Grand Californian Super Thread

MURPHYCAT said:
I would like to buy a simple (nothing elegant) bottle of wine to sip in the room in the evenings. Is there a store within easy walking distance to the GCH that would stock wine?

Thank you for any and all help-----

As the PP said, the GCH does have a small selection of wine but its kinda pricey. It is the most convenient though:) I've also walked down to wonderland liquor (5 min walk for us but we walk brisk). Just exit the GCH to the left and take a right at Katella. It's across the street and down about 2 blocks. They had a huge selection of wine and great prices. Also sold food, tolietries, etc.
 
Has anyone stayed in a deluxe theme park room view before? My family is visiting the parks...and hotel...the second week of October and we have had premier theme park hotel views in the past, but this time we opted for a standard room. (Save money on the hotel to use elsewhere) Well, of course, with our military discount there were no standards available, so the next best bet was a deluxe theme park view. All the agent told me was that we might have a tree in our way. Is this true? Can you even see the theme park? I'm just curious.
 
Has anyone stayed in a deluxe theme park room view before? My family is visiting the parks...and hotel...the second week of October and we have had premier theme park hotel views in the past...
Deluxe are the lower floors (likely 2, 3) while Premier (or Premium) are the upper floors (likely 4, 5, 6).
 


Has anyone stayed in a deluxe theme park room view before? My family is visiting the parks...and hotel...the second week of October and we have had premier theme park hotel views in the past, but this time we opted for a standard room. (Save money on the hotel to use elsewhere) Well, of course, with our military discount there were no standards available, so the next best bet was a deluxe theme park view. All the agent told me was that we might have a tree in our way. Is this true? Can you even see the theme park? I'm just curious.

Our last stay there was a "deluxe theme park room view." Lots of trees :)


eb300082.jpg



88f3d7a1.jpg


1c8a3257.jpg


58f8fa02.jpg


and my favorite pic at Dawn

0d7f8c21.jpg
 


We have a standard room - this is what I requested, tell me if it sounds good?

1. King bed (priority bc DS sleeps with us and will fall off the bed if he isn't between 2 people). I will ask for a bed rail if we get a 2Q room.

2. Room no. 1240-1260 - bottom floor in the wing opposite the DVC facing the parks. We have a stroller and it is easier than dealing with elevators plus it is near the grills.

3. Room near either the main elevator banks or elevators near World of Disney. Again, because of the stroller.

I don't care so much for view, but convenience is key! I will call to preregister the morning we leave in hopes of upping my chances of getting one of these rooms.

Anyone know how many king rooms there are?
 
We have a standard room - this is what I requested, tell me if it sounds good?
You are requesting some of the rarest room types, so you will need some extra pixie dust:wizard:

1. King bed (priority bc DS sleeps with us and will fall off the bed if he isn't between 2 people). I will ask for a bed rail if we get a 2Q room.

...Anyone know how many king rooms there are?
There were 75 king beds out of 745 total rooms, before the expansion which added about 200 more hotel rooms. The rarest bed configuration is 2 queens and a daybed, there are only 39 and none were added during the expansion.

You might also request a queen with bunk bed, those have rails built in.
2. Room no. 1240-1260 - bottom floor in the wing opposite the DVC facing the parks. We have a stroller and it is easier than dealing with elevators plus it is near the grills.
Your request only covers 11 rooms, there are also 4 ground floor hotel rooms mixed in with the DVC villas: 1500, 1503, 1511, 1513.
These 15 are the only ground floor rooms in the entire hotel, but I suspect few guest request them.

If using the grills is a priority, request a room part of the expansion (room numbers x2xx and x5xx).
 
Yeah, I know I need extra pixie dust! I am hoping not many are asking for the ground floor in the expansion...the CM said there are 2 king rooms over there. The queen/bunk won't work as DS and I won't fit on a bunk together (he is 17mo and crawls in his sleep, he nurses at night or he would be in a crib). At home we have a crib sidecarred to my side of the bed so he doesn't fall out.

We usually move a queen bed against a wall when we sleep in hotels, if that is an option, I will totally do it.
 
We stayed at the Grand July 2011 and were told no bed rails were available. Not sure if they were out or just don't have them. We wound up pushing the queen closest to the door up against the wall.
 
We stayed at the Grand July 2011 and were told no bed rails were available. Not sure if they were out or just don't have them. We wound up pushing the queen closest to the door up against the wall.

Not take off topic, or be particularly preachy, but I would be VERY cautious about doing this. While a sleeping child rolling a few feet off the bed onto a carpeted floor isn't ideal, it's also unlikely to result in serious injury. More likely your worst case scenario is a bruise and lack of sleep as you soothe them back down from a less than pleasant wake-up surprise. But getting stuck in between the wall and the bed could be fatal, as a deeply sleeping child (and toddlers can sleep very deeply) could easily suffocate between the wall and mattress if wedged in. Not worth the risk, in my opinion. (And many types of bed rails themselves have been taken off the market, for the same reason.)

