Grand Californian Hotel Worth It ?

[coolshells]

Just wondering if the Grand Californian Hotel is worth 5 more pts, than Disneyland Hotel or the Paradise Pier ?. Plan to trade in points for one of these hotels in Jan. Any help please never been to any of them, thanks.

 

[stlrod]

I am not a DVC member but I stayed at PP in June and visited GC (even swam in the pool as pool hopping was allowed back then.) If it's only 5 more points per night, it may be worth it. On the other hand, I think GC is highly over-rated. It has a "plastic" feel about it that I can't say is true of the Wilderness Lodge. From the pool, you can see DCA which destroys the theming of GC. The character breakfast at Storytellers was an awful (and expensive) experience. I really like PP (I paid only $120/night through Travelscape) but if points were the same DH is probably a better choice between the two (PP guests do get to use the DH pool.)

 

[Ocean]

We stayed in the Grand Californian last month. We particularly wanted to stay there since it was the new hotel and it's "inside" DCA. If there is only a five point difference, then I would that it is worth it. Our room was very spacious, but since I haven't stayed at the other hotels I can't really compare them. Although the hotel was very nice, I didn't get quite the same feel of Disney theming that I do at some of the WDW hotels. All in all though, a very nice stay, and for us it would be worth the points.

 

[DLVisitor]

If you have to "use up" your points, then go for it. Otherwise, enjoy the other hotels. GC is smaller is size (especially if its for more than 2!) than the other hotels. We stayed there once (for the Grand Opening) because we had points that had to be used, but I will probably not stay there again. I agree that I really didn't like the "feel" of the place, still preferring the other hotels. Make sure you go to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast...it is worth the money & the food/choices are great(but I can't say that the dinner is.)

Good luck. Email me if you have any specific questions about the hotel.

 

[dudlee930]

when we stayed there in april. it had the best bed i have ever slept in.

 

[demswalsh]

I would give GC thumbs down. We went there memorial weekend and we paid because I didn't want to "waste" any points. We paid $350/night for a theme park view and got a pool view. The room was nice though for kids. We had a queen bed and bunk beds. The room was real spacious. We also had to deal with the fire alarm going off @ 1 am and having to evacuate the hotel. That was not fun with a 5 and 2 year old. To this day 2 mo later, disney still has no explanation for that! We would stay at the Disneyland Hotel again before we stayed here again! Definitely not worth the money!

 

[sueg]

We are already booked for three nights, on pts., in Aug. I am debating whether to add a fourth night, at the front end, because we are aiming to go to an Angels game and Anaheim stadium seems very close to DL. I'm also having trouble finding other accomodations between SF and DL. Despite the so-so reviews, I still trust Disney more than an untested chain hotel.

 

[robinb]

If you're thinking about going to the Angels game, consider staying at the Hilton Suites in Orange. It's about a 3-4 block walk to the ballpark, the rooms are spacious and it includes a free made-to-order breakfast. Yum!

Here are pictures from my stay in April.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AA4E6E11D9F&cb=PA

 

[scrappinmom_2000]

If you are planning on spending most of your time "in" the parks, go DCA. Depending on the "peripherals", the walk from the Disneyland hotel vs DCA can be daunting. January weather should be ideal & not an issue. The front entrance to DCA & Disneyland park are directly acrossed from each other & a very petite walk from DCA. In the old days, a tram took you from PP & DL hotel to the front, no more. They want you to walk thru downtown Disney, which is ok when you're not toting little ones.

 

[GrammieMame]

We originally planned to stay at GC but changed to DL, and glad of it. GC was too much in the middle of things for us. We like to get away from the chaos. We thought the walk from DL to the parks was easy and pleasant (there's always lots of stuff going on) and the easy access to Downtown Disney gave us lots of dining options without going too far. Loved the pool at DL.

