Grand Californian Info Needed (Please)

[Terk-1]

Am staying at the Grand Californian next month and wanted to get reviews, comments, room number suggestions, etc. Now I have tons of questions!

How is the hotel? I booked a room overlooking the parks. Can I see Disneyland from there or just CA? How are the rooms? Are they the same size as the rooms at the Wilderness Lodge or Polynesian? I booked a room with a queen bed, trundle bed and bunks. Are the beds comfy? How long does it take to get to DL from GC? How long does it take to get into CA? Can you do a late check out here? If so, what time is that? How are the restaurants in the hotel? If I'm coming from San Diego, what are the best directions to get to the GC? How are the pools? Are they heated? Is it crowded here compared to the other resorts? Should I have chosen Paradise Pier or Disneyland Hotel? I was told that the GC was closest to both parks. Is this true? I know that there is a private entrance into CA, but how do you enter DL from the GC?

 

[daannzzz]

Take a peek at this link. It will show you where the 3 Disney Hotels are located. http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html
I found the room to be comfortable and nicely decorated. They are the same size as the room at the WL. We paid for a standard room and hade a view into the Monorail Courtyard but it was close to the elevator. To get from our room into DCA took one-two minutes, depending on the elevator. You should be able to be from your room to inside the park within 5 minutes. Disneyland is a 5-8 minute walk depending on where you are located in the hotel. In general you can't see Disneyland from the Park View rooms. You will have a view of the Paradise Pier area or the Golden State section which includes the Grizlly River Run Mountian or the Condor Flats Desert Aviation area or both. You might get a glimps of the fireworks at Disneyland from some of those rooms. You can see some of Disneyland and the Fireworks from some of the Downtown Disney View rooms. The Grand Californian is most like the themed hotels at WDW. The Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier hotels are older tower hotels and were built by other companies. Disney purchased them and refurbished then in the last decade. the DL hotl is great fun with, generally larger rooms that are very nicely decorated and wonderful grounds. The Paradise Pier hotel is something btwenn the Moderate and Deluxe hotels though it is going through and extensive remodel right now.
The Storytelle Cafe is a wonderful restaurant and serves a varied menue all day. Napa Rose is the nice (and expensive) restaurant and gets great reviews. The "food court" counter service place is nice and gets great reviews. Plus downtown Disney is also right there. The hotel is actually on top of some of the Downtown Disney stores. There are plenty of places to eat there.
To get from the Paradise Pier Hotel into DCA you cross the street and have a private entry directly into the Paradise Pier area of the park. From the PPH to Disneyland you have to walk to the front entrance or to the monorail station at Downtown Disney where you can catch a ride into Tomorrowland. To get to DCA from the DLH you have to walk over to the front entrance. To get from the DLH you have to walk or take the monorail at Downtown Disney.

 

[din]

Hopefully I am not repeating what daannzzz have just said.

We were there this past christmas and the pool water was warm. In fact there were people swiming in the rain.

The room are confortable and we had bunk beds and a queen size bed also.

As for the driving directions, coming from San Diego you will be most likely on I-5. Follow I-5 until you see signs for Disneyland. There is also an exit for the express lane. I did not see where you are from, but there is a dedicated express lane as you approach LA. Be aware that the lanes are restricted and that you can only get in and out (lane changes) at certain locations.

Once you take the exit, there will be signs to direct you to GC.

 

[2belles'mom]

I love this hotel!

When we stayed there we had a view of Paradise Pier from our room. Nice view.

The only thing I don't like is that the pools are fenced-in, and you must use your room-key to get in. The fences are tasteful, but FENCES nonetheless. It really takes away (at least for me) the magical feel of the resort. At WL and the other WDW hotels, the pool is a seamless part of the entire theme, blending beautifully into the surrounding landscaping and grounds. Not so in DL. I am not sure if the pools are fenced due to California laws, or to keep non-guests out, but fenced they are.

But hey, overall AWESOME hotel, and I want to stay there again!

 

[Califgirl]

Originally posted by 2belles'mom


The only thing I don't like is that the pools are fenced-in, and you must use your room-key to get in. The fences are tasteful, but FENCES nonetheless. It really takes away (at least for me) the magical feel of the resort. At WL and the other WDW hotels, the pool is a seamless part of the entire theme, blending beautifully into the surrounding landscaping and grounds. Not so in DL. I am not sure if the pools are fenced due to California laws, or to keep non-guests out, but fenced they are.

Yes, it is a Calif law to have the pools fenced. Even backyard pools are supposed to be fenced. Oh, well... at least the water is warm at the DLResorts!

Chris

 

[Terk-1]

Thanks for the info. Since this is the first time in over 11 years that I've been to DL, I'm just a little nervous. WDW is no problem for me, since I'm familiar with where everything is, especially at some of the resorts. I can understand the fence thing, since they are mandatory in MA homes too.

Is there a certain room I should request for a great view? Also, we will be celebrating 2 birthdays. Does the GC do anything if you mention it in your reservation? I know when I mentioned it when my family went to the Polynesian, there was a cake, balloons, a card from Mickey, etc. Does the GC do the same thing? This would be a nice surprise.

How safe is the area between the parks and resorts (& DTD)? Should we be concerned about safety coming out of the parks to the resort at night?

