Any opinions on DLR? Disneyland Hotel vs GC?

[slk537]

We're planning a trip to Southern CA in May and we keep going back and forth between DLH and GC. We have enough points left in our June UY to spend 4-5 nights at either, but we just can't decide. The GC speaks to the VWL lovers in us, but the DLH looks absolutely charming and very classic.

I'm hitting the DLR boards here, but wanted to check in with some fellow DVCers to see what your experiences are.

(Also - if any of you have any recommendations for great places in San Diego, let me know. We're leaning towards the Dana at Mission Bay or a kids suite at the Comfort Inn and Suites/SD Zoo but as of now are still pretty clueless!)

So anyone use points at the DLH or GC and have experiences to share?

Thanks!!

 

[Tina]

We used DVC for 3 nights at GC in June and had the BEST stay. It was not our first time at the resort, but it was our first on points. I'm a huge VWL lover, so I, of course, love this resort. And you can't beat the location. I've never stayed at DLH, so I can't compare.

 

[CarolAnnC]

We have stayed several times on points at the Grand Californian. My dd's are young women in their 20's, and we have gone without the girls as well, and just love the location adjacent to Downtown Disney and California Adventure.

That being said, if my girls were younger I would probably stay at the DLH as the pool there just looks wonderful for kiddlets. That hotel also has easy access to DD and there is the monorail you can ride from DD into DL itself.

Keep in mind, there is the chance that once GCV open we will no longer be able to use points at the main hotel there. That has always been the case with others in the past such as Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge. So you may consider staying at GC if you want to use points only just in case.

 

[Tozzie]

I stayed at the GC 2 years ago and loved it and I will be staying there again, this time on points in June. GC is a fabulous hotel and I loved it, it is also the closest to the parks and has its own entrance to the CAlifornia Adventure Park. I have not stayed at the DL hotel but, in my opinion if you have the points and can get the room stay at the GC.

 

[Marciern22]

I've stayed at all 3 hotels just in the last year and a half. The GC is the best! I've stayed the 9 times since getting my DVC in '06. My son is 18 and autistic and he calls it Green Hotel. It is his absolute favorite place to be.
For his 18th in July, he and I stayed 2 nights, concierge level. We had room 6001 with a perfect view of fireworks. We turned on the Fireworks channel on the TV in our room and it was great. The food in the lounge was excellent!
My advice: Don't waste your points on pool view, park view or Downtown Disney view! If you can get a garden view it is great cuz it's very pretty, super quiet, and you get to see the monorail go by as it goes thru the hotel. The new Mark VII Monorail is awesome!!!!
Don't miss the singing and storytelling by the fireplace in the lobby. And if you go outside, there is a fireplace on the other side of the wall from the lobby fireplace. I never see anybody out there.

 

[CraftyMouse]

We are just back for 4 nights at the Disneyland Hotel and one at Paradise Pier. We also visited the GC on a couple of occasions. At Disneyland, everything is close by. While the GC is the closest to the parks, they are all within an easy walking distance.

I would go with the DLH. The GC is nice, but is very similar to the Wilderness Lodge, which you can get at WDW. Paradise Pier was fine, but had more of a regular hotel feel. The Disneyland Hotel has the Neverland Pool and lots of Disney touches in the rooms. There is a Tinkerbell glow-in-the-dark Pixie Dust border, furniture adorned with copies of the original Disneyland artwork and lots more. It just has the most "Disney" feel to me and just fit the tone of Disneyland the best, IMO.

No matter which resort you decide on, have a great trip to the original Disney park! We had a fantastic time and found that we prefer Disneyland's Magic Kingdom to WDW's!

 

[Marciern22]

DLH is great because of the little touches. There are two pools, you can get away from the Neverland pool if you want a little more peace.
Just stayed at DLH for labor day weekend for the 1/2 marathon. Had such a fantastic time and it was the closest to the finish line which is always good.
No matter which hotel you choose, all of them are close to the action. Everything is within a 30minute walk of everything else. It is one of the hundreds of reasons why I LOVE DISNEYLAND!!!!!!

 

[Tink6666]

We did a 3 night stay at DLH in August. I would not stay there again. The cm's were not overly friendly, the room had blood/bug gut splatter on the light fixtures in the bathroom, the sheets on the bed had sewed up holes in them. There were no towel animals from mousekeeping (we have always gotten these when we stayed at WL and AKV and my youngest loved them) The pool was very cold

We have vowed if we go back to DL, we will stay at GC, or now GCV since we will hopefully close on our SSR contract within the next 30 days!

 

[disneylvrnMS]

I stayed at the DLH for 4 nights in January. The rooms were very old and worn looking. The rooms was also extremely small. It felt a lot smaller than the rooms at POP or AllStars. I do not think that I would stay there again.

 

[squidmo]

I would always vote for GC over DLH. DLH is OK, and the rooms are generally bigger, but it's starting to show it's age. We had a downtown disney view back in March, but kind of regretted it because of the noise. The windows are old and single paned, and the sliding door doesn't seal to the frame at all. Downtown Disney never turns off it's music, even in the wee hours of the morning, so I had a lot of trouble sleeping (I live in a rural area, and am used to it being VERY quiet at night).

Note: there's no need to worry about noise from a Downtown Disney view at GC- their doors and windows are EXCELLENT at sealing out noise.

 

[CraftyMouse]

We did a 3 night stay at DLH in August. I would not stay there again. The cm's were not overly friendly, the room had blood/bug gut splatter on the light fixtures in the bathroom, the sheets on the bed had sewed up holes in them. There were no towel animals from mousekeeping (we have always gotten these when we stayed at WL and AKV and my youngest loved them) The pool was very cold

We have vowed if we go back to DL, we will stay at GC, or now GCV since we will hopefully close on our SSR contract within the next 30 days!

