DLH or GCH - can't decide!!

[Drewski77]

I totally respect Drewski77's comments, but I actually thought to myself, "but there's a super cool model of BTMR in the Frontier lobby, and we LOVE BTMR!" Honestly, I'd be happy with any room there, and the walking distance to the main lobby or pool areas can't be any longer than what we'd be used to at Port Orleans or Carribean Beach at WDW. Or the Poly.

But tell me more about the balconies! I thought DLH had none...?

My favorite ride is BTMR and the display is nice to look at but to us doesn't make up for it seeming disconnected and stale with having no true lobby with shops, sitting areas, etc.

Don't count on a balcony at the DLH, very few out of hundreds of rooms and most are attached to the very high priced suites. The GCH has a balcony with every room.

I will say this, we stayed for 8 nights and the longer distance to the parks and the disconnected feeling with the towers was more of an issue with a longer stay. If you are going for 3-5 nights those issues might not be as big of a deal, and you'll have a great time regardless.

 

[Malcon10t]

My favorite ride is BTMR and the display is nice to look at but to us doesn't make up for it seeming disconnected and stale with having no true lobby with shops, sitting areas, etc.

Don't count on a balcony at the DLH, very few out of hundreds of rooms and most are attached to the very high priced suites. The GCH has a balcony with every room.

I will say this, we stayed for 8 nights and the longer distance to the parks and the disconnected feeling with the towers was more of an issue with a longer stay. If you are going for 3-5 nights those issues might not be as big of a deal, and you'll have a great time regardless.

I'm really sorry it ruined your trip.

It is interesting how people are very attached to one hotel or the other. I enjoy the DLH and the 4-5 min longer walk has never bothered me. (My other go to hotel is an additional 20 min walk, so this is a piece of cake.) I am a little surprised and maybe things have changed since Sept. but we have always had and used the seating in the lobby. True, there are no gift shops in the Adventure Tower or Frontier Tower, but they are the closest towers to Trader Sam's!

Balconies are limited to the rooms on the 14th floor and to the end rooms on all floors. The "very high priced suites" are locate on the 11th floor of the Adventure Tower and don't have balconies. The 1 bedroom suite I had in the Frontier Tower was $540 last year and we loved the balcony. Cheaper than 2 rooms. They also have regular rooms there.

I enjoy the DLH, the GCH, the room size and darkness have been a negative to me. The balcony on the rooms was really too small for us to be of use. I know it is all personal choices. We prefer the DLH.

 

[Drewski77]

I'm really sorry it ruined your trip.

It is interesting how people are very attached to one hotel or the other. I enjoy the DLH and the 4-5 min longer walk has never bothered me. (My other go to hotel is an additional 20 min walk, so this is a piece of cake.) I am a little surprised and maybe things have changed since Sept. but we have always had and used the seating in the lobby. True, there are no gift shops in the Adventure Tower or Frontier Tower, but they are the closest towers to Trader Sam's!

Balconies are limited to the rooms on the 14th floor and to the end rooms on all floors. The "very high priced suites" are locate on the 11th floor of the Adventure Tower and don't have balconies. The 1 bedroom suite I had in the Frontier Tower was $540 last year and we loved the balcony. Cheaper than 2 rooms. They also have regular rooms there.

I enjoy the DLH, the GCH, the room size and darkness have been a negative to me. The balcony on the rooms was really too small for us to be of use. I know it is all personal choices. We prefer the DLH.

Not sure where I said the DLH "ruined the trip" for us. Far from it actually. However, I figured I would add my two cents to this topic.

It is all about preferences, and if you want the closest location to the park for easy trips back to the room the GCH is tops.

Again though, a person will have a great time at both but certainly depending on personal preferences on hotel will definitely be a better choice than the other.

 

[Mama Lisa 911]

We are veteran WDW folks making our first DL trip next April, and we're having a heck of a time deciding between DLH and GCH. We'd love to save a little money, but since this will be our first (and maybe only) trip, we're willing to pay a bit more if it's worth the cost. I'd love to ask a few questions of those who either have a lot of DLR experience, or WDW vets who have experience with DLR as well:

1) Is the walk from DLH really that big of a deal? I've read several posts complaining about the long walk, but I'm wondering, since we're used to a more expansive WDW setting, if this will really be a big deal for us?

2) Is GCH opening right into California Adventure that big of a deal? Is the private entrance clogged in the morning? We're rope drop folks.

3) Construction - I know there will be rehabs at DLR next year, and have heard rumors of the same at GCH. Would it make sense to stay at DLH to avoid any issues?

4) We'll be bringing DS12 and DD10 - is DLH a better fit for them? At WDW, we've stayed at both moderate (Port Orleans Riverside & Caribbean Beach) and deluxe (Poly and Beach Club), and loved all of them. But somehow, the GCH reads a little stuffy from the website. I could be totally off-base on this, though... which is why I'm asking here.

5) The rooms look awesome from both resorts, but we'd like to avoid looking at a parking lot. Any opinions on the locations of the standard rooms for each?

Thank you so much, guys!!

Our family prefers to stay at the DLH. The rooms are bigger for a family of 4. The GC has a much better lobby area, and is fun to visit and "hang out" in for some downtime. The walk is not much farther to the park gates. If you stay at the DLH you can also use the Downtown Disney Monorail to save some walking time and get right into the park. Have a great time!