Disneyland Hotel vs. Grand Californian

[ErinsMommy]

Thinking the DLH MAY be more within our budget vs. the GC vs. staying at the Anaheim Courtyard by Marriott Theme Park Entrance, but wondering what the differences are between them (other than the obvious 2 are on-site and the Courtyard is off-site) as in terms of close proximity to the park; pool; resort amenities. Sorry for all the posts and questions. We just booked our flights, so this is actually finally happening - again (we were originally booked for August 2020).

 

[chezcurrie]

My three boys much preferred the DLH to the GC. They loved the pool with the monorail slides, and the feel of the resort. Our room faced the pool and was on a high floor so there was no noise - even the construction noise we did not notice. The biggest plus for me was staying in the “disney bubble” - there‘s something about walking in downtown disney vs on harbour that just sits different for me. The walk to the DLH can be long at the end of the night, but we still did it several times a day. We would have a later lunch in downtown disney on our walk back mid-day which made it feel so much shorter.

EDIT: I see you are used to staying onsite at WDW. For that reason alone I would suggest the DLH. It has a very Poly feel to it, with some contemporary retro thrown in.

 

[DizMe]

Both are fantastic hotels. DLH rooms are a bit larger, GCH has its own entrance into DCA. DLH is a somewhat longer walk, which can seem like a lot longer when you're really tired. There will be construction of some sort going on nearby (redoing that area of DTD and adding the new DVC wing at the hotel). Disney is generally really good about minimizing construction noise and such. GCH has better dining options presently, though Tangaroa Terrace is good (it's just about the only option, though). There are lots of neat things to look at at both hotels. I'd choose whichever is better for your budget if that's a concern because both are great options. There is also Paradise Pier Hotel, but it's not a favorite of mine and I don't know much about it currently except that it basically has no in-hotel dining or guest services presently.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

I surprised my DW with a DL trip this summer. I've never been to DL. My DW went when she was 8 and her great-aunt had a seizure right after entering the park and my DW spent the entire day in the infirmary area below (?) the park. Not very fun for my 8 year old DW. Certainly not very fun for her great-aunt, obviously.

We chose DLH. First, GC rates are too high for our liking. We could probably scrap together the extra cash for GC but we'd rather save that money for an extra meal or Genie+. Second, and more importantly, DHL looks more authentically Disney (whatever that means). I guess the way I look at Deluxe style hotels is that even though I know I'm overpaying for a hotel, I want to at least have a deluxe feel to the hotel and DHL has that old-style Disney deluxe look to it. I hope my instincts are vindicated when we step foot on property.

DLH is a further walk to both parks as GC has a park entrance to DCA dedicated to its hotel. I think the Monorail slides and pools look nicer and more Disney whimsical feeling at DHL, but that may be just personal preference and nothing more. I like the fact that Trader Sam's and Dole Whips are available onsite at the hotel and GC does not have that option as far as I could tell from my research. My DW and DD are HUGE Dole Whip fans.

My DW, DS and DD are ambulatory adults so we don't have a problem walking through DTD for an extra 5 minutes (more or less) to get to the parks. If you had mobility issues or wanted to have a little one take a quick nap maybe that 5 minutes less of complaining and/or crying (we've all been there before with small children) may be a better option for you.

My DW wanted to be in the Disney bubble. I am more agnostic about that idea but she really wanted the whole DL/DCA experience to be completed with an onsite hotel. I guess if you want that bubble feeling too, then DLH would be a good location based upon all the reports and research I have done.

Lastly, you should be aware and advised that there is a fairly significant construction project going on at DLH. Disney is building a new tower (DVC related?) and that construction project will take quite some time. I haven't heard much about noise issues, but I do fear dust issues. I just know that new construction is a dust maker and I have to believe that dry, Southern California with some moderate to heavy winds can blow dust around which is obnoxious to me.

 

[smartlabelprint]

DH and I stayed at DLH 11/2019. I was not impressed. We typically stay at a hotel a 20 min walk away. It was not more comfortable than that. The wal still felt long to me. I’m cheap and we used dapper days discount so it should have felt like a bargain.

I really wanted the Disney decor. And it was fun for a minute. I should have chosen GCH. We didn’t really use the pool, it wasn’t a long enough trip. I think that’s probably the biggest benefit for kids.

