Actually, Grand Californian is a very nice hotel, but staying there does not guarantee you tickets or reservations.
But we own DVC there, there is no way I would pay cash.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Disneyland officially reopening April 30th
- Thread starter DCBaker
- Start date
But we own DVC there, there is no way I would pay cash.
el_super
Well-Known Member
Well maybe if it's still an option, you could get rehired, become a CR, have weekend only availability and then trade your shifts away.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
What are the operating hours for the cast preview thing?
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
That’s why we joined DVC. We pay the equivalent of about $200/night for those resorts. Rack rates are outrageous.
MidwestStitch
Active Member
Mine show up on the top of my app’s homepage under “park reservations”
DrAlice
Well-Known Member
Hmmm... I don't see that on mine. When I click on "View my reservations", it takes me to the queue again and this time tells me that my time on the queue ran out.
Oh well, whatever. I'll use the emails. And print hard copies of them too, because I'm old skool.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
And now I really don’t think I can justify nearly $800 for one night.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Ha! I wouldn’t work for Disney again, especially at Disneyland, if they paid me quadruple the rate I was paid when I worked there years ago. Never again. It wasn’t a good experience.
Speaking of availability, they only honored my request for Sundays off just once during my time with them.
the_rich
Well-Known Member
I got upgraded there for free during the opening of GE. Had booked paradise pier to guarantee entree and it was oversold. It is one of the best themed hotels I've ever been in. Plus the entrance/exit to dca was a big plus. It's up there with AKL as the best Disney hotel imo.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
My friend sent me this.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
It's always funny how people talk about how much international travel is and assume it's prohibitively expensive but then think nothing of dropping hundreds and hundreds of dollars per night on a very-much-ok-and-very-overpriced Disney hotel or other extravagant, outrageous Disney park things. And for some reason it never occurs to them that they could even do both!
At some point I dreamed of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge out at WDW. Beautiful hotel, great restaurants, a balcony looking out onto an actual savannah, what's not to like? Then I did the math.
If that Southern California Adventures by Disney trip ever resumes, that does include lodging at the Grand Californian, and that would be kind of a cool experience that I otherwise couldn't justify paying for.
But until then, I figure I can still use and visit the rest the hotel has to offer, I just can't sleep or swim there. Seems like a fair trade off to me, and much cheaper too!
Last edited:
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Riiiight!! I’ve seen many people claim to have spent thousands of dollars on a week-long WDW trip, but claim they can’t make it to California because they can’t afford airfare.
No, you just don’t want to go.“Then I did the math” lol. Exactly. People will pay for what they want and for what they value though. That’s what it comes down to. I personally don’t see the point in paying hundreds of dollars per night for a hotel room that I’m simply using to sleep and get dressed in for a few hours. Considering Disney hotels, if you’re going to the parks all day and only using returning to your room after the night ends, do you really want to spend $800 just to do that? I personally don’t, but there are some folks who consider lodging to be very important while on vacation. I had a supervisor who only stayed in 5-star, luxurious hotels. When I asked her why, she said she already has a nice home, so when she travels, she wants her lodging to upstage her already gorgeous home. And that makes sense. If one can afford it, by all means.
Thinking of my travels again, I paid $1400 for my one-month apartment rental in Rome, Italy back in 2019. That’s less than double the price of the current cheapest Grand Californian rate for ONE NIGHT and my rental was for an entire month.
The more I talk about it, the more I don’t see a stay at the Grand in my future. The prices are too astronomical.
Stevek
Well-Known Member
We did AKL our first trip to WDW in 2006, paid around $200/night and was totally worth it. Now, I'd be lucky to get PoP Century for $200/night...and that's exactly where we booked for our December trip. We've learned that while some rooms have a definite upside from a comfort and amenities perspective, we spend so little time in the room that those really don't matter to us. There's a part of me that would be fine staying offsite at WDW but the family wants to stay in the bubble and be fully immersed in Disney, so PoP it is.
Stevek
Well-Known Member
If I was in Hawaii or some tropical paradise, I'd definitely pay more for a room though Hawaii can be very reasonable for a beachfront stay if you go at the right times. You are spot on re: Disney, at least for me.Riiiight!! I’ve seen many people claim to have spent thousands of dollars on a week-long WDW trip, but claim they can’t make it to California because they can’t afford airfare.
“Then I did the math” lol. Exactly. People will pay for what they want and for what they value though. That’s what it comes down to. I personally don’t see the point in paying hundreds of dollars per night for a hotel room that I’m simply using to sleep and get dressed in for a few hours. Considering Disney hotels, if you’re going to the parks all day and only using returning to your room after the night ends, do you really want to spend $800 just to do that? I personally don’t, but there are some folks who consider lodging to be very important while on vacation. I had a supervisor who only stayed in 5-star, luxurious hotels. When I asked her why, she said she already has a nice home, so when she travels, she wants her lodging to upstage her already gorgeous home. And that makes sense. If one can afford it, by all means.
Thinking of my travels again, I paid $1400 for my one-month apartment rental in Rome, Italy back in 2019. That’s less than double the price of the current cheapest Grand Californian rate for ONE NIGHT and my rental was for an entire month.
The more I talk about it, the more I don’t see a stay at the Grand in my future. The prices are too astronomical.
mistyj
Member
TO GET YOUR RESERVATIONS AFTER BUYING TICKETS: Do NOT leave your confirmation page where your tickets are attached! Scroll down to the nice picture of the Dad and his kids looking at a computer screen where it says something like "Don't forget you need a reservation" and there is a button that says "Learn More." Press that button and it takes you directly to the reservation screen without getting in line again. (Thank you to whoever that person was who posted on twitter yesterday with those instructions.)When I click on "View my Theme Park Reservations" from the CONFIRMATION EMAIL, it sends me to the queue again. Apparently, I have 45 minutes left in line.