Is the GCH worth the money?

[AliceCullen]

My bf and I are currently booked at the candy cane inn for our trip next month, but now I am having second thoughts after lurking on these boards for a few days. The CCI looks great which is why I booked it in the first place, but the pools and restaurants at the Grand Californian look amazing and I would love to splurge and stay at a really nice hotel for once. This is our first trip to DLR and I want it to be great.

Do you think it is worth the money or should we stick with the CCI?

Thanks for any input you can share.

 

[glavine47]

I do not know if it is worth the money,but we just booked it because you only live once.

 

[nottellin']

If you can afford it I would say go for it. For me it would all depend on how much more the GC is.

There is nothing like staying onsite, especially if it is your first trip. That being said if it cost a lot more I would look at either the PP (I have never stayed there) or the DLH (my fav hotel). I guess it all comes down to budget.

 

[glavine47]

If you can afford it I would say go for it. For me it would all depend on how much more the GC is.

There is nothing like staying onsite, especially if it is your first trip. That being said if it cost a lot more I would look at either the PP (I have never stayed there) or the DLH (my fav hotel). I guess it all comes down to budget.

Have you stayed or walked through the GC? It looks like a nice and "Magical" place.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Is the GCH worth the money?

It depends in what money is worth to you... Rooms at the GCH start around $300 a night. To some $300 is a lot of money and to others it is pocket change. If you are going to be stressed about how you are going to pay for your room durring your entire trip then it is definately not worth it.

 

[AliceCullen]

If you can afford it I would say go for it. For me it would all depend on how much more the GC is.

There is nothing like staying onsite, especially if it is your first trip. That being said if it cost a lot more I would look at either the PP (I have never stayed there) or the DLH (my fav hotel). I guess it all comes down to budget.

The current offer for DLH is actually more than the GCH which I thought was strange.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Nope IMO ~ we stayed there last Sept. I prefer DLH & PP ~ and they cost quite a bit less as well (still too much $$ IMO).

 

[jescal75]

we have stayed there twice and love it..this year we are doing HOJO to save money but if not I would love to do GC again...

 

[franandaj]

If you have that kind of money, it is TOTALLY worth it, especially if you can stay on the Concierge level. But regardless of whether you are on the Concierge level or in a regular room, when we stayed there we got exclusive first rides on TSMM because they lined us up outside GRR and dropped the rope for us and lead us to the ride before the other people from the front entrance were let in.

Staying at the GCH is so convenient for entry into the park. I'm staying in the Villas next month and am so crossing my fingers for a park view room.

I agree with the person who said, you only live once!

 

[Homemom]

You get exclusive first rides on TSMM

How is this possible? Is it a conceirge perk?

 

[franandaj]

They start a queue outside the entrance (only available to guests staying at the hotel) at about 9:30AM and about 5-10 minutes before the park opens they walk all the guests in the queue over to TSMM and you get in line before rope drop. We stayed twice last year and did it both times, it was pretty cool. We were exiting the ride while we saw guests running to get in line!

 

[nottellin']

Have you stayed or walked through the GC? It looks like a nice and "Magical" place.

We have stayed there and I still prefer the DLH. I guess it all depends on what you like. I love the grounds at the DLH and the pool. But the GC is nice too, it would be my second choice.

OP it really is 'worth it' to stay on site to my family, but you just have to figure out if it would be worth it to you. I would say go for it espcially if you won't be returning to DL for a while.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

They start a queue outside the entrance (only available to guests staying at the hotel) at about 9:30AM and about 5-10 minutes before the park opens they walk all the guests in the queue over to TSMM and you get in line before rope drop. We stayed twice last year and did it both times, it was pretty cool. We were exiting the ride while we saw guests running to get in line!

The few trips we did last year, they did not do this - I wonder how they determine when it's done? When we were there, we just lined up at the rope drop near GRR, along with everyone else and were not able to walk over to the ride until the rope dropped.

 

[tink2dw]

DL's GC and WDW Wilderness Lodge, are just too close to the scenery of my home state where I can go to the Lodge for the day for Free. So, it holds no interest for me to go to spend big dollar at these hotels.

I want something way different for vacation! And I want the extra money for Disney food , and new Tinkerbell souvenirs.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

To me it isn't worth it. We have the money but choose to stay longer or have another trip during the year and stay at HOJO. Or somewhere comparable.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Honestly, you will have a magical time at either place! My experience is this. I've lived close enough to frequent the parks most my life where I didn't need a hotel. Then 10 years ago we moved to northern california and our trips require a hotel stay (I won't go for less than 3 days...hehehehe)

We have always stayed at a Harbor/Good Neighbor hotel and have had wonderful and memorable trips. Then last Feb. we did a last minute trip, got the Grand for 260.00 a night, had a little extra money to do so and went for it!

IT WAS AMAZING!!! I honestly think that the whole experience was well worth the money. Here are the things I thought all added up to what I felt was worth it:
~The hotel was beautiful, from the lobby to the grounds, from the pools to the spa we really enjoyed ambiance.
~How close we were to the action. No matter where we went it was only a few steps and we were there!
~The choice and different styles of restaurants were great. We loved the storytellers cafe, with the characters.
~Whitewater snacks was awesome for a quick snack or lunch...way more than I excected.
~The fireside evenings and the piano playing was my absolute FAVORITE. I'd leave our hotel room door cracked and fall asleep to my favorite Disney songs being played by the baby grand.

It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to do it again. We do several trips a year so for now we just wait for the right time

Again, you will totally have a blast no matter where you stay...good luck in making your choice

 

[Dobie]

So, my cut off price for GCH is around 300 a night. It makes the stay magical. It is like being in DL 24/7. Even walking out the door, you are right in DTD or in DCA. It is hard to explain the magic.

 

[VallCopen]

Right now they are offering great Summer rates. Last week we booked a park view at the Grand for 4 nights and it was 2275.00, then I heard of the Summer special on Thursday, called back, and was given a new rate for 1525.00 or so for a park view and 1250.00 or so for a standard view, then I was told that the Disneyland hotel premium view was 1200.00 and 950.00 for a standard view so we rebooked our trip to the Disneyland hotel premium and saved about 1100.00. I don't think those rates will last but if you are even thinking about it, I would book it while the rate is still available, think about it for awhile and then cancel if it doesn't seem feasible (you can cancel up to 5 or 6 days before the trip and not be charged. Have fun...

 

[franandaj]

The few trips we did last year, they did not do this - I wonder how they determine when it's done? When we were there, we just lined up at the rope drop near GRR, along with everyone else and were not able to walk over to the ride until the rope dropped.

Well we lined up at GRR, the days we stayed were May 7 and May 29, both during F&W 2009. There were others who walked down towards soarin' and a CM was standing next to us when the others went the opposite way. She said, "Well if they think that way is faster, but we'll get there first." They dropped the rope, but a CM guided us over to TSMM and right into the line. Maybe the drop the rope at GRR first. I don't know where they have the rope for the main entrance, really this is only time I've ever been in a park for the rope drop.

 

[HydroGuy]

To the OP, we have four kids which has meant we cannot stay at DLR hotels unless we get a $uite. We did PPH once a long time ago. Now kids are older and oldest is in college and we have less travelers. Still the summer price for DLR hotels is pretty steep most years. We do other vacations too and it is hard to justify extra cost for any of the DLR hotels. Then the special deals came out last week for this summer. I have always, always wanted to stay at the GCH so I jumped on it.

All I can say is the current summer offers do not come around very often. I think it mostly reflects the down economy. You may not see these rates again for a long time. So if you think you ever may want to stay at GCH or onsite and can afford it, now is the time to do it.