Grand Californian Super Thread

[gottalovepluto]

We removed one of the shelves.

 

[gottalovepluto]

And what is up with this on the 3rd floor? Is it ever used?

 

[goooof1]

I see the fridge fits ALL the ESSENTIALS !!!

 

[Angrose]

Just back from a std view stay with 5. Got our daybed and a room close to the elevators as requested (we could have gotten a room when we checked in around 7am but we opted to wait for a better location). Security lines were never more than a few people, but we were always through by 7:00am. Much nicer this trip than my last trip but we got out much earlier this trip due to 7am EMHs. 3rd floor has a nice relaxing area, and seeing that Club 33 concierge there was kinda neat and weird at the same time. Like someone was always watching you even though all I ever heard them say was “I don’t work for the hotel” when hotel guests would ask something... so, neat but weird at the same time. And of course they’d be set up on the 3rd floor!

The underbed storage made a huge difference in space. We did not have one of the old daybed rooms, so just a normal sized room, but we did have 5 adults and still had enough space when we used the underbed storage area.

Nice stay this trip. Brought our own food and drinks for a DIY club level experience this trip and that worked nice actually. Took a photo of the fridge after I filled it to give people an idea of the fridge space and will try to upload that.

So you didn't feel too cramped with 5 adults in one room? I'm doing a big family trip in August. It looks like we'll be a group of 10 so will get 2 rooms at a minimum: 8 adults and 2 kids. I'd love to get a suite, but it's cheaper to get 2 rooms.

 

[gottalovepluto]

So you didn't feel too cramped with 5 adults in one room? I'm doing a big family trip in August. It looks like we'll be a group of 10 so will get 2 rooms at a minimum: 8 adults and 2 kids. I'd love to get a suite, but it's cheaper to get 2 rooms.

It was still cramped feeling, but not like it used to be. You will have to utilize the closet and cabinet space because there is not enough floor space to go the live out of a suitcase route. We didn't spend much time in the room just hanging out and when we did want to do that we utilized the inside landing area with chairs on level 3 which was close to our room when we wanted a bit more space to eat/drink/play cards. (Although playing cards turned out to be very impractical there for us.) We fit 4 large suitcases under the 2 queen beds and still had room to put other things like shoes, rain boots, and souvenirs under the beds. The 5th suitcase went in this little alcove area by the door just fine. We used our flying suitcases so they are the largest you can fly with without being charged overage fees to give you an idea of the size of space under the beds now (ALL Disney hotels need this upgrade!). We set all our snacks out on the desk space so people could grab something anytime and we weren't constantly packing/unpacking/searching for different snacks for everyone. Worked great. There is a lack of hanging space in the bathrooms so hanging up our swimsuits took some consideration since there is no line in the bathroom to hang anything on. There was enough counter space in the bathroom when we utilized the under counter shelves for some of our stuff. The dual sinks outside shower/toilet are great with 5 people. One person can be showering or in the bathroom but the dual sinks are an area right next to it so everyone else can still get ready/blow dry hair/whatever.

OH- and I just remembered last trip I highly recommended people bring earplugs because of the non-stop high pitch sounds coming from the new electrical outlets. That wasn't a problem in this room! No high pitch sounds like that, something was definitely off in the room we had just before Christmas.

 

[kateandy08096]

My husband and I are staying in a 2bd VGC Oct 1st to 13th. Never been as we are only WDW vets. Is VGC worth the DVC points or should we stay elsewhere? After reading some of the posts I am a little concerned now

 

[Angrose]

