Grand California Resort

[disneyobessed]

We are thinking about trying out Disneyland next time we need our Mickey Fix. I looked at pics of the villas at the Grand Californian and it looks like a cross bw WLV and Grand Floridian. The points are really high.. Just looking for some views if it is worth 2 years worth of points for just 6 days... versus 10 days of points in Florida...

Is it easy to get from park to park down there. I think I read it is all walking distance? we's rent a car b/c there is so much other stuff we want to try to do if we go.

 

[nitrot150]

yes, GCV let right out into California Adventure and Downtown Disney. Disneyland is just a short jaunt across (about a 4 lane traffic rd width). So easy to walk everywhere, we've been 2x in the last year (although not at Disney resorts) and took the shuttles to it and never rented a car.

 

[LovinmyDisneylife]

If you've never been to Disneyland I highly recommend giving it a try. I absolutely adore Disneyland and somewhat prefer it to Disney World in some aspects. The villas at Grand Californian are wonderful. DH and I just got back from a 6 night stay from 8/16-8/22. Everything is within walking distance i.e. Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. Its such a luxury to not have to jump on a bus to get to the park. Grand Cal also has a private entrance to California Adventure for guests staying at a Disney hotel which is an awesome perk. Not to mention the weather in California is so much more enjoyable. Good luck in your planning

 

[disneyobessed]

We were looking at going in April or August.. what is the typical weather like..? This sounds very enticing!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kathymford]

We are having a "heat wave" right now. It's been in the 90s, with relatively low humidity (especially when compared to FL humidity, I would imagine).

April it can actually be kind of cool, especially at night, but the daytime is still nice. The sun will mostly be out, but not overlly warm. I'd say probably 68-74 or so.

 

[TLPL]

We just came back from our first stay at VGC last week, and we had a great time! You will love the resort. It is very close to both parks, so we went back to our room more often then we would when we visit WDW. It is wonderful you can just go back to your room whenever you want: For an afternoon swimminh break, make dinner in the villa, change your wet clothes after a ride on the GRR, or change to warmer clothes before heading back to the parks for the evening. If you think the points are high, maybe just stay there for the period you are going to DLR, and move to another hotel near Hollywood, or San Diego for the rest of your trip.

 

[franandaj]

Here's a theme park view...

This is the living room

Kitchen and hall

I've heard mixed reports from WDW vets about DLR, but most really love the fact that everything is closer than BCV to Epcot and DHS. You REALLY can walk everywhere.

I agree that you should probably do the offsite stuff staying at a non Disney property to save on points. There are plenty of hotels all around the LA area which might be closer to the other sites you want to visit.

It really is a magical park and one of my favorite resorts to stay at. That Paradise Pier view is really magical and I'm always in a happy mood as I sit on my balcony watching the rides, lights, World of Color whatever!

 

[mdsd8700]

I have to say we absolutely love DLR and VGC! Our very first DVC stay was at VGC in a one bedroom theme park pretty much identical to fanandaj. It was so amazing that I have been dreaming of owning there since then. As well like LoveinmyDisneylife there are parts of DLR I prefer over WDW. Our first trip was in 2003 and since then we have switched off every year between DLR and WDW because not only do we adore DLR but CA offers a whole other vacation on top of Disney. We will only spend 3 or 4 days at DLR and then do lots of other things.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[DizDays]

VGC is my absolute favorite resort and, although point pricey, worth every point. It is decorated in the Arts and Crafts style and just exudes elegance. It is amazingly calm and peaceful and the Cast Members are soo friendly.

The Grand Californian was designed by Peter Dominick, the same architect who designed the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge.

You can't go wrong! Write back and let us know how you liked it. I'm sure you'll fall in love.

 

[adminjedi]

We prefer WDW over DL, but still manage a trip to DL every once in a while as we are west-coasters. We think VGC is currently the most luxurious hotel. The pool loungers are sooooo comfortable, and the cabana rentals are affordable. We love the quick access to the parks.

DL is the original Disney experience, and must be done at least once. It is a much smaller scale and a different mix of rides. It is in the middle of the city and business, so the "magic" is limited to inside the parks.

