Disneyland Hotel or Grand CA Hotel?

[Cheryl N. WI]

We have been to WDW many times but never to DL and we just started thinking about combining a 3 night stay at DL with a possible trip to Las Vegas and San Diego next June. When we go to WDW I have come to love staying at a Disney hotel because I love the atmosphere and the convenience and it just seems to add to the Magic of the vacation so I really think I would like to stay at one of the Disney hotels at DL. So far with the little checking I have done the Disneyland Hotel or Grand California Hotel seem to appeal to me more than the Paradise Pier hotel. Is the Grand California worth the extra money? Typically when we go to WDW we don't spend alot of time in our room and I suspect we won't spend alot of time in the room at DL either but DD9 and I like the "themed" pools. Which hotel has the nicer pool(s) and would be nicer for DH, DD9 and I? We will have a rental car is there convenient, free parking at both hotels? Are there refrigerators in the rooms?
What is the best way to get a good room rate? My DC membership will expire in Feb. so that won't be an option but we are AAA members. Am I best off booking the hotel seperately myself and buying our passes separate like I do for WDW or is a package through AAA and the Disney Travel CO. a better way to go? Does DU book DL hotels or packages and do they get good rates?
Sorry for all the questions but today when DH said we could maybe do this (after he had just recentlly said no more WDW for awhile because he is Disneyed out after all our recent trips and with our cruise coming up in Jan.) I just had to start investigating our opptions! I love palnning for these trips and trying to find the best deals and as much info as possible, that's why I love these boards! I can't wait to stop at the Disney Store tomorrow after work and pick up a Birnbaum guide for DL! Today at work when a friend and I were going over her plans for her upcoming trip to WDW in Dec. another friend told us we were going to grow mouse ears soon LOL.
Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thanks

Cheryl

 

[honeymom]

We stayed at DL Hotel in August. Room size is really good, theming is good, but boy that Neverland Pool is crowded. DL and PP guest can both use it. It was so crowded that it became unappealing to go to. We wound up going to the much less crowded Cove Pools. Also, despite what other readers have said, it was noisy. We stayed in Sierra Tower and started with a room facing Downtown Disney. It was so noisy that my 6 year old started to cry. So we switched to face the pool. She liked that better, but it was still noisy. The grounds are pretty to walk around.

I don't know how the Grand Californian is for noise. A lot of posters say you can't hear it with your doors to balcony shut (but they say the same about DL Hotel). It is certainly in a noisy locale - seems you are either smack over Downtown Disney, or overlooking California Adventure or the monorail. The GC is definitely more convenient - easy walk to DL or Cal Adventure. The DL Hotel was an easy walk to the monorail, but it was quite the hike to Cal Adventure.

Unlike WDW there is a parking charge at any of the DL hotels. It is the same charge for all of them. There was a refrigerator in the DLH. I am not sure about GC. GC room size is actually supposed to be smaller.

Although some boards - even Mousesavers will tell you that the packages to DL are a good deal, I priced it several times and still found that we could save money (about $150-$200 for a 4 night stay) doing the reservations separately. There is a DL resort phone number to call for reservations. The DC discount is the same as the AAA discount at DL. You should probably investigate the package, however, as well. It came with a lot of extras that probably make up the price difference. They just weren't extras that were of interest to my family.

Have a great trip.

 

[hookedup]

I prefer the GC - because I love the hotel and it's ambience. The closest thing I can relate it to at WDW is Wilderness Lodge ( by that I mean the theming not the resort size or landscaping -it is neither as vast, or as impressive as a WHOLE with the pool and such as WL).
I know that others will strongly disagree with me on this but the DL hotel just doesn't do it for me. You can't really compare it to any of the hotels in WDW as it is more like a standard Hilton with Mickey Soap. I really prefer the GC over DLH.

With that being said - the price of the GH is high and my DH thinks it is a total rip off because you are hardly in your room or on property and why pay $200 bucks a night for that? I would pay it but he totally thinks it is way too high (not because it's not a nice hotel but because you are not utilizing what you are paying the high price for) the parking fee is included in the daily resort fee - but not the valet parking at GC (you can choose to self park there if you dont want to pay for valet).

