I just returned a few days ago. We were there 11/29-12/5. 11/29-12/3 at VGC and 12/3-12/5 at Element Anaheim Resort.
-The weekdays seemed much more crowded than the weekends. I feel like Tuesday and Wednesday were the most crowded. I was shocked at how much we were able to get done Friday and Saturday even without rope drop. I've seen other people mention it, but 10 pm to midnight is AMAZING for crowds. Try to stay late if all possible.
-The weather was so, so, so much colder and FOGGIER than I was expecting. We had fog most mornings and evenings and the entire day one day. Thursday was so cold I would've worn a down coat and gloves if I would have had it. It was so cold we had to go back to the room early. When we left for our trip the weather was saying 80 most days, so that shows how the weather can change a lot.
-The Grand Californian continues to be amazing for its location. You absolutely can't beat it. I feels like you are staying in the park. We walked to our room and back multiple times a day and it was so convenient. We were so excited to receive the coveted 6504 room number looking over DCA. The location was great for room noise-no one above you or to one side and only 3 rooms in the hall. We never saw or heard another person in our hall the whole trip. The park noise was extremely loud with the live bands playing, but it ended at 10 pm, so didn't bother us too much.
I've still yet to be impressed by any cast members. When we checked in we were very excited and I asked for a birthday button for my daughter. She gave us one, but didn't even say happy birthday, which I thought was rude. The room wasn't super clean. Dust on the toilet paper holder and other areas, a clump of cleaner with a hair in it (yuck!) left in the bathtub and our TV didn't even turn on. The bed and even the couch bed were very comfortable. Our phone rang at 6:30 am one morning (just one ring and then a hang up), but that really made my heart pound and I couldn't get back to sleep after that. We got trash and towel service late on day 4 which didn't even seem worth it since we checked out the next day. Our trash was not emptied at all previous to that. Housekeeping also took our roll of Charmin Ultra Soft (which we brought from home) and replaced it, which annoyed me because it was still half full.
The biggest issue with the room was the hot water in the shower. You had to let it run for a full two to three full minutes before it even started getting anywhere close to warm! Then I felt like it was never very hot even turned all the way up.
-The Tenaya Spa was amazing. I got a full body massage and my daughter got a manicure. Everyone there was very polite and it was a very nice experience. It was something fun to do together. They let my daughter change into a robe too (normally they don't since it was a salon treatment), but since I was they said she could too and it was fun for her.
-Food was good. We don't really eat any sit down meals, but mobile order worked great. Never a wait for a time window or our food to be ready. Favorites included the fruit platter and yogurt parfait at Craftmans Grill, the chicken dinner at Plaza, BBQ Chicken pizza at Napoli (we ate this a few times), Earl's, the chicken wings, panko crusted green beans and sweet potato fries at Tangaroa Terrace (this place is a hidden gem! most relaxing lunch ever!), the peppermint cocoa ice cream from Salt and Straw and the churro funnel cake from Stagedoor (soooo good!)
Our one reservation was at Lamplight for the hot cocoa donuts (just ok). We were sitting at the bar that looks out over Pixar Pier (usually water, but right now it's drained). All of sudden a huge explosion happened and water shot into the air. I guess they said one of the hydraulics burst on the fountains for World of Color. It was crazy-everyone came running over to see what happened, including the staff.
-We rode everything we wanted and lines weren't as bad as I thought they might be. We waited 50 minutes for Rise and 40 for Webslinger. Single rider was amazing! A complete walk on at Matterhorn and 25 minutes for RSR.
-I had free photopass somehow! We went Monday-Friday not taking a single pic and then Friday night I tried linking our Splash ride photo and it worked. On Saturday we got a bunch of ride photos and photographer photos and they all worked, so that was a nice, but unexpected surprise, especially since my daughter's friends joined us those days.
-The Element was extremely nice. Brand new, absolutely spotless and gorgeous rooms. Friendly staff. Free breakfast. The hot water was immediate and plentiful-amazing after the G Cal. The only downside to the room was the freeway noise was really loud. We walked back and forth 3 times and it took 12 minutes. We didn't see a single homeless person the whole trip. I think it helps that this route doesn't have a bus stop.
-We took regular Uber (2 people) from SNA to G Cal at 5:18 pm and it was $25.59. We took an Uber XL (four people) from Element to SNA at 4:21 and it was $31.02
-The saddest part of our trip was seeing a mom absolutely berate her child. We walked from our room to the Craftmans Grill late one morning to pick up some fruit. In the walkway in front of Storytellers a mom was screaming at her bawling child (around 10 or so), saying she would need to pay the mom back for the cost of the trip. We walked past, went into Craftsman and stood in line which probably took 15 minutes (please add fruit to mobile order!!). On our way back I saw a security guard talking to a crying child. I thought she must've been lost because the guard was saying, "where are you staying? Are you at a Disney hotel?" Then I realized it was the same child from before and the mom was standing across the walkway. As we passed we heard the guard say in the walkie talkie that she needed back up because she had a child that had been physically abused by a parent. So sad.
All in all it was a good trip. We missed Small World by a day, so that was a bummer, but the lights outside were as gorgeous as ever. I love Disney at the holidays. You just feel so immersed in it all. If anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them.
