Why is the Grand Californian so expensive?

[Walt Disney1955]

Okay, so I am hoping to take a trip in April to California. I am flirting with the idea of staying on site at Disneyland. For sure we would take 3 days in the parks but there are other things I want to see in SoCal so I plan on renting a car as well. But I figure it would be nice to get the whole Disney experience on the grounds since we have never stay on site in Orlando.

Anyway, I check the prices out for just my wife and I for (I said 9 days, with a 3 day hopper pass). Wham! We're talking about $5,500! How is it that expensive when I swear I have seen prices (and I assume these are discounts) for one of the resorts in WDW for $700 a person for 6 nights which includes the parks and the flight. Am I doing something wrong or is DL really that much more expensive?

 

[DisneyJoe]

The 3 Disney-owned resorts at Disneyland are priced similarly to WDW Deluxe Resorts. The Grand Californian is the most expensive, rack rates easily $300/night++.

 

[gardenia]

$700 for 6 nights - that would be at one of the value resorts, which are like Days Inn (IMO). The Grand Californian is a deluxe, which is like, well, DELUXE. You can't compare the two.

 

[christopherscob]

Another reason the prices are so high is that the occupancy rates for Disneyland hotels is often between 80% and 90% for most of the year. This means they have no need to discount rooms as they do in WDW and can easily charge $300 per night and still fill the hotels. I had the same reaction as you when we first went to Disneyland and we just stay offsite there are lots fo great value hotels in the area and because everthing is in one area I dont feel the same need to stay with Disney as i do in WDW.

 

[worldfanatic]

While in my opinion it's an absolute must to stay on property at Walt Disney World, that's not the case at the Disneyland Resort.

As a So Cal local, we go to the DLR all the time.
In fact, we just used DVC points to stay at the Grand Californian this weekend. It was AWESOME!

And while it's amazing to stay at the GC or the Disneyland Hotel, there are plenty of very close non-Disney hotels which are just fine.
(Don't even think about spending the extra money to stay at Disney's Paradise Pier - TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT)

The Howard Johnson and Anabella come right to mind. And even the Anaheim Hilton and Marriott offer great specials on occasion.
Check Kayak.

You can always still visit the DL and GC hotels for dinner or drinks, and soak up the atmosphere.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Of course, you could debate whether any hotel is "worth" its rack rates, but I definitely understand why the Grand Californian is so expensive: it is a deluxe hotel, and the location is unsurpassed, even when compared to the MK monorail resorts. It is literally in/next to DCA and about as far from the DL gates as the bus stops are from MK. Not to mention it is also in/next to their DtD. Location, location, location.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

While in my opinion it's an absolute must to stay on property at Walt Disney World, that's not the case at the Disneyland Resort.

As a So Cal local, we go to the DLR all the time.
In fact, we just used DVC points to stay at the Grand Californian this weekend. It was AWESOME!

And while it's amazing to stay at the GC or the Disneyland Hotel, there are plenty of very close non-Disney hotels which are just fine.
(Don't even think about spending the extra money to stay at Disney's Paradise Pier - TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT)

The Howard Johnson and Anabella come right to mind. And even the Anaheim Hilton and Marriott offer great specials on occasion.
Check Kayak.

You can always still visit the DL and GC hotels for dinner or drinks, and soak up the atmosphere.

Yeah that just might be what we'll have to do. I have heard that the Howard Johnson is a great location for Disneyland guests. Nothing against HoJo, but I have never stayed on site ever in WDW and I would like to just try it once and see how I like it. However, those prices for the Californian are unreal and even the cheapest resort at DL is about the price I am hoping to pay for the trip alone.

Put it this way, when we went to WDW in 2009 we went for 2 weeks. I got a little bit of a discount staying at my parents time share two miles down the road from WDW, but with the flight, the rental car, the gas, the meals and all the parks (4 WDW, 2 Universal, Sea World, even Gatorland) the whole trip came to about $3000. So I am thinking about that much for California next year, or planning it at least since it might be more like 9-10 days.

So bottom line is that its not worth it at Disneyland to stay on site? Since you can chill at DTD and such. DL is only part of what we'll be doing down there

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Yeah that just might be what we'll have to do. I have heard that the Howard Johnson is a great location for Disneyland guests. Nothing against HoJo, but I have never stayed on site ever in WDW and I would like to just try it once and see how I like it. However, those prices for the Californian are unreal and even the cheapest resort at DL is about the price I am hoping to pay for the trip alone.

Put it this way, when we went to WDW in 2009 we went for 2 weeks. I got a little bit of a discount staying at my parents time share two miles down the road from WDW, but with the flight, the rental car, the gas, the meals and all the parks (4 WDW, 2 Universal, Sea World, even Gatorland) the whole trip came to about $3000. So I am thinking about that much for California next year, or planning it at least since it might be more like 9-10 days.

So bottom line is that its not worth it at Disneyland to stay on site? Since you can chill at DTD and such. DL is only part of what we'll be doing down there

My opinion is that it's not worth it to stay onsite at DL. At WDW, staying on site is a whole different deal, because staying off site generally means you're far away from the parks and all. At Disneyland, if you do your homework, you can stay off site and in some cases, have even a SHORTER walk to the parks than staying onsite! Plus, staying onsite at WDW you take yourself out of the "real world" for your whole stay. That's really not possible at DL. Even if you stay on site, the outside world creeps in.

