GCH worth it? Who's stayed there & would do so again?

[MagicalMomAZ]

We're probably not going until the fall or winter but it doesn't mean DH & I aren't arguing about where to stay.

Personally, as much as a Disney freak I am.....I'm cool w/ staying at a budget motel. DI&S was great IMO last time. He wants to go all out at the GCH. I'd rather save my money.

So to those who've stayed there, what made it worth it to you? Did you only eat at the hotel or park?

TIA!

 

[mikayla73]

I love staying at the GCH! We are staying there again in a couple weeks! We are DVC members and used our points. If we didn't have points to use, we probably wouldn't have stayed there more than one trip. There are a ton of hotels that are close and cheaper. They are not the same level as GCH or any where near it, but I'd rather spend less on the hotel and have more for playing If $ were not a factor, I'd stay at the GCH everytime! It's my favorite!!

Maybe he just wants to spoil you guys a little You could always compromise and do a split stay ... stay the first few night off site, then move to the GCH (I'd never go the other way). The weekends are always more at the GCH so you could stay the first weekend off site, then move over to the GCH for the rest of the time. A compromise is always good. That's actually what we are doing since the points are more on the weekends too. We're spending Fri and Sat off site, them moving to the GCH on Sunday!

Although I am pretty sure I'd never try to talk my husband out of staying at the GCH. He might get a "are you sure" from me, but as soon as he said yes, that would be it!

Have a great trip!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

There are a lot of pluses that most people don't consider.

1) Go on Grizzzly River Rapids a couple times fast and run back for a quick change into dry clothes.

2) The cool activities that they only allow GCH hotel guests to do - like the power walk through DCA before the park opens to the public in the morning, the exclusive trips to Build-a-Bear and Sephora before they open. Pilates in the ballroom in the morning. The hotel scavenger hunt. There will be a paper on your pillow with a list of the activities for the next day.

3) The ability to get a really nice hot cocoa and sit by the fire before bed (or after the kids are asleep (if they are old enough to leave locked in the room for a half hour).

4) The piano player in the lobby.

5) The quick entrance into DCA.

6) Magic Morning Early Entry.

7) Purchases delivered to the room.

8) Easy access to Downtown Disney late at night or early in the morning.

Just a few thoughts. It's very worth it - especially if it's a once in a while special thing.

PS - We got married at the GCH in 2001, so we've stayed there quite a bit using DVC. We do choose to stay at the DLH if we want to conserve a few points, though. There are special benefits to either of those DL hotels, but the GCH has more "guest perks".

 

[nunzia]

I'll only stay at DGC now after my first stay in 2001. I was always happy with the cheap hotels outside the park and I'm not knocking them. Anywhere else I travel I go super cheap. But for some reason, I just like my Disney experiences to be top of the line. I love the GC, bought points there and have no regrets at all. We like to say we live small so we can vacation large. That said, we still eat cheap at Disney, for the most part, and don't buy souveniers. I just love the whole escape from the real world staying on site brings, and haven't left the property once I got there in 8 years. (this may change as I am on a search to find DH some beer when we stay. We are way too cheap to buy that on site.)
I say..try it once and don't think of the cost, then if if you decide it isn't worth it you can always go back to the Harbor hotels.

 

[DangerMouse]

For me personally, no, it wasn't worth it. The room was tiny and there was no micro (which is important to me). The CMs seemed stuffy and not overly friendly. The lobby is gorgeous but I can enjoy that no matter where I stay.

 

[KrazyKat4DIS]

There are a lot of pluses that most people don't consider.

1) Go on Grizzzly River Rapids a couple times fast and run back for a quick change into dry clothes.

2) The cool activities that they only allow GCH hotel guests to do - like the power walk through DCA before the park opens to the public in the morning, the exclusive trips to Build-a-Bear and Sephora before they open. Pilates in the ballroom in the morning. The hotel scavenger hunt. There will be a paper on your pillow with a list of the activities for the next day.

3) The ability to get a really nice hot cocoa and sit by the fire before bed (or after the kids are asleep (if they are old enough to leave locked in the room for a half hour).

4) The piano player in the lobby.

5) The quick entrance into DCA.

6) Magic Morning Early Entry.

7) Purchases delivered to the room.

8) Easy access to Downtown Disney late at night or early in the morning.

Just a few thoughts. It's very worth it - especially if it's a once in a while special thing.

PS - We got married at the GCH in 2001, so we've stayed there quite a bit using DVC. We do choose to stay at the DLH if we want to conserve a few points, though. There are special benefits to either of those DL hotels, but the GCH has more "guest perks".

