My Impressions of the 3 Hotels

[stlrod]

Over the last few months, I have stayed at all 3 of the Disneyland Resort's hotels. Although I'll be doing a more detailed comparison, here are some general thoughts:

PP--A great value. Large rooms and terrific view of DCA. Easy access to parks (especially to DCA). Pool nothing to write home about but at least quiet. Ability to use Neverland Pool a definite plus. Restaraunts good. Lacks snack bar (but easy walk to DH.) Probably best for families with pre-teens or teens. Attitude of staff: We're glad you chose us and we're going to make certain you leave us saying nice things.

DH--A decent value. Large refurbished rooms with great Disney touches. Great dining options (Goofy's kitchen is wonderful.) Pool is wonderful but crowded. Having one spa for the entire resort is ridiculous (loaded with kids.) Great view of the fireworks from Sierra tower. Probably the worst as far as access to the parks. Attitude of staff: We know what we're doing and we're going to keep doing it well but don't expect us to look happy about it with all these kids running around.

GC--The best location. Beautifully-themed. However, comparisons to Wilderness Lodge at WDW overstated. It has a more "plastic" look and feel. At Wilderness Lodge, you are immersed in the theme. Here, you may be looking at a giant ferris wheel and hearing screams from roller coater riders while sitting poolside. Rooms are small. Rooms are small. Did I say the rooms are small? Inadequate drawer space. No in-room refrigerator (unless you want to empty the mini-bar and fight with the front desk as you check-out.) Athough we had a bad experience at the overpriced Storytellers Cafe, DD is right out your door and Whitewater Snacks is wonderful. Nice pools and spa. Attitude of staff: We are the beautiful people and you should feel fortunate that you are staying with us. IMHO, not worth the money. I even upgraded to concierge--I got a DVD player which just ended up taking more room in an already too small room.

My vote goes to the first two--if you want luxury, upgrade to the concierge level at one of those two (it's only $75 more as opposed to $100 more at the GC.)

As I mentioned earlier, I'll prepare a fulll report. If you have any questions in the meantime, e-mail me at RSharp219@cs.com (and for you pranksters out there, don't ask me how lartge the rooms at the GC are.)

 

[nickglover]

We enjoyed the GC very much in September, although there was no buffet in the week at Storytellers, and the Napa Rose menu seemed a little too ambitious and expensive (would prefer it to be more like Artists Point). We really liked the hotel and the view of the park at night was beautiful, but I agree the WL is much nicer for atmosphere.

One thing I have to say about the management - they were very kind to us. We were there on Sept. 11 and planned to leave on Sept 12. We delayed going to DL until the 12th but we couldn't get a flight home until Saturday, because all the planes were grounded. The management let us stay for free on Wednesday and Thursday night. At first they were going to offer a reduced rate of $89, and then they decided to make it free for anyone stranded. I'm not sure what they did for Friday night - understandably, we moved to a Hampton Inn where I could see the airport! I was determined to get home by then.

The staff also did a good job on Sept 11 in arranging movies in the convention center for kids and also on the in-room tv, and in getting ESPNZone and the AMC theater to open for free for only Disney guests that night (free games and sodas) (free movies and popcorn) - The rest of DD was closed that day.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Great summary ! And very helpfull since I have never stayed on site

 

[*Fantasia*]

Thanks for the review! I can't wait to hear the full report!! BTW...How large are the rooms at the GC?!? I'm teasing you!! We are planning to go to Cali in mid-Aug and staying at DH. I hope this is the right choice for us!! We have 2 kids (DD 2 and DS 4) and we are planning to enjoy our stay there! I would love to hear the rest of your reviews on the 3 disney hotels! Thanks!!

 

[LuvTigger]

Thanks for the reviews and comparison. It doesn't seem that many people have stayed at all 3, especially within a relatively short period of time. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy GC, or Storytellers.

I just wanted everyone else to know that there are many of us who have had GREAT experiences at GC, as I recently did, and Storyteller's was one of my favorite restaurants! The rooms at GC are smaller than DLH and PP, but it was about the same as a room at WL at WDW, and we didn't feel squished at all. I do agree with stlrod that drawer space was kinda small compared to other resorts, but it was enough room to hold 4 days of laundry and clothes.

I haven't stayed at PP, but don't really have a desire to either. I have stayed at DLH and though the grounds are beautiful, I really enjoyed my stay at GC and felt that the ambience there can't be beat, out of the 3 DLR hotels.

 

[stlrod]

I'm sure that many have had better experiences at GC that I did. And I made sure to note positives about the resort. However, as I stated in the beginning of my reviews, these were just my impressions. Also, I should mention that I am a value-oriented person. Not cheap. I have no problem dropping $300 a night for a hotel. However, I am justifiably going to have higher expectations. The bottom line is that despite its superior location and theming, the GC did not deliver in the value department. I should also add that while the DH is IMHO the least convenient for access to the parks, it still has good access.

 

[Cora]

Thanks so much for the review. We (DS and I) will be at PP next Wed nite for 1 nite and I kept seconding guessing myself. Sounds like we made the right choice...also the rate of $99/nite didn't hurt!
Cora