Help!! Disneyland Hotel vs Paradise Pier Club Level vs Grand Californian

[Rutt]

Good morning all, I will be taking DW and the brats to Disneyland for the first time next October. We are only doing 3 days, 2 nights at the tail end of a cruise.

Now, pricing it out for the days we want, DLH appears to be the most affordable, but GC is only $159 total more and PP Club is only $250 more. Being first timers, are the other two worth the difference in cost? DLH is closer to the monorail than PP correct? But GCH is closer to the parks?

Any help appreciated,
Thank you

 

[Stevek]

Good morning all, I will be taking DW and the brats to Disneyland for the first time next October. We are only doing 3 days, 2 nights at the tail end of a cruise.

Now, pricing it out for the days we want, DLH appears to be the most affordable, but GC is only $159 total more and PP Club is only $250 more. Being first timers, are the other two worth the difference in cost? DLH is closer to the monorail than PP correct? But GCH is closer to the parks?

Any help appreciated,
Thank you

GC is basically closer to the parks and has a dedicated entry into DCA. It's also a more beautiful hotel.
DLH has a better pool and is full of history and closer to the monorail
PP...I would only stay here if it was significantly cheaper, wouldn't pay the $250 upgrade.

So, if money isn't that big of a deal I would stay at GC

 

[dweezil78]

Good morning all, I will be taking DW and the brats to Disneyland for the first time next October. We are only doing 3 days, 2 nights at the tail end of a cruise.

Now, pricing it out for the days we want, DLH appears to be the most affordable, but GC is only $159 total more and PP Club is only $250 more. Being first timers, are the other two worth the difference in cost? DLH is closer to the monorail than PP correct? But GCH is closer to the parks?

Any help appreciated,
Thank you

I'd go with DLH for that kind of savings to be honest unless you really want to be extra close to the parks (you're not that far at DLH though.) You're close to construction though, so it may be a bit disruptive. If you have the money and want the ideal experience, then GC would be to way to go.

Definitely not worth paying extra $$$ for PP club level. You're basically paying that for some free snacks and alcohol in a pretty boring, sterile room. So unless you plan on hanging out there for hours on end, I'd pass. The extra $$$ is better spent at GC.

 

[Rich T]

The DL Hotel is more fun. Grand Californian, while very nice, has more of a "business convention" vibe to its public areas. Paradise Pier is a fine hotel with a boring pool and a longer walk to the parks.

Going with family, I'd pick the DL Hotel.

 

[Phroobar]

The DL Hotel is more fun. Grand Californian, while very nice, has more of a "business convention" vibe to its public areas. Paradise Pier is a fine hotel with a boring pool and a longer walk to the parks.

Going with family, I'd pick the DL Hotel.

Going with family, I'd pick the HoJo's across the street. Better pool and waterslides with a cool retro tomorrowland look.

 

[dweezil78]

The DL Hotel is more fun. Grand Californian, while very nice, has more of a "business convention" vibe to its public areas.

You really think so? DL Hotel really doesn't even have many public areas outside of the pool/Trader Sam's area. The rest of DL Hotel screams convention hotel to me. So much of it is convention space and ballrooms and sterile unthemed hallways, like that area outside of Steakhouse 55 and Goofy's.. Yuck. There's nothing that even comes close to the GC's warm inviting lobby with its fireplace. Can grab a cocktail over at Hearthstone, grab a chair in front of the fire, and just unwind. Love that.

GC's pool is not as fun, but it's still really nice and Storytellers Cafe is a lot of fun. You can always wander over to Trader Sam's or Goofy's Kitchen if you're so inclined and get the best of both worlds.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

If money's so object, Grand Californian all the way!

 

[Rich T]

There's nothing that even comes close to the GC's warm inviting lobby with its fireplace. Can grab a cocktail over at Hearthstone, grab a chair in front of the fire, and just unwind. Love that.

For adults, absolutely GC. With kids, though, I'd still pick DL Hotel for the fun details in the rooms, the monorail slides, and the general feeling of being on property. GC feels darker, quieter, calmer. Great for adults, but for a family trip I'd still pick DL Hotel for the classic Disneyland vibe.

 

[Rutt]

Thank you all, we were actually leaning toward the DLH to begin with. I think the kids would love that one. Price helps too. Hoping three days is enough

 

[Mawg]

If your not planning on any resort/pool time, I would skip all 3 and stay across the street somewhere. It's not the same as WDW, the bubble is not that big of a deal to stay within at DL. Some of the hotels across the street are actually closer to the gates. I've stayed at the DLH, it was nice and we specifically planned some pool time on our arrival day and departure day. I don't recall all the names of the hotels I've stayed at across the street, but HOJO's was fun when the kids were small but was a longer walk, Then we also stayed at the Best Western - very close to the parks, and some other one like Candy Cane or Carousel all were fine but not elaborately themed, just a room that we really did not use but to sleep.

