Enable Me Disney friends... Should I stay at the Grand Californian?

[mommy2girls79]

My family (hubby and 2 little girls) are going to Disneyland for 4 nights in mid-November, right before Thanksgiving. We are currently booked at the Park Vue Inn, which is on Harbor Blvd and walking distance from the gates.

I started exploring today and came up with a "Woods / Garden / or Courtyard" view room at the Grand Californian for $336 per night before taxes and fees.

Do I splurge?! We've never stayed in a DLR hotel before. Paradise Pier is around $243 per night I believe, and DH is WAY over the top.... $400 to $500 per night.

Our room at the Park Vue is $683 for all 4 nights... so you see my conundrum here. I mean, I know we won't hardly even be in the room BUT it is the Diamond Celebration and I'm wondering if this is the year we splurge or not? I've heard the Grand is pretty amazing.

Enable away!
Alissa

 

[Heymy]

If you can afford it, I'm of the mindset that staying onsite is worth every penny! But realize, once you've done it, you'll want to do it every time. We love to take afternoon breaks and you can't beat the proximity of the Grand. For our family, EMH is an incredible perk that we use every single day!

 

[bumbershoot]

I would splurge during a time that is less likely to be so expensive.

But then I disliked the Grand. Long long corridors, small dark rooms. Our room was in an unlucky place where the distance to the center of the esplanade was as long as coming from the sidewalk outside of HoJo. And it was cold in the hallways. Which was sad when DS and DH rode Grizzly a bunch of times in a row and then came back to the room...DS was turning blue by the time he got back (and this was during October).

If you're going to splurge, go for PPH, IMO.


But if you really really want to, go for the Grand. Just know that you'd have been closer to getting to the main entrances of the parks by staying at PVI.

 

[Girimama33]

If you want to blow that money...Go for it. Personally, I would only book it if I was planning on using the pool and other amenities offered. Not sure if I would be using the pool in November.
You also are going to have to consider the added cost of taxes (17%) and parking ($17 per day if you have a car).
Park Vue Inn includes breakfast, so that is another expense you will incur as well. Parking is free there also.
We have stayed there before and I would not hesitate to stay there again. The location is great, and very easy to get to the parks.

 

[mommy2girls79]

Good points on both sides ... I was thinking the $336 was a good price but maybe it drops even more?

 

[mommy2girls79]

If you want to blow that money...Go for it. Personally, I would only book it if I was planning on using the pool and other amenities offered. Not sure if I would be using the pool in November.
You also are going to have to consider the added cost of taxes (17%) and parking ($17 per day if you have a car).
Park Vue Inn includes breakfast, so that is another expense you will incur as well. Parking is free there also.
We have stayed there before and I would not hesitate to stay there again. The location is great, and very easy to get to the parks.

Yes, with taxes and such, it's $346-ish. We won't have a car, so that's not a worry. We were used to paying for breakfast, so not a huge deal there. Hmmm... still torn though!

 

[superme80]

YES! And take lots of pics for me! I would love to be able to do that. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Girimama33]

Yes, with taxes and such, it's $346-ish. We won't have a car, so that's not a worry. We were used to paying for breakfast, so not a huge deal there. Hmmm... still torn though!

Actually, hotel taxes in Anaheim are 17% (15% for Occupancy and 2% for Tourism) at least. I imagine the price will be closer to $400/nt.

 

[taniahappy]

For me, right now, its not worth it because we dont spend more than 8 hours in the room - most of them sleeping but if you are taking breaks, using the amenities and the money isnt a real issue then do it.

 

[jadelsp]

I am on the no way side. My family and I stayed there in April. We got a decent deal (less then $300 after taxes and fees per night) and still felt like I did not get my money's worth. I love the look of the hotel and it was decently close, we were over the World of Disney store and used the "secret" exit and that was nice but the room is small and the walk back felt just as long as when we stay across the street. In the end and looking back I would not stay there again and feel like my money is better spent on other things.

 

[pindecisive]

For me it would entirely depend on if you are buying a package (hotel + park tickets) or just a room. The package's come close enough to the park tickets and a neighbor hotel that I splurged. Not on the Grand, but on PPH. For me, it was worth it, but it wouldn't have been without the park tickets.

 

[mommy2girls79]

All helpful! I am leaning towards waiting to have our first resort stay, that way we can splurge on other things. We have 2 character dinings on tap and the BBB.

 

[Aladora]

We have stayed at all three onsite hotels as well as a few offsite ones. I would personally pick PPH over GCH and I say you should go for it!

 

[Jerryp49]

We are paying $257/night for Standard View rooms at the GCH for Dapper Days in April 2016.. They have Dapper Days in the Spring and in the fall with convention rates for all 3 Resort Hotels and convention rates for admission tickets. That said, $336 is a fairly good rate for the GCH. You can`t beat the location and the Extra Magic Hour is great. If you can fit it in your budget , I say go for it.When will you get another chance

 

[egritz]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Too much money that we could use elsewhere to make our trip more magical. That said I'm hoping when the kids are older (right now they are 1 & 4) I do want to do ONE vacation staying at one of the Disney hotels, but it will likely be a short 2 or 3 night stay.

If you know for sure you would use the EMH EVERY morning then maybe I'd do it. The DL Hotels are just too darn expensive. We got a steal of a deal back in 2010 before we had kids (stay 3 nights get 2 free) which made our entire week only $150 more than staying across the street at the Ramada Maingate. We used the EMH but it was June so it was EARLY and rough to make happen...and we didn't have kids (well, my brother was with us with his family, but we didn't have to deal with getting them up early).

 

[madmaxx]

We loved our last trip staying at the DLH. As we have to fly in and out of Cali, we have 2-3 days at the hotel itself as there is no sense in hitting the parks for a half day. We find it a good value, considering the EMH, the experience, and the quality of the room/staff. We love being in the magic for the entire trip, it's an unreal experience.

We're going to stay there again this year, though it was a bit harder to justify (as the Canadian dollar is so horribly low). But we did it anyway, as it's the last time we'll be there when our kids still have a bunch of kid left in them. They were so very excited when we told them, and they're typical mid/late teens, so to see the child in them sparkle is a special thing.

 

[MommyJKM]

Love GCH - we always stay there! Do it!!

 

[millie0312]

If you can afford it yes!! We love it there and are staying again this trip. That's a pretty good rate imho. Also you can't beat how close you are and the views- love the balcony too!! Just be warned once you stay you won't want to go off site again lol take us for case in point

 

[Whistlebee]

Yes, I would definitely do it! But, I'd stay at PPH! If you use the Orbitz code PACK YOUR BAGS you get an additional 10 or 15% off. We've stayed at all 3 hotels and the Disneyland Hotel is our favorite. The Grand is nice and if it is a dream to stay there then "maybe" it'd be worth it. The rooms at PPH are bigger, brighter, and I love the beach theme. Your girls would probably like PPH better. Plus, the Grand is across the street so you can EASILY hang out in the lobby, relax, girls can watch cartoon, etc. The PPH would be WAY cheaper than the Grand but you still get EMH which is the best part about staying on site anyway!

However, if it's too much of a stretch to the budget I don't think it's worth it. We've stayed onsite many times but last time stayed at the Fairfield Inn on Harbor and actually had a much better trip than the time we stayed at the Grand! We had way better crowd levels and the hotel service was actually wonderful. We had several problems at the Grand (and they weren't little problems). Either way you'll have a great trip but it is fun to stay onsite but only if it is within the budget.

 

[sheetz]

I wouldn't but it's your money. If you just want to try it once maybe you could have a split stay?