Grand Californian Super Thread

[azdisneylover]

In the mornings, if you drink coffee, tea or hot chocolate to start your day, Whitewater Snacks, (I don't remember the name change, and in my heart, it will always be WWS) you can get complimentary coffee, tea or/and hot chocolate by showing your room key.

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

We really had a great experience when we stayed at the DLH in October, but I do agree with you regarding the rooms. Disney could do a really cool mid century modern decor in those rooms and it would really go with the hotel. The furniture they have in there now just doesn’t go. It’s big and clunky and tired. Hopefully they do a refurb soon!

Mid century decor would be so cool at DLH!

 

[jkips]

In the mornings, if you drink coffee, tea or hot chocolate to start your day, Whitewater Snacks, (I don't remember the name change, and in my heart, it will always be WWS) you can get complimentary coffee, tea or/and hot chocolate by showing your room key.

Thanks for sharing! Good to know.

 

[Rayray650]

We just returned from five nights at GCH and two at DLH. We all felt very let down by the DLH. The service at the GCH was exceptional. The DLH was so so at best. We have just started planning our return trip for late 2021 and will definitely be returning to the GCH.

 

[Rayray650]

Duplicate post

 

[disneygrandma]

Our family will be staying at GC in a DVC villa in about a month. Unfortunately, we will have to stay off-site our 1st night since we're unable to get a DVC villa that night. We want to take advantage of early entry the next morning, which will be our check in date. It will be too early to check out, transfer luggage, and check in at the GC front desk, AND still get to the park early enough to take advantage of the early entry.

I was wondering if we check in online, will we be able to use the early entry? We would love to hit the park early, then go back across the street to our off-site hotel, check out and then get our luggage over to GC.

We would love to know if anyone has had experience with checking in online at GC in order to take advantage of the early entry.

Thanks so much!

 

[otten]

It isn't too early to check in unless for some reason you can't check out of your first hotel.

When we were last there we ended up flying in a day earlier than planned so we stayed offsite that first night. The following day, the first day of our GCH reservation DCA had early entry at 7am. We left our first hotel around 5:45, took an uber to GCA. Checked in, got our room cards (which is proof of emh eligibility) and were in line to get into GCA at 6:30. Our room wasn't ready but we left our bags with bell services.

There's no online check in (or at least there wasn't) at the DLR hotels.

 

[bethwc101]

Our family will be staying at GC in a DVC villa in about a month. Unfortunately, we will have to stay off-site our 1st night since we're unable to get a DVC villa that night. We want to take advantage of early entry the next morning, which will be our check in date. It will be too early to check out, transfer luggage, and check in at the GC front desk, AND still get to the park early enough to take advantage of the early entry.

I was wondering if we check in online, will we be able to use the early entry? We would love to hit the park early, then go back across the street to our off-site hotel, check out and then get our luggage over to GC.

We would love to know if anyone has had experience with checking in online at GC in order to take advantage of the early entry.

Thanks so much!

I agree with what @otten has said 100%. There is no reason you can't check into GCH early to use early entry. We do it every time. We have arrived at GCH before 6 and had no problem checking in and them stowing our luggage.
They do NOT have an online check in option, so if you want to use early entry you will have to go to the front desk.

 

[disneygrandma]

Thanks for this info. I thought they probably had online checkin, same as WDW.

Some other thoughts I had: Is it possible to checkin right after midnight? (so technically the calendar day of the checkin day)

Can luggage be stored at bell services the day before the reservation, so only small bags would need to be moved early that next morning? We're planning to go to the parks on our arrival day. (day before our checkin day)

Thanks again for your help!

 

[DLgal]

No, you cannot check in right after midnight. The systems turn over to the new day somewhere around 3am.

You will have to get up and get yourself to GCH very early, by 6:30. Checkin at that time will take 5 minutes, tops.

 

[mamapenguin]

I wonder why they don’t have online check in? That is a great feature at WDW. We got our room ready notification at about 8:20 in the morning before we boarded the Magical Express bus.

