Resort "Hopping"...

[CABarbara]

We were in Downtown Disney yesterday, and though we were allowed to look around the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel, we were not allowed to look around the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel even though we did it two weeks earlier. Just an FYI. My young niece and nephew were looking forward to checking it out and were disappointed when we couldn't.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

How were you not allowed into the GCH? Was someone at the door checking to see if you were a registered guest? I agree that's kind of odd and disappointing. We walked in there on our last trip and looked at the lobby displays, even used the lobby restroom before going back to the park. Lots of people were milling around.

 

[goooof1]

??????
If you are not a guest of the hotel you must enter through the DTD entrance or DCA entrance......they have never checked for room keys at either of those entrances to the hotel.

 

[ashley0139]

That doesn't make any sense. Anyone is allowed into the lobby to walk around. There are shops and restaurants that they want people to spend money in. Did you try to go in through the front on Disneyland drive?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thats very odd. In June I went for an afternoon chill out time to the bar in the Grand California and had a cocktail. I even did some pin trading with 2 managers who were in the lobby area. I entered and exited from the Downtown Disney side. Its very odd to me that a hotel would stop people from going to the lobby, bar, shop and restaurants. How were you stopped? Did you go through the Downtown Disney entrance? They have security checkpoint there but its only when you exit you have to go through bag check again.

 

[mom2rtk]

??????
If you are not a guest of the hotel you must enter through the DTD entrance or DCA entrance......they have never checked for room keys at either of those entrances to the hotel.

Correct. It wasn't about keeping anyone from seeing the lobby, it was about keeping the Paradise Pier riff raff (says the person who stayed at PPH the last 4 years) from using the security entrance in GCH into DTD.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thats very odd. In June I went for an afternoon chill out time to the bar in the Grand California and had a cocktail. I even did some pin trading with 2 managers who were in the lobby area. I entered and exited from the Downtown Disney side. Its very odd to me that a hotel would stop people from going to the lobby, bar, shop and restaurants. How were you stopped? Did you go through the Downtown Disney entrance? They have security checkpoint there but its only when you exit you have to go through bag check again.

You can still do this. You just can't enter the front doors of the hotel without a key or an ADR.

 

[ParkHopper1]

The GCH is always open to all, guests or not. The only restriction is that only GCH registerd guests can enter the front doors of the lobby to prevent others from using the GCH as a shortcut from the street. The DCA and DTD entrances to GCH are unrestricted.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

As others have asked, which entrance did you try to use? As recent as a month ago, we were able to go from DTD into the Grand without anyone blinking an eye. They don't even have anybody monitoring that direction. The only restrictions are from the main entrance into the hotel and from the Grand into DCA (in the morning).

 

[CABarbara]

We tried to go in from the main entrance of the hotel. There were security people on the sidewalk, and he said we couldn't go in unless we were registered at the hotel. When I asked if we could go in the other way (DTD), he said no. We (the adults in the group) thought maybe they didn't want a lot of people wandering the lobby because of the Disney Run yesterday. There were a lot more security/cops all over. When I have my niece and nephew again, we will try the DTD's Grand Californian entrance.

Thank you all for your opinions/advice/insights.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

In January we stayed across the street and were allowed in the morning we had ADR but stopped before we even crossed the street the second day. Didn't have any problem coming back through DTD

 

[kylie71]

I think the rule needs to be tweaked, to allow at least all ONSITE hotel guests through the front entrance. Otherwise the benefit of staying onsite at the PPH is diminished. Lots of people like to go to WWS for Grab in Go options, or dine at Stortytellers.
Shame on Disney for this choice.

--Lori

 

[mom2rtk]

I think the rule needs to be tweaked, to allow at least all ONSITE hotel guests through the front entrance. Otherwise the benefit of staying onsite at the PPH is diminished. Lots of people like to go to WWS for Grab in Go options, or dine at Stortytellers.
Shame on Disney for this choice.

--Lori

Right there with you on this Kylie, although I'm quite aware many here do not agree.

 

[goooof1]

The problem is that it adds many more guests in the GCH security lines and there are no OTHER options to get out of the hotel....just a clogged entrance to DCA with a long line at EMH or a small entrance to DTD. (way more security lines available at DTD by DLH).

