DLH or Grand Californian with kids?

[yipee]

I was just wondering what your opinions are on choosing between the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian with our kids? They are 6 and 8. Thanks again!

 

[Sherlee]

I am far from a DL expert, but for our first trip when DD was 8, I chose DLH. This time we are trying GCH. I chose DLH the first time because: 1) the history and nostalgia, 2) the pool theming, 3) proximity for Goofy's Kitchen, and 4) price. We had a wonderful stay there, but I am anxious to compare the two. I have to admit, the walk back to DLH at the end of a long day seems a whole lot longer than it does in the morning! It is fun, though, to people watch in Downtown Disney.

 

[ter-moo]

I think kids that age would enjoy DLH more than the GC. It's got beautiful grounds with koi ponds and waterfalls, fun Disney theming, a great pool, and very spacious rooms.

The GC is closer to the parks for walking, but you'll have quick access to the monorail from DLH.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

oh DLH is a definite...GC is more upscale and your kids arent going to appreciate it the same way they would the DLH

 

[jemilah]

We walked through the GC last trip and my kids did not want to stary there next time. There is no pool like the DLH and and it seems so much more laid back and family like. We will be there again our next trip!

 

[dizzyami]

We love the GCH. It was great with our kids (then 4 and 2) to be able to be close and go back to the room for a short break. They had a great place for snacks - and again after a long day - it was great to be so close. We have never stayed at the DLH - and I am sure it is a great place too (and a lot cheaper!)

 

[goaliewife]

I vote for DLH also. If you take the Monorail back to DTD, it is a shorter walk to the DLH. Even the walk to the GC can be long from DL after a long day at the park, unless you are DCA and then you just walk into the hotel from that park.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

We've stayed at both DLH & GCH and they both have their pros and cons. The pros of DLH is that it is the original disney hotel. My kids (5&8) absolutely loved Neverland Pool as well as the remote control boats. The borders in the room have pixie dust that glows in the dark and we loved all the disney decor in the room including the toilettries. At check in time (roughly 3pm) there are characters in the lobby greeting guests. The cons we found was that it is an older hotel (although it does have free interent access) and is looking its age. It's a further walk back to your hotel than GCH. Yes, I know it has monorail access but when we were in Adventureland, we disliked walking all the way to Tomorrowland just to get to the monorail. The pros of GCH is that it has bunkbed rooms. Our kids enjoyed the slide at the pool and we loved that White Water Snacks is right by the pool. We also loved being able to walk into DCA via the private entrance. The hotel is definitely a shorter walk than DLH and we loved that there are lots of activities for its guests including a scavenger hunt, storytelling by the hearth, drawing classes, napkin folding classes, walks in dca before it opens, build a bear early entry and others I can't recall. The cons is that it is $$pricier than DLH. It doesn't have the Neverland Pool. We stayed at GCH last month. When we were leaving for home, ds(8) asked if we can stay back at "the hotel with the neverland pool" on our next trip. In short, dh and i prefer GCH while the kids prefer DLH.

 

[disneyochem]

Yep, I love to stay at GCH but my kids absolutely love the DLH! My girls (ages 7 and 9) love the Neverland pool, the koi fish, the supersize Mickey hat, the radio-controlled boats, the pixie dust borders and Goofy's Kitchen. We even take advantage of the all the activities at GCH (and I love sitting on the balcony with a morning paper and coffee watching the resort come alive!) but my kids don't think it is a true DL trip unless we stay at DLH!

 

[TwingleMum]

I solved this delemia (what a nice problem to have ) by resort hopping. We will be staying 4 days at DH and the last 4 days GCH concierge. We have never been to DL and living in NY I'm not sure when we'll get back so I didn't want to chose.

 

[fidoprincess]

That is a perfect solution!

I just wanted to let you know that the bellman will take your luggage over to the GC for you. Call them in the am when it is ready and they will pick it up. Then go over to GC and check in early! When your room is ready, just call the bell desk and they will bring it up to your new room. (Only downside is all the tipping, they don't share so we had to tip both at each hotel, but so worth it not to have to worry about the luggage!)

 

[SANDIEGOFAN]

We split 6 nights between the DLH and GCH this last July. The kids (6&8)preferred DLH over GCH mainly due to the pool. They also love PPH, again, mainly because of the water slide. I'm not a hotel snob so I can happily stay at any of the three properties.

 

[acpalmer]

If you take the Monorail back to DTD, it is a shorter walk to the DLH.

Just be aware that there are some significant closures of the monorail with the construction of Nemo, so if you are counting on that for transportation back to the DLH, you might want to check that closure schedule.

 

[Dsnylndlvrs]

Something my kids really liked at GCH - bunk beds! It's amazing how much they could get excited about that. (Of course, my older one is now too big for the bunk bed!)

 

[tigerlilly]

We have never done the GCH but have visited the other two and we actually prefer the PPH over the DLH. We are trying GCH this Dec. I like having everything in one building...even if it is a huge one. At the DLH ther are three seperate towers and a walk from the Bonita Tower to DL is fairly long...not bad but longer then from the PPH.
Also we didn't like the pool...which puts us in the vast minority since everyone loves it. When we were at the DLH the pool was SOOO crowded and well dirty..the bottom was slick and felt icky and the pool deck had a ton of trash and left things....now this is the people going to the pool not DLH's. The grounds are beautiful though and the rooms are very "Disney" themed. Overall we had a great time..Crocs and Bits is a great place to grab a bite and play with the motor boats. Our pool time was probably an isolated incident but we have stayed at PPH since and have been pleased every time (for whatever reason the pool there never seems crowded).

Whichever you choose will be wonderful.

 

[Pooh's Purple Pal]

For our next trip, my kids picked GC. They like the quick entry into DCA and the bunk bed!