 

[tfc3rid]

I just got back from Disneyland and loved it more than WDW after all these trips and years because of the proximity to everything. If you've never been, you should try and go...

How many villas are at the GC? I really wish they would let us stay there on points for the regular rooms once the villas are sold out... I wemnt in August and used my points (use of lose points) at the disneyland Hotel because the Villas were full... I would have loved to have stayed at the GC though even in a regular room. However, the DL Hotel is tremendous with the ongoing upgrades...

 

[adminjedi]

Interesting note: You can pool hop! So, if you stay at another Disney resort, the best pool is VGC!

 

[huey578]

Anyone have photos of the studio rooms?

 

[OhioDVC]

We love Disneyland and go every year plus a couple of trips to WDW. It is definitely worth the points to stay at VGC. It would be like comparing GF to OKW. Both are great but you would probably expect to pay more at GF.

 

[the donut]

Interesting note: You can pool hop! So, if you stay at another Disney resort, the best pool is VGC!

Pool hopping is actually not allowed at the DLR. Also, the kids really loved the new monorail slide at the DLH the last time we stayed there, though we do love the pool and slide at the GCH as well.

With the parks being so much smaller and closer together as well as the excellent villa location, you could probably do the resort in 3-4 days if you go with a plan. I'm with everyone else - if you want to save on points you could split your stay and visit another area. San Diego or Santa Barbara/central coast wine country, or LA itself are popular places for a multi-day visit. SoCal traffic being what it is, it may be better to switch your hotel to visit those places.

 

[jdmn2010]

We go to Disneyland yearly, but this was the first year we stayed at VGC. It is definitely worth staying there and we loved it, but it does cost a lot of points so I would recommend only staying there for the portion that you plan to actually be at the parks and then stay at one of the many other hotels in CA for non-disney vacation time. You can easily walk to everything from VGC and there is a monorail you can take as well to DL if you don't want to walk the 5 minutes there or if you want to enter in the park.

 

[franandaj]

Here is a studio

 

[TLPL]

Ahhhh I miss VGC already! Note to self: Must plan a trip to go back ASAP.

 

[Euchre_U]

OP - DisneyObsessed - We stayed at GCV at the end of February / beginning of March - 2BR for three nights / four days. We lucked out and received a "theme park view" - the pictures posted here are pretty accurate.

DLR is NOT really like WDW in that the theme parks are so close to one another. We had a "four day parkhopper" DLR pass that had to be used by the end of the stay. We have a 5YO + a 7YO. Had we not had the 4 day pass, we would probably not have gone to the parks on the 4th day. We had a full afternoon at the Grand Californian's pools also in the stay (it was REALLY cold & rainy while we were there, so the heated pools / hot tubs were nice).

This all to get at your original question - is GCV for six nights worth ten nights at your WDW resort. I would suggest a happy median - say four nights at GCV (5 days), and save the remaining points for your next WDW DVC getaway. Unless you're planning on exploring other SoCal areas, a rental car (we found) wasn't necessary. There is a (you-pay-for) shuttle bus from both LAX and SNA (Orange County) airports to DLR. I was skeptical about it - but it was the best. Go on-line and get the discount coupons, and let the bus driver worry about SoCal traffic. I had a soda and talked with the children about which rides we wanted to ride first on the bus ride. Use the Von's (Safeway) free grocery store delivery (on-line coupon) and save a few dollars eating in your DVC room (you still have to pay for the groceries - but like at WDW, GCV has coolers/freezers to keep your cold stuff cold).

Use Hydroguy's tips for touring DLR and you can see and ride all of the attractions you want to see in your 3, 4, or 5 days at DLR.

GCV is great - we want to go back fairly soon. But I think you could strike a compromise to save your vacation points for trips to both DLR and WDW.

 

[mommacat56]

Use Hydroguy's tips for touring DLR and you can see and ride all of the attractions you want to see in your 3, 4, or 5 days at DLR.

Do you have a link to Hydroguy's DLR touring info? We're going to be staying at VGC (for the first time ) for only two days next May 2012 and will spend the time only at DLR/CA (also for the first time ). Would love to get an expert's view to get the max out of our time there.
And thanks in advance!

Nevermind...FOUND IT!!!

Now to read it all...Phew!! Thanks Hydroguy!