Grand Californian-tell me it's worth it

[k_reile]

We will be strictly at Disneyland 1/4/17-1/7/17 for our first trip. I have the Park Vue Inn booked. Good value, got a suite and free breakfast and wifi. It is right across the street. I looked at the on property hotels (we are on property when we stay at WDW) but it was nearly $1000 less for the park Vue inn. I looked at the discounts when they came out for DL hotels but figured there was no way my husband would want to pay that.

Now of course after he discounts are over, he wants to stay at the Grand Californian. It's about $1k more and we do get the early entry. His reasoning is that we probably won't be out to Disneyland for a while (we're yearly WDW people) so we should splurge while there.

We do love the feel of staying at a Disney hotel but not sure I want to spend that extra money. Plus TripAdvisor does not have very favorable reviews (but I take with a grain of salt because most of the reviewers are going to be people who had something wrong or like to complain)

Also are all of the rooms updated now? Some pictures online still show old rooms. And the other DL hotels are out...if we are going to do it we want to be right at the CA gate.

Talk me into it

 

[ImDMous]

Meh, we stayed there once. The lobby is lovely and I love hanging out at the Hearthstone, but you can do both of those without staying there. I would much rather have that $1000 for other things like dessert parties, special dining, etc. The rooms are tiny and we are really there only to sleep.

 

[SMD]

Consider a split stay. You can get EMH on check in and check out day.

 

[Malcon10t]

I wouldn't do it for that price.

 

[GeneralTso]

Very jaded opinion here because I love the place. For us, it's worth it.
The old girl is in some desperate need of upgrading and maintenance though.
The shower situation is silly--scalding hot or freezing cold. It depends on what room you get. We've had a terrible shower twice recently.
The lobby is stunning, especially during Christmas time. The location can not be beat.

If the money part is the stress, I wouldn't do it.

 

[SMD]

I haven't stayed at PVI, but the room size at GCH was smaller than the other 2 Disney hotels and smaller than some of the places on Harbor. If you have 4 people, you'll be paying more to be in really close quarters.

 

[Niltiac]

And the other DL hotels are out...if we are going to do it we want to be right at the CA gate.

I've never stayed at GCH so I don't have much to add, but I just wanted to point out that if the location is one of the biggest draws, I suggest taking a look at it on google maps. The hotel is sprawling and stretches back almost to where the other two Disney hotels are. Unless you pay for a specific type of view, there's no guarantee where your room will be situated. Park Vue is very close to the parks, so there's a decent chance your walk will be comparable or longer at GCH. That's not the end of the world, but be sure to ask yourself if you will be disappointed if you pay the extra $1000 and are not any closer to the parks.

 

[Nonsuch]

We will be strictly at Disneyland 1/4/17-1/7/17 for our first trip...
...Talk me into it

I am a fan of GCH and VGC
Due to the dates of your visit, I would not recommend GCH.

GCH is currently being renovated and much exterior "prep work" has already been done, and VGC appears complete. Work on the hotel seems to be suspended during the peak holiday season, but is likely to resume in January. The pools will be closed January to March.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I have stayed there several times and would stay there more often if it wasn't so expensive.
Pros: Get completely soaked on Grizzly Rapids - no problem, walk across the path to the hotel and change your clothes and come right back to DCA.
Nice lounge in the lobby.
Can buy stuff in the parks and have sent back to the hotel.
Overall, a very nice hotel
All rooms have balconies/patios
Twice daily maid service

Cons: Costs way too much, especially when factoring food on site, taxes and parking fees.
Smaller rooms - however, we don't spend much time in the room so we don't really care about that.
Dark. Everything is dark here.
Pools and spas will be closed during your visit.

For another $1,000 for 3 nights, I cannot talk you into staying at GCH. If you stay there, you will end up paying more for food and everything else. Park Vue is a 10 minute walk to the parks if you walk slow. Spend that $1,000 on a Dooney and bourke purse, backpack and wallet.

