Disneyland Hotels

[ChefMickeyGrits]

Hi everyone! :wave:

I'm looking for a recommendation on which Disneyland hotel to stay at - Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian.

I've always wanted to stay at Disneyland Hotel, but from reading some online reviews, it seems that everyone is recommending Grand Californian over Disneyland hotel. I love the fun and classic-Disney atmosphere of DL hotel, but the Grand Californian looks gorgeous. It's a honeymoon trip so we'd like to try a Disney hotel instead of staying off property, but we're torn on the right choice.

A big sell is the pool - which one wins in that category? Thoughts on any other categories are welcome, too!

 

[Mukta]

In my opinion, the Grand Californian is a better choice. It is closer to the parks, the rooms are larger and prettier. The hotel lobby is gorgeous.
From allearsnet:

"There is one pool area at the Grand Californian, which requires a room key for entry. There are three pools - the themed Redwood Pool, the Fountain Pool, and a kid's pool shaped like Mickey's head. The Redwood pool has a redwood tree-themed circular slide. There's a small kids' slide that ends in a shallow part of the pool, also. In addition there are two hot tubs in the pool area.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are two pool areas at the Disneyland Hotel. The Never Land Pool area includes Hook's Ship, Skull Rock and a suspension bridge leading to a 100-foot water slide. There's also a kid-size slide and the Mermaid Lagoon spa area. A room key is required for entry.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Cove Pool and Beach is located near the Wonder Tower. There are two swimming pools plus a wading pool and a spa there, as well as a white sand "beach" with beach volleyball, a kid's play area and other activities. "[/FONT]

I believe that the Disneyland Hotel pool is currently under construction, so check into that before booking.

The DLH will have more kids generally than the GC. In WDW terms, I consider the GC a deluxe and the DLH a moderate.​

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

In my opinion, the Grand Californian is a better choice. It is closer to the parks, the rooms are larger and prettier. The hotel lobby is gorgeous.
From allearsnet:

"There is one pool area at the Grand Californian, which requires a room key for entry. There are three pools - the themed Redwood Pool, the Fountain Pool, and a kid's pool shaped like Mickey's head. The Redwood pool has a redwood tree-themed circular slide. There's a small kids' slide that ends in a shallow part of the pool, also. In addition there are two hot tubs in the pool area.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are two pool areas at the Disneyland Hotel. The Never Land Pool area includes Hook's Ship, Skull Rock and a suspension bridge leading to a 100-foot water slide. There's also a kid-size slide and the Mermaid Lagoon spa area. A room key is required for entry.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Cove Pool and Beach is located near the Wonder Tower. There are two swimming pools plus a wading pool and a spa there, as well as a white sand "beach" with beach volleyball, a kid's play area and other activities. "[/FONT]​

I believe that the Disneyland Hotel pool is currently under construction, so check into that before booking.​

The DLH will have more kids generally than the GC. In WDW terms, I consider the GC a deluxe and the DLH a moderate.​

Alas, the Never Land Pool is Nevermore. Pool reconstruction and re theming is progressing while we speak.

 

[Jarienn]

Our family just stayed at the Disneyland hotel the last week of August. There is a lot of construction going on, but it didn't seem to bother my kids ages 4 and 1 too much. We stayed in the Magic tower which is the main tower where the front desk is located. This tower hasn't been refurbished yet, but our room was still very nice. We were located on the 10th floor with a view of the Neverland Pool - which is still open - and the construction area. They are basically removing some old shops and other buildings to put in a 2nd pool that will connect to the Neverland pool complex. The Cove pools and beach area are completely gone and are being replaced with a garden area. The Dream tower is the only tower that has been completely refurbished. You can certainly request a room in this tower, but they won't guarantee it. The Wonder tower is currently being refurbished and is a total mess.

We've stayed at both the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian, but we always seem to go back to the Disneyland Hotel. The rooms at the Disneyland hotel - except for those right next to the elevators - are actually bigger. The Grand Californian is beautiful, but my 4 yr old doesn't like the pool area as much and we usually can't justify the big jump in price. If you want convenience to the parks, definitely the Grand Californian is closer in terms of walking distance, but is further from the monorail entrance.