Grand Californian Super Thread

[DisneyJamieCA]

Should I call early June? My trip is June 15-19.

I would call now and ask them to put a note on your reservation (assuming you've made it) and then again a few days before you arrive.

 

[kaidoy021]

I would call now and ask them to put a note on your reservation (assuming you've made it) and then again a few days before you arrive.

thank you everyone for your help. My original reservation was for courtyard view which doesn't include a day bed. So I called Disney directly and she looked up if there were any Standard Rooms with a Day Bed and she found me one. Got that changed and it was cheaper too. yay!! I love this forum

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

thank you everyone for your help. My original reservation was for courtyard view which doesn't include a day bed. So I called Disney directly and she looked up if there were any Standard Rooms with a Day Bed and she found me one. Got that changed and it was cheaper too. yay!! I love this forum

Glad it worked out! And even less money - always good!

 

[Kristina4109]

Oh, MAN. You guys are killing me. We haven't stayed at the GC since 2007 and now I am just ITCHING to go back. I'll have to wait until after WDW to start bringing this up, or my husband is going to be annoyed.

 

[Nonsuch]

...My original reservation was for courtyard view which doesn't include a day bed. So I called Disney directly and she looked up if there were any Standard Rooms with a Day Bed and she found me one. Got that changed and it was cheaper too.

Paying for any upgraded view essentially eliminates any possibility of getting a daybed room, since they are all standard view.
Search this thread for "daybed" for more information

 

[afnaechiquita]

ok! i am home. i am going to try to keep my photos brief, but the suite was so beautiful it's difficult to limit. i have to say again, i am so appreciative and impressed with the CMs at GCH for upgrading us to the mt. whitney suite. i flew in from asia, we were supposed to be married that day but the snow changed the plans, and they still treated us as newlyweds and everything was perfect. i know we will probably never get the opportunity again, so i'm just happy we had it for one night! i wish i'd brought more than a point + shoot.

DH (not used to that yet!) had a lot of homework to do that night, unfortunately, but fully enjoyed the little office area to spread out and get it done. AND, i think it put him in such a good mood that i was able to convince him to go into the parks the next day we had breakfast at storyteller's and it was delicious.

the full set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/afnaechiquita/sets/72157642023679423/

but as requested, the views. from the long balcony, we could see DCA:








from the smaller balcony, with the fireplace, we could see the same views of DCA, but also to the left we could see some of the fireworks at DL:


also the pool:


we could see a smidge of WoC, but not much to even post.

this is the living area, to the left in the back is the bedroom. the couch pulls out to a bed:


it took me a while to figure out where the TV was!


another view, with the two balconies. i thought it was beautiful.


long balcony


small balcony



dining area



kitchen


study


master bathroom vanity. as you enter the bathroom area, there's another outside lobby door on the left with a hallway (and door), a closet to the right, this to the front. then, from here, a bathroom with shower/sauna and private toilet on the left, and bathroom with jacuzzi, toilet, bidet on the right. there was another bathroom at the main entrance to the suite.


the bedroom (we got in when it was dark, so photos would be no good. i tried to remake the bed!)



main entrance, study to the right, bathroom + closet to the left.


the other side of the main door + the door to the bedroom. the door to the kitchen is to the right.


outside door into the private hallway (leading to the above doors)

 

[whoever]

OMG.. If they let me in, they might have to evict me... I wouldn't want to leave..

 

[afnaechiquita]

OMG.. If they let me in, they might have to evict me... I wouldn't want to leave..

we tried... we asked if it was available the next night because we needed to stay in a hotel in the area again. shot down with best efforts

 

[Nonsuch]

...i am going to try to keep my photos brief, but the suite was so beautiful it's difficult to limit...

Thanks for sharing all the great photos

When unoccupied (obviously) the "presidential" suites are sometimes part of the Art of the Craft Tour, free to all GCH guests. When I took the tour a few years ago, El Capitan (above Napa Rose) and Arroyo (above Whitewater Snacks) were part of the tour.

Art of the Craft Tour (1 hour)
Learn about the Arts and Crafts Movement and how it influenced the architecture and design of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. With information about hand crafted artisan pieces and insights on design elements, the hotel will come alive. Join us on this complimentary guided walking tour. This tour is recommended for Guests who are age 14 and older. Sign up with Guest Services in order to reserve a spot.

The tour is scheduled several times a week, but it's a good idea to sign up in advance. The tour can be canceled if there are no reservations.

 

[rickenmartin78]

My wife and I are considering Pinocchio's Workshop for DD(9) during a dinner at the Napa Rose. Anyone else used the Workshop for kids this age? Did they like it? Also, what was included in the kid's dinner? Thanks.

