1st Stay at DLR!

[Jenna319]

We are huge frequenters of Disney World and are currently planning our first stay at the DLR this September!

We've been to DL 4 times in the past, not in the past 5 years, and have never stayed on the property so I'm really excited! However, I'm having difficulty deciding on which resort to choose....

I have 2 days left on our non-expiring MYW DW tickets so I plan on using those up this trip.... therefore, not really interested in buying a tickets package..... We don't plan on spending more than 2 days in the parks because we plan on doing a lot of other things outside of the property, I.E. Dodger games, Beverly Hills, San Diego, etc.....

I have seen the "room-only" offer for September and have been going over different dates and numbers for days now.... Southwest opens up their airfare tomorrow for the fall so I plan on booking tomorrow. Please help me decide which hotel would be best for us!

To start, here are the numbers I have come up with.... I'm also still debating on how many nights to spend..... all depends on if we want to drive to Vegas and spend 2 nights there.

Room only- no tickets:
5 nights 9/2-9/7
PPH- $840.00
DLH- $1055.00
GCH- $1065.00

6 nights 9/2-9/8
PPH- $1008.00
DLH- $1266.00
GCH- $1278.00

The prices seem really reasonable to me! And only a $10 difference to go from DLH to GCH????

Not really interested in PPH although the price is right, just doesn't seem to have enough of a Disney feel/theme to me.... Plus, besides the nice long slide, the pool looks pretty generic and standard. If anyone is a PPH fan, please give me opinions!!

My heart is leading me more toward the DLH because of the nostalgic factor. Of course, I love everything Disney and the pool looks great but I really would like to assure myself one of the newly renovated rooms if we spend the extra money.....

Then there's GCH..... for $10 more, that seems like an amazing deal to upgrade to what is supposed to be the grandest nicest resort on the property..... The pool looks pretty good and the location is wonderful..... I'm just not crazy about the all around theme of the wilderness.....

Suggestions and opinions are very welcome!!!! Our favorite resort is the Polynesian at DW so we are very much deluxe fans.... Whichever resort we choose to stay at, I know we will have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[FlameGirl]

We loved PPH...more so than the DLH. If you're not interested in PPH then to me the GCH is a slam dunk if it's truly only a $10 difference. No question.

 

[kelmac284]

I stayed at the PPH for the first time this past Feb and to be honest I enjoyed it more than DLH. I thought the rooms were quite nice and actually bigger than the room we had at DLH in Oct. It was my moms birthday and they went above and beyond for that pluse we got chocolates on our pillow every night in a standard room!! The only thing I liked a bit more about DLH was there was more restaurants but otherwise I was perfectly happy with PP and for the price difference I could easily walk to DLH to use their ammenities. In fact, and I am not positive about this, but I thought if you stayed at any of the DL hotels you could use any of the pools but not 100% about this.

We are taking advantage of the awesome deals they are offering and staying at GCH in June and they are actually cheaper than the DLH! PP was cheaper but it wasn't a whole lot more to stay at the grand so we said what the heck and it is actually cheaper to stay at the grand then what we paid to stay at pp in feb!!!

We have only stayed at the grand once way back in 2002 so I am excited to get to stay there again!!!

Good luck with your decision and honestly I enjoy them all so you will have a great time no matter which one you pick!!

 

[FourM's]

I would say the GCH is more of a craftsman, style not really a "wilderness style". I'm not into the log cabin look at all and I love the GCH. The location can NOT be beat! That being said the DLH is very cool too but definitly a longer walk to the parks.

 

[Dobie]

One of the things to remember is that the Disneyland Hotels are not "resorts" like the WDW ones are--they are, for all intents and purposes, hotels stuck around the periphery of DTD. You don't get the grounds, landscaping, and other recreational options that the WDW resorts have.

THe GCH is by far the most convenient, and it has a wonderful pool area. The prices you quoted are a steal for GCH, imho.

As far as sightseeing, remember that DLR is almost an hour away from the attractions in North LA (Hollywood, Universal Studios, etc) and that is if traffic is good. If traffic is bad you can be stuck for hours.

I noticed you mentioned going to a Dodgers Game. The Angels play very close to Disneyland.

Have a great trip!!!!!

 

[Jenna319]

Actually my husband is a huge dodgers fan and that is the reason for the trip to the west coast. It's also going to be his birthday so we are definitely going to see his dodgers. I LOVE disney world and we go every year so getting to stay at DLR will give me my Disney fix! . Hmmm seems everyone is leaning toward GC for just $10 more. Maybe I will stick with that!!

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

just an FYI, if you book ROOM ONLY ressies you have up until 5 day prior your arrival to cancell/change without penelty. You do have to pay first night stay at time of reservation.
With the rates you are being quoted for GC, you might think about phoning and booking today, with the intentions of being able to cancell or change once you make your flight arrangements.

 

[Jenna319]

Btw how is the pool and slide at GC? Can some GC fans give me some more opinions on why it's your favorite?

 

[LavenderPeach]

I would say the GCH is more of a craftsman, style not really a "wilderness style". I'm not into the log cabin look at all and I love the GCH. The location can NOT be beat! That being said the DLH is very cool too but definitly a longer walk to the parks.