Wow, this was not our experience at all. Our room was in fantastic shape with no nicks, dings, scratches or stains. The CMs were beyond friendly, always going that extra Disney mile whenever we needed something. We didn't get towel animals either, but we've never gotten them when staying at Disneyland.

Also, it is going to be VERY difficult to get a room at the GCV if you don't actually own points there. There are only going to be 50 units which is not many at all. We are debating a GCV add-on for exactly this reason. Keep in mind, too, that once the GCV open you won't be able to use points for the regular rooms at the GC. You'll be limited to the DLH or PP and will (probably) have to pay the $95 exchange fee once GCV open.

I stayed at the DLH for 4 nights in January. The rooms were very old and worn looking. The rooms was also extremely small. It felt a lot smaller than the rooms at POP or AllStars. I do not think that I would stay there again.

Again, our room was in perfect shape. Also, just an FYI, the rooms at DLH are bigger than those at the Grand Californian and definitely larger than those at Pop or All-Stars. There was room for two double beds and a desk all along the same wall plus a large bathroom. At Pop/AS you can only fit the two double beds on that wall so I'd say the DLH rooms are at least 3-4 feet longer (and just as wide).

 

[Marciern22]

OMG! Can't stay at GC hotel???!! I live for that place! Especially my son, he is autistic and it is his absolute fave!! I'm kinda worried about buying GCV because I hear the Calif. sales tax will make it more expensive. Anyone know?
I've got to stay at the "Green Hotel"!!!

 

[CarolAnnC]

OMG! Can't stay at GC hotel???!! I live for that place! Especially my son, he is autistic and it is his absolute fave!! I'm kinda worried about buying GCV because I hear the Calif. sales tax will make it more expensive. Anyone know?
I've got to stay at the "Green Hotel"!!!

There has been no official announcement at this time regarding the ability for DVC members to book at the Grand Californian after the Grand Californian are open for booking. History has shown that hotels that are part of a DVC resort have been closed off after the DVC opens such as Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk Villas. Until we hear officially, though, we are just guessing if the GC will follow suit in this regard.

Personally, I am hoping we can still book GC on points, but time will tell.

 

[slk537]

Thanks for the opinions, everyone! I have yet to hear anything negative about the GC anywhere and this seems to be the same.

Anyone know the ETA on the villas there? I see the member site doesn't have the points chart for DLR in 2009 up yet, but I was assuming it would be similar to 2008. I haven't been paying attention to the construction plans on GCV...when will they be available?

If we can't book the hotel then (which I also suspect will be the case), we may have to really consider it now.

thanks!

 

[Tozzie]

Thanks for the opinions, everyone! I have yet to hear anything negative about the GC anywhere and this seems to be the same.

Anyone know the ETA on the villas there? I see the member site doesn't have the points chart for DLR in 2009 up yet, but I was assuming it would be similar to 2008. I haven't been paying attention to the construction plans on GCV...when will they be available?

If we can't book the hotel then (which I also suspect will be the case), we may have to really consider it now.

thanks!

The points charts are not posted but MS has them, I just booked a room for June at the GC using points. If you are going in May you should be able to book on points as I was able to for June.

The last time I spoke to my guide he said the Villas are projected to open in the fall of 2009.

 

[funatdisney]

I just booked a two night stay for the GC for April, 2009. They were able to get the points need for my stay. I was put on hold for some time though for MS to look up the points chart The points did go up slighly, by one or two points.

I have decided to go for my birthday. I learned on DLR's birthday sign up link that AP holders will be able to get a special perk, if they show up on their birthday. Here is what the DLR's website says:
* A birthday fun card in an amount equal to the price of a 1-Day/1-Park
ticket for you to use on your birthday for merchandise, recreation or
fun activities at select participating locations at Disneyland® Resort; or
* A special birthday FASTPASS® ticket+ for certain attractions at
a Theme Park you visit on your birthday: or
* A 1-Day/1-Park ticket for you to use any time until your next birthday.

So I'm going with my DH. I will take each of my kids on their birthday. Lucky for me their birthdays falls on a non school day!

 

[DebbieB]

I stayed at PP in April for 5 nights, it was pretty nice but more of a "moderate" type hotel. I stayed at GC for a night in June, loved it! I just planned a long weekend for early December, I was disappointed that GC was not available, so I booked PP. GC is close to both parks, the rooms are beautiful.

 

[toocherie]

Everybody has their own preferences; my take on the DLR hotels, having stayed at all three.

#1 Grand Californian: just because of the proximity to the parks and the theming. Otherwise, the rooms are small in my opinion, but very luxurious.

#2 Paradise Pier: I just don't get how people can say this hotel doesn't have Disney touches--there is a Mickey lamp in the rooms, pictures of California Adventure and a "beachy" feel. The Lilo and Stitch breakfast is wonderful, and if you cut through the Grand Californian the walk to the parks is not bad at all. (Keep in mind, you can use the special entrance to DCA if you are staying at any of the DLR hotels.)

#3 Disneyland Hotel: dated and needs a refurbishment. There were strings hanging down from the daybed in the room I was first given (then moved because the pool noise was too loud and the PP was right--those windows don't block noise. I didn't find that much magic--but again it's my opinion. I also thought it was the longest walk of all three parks--will not stay there again unless it is the only option.

 

[LIFERBABE]

E GCH was wonderful. We stayed 3 nights in Aug
We also received turn-down each night
Would return and the points were abargain

 

[DVC Mike]

The points charts are not posted but MS has them, I just booked a room for June at the GC using points. If you are going in May you should be able to book on points as I was able to for June.

I booked a May 2009 stay at the GCH on points. Members will probably continue to do so for most of 2009.