I think the DLH is a good choice if you want to spend some time in the room or at the pool. And you can still use the faster entrance at the GC to get into DCA as long as you are a guest at one of the 3 property resorts.

 

[Phroobar]

If your not planning on any resort/pool time, I would skip all 3 and stay across the street somewhere. It's not the same as WDW, the bubble is not that big of a deal to stay within at DL. Some of the hotels across the street are actually closer to the gates. I've stayed at the DLH, it was nice and we specifically planned some pool time on our arrival day and departure day. I don't recall all the names of the hotels I've stayed at across the street, but HOJO's was fun when the kids were small but was a longer walk, Then we also stayed at the Best Western - very close to the parks, and some other one like Candy Cane or Carousel all were fine but not elaborately themed, just a room that we really did not use but to sleep.

I think the DLH is a good choice if you want to spend some time in the room or at the pool. And you can still use the faster entrance at the GC to get into DCA as long as you are a guest at one of the 3 property resorts.

I think that's the secret most wdw veteran tourists don't know. They think you have to stay on property when it's cheaper and much easier to stay across the street.

 

[Texas84]

Another vote for GC. But I usually stay at the Holiday Inn behind the parking garage. No homeless people.

 

[westie]

GC all the way. Short walk to everything. Your own entrance to DCA and its all eye candy.

 

[dweezil78]

For adults, absolutely GC. With kids, though, I'd still pick DL Hotel for the fun details in the rooms, the monorail slides, and the general feeling of being on property. GC feels darker, quieter, calmer. Great for adults, but for a family trip I'd still pick DL Hotel for the classic Disneyland vibe.

I still say (if money is no issue) stay at the GC over DLH it feels more worth the $$$ to me. You can always enjoy the amenities/dining of DLH if you're staying at GC. Walking back to Disneyland Hotel at the end of a day never feels special or vacation-y to me like GC does. If you're someone who is at all used to staying in a deluxe WDW hotel, GC is the only DL resort that gives that seem feeling IMO.

 

[Phroobar]

You can still enjoy the restaurants and shops of the GC and DLH without staying there. You might even be able to sneak in to the pool area but that's creepy. When it comes down to it, how much time are you going to spend in your room and doing things in the hotel. If you're going to spend 90% of your time in the parks, why spend the extra money for a Disney bed? Disney's bed bugs are not any more magical than the ones on Harbor.

 

[Rich T]

You can still enjoy the restaurants and shops of the GC and DLH without staying there. You might even be able to sneak in to the pool area but that's creepy. When it comes down to it, how much time are you going to spend in your room and doing things in the hotel. If you're going to spend 90% of your time in the parks, why spend the extra money for a Disney bed? Disney's bed bugs are not any more magical than the ones on Harbor.

For a one-time family vacation, I'd say it's worth the extra money to stay at DL Hotel (or GC) because you don't have to exit the "bubble." No traffic. You can pretend you're not in Anaheim. It's not cost-effective, but neither are vacations in general. Just for the record, I personally never stay at the DL Hotel or GC...but if I could afford the extra expense I would.

 

[Phroobar]

For a one-time family vacation, I'd say it's worth the extra money to stay at DL Hotel (or GC) because you don't have to exit the "bubble." No traffic. You can pretend you're not in Anaheim. It's not cost-effective, but neither are vacations in general. Just for the record, I personally never stay at the DL Hotel or GC...but if I could afford the extra expense I would.

I've stayed at all three of them with the kids for fun since we only live a half hour away from DL. Once the novelty wears off in a half hour, the bubble isn't what is cracked up to be. The kids only cared about the pool.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Grand Californian is my favorite because it's so close to the parks. The rooms are nice, the lobby is awesome and the building is beautiful.

 

[Rich T]

I've stayed at all three of them with the kids for fun since we only live a half hour away from DL. Once the novelty wears off in a half hour, the bubble isn't what is cracked up to be. The kids only cared about the pool.

But...fireworks headboards, Phrubruh! Fireworks headboards!

 

[Rich T]

I think that's the secret most wdw veteran tourists don't know. They think you have to stay on property when it's cheaper and much easier to stay across the street.

But the key word there is "Veterans." If you go a lot, then yeah, no way you'd pay that much extra for the Disney Hotels. But if it's your first visit as a family, and you might not visit again for a decade or more... I say stay on property. The less Anaheim the better.
EDIT: "The Less Anaheim the Better" should be the advertising slogan for the Disney hotels. The city council will love that.