Yes this is correct. There is a common misconception that the GCH has a wilderness or log cabin theme to it. It's actually designed in the Arts and Crafts style which had an emphasis on hand crafted furniture, windows, lamps, wall paper, etc. The Gamble House in Pasadena is a great example of this style (they offer tours daily).

From Wikipedia: The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, Australian and American design movement that flourished between 1880 and 1910. It was instigated by the artist and writer William Morris (1834-1896) in the 1860s and was inspired by the writings of John Ruskin (1819-1900). It influenced architecture, domestic design and the decorative arts, using simple forms and a medieval style of decoration. It advocated truth to materials, traditional craftsmanship and economic reform.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to stay at the GCH but if it was only $10 more than what i was going to spend anyway, I would definitely do it. Good luck with your decision and have a great trip!

 

[heatherleigh]

I would do the Grand CA.

 

[franandaj]

Grand Californian, hands down! You have the entrance to DCA right there so you can sneak back to your room easily. The other exit is right out to DTD so you have a ton of places to eat right nearby. Don't know what view that rate is for, but most views there are better than the DLH.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Actually my husband is a huge dodgers fan and that is the reason for the trip to the west coast. It's also going to be his birthday so we are definitely going to see his dodgers. I LOVE disney world and we go every year so getting to stay at DLR will give me my Disney fix! . Hmmm seems everyone is leaning toward GC for just $10 more. Maybe I will stick with that!!

Use to watch Drydale and Kofax pitch a few years back. Always been a favorite of mine. It is a decent drive into the hills and usually very busy on the access roads around the stadium.

Jack

 

[tholczer]

If you aren't driving in traffic, you are only about 30 minutes to Dodger stadium. So not far. And how cool to come back to the Disney magic each day (I bet you'll want to spend more time in the parks besides those two days!)

Even though popular opinion is for the GC, I'm a DLH fan. We had the option to stay at the GC this summer because of the great sale, but we're sticking with the DLH. I'm probably in the minority, though. And I must confess that my family and I are creatures of habit. The idea of trying somewhere new gives us all hives.

Whichever you choose, you'll have a great time.

Tracy

 

[Jenna319]

Thanks for all the great advice and opinions! I also discovered that the prices listed above are NOT including tax so actually each price I listed above is about $200 more after tax.... now debating whether to do the room only or the tickets 2nights free package..... I just don't think we need more than 2 days at the parks.... but it is not too much of a price jump to get the ticket package and just save our DW tickets for next trip..... ahhhh I LOVE planning Disney vacations!!!!! I'm OBSESSED!!!!

 

[Disney Dreams]

... I'm OBSESSED!!!!

Then you have definitely arrived at the right place. We will help feed your addiction every step of the way.

FWIW, we live locally so have no need to stay at the hotels at DL and have still stayed overnight at the GCH as a little getaway because it's just so nice. We love it there.

- Dreams

 

[franandaj]

FWIW, we live locally so have no need to stay at the hotels at DL and have still stayed overnight at the GCH as a little getaway because it's just so nice. We love it there.

- Dreams

I SOOOO understand you there! I can't wait until April 16th for my first stay in our new home! DVC Rocks!

 

[nana50]

Yes this is correct. There is a common misconception that the GCH has a wilderness or log cabin theme to it. It's actually designed in the Arts and Crafts style which had an emphasis on hand crafted furniture, windows, lamps, wall paper, etc. The Gamble House in Pasadena is a great example of this style (they offer tours daily).

From Wikipedia: The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, Australian and American design movement that flourished between 1880 and 1910. It was instigated by the artist and writer William Morris (1834-1896) in the 1860s and was inspired by the writings of John Ruskin (1819-1900). It influenced architecture, domestic design and the decorative arts, using simple forms and a medieval style of decoration. It advocated truth to materials, traditional craftsmanship and economic reform.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to stay at the GCH but if it was only $10 more than what i was going to spend anyway, I would definitely do it. Good luck with your decision and have a great trip!

My daughter actually has one of her pieces in the lobby of the GCH. It is a bbokcase on the other side of the check-in desk. It is on the right side as you look at the check-in desk. She has carved a bear on it. Truly a lovely lobby. All pieces are carved by Californians.

 

[Jenna319]

Ok so I'm pricing everything for the LAST time before booking and its either PPH if I want the ticket package OR GCH if i want just the room only..... Ticket package for GCH and DLH are way more than I want to spend.... decisions!!!!

 

[Anj]

We got back from our first visit last week and we stayed in a refurbished room at DLH, it was wonderful. But, we did say that next time we'll stay at the GCH as it is that much closer. Plus it totally isn't 'wilderness' which is what I though too. I expected it to be much more rustic, instead it is as other here described it. It looked very nice.

 

[LavenderPeach]

My daughter actually has one of her pieces in the lobby of the GCH. It is a bbokcase on the other side of the check-in desk. It is on the right side as you look at the check-in desk. She has carved a bear on it. Truly a lovely lobby. All pieces are carved by Californians.

That's awesome! I'll have to look for it next time we go through the lobby.