Thoughts from our recent trip....

[AC7179]

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back, but I will share the positives and negatives and hope that the information helps those still in the planning phases!

DGC Hotel: We have always stayed at PPH but decided to try the GCH this time. The hotel, pool area, grounds and Craftsman Grill were gorgeous. We had splurged for a DTD View and got a room down the hallway by the Napa Rose elevators. We loved our room and our location, but I wouldn't pay extra for a DTD view. We were on the third floor above the WOD store and we really couldn't see much except for the tram area. The view just wasn't that great, so I wouldn't pay more for it next time. During nap time, the beeping of horn of the trams nearly drove my husband insane. We did appreciate being able to check in and get our room keys activated before the the 3pm check-in time.

Crowds and Rope Drop: We went the first week of Spring Break. Crowds were big. Rope Drop is still important. The first two hours of park opening were divine.

Dining: We had a Blue Bayou Reservation and one at Wine Country Trattoria. Blue Bayou was delightful. Wine Country Trattoria was just okay. We also did the QS in FL that used to be Village Haus. It was loud and crowded and hard to find seating. The win of the week for us was Bengal BBQ! Everyone loved it and there was ample seating across from the Jungle Cruise. We also loved the Ramen at Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. The grounds at the DLH were beautiful as well and we loved the atmosphere.

Villain's Night: We had done Villain's Night at MK at WDW and loved it so we were happy to spring for both Villain's Nights offered during our stay at DCA. The first night was terrible. The crowds did not die down and it was nothing like the ones we had experienced at MK. And to be fair, we are way more DL people than WDW people. But at MK, the lines were almost nonexistent and at DCA, even during the event, the lines were over an hour. The second night was better. I'm not sure why because both nights were sold out. I don't think I would do it again.

DAS: My mom has dementia and we experienced some challenges on this trip. The DAS team was wonderful and being able to "book" them on our phone really helped maximize our time in the park. She gets overwhelmed after 4 or so hours, and this was a nice compromise to her being able to enjoy herself and not get overstimulated with crowds and my kids still being able to have fun and ride the rides. I appreciate the service.

I am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

 

[Astylla]

Very interesting about Villains Nite , because I was there for the second one on Thursday and absolutely got all the photo ops I wanted by 10:45pm which included Yzma , Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham, King Leonidas and several of the prop ones. That included arriving early at 9pm to see the first Bald Eagle Mountain Villains show for front row at the stage. Given I am a dream key holder I made my reservation for DCA that day so I could get my credentials early which I did by 3:30pm at Blue Sky Cellar with zero wait. I only did a few rides during the Villains Nite which were webslingers and Guardians because I absolutely love the "after dark" version. But both were walk on at 11pm when I went. Several other characters had very short lines near the end too but wasn't a priority for me.

I will say that night was COLD for us in California lol but also noticed when I left at 1130pm, everyone was rushing to the back of the park , where I started.
I always start towards the back and move up because most will do the opposite. I did get in line for Yzma/Old Hag at 7:30pm because it was already wrapping.
I got super lucky and Yzma switched out at 830pm and I was out of line by 8:45pm.

For after dark events I always try to go to the last or at least second one because the first night never goes smoothly or as planned.
I did the last Merriest Nites and it worked out perfectly.
Thanks for the great review.

 

[AC7179]

Very interesting about Villains Nite , because I was there for the second one on Thursday and absolutely got all the photo ops I wanted by 10:45pm which included Yzma , Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham, King Leonidas and several of the prop ones. That included arriving early at 9pm to see the first Bald Eagle Mountain Villains show for front row at the stage. Given I am a dream key holder I made my reservation for DCA that day so I could get my credentials early which I did by 3:30pm at Blue Sky Cellar with zero wait. I only did a few rides during the Villains Nite which were webslingers and Guardians because I absolutely love the "after dark" version. But both were walk on at 11pm when I went. Several other characters had very short lines near the end too but wasn't a priority for me.

I will say that night was COLD for us in California lol but also noticed when I left at 1130pm, everyone was rushing to the back of the park , where I started.
I always start towards the back and move up because most will do the opposite. I did get in line for Yzma/Old Hag at 7:30pm because it was already wrapping.
I got super lucky and Yzma switched out at 830pm and I was out of line by 8:45pm.

For after dark events I always try to go to the last or at least second one because the first night never goes smoothly or as planned.
I did the last Merriest Nites and it worked out perfectly.
Thanks for the great review.

Thanks for your reply. When you say "starting towards the back" do you mean you start with the Paradise Pier area? That area was the area we were in during the second night and it was WAY better than CarsLand and Avenger's Campus where we were the first night. But the wait times for the Pier still read super long, unless they were not accurate!

 

[Pluto468]

Thanks for the report! Sounds like a nice visit. Did you use mobile ordering at all, and if so, how was it? What time did you arrive for rope drop?

 

[DizMe]

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back, but I will share the positives and negatives and hope that the information helps those still in the planning phases!

