Grand Californian. Did I pick the wrong hotel?

[BluBayou]

Im a little worried.

We are not stylish kind of people.
I may occasionally wear my husbands T-shirts.
My teen son will occasionally wear PJ bottoms.
We will not use the spa, chat by the fireplace with other guests or even eat at the restaurant.
(Aint nobody got time for that!) ;-)

We will blow out of there as early as possible.
Run the parks until we are ragged and bone tired.
Come dragging our sorry selves back in for a nap, some pool time... and right back out till park closing... returning ragged again at the end of the night.

Is the DGC the wrong hotel for us?
I want to relax, not worry about keeping up appearances.

Know what I mean?
We went back and forth on staying at The Disney Hotel or DGC.
Im so afraid of the monorail being down if we stay at the DH.

Reservations are already made at DGC.
Did I pick the wrong one?

 

[Disneyland1084]

In my opinion, absolutely NOT!!!! I LOVE the Grand Californian and don't regret any of my stays there. It's also the perfect hotel for families with teenagers. I stayed there a few times when my girls were toddlers. When they got a little older (now they're 8 and 5) we preferred the Disneyland hotel ONLY because of the Monorail Waterslides. This June we're staying across the street at the Howard Johnson only because we're traveling with DH's sister and three nephews, and the resort hotels isn't in our budget. Besides, my DH is very frugal with money. He never went on any of the trips when we stayed at the Grand Cal. I love the beauty of the Grand Californian and have every intention of staying there again when my girls get older. ENJOY your trip and who cares that you aren't using the spa or chatting by the fireplace. I never did any of those things during my stay.

ETA-The last time I stayed at the Disneyland hotel in 2012, the Monorail WAS shut down one morning. So it was a LONG walk to the front entrance. LOL!!!!

 

[Angrose]

What about the Paradise Pier Hotel? The theme park views are supposed to be amazing. The pool still looks nice, with a water slide. I haven't stayed there myself, but it just seems like a more relaxed vibe. Actually, all the hotels seem relaxed. I'm sure that you will all love the Grand, but it sounds like you will barely be in your room long enough to enjoy it!

 

[SeaDis]

For naps, pool time, and relaxing mid-day you absolutely have the right spot. Also your teen will probably want to ride Grizzly repeatedley, you can duck back into the hotel and change in minutes. Depending on his age, you can maybe dispatch him for fastpasses while you are relaxing at the hotel (After everyone has scanned their park tickets in the morning).

Don't worry a bit about dress code. It's not a country club. Very laid back, in my experience. You may see people dressed in suits, if they are attending a convention at the hotel. No biggie-- you are on vacation.

 

[bumbershoot]

No need to be fancy. But if you're barely going to enjoy the hotel, why go for the most expensive?

Grizzly...DH and DS did just what was described, and our room was so darned far from everything DS was shivering and his lips were blue by the time they got to the room. They hated that experience. The air conditioning is brutal.

Staying at Dlh doesn't mean you have to take the monorail.

 

[BluBayou]

No need to be fancy. But if you're barely going to enjoy the hotel, why go for the most expensive?

Grizzly...DH and DS did just what was described, and our room was so darned far from everything DS was shivering and his lips were blue by the time they got to the room. They hated that experience. The air conditioning is brutal.

Staying at Dlh doesn't mean you have to take the monorail.

It was mainly hubby. He REALLY wanted to make it special... and we had points/$$ from our Disney Visa to cover the whole thing. It was sort of "Now or Never" since I balk at spending that much on a room, like you say, we barely even use.
This way, he tried to reason, it was free ;-)
I let him have that one... because, why not.

Im ok with the money (I guess lol) but I dont want to have to feel like I need to be appropriately dressed. Heck, I cant even act appropriate in meetings and etc, why have to on vacation?

 

[jina]

This is California - anything goes dress-wise. I live up in Silicon Valley where I've seen billionaires sitting in a "Fancy" restaurant in jeans and a tee shirt. The location of the GCH couldn't be better for you - I do hope you have a little time to enjoy the pool though. We've stayed at GCH twice and am always in park-wear (shorts and tee shirts) and fit right in. I think the only "Fancy" thing where you may want to dress a little nicely is if you have a resie at Napa Rose -but then again it's CA so I doubt they'd turn anyone away.

 

[roflclaw]

Since it sounds like money isn't a huge concern (you have points to cover) go for it! And don't worry about any need for a dress code, just appreciate being so close to the parks lol

 

[gottalovepluto]

You're fine! You remind me of my fam lol. We've stayed GCH a few times, never felt out of place once. If I'm not in my shorts & flip flops I'm in my old jeans and tennis shoes- whatever I'm most comfortable in for the time. We've never dined in the restraunts (though Napa Rose is on our dream list). It has never felt like a country club to me, guests don't sit around shooting the breeze with each other- heck most are attempting to coral the kids (their trip just started) or have just given up & plopped down in a nearby chair exhausted (their trip is just about done).

