Making my DL Dream a reality

[KaystotheKingdom]

Finally, after years of loving world, I am committing to get my family to Disneyland for the first time, April of 2022! We will have 2 full days (for certain), maybe 2 1/2 at most.

now for lodging: I always hear GC GC GC. Here’s the thing: Our home resort is Wilderness Lodge, and I love it but whatever we do I want the Disneyland experience.
Should I do the Disneyland hotel? Or is the GC really the place to be for location location location?

Generally speaking I like a good deal but this time? This is a dream come true for me. Without bankrupting myself, I really want to do this right. It’s taken me this long to get out there and I don’t know when I’ll be back.

note: this is really not my husbands thing. He likes Disney but not on my level. My hope is he leaves feeling it was worth the extra effort to get there, because I do truly get the feeling he thinks this is Magic Kingdom lite (I do not feel this way, so please do not take offense). To him, this seems like a lot to coordinate when world is 2 hrs away. He does not complain but I know 100% he is doing this for me

I had originally looked at offsite because of all the great feedback on here about value and proximity, but I have concern about the level of homelessness. It’s something that really stands out to me when I think about our trip to San Fran a few years back and that was really uncomfortable without having kids in tow.

Anyway I appreciate all of your insights, hotel and otherwise.

 

[OneThree]

I would agree that you cannot beat the location of the GCH but with Wilderness being your usual at WDW it would make sense to look at other options. On site in my opinion would be the DLH. It’s a fun resort to stay at, very much all Disney all the time with the look and feel, the historical displays about the park and Walt, characters roaming the hotel (I assume they will be back by 2022), the pool, etc…

The hotels on Harbor are certainly closer but to be honest I’ve never found the walk from DLH much of a hassle. In the morning DTD is a fun walk and in the afternoon you can take the monorail back.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[StormyCA]

I've only been in WL once to eat at Whispering Canyon so I've only seen that area, lobby, & gift shop. The 'vibe' to me at WL is more 'Old Faithful Inn' aka the 'Parkitecture' style of the National Park 'great lodges'. The 'vibe' at DGC is more '1920s Art Deco/Stickley Mission-ish/Craftsman' style. Both are 'rustic' but with a very different feel to them. I wouldn't feel like I'm in 'familiar territory' at WL just because I normally stay at the Grand. I think you'll find DGC to be different enough.

My nDH is not a Disney person. That's why he's nDH (non-Disney Husband). He loves the Grand for its closeness and its beautiful 'common areas' to relax in. The DLH to us isn't all that relaxing. Cute and very Disney-ish, but not relaxing. And just 'that much further' from the turnstiles to make a difference.

Typically nDH hangs with me until after lunch then goes back to the room (at WDW, its our trailer at FtW) while I 'carry on' (translation...shop!). Sometimes he comes back later, sometimes he doesn't. Works for me!

As far as homelessness, it's not to the level of SF or LA, but you will see homelessness if you stay offsite. It's just a fact of life in large areas with good year round weather, unfortunately.

FYI, our kids are grown, if you have kidlets the DLH would probably be more to their taste. But if it's 'adults only' or you have teens the Grand is the way to go.

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

I've only been in WL once to eat at Whispering Canyon so I've only seen that area, lobby, & gift shop. The 'vibe' to me at WL is more 'Old Faithful Inn' aka the 'Parkitecture' style of the National Park 'great lodges'. The 'vibe' at DGC is more '1920s Art Deco/Stickley Mission-ish/Craftsman' style. Both are 'rustic' but with a very different feel to them. I wouldn't feel like I'm in 'familiar territory' at WL just because I normally stay at the Grand. I think you'll find DGC to be different enough.

My nDH is not a Disney person. That's why he's nDH (non-Disney Husband). He loves the Grand for its closeness and its beautiful 'common areas' to relax in. The DLH to us isn't all that relaxing. Cute and very Disney-ish, but not relaxing. And just 'that much further' from the turnstiles to make a difference.

