Grand Californian Super Thread

[K311y0h]

I'm staying here in March too! Are you going at the beginning of march?

 

[cobbler]

Thaks franandaj for the pics!!! Looks as if I'll have to step up my game in the weight loss dept so I can splurge! ESP on the choc covered strawberries. Yum!

 

[MNRMommy]

Anyone valet park lately. Is it still $22?

Thanks in advance

 

[obitom]

We stayed at GC 5/29 – 6/2. Booked a standard room and asked for and received upgrade to DTD view room. Room 3443 directly above the Disney store.

PROS: Very close to the “secret” fire exit between the Disney store and the La Brea Bakery-literally 3-4 minutes from our room to the park entrances. Room had great view of nightly fireworks. Wireless signal was good and we never had issue connecting. Room was very clean and well kept, and had two queen beds and nice size refrigerator.

CONS: Room being above Disney store it looked out over tram loading area so it was a bit noisy and not the best DTD view. With sliding glass door shut it’s not too bad but if you are a light sleeper bring a white noise generator (we used our favorite white noise website).

We did not see any construction going on at the GC. Valet parking is still $22. La Brea Bakery has finished the work on their seated patio dining.
Finishing touches going up on Cars Land and the Matterhorn bobsleds look to be open any day now.

 

[macleod1979]

This thread has made me hungry..lol

 

[boiseflyfisher]

Thinking of visiting DL and staying at the GC from 7/12-7/18. Just checking in to make sure there is no construction going on.

Is there anything going on during this time period that I should be aware about?

Thank you su much

Everything should be completed by your trip. It feels like the construction for CA has been going on forever! It was nice to see a lot of the construction walls come down last week.

 

[wdhinn89]

we stayed at gc 5/29 – 6/2. Booked a standard room and asked for and received upgrade to dtd view room. Room 3443 directly above the disney store.

Pros: Very close to the “secret” fire exit between the disney store and the la brea bakery-literally 3-4 minutes from our room to the park entrances. Room had great view of nightly fireworks. Wireless signal was good and we never had issue connecting. Room was very clean and well kept, and had two queen beds and nice size refrigerator.

Cons: Room being above disney store it looked out over tram loading area so it was a bit noisy and not the best dtd view. With sliding glass door shut it’s not too bad but if you are a light sleeper bring a white noise generator (we used our favorite white noise website).

We did not see any construction going on at the gc. Valet parking is still $22. La brea bakery has finished the work on their seated patio dining.
Finishing touches going up on cars land and the matterhorn bobsleds look to be open any day now.

thanks!!!

 

[wdhinn89]

Everything should be completed by your trip. It feels like the construction for CA has been going on forever! It was nice to see a lot of the construction walls come down last week.

Thanks

 

[Lucille1963]

So excited! Just added my new ticker! I can't wait!

 

[joihan777]

Just came back from a week in the Grand Californian, rm 5507.

View of pool area was nice. Rather quiet and able to see Fireworks over top of the northern wing.

Couldn't figure out how to get the fan to come on for only the shower/ toilet area. Pillows were TOO fluffy!

TVs had LOTS of connections. Love the Murphy bed under the living room TV.

As always... another fabulous stay!

Does anyone need pics from this room?

 

[cpster]

I'd love to see them! Is this a one bedroom? Glad you had a great time!

 

[joihan777]

I'd love to see them! Is this a one bedroom? Glad you had a great time!

Our room:

Here's a generic inside shot (ours looked just like this) from somewhere else on this thread:

Here's a view from our room:

At night:

 

[mochums]

Here's a view from our room:

cool tilt-shift effect!

 

[joihan777]

cool tilt-shift effect!

It's actually Nikon's "Model Effect"... kinda fun. Reminds me of the models they have in the DVC sales canter.

 

[Boiseboone]

Just came back from GC, stayed from 6-3 to 6-8.

Room 3116 was close to elevators and grand hall, and was right next to the monorail track. it was cool to watch the monorail - kids loved it - and it wasn't loud at all. I really enjoyed being close to the grand hall and within an easy walk to the downtown disney and california adventure entrances, especially when I was exhausted at the end of the day.

The room has bunk beds, which thrilled my children. Shower pressure was a bit weak, and the water temp was inconsistent, which was annoying but not unbearable. The window coverings really blocked out the sunlight when closed, which was terrific for helping my tired kiddos get good long naps every afternoon. The balcony was small but had two chairs and a table, so hubby and I were able to enjoy cocktails and chat after the kids' bedtime without waking them. Unlike the higher balconies, however, the railing is solid - you can't peek through it like you can the fence-style railings. That was kind of a bummer for my toddler (and for us!) because he really wanted to see out and kept trying to climb up high enough to see over the solid railing. Patio furniture+climbing toddler+three floors up=scary. Needless to say, we kept the sliding door closed and locked unless the kidlet was sleeping or one of us had him in our arms.

All in all, an excellent room for those who want to be close to the elevators and have easy access to grand hall, but if views are your priority pick a different part of the hotel.

One note for those planning nap times - let housekeeping know what time you plan to be out of the room so they can work around your schedule. We typically went to the parks first thing in the morning and returned to the room between 2-5 for naps/swimming. Housekeeping staff generally reached our room around 3 p.m., and so had to return later in the evening. We went a couple of days without housekeeping at all - no big deal for us, but if you want your bed made every day, it could be an issue for you.

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

Still trying to plan our hotel for the next trip.

Does anyone have a list of the room numbers that have two double beds plus the 5th pull out sleeper/couch at the GC?

Also, I read somewhere that the bunk beds have a trundle to ultimately sleep three. Is this true of ALL bunk beds, or just specific rooms?

 

[SGDisneyFam]

Still trying to plan our hotel for the next trip.

Does anyone have a list of the room numbers that have two double beds plus the 5th pull out sleeper/couch at the GC?

Also, I read somewhere that the bunk beds have a trundle to ultimately sleep three. Is this true of ALL bunk beds, or just specific rooms?

AFAIK all of the bunk beds have this, at least every time we've had a bunked room it has

 

[lorielucks]

My DH is a huge coffee snob and so plans to bring his own coffee for our stay at the GCH. I understand there is a coffee pot in the room, but does anyone know what kind of filters it requires? The standard round, flat kind? Cone shaped? Large or small? Any information would be deeply appreciated by the wife of "Mr Grumpy until I've had my coffee".
TIA

 

[joihan777]

My DH is a huge coffee snob and so plans to bring his own coffee for our stay at the GCH. I understand there is a coffee pot in the room, but does anyone know what kind of filters it requires? The standard round, flat kind? Cone shaped? Large or small? Any information would be deeply appreciated by the wife of "Mr Grumpy until I've had my coffee".
TIA

FYI - There's a Haagen Daz store right in front of the GCH entrance to Downtown District that serves Peet's Coffee.

If your DH is like me, Starbux tastes like cheap beans overcooked and twice pressed for some aroma and NO taste!

If you all will be doing your own in-room coffee, you're in luck. The machines use 8-12 cup sized paper filters and can be set for 'regular' or 'strong' brewing. HOWEVER, the water supply is not stated to be filtered in any way... you may want to call to see if it is city water or has undergone in-house filtration. When in doubt, bring a Brita!

Enjoy!

 

[lorielucks]

If your DH is like me, Starbux tastes like cheap beans overcooked and twice pressed for some aroma and NO taste!

You nailed him! He hates Starbucks and roasts his own coffee. Peet's is just about the only chain store brand that he will drink. Glad to know that it is available in DTD. Thanks for the info on the filters. Now we can count on starting our day out right!