Disney's Grand Californian Hotel

This hotel is way overpriced and not worth it. Be aware - they recently took away the perk of early entry into the parks. The only thing you get is one free lightning pass, not even one per day, one total for your whole visit! Overall there is nothing special about the hotel and all of the mid level food is also way overpriced. The best thing is the location very close to the parks, but this is not worth the cost.

Booked the 3 bedroom suite. Party of 5. Overlooking DT disney, CA adventure. Pros, convenient location, food was fine, staff was friendly. Storyland restaurant was fun. Cons, two nights in a row middle of the night no running water in room. One morning no hot water in any of the showers. Slow drip leaks in every shower. Room service did not provide water in Pitcher or bottle, even when asked. Actually indicated we'd be charged for bottled water. Attention to detail was not quite there. Example, we had 5 people in the room. Ordered room service coffee, they brought two cups. Middle of night construction on DT disney noise from 11pm- 4AM. Sound proofing on room is poor. Management was understanding, removed a 1 night charge from our bill. Overall, it's fine, but for the price they're charging it's 5 star prices for a 3 star room and service.

Overrun, under serviced, under construction. The location is great, but that's about the best one can say about this poorly run hotel. The room was not properly reset or cleaned, this includes the alarm clock chained to the wall, still set to 530am from the previous occupant. Not that a family could possibly sleep well here. The hammering on the endless scaffolding outside most rooms also starts near sunrise. And good luck trying to get a meal at this poorly managed hotel. Wait times are north of 90 minutes as the hotel is not set up to serve the number of families who have been duped into booking here. Get it together Disney. Far better options elsewhere. Best to avoid.

Let me start with the positives...location to California Adventure is amazing. It was raining and it was so nice to dart from the park back to the hotel and then return later. It is a very pretty hotel and it was clean. Room service was great and a nice treat! Now for the eh moments...We did a split stay between here and the Pixar Place and so we took advantage of the luggage transfer. Well, our luggage was forgotten, lost or misplaced and was not picked up or delivered...not sure exactly what happened, but we called Bell Services and after a few different conversations and about an hour and a half, a nice gentleman figured it out and delivered it to our room. We stayed at Christmas time and a family member had a gift delivered, but we were never told. A day or two later, our family asked if we got the gift and so we called the desk and they found it and told us we could come get it (it was a fruit edible arrangement so timeliness was important). This was how our experience went most of the stay...staff seemed annoyed, not friendly and in general dismissive. I was surprised as we love Disney and have stayed at 14 different Disney resorts. For the price of the stay and the reputation of this being a top tier resort, I expected more. When it was raining, the other Disneyland resorts had towels set up at the entrances...Grand Californian did not. All in all, this was definitely not worth the price tag...I would gladly pay less money and have a better experience at the Pixar Place or better yet, without the perk of early entry...save money and stay outside of the Disney bubble and have a better experience at one of the partner hotels located nearby.

Over the years I have stayed at all 3 Disney properties and for sure this hotel is the best because of location and the gorgeous lobby. Disneyland hotel has better rooms (seem more high quality and more spacious with headboards that illuminate and play a song) But, even with that the location and refined beauty of the Grand will continue to bring me back. We had a partial Theme Park view and we were celebrating my cousin's bachelorette week from Thursday Feb 26 - March 1st. I did a half day at the pool which was pure perfection. Club sandwich and a mocktail to balance it all out. The hotel has a scent that I cannot get enough of - I think it's from the HVAC system and a proprietary scent. It's heavenly. I also noticed it at the Disneyland Hotel. The rooms themselves are basic but lovely with a super clean balcony to enjoy your morning coffee on. We could see the Goofy roller coaster and hear roars and laughter which was fun. Nightly turn down service was nice and staff even organized our bathroom sink area and rolled up our phone cords. Little touches like this was nice. Self parking was $45 per night and Valet option was $75 - steep so we opted for self park since we weren't leaving the hotel. My only complaint is that the rooms do not come with any bottled water so come prepared. Thankfully I suspected this and packed a bunch in my luggage. It was 95 degrees when we were there so hydration is essential. You can find a water station in the gym on site if need be. Over and over, if budget allows, I will continue to stay here. It is very expensive but again, if you can make it happen I say DO IT! Be sure to take time to smell the roses, enjoy the amenities like the pool and spa area and take a breather!