Typically nDH hangs with me until after lunch then goes back to the room (at WDW, its our trailer at FtW) while I 'carry on' (translation...shop!). Sometimes he comes back later, sometimes he doesn't. Works for me!

As far as homelessness, it's not to the level of SF or LA, but you will see homelessness if you stay offsite. It's just a fact of life in large areas with good year round weather, unfortunately.

FYI, our kids are grown, if you have kidlets the DLH would probably be more to their taste. But if it's 'adults only' or you have teens the Grand is the way to go.

great insights! Our kids will be 3 and 6 at the time of travel. I know what’s going to happen here- whichever we chose I will insist we have to come back and try the other *wink*

 

[kristensideaoffun]

great insights! Our kids will be 3 and 6 at the time of travel. I know what’s going to happen here- whichever we chose I will insist we have to come back and try the other *wink*

If you’re kids are 3 and 6, I’d recommend DLH over GCH. They have roaming characters and the monorail slides are at the pool are great for kids that age. Plus, the rooms are just more timeless Disney, which I love. The rooms were recently refreshed so everything should still feel pretty new when you go.

 

[PirateBrigade]

My vote is GCH because April 2022 just might be the height of major construction for the new DVC tower at DLH, disruptions are unknown at this time…and the location of GCH is better.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

great insights! Our kids will be 3 and 6 at the time of travel. I know what’s going to happen here- whichever we chose I will insist we have to come back and try the other *wink*

DLH all the way with kids their ages! You will love it! The pools/watersides are amazing! The musical light up headboards in the rooms are magical!

 

[azdisneylover]

I read through the thread before commenting. I agree with others, since your children are young, DLH would be the better choice. I would suggest asking for the Adventure Tower or, check out the hotel layout and ask for a room that is close to elevators and DTD. Even though by the time you do go to DL, the monorail will be running, it is a long walk at the end of the day. In the morning, everyone is excited and the walk doesn't bother them, or they do not notice, but walking back after a day in the parks is a whole other story. Goofy's Kitchen is okay, but loud. If you want to see characters, I would go to Toon Town right when they open instead. I suggest park hopper tickets. We park hop throughout the day. If one park seems too crowded, we go to the other. The distance between the two parks is about the distance of walking down Main Street. Since you are WDW person, you may know about Dapper Days. We have them too. I would suggest checking them out in California's park. Fun time.
Have fun planning!

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

The Disney website only has booking dates through December at the moment. Is this a normal thing? Or a we don’t know what 2022 looks like with covid thing?

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

I read through the thread before commenting. I agree with others, since your children are young, DLH would be the better choice. I would suggest asking for the Adventure Tower or, check out the hotel layout and ask for a room that is close to elevators and DTD. Even though by the time you do go to DL, the monorail will be running, it is a long walk at the end of the day. In the morning, everyone is excited and the walk doesn't bother them, or they do not notice, but walking back after a day in the parks is a whole other story. Goofy's Kitchen is okay, but loud. If you want to see characters, I would go to Toon Town right when they open instead. I suggest park hopper tickets. We park hop throughout the day. If one park seems too crowded, we go to the other. The distance between the two parks is about the distance of walking down Main Street. Since you are WDW person, you may know about Dapper Days. We have them too. I would suggest checking them out in California's park. Fun time.
Have fun planning!

your long walk at the end of the day comment made me think of my dad. We always stayed off property when we were kids and he would say all the time that the dead weight of sleeping children when you were walking out of MK knowing you had to still had to brave a boat/monorail/tram/does anybody remember what row we parked in was BRUTAL. This stuck with me and was a key reason we purchased DVC at Wilderness Lodge!

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

DLH all the way with kids their ages! You will love it! The pools/watersides are amazing! The musical light up headboards in the rooms are magical!
View attachment 588295View attachment 588296View attachment 588297View attachment 588298

Amazing pictures. You have me sold!

