WDW veteran, a few specific questions....pretty please

[DisneyDoc5]

We have stayed at both, done 1 and 2 bedroom suites at both (these are NOT villas like DVC at Bay Lake Towers; they are simply rooms that connect and have a living room space with a little fridge; unless you do DVC at VGC and not the hotel (GCH)), done CL at GCH. We first stayed at GCH, then DLH the next time to save some money. After that, we have always spent the extra and stayed at the GCH.

1. We are fit, have teens, exercise 4 times per week, and still thought the extra walk was just painful after a full park day. We typically do 25,000 steps per day at DLR, so even those extra few minutes of walking to the DLH seemed like forever. We always walk to MK from BLT in WDW, as well as to DHS and EPCOT from Beach Club. So we don’t mind walking. But just as OP said, walking PAST the GCH at the end of a long day is heartbreaking to me!

2. I think the rooms at DLH need refreshing, whereas GCH just had a face lift. Others on here will (and have) disagreed about this. Maybe we just got a tired suite...

3. I feel like DLH is more generic than GCH. I did not see “Walt all over it” like others did, so maybe I just missed it. I really disliked no balcony because we like to sit out there during our stay and decompress.

4. I really liked Trader Sams, and we could have a drink while the teens swam in the pool below. But I also really like the bar at GCH, and I am eager to try it now that it has re-opened (we just missed it on our June trip so we will see it in October on that trip).

5. We have always had great service at the GCH, and the bell services folks remember my kids and are so nice to them about pin trading etc. I felt the service at DLH was generic/unenthusiastic.

6. Proximity to the parks trumps it all for me. If someone is tired, cold, hot, cranky, wet, whatever, they can go back. I think you get a lot more out of CL when you are closer and can just pop back.

Either one will be fantastic, but these are my reasons for loving GCH. I definitely vote for SNA over LAX, for sure!!!

This is beyond helpful, so many of my thoughts are addressed, thank you so much for sharing and your time!!!!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

you guys are all so kind, thank you for your feedback, it's really helpful!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I wonder if we rent the car in San Diego if we then return it after we get to DL, I'm sure we probably can, I will do a search and look into it, that sounds like a plan if we plan to possible skip driving up to LA, still not sure, I will have to poll the teenagers!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I agree you should avoid Hollywood.

 

[wowsmom]

Everybody always says how the GCH is so much closer and it is, if you get a good room. Our first stay, we were close to the Napa Rose elevator and it was great. Our second stay, we could have only been 4 rooms further away from the DCA entrance. This was after asking for a closer room, due to medical issues I was experiencing. I felt like I was paying way more money for no more convenience.

My son and I prefer the DLH (hubby prefers PPH but he's a cheapskate). We like the ability to hop on the monorail, but we also like how close Earl of Sandwich and Starbucks are for grabbing food to take back to your room. I like the size of the rooms better at DLH. I haven't yet experienced club level at either GCH or DLH, but maybe one day. PPH club level was nice as a treat, but didn't seem worth the money to us.

I would definitely take an extra day in the parks over a trip to Hollywood. We took my sister & niece a couple years ago (they were visiting from Italy and my niece just had to go!). Not worth the effort to get there, in my opinion.

 

[Kdbruin]

I have stayed at all three on-site hotels and this is my two cents. The Grand may be closest but it is a sprawling hotel. It can take just as long to get to your room at the DLH as the Grand depending on the location of the room. The DLH grounds are beautiful and it is classic Disney. You can cut down on the walk by taking the monorail. As far as room size, the Paradise Pier has both hotels beat. You can easily fit five adults in the room and the theme park view is amazing!!

 

[nkereina]

I wonder if we rent the car in San Diego if we then return it after we get to DL, I'm sure we probably can, I will do a search and look into it, that sounds like a plan if we plan to possible skip driving up to LA, still not sure, I will have to poll the teenagers!

You definitely could - you just want to make sure you pick a return location not too far out of your way. Perhaps drop everyone off at your hotel and have one person return the rental and then Uber back.

We took an Uber from Anaheim to LA for our stay there. It was an UberXL so it was a minivan. It was $87, which was well worth it to me to not have to drive in that traffic. SuperShuttle is another option - we took that on the way in, and it was fine, but there were many stops and it would require you to schedule a pickup time.

 

[ktlm]

I think we will further investigate the car in San Diego, I've heard a few people say this. Thank you so much!

I would definitely rent a car for the San Diego area part of your trip. You actually could drive it up to SNA, drop it off and then uber from SNA to DLR. It probably will be more expensive to drop it off at a different airport, but it might be worth it. Once we get to DLR and to the DLH, we don't ever get back in the car until we leave for a different area. This last trip we decided it was a waste of money to have a car at DLH, so we ubered there and then ubered back to SNA and got a car for the other half of our trip. I did the math and it was cheaper than renting the car for the whole week (and paying for parking at DLH). San Diego is spread out and we haven't really had trouble finding parking for things there. Also, if you haven't done it, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is really great. We would pick that over Seaworld, and maybe even over the Zoo itself. It is around 30 miles away from the zoo.