So basically I paid more for a 5 min shorter walk in what seems comparable accommodations (except pool) to homewood suites.

That said, for your issue I think DLH is the perfect balance of price vs noise. And it really is the best pool in the area.

If your kids don’t need a car seat you could Uber to the park from a hotel a bit further down harbor but the pools aren’t as nice.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I think one of the hotels by the convention center would be a good compromise too. Residence inn, Westin, etc.

 

[Steven G]

I would always choose DLH over GCH, even with the longer walk. I just enjoy the ambiance there. Plus Trader Sam's.

To me, GCH just doesn't have the Disney feel as much as DLH. If I'm going to pay outrageous prices, I want the most Disney.

With all that said, I'd still rather just get a motel on Harbor, or a hotel near convention center, just because of the $ saved, that can be used for things like a dessert party, genie+, etc.

 

[ErinsMommy]

thanks so much everyone.!

 

[ktlm]

We are long time WDW vets and love the DLH-- it has a very Disney feel and is different than any of the hotels we have stayed at while at WDW. GC is very pretty- but for a WDW vet it is basically a scaled down version of WL. Extremely impressive if you have never stayed at WL, but a smaller version of what you have experienced if you have. The gate directly into the parks is great, but we prefer DLH, especially as the GC price is usually significantly higher. Also as WDW vets, we much prefer being in the bubble at DLR than staying off site. As far as the walk from DLH to the parks, by WDW standards it is not bad at all. About the same as the walk from the Contemporary to MK or from Yacht Club to the EPCOT international Gateway.

 

[austinelsa]

Where is the construction in DTD and how bad is it? We’ll be staying at the DLH in 2 weeks but we’re planning on rope dropping each morning. We will come back for down/pool time in the afternoons with the kids though. Will I even notice the noise other than walking by?

 

[ErinsMommy]

We are long time WDW vets and love the DLH-- it has a very Disney feel and is different than any of the hotels we have stayed at while at WDW. GC is very pretty- but for a WDW vet it is basically a scaled down version of WL. Extremely impressive if you have never stayed at WL, but a smaller version of what you have experienced if you have. The gate directly into the parks is great, but we prefer DLH, especially as the GC price is usually significantly higher. Also as WDW vets, we much prefer being in the bubble at DLR than staying off site. As far as the walk from DLH to the parks, by WDW standards it is not bad at all. About the same as the walk from the Contemporary to MK or from Yacht Club to the EPCOT international Gateway.

Can honestly say WL never suited our style. The Poly, Yacht (and Contemporary for DH) were our preferred "homes". I'm going to have to work on DH to consider DLH or GC. I'm not sure I'll be happy anywhere else but and being this is likely the only time we go to DL I'll like to spoil ourselves. Although the construction part is a bit concerning as we never have had a good experience with Disney and construction.

 

[PlutoIsHere]

Generally most here recommend GCH, but I look at things case by case. We are staying at the DLH this December and its our first time staying on site and there were a few reason we chose that.

First is the price. We are going with a second family and don't want two separate rooms. That means a suite and there was a large difference between price points.

Second was the pool. We are spending 6 days and 7 nights at the hotel and plan to use all of the amenities that we can. We have multiple ages of kids and don't plan for all of them to be morning to night park goers so we are planning multiple trip to the pools. DLH not only has good slides but they also have the splash pool which will be great for the 1 year old.

A distant third is the theming. We personally feel like our younger kids will enjoy it more.

Obviously we are sacrificing walking distance and that is a big one for us with some small kids coming. We are used to staying far off site and driving in each day, so our typical walk is across the parking garage to the trams which isn't great either, so we will see which is worse.

Overall I think both choices are good, and here's hoping that EMH or some other perks return!

 

[ktlm]

Can honestly say WL never suited our style. The Poly, Yacht (and Contemporary for DH) were our preferred "homes". I'm going to have to work on DH to consider DLH or GC. I'm not sure I'll be happy anywhere else but and being this is likely the only time we go to DL I'll like to spoil ourselves. Although the construction part is a bit concerning as we never have had a good experience with Disney and construction.