 

[jcatron243]

I am debating booking this for our spring break trip this year. We usually stay off site, but this year is a splurge year. What can you tell me about this? I figure that the breakfast and snacks would be worth it, as well as the proximity. It is my husband and my 20th year together so we want it to be extra special.

 

[wench]

We had to change room types on our 2nd day at GCH on our May trip. It happened to be the morning SWGE opened, so we went down really early. They told us an official time that they’ll start taking check ins & said we were too early. I think they said 5:00am, but I can’t remember for sure. It would probably be worth a call to the front desk, before you get there, just to double check the time.

 

[dina444444]

You have to check in at the desk since you need your room keys for earlier entry.

 

[Rayray650]

We just came back from five nights club level at GCH (16th December onwards) and two nights club level at DLH. I travelled with my parents in their 60s and my five year old daughter. Proximity to the parks was amazing. Food offerings and service levels at GCH exceeded all of our expectations. Nothing was too difficult for them to do, especially with a five year old who didn’t like some of the offerings. I requested a room close to the club and we were lucky enough to receive all of our requests. Our room was literally around the corner of the club room.

It will come down to personal preference and what you deem as value for money, but for us the convenience and service levels were what was important. My daughter would love to go back so I am now starting to plan a trip for 2021 for Halloween. We will be staying at the GCH club level again for that trip.

 

[SeaDis]

@theluckyrabbit
The above 4 or 5 posts look like they are from another thread. Maybe they were moved to GCH Superthread by mistake. Can you evaluate, please? Thank you!

 

[montreid]

We just came back from five nights club level at GCH (16th December onwards) and two nights club level at DLH. I travelled with my parents in their 60s and my five year old daughter. Proximity to the parks was amazing. Food offerings and service levels at GCH exceeded all of our expectations. Nothing was too difficult for them to do, especially with a five year old who didn’t like some of the offerings. I requested a room close to the club and we were lucky enough to receive all of our requests. Our room was literally around the corner of the club room.

It will come down to personal preference and what you deem as value for money, but for us the convenience and service levels were what was important. My daughter would love to go back so I am now starting to plan a trip for 2021 for Halloween. We will be staying at the GCH club level again for that trip.

So for all those Club level folk -- did you eat all your meals in the Club and forgo all DLA food? I can see the value of cost savings that would provide if one could resist the temptations of Dole Whips and Bengal BBQ and Beignets

 

[theluckyrabbit]

@theluckyrabbit
The above 4 or 5 posts look like they are from another thread. Maybe they were moved to GCH Superthread by mistake. Can you evaluate, please? Thank you!

Posts in question have been moved to the CA & the West forum.

 

[azdisneylover]

So for all those Club level folk -- did you eat all your meals in the Club and forgo all DLA food? I can see the value of cost savings that would provide if one could resist the temptations of Dole Whips and Bengal BBQ and Beignets

We(me, dh, b/g/g 17yr old triplets), have stayed GCH Club level and I can say, no, we did not eat all our meals in the Club, but, it was nice to get coffee and a few items in the morning before heading to the parks. I really enjoyed sitting on the balcony, snacking and drinking while watching the Monorail go by, especially after being in the parks for hours, and wanting to go back to the room to relax (but they are a door or two down from cleaning your room). I know, you can sit in the lobby, but at times, it is very loud in there. The actual food choices didn't impress dh or ds. From what I have seen other people post, DLH Club level has a bigger selection of food items that my family would eat.

 

[franandaj]

So for all those Club level folk -- did you eat all your meals in the Club and forgo all DLA food? I can see the value of cost savings that would provide if one could resist the temptations of Dole Whips and Bengal BBQ and Beignets

We stay frequently and enjoy club level often. I find that I like it for breakfast and end up forgoing other paid options cause we are not early morning people. I usually end up going to the lounge myself for coffee, bagel, oatmeal or something like that and bringing back something for my spouse who is less an early riser. We will visit the lounge in the evenings but prefer to have real dinners elsewhere. We may stop in for dessert or before dinner for an appetizer but don't generally make our meals from the concierge lounge.