Grand Californian Super Thread

[LKing]

Wow - what a bummer for guests paying a premium to stay at the Disney hotels! I definitely expected to be in a relatively empty park for 30 minutes. We don't care as much about getting to the front of the lines for the rides as we do just being able to appreciate the parks and their history in a more serene setting for just a moment. You miss so much detail when folks are on top of each other.

The parks are relatively empty/serene until around 10 am.

 

[BlueGreen5]

The parks are relatively empty/serene until around 10 am.

Thanks, that's good to know!

 

[BlueGreen5]

Oh! And some black ink pen marks in the seam above the sink, weird spot! Like someone threw a pen at the wall

I just lol'd at this because I can vividly picture the tantrum that resulted in a pen being thrown at the wall and exploding...because "been there!"

 

[torchlight]

The parks are relatively empty/serene until around 10 am.

I would generally agree with this, however before 8:00am, the Main Street area feels really crowded as "early birds" come in and stage for Early Entry and Rope Drop.

 

[Chili327]

Wow - what a bummer for guests paying a premium to stay at the Disney hotels! I definitely expected to be in a relatively empty park for 30 minutes. We don't care as much about getting to the front of the lines for the rides as we do just being able to appreciate the parks and their history in a more serene setting for just a moment. You miss so much detail when folks are on top of each other.

The parks are relatively empty/serene until around 10 am.

Yea it is tough to just slowly walk and enjoy the scene, architecture, people watching when it’s crowded and you also feel like you need to be making progress on “something”.
Also I don’t get inside the park much before 10am usually. lol

 

[Jojo Cat Lady]

We have not been to Disneyland in two years and have not had Club Level at GCH for 4 years as they were sold out during our last visit. We are planning a June trip so I called to inquire about Club Level at GCH. I was shocked that it was priced at $900 per day! This is just for the Club level food. The room rate was around $1,000 per night for 5. The first two times we used Club Level, we did the math and it was actually cheaper than eating every meal in the park. Have the food costs gone up that much in the park to justify this increase? Five people couldn't possibly eat $900 worth of snacks a day!

 

[twodogs]

We have not been to Disneyland in two years and have not had Club Level at GCH for 4 years as they were sold out during our last visit. We are planning a June trip so I called to inquire about Club Level at GCH. I was shocked that it was priced at $900 per day! This is just for the Club level food. The room rate was around $1,000 per night for 5. The first two times we used Club Level, we did the math and it was actually cheaper than eating every meal in the park. Have the food costs gone up that much in the park to justify this increase? Five people couldn't possibly eat $900 worth of snacks a day!

Are you canceling the room you have and booking the room as “Club Level” or are you keeping your room reservation, and then planning to add CL on when you arrive? I have always found that the per night price for actually booking a CL room is much higher than booking whatever room view I want, then adding CL on at check in (but theoretically there is a risk of it not being available at check in). Are you staying in 2 rooms or one room? The additional per night charge for CL is per room, not per guest, so if you have 2 rooms, you will pay the fee for each room each night. If you have one suite that holds everyone, that counts as one “room” and so you can save 1/2 the fee of CL, compared to booking 2 separate rooms and adding CL to each room.

 

[torchlight]

Anyone at GCH right now that could share if any of the holiday decorations are up now that it is "start of holidays" day? (Nov 15) (especially the lobby tree!) I think I read that the gingerbread house wouldn't be up until Nov. 22, but really hope that all the other decor is up now.

 

[BK2014]

Anyone at GCH right now that could share if any of the holiday decorations are up now that it is "start of holidays" day? (Nov 15) (especially the lobby tree!) I think I read that the gingerbread house wouldn't be up until Nov. 22, but really hope that all the other decor is up now.

We left GCH yesterday (11/16). The gingerbread house was in the lobby as of 11/15, but no tree. A CM we spoke to said that she believed the tree was supposed to be up 11/18.

 

[cinabc]

The tree is going up this morning.

 

[irlandaise]

The tree is going up this morning. View attachment 914024

Cool! Would love to see another photo after it's done and lighted up.

 

[cinabc]

The completed tree. Lots of people were taking pictures during the day.

 

[evilmommie]

View attachment 914391
The completed tree. Lots of people were taking pictures during the day.

Gorg! Thanks for sharing.

 

[LKing]

Gingerbread house is complete.

 

[LKing]

25 hidden Mickeys this year.

 

[irlandaise]

25 hidden Mickeys this year.

Around the lobby?

 

[LKing]

Around the lobby?

On the gingerbread house. You can see one front and center - the red candies above the stockings. We found 22. Will have to go back and find the last three.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Is the gingerbread house the same every year or does it change?

 

[LKing]

Is the gingerbread house the same every year or does it change?

It changes every year.

 

[torchlight]

It changes every year.

One very cool thing - yesterday, Nubia Renteria was hanging out in the lobby next to the gingerbread house for a couple of hours in the morning. Nubia is the pastry chef at the hotel that designed and led the construction of the gingerbread house this year (and has in previous years also). It was awesome to get to talk with her and congratulate her on a job well done.

We checked in on Monday (Nov. 18) and checked out yesterday (Nov. 23). The gingerbread house wasn’t complete until yesterday, and this completion date was accounted in advance. When I first read this info, I was disappointed the gingerbread house wouldn’t be complete until out check-out day.

However, now I am so happy this was the case! Coming down from our room and through the lobby, it became a part of our routine each morning to race over and see the progress on the gingerbread house each day. And finally getting to see the finished product at the end. What a fun experience and special memory to see it take shape over the week we were there!