It was still cramped feeling, but not like it used to be. You will have to utilize the closet and cabinet space because there is not enough floor space to go the live out of a suitcase route. We didn't spend much time in the room just hanging out and when we did want to do that we utilized the inside landing area with chairs on level 3 which was close to our room when we wanted a bit more space to eat/drink/play cards. (Although playing cards turned out to be very impractical there for us.) We fit 4 large suitcases under the 2 queen beds and still had room to put other things like shoes, rain boots, and souvenirs under the beds. The 5th suitcase went in this little alcove area by the door just fine. We used our flying suitcases so they are the largest you can fly with without being charged overage fees to give you an idea of the size of space under the beds now (ALL Disney hotels need this upgrade!). We set all our snacks out on the desk space so people could grab something anytime and we weren't constantly packing/unpacking/searching for different snacks for everyone. Worked great. There is a lack of hanging space in the bathrooms so hanging up our swimsuits took some consideration since there is no line in the bathroom to hang anything on. There was enough counter space in the bathroom when we utilized the under counter shelves for some of our stuff. The dual sinks outside shower/toilet are great with 5 people. One person can be showering or in the bathroom but the dual sinks are an area right next to it so everyone else can still get ready/blow dry hair/whatever.

OH- and I just remembered last trip I highly recommended people bring earplugs because of the non-stop high pitch sounds coming from the new electrical outlets. That wasn't a problem in this room! No high pitch sounds like that, something was definitely off in the room we had just before Christmas.

This is all really good info, thanks so much! I'm thinking if we go this route we would need to put the 2 kiddos in one room with parents/grandma, so the other adults can hang out in the other room if needed. I agree that we won't be spending too much time in the room. It'll be August so I'm seeing lots of pool time happening. Only the kiddos would spend a lot of time in the room for rest/quite time. Ugh, I'm sorta thinking we need to spring for the suite though. I wish the VGC 2br could fit all of us, but it says it only accommodates 9. Well, there's always the Disneyland Hotel if we feel that the Grand won't meet our needs. Or, I'll just have to churn some more CCs, if you know what I mean, lol!

 

[StormyCA]

There had been some earlier comments about the fridges as to size and fitting to-go containers. Looks to me as if they're the same height and width, but they do look significantly shallower.

 

[limace]

My husband and I are staying in a 2bd VGC Oct 1st to 13th. Never been as we are only WDW vets. Is VGC worth the DVC points or should we stay elsewhere? After reading some of the posts I am a little concerned now

Not sure what posts are concerning you? 12 days will be a ton of points-so can’t tell you if it’s worth it for your family, but the resorts and the rooms are beautiful. Are you planning on spending all that time at DL? I looove DL but that might be too long even for me.

 

[kateandy08096]

Not sure what posts are concerning you? 12 days will be a ton of points-so can’t tell you if it’s worth it for your family, but the resorts and the rooms are beautiful. Are you planning on spending all that time at DL? I looove DL but that might be too long even for me.

The concerning posts were a few people stated the resort isn't worth the price and the rooms wernt worth it etc. I've never been. It's only my husband and I but the 2 bed room is all that was available we 675 points yearly so the points isn't the issue We frequent WDW every few months. Well he golfs and I plan Disney trips. Lol but now we only plan on spending 4 days at DL and Ca adventure and the rest will be exploring San Diego, LA, Hollywood Malibu Santa monica etc. I work for Comcast NBCUniversal so I get free tickets yearly to universal so definitely want to add that to the plans if time allows.

 

[LilyJC]

The concerning posts were a few people stated the resort isn't worth the price and the rooms wernt worth it etc. I've never been. It's only my husband and I but the 2 bed room is all that was available we 675 points yearly so the points isn't the issue We frequent WDW every few months. Well he golfs and I plan Disney trips. Lol but now we only plan on spending 4 days at DL and Ca adventure and the rest will be exploring San Diego, LA, Hollywood Malibu Santa monica etc. I work for Comcast NBCUniversal so I get free tickets yearly to universal so definitely want to add that to the plans if time allows.

The villas are different than the hotel rooms! You’ll love it, and October is such a fun time to visit.

 

[Nonsuch]

My husband and I are staying in a 2bd VGC Oct 1st to 13th. Never been as we are only WDW vets. Is VGC worth the DVC points or should we stay elsewhere? After reading some of the posts I am a little concerned now

You will not be disappointed with VGC
My favorite rooms at DLR, although I have not stayed in the Signature Suites.