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

My wife and I are considering Pinocchio's Workshop for DD(9) during a dinner at the Napa Rose. Anyone else used the Workshop for kids this age? Did they like it? Also, what was included in the kid's dinner? Thanks.

Our 3 children went there in 2011 whilst we went to Napa Rose. They were aged 5, 7 & 10 and all seemed to enjoy themselves. The dinner was fairly simple; a choice of hamburger, chicken, hot dog etc. There were Disney movies showing on the TV, they played some games, did some activities and the highlight was being taken up to the rooftop deck to watch the fireworks. If we were to do it again now I would probably take them with us to the restaurant, but they are much more civilized now!

 

[SwirlyGirly]

How far in advance does the GC usually sell out in summer? I just tried for the first week in Aug and got no availability at all for the GC or any hotel. yikes!

 

[gerilyne]

How far in advance does the GC usually sell out in summer? I just tried for the first week in Aug and got no availability at all for the GC or any hotel. yikes!

What dates were you looking at and who were you booking thru? I know last year we booked Aug rooms in April without any issues but we booked thru Disney Travel. I have had trouble though looking for rooms thru discount sites in the summer.

 

[whoever]

Per disneyland website RIGHT NOW.

Arriving on 8/3/2014 for 6 nights; 2 Adults
Room Type:Standard View Room
Package: None
Tickets:None
View/Edit Details
6 Night Room Total* (USD):
$3,060.00
Tax (USD):
$520.20
Grand Total** (USD):
$3,580.20
Deposit (due today) (USD):
$596.70

Its available.

 

[twodogs]

Third CM, different answer again! This time, she said, it is $200/night (so I guess it is either $225/night, $200/night or $150/night), and that she's putting "concierge" on my reservation so that the GC knows to have the concierge greeter come to get us at check-in and take us to a special desk. She says I won't pay for it until check-out from the hotel. She says that they will try for a suite on the 6th floor or a suite close to the dedicated elevator for the lounge. It is strange to me that I want to give Disney some money, and they are making it very difficult!! This is our first trip, so I hope it goes ok!

I had to call today to see if the new disount could be applied to my 2 bedroom suite (no), and again asked about the concierge charge. This one said $225/ night plus tax. So, maybe that's the price!?!

 

[SwirlyGirly]

Hummm... Maybe it was a glitch on the site when I was looking. Thanks!

 

[Tasia]

I had to call today to see if the new disount could be applied to my 2 bedroom suite (no), and again asked about the concierge charge. This one said $225/ night plus tax. So, maybe that's the price!?!

Every time I have booked the last three times the charge was 225$ a night to upgrade to concierge.

 

[AustinTink]

I'm a newbie to the Grand Californian. We just booked our first stay. I have two questions:

1. How good/bad is the view from a courtyard/woods view. It was slightly more expensive than the standard, but I'm guessing not much better for the view.

2. I booked through expedia. Will that harm my chances for an upgrade? I'm hoping for some pixie dust.

Thanks!

 

[gardengirl2790]

We've been very pleased with our Courtyard/Woods view. The first year we had a few of the courtyard. It was pretty and fun to watch the Monorail travel through that area. The noise level was very low, although we could hear the Downtown Disney music when we opened our sliding door. We mostly say trees and shrubs from this view on the 5th floor.

The second year we had this view, we were given a 3rd floor room looking out over DCA/GRR. This was lovely. There were trees in our way, so it wasn't a clear view, but we could still see enough, and could hear the music from the area and the sounds of people, music, etc. in the park. The noise level was low too once we closed our door.

I just knew that I did not want a view of the parking lot, that's why I upgraded us.

 

[Astylla]

I'm a newbie to the Grand Californian. We just booked our first stay. I have two questions:

1. How good/bad is the view from a courtyard/woods view. It was slightly more expensive than the standard, but I'm guessing not much better for the view.

2. I booked through expedia. Will that harm my chances for an upgrade? I'm hoping for some pixie dust.

Thanks!

Though have not personally stayed - friends of ours were upgraded to Courtyard/Garden View and had a lovely view of the monorail passing by and was nicely landscaped. It could vary but have heard decent things !

Now in regards to booking through a third party - nothing is guaranteed really. I can't speak for Disneyland properties but in hotels I worked at we typically did not upgrade those booking through third parties unless we had extra rooms or specifically asked - in our case we had no suites or different room types so tried to accommodate a higher floor if it was available and it wouldn't impact our operations.

You can always call ahead/fax 5 days in advance and request something - like a higher floor or something , can't hurt at all. I don't think it would necessarily hurt your chances either. Upgrades are tricky though because SO many factors come into play. Length of stay - staffing - capacity for booked types in coming days , but I always say it never hurts to ask !