We stayed at the HOJO on the last trip. It was fine. Nothing special. RIGHT next to the highway. We like white noise when we sleep, so we didn't mind it. But I could see how it could bug others potentially.

The big key is to understand that a LOT of hotels will say they're right next to the parks, or less than a block away, or whatever. It's misleading. They might be right next to the park, but they might be completely on the other SIDE of the park, like behind Fantasyland. So you've got to walk all the way AROUND the park just to get to the front gate. Which you wouldn't want to do. The only hotels you should be looking at if you want to be walking distance and off-site, are the ones directly between the two parks on the east side. That's where the closest walking access point is. There's a handful of places there, a few of which rank fairly high on tripadvisor.

 

[Blueliner]

My opinion is that it's not worth it to stay onsite at DL. At WDW, staying on site is a whole different deal, because staying off site generally means you're far away from the parks and all. At Disneyland, if you do your homework, you can stay off site and in some cases, have even a SHORTER walk to the parks than staying onsite! Plus, staying onsite at WDW you take yourself out of the "real world" for your whole stay. That's really not possible at DL. Even if you stay on site, the outside world creeps in.

We stayed at the HOJO on the last trip. It was fine. Nothing special. RIGHT next to the highway. We like white noise when we sleep, so we didn't mind it. But I could see how it could bug others potentially.

The big key is to understand that a LOT of hotels will say they're right next to the parks, or less than a block away, or whatever. It's misleading. They might be right next to the park, but they might be completely on the other SIDE of the park, like behind Fantasyland. So you've got to walk all the way AROUND the park just to get to the front gate. Which you wouldn't want to do. The only hotels you should be looking at if you want to be walking distance and off-site, are the ones directly between the two parks on the east side. That's where the closest walking access point is. There's a handful of places there, a few of which rank fairly high on tripadvisor.

We stayed at the HOJO as well. I thought it was a good deal. In my opinion, however, it still would be possible to "take yourself out of the real world" at DLR if you stay on property. We did not like the short "real world" walk down Harbor, but once we stepped onto the Esplanade, we felt like we were just as immersed as at WDW. I would imagine that the Grand Californian would provide the ultimate immersive experience, with its proximity to both parks and the Dowtown Disney area. I think it just comes down to an individual evaluation as to how much that immersion is worth. We're hoping to use DVC points at a Grand Californian 2BR in a little over a year, and I can't wait.

 

[steve2wdw]

In September of 2010, we stayed in the DVC units of the Grand Californian and it was awesome! Since we used our points, it was a no-brainer, but paying cash, on the other hand, would be a bit much. If you're really going to use the hotel, and I mean use the hotel, it might be worth it to splurge, but the deluxe rates at all Disney properties have really skyrocketed. I remember being able to get a stockholder rate at the Poly for $89 a night in 1992. Those were the days! I recently found a hotel receipt from our very first trip to WDW in 1973. We stayed at the Contemporary for just $44 a night.

Just realized this was post 600 for me. Reminds me of watching an odometer turn over.

 

[aeillill]

I recently found a hotel receipt from our very first trip to WDW in 1973. We stayed at the Contemporary for just $44 a night.
.

I had a conversation with my mom recently about when she went to WDW back in the 70's and where they stayed. She told me that they had to stay off property because the resorts - which were just Poly, Contemporary & Ft. Wilderness - were too expensive...they were about $50 a night

 

[worldfanatic]

So bottom line is that its not worth it at Disneyland to stay on site? Since you can chill at DTD and such. DL is only part of what we'll be doing down there

I would imagine that the Grand Californian would provide the ultimate immersive experience, with its proximity to both parks and the Dowtown Disney area. I think it just comes down to an individual evaluation as to how much that immersion is worth.

It simply comes down to " Are you willing to shell out that kind of cash?"

Blueliner's correct in assuming that the Grand Cal is the ultimate immersive experience. It is, without a doubt.

I've stayed at ten WDW resorts including 4 Deluxes and 3 Moderates.
The Grand Californian beats them all.
If you want Disney's best.....................there it is.

Unfortunately, they know it, and make you pay for that privlege.

You'll have a great trip either way, let us know what you decide.:wave:

 

[captainkidd]

The Grand Californian looks a lot like the Wilderness Lodge to me. We decided on the Disneyland Hotel. Rooms are larger and they've all been recently re-done. They're beautifully themed to Disneyland (at least judging by the pics.)

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Also at the Disneyland hotel your room as these type of touches well worth $100's per night. :lookaroun

Spoiler alert: Do not watch if you plan to stay there and wish to be surprised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHBMea0mcRc

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

It's impossible to compare to WDW when they have like 20 on-site hotels in categories like Deluxe, Moderate, and Value and DLR only has 3.

I don't want to imagine the prices of WDW hotels if they only had Grand Floridian, Poly, and Contemporary.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

So doing a little research I found that the Howard Johnson right across the street is a place no one says anything bad about. Put it this way, we plan on spending over a week there, maybe 9-10 days. Disneyland is part of the reason, and we would take a day at Universal too which is close by. But we'd also do some tourist things, see the beaches, see Hollywood, etc.

The question is, would the HOJO be an ideal place to spend 9 days and is it a good location not only close to Disney but within reach of other places?

 

[DisneyDadof5]

I'm planning a trip to Disneyland as well and found the GC way pricey for 6 people. Does anyone have any hotel suggestions about where I could put a party of 6?

Would love to get some stuff in the works to give the family something to look forward to.