DGC Hotel: We have always stayed at PPH but decided to try the GCH this time. The hotel, pool area, grounds and Craftsman Grill were gorgeous. We had splurged for a DTD View and got a room down the hallway by the Napa Rose elevators. We loved our room and our location, but I wouldn't pay extra for a DTD view. We were on the third floor above the WOD store and we really couldn't see much except for the tram area. The view just wasn't that great, so I wouldn't pay more for it next time. During nap time, the beeping of horn of the trams nearly drove my husband insane. We did appreciate being able to check in and get our room keys activated before the the 3pm check-in time.

Crowds and Rope Drop: We went the first week of Spring Break. Crowds were big. Rope Drop is still important. The first two hours of park opening were divine.

Dining: We had a Blue Bayou Reservation and one at Wine Country Trattoria. Blue Bayou was delightful. Wine Country Trattoria was just okay. We also did the QS in FL that used to be Village Haus. It was loud and crowded and hard to find seating. The win of the week for us was Bengal BBQ! Everyone loved it and there was ample seating across from the Jungle Cruise. We also loved the Ramen at Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. The grounds at the DLH were beautiful as well and we loved the atmosphere.

Villain's Night: We had done Villain's Night at MK at WDW and loved it so we were happy to spring for both Villain's Nights offered during our stay at DCA. The first night was terrible. The crowds did not die down and it was nothing like the ones we had experienced at MK. And to be fair, we are way more DL people than WDW people. But at MK, the lines were almost nonexistent and at DCA, even during the event, the lines were over an hour. The second night was better. I'm not sure why because both nights were sold out. I don't think I would do it again.

DAS: My mom has dementia and we experienced some challenges on this trip. The DAS team was wonderful and being able to "book" them on our phone really helped maximize our time in the park. She gets overwhelmed after 4 or so hours, and this was a nice compromise to her being able to enjoy herself and not get overstimulated with crowds and my kids still being able to have fun and ride the rides. I appreciate the service.

I am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Thank you! What a great report. Glad to hear you had fun .

I honestly don't see any point in paying extra for a particular view at GCH because there are very few that are worth it (for me). I am much more interested in location than view, because I rarely spend much time in the hotel room except to sleep. When I say location, I mean close to elevators. I love being near the Napa Rose elevators but also very happy near the main lobby elevator banks, too.

I don't know if you'll be traveling with your mom again to DL, but if so, consider splurging on concierge. We took my mom when she was in her 80s and required a lot of rest. The lounge was a great place for one of us to hang out with her when the parks became too much. She loved it! Food, drink, games, a quiet place to read, etc, and the hosts took quite a shine to her so she got VIP treatment, which she loved.

Edited to add: I avoid rooms with a DTD view--too noisy!

 

[smartlabelprint]

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back, but I will share the positives and negatives and hope that the information helps those still in the planning phases!

DGC Hotel: We have always stayed at PPH but decided to try the GCH this time. The hotel, pool area, grounds and Craftsman Grill were gorgeous. We had splurged for a DTD View and got a room down the hallway by the Napa Rose elevators. We loved our room and our location, but I wouldn't pay extra for a DTD view. We were on the third floor above the WOD store and we really couldn't see much except for the tram area. The view just wasn't that great, so I wouldn't pay more for it next time. During nap time, the beeping of horn of the trams nearly drove my husband insane. We did appreciate being able to check in and get our room keys activated before the the 3pm check-in time.

Crowds and Rope Drop: We went the first week of Spring Break. Crowds were big. Rope Drop is still important. The first two hours of park opening were divine.

Dining: We had a Blue Bayou Reservation and one at Wine Country Trattoria. Blue Bayou was delightful. Wine Country Trattoria was just okay. We also did the QS in FL that used to be Village Haus. It was loud and crowded and hard to find seating. The win of the week for us was Bengal BBQ! Everyone loved it and there was ample seating across from the Jungle Cruise. We also loved the Ramen at Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. The grounds at the DLH were beautiful as well and we loved the atmosphere.

Villain's Night: We had done Villain's Night at MK at WDW and loved it so we were happy to spring for both Villain's Nights offered during our stay at DCA. The first night was terrible. The crowds did not die down and it was nothing like the ones we had experienced at MK. And to be fair, we are way more DL people than WDW people. But at MK, the lines were almost nonexistent and at DCA, even during the event, the lines were over an hour. The second night was better. I'm not sure why because both nights were sold out. I don't think I would do it again.

DAS: My mom has dementia and we experienced some challenges on this trip. The DAS team was wonderful and being able to "book" them on our phone really helped maximize our time in the park. She gets overwhelmed after 4 or so hours, and this was a nice compromise to her being able to enjoy herself and not get overstimulated with crowds and my kids still being able to have fun and ride the rides. I appreciate the service.

I am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Was she still only able to tolerate 4 hours in the park with DAS?

 

[Astylla]

Thanks for your reply. When you say "starting towards the back" do you mean you start with the Paradise Pier area? That area was the area we were in during the second night and it was WAY better than CarsLand and Avenger's Campus where we were the first night. But the wait times for the Pier still read super long, unless they were not accurate!

Yes exactly , sorry my brain couldn't process Paradise Pier for some reason when I typed this lol.
To be clear I wasn't focusing on rides but agree the lines were long to start! I was focused on the villain show and meet and greets more/photos.

Same reason at rope drop I go towards Haunted Mansion and work my way back around , unless Fantasyland is a must for littles in the morning.
I travel solo and always childfree so your mileage may vary