the wallpaper but it was just too much visually. The bathroom was cool.

If I come across any of my CDs with photos, I'll send them your way.

[Belle]

Thanks for the info everyone -- good to know about the availability too Pixie :? I was leaning toward DL, so of course they are booked :roll:

Hmmmm....

[Ursulinda]

Some of us are staying around the corner at the Candy Cane Inn. you might want to try that for a more inexpensive choice.