Is the GCH a good pick?

[disneylandhunni]

I am staying the GCH on July 22nd until July 24th. We are staying on the concierge level and are looking for tips. This is only my second time going to DL, and the first time I only went for about 8 hours. Is there anything I HAVE to do or see? Any tips please!

 

[Disneylvrforever]

The GCH is a great choice! Ever since it opened my family & I have stayed there and have never gone back to the DLH. When you go, you'll get a schedule of things you can sign up for, some you have to pay & some you don't. Even the ones you have to pay for are a good value. For example, my mom decided to sign up for the Sephora beauty thing (forgot what it's really called) and even though she had to pay $10 for it, she got a gift card of I think $25 for the store. One thing that was free was the power walk in DCA. You go before the park opens, see CMs getting ready for opening, and get to walk through the park w/out having to worry about crowds.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you can easily afford it, sure!

I personally like putting my money elsewhere, so we spend far less on hotels and bring home more. So the GCH will never be a good choice for us, but for you it may very well be!

 

[avalon451]

We loved it. It was a great choice for us for our first trip to DL. We'll stay more budgeted from now on, but you will be very glad you chose it. Check out Whitewater Snacks for some very good food options!

As far as the parks, read Hydroguy's tips compilation at the top of the forum page. All you need to know to do the parks with minimum waiting, even in high season!

 

[DL4my2kids]

We have only stayed there once but it was on our latest trip and I hope to be staying there again and again.

 

[DebbieB]

I stayed there for a night earlier this month, it's an awesome hotel!

 

[RaeRae's Mommy]

The GCH is a great choice! Ever since it opened my family & I have stayed there and have never gone back to the DLH. When you go, you'll get a schedule of things you can sign up for, some you have to pay & some you don't. Even the ones you have to pay for are a good value. For example, my mom decided to sign up for the Sephora beauty thing (forgot what it's really called) and even though she had to pay $10 for it, she got a gift card of I think $25 for the store. One thing that was free was the power walk in DCA. You go before the park opens, see CMs getting ready for opening, and get to walk through the park w/out having to worry about crowds.

We are staying at GCH in sept concierge so any info would be great. The power walk in DCA sounds great but do you think we could do it with a dd3? Also did the the concierge call you before your trip and did someone meet you when you got there. Is there someone at concierge that will print your boarding pass for you so you don't have to go to the main floor and wait? Do you know the hours of the concierge lounge? Thanks for any info!

 

[honeymom]

I second the "if you can afford it."

If you can afford it, it is the best place to stay.

 

[Dobie]

We've stayed there twice. We loved it. Especially the pool area.

However,the "stuff" you can do, like the power walk and the Hotel Tour, are, IMHO, a total waste of time. Why take a "power walk" through DCA looking at rides when you can be at DL riding them? I much prefer to preserve my foot stamina.

 

[Disneylvrforever]

We are staying at GCH in sept concierge so any info would be great. The power walk in DCA sounds great but do you think we could do it with a dd3? Also did the the concierge call you before your trip and did someone meet you when you got there. Is there someone at concierge that will print your boarding pass for you so you don't have to go to the main floor and wait? Do you know the hours of the concierge lounge? Thanks for any info!

Maybe she could be in a stroller? I'm not sure how that would work bc we did walk pretty fast. You'd probably want to ask them about that. And what happened is that we just signed up, they gave us a time of where to meet which was infront of the GCH's DCA gates and we met the CM there.
I'm not sure what you mean by a boarding pass and I'm not sure about the hours of the concierge lounge, but I hope I answered some questions.

However,the "stuff" you can do, like the power walk and the Hotel Tour, are, IMHO, a total waste of time. Why take a "power walk" through DCA looking at rides when you can be at DL riding them? I much prefer to preserve my foot stamina.

Well depending on how long the stay is, I would recommend on taking advantage of the special opportunities, especially the free ones. Plus, you can go on the rides anytime if you know what I mean.

 

[theemily]

I just went to DLR for the first time, and we stayed at the GC. It was absolutely gorgeous, definitely very Disney - very themed like all of the hotels at WDW. I'm going to have to agree with everyone else - if you can afford it, it's a great choice.