If WL doesn't suit your style for the theming and you like the Contemporary, then you probably would prefer DLH. Poly and Yacht are our 2 favorites at WDW. Also with those being your preferred "homes", you probably aren't going to like the Harbor hotels, which are definitely outside of the bubble you are used to. We stayed in one of those once for 1 night because we had to come in a day early due to weather and DLR had no rooms in any of the hotels that night, and while the hotel was perfectly fine and we had no issues with the hotel itself, after walking the Harbor route and going through security on that side-- DH immediately decided the extra money to stay on property was worth it and he didn't want to stay on that side again. He did not like the Harbor walking outside the bubble and the line to go through security on that side was much bigger than what we were used to coming from the DLH.

I don't know what impact the DTD construction might have. I would assume they will always have a path through it with walls up on the sides. As far as the noise, you might not hear it at all if you are in the Fantasy tower. If they have the Adventure Tower open and you were on the side that faced Downtown Disney it would probably be really loud during the day. If you are in the parks all day and don't plan on spending that much time at the resort, it probably wouldn't matter much. They are pretty good about not starting too early or ending too late. We stayed there once when they were tearing out the pirate ship pool to redo the whole pool area to the Monorail pool, and with the exception of the time we were actually at the resort in the afternoon briefly and got to see them jackhammering out the pool (which was really fun to watch because they had about 15 or 20 people standing in the pool all with jackhammers going at once and did it super fast), we really didn't hear the construction much even with a room facing it.

 

[DisTXMom]

We love DLH and would choose to stay there even if it were prices the same as GCH. We’ve walked through and dined at GCH. It’s very nice, but fairly dark/heavy feel to it. We like the light and somewhat retro vibe of DLH. While it’s further to/from the parks, we love toodling through downtown Disney and snacking/shopping in transit

 

[gelatoni fan]

Grand Californian is expensive but has the entrance to the back of California Adventure so it's great if you want to go in/out of the parks during the day. It is the nicest hotel of the three you mentioned but I personally think the Westin would be a better option if you were looking primarily for luxury.

The Disneyland Hotel has the best Disney theming and has a fun pool. If I were to stay with Disney, this is the one I would pick but I generally think that staying with Disney is poor value so I go to other off-site hotels.

The Courtyard has some water slides and a kids water play area that is not quite as good as the Disneyland hotel's. I think it may be a shorter walk to the park entrance than the Dinseyland hotel. It's a favorite off-site hotel of many. I generally recommend people to take a slightly longer walk from someplace like the Hyatt House which has larger rooms and free breakfast if a water play area for kids is not important.

 

[chezcurrie]

Also with those being your preferred "homes", you probably aren't going to like the Harbor hotels, which are definitely outside of the bubble you are used to.

This. I surprised my sister, who is used to popCentury and Port Orleans for our trip this past September, and she was thrilled. On our last day we walked along Harbour to my next hotel for my 1-night solo stay for OOGIE Boogie with local friends. As we exited I watched her “magic“ melt. She looked at me and said “ thank you!”

For WDW repeat visitors, with your specific concerns, DLH all the way. Also, once you‘ve booked call and (kindly) ask for the quietest location. We only noticed the construction noise in December when at Goofy’s Kitchen.

(edited to fix typos as my bulldog is sitting on top of me!)

 

[ErinsMommy]

thanks so much everyone, we just spent the night looking at youtube videos and decided on DLH! DH swears though that there's a room with a "star wars land view" - I dont see theme park view as an option though?

 

[rynorex]

It's hardly a Star Wars Land view - we could see it from the main tower last time we stayed, it's very much just a view of the back of it, you can see the spires, but only the parts you see in the park. The rest you see if just metal supports / infrastructure.

 

[jen7233]

I haven't stayed at either but am also trying to choose which hotel is better between GC and DLH, for a longer stay of 6 nights, anticipating pool time. How is the walk in the evening, is it very lit and safe? Another of our group is going to be a 5 year old, so I'm concerned about the walk if it's too exhausting for them with coming back from the parks or if it would be easier to navigate the GC. It may sound silly, but I haven't been to this area in years and have no idea what it looks like anymore, and never was in the Downtown Disney area just the Harbor Blvd. side.

 

[Apiary]

Just wanted to add that several off-site hotels are closer to the theme park entrances than DLH. If you want a short walk, either one of those hotels near the entrance on Harbor Blvd or GC are your best bet.