 

[Geemo]

Save the bucks and spend it on something you'll enjoy.

 

[lalasmama]

I'll preface this by admitting we are big Park Vue (PVI) fans. For $1000 more, I wouldn't do GCH.

From a purely financial look, $1000 is: 235 churros, or 27 sweatshirts, or 10 $100 dinners at Blue Bayou, or 66 holiday souvenir popcorn buckets (with popcorn, and plenty left over for additional refills), or nearly 90 full corndog basket meals.... Or like an additional 2 nights at Park Vue *with* tickets for more days to play at Disneyland. So, for $1000 less, you get a hot breakfast, a larger room/suite, a quick walk (approx 0.22m), and $1000 more in theoretical spending money.

Or, to be fair, let's look at what that extra $1000 gets you at GCH. By my count, you're staying for 4 nights? That's $250 more a night/day. So, you'll get early entry (EMH) for the 4 park days. That's 60 minutes a day. That's $4.16 per MINUTE for early entry. Yes, you will get in a few extra rides, but will that make up for $4/minute? I mean, I love Toy Story Midway Mania as much as the next person, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay $4/minute to wait in line and eventually ride it. That's over $60 for just standing in a 15-minute line once during your EMH morning (not even counting the ride)! You get free package hold (or you can pay $28 over your 4 days for a locker on Main Street, and just put your purchases in there). You don't have free breakfast at GCH, so plan on adding $15-30 per day for that, if your family eats a "cheap" breakfast; should you decide you want a hot meal, it's going to be more in the $45 at some places. You can't put a price on the "Disney Bubble" though, right? But DL doesn't have the all-encompassing bubble that WDW has, any way. You can hear ambulances coming into the park. You can hear police cars zooming by with their sirens blaring on the surface streets. On the monorail, you pass about 8 hotels all off DL property while you are ON A DL ATTRACTION! Personally, that would pop the so-called "bubble" for me right there! You also may end up with a longer walk if you are at the furthest point back in the hotel. Plan on using the DCA entrance for your EMH? Plan on lining up more than 30 minutes before your EMH time just to get through the "exclusive" entrance that backs up like a plugged drain for EMH and park opening times. (How infuriating to spend that $4/minute for EMH by standing in line waiting to even get in to the park!).

I really, really love the lobby and bar at GCH. But I can do that without paying an additional $250/night for it.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Absolutely not. And I love GCH. A $1,000 more for construction noises & no pool? No way. I also love early entry, maybe DLH is something you'd be interested in? But the price could be almost as killer.

 

[Nonsuch]

...Cons:
...Dark. Everything is dark here.

On the bright side (literally), the renovation is shifting to lighter colors.

 

[Steven G]

I've stayed at GCH, and though I can't blame you for wanting to stay there, really the best part of the hotel are all places you can go to without being a hotel guest. The rooms are nothing special, and most of the views unless you spend even more aren't great.

I'd stay at DLH over GCH anytime, it's really the more iconic hotel in terms of history.
Of course I'm staying at PVI this time, need to save money since I'm doing lots of TS at the parks.

 

[sheetz]

If you want to splurge there's a ton of stuff you can do for $1000 that would give you more bang for the buck than staying at the GCH.

 

[Pintail]

The Grand is awesome. If you do not stay there, consider having lunch at Storyteller Café one day. You could enjoy the Holiday decorations and sit by the fire in the lobby for a break.

 

[MillauFr]

No way I would ever pay the prices they are charging to stay there. We do always have at least one meal with server Rodney at Napa Rose every trip to DL.

 

[mamapenguin]

I have stayed at both and GCH is not worth the extra money in January. The trek back yo PVI after getting soaked on GRR isn't bad, my daughter did that last February.

 

[MacMama0930]

I loved it. The location could not be beat!!

 

[dec2009mama]

save your $1000 and have a character meal at Storyteller's at the Grand instead