-The weekdays seemed much more crowded than the weekends. I feel like Tuesday and Wednesday were the most crowded. I was shocked at how much we were able to get done Friday and Saturday even without rope drop. I've seen other people mention it, but 10 pm to midnight is AMAZING for crowds. Try to stay late if all possible.
-The weather was so, so, so much colder and FOGGIER than I was expecting. We had fog most mornings and evenings and the entire day one day. Thursday was so cold I would've worn a down coat and gloves if I would have had it. It was so cold we had to go back to the room early. When we left for our trip the weather was saying 80 most days, so that shows how the weather can change a lot.
-The Grand Californian continues to be amazing for its location. You absolutely can't beat it. I feels like you are staying in the park. We walked to our room and back multiple times a day and it was so convenient. We were so excited to receive the coveted 6504 room number looking over DCA. The location was great for room noise-no one above you or to one side and only 3 rooms in the hall. We never saw or heard another person in our hall the whole trip. The park noise was extremely loud with the live bands playing, but it ended at 10 pm, so didn't bother us too much.
I've still yet to be impressed by any cast members. When we checked in we were very excited and I asked for a birthday button for my daughter. She gave us one, but didn't even say happy birthday, which I thought was rude. The room wasn't super clean. Dust on the toilet paper holder and other areas, a clump of cleaner with a hair in it (yuck!) left in the bathtub and our TV didn't even turn on. The bed and even the couch bed were very comfortable. Our phone rang at 6:30 am one morning (just one ring and then a hang up), but that really made my heart pound and I couldn't get back to sleep after that. We got trash and towel service late on day 4 which didn't even seem worth it since we checked out the next day. Our trash was not emptied at all previous to that. Housekeeping also took our roll of Charmin Ultra Soft (which we brought from home) and replaced it, which annoyed me because it was still half full.
The biggest issue with the room was the hot water in the shower. You had to let it run for a full two to three full minutes before it even started getting anywhere close to warm! Then I felt like it was never very hot even turned all the way up.
-The Tenaya Spa was amazing. I got a full body massage and my daughter got a manicure. Everyone there was very polite and it was a very nice experience. It was something fun to do together. They let my daughter change into a robe too (normally they don't since it was a salon treatment), but since I was they said she could too and it was fun for her.
-Food was good. We don't really eat any sit down meals, but mobile order worked great. Never a wait for a time window or our food to be ready. Favorites included the fruit platter and yogurt parfait at Craftmans Grill, the chicken dinner at Plaza, BBQ Chicken pizza at Napoli (we ate this a few times), Earl's, the chicken wings, panko crusted green beans and sweet potato fries at Tangaroa Terrace (this place is a hidden gem! most relaxing lunch ever!), the peppermint cocoa ice cream from Salt and Straw and the churro funnel cake from Stagedoor (soooo good!)
Our one reservation was at Lamplight for the hot cocoa donuts (just ok). We were sitting at the bar that looks out over Pixar Pier (usually water, but right now it's drained). All of sudden a huge explosion happened and water shot into the air. I guess they said one of the hydraulics burst on the fountains for World of Color. It was crazy-everyone came running over to see what happened, including the staff.
-We rode everything we wanted and lines weren't as bad as I thought they might be. We waited 50 minutes for Rise and 40 for Webslinger. Single rider was amazing! A complete walk on at Matterhorn and 25 minutes for RSR.
-I had free photopass somehow! We went Monday-Friday not taking a single pic and then Friday night I tried linking our Splash ride photo and it worked. On Saturday we got a bunch of ride photos and photographer photos and they all worked, so that was a nice, but unexpected surprise, especially since my daughter's friends joined us those days.
-The Element was extremely nice. Brand new, absolutely spotless and gorgeous rooms. Friendly staff. Free breakfast. The hot water was immediate and plentiful-amazing after the G Cal. The only downside to the room was the freeway noise was really loud. We walked back and forth 3 times and it took 12 minutes. We didn't see a single homeless person the whole trip. I think it helps that this route doesn't have a bus stop.
-We took regular Uber (2 people) from SNA to G Cal at 5:18 pm and it was $25.59. We took an Uber XL (four people) from Element to SNA at 4:21 and it was $31.02
-The saddest part of our trip was seeing a mom absolutely berate her child. We walked from our room to the Craftmans Grill late one morning to pick up some fruit. In the walkway in front of Storytellers a mom was screaming at her bawling child (around 10 or so), saying she would need to pay the mom back for the cost of the trip. We walked past, went into Craftsman and stood in line which probably took 15 minutes (please add fruit to mobile order!!). On our way back I saw a security guard talking to a crying child. I thought she must've been lost because the guard was saying, "where are you staying? Are you at a Disney hotel?" Then I realized it was the same child from before and the mom was standing across the walkway. As we passed we heard the guard say in the walkie talkie that she needed back up because she had a child that had been physically abused by a parent. So sad.
All in all it was a good trip. We missed Small World by a day, so that was a bummer, but the lights outside were as gorgeous as ever. I love Disney at the holidays. You just feel so immersed in it all. If anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them.