I like the Paradise Pier - sure it's not as big as the DL but the price is good. It has an exclusive entrance to DCA and you can get an amazing theme park view for less than half of what you pay at GC.
If you choose to stay on property I am sure you will love any of them. Also consider the off properties that are walkable. Unlike WDW you can literally stay across the street from DL and pay much less per night. Something to consider too.


Well that's my 2 cents!

 

[daannzzz]

The Grand Californian is a wonderful hotel on Par with the Deluxes at WDW but much better located next to the two parks. The private entrance into DCA park is extremely convenient.It is beautiful but has smallish rooms and is expensive. The rooms are very nice and slightly woodsey though not rustic. We were able to get from our room into DCA with in a minute or two.
The Disneyland hotel looks like 60's style towers from the outside ( more like the Conremporary at WDW) but the grounds are more extensive than the Grand Californian with more to do. The Rooms are much larger and have a bit more formal decore to them but are really fun and nice and pleasent and less expensive.
The Neverland pool looks fun but very crowded. There are two other quiet pools toward the back of the property.The redwood pool at Grand Californian isn't as themed but looks fun and less crowded.
Check out all the sites you can for pics and see which appeals to you most and then hunt for the best price. Book a room somewhere you will be happy and then check Expedia a week before you go. I got the Disneyland hotel for $149 a week nefore my trip in May. Others did even better.

 

[princessKT]

Originally posted by honeymom
So we switched to face the pool. She liked that better, but it was still noisy.

Good to know, since I just booked a pool view room. Thanks

 

[LuvTigger]

I've stayed at both DLH (quite a few years ago) and GC (just last October). My personal preference is GC, mainly because of the theming and convenience to everything, but really, almost anywhere in the immediate area is convenient, esp. compared to WDW! Also, my favorite WDW resort is WL, and GC really brought back that special feeling for me.

As far as "is GC worth it," only you can determine that. For me, if I could afford to stay there each trip, I would, but realistically, we would probably stay at the Howard Johnson's most trips and occasionally splurge on GC. If you don't think you'll make it back to DL again soon and you can afford it without constantly questioning your decision to stay there, I think it would be a great treat for you and your family.

BF and I REALLY enjoyed our stay there. We were in the right wing of the hotel, almost at the end. Standing on our balcony, the pool was straight ahead, and we were facing the other wing, and to the right of the other wing, we had a view of Grizzly Peak. Looking to the right of our room, we could see the Sun Wheel and Paradise Pier in DCA. Once we shut the door, we couldn't hear any noise from the parks. (We probably heard more from people entering their room across from us!)

I had a DC discount, and because we went in October, we were able to take advantage of a Fall Getaway promotion. We got 4 nights for the price of 3, and a 4 day hopper for the price of a 3 day. We also had $20 in ESPN game cards and breakfast. The package comes with a park breakfast, but we upgraded (for $11 more per person) to a character breakfast which we used at Storyteller's Cafe (includes tax and tip!).

Unlike WDW packages, DL packages are a decent value, with the possible exception of getting a good rate on Travelocity or Expedia. We often do packages there and we either break even or come out ahead, plus it's convenient to have everything in one place, and all the taxes and resort fees are included. I've tried checking Travelocity and Expedia for special prices, and they seem to be pretty limited as far as dates (or you have to book last-minute), and it's rare to find a really good rate at GC. I booked my Fall Getaway at GC thru DU and they were terrific! It wouldn't hurt to at least get a quote from them.

 

[MrShiny]

The Grand Californian is wonderful - it's very much like the Wilderness Lodge, only more Frank Lloyd Wright / Arts & Crafts. We sprang for a DCA view room and it was glorious at night.

That being said, realize convenience is not as big a deal. There are hotels "off site" that might even get you into Disneyland faster than the on site hotels. A great one is the Candy Cane Inn - a motel for about $100 that's a very short walk to the parks.

Of course the Disney touches are nice. The Disneyland Hotel by far has the best pool - it's been themed to Peter Pan. Still, none of the pools really approach the ones in Florida (remember in Ca it does get cool more often than in Fl!)