If you're really worried, put a few pillows down next to the bed, or fold up the comforter or whatever, to create a soft(er) potential landing spot. (Or, heck, request one of those sleeping bags the Grand says they offer and use it as your cushion. Or even stuff it with pillows for extra squishiness.)

In general, and I know there are exceptions, but parents tend to worry a lot more about kids falling out of bed, than falling actually occurs. And when it does happen, some kids even sleep through the experience, waking up on the floor in the morning. My son is, even at 5, an incredibly floppy sleeper. He thrashes and kicks and turns every which way but loose in his twin bed, but has never once fallen out, and he's been sleeping there solo and rail-free since he was 2-1/2. He basically strips his bed every night with all his movements and I've seen this kid stand up and do a 180 turn, and fall back onto his mattress ... All while asleep. Makes him a joy to sleep next to, let me tell you (and I know because he's been sick, and in our bed, the last three nights <ugh>), but he's never been hurt in any of his nightly gymnastics.

Obviously you need to do whatever you think best, but I just wanted to point that very real danger out, in case it's something that hadn't been considered.
 
So our trip is a month away. This is the first time we'll be staying at a DL resort and we chose to stay at GCH. We might never be able to actually afford this again so I really want to make the most of it!

What suggestions could you give me in terms of how to get a decent room (maybe a view of some sort)? I saw someone mention preregistration ... would that help and how do I do that?

Also, we have 5 people in the room and originally thought maybe bunk beds would work, but I hear they are short (from photos they look TOO short). I did see mention of day bed rooms. Can anyone tell me more about those? Right now I'm thinking 2 queens and maybe bringing an air mattress because I don't think the sleeping bag they give would work for us.

I really just want this trip to be extra special. I'm reuniting with my dad whom I haven't seen in almost 17 years. Its the first time he and my kids will meet. AND on top of it 2 of my kids are performing in the park that weekend. So getting a great room at the hotel would just be the icing. I'd really appreciate any suggestions or info you all have to give. :flower3:
 
...we have 5 people in the room and originally thought maybe bunk beds would work, but I hear they are short (from photos they look TOO short). I did see mention of day bed rooms. Can anyone tell me more about those?
2 queens and a daybed would be the best room for you.
Search this thread for "daybed" for more information, but a short summary:

A reservation for 5 adults might have a higher chance a daybed room will be assigned to you.
There are 39 daybed rooms, all standard view, all above the main entrance.

2 queens with a daybed are a common configuration at both Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotels, so you might consider those an option.
 
Our last stay there was a "deluxe theme park room view." Lots of trees :)
I am rather confused by all the view types.
5341 is one of the best views in the hotel, so there cannot be a better view type.
Either "deluxe" is the best "theme park" view type, or your room was upgraded.
 
We check in late tonite, after driving down from Santa Barbara. Does anyone know when the last time GCH was remodeled? Would it do me any good to ask for a recently remodeled room?

What's standard view? Any chance that I will get a room that's not a huge hike to the main lobby?

TIA,

I just wanted to report back after our trip. Although, we checked in really late (9:45 pm on Saturday 9/22), we were really happy with our room assignment. The hotel was fully booked. We didn't get a King room (but, I didn't think we would ;)) We had a standard view room that faced out towards Disney Drive on the 5th Floor (5235). The room was in super good condition and very clean. The pictures on the DIS Grand California Hotel rooms show the older bedspreads. I guess I should have taken some pics...but, our bedding was much newer looking than the ones pictured.

Although I don't mind staying off-site, my DH doesn't like to go to DLR unless we can stay on-site. I must say that it was nice to have early entrance to the parks everyday and the walk back to the room was great!

We liked GCH so much, I changed my reservations in December from DLH to GCH! :dance3:

Let me know if you have any questions.
 
I am rather confused by all the view types.
5341 is one of the best views in the hotel, so there cannot be a better view type.
Either "deluxe" is the best "theme park" view type, or your room was upgraded.

I guess we were just in the Theme Park View Room Type then ... The CM on the phone said it was a deluxe theme park view so we thought they just added a category to make more $$ :confused3 ... any way it was a great room/view and we really enjoyed it.


These Room types below are ranked from lowest (Standard View ) to highest (Concierge Theme Park View)

Room Type:
Standard View Room
Woods/Garden/Courtyard View
Partial Deluxe Downtown Disney® District View
Deluxe View
Theme Park View
Resort / Pool View
Premium Downtown Disney® District View
Concierge Standard View
Concierge Theme Park View
 
I just wanted to report back after our trip. Although, we checked in really late (9:45 pm on Saturday 9/22), we were really happy with our room assignment. The hotel was fully booked. We didn't get a King room (but, I didn't think we would ;)) We had a standard view room that faced out towards Disney Drive on the 5th Floor (5235). The room was in super good condition and very clean. The pictures on the DIS Grand California Hotel rooms show the older bedspreads. I guess I should have taken some pics...but, our bedding was much newer looking than the ones pictured.
Your room was part of the DVC expansion, so it is only a couple years old :thumbsup2
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top