Decisions....Should I stay Premium View Disneyland Hotel or Standard View Grand Californian Hotel? Tips? Advice? Info?

[joseph821]

Ok thank you! A premium pool view room in the Adventure tower would likely not have a fireworks view though right?

No It would not. I think may a premium Downtown Disney view room...you could see the fireworks!

 

[Tanya Tink]

No It would not. I think may a premium Downtown Disney view room...you could see the fireworks!

 

[Tanya Tink]

Do any of the premium pool view rooms give a decent view of the fireworks?

 

[joseph821]

Do any of the premium pool view rooms give a decent view of the fireworks?

No unfortunately the premium pool view roomd do not give a view of the fireworks.

 

[twodogs]

I am going to disagree with most who have responded. I've stayed in both hotels more times than I can count. I vastly prefer GCH currently. I stayed at DLH in July, Oct, and one night in Dec. I stayed in GCH in Dec and Jan.

DLH has lost most of what I used to love--the restaurants, shops over the water, waterfalls, and many other things that were unique to it. It feels run down and old to me. I love all of the memorabilia but I think it's regrettable that there is no unifying lobby area, just a place for your family to sit while you're checking in. You used to see characters roaming through and there were fun activities. The monorail slide is neat looking and the pool is nice but it closes early and isn't enough to sway me anyway since I'm not going to hang out at the pool (I have one at home). The only dining they have right now is Goofy's, which I think is buffet, Trader Sam's (which I love but has very limited capacity) and Tangaroa, which is more or less fast food. There's a tiny take-out coffee place also which gets slammed in the mornings. There are encouraging signs that Steakhouse 55 may be returning, though! But with the addition of all of the new DVC rooms, it's going to be even more difficult to get food at the hotel.

A lot of the rooms are slightly larger than those at GCH. The huge windows are nice, but the construction is going to greatly impact many of the views. It may not seem much farther than GCH, but it feels a lot farther when you're walking back at night. The elevators were super slow when we were there last month. We had a premium concierge room one floor below the lounge, and it often took forever for the elevator to come. We'd stayed the first 3 nights at GCH (std) and the 4th night at DLH. The premium concierge room at DLH felt like a big downgrade, though we did have a beautiful view and could see the fireworks. Concierge food was terrible. It used to be wonderful but now its tasteless and definitely not worth it for us so I can't recommend concierge.

Lots of people love the headboards that light up and play a little song. If you've not seen it before, or if you have kids, it will probably be cool. I don't even look at it any more and it feels cheesy to me now. I prefer the bathroom setup at GCH, where someone can be in the shower/toilet room and others can get ready at the separate vanity area. The showers at GCH are huge and pretty cool.

GCH currently has a better dining selection IMO. They have multiple areas including a kind of short-order/cafeteria-style set-up, lounge, poolside bar and grill, fine dining (Napa Rose), and buffet (Storytellers). The lobby is wonderful, though at peak times of the year it can be crowded. I've never had trouble finding a place to sit and I love hanging out in the big rockers by the fireplace. There is also an outdoor fireplace directly behind the indoor one.

I know that money is probably the main factor in most people's decision about which is better, and DLH is nearly always better price-wise. But there are some good offers throughout the year and cheaper times to go. That can really affect the room cost. For example, we paid $800+ per night for a std room at GCH in Dec. with a MK rate. We paid $389/night for the same room earlier this week, also a MK rate.

I'm not trying to bash DLH, as I do love it and it's where we go when younger kids are with us. When it's adults or adults and teens, GCH is the favorite in my family. Both hotels are great, but my preference by far is GCH. I almost always reserve a std room and request one close to the elevators. I don't care about the view because they're almost all pretty good and none are worth extra to me.

Good luck with your decision and honestly, your attitude is the most important thing! Have fun!

I agree with everything in this post!! We have stayed several times at DLH and GCH (with Club level at times).

For me, I love the Craftsman architectural style, so this is a plus for me, not a minus. I feel the style of the DLH might appeal more towards those with young kids (and I hear you on the headboards!!). The rooms at the DLH feel a bit dated to me these days (most recent stay was late 2021), and the construction is a big mess right now. I loved Trader Sams when the kids were little because we could have a drink and watch them swim. Now we have our own pool, and our kids are mid teens, so the slides and pool full of young kids at the DLH do not appeal. The breakfast situation is abysmal right now at the DLH. Even with mobile order, I waited 30 minutes each day, usually to be told that my items had sold out before they could fill my order.

The walk to the DLH is just further (people will argue that hallways are long at the GCH and it can be almost as long as walking to the DLH if you are assigned certain rooms). If you request a room near the Napa Rose elevators, it will save quite a few steps compared to walking to any room in the DLH. Study the room map ahead of time, and when they assign your room, ask to be reassigned if you are at the end of a long hallway (we had a 2 bedroom suite that was at the very end of a very long hallway, but I would rather do that walk inside the hotel at the end of the night than through DTD with the crowds and the craziness!). This difference is walk time may or may not matter to you. For us, it is a big deal as we walk 25,000 steps per day, sometimes return to the room during the day (or some members of our family do). If we are going for OBB, being at the GCH at then end of that is priceless. Now that my parents have some physical limitations, it matters even more to us to be closer in to the parks.

I always book Woods/Courtyard view, as we are not in the room much, so I don't need an amazing view. If you get a DTD view at either hotel, there can be some noise later at night. Something to think about.

I love stopping at the bar in the GCH on the way back at night and grabbing some to-go cocktails for our room. I think this is much more challenging at DLH since you have to get them at Trader Sams, which is usually packed.

You will have a great trip either way, but I would say think about trying GCH on one of your trips so you can decide for yourself!

Edited: I see you booked GCH! Have so much fun!!!!