 

[Malcon10t]

I have stayed at all three on-site hotels and this is my two cents. The Grand may be closest but it is a sprawling hotel. It can take just as long to get to your room at the DLH as the Grand depending on the location of the room. The DLH grounds are beautiful and it is classic Disney. You can cut down on the walk by taking the monorail. As far as room size, the Paradise Pier has both hotels beat. You can easily fit five adults in the room and the theme park view is amazing!!

Totally agree. Only thing that keeps me from staying at the PPH more often is 1. The elevators (better, but still not great) and 2. The Club level closes at 8.

 

[twodogs]

I have stayed at all three on-site hotels and this is my two cents. The Grand may be closest but it is a sprawling hotel. It can take just as long to get to your room at the DLH as the Grand depending on the location of the room. The DLH grounds are beautiful and it is classic Disney. You can cut down on the walk by taking the monorail. As far as room size, the Paradise Pier has both hotels beat. You can easily fit five adults in the room and the theme park view is amazing!!

The only thing about the monorail is that at park opening, my understanding (having never wanted to risk trying it) is that it opens at park opening. So then you have to ride the monorail in, get off, and then start in the parks. And you may not make the first monorail, and then you are really behind the crowds. Even if you make the first monorail, you are way behind those at the park rope drop.

We use the monorail even when we stay in GCH because we will often take it and then eat at EOS and then walk back to GCH. Or we use it to get to Pin Traders in DTD since my DD11 likes to pin trade and see all the pins. Then we walk back to GCH. Yes we are going past the GCH on the monorail and walking back, but if there is a good stop on the way, it is still good.

 

[Sunclytie]

I stayed club level in the Grand Californian for one night and it was amazing. The food was really, really good, the setting was great, and it was so nice to leisurely grab a cup of coffee in the morning and a custom donut and mosey over to Disneyland or DCA. Then around lunchtime we’d mosey back to the lounge for teatime (we made lunch out of it) and a glass of sparkling wine. Then we hung out at the pool for more cocktails before moseying back out to DCA to get good seats for Paint the Night. It was the most relaxing Disney trip ever.
I agree that you might want to avoid Hollywood if you’re heading to LA. Do you like art at all? My family loved the Getty Museum and the Malibu setting is breathtaking.

 

[tinkerjo]

Me and DS12 just did this trip when visiting DD26 who lives in Yuma Az. She is married to a marine that was stationed in San Diego so this was our 2nd trip to see her. The zoo- you think Disney is a lot walking-be prepared, the zoo is massive. La Jolla cove and the seals are awesome, take some snorkel gear, DS could have snorkeled there all day and he is a beginner just be careful and be prepared for cold water. We love mission beach, old town, and seaport village. We found the drive from SD to Anaheim pretty easy as long as you avoid rush hour. We did not stay on property so I can’t help with that, but the hotel we stayed at literally across the street rivaled any Disney moderate resort(minus the pool) and was a fraction of the price. As far as max pass, we loved it. You just can’t get it until that day and only after you enter the park so you get more for your money if you go early. We found crowds very low compared to what we were used to at WDW but we were there during the week which I heard is much slower. I feel there is a totally different atmosphere at DL in comparison to WDW and hated it my first visit. My second visit was much better and was more enjoyable. It’s amazing how much they fit into two parks and hopping is super easy. (I don’t hop at WDW anymore, too much work) Try and get reservations for Oga’s cantina, we had such a good time there but it was late and our feet hurt, 90% is standing room only. It’s fun to see the differences in some rides and enjoy some old favorites from my childhood like Mr. Toads wild ride and the Main Street Electrical Parade. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time, safe travels

 

[Becca1007]

For San Diego, we stayed at the Embassy Suites San Diego Downtown and it was great, we could walk to lots of stuff (we did that trip with a 2 year old and a stroller, so no doubt you could easily walk everywhere with adults/teens). You will need a car to get out to the zoo. You may want to look at doing the Safari Park instead of the regular zoo or both, but it is farther away.
The train from San Diego to Anaheim is awesome as it is mostly along the beach but for 5 people renting a car will be much more economical and faster as long as its not rush hour.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Everybody always says how the GCH is so much closer and it is, if you get a good room. Our first stay, we were close to the Napa Rose elevator and it was great. Our second stay, we could have only been 4 rooms further away from the DCA entrance. This was after asking for a closer room, due to medical issues I was experiencing. I felt like I was paying way more money for no more convenience.

My son and I prefer the DLH (hubby prefers PPH but he's a cheapskate). We like the ability to hop on the monorail, but we also like how close Earl of Sandwich and Starbucks are for grabbing food to take back to your room. I like the size of the rooms better at DLH. I haven't yet experienced club level at either GCH or DLH, but maybe one day. PPH club level was nice as a treat, but didn't seem worth the money to us.

I would definitely take an extra day in the parks over a trip to Hollywood. We took my sister & niece a couple years ago (they were visiting from Italy and my niece just had to go!). Not worth the effort to get there, in my opinion.

