Crazy Prices In Sept and Oct at the grand

[DizMe]

I have reservations for next week. I made them last month. Cost for a woods/courtyard room is $438.75/night plus tax. No special deal, just a less popular time post-holiday, I guess. The opening of MMRR shortened that time period this year.

I have to amend this--it is actually a magic key rate, I think. I would have gotten a standard room because I don't care about a view, but there weren't any.

 

[Huskerpaul]

I stayed at the Grand Cali for three nights using DVC points last August, so it wasn't too bad. We also stayed at the Best Western Park Place and believe it or not, my wife preferred it there over the Grand California. Too many non-guests constantly roaming around the hotel turned her off.

 

[DizMe]

I stayed at the Grand Cali for three nights using DVC points last August, so it wasn't too bad. We also stayed at the Best Western Park Place and believe it or not, my wife preferred it there over the Grand California. Too many non-guests constantly roaming around the hotel turned her off.

I can understand not liking it when there are too many people in the lobby, but I absolutely can't wrap my mind around preferring BWPPI. I mean, it's a fine motel, but if you mean regardless of price she would rather stay there than GCH...I really don't get it.

To each his/her own, though!

I didn't get the chance to stay on site until I was an adult in my 30s, and I've been going to DL since I was a baby. I've spent many a night in motels and have always enjoyed my stays, but I nearly always choose on site now because for me, there's no comparison as the hotel is a big part of my getaway. I'm not a young person intent on riding every ride, I'm not going with children, and I often meet up wit friends. I'm more about experience and ambiance these days.

 

[DizMe]

Also, I will add that once when I went to GCH, they put us in the DVC wing (we had a regular res, not DVC). I hated that room! It was a long walk, it was directly facing this horrid swinging light on Goofy's Sky School, and it was dark. So maybe the complaints about GCH are mostly coming from DVC people? I have to say I would not like to stay in a regular room in that wing again.

 

[tenneycjt]

Also, I will add that once when I went to GCH, they put us in the DVC wing (we had a regular res, not DVC). I hated that room! It was a long walk, it was directly facing this horrid swinging light on Goofy's Sky School, and it was dark. So maybe the complaints about GCH are mostly coming from DVC people? I have to say I would not like to stay in a regular room in that wing again.

thats why its worth it too me, with mom we didnt ride alot and just enjoyed the ambiance of being in disney, we spent alot of time in the room\, gone are teh days of going dawn to micnight at the parks/

 

[DLgal]

I am always amazed that they can GET people to pay those prices. Yes, it's a nice hotel. But this is a family destination and there are no perks with that price. In fact, there are ADDED costs (parking, resort fee, etc.) that make it out of reach for most ordinary humans.

It wasn't really THAT long ago when one could find a $250-300 rate there on an off-season.

They can get away with it because of supply and demand. There are simply enough people willing to pay up to stay at the hotel that is literally attached to one of the parks. The hotel has plenty of perks for guests.

I think a lot of people here tend to underestimate how many very well off people come to Disneyland. It hasn't been a bargain vacation for a LONG time. It's a premium experience and the rates reflect that.

It's like real estate. Location matters. Lennar (or any other national home builder) can build a house for $150,000 in the middle of nowhere and then build the same exact model in my city and charge $1.5 million dollars. And they do.

 

[DLgal]

Also, I will add that once when I went to GCH, they put us in the DVC wing (we had a regular res, not DVC). I hated that room! It was a long walk, it was directly facing this horrid swinging light on Goofy's Sky School, and it was dark. So maybe the complaints about GCH are mostly coming from DVC people? I have to say I would not like to stay in a regular room in that wing again.

The DVC units are awful as well. They look like a cheap campground cabin from the early 90s. They have never been remodeled. They sorely need an update.

 

[thenicefamily]

I think a lot of people here tend to underestimate how many very well off people come to Disneyland. It hasn't been a bargain vacation for a LONG time. It's a premium experience and the rates reflect that.

I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the well-off demographic but I just saw a post on a FB group where a family of three "had such a great time on our exclusive VIP tour today, we booked another for tomorrow!". Now that's a whole different league of well-off IMO.

 

[DLgal]

I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the well-off demographic but I just saw a post on a FB group where a family of three "had such a great time on our exclusive VIP tour today, we booked another for tomorrow!". Now that's a whole different league of well-off IMO.

Staying Club Level at the Grand Californian is an eye opener as well.

Last July, we got to hear about the family that took their private jet from Palm Springs to SNA and how the dad had to fly back the next morning "for a quick meeting" and would meet the rest of the family for dinner at Napa Rose. And then they said "oh, we still need to make that reservation...hold on, I'll call the chef.