 

[nunzia]

The GC is our favorite too and we are normally very much the Quality Inn type. It's special enough for me to do extra savings during the year to afford it. Hopefully we'll be able to get the GC DVC and won't have to worry about the nightly rates again.
Just remember that you can go to all the EE days, and be sure and use the side entrance to DCA to save more time.

 

[disneymom8589]

The GCH is incredible! It's nice having DTD right outside the door and the private entrance into DCA can't be beat!!

 

[Golfing Goofy]

We are staying at GCH in sept concierge so any info would be great. The power walk in DCA sounds great but do you think we could do it with a dd3? Also did the the concierge call you before your trip and did someone meet you when you got there. Is there someone at concierge that will print your boarding pass for you so you don't have to go to the main floor and wait? Do you know the hours of the concierge lounge? Thanks for any info!

Concierge has never called us. I think that is different than WDW. I make all of our plans through the Vacation Planning Office. If you stay at one of the resort hotels, standard or concierge, you can use the vacation planning office. They can make all the reservations, get all of your tickets, etc. Then, when you arrive, vacation planning has your itinerary waiting for you at check-in.

I am pretty sure that they can print up the boarding passes in the lounge. We did that when we stayed at DLH, I think. There were computers in the lounge and it was no problem. I can't remember if there are computers at the GCH lounge. sorry.

I vaguely remember that the DLH and GCH lounges open at 7:00 am. I just remember not having enough time on MM (early entry) days to go to the lounge and get to the gate. But, we went during off season, so maybe the hours are different during the busier seasons.

Maybe someone else can help me with the times.... I think they closed by 10pm, because I remember it being closed after we returned from Fantasmic.

I have found Vacation Planning to be the best source of information. I try to use the same person when I plan the vacation. Less chance of my requests falling between the cracks... If I call and she is busy, I just leave a message and then she returns my call later that day.



Hope that helps!

 

[RaeRae's Mommy]

Concierge has never called us. I think that is different than WDW. I make all of our plans through the Vacation Planning Office. If you stay at one of the resort hotels, standard or concierge, you can use the vacation planning office. They can make all the reservations, get all of your tickets, etc. Then, when you arrive, vacation planning has your itinerary waiting for you at check-in.

I am pretty sure that they can print up the boarding passes in the lounge. We did that when we stayed at DLH, I think. There were computers in the lounge and it was no problem. I can't remember if there are computers at the GCH lounge. sorry.

I vaguely remember that the DLH and GCH lounges open at 7:00 am. I just remember not having enough time on MM (early entry) days to go to the lounge and get to the gate. But, we went during off season, so maybe the hours are different during the busier seasons.

Maybe someone else can help me with the times.... I think they closed by 10pm, because I remember it being closed after we returned from Fantasmic.

I have found Vacation Planning to be the best source of information. I try to use the same person when I plan the vacation. Less chance of my requests falling between the cracks... If I call and she is busy, I just leave a message and then she returns my call later that day.



Hope that helps!

Thanks for all the info.

 

[IndyBride]

AGH!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to be there the same days as you!!!!! We have to meet in the conceirge's lounge in the morning! I'm going for my planning session for my wedding! Trust me, you will not be let down!

 

[lisadoll93]

What is a boarding pass?

 

[avalon451]

They're referring to airline boarding passes. Some airlines, you can print your boarding passes off the computer instead of having to go to the ticket counter at the airport. Especially handy if you don't have to check luggage, you can go straight to the gate.

 

[lisadoll93]

Thanks

 

[quest4dl]

We just returned from a stay at the GCH and concur that is a beautiful hotel! We dragged a senior along with us which lowered the rate considerably. However, it was still a good deal more than HOJO.

The location is also one of its main attractions - step out one entrance and you're in DD, step out another and you're in DCA! With the weather fluctutations here between day and night, it was nice to be able to conveniently head back for our jackets for the evening. Still, even with the prime location, it's possible that you actually take more steps from hotel entrance to DL park entrance than at WDW hotels where it is door to door service. What you pay for in steps you make up in time. My mother's knee started acting up on our vacation, and those added steps were taking its toll.

I will admit that I booked at this more expensive venue thinking I wouldn't be coming back to DL in a very long time but we so enjoyed ourselves that I think we will make a return trip relatively soon. And given that scenario, this time I would opt for a less expensive hotel only because we didn't actually stay at the hotel as much as we thought we would (kids are getting older and don't need the daily pool break anymore).