 

[Geemo]

I have stayed at PPH before and after the security change. Being able to cut through the GCH in the morning was nice.
I don't really feel it's that much of an issue to use the new security tents by the DLH in the morning.
Like everyone else, I do like the short cut at the end of the day.

If you watch the people using the GCH as a short cut to exit at the end of the day, you'll notice not all go to the PPH.
Many continue on down to the hotels on Katella.
Check this map out. All those families staying at these hotels (blue dots) use the cut through. The number has to be massive.

If I was staying at the GCH I'd be glad Disney has made this policy change.

Link to map https://mapov.com/hotels/Disneyland...pt=33.80586898472801,-117.92494699342745&z=16

 

[theluckyrabbit]

As other posters have noted, the main entrance to the GCH is open to registered guests of the Grand and to all guests with confirmed reservations at one of the TS restaurants on the property (NR or Storyteller's). We entered yesterday without any problems. The CM at the sidewalk checkpoint on Disneyland Dr. asked us for our NR confirmation. We showed her our confirmation email and went on our way. (She did say that having the email handy was very helpful to her, so keep it on your phone just in case the CM asks to see it.)

 

[KenyaSierra]

I spent 1+ hours in the GC lobby each of the last 3 days for a cool down period with my Starbucks iced tea and a book- no one batted an eye, even when I fell asleep (I was not the only one). In and out multiple times via DD and CA entrances. They now have wait staff working the lobby so you can even get a cocktail!

 

[mom2rtk]

I have stayed at PPH before and after the security change. Being able to cut through the GCH in the morning was nice.
I don't really feel it's that much of an issue to use the new security tents by the DLH in the morning.
Like everyone else, I do like the short cut at the end of the day.

If you watch the people using the GCH as a short cut to exit at the end of the day, you'll notice not all go to the PPH.
Many continue on down to the hotels on Katella.
Check this map out. All those families staying at these hotels (blue dots) use the cut through. The number has to be massive.

If I was staying at the GCH I'd be glad Disney has made this policy change.
View attachment 267212
Link to map https://mapov.com/hotels/Disneyland?ppc=3&ch=bing&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=c3:+map(/s) +accommodation +{d}&utm_term=+map +accommodation +disneyland&utm_content=Disneyland&pmn=null&pmx=null&smn=null&smx=null&tmn=null&tmx=null&pf=&pp=1&pt=33.80586898472801,-117.92494699342745&z=16

Which is why they should have at least tested letting PPH guests use that entrance but not the guests staying at other non-Disney hotels.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the rule needs to be tweaked, to allow at least all ONSITE hotel guests through the front entrance. Otherwise the benefit of staying onsite at the PPH is diminished. Lots of people like to go to WWS for Grab in Go options, or dine at Stortytellers.
Shame on Disney for this choice.

--Lori

Absolutely.

Since that's how it was for years and years. This IS a watering down of the perks, the stated written used to be on their website as a resin to book pph perks, that is just rude and rotten.

The problem is that it adds many more guests in the GCH security lines and there are no OTHER options to get out of the hotel....just a clogged entrance to DCA with a long line at EMH or a small entrance to DTD. (way more security lines available at DTD by DLH).

People going to the large resort to look at the lobby, have a drink, go to whitewater, adds more guests to security lines? Huh.

Which is why they should have at least tested letting PPH guests used that entrance but not the guests staying at other non-Disney hotels.

I don't even think it should be restricted (to enter the lobby and go into DTD). They destroyed reasons to stay down on Katella with this. Why would I stay at Stovalls when I can't enter where I used to enter? It's nonsense. This is something that was fine for at least a decade and now is forbidden. Nonsense.

If anything it makes people want to stay at the grand. Not me; the best part of the grand is the public (not so much) lobby. But many others.

 

[Aladora]

People going to the large resort to look at the lobby, have a drink, go to whitewater, adds more guests to security lines? Huh.

Out of the 3 ways to get out of GCH (DtD, Main and DCA entrance), 2 of them require you to pass through security.