Grand Californian Super Thread

[bakofarmgirl]

i went to pinnochios workshop as a kid

 

[evilmommie]

i went to pinnochios workshop as a kid

How CUTE is that!!!

 

[maleficent55]

We are booked for this coming February 2026 as a DVC rental, very excited. I was reading today about the Paradise View Terrace and watching World of Color from there. Can anyone tell me how crowded it gets? We arrive on a Thursday and aren’t doing a park that day because our kids will be wiped out but I’d love to catch WoC that night (assuming it is showing) if it’s not going to be super crowded or require me arriving an hour early or something.

It's a very side view, not really getting the full show experience in my opinion. You can hear music and see lit up water but you're missing everything else.

 

[mauionabreakaway]

It's a very side view, not really getting the full show experience in my opinion. You can hear music and see lit up water but you're missing everything else.

That's fine, it's just a way to get the trip started that isn't going in to a park, is it crowded?

 

[LKing]

Thought you might be interested in this.

 

[maleficent55]

That's fine, it's just a way to get the trip started that isn't going in to a park, is it crowded?

anytime I've been up there it's been pretty small crowd, like Mayne us 3 plus another 2-3 groups of 2-5 (ish)

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

anytime I've been up there it's been pretty small crowd, like Mayne us 3 plus another 2-3 groups of 2-5 (ish)

Is this different that the terrace they told me was closed “indefinitely” when I visited in March?

 

[ClaraOswald]

Is this different that the terrace they told me was closed “indefinitely” when I visited in March?

Yes, it's different. The terrace to view WOC is not closing.

 

[Jojo Cat Lady]

I made reservations at GCH in November for a June trip. I called today to pay off the balance and they found a "promotion" that reduced my costs by $1,600! We've made 7 trips to Disneyland in the past 13 years and that has never happened. But I'm not complaining!

 

[Pluto468]

We are booked for this coming February 2026 as a DVC rental, very excited. I was reading today about the Paradise View Terrace and watching World of Color from there. Can anyone tell me how crowded it gets? We arrive on a Thursday and aren’t doing a park that day because our kids will be wiped out but I’d love to catch WoC that night (assuming it is showing) if it’s not going to be super crowded or require me arriving an hour early or something.

We did that last summer and it was awesome. There were maybe 15 people up there including us. Plenty of space for everyone. Alot of people brought their own cocoa, wine or snacks. Most kids were in their pajamas. It's a side view but you can see the fountains and they pipe the music in. My family really enjoyed it.

 

[Pluto468]

Does the Grand still have rollaway beds or did they get rid of those years ago? I booked a standard and will hopefully get 2 queens and a daybed, but another bedding option would be nice so the kids don't have to share. (Party of 5)

 

[LKing]

It's a side view but you can see the fountains and they pipe the music in. My family really enjoyed it.

If you liked that view, you'll be fine with the view from Lamplight.

 

[MickeyMouseLove]

Can anyone confirm if the rooms have indeed been renovated and/or if they are scheduled to be? Both for regular hotel and DVC portions? I see conflicting info online. Thanks!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else mention it, so wanted to volunteer that Joffrey’s 70th Anniversary blend has arrived in the VGC villas.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

I was hoping that GCH would have K-Cups with Napa Rose blend in the rooms. That coffee is absolutely off-the-chain smooth and yummy. It might be my favorite Joffrey's coffee.

 

[LKing]

Look what was in the GCH lobby today.

 

[Pluto468]

Look what was in the GCH lobby today.

View attachment 964022

Love it! Very elegant.

 

[roxy72]

Has anyone here attended a professional conference at the Grand Californian Hotel?

I have the opportunity to attend a 3-day conference here in June (yahoo!), and I'm completely unfamiliar with the business side of the hotel. It looks like they have a SECOND registration desk nearby the conference side, and a 24 hour business center. Is that right? Does anyone have pictures of those? This will be fun to explore a whole new side of the hotel, and of course the yummy conference food!

ETA-
Regarding the two registration desks- I've found two references to it. First, it is listed on the main site for the Disney Meetings and Events GCH (see #1 below), and second, it is on a map that indicates an 'East Registration Desk'.

FIRST: See the link and verbiage below.
"2 permanent registration counters"
https://www.disneymeetingsandevents.com/disneyland/grand-californian-hotel-and-spa/

SECOND:
'East Registration Desk' next to phones.
https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.di...ian_CapacityChartFloorplans_02_18_16_copy.pdf

 

[Iceman93]

Yes, I've attended conferences at the GCH. The "registration desk" you're asking about is for conference registration, NOT hotel registration. The "whole new side of the hotel" shares the same architectural style as everywhere else, just with big conference rooms. And the "yummy conference food" is indeed yummy, but pretty much the same institutional fare as you'd get at a conference at any mainstream upscale hotel.

Have fun, which I'm sure you will, but set your expectations properly. The GCH is just a hotel, after all.

 

[LKing]

Have you been to the hotel for a regular stay? If so, the Sequoia Ballroom is to your left as you walk from the front desk to the DTD security. As @Iceman93 stated, the conference rooms have the same craftsman decor as the rest of the hotel. Personally, once they are filled with people and I am listening to a speaker, it feels like any other conference room. I thought the food was pretty good for conference food. I also thought the restrooms were very nice.

This is the lobby of the conference section. The meeting rooms are to the left and the GCH parking is to the right, outside the windows.



Do a Google search for Grand Californian Sequoia Ballroom and you'll find lots of pictures. While not the Sequoia Ballroom, you can see pictures of the Trillium Ballroom in this post: https://www.disboards.com/threads/grand-californian-super-thread.2396588/page-435#post-66048621