When advanced planning (and points) permit, DW and I stay in a 1-bedroom villa. 2 full bathrooms is nice.
2-bedroom will have excess space for just 2, but you should be fine

We visit in early October specifically for Gay Days, but sometimes skip the hotel to take advantage of the excellent Gay Days rates for GCH and tickets. Gay Days has minimal impact on crowds except: a few scheduled photo meets and the Friday Halloween party.

 

[franandaj]

The concerning posts were a few people stated the resort isn't worth the price and the rooms wernt worth it etc. I've never been. It's only my husband and I but the 2 bed room is all that was available we 675 points yearly so the points isn't the issue

I would seriously waitlist for a one bedroom part of the time if you can. Waitlists open up often since lot of the owners are locals like me. I love the VGC more than any of my WDW properties and I've stayed at just about all of them. But if you plan to explore places up in LA you really might want to stay closer to there. I had a friend from Canada visit last year and i wrote him all kinds of emails before he arrived trying to explain how bad traffic can be here and he didn't believe me.
He did take my advice and stay close to Universal the night before visiting that park, but spent 4 hours that night driving to Anaheim in rush hour traffic at 5PM when they left Universal.

LA is one place where you need to stay in proximity to where you want to visit and travel on the middle of the night or between 10AM and 2PM.

The two bedroom will be total overkill for two of you, but i wouldnt be surprised if a one bedroom would come up on a waitlist. Ive had good luck in the past.

 

[kateandy08096]

I would seriously waitlist for a one bedroom part of the time if you can. Waitlists open up often since lot of the owners are locals like me. I love the VGC more than any of my WDW properties and I've stayed at just about all of them. But if you plan to explore places up in LA you really might want to stay closer to there. I had a friend from Canada visit last year and i wrote him all kinds of emails before he arrived trying to explain how bad traffic can be here and he didn't believe me.
He did take my advice and stay close to Universal the night before visiting that park, but spent 4 hours that night driving to Anaheim in rush hour traffic at 5PM when they left Universal.

LA is one place where you need to stay in proximity to where you want to visit and travel on the middle of the night or between 10AM and 2PM.

The two bedroom will be total overkill for two of you, but i wouldnt be surprised if a one bedroom would come up on a waitlist. Ive had good luck in the past.

Thanks for the heads up. We have a studio wait listed and a 1 bd. I would hate to waste points since we frequent WDW every 3 to 4 months but if the wait list doesn't come through at least we have something.

 

[limace]

Thanks for the heads up. We have a studio wait listed and a 1 bd. I would hate to waste points since we frequent WDW every 3 to 4 months but if the wait list doesn't come through at least we have something.

I agree. Or cancel part of your reservation for the part of your trip where you explore other parts of CA-heck, splurge and stay as the Del Coronado in San Diego!

 

[cruisehopeful]

My husband and I are staying in a 2bd VGC Oct 1st to 13th. Never been as we are only WDW vets. Is VGC worth the DVC points or should we stay elsewhere? After reading some of the posts I am a little concerned now

You will love it. I have read many posts and trip reports of WDW regulars who said VGC was their favorite DVC. It is very expensive if you are only using the room to sleep and shower, though. If that is the case, you may want to price out a regular hotel room there.

but now we only plan on spending 4 days at DL and Ca adventure and the rest will be exploring San Diego, LA, Hollywood Malibu Santa monica etc

VGC is a good place for the DL portion. It is a really bad location choice for doing all the other stuff. Hopefully, you'll find something closer to your other destinations for those parts of your vacation.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Nice stay this trip. Brought our own food and drinks for a DIY club level experience this trip and that worked nice actually. Took a photo of the fridge after I filled it to give people an idea of the fridge space and will try to upload that.

