Is Grand Californian Worth it?

[hjgaus]

Would I stay at GC if money were no object? In a word, no. I have stayed in all three on-site hotels. My favorite is DLH due to theming, larger rooms and the awesome pool. Yes, it is a longer walk to DLH than GC, but it is a very pleasant walk through DTD. I did not care for PP since you have to walk across the street and then through the GC -- kind of takes away the magic. One caveat is that I am going to rent points to stay at the GC villas later this year. That may change my mind about the GC.

I think if you rent a 1,2 or 3 bedroom Villa it DEFINITELY will!!
Since you've already stayed on site you know most of the benefits BUT the XTRA SPACE,FULL KITCHEN, WASHER/DRYER, EXTRA BATHROOMS PLUS the BEST VIEWS OF WOC should make you feel that staying @ The Grand Californian IS WORTH IT!!!

 

[hjgaus]

I would imagine that is possibly due to valet parking and or concierge services. I don't know, it's just a thought.

Yes..... is true for underground parking for valet!! We asked valet service CM! Although self parking is the OPEN lot across from the Grand!

 

[algae]

Yes..... is true for underground parking for valet!! We asked valet service CM! Although self parking is the OPEN lot across from the Grand!

Right. I was _so_ hoping that DVC members could self-park in the basement (more like being at home, you know) but that was not to be

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Just got back from a stay at the Grand, concierge. For me, I had to do it once, but now that it is out of my system, I won't be back. The concierge was nice, but for the cost it was not much of a value. The offerings were the same daily. I was hoping for a bit of variety. We had a courtyard/monorail view which only served for me to see just how dirty the tops of the monorails are.

I suspect that the walk is equal to or slightly more than the walk to the shuttle for the Candy Cane Inn. We'll be heading back there next time.

I did stay at the Disneyland Hotel once, and while I LOVE the theming there, the walk is prohibitive for some members of our party.

Anyway, it was a "had to do it once" type deal.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[whoever]

The concierge was nice, but for the cost it was not much of a value.

I can't figure out how you COULD ever make concierge work value-wise. I'm not even sure why they sell it and people buy it.

 

[5forMickey]

I can't figure out how you COULD ever make concierge work value-wise. I'm not even sure why they sell it and people buy it.

Value is a funny thing, what one person values another discards as worthless.

If you have a large party it is very worth it. For example 9 people in a suite at DLH for Christmas is $200.00 a night or roughly $25.00 per person. I figure breakfast and water for the park accounts for at least $15.00 a day, and my party will go through at least another $10.00 in drinks and snacks from the lounge after returning from the park. Drinks alone at the park prices could kill you with that many people, and I'm not grocery shopping on vacation!

It's also a nice place to go and unwind after a long day at the park, have a snack and then head back to the room. Keeps the "snack" mess out of our room.

The CM's have also been quite helpful to us at times when we wanted to extend our stay and the desk said there were no rooms (they found us one) or get dinner reservations when we were having trouble. Just extra magic some of us like.

Now, would I do it if there were only two of us? Of course NOT!!!!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

...This is likely the only time we will visit DL...

Beware. WDW vets say that all the time *before* their first visit. Search this DLR forum to see how many talk about wanting to return or mix up their WDW trips with DLR trips after they actually experience the Anaheim parks.

 

[danceanddisney2010]

Hello! We just returned from a 6 night stay at the GC and we loved it. The room is nothing special...to be honest. Also our TV kept going out and we had to call maintenance a couple of times which should not happen for the price we were paying , but all that aside it was nice. Two summers ago we stayed at the PP, last summer at the DH, and this summer at the GC and all were pretty much equal... little upgrades here and there. What we absolutely LOVED about the GC was the location... obviously it can't be beat. We like being close and this hotel was just that. I still believe the cost is OUTRAGEOUS and that it really should be lowered.... but it was a very enjoyable experience and I would stay there all the time if money allowed. Luckily we are able to stay on property with a pretty nice discount through work... but without it... it would most likely be a once every couple of years thing. Happy to say that we will be back at the Grand next summer