Aside from the pool, you don't get that much extra themeing in the Disney hotels (aside from the GC). They are like very nice hotels - like staying in the Swan/Dolphin for example.

The access from PP and GC is nice - we found a neat trick when we went. In the morning, we went through the GC entrace to DCA, walked across the park and out and then into the empty reentry line at DL!

As far as Disney Club - you mightr want to call! We just booked the PP for Thanksgiving (had already done DH and GC - we went to the Mary Poppins brunch at PP and it seemed nice enough). Got $50 off per night! Went ahead and renewed my DC online (even though it'll only be good until the club ends 12/03). The savings was worth the $30 ($200 vs. $40 - plus the discounts on merchandise, etc.)

We found though that the Disney Club discounts on package vacations were not as good, so ask for a room only at (714) 956-M-I-C-K (6-4-2-5). The package we were quoted with a DC discount was about $700 more than the room only - 2 adult and 2 chil passes aren't worth that!

 

[#1MMFan]

I can't believe, my first post on Disneyland (post-Disney) so now I have experienced it!!!

We stayed in DLH. We chose there originally because of the eating options, and I quite liked the idea of staying in the original. We got the Bonita tower. We also looked round the GC. One person has already made the comparison but I would just like to reiterate that DLH is very much like what I feel in Contemporary and GC is like WL.

The rooms are large in DLH although I gather the furnishing varies and the pool is well-themed (altho' we didn't use it). Overall it is like a nice regular hotel with a lot of obvious bold Disney touches.
We ventured into the GC the second last day and were pleasantly surprised. It doesn't look half as nice from the outside as it does inside. Very WL in appearance, but less rustic. We fell in love with it. Storytellers cafe was really pretty and the people were much friendlier (maybe we were lucky).

I believe that both hotels' rooms have refrigerators.

We would certainly investigate GC next time for the difference in price, it is certainly a Disney Hotel from start to finish.

John

 

[Ally2002]

I absolutely adore the Grand Californian. I've never stayed at DLH, but just by virtue of it's distance it must be further.

We had no problem with theme park noise, although we did hear hallway noise.

A friend of ours recently went with his wife and 3 year old. They stayed at the GCH and they said as long as they have kids, they aren't staying anywhere else.

 

[eshannon]

For what it is worth, we have stayed at both disneyland hotel and GC. I prefer the GC because of the convenience and also because it just seems more "disney" if you know what I mean. We go to WDW frequently and always stay at a disney hotel and I do prefer it. We bought annual passes last time we were there and I know that right now it is only about $50 more for an annual pass as opposed to a park hopper pass. We are going to Disneyland next Thursday and I was able to get the GC at a rate of $169 a night using the super sunday rate for annual passholders( it doesnt have to be a sunday!) Anyway, it might pay for one of you to buy an annual pass so you can get a good rate. Thats just my thought on it elaine

 

[jlima]

The DLH is great. I love the size of the rooms and having a refrigerator is a nice touch. However, it's such a hike to get to the main gate of DL!!! Don't say just use the monorail; usually you have to wait and with loading & unloading a stroller (not allowed on the monorail, you have to fold them up) it's way over-rated. On our last trip we waited until well after 8am and the gates to the monorail still weren't open; we just walked to the park. Before DCA you could take the tram to the park; I wish they still had it!!

 

[Disney-Kim]

Here is my 2 cents.....I have not stayed at either hotel yet.
We have been to DL at least 10 times but always got great deals off property. And offproperty at DL is nothing like WDW. but we always wished we could stay at the DL hotel. It was always too much.

now.....we are staying on property and could stay at either GC or DL and we picked DL hotel.

heres why.....nostalgia. It has been there since we were kids and its a symbol. Plus in my opinion its prettier, better pool, more greenery etc.
I just think that the GC is out of place in Anaheim (yes I have been in the hotel). The lodge themeing seems too stark in the middle of the city. Just my honest opinion. I really think they should have gone with a boardwalk looking hotel. but yes the California theme and all. but I just don't care for that look/decor in the middle of an ugly city. At WDW I LOVE the WL. but it fits the area. jmho !!!!!!