Sorry to hijack this thread momentarily - but, I had a quick question. Is the pilates offered every morning? Do you know what time?

 

[avalon451]

Stayed there for our very first trip and LOVED it. So pretty, the staff was VERY nice, room beautifully clean and comfortable... great view over the courtyard with the monorail running past our room, and the higher fireworks visible over the rooftop of the wing opposite. We were two doors away from the lobby elevator, so our walk to the DTD entrance was very reasonable.

If money were not an issue I'd definitely stay there. I probably won't again (love HoJo, especially with the Ent rate!) but if DH said, "We're splurging on something nice for ourselves," I'd be like... "Ok, twist my arm!"

 

[calicat]

I love staying at the Grand for several reasons: Close to the parks, all rooms have balcony's where you can sit and relax, pool area is pretty and has never seemed as crowded as Disneyland Hotel, Magic Mornings offered to hotel guests. I am the type of person that likes to get to the parks early before the crowds arrive and then go back to the hotel to relax before returning to parks in the evening so having a nice, clean convenient hotel is important to me. I also like the Disneyland hotel because the grounds are beautiful.

 

[mmlover74]

If I had the money, I would be staying there or if someone else paid...at least to experience it once.

 

[jenjersnap]

This is making me so excited!

 

[Monica D]

My first (and only) stay there was courtesy of someone else, so I didn't have to pay for it. I will say that it is really, really nice. The biggest advantage of staying at GCH is the proximity to the parks; I loved having such a short walk to the hotel, no matter where we were. The pool (IMO) isn't as good as the DH, but the pool chairs at GCH were SO comfortable I wanted to buy a couple and take them home!

Funny story about my stay there: the friend I was staying with was snoring so loudly one night that I couldn't sleep. I had a couple of magazines and wandered down to the lobby (around 2:00am) and asked if I could sit and read. The security guard said it was fine, as long as I didn't fall asleep. Guess they don't want it to look like people are crashing in the lobby! So, I sat in one of the big chairs by the fire until I was so tired I thought I could sleep through the snoring again. That night I was very grateful for the nice lobby.

I definitely think it is worth trying once, although afterward you may not want to stay anywhere else!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

Ok. Y'all have twisted my arm.

Especially the perks listed by Yellow Mickey Ponchos....umm, wow. I had no idea, really I didn't. Pilates?? AWESOME! A scavenger hunt? Double AWESOME! Activites on my pillow? Quadruple Awesome!!!

Ok - so I just want all the ladies to know I NEVER look a gift horse in the mouth, but I had to wonder - is GCH for me when I'd also like to squeeze in another theme park or the beach?

I plan on getting rich RIGHT NOW, so I can have it all.

 

[DizMe]

The first time I stayed there (last Oct.), I was so excited about going but ended up kind of disappointed. Our room was so far away from the lobby that it was a royal pain to navigate all of the looooong corridors + elevator to get in and out of our room. I figured if I ever went back, I'd be sure to request a room with no bunk beds (didn't like that room--small and didn't like the beds) and close to the lobby/elevators. We usually stay at DLH and we love it so we were prepared to go back to that property.

In Feb., I planned a trip with my mom, sister, and my 3 kids. We reserved 2 concierge rooms at DLH. A few days before our trip, DLR called to say the DLH concierge lounge would be closed during our stay so they moved us to GCH concierge, with rooms on the upper floor! WOW, was that ever cool!! I got a chance to discover the magic of that hotel that I hadn't been able to see the first time. Now I'm hooked! I really love DLH also, so I'm happy with either one, but I won't stay off property if I have a choice. The money is well worth it to me to stay at DLH or GCH, but we never go during peak times.

The only problem now is that I got TOTALLY spoiled by the GCH concierge lounge!! I doubt my dh will agree to staying there unless I secretly stash enough money to pay for it. Yeah, not likely.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I love GCH! It is the only place we have stayed since it opened. And we go to DLR at least once a year. It is worth every penny to me. I am sad that I will be staying off site for the first this month, but I know the hojo will be ok. I will be looking at the gch on my visit wishing I were there For many reasons already listed. Beautiful hotel grounds, gorgeous rooms, nice balconys, great pool....amazing staff! Everyone has always made us feel super welcome and VERY well taken care of.

 

[lark]

We've stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and also the Grand Californian. Of the two, I'd say the advantages of the disneyland hotel over some of the great off-site options is marginal. Particularly now that you can get an early entry day by purchasing a multi-day hopper.

Grand Californian is a bit different. The location is exceptionally convenient, and it is a fabulous hotel. In the summer particularly, it's so easy to leave the parks when they get crowded and go for a swim or nap, and it feels like you're still virtually in the parks. There's certainly not a place I'd rather stay, if money were not an issue.

