Grand Californian - What am I missing?

[evilmommie]

Try the new Westin across the street. It’s beautiful. View room and breakfast for half the price of GCH. Might even have enough money leftover to eat at Fleming’s. You’re welcome.

 

[DizMe]

If you cringe at paying a premium price for a hotel because it faces the beach or sits on a lake or has a view of the Champs-Elysees, then the Grand is not for you. If all you need is a clean room and a place to sleep, it's not for you. If the amenities and atmosphere aren't worth extra to you, then it's not for you. Some people place a much higher value on all of those things than others, and if you know you're not one of them, then stay elsewhere.

 

[MonocularVision]

Prices are set by supply and demand, news at 11.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I've always wanted to stay at the Grand but have hesitated because the website says they cannot guarantee the room configuration, i.e., I could get a king bed instead of two queens. Is this an actual possibility?

 

[bluecruiser]

I've always wanted to stay at the Grand but have hesitated because the website says they cannot guarantee the room configuration, i.e., I could get a king bed instead of two queens. Is this an actual possibility?

It may depend on how many people are in your party. If you have 4 people on the reservation I doubt they would put you in a room with 1 king bed. However, if you have 1 or 2 people, you could end up in either configuration (1 king or 2 queens).

 

[goooof1]

They don't guarantee room configurations, but I have found them to be really good about requests. They have even adjusted at check-in to work with what you want.

 

[goooof1]

AND, we so LOVE staying there !! It is a great relaxing atmosphere in the middle of chaos. lol

 

[dreynolds1982]

Disney hotels are always going to be at a premium cost wise compared to similarly appointed hotels. I mean, what at Disney isn't at a premium cost-wise? Lol. And Disney hotels often focus more on the amenities than the room because typically people aren't spending as much time in the room so it's not as big of a selling point imo. It's all about what's the value point for the individual. We're staying at the GCH in a few weeks and it'll be our first time. At that price point, prob won't do it again but for me it's worth it for the beauty/theming, amenities, location, and experience.

 

[Astylla]

I used to be of the mindset and didn't understand the coat myself, then earlier this month grabbed a 2 night confirmed reservation from a DVC site and had an amazing two night stay in a studio and 2 park days.

I have come to the point with no more annual passes that I'd rather enjoy myself more at this point on my life than rush rush. The CM's and attention was amazing in so many ways.

The room was perfect and maybe got lucky but was so quiet yet could see and hear some of Paradise Pier from.my balcony between the trees on the 2nd floor. The ease of getting back to the room and going out again , I took for granted how fast it would be and the convenience.
I absolutely loved the 5th floor terrace to relax on too and saw part of the fireworks even , no one was up there.

I'm back again from September 9th to 15th , part DVC studio , part partial theme park hotel room stay and honestly have no regrets about the cost now. Until disneyland announces what this new program will be I'll enjoy going and staying less but also upgrade my experience. I love the DLH but honestly that walk is killer at night, and the Grand is just feeling more like home now.

 

[ten6mom]

I have stayed there before, but my 14 yo has not. I am open to spending the money for him to experience it at least once, but I am not sure about all the current restrictions and how they'd impact the overall experience. All of my stays were before early 2020 when things closed.

What, specifically, is different or not available now that was available in the "before times"?

 

[MonocularVision]

I have complained about it before, but I would definitely stay at Disney properties more often if they could handle my 6-person family without having to essentially double the price. I feel bad, but I am sort of waiting for my oldest to leave so I have a group small enough to stay at the GC.

 

[DLgal]

I have stayed there before, but my 14 yo has not. I am open to spending the money for him to experience it at least once, but I am not sure about all the current restrictions and how they'd impact the overall experience. All of my stays were before early 2020 when things closed.

What, specifically, is different or not available now that was available in the "before times"?

Room service and daily housekeeping are the only real things missing specifically at the hotel. But to make up for room service being gone, you can mobile order and have delivered food from several downtown Disney restaurants. They will bring your food to the lobby.

Nothing else is restricted or cut back at the hotel. Go for it!

