Disney goes luxurious
Written: Oct 03 '04 (Updated Oct 04 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, large & luxurious rooms, beautiful architecture, closest to parks
Cons: Too woodsy, not enough Disney
The Bottom Line: Great luxury hotel but don't feel like I am in Disney.
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| sierrra's Full Review: Disneys Grand Californian Anaheim |
We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite, concierge room at Grand Californian with great view of Downtown Disney and Parks at about $750/night. The cost was for both bedrooms and concierge service. They were large rooms, beautifully decorated, but we felt like we were in Yosemite, not Disneyland. The rooms were decorated in Craftsman style - lots of wood and natural colors. The bathroom toiletries were upgraded from usually Disney soaps and shampoos - they were the soaps and shampoos used in their spa onsite. The 2 bdrm suite was actually a spacious King 1 bedroom suite with large marble double sink bathroom and sitting area with a connecting standard room with 2 queen beds. The Grand Californian actually has balconies with tables and chairs. Since we had a two bedroom suite, we ended up with a wrap around balcony overlooking Downtown Disney. We spent a lot of time out there just people watching and viewing the fireworks for Disneyland! We would get a bottle of wine from the concierge lounge and some snacks and enjoy the view! We never had a problem with the noise from Downtown Disney - when we closed our doors at night, it was fine.
Concierge service is about $150 extra per day but since we had 5 people (3 adults and 2 kids) the concierge level was money well spent. Between breakfast, numerous bottles of water, sodas, and happy hour, we more than got our money's worth. We would stock up on 10 - 12 bottles of water and/or sodas - remember these are almost $3 a pop in the parks. At Happy Hour, we usually tipped the waiter (a few dollars) and he would bring us the entire bottle of wine and more if we needed it. And you could make a light dinner out of happy hour - which we did several times. Besides the standard cheese & crackers and veggies, they had finger sandwiches (PBJ for the kids) and enough hot appetizers to fill you up. And they also had fruit, chips and cookies all day long in addition to the drinks. One thing to note, this hotel comes with a stocked mini-bar - Do not touch anything - the items are on sensors and if you move them, they are added to your bill! You can ask for them to either remove it or lock it and bring you a mini fridge for your own stuff. The suite also has a coffee maker and microwave.
Concierge check-in was very easy - you go to the concierge floor instead of waiting in line and they check you in there. While I was checking in, everyone else can get snacks and drinks in the lounge. For check out, they slip the bill under your door the night before for express check out.
We were disappointed in some things: only two elevator locations and if you are not close, it is a very long walk, especially after a day in the park with kids (if you stay, request a room close to elevators); Staff does not have the "Disney" spirit - yes, we were there two weeks after 9/11 so maybe that was it or maybe they are not as well trained, but it sometimes took several people or phone calls to get reservations or information. Ease of entrance to parks was great going in - we took the stairs near our room and ended up right in front of the parks but getting back was another story. They lock all of the gates into the resort to make you walk halfway through Downtown Disney to come in hotel's main entrance. If you could use your room cardkey to access the gates, that would make staying there a bigger advantage.
Pool was fantastic (liked it better than pool at Disneyland hotel) - kids loved it and we really noticed the lifeguards keeping a close eye on all parts of the pool. The adults could sit at the pool and relax with drinks and watch our kids go down the slide, which they did over and over again!!
Restaurants - generally disappointing. Napa Rose was overrated and overpriced - nothing under $25 main entree. I had the salmon which was very bland, other adult had steak which was dry. The third adult actually ordered the kids meal chicken dinner which was the best of all the meals. The worst experience was Breakfast with Chip and Dale. We had reservations but still waited 15 minutes to be seated, no problem. The waitress kept insisting we should all order the buffet but we wanted to order a la carte - that must have made her angry because it took us almost 50 minutes to get our food. When it came, it was only the four cooked meals. The fifth order, which was cereal, took another 10 minutes - I had to get the manager involved! It was so bad that the manager finally comped our entire meal. The only characters at this breakfast were Chip and Dale. Don't waste your time here - go to Goofy's Kitchen or Breakfast with Minnie. The restaurants in Downtown Disney have a much bigger selection and better food.
Overall, while the Grand Californian is a beautiful hotel, you don't feel like you are actually at Disneyland. While some people may prefer this, we like the feeling of being in the "Magic Kingdom".
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sierrra
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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