Spent 2 nights there in march. (couldn't afford any longer!)
$385 a night including tax for a room overlooking the pool and ferris wheel area of the new park. They only had a couple of rooms left. The checkin clerk told us the room had been used earlier in the day to shoot a commercial. It was fabulous!!
We felt special the second we pulled into the entrance from the street. Very good service. I gave my name to the gate attendant and it seemed everyone knew it from then on.
Check-in was the easiest I've ever experienced at a Disney hotel. The luggage porter was extremely polite and helpful. He even ran down the hall and filled up my ice bucket and greeted me whenever we passed by each other during my stay.
The lobby is even more spectacular than at Wilderness Lodge (I didn't think it was possible)and the woodwork everywhere must have cost a fortune.
The room was very nice. Fairly large. Lots of woodwork, cute dimming lights over each bed, amoire, minibar, nice chairs and desk, nice balcony (I think all the rooms have balconies). Turndown service. Huge closet with ironing board, extra blankets, pillows, bathrobes. The mattresses were great, almost felt like a pillowtop. Bathroom consisted of tub and toilet separated from sink. Double sink in dark green marblelike counter. Expensive toiletries, lotions. Coffee maker. Everything had the Grand California logo on it, even the coasters and coffee pouches. Lots of things to take (legally) to remember the place. Phone checkout (recording, just give room, name and time and you're done). You're encouraged to keep the room keys for souvenirs. Didn't try room service. We were too busy exploring the place.
The hotel has a private concierge level.
The monorail zips through the hotel (not the lobby), but doesn't stop there. Nice pool with slide for kids. Tricky gate to get into pool area. It's supposed to open with a room key, but I noticed lots of people getting frustrated.
Main restaurant was quite nice for such a big place and the prices seemed reasonable. The really nice restaurant (Napa Rose) looked great, but was always booked solid. Maybe you can make reservations now. You'll want to eat there. It has a wall of glass looking onto bear mountain and the place looked pretty swanky casual.
Characters in the main restaurant.
Very convenient private entrance to the new park. No visitors allowed through gates to hotel after 6 or 7 pm so it's even more enjoyable after that time. Other entrance leads directly to downtown disney. We enjoyed the new park. It has a totally different feel than the other. Great ferris wheel, roller coaster.
But, I've never felt as excited to get back to a hotel before.
You'll love the place and even more knowing you didn't have to pay 400 a night. I would return in a second.