 

[DLgal]

I used to be of the mindset and didn't understand the coat myself, then earlier this month grabbed a 2 night confirmed reservation from a DVC site and had an amazing two night stay in a studio and 2 park days.

I have come to the point with no more annual passes that I'd rather enjoy myself more at this point on my life than rush rush. The CM's and attention was amazing in so many ways.

The room was perfect and maybe got lucky but was so quiet yet could see and hear some of Paradise Pier from.my balcony between the trees on the 2nd floor. The ease of getting back to the room and going out again , I took for granted how fast it would be and the convenience.
I absolutely loved the 5th floor terrace to relax on too and saw part of the fireworks even , no one was up there.

I'm back again from September 9th to 15th , part DVC studio , part partial theme park hotel room stay and honestly have no regrets about the cost now. Until disneyland announces what this new program will be I'll enjoy going and staying less but also upgrade my experience. I love the DLH but honestly that walk is killer at night, and the Grand is just feeling more like home now.

You are going to LOVE the hotel side room. The DVC studios pale in comparison (sorry, I've been in them several times to visit friends and they are kinda shabby compared to the new hotel rooms).

 

[ten6mom]

Room service and daily housekeeping are the only real things missing specifically at the hotel. But to make up for room service being gone, you can mobile order and have delivered food from several downtown Disney restaurants. They will bring your food to the lobby.

Nothing else is restricted or cut back at the hotel. Go for it!

I believe you are a bad influence!

 

[DLRExpert]

The fee is due to the hotel being attached to a park.
Which is great in my opinion if you plan to take breaks in the middle of day.

However, I would choose the Disneyland Hotel over the other two every time. Love the offerings (Trader Sams, Goofys Kitchen, Pool with nice slides) it gives to guests compared to the others. Would be even better if the monorail was operating.

 

[tvguy]

We have stayed at the Grand Californian several times. I found the rooms very nice and roomy, much nicer and bigger than the room we had at the Grand Floridian at WDW. We have stayed at all three Disney Resort hotels, and I like them all. Unfortunately, my wife insists on the Grand Californian

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I have stayed there before, but my 14 yo has not. I am open to spending the money for him to experience it at least once, but I am not sure about all the current restrictions and how they'd impact the overall experience. All of my stays were before early 2020 when things closed.

What, specifically, is different or not available now that was available in the "before times"?

Room service and daily housekeeping are the only real things missing specifically at the hotel. But to make up for room service being gone, you can mobile order and have delivered food from several downtown Disney restaurants. They will bring your food to the lobby.

Nothing else is restricted or cut back at the hotel. Go for it!

I don't know if Hearthstone Lounge was open in the morning before Covid, but it was closed in the morning while we were there.

I was there for a few nights recently, and highly recommend. I think your 14 year old will love it.

 

[SherylLC]

Oh wow, I just LOVE staying at the Grand! We stay two nights and are definitely in the parks most of the time. We return to the room late afternoon to rest or nap but aside from that we are at the parks. I love the balconies for out rest time!

Proximity to both parks, comfy beds, great eats, working AC, big TVs...for us, it's what's not to love!

 

[DLgal]

I don't know if Hearthstone Lounge was open in the morning before Covid, but it was closed in the morning while we were there.

I was there for a few nights recently, and highly recommend. I think your 14 year old will love it.

Yeah, that's right about Hearthstone. They used to be open for coffee service in the mornings, and used to open the bar/lounge around noon.

We stayed there over 4th of July weekend. On the 2nd and 3rd, the Lounge was open during the day because my husband went in there to have a few beers and watch a baseball game while we were at the pool. The pool had run out of beer on tap, so he went in there instead. This was around 2pm. On the 4th, they suddenly had a sign up that the lounge wouldn't open until 4pm. So, not sure what happened there. Might have been a staffing shortage, although we did also hear rumblings that their ice machine was broken and being worked on. They finally did open around 4:30.

 

[DLgal]

I believe you are a bad influence!

I might just be. I love the Grand. We paid rack rate for 3 nights last month and I'm not even mad about it. I mean, we had $1000 in Disney Rewards dollars so that took the sting out of it, but I absolutely thought it was worth it, even af rack rate. It's a lovely hotel and it's managed wonderfully.