 

[azdisneylover]

your long walk at the end of the day comment made me think of my dad. We always stayed off property when we were kids and he would say all the time that the dead weight of sleeping children when you were walking out of MK knowing you had to still had to brave a boat/monorail/tram/does anybody remember what row we parked in was BRUTAL. This stuck with me and was a key reason we purchased DVC at Wilderness Lodge!

Very smart dad!
When we go to Disneyland, we usually stay at the Grand Californian. You just can't beat the walk back from the parks at the end of the night, or, after riding Grizzly Rapids over and over again until every inch of clothing is soaked. The entrance to the hotel is at the ride's exit!

 

[PirateBrigade]

Maybe consider hedging by booking both GCH and DLH and read trip reports closer to about construction activities?

DLH is a bit of a hike, but April weather will likely be okay vs July/August.

 

[DLgal]

I preferred the GCH with little ones. The pool at DLH is far better for older kids and young teens. The GCH pool also has a baby slide and the "big" slide isn't as intimidating as the monorail slides.

The proximity of GCH cannot be overstated. It's FABULOUS to be able to just stroll into the hotel from DCA and be back in your room in minutes.

With a short stay, you will appreciate the quick in/out of the GCH location for midday breaks and such. The DLH is *just* far enough away to make you think about just staying there after your midday break rather than return to the parks. It is a hike, no matter how people will try and spin it otherwise.

The other difficult thing at DLH is the dining situation, especially with little kids. There are no chicken tenders, Mac and cheese, pizza, etc. It's all Asian/Pacific Island themed food at the QS and admittedly, it's not that good. There isn't anywhere else to just get more basic food. You'll likely have to leave the hotel grounds to get food. Even the breakfast food is weird. None of us really like it. It's a problem. Grand had much better options and more than just one quick serve place. You can now mobile order from the Hearthstone lounge too which has AMAZING food. Plus, all the Downtown Disney places are right at your feet there. You walk out and have like 10 food places within a 2 minute walk. From DLH, only Earl of Sandwich and Starbucks are close by. Everything else is closer to the Grand Californian entrance.

We just stayed at the Grand last weekend and it is still my #1 pick. My teens love the slides at DLH and I promised them we would stay there next time, but I'm not super excited about it.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

your long walk at the end of the day comment made me think of my dad. We always stayed off property when we were kids and he would say all the time that the dead weight of sleeping children when you were walking out of MK knowing you had to still had to brave a boat/monorail/tram/does anybody remember what row we parked in was BRUTAL. This stuck with me and was a key reason we purchased DVC at Wilderness Lodge!

Seriously though, the walk is not long. Is it longer than the walk to GCH? Yes. But the DLH is like a 5-7 minute walk through Downtown Disney. It’s much faster than the walk back to the parking structure (which at the moment has no trams running so everyone must walk).

I don’t really understand how people think the walk to the DLH is SO LONG. It’s really just not. I suppose it’s based on your fitness level/health/mobility?

It felt wonderfully close to me considering I usually have to walk back to Mickey & Friends structure 10-15 minutes), wait in line for the elevator for my stroller, load up my car, then drive 45 minutes home to carry sleeping children up to their second story bedrooms (staying in a hotel at Disney is a very occasional luxury for us!).

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Seriously though, the walk is not long. Is it longer than the walk to GCH? Yes. But the DLH is like a 5-7 minute walk through Downtown Disney. It’s much faster than the walk back to the parking structure (which at the moment has no trams running so everyone must walk).

I don’t really understand how people think the walk to the DLH is SO LONG. It’s really not. I suppose it’s based on your fitness level/health? It felt wonderfully close to me considering I usually have to walk back to Mickey & Friends structure 10-15 minutes), wait in line for the elevator for my stroller, load up my car, then drive 45 minutes home to carry sleeping children up to their second story bedrooms (staying in a hotel at Disney is a very occasional luxury for us!).