But of course it is. Whether it's worth it or not is such a loaded question, which depends on what kinds of discounts are available and what one can afford. The rack rate could be as much as $350 more than an entertainment rate at Hojos. How much is $350 worth to you, I guess is the question. That's way too huge a spread for me. But if you're planning a 5-day trip right now for summer, you can take advantage of the 5 for 3 deal, which comes out to $250 a night and good neighbor hotels over the summer don't give as large discounts. Now you're talking about a much more narrow spread and maybe it does start to get worth it.

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

I would really love to stay @ GCH! I have heard the complaints/observations about the rooms being small and dark, but I still want to give it a try. Thanks for the list of perks, YellowMickeyPonchos - I was not aware of half of them. I am really going to start putting those pennies away and watch for AP Discounts - can anyone give an idea of AP Rate for GCH in off season? Do they ever offer AP Rate in off season?

 

[TnMaryJo]

I hope this an appropriate place to ask this?
What areas of the GCH do you all prefer? Is there a preferred floor or building that you could recommend. I booked a 5 night stay in a standard room starting the day after the 1/2 marathon. And I have NO idea how the hotel is set up or where the DCA entrance is, DTD entrance, etc. So, I could not begin to ask for a specific room area.
Thank you!!

 

[DizMe]

I would really love to stay @ GCH! I have heard the complaints/observations about the rooms being small and dark, but I still want to give it a try. Thanks for the list of perks, YellowMickeyPonchos - I was not aware of half of them. I am really going to start putting those pennies away and watch for AP Discounts - can anyone give an idea of AP Rate for GCH in off season? Do they ever offer AP Rate in off season?

I think we paid $249/night (AP rate) in October last year for a standard view. We paid $289/night for DLH concierge in Feb. (but then they moved us to GCH concierge).

I have to totally disagree about DLH being only marginally better than an off-property motel. For me, anyway! I stayed at Hojos in Jan and it was a great deal at $59/night, but I'd rather pay the extra $90/night for DLH. There are so many perks, many of which YellowMickeyPonchos listed, but the biggest to me is never leaving the resort. I absolutely hate Harbor Blvd and the sense of going into a...well, a darker realm, if you'll pardon the drama! We had to step over a homeless man on the sidewalk on our way back to the hotel at night. It was dark, deserted, and creepy for my dd and me. I prefer DTD!

 

[MaiynaMouse]

We absolutely love staying at the Grand. The first time I went to DL, I stayed offsite. It was so many years ago that I can't for the life of me remember where we stayed. I do know we had to shuttle to the park. It wasn't close enough to even walk. That was before I was married or had kids, though....

The first time my husband and I decided to take the kids to DL (in 2002), we decided to stay at the Grand. At the time, money really wasn't too much of an issue so we splurged. We've never stayed anywhere else on subsequent trips and we never plan to, unless we just absolutely cannot afford it. The main reason we decided to stay there was proximity to the parks. Our youngest was 2 at the time and we wanted someplace we could easily go back to the hotel for nap time.

We all have different priorities so what is important for you, may be different from what is important to me. For my family, we love being "in the park" even after we go back to the hotel. We always get a view room so we can sit on the balcony, share our DL treats, and watch the park at night. You can't get quite the same immersion at off site hotels. I also love the fact that when we step of Grizzly River Rapids and are soaked from head to toe, we can quickly run back to our room to change our clothes and be back in the parks within 15 minutes or so. That's an especially FABULOUS perk when you have on a white shirt......

One of our favorite things to do is spend the morning at the parks and when it starts to get busy, head back to the hotel to swim and nap for a few hours and then head back out into the parks. Of course, you can do this anywhere but I really love the fact that we are still "at Disneyland." I don't know if I would get that feeling elsewhere. Basically, I can't add anything that all the PP's haven't already stated. I just wanted to throw in another from me.

Good luck with your choice. Whatever you decide, you're sure to have a blast...you'll be in Disneyland, afterall!!!!!

~mm

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I hope this an appropriate place to ask this?
What areas of the GCH do you all prefer? Is there a preferred floor or building that you could recommend. I booked a 5 night stay in a standard room starting the day after the 1/2 marathon. And I have NO idea how the hotel is set up or where the DCA entrance is, DTD entrance, etc. So, I could not begin to ask for a specific room area.
Thank you!!

MoJo - I like the standard rooms right off the lobby. Easy access to the elevators and if you choose - you can crack your door for a while and hear the pianist. Very nice....