Hello,DVC vet,new to DL,??? about 1st DL trip...

[KNWVIKING]

We are planning a Sept trip,staying at DL hotel but may up-grade to GC. Trip includes meal vouchers for all on property meals,passes and rental car. General Motors portion of trip is 5 days,4 nights,but we'll probably extend a few days,( can't see flying cross country just for 5 days). Now the questions:

Weather,what can we expect mid Sept ?

How crowded are the parks ?

Is it worth up-grading to GC ?

We don't commando any more. Can DL and CA be done in 4-5 days at a comfortable pace ?

What airport will we be flying into & how far from DL is it ?

Thanks in advance for your help, be prepared for follow up questions.

 

[Michelle]

Hello KNWVIKING! I'll try to help with these.

Weather in September is usually very nice, warm days up into the 70s and 80s, but the nights are always cool here so be prepared for 50s at night. Sometimes we have an odd hot or cold spell but generally September has great weather.

The parks will have very LIGHT crowds during the week in mid-September. The weekends will be a little more crowded but still not too bad.

I love both the DL Hotel and the Grand Californian; the GC is actually in DCA and the DL Hotel is adjacent to Downtown Disney. Either is a great choice.

Yes, you can easily do both parks at a leisurely pace in 4-5 days. Park hours in September will be shorter as well.

There are two airports you could possibly fly in to, LAX or Orange County (SNA). SNA is closer.

Hope that helps!

 

[teri]

Some people also fly into Ontario or Burbank airports, to get super-low rates when available. SNA is pleasant and close. You won't need a rental car at all at Disneyland, there are other transportation options.

4-5 days is a good amount of time to really get to see Disneyland, DCA, Downtown Disney (which is lightyears better than WDW) and the resorts.

You don't mention if you will have children along or your personal tastes. Disneyland Hotel is a contemporary, energized, child and family oriented resort with lots of activities and features and mature landscaping. It is a magical place. Grand Calfornian is a 'casual elegance' resort, arts and crafts/art nouveaux style resort... how can I say this nicely... I didn't see too many people wearing Mickey Ears walking around the GC, but plenty of people do at the DLH... and I didn't see any guests walking around in suits or formal wear at DLH, but there are plenty of those at the GC. Although it is similar to Wilderness Lodge in style and room size, the parks and DD are right there, so it isn't exactly laid back like Wilderness Lodge, and the ambience inside is closer to the Grand Floridian.

It is all a matter of convenience and personal preference.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Iwas looking at a layout of the DL complex that makes it appear DL hotel is right across the street from DL and DD. Is it that close ? How long does it take to walk from the hotel to the parks ?

Teri,we will not have our boys with us-college obligations- but the DLH sounds more our style then GC. We own at WL in WDW and love the style & location. I don't know if we'd like the stuffy atmosphere of GC, but if staying at GC is a great time saver we may still consider it.

 

[teri]

GC is closer walking distance to both parks - if you look at the resort map from the main Disneyland site you will see that the main gates are actually 2/3 of the way in, between DCA and DL. However, the monorail at Disneyland goes INTO the park, not to the main gate -- it drops you off in Tomorrowland, near Autopia and the Matterhorn. The monorail station is close to the DLH, at that end of DD. If you are staying at the GC, it isn't efficient to backtrack to the monorail station in order to go to the parks. The monorail is one of our family's favorite rides. Much better than WDW. Everything is walkign distance - 10 minutes at most to the main gates from DLH.

I must say, if you like the WL, and that is your style, you will probably prefer the GC. I wouldn't say it is stuffy... just not as ebullient... more reserved. I like both places, but my kids seem to have more fun at DLH so it is my favorite.

 

[ceejay13]

We are also DVC'ers but visit DL once a year as I go out to San Diego for a conference in May. We always go for an extra 4 nights and it is perfect for us. We also don't do the commando touring any more. We have stayed at the GC twice and are going back for a 3rd visit this May. (My DH was invited last January for a preview of DCA so that was our first stay.) We love the GC. If you like VWL, I think you would love the DCA. We are very middle class and feel right at home at the GC. We have also stayed at the DLH and enjoyed it also but it does have more hustle and bustle and is geared more towards families with kids. Our stay last year we got a theme park view and we looked directly out at the Grizzly River Rapids ride. It was magical for a couple who love Disney. When we were there during the day we watched all the goings on at the park and enjoyed watching the after hours activities when the park closed. It was also nice when we rode Grizzly River Rapids and got to just hop up to our room to change our damp clothes. There is a seperate entrance from the GC to DCA. We used this entrance to hop from DCA to DL also, as it was quicker. On our first visit we looked out over DD. In fact, we were directly over the World of Disney store and it was great also. Both rooms were very quiet when the patio was closed. The service was great on both stays. Since the opening of DCA and DD there is much more of a WDW feel to the place, as you can immerse yourself in that Disney magic. It still is obviously much smaller but is a wonderful 4 or 5 day trip. One other tip that we always do is have lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant. We love Pirates of the Carribbean and at DL the Blue Bayou is "riverside" to Pirates. It is actually like being inside the ride as you can watch the boats go by and listen to the music and crickets as you eat. any way you go, I think you will enjoy your trip very much!

 

[CarolAnnC]

We recently stayed at the Grand Californian and I adored it!! In fact, going back again in May. I would say if you like VWL you would definitely enjoy the GC. I loved the location, the pools and the general hotel atmosphere. I highly recommend GC!!

 

[timC]

We were there last week, and we used our DVC pionts to stay at GC! Through points we were able to get a park view.... It was fantastic. Every morning we were treated to a spactacular sun rise over Grizzly peak.

And Ceejay's right. The convenience of having your GC room so close to DCA can't be beat.

 

[mesnowwhite]

We are season passholders at DL so I take my kids all the time. We've stayed at the DLH several times too, but have not stayed at the GC hotel, so I can't compare the two for you.

It is only a short 10 minute walk thru Downtown disney to get from the DLH to the entrance to both DL and DCA. The parks face each other and are approx 50 yards apart from each other. The trams all pull into the central area and people walk to the Left for DL and to the Right for DCA.

There is also a Monorail from the DLH that takes you right into the park so you can even avoid walking thru downtown disney if you want to save the 10 minutes. The DLH also a great upscale (i.e. no kids) restaurant and another great area known as the Wine Cellar Bar.

With either the DLH and the GC, you'll be at a top-notch hotel that is right in the heart of all the action and can easily get the parks. Hope you have a great time.

 

[ParkFreak]

Hi, We are DVC members too and have made one trip to DL 1/99. The one thing that stood out about DL was how SMALL it was compared to the MK, and I Loved it! It has a much more intimate feel, and I'm sure you will be swept up in the historical relevance of Walt's original Park.

We chose to stay at Paradise Pier for our upcoming trip next month, mostly due to money concerns, plus the fact we have no kids.