 

[ceejay13]

I guess I am in the minority but we have stayed at the GC twice and I can't imagine not staying there when we go to DL. I have not stayed at PP but have stayed at DLH, which we also loved. We stayed on points in January and asked and received an upgrade to a DD view. We overlooked the World of Disney store and it was great. In May we paid $350/night and reserved a theme park view. They originally put us in a pool view room and we called and complained. They changed us to a 3rd floor room overlooking Grizzly Peak, right above the entrance to DCA from the hotel. It was incredible to watch the activity during the day but was even more special at night when everyone left, to still hear the music but have it dead quiet in the park. The rooms are about the same size as the DLH but much nicer, in my opinion. The beds are incredibly comfortable and the linens are very high quality. We enjoyed the breakfast at Storytellers Cafe and loved the dinner we had at Napa Rose. Also, since the monorail only goes through the hotel and doesn't stop there wasn't ever an unreasonable amount of activity in the lobby. I have seen the WL be much busier when we have been in Florida. It is also great to have your own entrance into DCA. In fact, it was a shortcut for us to cut through DCA to get to DL. We also loved being able to take a different exit and be right in DD. We go to CA yearly on business and so have always taken a couple of days in DL. Although I love DL, it has never had the magic that WDW does. Our last two trips, however, I can honestly say I felt that magic. There still isn't near as much to do, obviously, and it is still in the middle of Orange County but we felt they did a wonderful job of bringing that Disney magic to us during our stay.

 

[TnRobin]

One other note in favor of GC (we loved it) If you want to use Pinnochio's Workshop (the kids club at DL) you must be staying at the GC. It has something to do with the Day care laws. This is what the manager at the Workshop told me. PP and DLH hotel guest can not use the club.

I loved the back entry into DCA. We were able to get to Paradise peir before everyone else.

 

[Mooobooks]

I stayed at the Grand Californian on points for a week last April. Designed by the same team who did The Wilderness Lodge (our favorite hotel in WDW), it is a beautiful and warm hotel. It is not quite the equal of the Wilderness Lodge, but then what is!
Compared to the Disneyland and Paradise Pier hotels, which are not really Disney-themed hotels in the way anyone who is used to the hotels in Florida understands, they are pedestrian--like big Holiday Inns with Disney wallpaper.
The Grand Californian is an immersive experience, and staying there and walking between the two parks and Downtown Disney makes going to Disneyland an experience comparable to WDW.
Even if the difference was 10 to 15 points a night, we would NEVER stay anywhere but the Grand Californian.
Frankly, I think all the naysayers are people who've never been to WDW and stayed in one of the Deluxe resorts there. There is an entirely different expectation between people who frequent the parks in Florida, and those who frequent the parks in California.
And, California Adventure is great fun! You want to get to see the two best rides in the park with no problem? Enter DCA through the special Grand Californian entrance and walk a few steps to both Soarin' Over California AND Grizzly River Rapids. You can do both in a few minutes and then get fast passes for both to come back later in the day. THEN, go see the rest of the parks! You can't beat it.

 

[stlrod]

"Frankly, I think all the naysayers are people who've never been to WDW and stayed in one of the Deluxe resorts there."

WRONG! I've stayed at the Grand Floridian, the Beach Club and the Wilderness Lodge. I'm still not impressed by GC.

 

[Mooobooks]

stlrod: too bad for you ...

 

[TnRobin]

Remember to only post your opinions on the topic not your opinions on each other.

 

[sueg]

DH & I debated using points for GC. Ultimately, I'm glad we did, for financial reasons. But I took robinb's suggestion about the Hilton Suite in Orange for our night before DL, when we plan to go to an Angels game. I was amazed that a corner suite w/ 2 double beds and a pull-out sofa was only $119 per nt. It includes breakfast for the four of us and parking is free. We can walk to the stadium. I think this is a better value than using 28 points. More points for our next WDW trip! Thanks robinb.

 

[disnefile]

Stay at the GC. It is wonderful and well worth the points. The other hotels are farther away and are not really disney hotels. We were just there for 5 wonderull days. The pools are wonderful and it is great seeing paradise pier from the pool. The other hotels would be a disappointment compared to GC. Have fun and don't change yojur plans.

 

[robinb]

Have a great time at the Hilton Suites, I really liked the place a lot. They also have a "manager's reception" from 5:30 - 7:00 every night which includes 3 free drinks per person. We had maragritas, but they also had beer and wine .