GCH OR DLH worth it?

I booked the grand :cutie:
You won’t regret it! There was a time period where I didn’t think I’d ever wanna stay at the Grand, only the Disneyland hotel. Boy was I wrong! I just always felt like it didn’t have enough Disney theme or it wasn’t magical? I’m not really sure but now I’m completely smitten by it. It just has a certain vibe.
 
The on site hotels are great, but no one on here can provide you the "right" answer. The "worth" of on-site hotels is purely subjective.

I love staying on-site, but to me with my current situation in life they are not "worth" the incredibly high prices. The only real benefit is 30 minutes of EE per day, which requires you to expend considerable effort to benefit from (like being at security check by 6:45 am).

I plan to stay on-site more often in a few years when my kids are older (i.e. no longer napping). Right now, I can stay 5 minutes away from the gates on Harbor in a multi-room suite hotel for significantly less cost. When my kids are older and it's not a huge deal to all stay in the same room, the "worth" of staying on-site will be greater.
I definitely preferred the 1 hr EE we used to get but we don’t get to security u til 7 -7:10. Usually in line by 7:15-7:20 and scanned in by 7:30.

Now that dtd has another bag check area I didn’t wait more than maybe 3 min in the security line. Could also be pp having their own entry into dca
 
I definitely preferred the 1 hr EE we used to get but we don’t get to security u til 7 -7:10. Usually in line by 7:15-7:20 and scanned in by 7:30.

Now that dtd has another bag check area I didn’t wait more than maybe 3 min in the security line. Could also be pp having their own entry into dca
What time do you need to be leaving your room to get to the parks in time for the early entry?
 
I've stayed at all 3 on-site hotels at DLR. Maybe a controversial opinion, but I think GCH is the only one that's "worth it". Staying there truly gives me the feeling that I never leave the resort in a way that DLH (and the relative distance) doesn't. The direct entrance to DCA and the hotel's theming matching Grizzly Peaks really enhances that feeling.

If we can't/don't stay at GCH, we just stay off-site.
 
What time do you need to be leaving your room to get to the parks in time for the early entry?
In December, to enter DCA we used the "Pixar Place" entrance and lined up about 5-10 minutes before the gates opened (accessed by the grills). For Disneyland EE through DD, we went about 30 minutes early because it can bottleneck at the security check point.
 
What time do you need to be leaving your room to get to the parks in time for the early entry?
when we were there, we stayed in the Adventure Tower. We went down to pick up our coffee from The Coffee House at 6:50 and got our coffee and pastries around 7:00. It took some time because there were many people in line. I got to security around 7:05. There was probably one person in each line waiting. Many lines open. We walked at a very normal pace and got in line about 7:15 walked through the gates at 7:29. Got on our ride by 7:35.

I did want to add that we are two people in our late 30s with a teen. So we might be going faster than the average family with a toddler.
 
Grand Cal and Disneyland Hotel are both wonderful. The theming and lobbies are great, they have spacious rooms (aside from the new duo studios at the DL villas), the pools are nice, and security lines are normally short. Grand Cal especially has an amazing location. It makes taking a break or changing to hop on Grizzly River Run easy. There's also the intangible feeling of the Disney bubble. People say it doesn't exist in DL, but I definitely think it does at Grand Cal. If you've done the Harbor hotels and the Disney ones are in the budget, I think you should definitely try it.
 
I've stayed at all 3 on-site hotels at DLR. Maybe a controversial opinion, but I think GCH is the only one that's "worth it". Staying there truly gives me the feeling that I never leave the resort in a way that DLH (and the relative distance) doesn't. The direct entrance to DCA and the hotel's theming matching Grizzly Peaks really enhances that feeling.

If we can't/don't stay at GCH, we just stay off-site.
I dont think it is controversial. Many prefer GCH and i understand why, but my family and i prefer DLH. DLH is the only one worth it to us. GCH only plus for me is the proximity. Everything else is not something i would choose over DLH. Prefer the DLH theme, room size, pools, more exclusive as far as actually being away from non guest. When we do stay at GCH it is either because it is going to be very warm or we are going with someone who needs to go back to the room more often that we do. But I always feel like i go through security much more. Even though it is the same i feel like it is constant.
 
We always stay at DLH. Kids like the room theme more (and I think the rooms are a bit bigger and nicer, but that's just my opinion) but the main reason is I like the extra walk to burn off a bit more of that red wagon corn dog. :)
 
We always stay at DLH. Kids like the room theme more (and I think the rooms are a bit bigger and nicer, but that's just my opinion) but the main reason is I like the extra walk to burn off a bit more of that red wagon corn dog. :)
That’s fair 😂 I need to minimize extra walking though lol
 
I've stayed at all 3 on-site hotels at DLR. Maybe a controversial opinion, but I think GCH is the only one that's "worth it". Staying there truly gives me the feeling that I never leave the resort in a way that DLH (and the relative distance) doesn't. The direct entrance to DCA and the hotel's theming matching Grizzly Peaks really enhances that feeling.

If we can't/don't stay at GCH, we just stay off-site.
I don't know how popular it is, but I agree the location of GCH is a huge advantage compared to the other two and staying off-site. It's the only one I will pay significantly more than off-site for.
 













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