This is true, and proximity at GCH is really dependent on what room you get. We stayed there in June and, even though we had a DTD view room, the walk to get to it was just as far if not farther than our usual rooms in the DLH Adventure Tower. We had to walk the entire length of the hotel and then walk the majority of that distance back just to get to the end of the wing where our room was located. It was pretty miserable on my pregnant feet body. I hated walking through those long hallways past all the rooms that weren’t mine. I much prefer the walk through DTD.

 

[DizMe]

The rooms at DLH tend to be larger, which is nice with a family. We used to stay at DLH every time because they had lots of magical touches that my 3 girls loved. Then the hotel was remodeled and the girls were older (7 and 10) and we decided to stay at GCH. It became everyone's favorite! One of the best things about GCH, for me, is the huge, fabulous lobby. It's gorgeous and a great place to hang out, with food, drink, shopping, etc right there. DLH doesn't have a great indoor place to just hang out and the food, drink, shopping etc are all spread out around the grounds. BUT...Disneyland Hotel has awesome suites that are relatively reasonable in price. This is fabulous when you have kids! Some have mini kitchens, some have 2 bathrooms--there are various configurations, but I would choose a family suite at DLH as my first pick in your situation.

 

[avalon451]

Seriously though, the walk is not long. Is it longer than the walk to GCH? Yes. But the DLH is like a 5-7 minute walk through Downtown Disney. It’s much faster than the walk back to the parking structure (which at the moment has no trams running so everyone must walk).

I don’t really understand how people think the walk to the DLH is SO LONG. It’s really just not. I suppose it’s based on your fitness level/health/mobility?

It felt wonderfully close to me considering I usually have to walk back to Mickey & Friends structure 10-15 minutes), wait in line for the elevator for my stroller, load up my car, then drive 45 minutes home to carry sleeping children up to their second story bedrooms (staying in a hotel at Disney is a very occasional luxury for us!).

I feel like the DLR boards are sharply divided between the on-site/ offsite groups. I’ve stayed at GCH, DLH and across the street (BWPPI and Desert Inn). On-site FEELS like a very long walk at the end of the night to me, but that’s because for example, 2 weeks ago I stayed in room 102 at BWPPI, and I swear that is the second closest hotel room in all of Anaheim, both coming and going, to the Esplanade. (101 being the first) It was rightthere! But many people won’t consider staying outside the “bubble” especially if you want a really nice pool area for your kiddos. For me, I just need a clean and comfortable place to shower and sleep (with earplugs!)

 

[Malcon10t]

Seriously though, the walk is not long. Is it longer than the walk to GCH? Yes. But the DLH is like a 5-7 minute walk through Downtown Disney. It’s much faster than the walk back to the parking structure (which at the moment has no trams running so everyone must walk).

I don’t really understand how people think the walk to the DLH is SO LONG. It’s really just not. I suppose it’s based on your fitness level/health/mobility?

I agree. We have timed it, and walking at a normal for us (which is not fast), it is 7 mins from "The Hat" to the Grand entrance to DTD. How much further is it really? If you are in the Adventure Tower or Fantasy Tower, you are about the same distance as most of the rooms in GCH. But if you are in the 200 or 300 wing, the length you walk to get out of the hotel might negate some of the 7 mins.

I have been staying at the GCH recently. But plan to move to the DLH with out trips starting in Sept.

I personally prefer the rooms at the DLH. They are larger, more Disney oriented, and the grandkids do like it better. (My granddaughter already asked if we could go back next trip...).

 

[ktlm]

We have stayed at WL multiple times. To us, GC seems like a scaled down version of WL at a higher price. Not to say it isn't nice- but we like someplace that is different than places we stay at WDW, and I have a hard time stomaching a higher price for a scaled down version-- of course there is that gate straight into California Adventure which is great. We love the Disneyland Hotel and that is where we always stay. It is different than anywhere we stay at WDW and it also has a Disney feel. I don't know about the construction issues though. By WDW standards the walk from DLH to the parks is nothing. Also, the walk is through DTD so we enjoy it.