It's SoCal, we're all about the sun & fun- all you need are flip flops to blend in Most of your fellow travelers are theme park goers also dressed for comfort of the day. We love GCH for the ease of afternoon pool breaks, it sounds like you picked the best hotel for what you are after. I see no reason for regret, you should have a lovely time!

 

[DizMe]

You got the perfect hotel for what you want. Enjoy!!

 

[Nonsuch]

...We will blow out of there as early as possible.
Run the parks until we are ragged and bone tired.
Come dragging our sorry selves back in for a nap, some pool time... and right back out till park closing... returning ragged again at the end of the night...

You will be fine, just a couple tips:

• Request to be near the elevators adjacent to Napa Rose, which gives convenient access to the GCH entrance to DCA
• Do not use the GCH entrance to DCA at park opening, the main entrance is much more efficient.

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

IMO, yes ~ I love the lobby *which anyone can enjoy* the rooms are dark, and dingy. I prefer the other two Disney hotels, I really prefer several near by hotels, cost wise they're a steal. All we do is sleep, and get ready in our room, my requirements are clean, comfy, and within walking distance.

 

[sheetz]

It's a casual family hotel and most everyone will feel fine. That said, it still means you should adhere to standards of acceptable public behavior--not that I'm saying your group won't, but I've heard some amazing stories of people acting like they can do whatever they want just because they spent a lot of money to stay at a Disney hotel

 

[Gisele]

Within reason, really nobody is going to care how you dress. Behaving accordingly sure, needless to say. Which I'm sure y'all would.
It sounds like using points isn't a problem at all, so just enjoy your stay. Or if cost/points is still a concern, then look into the Disneyland Hotel or the Paradise Pier Hotel.

 

[Amommy21]

You will find all types, it's Disney after all. But you should be aware that the rooms are smaller/darker as the theme is Frank Lloyd Wright inspired. We love that it feels cool and calming immediately upon entering. Also we feel that the darker theme leads it to a quieter hotel. We like our hotel time to feel relaxing and this quiet/dark theme suits us. But some people that want Disney bright and cheery don't like that and prefer the DLH much more.

But if you don't plan to spend much time in your room or enjoying the lobby or even other aspects of the hotel you may consider staying off property. If you just want to crash there are very nice hotels off site that are much, much less expensive. You can then put that money towards other experiences you want to have on your vacation.

 

[McNs]

We LOVED our stay there. I found it cool that you are at a nice expensive fancy hotel but it is filled with families and kids and all sorts of people just there to have fun. It is very informal but you can also dress up if you want and not look out of place. The location simply can't be beat especially if coming back in the afternoon for a break.

 

[mom2tinkandmickey]

I'm a t shirt and jeans girl too, and I have never felt out of place at any of the resort hotels. Both of my teens are into photography and happily walk around our hotel lobby and the grounds in their pj pants taking pictures. A couple of times they have had Cast Members come over and point out things to them to photograph or suggest they take a shot from a different angle, so I don't think the Cast Members find them offensive. The last time we stayed at DLH the car in front of us had all their belongings in black trash bags and milk crates. The bellman didn't seem phased in the least. No need to pretend you wear fancy pants, go be yourself and have fun.

 

[ronandannette]

No need to be fancy. But if you're barely going to enjoy the hotel, why go for the most expensive?

Grizzly...DH and DS did just what was described, and our room was so darned far from everything DS was shivering and his lips were blue by the time they got to the room. They hated that experience. The air conditioning is brutal.

Staying at Dlh doesn't mean you have to take the monorail.

I basically agree with this. While none of us would be willing to go out in public in our pajamas, we also wouldn't think twice about having to "dress up" to go to Disneyland. Personally, we'd just find no value in GCH if it were only a place to sleep - the hotels across Harbour are just as convenient for 1/4 the price. But if, as you say, it's basically free - why not?

 

[Diznygrl]

I agree it's not the most practical place to stay if you're hardly even in the room (except maybe in the fact that it's the closest of all hotels to the Main Gate...provided of course you don't end up in a room way at the back of one of the Endless Hallways of Doom that GCH is famous for), but if you're staying basically for "free", then I say yes, absolutely stay there just for the experience.

Also it is nice, but don't let the price fool you into believing that this is some five star hoity-toity hotel, because it definitely isn't. It's still Disney, and as such it is filled with average Joes on vacation just like any other hotel in the area. No need to "keep up appearances".

 

[Malcon10t]

Even free, I would prefer to stay at one of the other 2 resorts. For us, the rooms are just too small.