I was like, "who ARE these people?"

 

[evilmommie]

Staying Club Level at the Grand Californian is an eye opener as well.

Last July, we got to hear about the family that took their private jet from Palm Springs to SNA and how the dad had to fly back the next morning "for a quick meeting" and would meet the rest of the family for dinner at Napa Rose. And then they said "oh, we still need to make that reservation...hold on, I'll call the chef.

I was like, "who ARE these people?"

Was it Andy Garcia? We’ve seen him and his family a few times at the Veranda. They love the DLR, especially around Halloweentime.

 

[DLgal]

Was it Andy Garcia? We’ve seen him and his family a few times at the Veranda. They love the DLR, especially around Halloweentime.

Definitely not. My husband would have recognized him. This was a young family.

 

[pineapplepalms]

Also, I will add that once when I went to GCH, they put us in the DVC wing (we had a regular res, not DVC). I hated that room! It was a long walk, it was directly facing this horrid swinging light on Goofy's Sky School, and it was dark. So maybe the complaints about GCH are mostly coming from DVC people? I have to say I would not like to stay in a regular room in that wing again.

The DVC units are awful as well. They look like a cheap campground cabin from the early 90s. They have never been remodeled. They sorely need an update.

We’re DVC members and stay there often. The rooms are definitely on the dated side, but we still love it there. They’re due for a full refurb in the next year or so and I’m looking forward to it. I hope they replace the sofabeds with the new Murphy style beds.

The entrance into DCA near Corn Dog Castle is so fast and convenient. I don’t find the walk to the other entrance or the esplanade that bad though. Some rooms can be on the darker side and I’ve heard complaints about those before. It’s definitely down to luck which view you get, and we’ve had a less than stellar view before. We typically stay in the 2BRs which are huge and have 3 bathrooms, full kitchen, and washer/dryer. It can be noisy if you get a Pixar Pier view, but the noise doesn’t bother our family and we absolutely love the view, so I still request it every time. Here was our view from our most recent stay. We watched WoC from our balcony a few times.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We are DVC and love it there as well. The rooms definitely need a refresh, but the location and layout can't be beat. We usually stay in a 1 bedroom and the two bathrooms are huge. I bought the first year it went on sale, and I can't believe the value I've gotten out of a timeshare. It's pretty nuts. Who would have thought it would save me so much money? We were getting 2 rooms at the time at the Grand, and they were in the $475 range so it made a ton of sense for us. Now, it's even more so.

 

[Huskerpaul]

We stayed on the DVC side last summer. The summer point chart has not been adjusted down like it has at the WDW resorts, so rooms are cost a lot of points. For example, our Studio room was 26 points. I'm booking a Boardwalk Studio for next New Year's eve and that night costs 28 points.

For a sense of cost. My 2022 BWV points cost me $15 each (Maintenance fees + purchase price). So our rooms were $390 per night. Way better than rack rate, but because I don't own a VGC contract I had to do a lot of daily checking for room availability to put a three night stay together.

 

[DizMe]

We’re DVC members and stay there often. The rooms are definitely on the dated side, but we still love it there. They’re due for a full refurb in the next year or so and I’m looking forward to it. I hope they replace the sofabeds with the new Murphy style beds.

The entrance into DCA near Corn Dog Castle is so fast and convenient. I don’t find the walk to the other entrance or the esplanade that bad though. Some rooms can be on the darker side and I’ve heard complaints about those before. It’s definitely down to luck which view you get, and we’ve had a less than stellar view before. We typically stay in the 2BRs which are huge and have 3 bathrooms, full kitchen, and washer/dryer. It can be noisy if you get a Pixar Pier view, but the noise doesn’t bother our family and we absolutely love the view, so I still request it every time. Here was our view from our most recent stay. We watched WoC from our balcony a few times.

We are DVC and love it there as well. The rooms definitely need a refresh, but the location and layout can't be beat. We usually stay in a 1 bedroom and the two bathrooms are huge. I bought the first year it went on sale, and I can't believe the value I've gotten out of a timeshare. It's pretty nuts. Who would have thought it would save me so much money? We were getting 2 rooms at the time at the Grand, and they were in the $475 range so it made a ton of sense for us. Now, it's even more so.

I'm sorry, I meant to say that the regular guest rooms in that wing are low on my list. I'm not a DVC member and the room we were assigned wasn't a DVC room, just a regular one. It would have been a whole different story if we'd had DVC amenities, but as it was, it was just a plain, dark room with a flashing light all night from the ride. Also, I just got back from a trip to DLR last night and noticed when we rode Goofy's that they've put up a barrier now between the ride and the hotel rooms so we must not have been the only ones who disliked that light.