I love the idea of a DIY club level experience! Just out of curiousity, what types of non-perishable snacks did you bring? Or were you able to fit more in the fridge after the drinks? I try to always get or bring some type of grab and go snacks with us, but I always end up just getting protein bars and/or trail mix.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I love the idea of a DIY club level experience! Just out of curiousity, what types of non-perishable snacks did you bring? Or were you able to fit more in the fridge after the drinks? I try to always get or bring some type of grab and go snacks with us, but I always end up just getting protein bars and/or trail mix.

We didn't put anything else in the fridge. We took an overnight bag stuffed with goodies that didn't have to be refridgerated. Snack bars for the morning to grab and go. Big Ziploc bag of nuts. Huge bag of Chex Mix also brought girl scout cookies, bite sized candies, milk-carton sized containers of gold fish, single serve Milanos, and some M&Ms that went on sale the day before we left town at our grocery store (those came home, we def went to big on the candy!), I don't quite remember what else. Obviously, we weren't healthy but we went big on the junk food because vacay We brought some oranges but after trying to eat one we brought the rest home, just too impractical in the room! Oh, we also cooked up some rice crispy treats before we left and brought them in a cookie container. We remembered to bring dixie cups and bowls and napkins. We forgot the wine opener and had to buy one at the Fairfield we hit up the night before moving to GCH.

We went to Target before leaving town (we drive to DL) and got our ideas there, they have some really handy snack sized stuff (gold fish, milanos and a lot more) and then we turned around in the aisle and were like- oh, Chex Mix, didn't think of that! Figured chips would be too messy so that worked great for a salty snack. We really had no idea what we'd bring until we just started looking at the store

 

[StarlitNight05]

We didn't put anything else in the fridge. We took an overnight bag stuffed with goodies that didn't have to be refridgerated. Snack bars for the morning to grab and go. Big Ziploc bag of nuts. Huge bag of Chex Mix also brought girl scout cookies, bite sized candies, milk-carton sized containers of gold fish, single serve Milanos, and some M&Ms that went on sale the day before we left town at our grocery store (those came home, we def went to big on the candy!), I don't quite remember what else. Obviously, we weren't healthy but we went big on the junk food because vacay We brought some oranges but after trying to eat one we brought the rest home, just too impractical in the room! Oh, we also cooked up some rice crispy treats before we left and brought them in a cookie container. We remembered to bring dixie cups and bowls and napkins. We forgot the wine opener and had to buy one at the Fairfield we hit up the night before moving to GCH.

We went to Target before leaving town (we drive to DL) and got our ideas there, they have some really handy snack sized stuff (gold fish, milanos and a lot more) and then we turned around in the aisle and were like- oh, Chex Mix, didn't think of that! Figured chips would be too messy so that worked great for a salty snack. We really had no idea what we'd bring until we just started looking at the store

Great ideas -- especially those single serve milanos. And we totally go nuts on desserts during our vacations too, so no judgements there. The one thing I ALWAYS forget are utensils, plates, etc. I'll need to make a list this time for our trip next month.

 

[azdisneylover]

OK, I am glad this happened to me and not someone else. So, last night when we went for desserts, I didn't realize there was an issue when we entered the lounge. There were 8 of us (2 rooms, 4 each room). One of kids (she is 12) didn't have her key. The woman manning the door (there was someone there each evening and you presented your room key and she would use it to open the door for you...) had asked to see her key, and she blanked and said she didn't have it. The woman at the door chewed her out, said she'd let her in THIS time since she was with us, and told her she needed to carry it ALL the time. If I had known this was happening, I would have told the CM "Hang on a sec while I have concierge print her another key." There was no reason to chew out a 12yo. Chew me out for not double checking *I* had her key.

Then today, we were leaving and I went to the bell desk to retrieve the packages I purchased and sent back to the hotel. Guess what? They're lost. They are going to find it and ship them to me. And when I finally joined my family at the valet drive and they had already loaded everything in the car and were waiting on me, I asked a valet if he could return the scooter to the bell desk. No, couldn't do that (lost that tip!) and I went ahead and did it. But I am just so used to the DLH valets just handling it for me, it was weird for me.

Do you have any pictures of the club lounge? Any of the food they put out?