Grand Californian DCA entrance

[yeartolate]

This may have been touched on before.

We have used GC entrance to DCA repeatedly when not staying at the hotel. We have never been asked if we were hotel guests before. When enquirning in the past whether not hotel guests could use the entrace - the answer has repeatedly been "yes!"

Clearly this is no longer true. They made sure every group of guests had a hotel key. On family tried to get in after a meal at Storytellers and was (at least initially) told to go around. I am not sure what happened after we left.


Also, I was hoping to exit PP DCA exit to got to Stitch Breakfast - I was told this is not longer an active entrace/exit.

I hope this info is of help.

 

[boosmom96]

We were just there and we had to show our GC card everytime we used the entrance. (I don't know if they were looking to see if we were staying at GC or not. All the DLR hotel cards look the same.)

 

[CalGal]

We were at GCH last week and had to show our hotel key twice; we probably went through the entrance around 10 times.

You'd think that if you were eating at one of the GCH restaurants it would be OK.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

The PPH exclusive entrance has been closed since the beginning of this year, I think.

The GC entrance is news to me. We used it in June this year. Maybe there were just too many non-GC guests using it.

Thanks for the update yeartolate

 

[iceskatejen]

I used the GC entrance into DCA on Tuesday after eating dinner at Whitewater. I've never been asked to show a hotel key. Usually, if your ticket/pass has been scanned by DCA's front gates, they let you in no problem.

 

[yeartolate]

We mostly were using the entrance in the mornings and very early afternoon - I wonder if this was the difference.

 

[needalatte]

Do you show your key or do they scan it at the GCH entrance?

 

[yeartolate]

You show one key for your group.

 

[minniecarousel]

hmmm.....what's to say someone doesn't show an old GC key card? I'm sure I've got an old one around here somewhere - but we're staying at DH next time.

 

[Tink33]

I think if you are not staying at the Grand Californian, your first entrance into DCA must be through the front gates. If you leave for lunch, a snack, a drink or a visit to the hotel you can exit through the private entrance and return that way. I have never had a problem doing it that way.

 

[WickedWench]

Where do you enter the park when you use the GCH entrance?

 

[needalatte]

I think if you are not staying at the Grand Californian, your first entrance into DCA must be through the front gates. If you leave for lunch, a snack, a drink or a visit to the hotel you can exit through the private entrance and return that way. I have never had a problem doing it that way.

If they just look at, but not scan, your passes at the GC entrance, how do they know if it's your first entrance to the park?

I had the same idea as MinnieCarousel--I saved my old GC key cards. We're not staying at GC next time, but how will they know? Anyone can walk through the hotel and out to the entrance to DCA, it's just whether or not they will let you through. Unfortunately, DH was cleaning and threw them out.

Can you get through that entrance with PPH or DH keys?

 

[CalGal]

hmmm.....what's to say someone doesn't show an old GC key card? I'm sure I've got an old one around here somewhere - but we're staying at DH next time.

It's been my experience that the key design is changed periodically, so showing an old key may or may not work. I also believe that all of the resorts (DLH, PP, and GCH) use the same design right now, and so it shouldn't matter if you are staying at the DLH or PP; you should still have access.

I also think that yeartolate is probably right about the time of day impacting whether you will be asked to show your key. I'm sure that at least one, if not both of the times I was asked to show my key was early in the day. As stated before, I went through several times without being asked to show my key.

WickedWench -- the entrance to the GCH is very close and just across from Grizzly River Run, on the Soaring Side. We stayed on the 5th floor just over this entrance -- it was the most fabulous view!

needalatte: You PH passes are scanned each time you enter the GCH entrance to DCA, just as they are at the front entrance. It's the hotel key which identifies you as a resort guest that is just shown but not scanned.

 

[iceskatejen]

The passes are scanned at any park entrance you use. It's the room keys that are just looked at.

 

[needalatte]

The passes are scanned at any park entrance you use. It's the room keys that are just looked at.

Thanks for clearing that up--I knew it didn't sound right, but I had forgotten that they do both--scan passes and checkthe keys. It's been over a year since I've stayed at the GC and I couldn't remember exactly what they checked and/or scanned.

 

[WickedWench]

WickedWench -- the entrance to the GCH is very close and just across from Grizzly River Run, on the Soaring Side. We stayed on the 5th floor just over this entrance -- it was the most fabulous view!

Thanks, I was hoping it would be close to Soarin', because I plan to make a beeline for it first thing in the morning. :>

 

[Brina78]

When I went with my sister and friend on July 19, we walked through the entrance of GC from DCA near Soarin' Over California. I remember the attraction breaking down repeatedly and we decided to leave from that direction. We went straight to White Water Snacks and no one asked us for a hotel key. By the time we were done, DCA was closed, so we took another exit leading to Downtown Disney. I guess they're checking hotel keys from now on.

 

[iceskatejen]

They don't check hotel keys when you're exiting. And, only once has anyone ever asked to see one when I re-entered through that gate--and that was DCA's first year.

 

[newfamilyman]

It's been my experience that the key design is changed periodically, so showing an old key may or may not work. I also believe that all of the resorts (DLH, PP, and GCH) use the same design right now, and so it shouldn't matter if you are staying at the DLH or PP; you should still have access.

Actually, that's not true, unless something has changed since April. The GCH keys are green and clearly state the name of that particular hotel with its tree logo. My solution to the problem may cause ethical problems for some, but not to us, given the amount of money we give to Disney every year. We did stay there once and just use our old keys to use that particular entrance. They do ask now, and DW was extremely upset the first time they asked, and I didn't have my old keys with me. Now I keep them in my wallet, right next to our APs!

 

[CalGal]

Looks like they have new keys for the 50th. The keys that we got when we stayed at the GCH earlier this month were purple and showed the castle as decorated for the 50th, and a handsome Mickey wearing his gold tie. The back says "Disneyland", but the hotel name was not indicated. My impression was that the other resorts currently use the same key design.

I agree that the GCH did not change keys for quite some time since my key from 2001 is exactly as newfamilyman described. I've got several souvenier keys from DLH and PPH, and while they changed periodically, they were all marked with the hotel name until this trip.