This is SUPER helpful! I LOL'd at the hubby comment, I feel you! We watched a youtube video of the walk from DHL thru Downtown Disney last night and it seemed nice actually. And we are so used to the massive size of WDW, I think overall we will still think every walk at DL is shorter! Thank you so much!!!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I have stayed at all three on-site hotels and this is my two cents. The Grand may be closest but it is a sprawling hotel. It can take just as long to get to your room at the DLH as the Grand depending on the location of the room. The DLH grounds are beautiful and it is classic Disney. You can cut down on the walk by taking the monorail. As far as room size, the Paradise Pier has both hotels beat. You can easily fit five adults in the room and the theme park view is amazing!!

love this, thank you!!!!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I would definitely rent a car for the San Diego area part of your trip. You actually could drive it up to SNA, drop it off and then uber from SNA to DLR. It probably will be more expensive to drop it off at a different airport, but it might be worth it. Once we get to DLR and to the DLH, we don't ever get back in the car until we leave for a different area. This last trip we decided it was a waste of money to have a car at DLH, so we ubered there and then ubered back to SNA and got a car for the other half of our trip. I did the math and it was cheaper than renting the car for the whole week (and paying for parking at DLH). San Diego is spread out and we haven't really had trouble finding parking for things there. Also, if you haven't done it, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is really great. We would pick that over Seaworld, and maybe even over the Zoo itself. It is around 30 miles away from the zoo.

this is extremely helpful, we were just looking at this moments ago. I think we will rent the car in San Diego because then we can make a few stops (In and Out Burger- need to see what all the hype is about) on our way up to DL. The Safari Park gets amazing reviews from everyone, we are leaning towards the military ship tour (name is escaping me), Zoo or Safari, Balboa Park area, checking out Coronado, finding a few beaches with seals to watch, and then eating all the Mexican food! I have yet to explore hotels in San Diego but I will tackle that next. Now that I have the general plan in place, I'm already feeling better. You have all been AMAZING!!!!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I stayed club level in the Grand Californian for one night and it was amazing. The food was really, really good, the setting was great, and it was so nice to leisurely grab a cup of coffee in the morning and a custom donut and mosey over to Disneyland or DCA. Then around lunchtime we’d mosey back to the lounge for teatime (we made lunch out of it) and a glass of sparkling wine. Then we hung out at the pool for more cocktails before moseying back out to DCA to get good seats for Paint the Night. It was the most relaxing Disney trip ever.
I agree that you might want to avoid Hollywood if you’re heading to LA. Do you like art at all? My family loved the Getty Museum and the Malibu setting is breathtaking.

I love this, we like to mosey all those places and enjoy club level so much. We do like art and I know Getty is amazing, great idea. So appreciate you taking the time to reply!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Me and DS12 just did this trip when visiting DD26 who lives in Yuma Az. She is married to a marine that was stationed in San Diego so this was our 2nd trip to see her. The zoo- you think Disney is a lot walking-be prepared, the zoo is massive. La Jolla cove and the seals are awesome, take some snorkel gear, DS could have snorkeled there all day and he is a beginner just be careful and be prepared for cold water. We love mission beach, old town, and seaport village. We found the drive from SD to Anaheim pretty easy as long as you avoid rush hour. We did not stay on property so I can’t help with that, but the hotel we stayed at literally across the street rivaled any Disney moderate resort(minus the pool) and was a fraction of the price. As far as max pass, we loved it. You just can’t get it until that day and only after you enter the park so you get more for your money if you go early. We found crowds very low compared to what we were used to at WDW but we were there during the week which I heard is much slower. I feel there is a totally different atmosphere at DL in comparison to WDW and hated it my first visit. My second visit was much better and was more enjoyable. It’s amazing how much they fit into two parks and hopping is super easy. (I don’t hop at WDW anymore, too much work) Try and get reservations for Oga’s cantina, we had such a good time there but it was late and our feet hurt, 90% is standing room only. It’s fun to see the differences in some rides and enjoy some old favorites from my childhood like Mr. Toads wild ride and the Main Street Electrical Parade. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time, safe travels

Thank you so much for your insights, they are great! We will try Oga's Cantina for sure! We are super excited to compare and contrast the rides and experience new things, but with the familiar love we have for all things Disney. I was scared of this at first, as we are so comfortable being WDW veterans, but it's time to get out of your box and try something new, we can't wait!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

For San Diego, we stayed at the Embassy Suites San Diego Downtown and it was great, we could walk to lots of stuff (we did that trip with a 2 year old and a stroller, so no doubt you could easily walk everywhere with adults/teens). You will need a car to get out to the zoo. You may want to look at doing the Safari Park instead of the regular zoo or both, but it is farther away.
The train from San Diego to Anaheim is awesome as it is mostly along the beach but for 5 people renting a car will be much more economical and faster as long as its not rush hour.

Another vote for the Safari....dumb question, but if you see this, do you 'drive' through it in your own car....that is sounding rather nice! Thank you a ton for the tip on Embassy Suites, we always use these in Chicago and love them, so I'm sure that is a great idea for San Diego, I will look into those right away! Thank you so much!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Like, seriously, y'all are so kind, thank you for your replies and advice! I'm soaking it all up!