How expensive is the character meals at the GC? Is the characters only at breakfast or are they at dinner too? Is there a website to go to that has the menu's from DL, CA, GC, & DTD?

 

[justmestace]

Terk-1,
I can help with a few other things....the Grand Californian won't letyou request a certain room. You can request a certain type of room...like you did, queen with the bunk beds, but they don't even guarantee that you'll get that, let alone a certain room.
The view is excellent from anywhere (park view) and you'll be enchanted with the hotel.
Coming from either park and Downtown Disney at night is perfectly safe. It's all so close, I know it's hard for you to imagine. There are a lot of people around, and security. My 2 kids and I walk around late at night because my husband likes to go to bed early and we don't, and we've never had a problem.
Storyteller's at the GC only has characters for breakfast, and not very many. Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel has them at all meals, and more characters. Goofy's I think is all buffet, all the time. Storyteller's you have a choice of buffet (all meals) or order off the menu. The food and menu are varied, but all really good. Mostly American foods....some Mexican, Chinese, Italian. Very very good. Goofy's has a typical buffet...breakfast is breakfast no matter where you are...lunch & dinner are typical, roast beef, turkey, and all the salads, breads, soups, desserts, etc.
Cost-wise, I'm thinking dinner would be at least $30 for adults, $18 for kids. Breakfast may be a little cheaper. It is expensive.
Ariel's Grotto has a character BLD that I've heard is great, haven't gone to it yet, but will in June.
Hope this helps.

 

[justmestace]

P.S. I don't know about birthday celebrations, either.
Here's a site where you might find alot of info...
www.mouseplanet.com or go to the DIS Board main page and see what's here for Disneyland.

 

[Tink's_Club]

GC is absolutely wonderful. It is the closest of the 3 hotels to both parks. Out of the 3 GC is my favorite with DLH 2nd and PP being 3rd. The beds are very comfy from what I remember. Better check with front desk re: late checkouts, I don't believe they do them but doesn't hurt to ask. Your view of DL from your room depends on the location. They do have rooms overlooking DTWD (Downtown Disney) where you can see DL from but I believe these are suites and more expensive but check anyways. The restaurants at the hotel are very good but a little pricey. You are within a very short walking distance to both DL and CA. The pools are heated. Guests staying at GC get to stay longer at CA after it closes to the public. The exit for CA for the general public is the one you would take if heading to DL. From CA's exit/entrance DL is literally a hop, skip and a jump away. From SD You can take I-5 all the way, it would be the easiest and just follow the signs when you get to Anaheim.... Hope this helps... Have fun!

 

[LuvTigger]

I am another GC fan. We stayed there for 4 nights a couple years ago and totally fell in love with it! We are also big fans of WL, and found it similar, but I actually liked the theming in the GC rooms a little better.

I just wanted to add a couple of things to the wealth of info you already have received:

* The Storyteller's Cafe breakfast, unless things have changed, has Pluto, Chip, and Dale. They usually just hang out in the entry way, though when we were there, they did roam about the restaurant a bit. They have a dinner buffet too, but you can also order off the menu, which is what we did since we weren't that hungry -- they have the BEST corn chowder! We really enjoyed it there.

* If you have the time, take the hotel tour. It's about an hour, I think around 2 p.m. It made us appreciate the hotel even more, and they even showed us a couple of hidden Mickeys.

I use mouseplanet for restaurant info, it seems to be the most comprehensive (but might not be quite as up to date as Deb's site for the WDW restaurants). I was actually quite happy with the quality of just about all the restaurants we ate at, except for ESPN which I thought was just "okay." I really enjoyed Storyteller's, Hook's Pointe, and Naples. And we ate a couple of breakfasts in the counter service place in GC...one item was called a "biscuit" w/ egg and bacon, and it was really good, and very reasonably priced (for Disney anyway). We also had good things at La Brea bakery on the way to the parks.

Everything is so close together, you shouldn't have any trouble walking between things. The farthest points from each other are DLH and the parks, maybe a 15 minute walk? And just wanted to echo the others about safety...I felt very safe walking in the area. DD stays open late, and I would've felt perfectly comfortable walking alone. Also, GC is super-convenient, and has the best access to all areas (there's a "short cut" between DD and GC).

You will have such a great time there!!!

 

[RKB]

I hope this is allowed in the board rules, if so you can read reviews about the GC at tripadvisor.com. It has 76 reviews online right now. Hope this helps.

 

[poopie]

Disney hotel aside from Animal Kingdom Lodge.........

We are getting married there 2-21-05 and I cannot wait. The ceremony,reception and welcome party will all be held there.

We are hoping to have the rehersal dinner at story tellers as well.

We are going down this weekend for our wedding planning session and my birthday.

If tell them they will have a little suprise for the birthday person/people.

 

[JenLoy]

I'm looking on some info on the Suites the Grand Californian offer. Myself, DH, DH's parents, and my parents (6 in all) were thinking of booking a suite rather than 3 seperate rooms. Has anyone stayed in one? If so, what was the room like? What was the view? I know some rooms face the theme park. Any info would be greatly appreciated. This will be our first trip to CA so we're new to all this!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Here is a link to a description of the Grand Californian. Look for the link to room layouts & then scroll down for pictures, layouts, and descriptions of suites.

Grand Californian Description