Grand Californian concierge worth it?

[ZerasPride]

I am planning a trip in June of 2004 and I wanted to know if anyone with concierge experience feels it's worth it. I will be using some DVC points that have to used by July 31 and I can either stay 5 nights with a Downtown Disney or Theme Park view or 1 night with a standard view and 3 nights with concierge. I'm just trying to figure out if everything can be done in 5 days or would we feel rushed and wish we would have had the 6th day. We've never been to Disneyland before so I'm not sure how much time is enough for each of the two parks plus exploring the resort and having some down time.

I don't want to feel that we are planning our trip around the offerings at the lounge either. We will primarily want to be spending our time playing at the parks. Also, do you experts think we'd do better staying at the Disneyland Hotel and maybe doing that concierge? Any opinions on the difference between the two hotels' concierge service and/food offerings?

Thanks so much in advance. I know I'll have some more questions as our date gets closer but this will get me started. Thanks again!

 

[hookedup]

Hi there,
Here is my 2 cents worth...
I have stayed at the GC several times and four of those times in concierge.
Although it is a "treat" to stay in concierge I would stay 5 nights in a DTD view rather than move rooms and lose out on one night.

Also the last 2 times dh & I did concierge we agreed we would never do it unless it was during long park hours (like summer or holiday time) so we could enjoy the offerings and not feel rushed to do so. When we did it this summer we had fun having the evening wine and cheese and taking our time and then heading over to the park for parade and fireworks and still have a couple of hours of park time left over. Since you are going in summer this won't be an issue for you, but I still think staying 5 nights at GC is great and the location is wonderful! I prefer it to the other 2 onsite resorts.

It's been a while since I have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel but we will be there in a couple of weeks in concierge so I can give you a first hand report.

The breakfast is similiar to the ones at WDW. There is not food during the day but chips and some fruit and cookies. In the evening it's cheese and crackers and wine. Not an elaborate spread, no desserts (except cookies & milk).

I think having the extra night, not having to switch rooms, and relaxing and having extra day to enjoy the parks is the way to go. Concierge is nice, but for me the extra night and not switching rooms would outwieght the cheese and crackers and in-room check in, turn down service.

If you have any other questions please ask! Have fun planning!!!

 

[ZerasPride]

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I'll be traveling with two teens so the wine offerings are not important to me. I can order milk and cookies and it have delivered to the room (through VP, right?) if we want that. I was leaning toward staying the extra night and not having to change rooms anyway, unless someone said that the concierge service was fantastic. It sounds like it's nice but not something that we absolutely have to do this trip.

I am so excited about going to Disneyland. I know about things at Disneyworld like the back of my hand but I definitely feel like a fish out of water planning this Disneyland trip. I plan to be on this board often to get the latest scoop. I have a few other questions that I'd like to ask, if you don't mind.

Can you tell me about the the unlimited fast pass? What type of ticket media do I need to be able to take advantage of it? Do you know what the typical summer hours are? I'm thinking about a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen one day, would you recommend it? How is the pool at the Grand? I think I read that the Grand has it's own entrance into the parks, is that correct? What about the Fantasmic buffet balcony seating, do you thinks it's worth the money? It's pretty pricey for three people. Thanks so much in advance!

 

[year2late]

The unlimited FP was worth it. We got ours through AAA. It allows you to get one ticket at ecery ride in DL/DCA with no waiting period. You are eligible for your second ticket for a previously fastpassed ride when you enter the comeback time for the first ride. For example, your Soarin FP tells you to come back between 11:40 and 12:10. You are eligible for your second FP for that same ride at 11:41.

The balcony and reserved seating was nice.I have never seen the lineups for Fantasmic start quite so early. OVER THREE HOURS AHEAD OF TIME SITES WERE STAKED OUT. The reserved seating was a plus for us. We accepted the cost with little fight.

 

[ZerasPride]

I appreciate hearing your reviews, especially about the fantasmic balcony seating. It seems like it's worth it but from the posts I've read, is it only worth it if you can get the front row. I'm pretty short and wouldn't want to pay all that money and have my view blocked by tall people. Thanks again!

 

[mom_rules]

We are doing the Grand Californian-Concierge at the end of the month for 9 days (2 adults and 2 late teens). We are also trying for the premiere Fantasmic seating (since the balcony will be closed until Oct 11th). I'll let you know first hand when I get back.
(Is it possible for time to pass any slower?)

 

[hookedup]

Originally posted by ZerasPride
Can you tell me about the the unlimited fast pass? What type of ticket media do I need to be able to take advantage of it? Do you know what the typical summer hours are? I'm thinking about a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen one day, would you recommend it? How is the pool at the Grand? I think I read that the Grand has it's own entrance into the parks, is that correct? What about the Fantasmic buffet balcony seating, do you thinks it's worth the money? It's pretty pricey for three people. Thanks so much in advance!

I am not the best resource regarding ticket media - we live in San Diego and have AP's so we never buy passes. I know I have read about people using AAA packages that include them - not sure about WDTC packages booked directly, etc.

Typical summer hours are 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. or 12:00 p.m. for Disneyland (DL) and 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. for California Adventure (DCA) Friday's and Saturday's usually have the longer hour ranges. Of course that is historically been our experience and Disney can have whatever hours they feel like!
Goofy's kitchen gets pretty good reviews from most folks as far as a character buffets go. It is at the Disneyland Hotel and you can walk there easily from Grand California resort. Grand CA has a character breakfast at their Storyteller Cafe - which is very low key. Chip and Dale stand in the entrance way to greet folks coming in. It is a much different experience from Goofy's Kitchen. Many people love it as it is not as much hussel and bussel.
I love the Plaza Inn's character breakfast on Main St personally but you can't make any PS's, and it does not open until the park does, so many people who want to take advantage of the shorter lines on rides don't want to waste time eating breakfast there when they can do it at Goofy's Kitchen before the parks open. Make sure you make PS's for Goofy's Kitchen ahead of time as it is BUSY in the peak season!!!
The GC has a nice pool with a slide and another one less elaborate. Their pools are not elaboratly themed like at WDW but they are nice. Of course it wont be 100 degrees with 90% humidity either (LOL!).
The GC has a private entrance to DCA not DL. It is a very short walk to the DL entrance. One thing that is nice about the Disneyland Resort area is how close and walkable everything is.
I have read a lot of people raving about the Fantasmic Dessert Buffet - I have never done it. I would like to try it someday - just have never gotten around to it yet. The big, big difference between WDW and DL's Fantasmic is that DL has it in the park area - not in a special arena with seating. Imagine Fantasmic being held in the water around Tom Sawyer's Island across from Liberty Tree Tavern and that gives you the sort of perspective for how crowded it can get. People do stake out spots hours in advance. Like one would for a parade.
Let me know if you have any other questions - there are other folks here who can chime in too.

 

[CalGal]

Re Goofy's kitchen:

I love Goofy's kitchen, especially for the interaction with the Goof himself. It's especially fun during off hours, like towards the end of the lunch hour when Goofy has a little more time to mess with you. Personnally, I recommend it more for lunch or dinner. If you only have a chance for one character meal, I would definitely do Goofy's kitchen, but it you are inclined to do more than one character meal, you might try one of the others for breakfast and save Goofy's for a later meal. I have enjoyed the character breakfast at GC more. I think the food was better and it was quieter. Plus, it is so close to the entrance of either park. And breakfast with Minnie at the PP has been a hoot.