GCH Secret DTD Entrance

[avalon451]

Who knows about this one? There's the DTD entrance, very nice, but let's be honest, it spits you out halfway down DTD. You come out between Libby Lu and Sephora. Let me tell you, I remember coming out of DL late at night, looking down DTD, and thinking how very far away that Sephora sign looked!

Not that this will help that walk BACK at night, unless you have somebody in the room who can come and open the door for you. There is a locked exit that opens off the east side of the World of Disney store, right next to La Brea Bakery, at the top of DTD. It's a fire exit for the far northeast wing of GCH. It's not alarmed or anything. When we stayed there in March, we saw it, and tried it from the outside, but of course it's locked. I looked for it once from the inside, but didn't find it (I was in a hurry so I didn't search long, and besides, the housekeeping staff in that area were giving me funny looks!). I kept thinking how nice it would be if we'd had a room in that wing, and been able to just walk down the stairs at that end and go out that door.

There's a paragraph about it in the MousePlanet column, "How Far Is It?" (http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as ) which makes the point that, even if you did have a room in that wing, the walk back to the room would be just as far, because you'd have to go through the regular DTD entrance, backtrack through the hotel, and cancel out the advantage of taking that exit on the way out. Unless, again, you had someone who was already back in the room who could come and let you in.

Just an interesting little GCH fact. If I ever stay there again, I'm going to find it.

 

[angel22]

I read that article too in Mouse Planet and was going to look for that door when we stay there in October. So, if anyone knows exactly where it is I would love to know!!

 

[Disneylvrforever]

We totally used those fire exit stairs last weekend! A CM told us when we were going to DL for MM and said it was closer then walking all the way around. We stayed on the 5th floor by Storyteller's Cafe (don't remember the #), but you make a left from the elevators, another left until you run into the wall, a right until you run into another wall or door, a left until you run into the window, and then a right all the way down the hall until you see the door to the stairs on the right. I'd have to say that the bottom of the stairs smelled pretty funky, but it was very convinent and we used it twice.
Even though we did have to walk all the way around to get back to our room, I'm used to it and I didn't mind. I just loved smelling the yummy hotel air.

 

[Sy-]

I just loved smelling the yummy hotel air.

I thought you said it smells "Pretty Funky" J/K

 

[Disneylvrforever]

I thought you said it smells "Pretty Funky" J/K

The funky smell was in the stairwell. I guess I got you confused w/ the different scents that I smell. lol.

 

[biolabetty]

We used that exit the last time we were there too, the person who brought our bags up told us about it. It was so nice when we left the hotel, but it did feel kind of far when we came back.

 

[marlower]

Not that this will help that walk BACK at night, unless you have somebody in the room who can come and open the door for you. There is a locked exit that opens off the east side of the World of Disney store, right next to La Brea Bakery, at the top of DTD. It's a fire exit for the far northeast wing of GCH. It's not alarmed or anything. When we stayed there in March, we saw it, and tried it from the outside, but of course it's locked. I looked for it once from the inside, but didn't find it (I was in a hurry so I didn't search long, and besides, the housekeeping staff in that area were giving me funny looks!). I kept thinking how nice it would be if we'd had a room in that wing, and been able to just walk down the stairs at that end and go out that door.

We are here right now and are room is just steps away from the stairwell to take you down to exit right at La Brea. It is amazing. So we walk out our hotel door, take a few steps to our right and we are headed down the steps!! You are right though, we can't return that way, which is a bummer but can't wait to use this exit tomorrow morning for MM!! Once we get outside to La Brea, we are just steps to security entrance

 

[m4travel]

We got to use that exit when the fire alarm went off around 2:30 in the morning during one of our stays. It wasn't quite so special at that time of day!

Otherwise, we stick with the 'real' exits and entrances.