Points for DL's Grand Californian?

[Mary Lou in Ohio]

Has anyone here used points for the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland? (I don't have my guide book handy - how many points does it take?)

Also, when you book with points, do you have an option of what type of room view you get? How far ahead do you have to book?

Any comments on using the DVC points for the Disneyland hotels would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mary Lou

 

[TnRobin]

Try the members only website for the current point prices.

As for when you can book, you can book 11 months out. There are multi-level point tiers for various "Views". We stayed at the Grand Californian in March 2001. It was wonderful and we plan to stay there again on points for our next visit.

 

[sueg]

We used pts. to stay at GC & felt it was well worth it. We did not request any special views because we were only in DL for 3 days and did not spend alot of time in our rm. We loved the GC. As long time DVC members, we are not "hotel-room" friendly, but we felt that the GC rm was spacious & beautifully designed. Loved those in-room robes. I don't know if we'll be in California in the near future, but we wouldn't hesitate for use our precious pts. for GC.

 

[dan and scott]

Mary Lou,

We used points to stay at the GC in January. We have no regreta, the hotel is beautiful! We had a "standard view" I think that overlooked the front of the building and the other 2 Disney hotels. We really enjoyed this view as it saved points and really wasn't that bad.

Also a tip, we paid cash for our weekend stay and points for the rest. Through Expedia.com we got the reservation for $159 plus tax. Check out mousesavers.com

Dan

 

[RLevy29]

The GC is well worth the points. I wouldn't bother with a view, though. You are IN the California Adventure park and 5 minutes walk away from Disneyland Park. The hotel is beautiful and gives you the feeling of Wilderness Lodge. The rooms are about the same size ,too. If you need to have a refrigerator, just ask the bell service. There is no charge.

 

[Momof2]

We are DVC members who stayed at the GC in August. Unfortunately we didn't have enough points for our stay because we need them for next year's big trip to WDW, but I absolutely think it would be worth it to use points if you have them. Enjoy!

 

[Toxicesq]

We just came back from spending 3 nights at the Grand Californian on points over Labor Day weekend. A beautiful hotel and the direct access to California Adventure is a nice benefit.

You do have a choice of view: Downtown Disney, California Adventure, and, I think, "standard". You can also get Concierge rooms, again with a choice of view. I, too, wouldn't recommend using up the points on a particular view. We had a California Adventure view, which, IMHO, wasn't as interesting as I'd imagined. We were able to see the Electrical Parade, at a distance and without hearing the music, from the balcony, but the room was VERY far from the elevator, and even farther from the lobby. All in all, I don't think any view would be bad, and you'd probably make better use of your points by using the extra points for an additional night at DL or a stay at WDW another time.