Grand Californian Super Thread

[Lucille1963]

Yeah, the weather is super unpredictable. Last week of Jan/first week of Feb is our favorite time to visit. We have sweat in summer clothing and froze in winter gear. Anything above 60 is nice and warm and swimming weather for us, but our last week long trip it only got that high one day of the week.

 

[blossom64]

Yeah, the weather is super unpredictable. Last week of Jan/first week of Feb is our favorite time to visit. We have sweat in summer clothing and froze in winter gear. Anything above 60 is nice and warm and swimming weather for us, but our last week long trip it only got that high one day of the week.

I see your ticker includes hockey - we are also going to be at GCH that week and are going to see the Hawks play we got tix to Kings, Ducks & traveling north to see them play Sharks - which ones you going to?

 

[Lucille1963]

I see your ticker includes hockey - we are also going to be at GCH that week and are going to see the Hawks play we got tix to Kings, Ducks & traveling north to see them play Sharks - which ones you going to?

Good catch!! We are going to see our beloved Blackhawks play the Ducks on January 30 (my birthday!)
Will you be there?

 

[bhodonne]

Can anyone give me any insight on the 7 month booking window at the GC? We will be traveling November 12-17 and hope to get a 2 bedroom villa. Does this resort usually book up? Thank you!

 

[NJShoreDad]

Can anyone give me any insight on the 7 month booking window at the GC? We will be traveling November 12-17 and hope to get a 2 bedroom villa. Does this resort usually book up? Thank you!

I assume you mean the DVC 7 month window, correct?

It is only a sample size of one, but for this past Thanksgiving we had booked our home resort (BLT) at 11 months and then made the change to VGC at the 7 month window. Called exactly at the 7 month window and was able to get a 2BR villa no problem for Sat-Sat spanning Thanksgiving. Like I said, it is a very small sample size but it worked out fine for us.

 

[boiseflyfisher]

Can anyone give me any insight on the 7 month booking window at the GC? We will be traveling November 12-17 and hope to get a 2 bedroom villa. Does this resort usually book up? Thank you!

VGC only has 48 villas...23 dedicated 2brs, 23 lock off units(made up of a 1br and a studio) and 2 grand villas. Since it is a small DVC resort, it does book up quickly. Studios are most popular, then 2 br units. If you are wanting specific dates and are not flexible, I would suggest renting your points at your home resort, then rent points from a VGC owner either directly or through David's. If you are flexible, be ready to be online right when your window opens.

 

[Czardas]

Does anyone know the email address & who to contact at the Grand Californian, so I can let them know a delivery of Ice Hockey tickets will arrive prior to our stay?

I live in Australia and have ordered our tickets, but have found that they can be delivered upto 10 days before the event. We are also renting DVC points, so I hope this doesn't become an issue with guest names etc. Your help would really be appreciated as I am starting to panic about not getting the tickets.

 

[Lucille1963]

Does anyone know the email address & who to contact at the Grand Californian, so I can let them know a delivery of Ice Hockey tickets will arrive prior to our stay?

I live in Australia and have ordered our tickets, but have found that they can be delivered upto 10 days before the event. We are also renting DVC points, so I hope this doesn't become an issue with guest names etc. Your help would really be appreciated as I am starting to panic about not getting the tickets.

I am not sure who to contact about tickets, but I am curious about which game you are going to. We'll be at the Blackhawks/Ducks game on January 30.

 

[Nonsuch]

...I live in Australia and have ordered our tickets, but have found that they can be delivered upto 10 days before the event. We are also renting DVC points, so I hope this doesn't become an issue with guest names etc. Your help would really be appreciated as I am starting to panic about not getting the tickets.

I've bought tickets to NHL games in many cities (Chicago, Boston, NYC, Anaheim, LA) and try to buy from a seller that can provide electronic delivery. When this is not possible, will-call at the venue or ticket broker is usually an option. Shipping to a hotel seems problematic, so I have not tried it. Sorry, I could not be more helpful.

Staples Center (Kings) is an excellent venue, and worth the drive from DLR. Honda Center (Ducks) is not very good, although very close to DLR.
My opinion in the venues is not biased by my opinion of the teams -- as a Sharks fan I don't like the Ducks or Kings.

 

[ahale08]

Hello,

I've tried reading to find my answers but the thread is huge so sorry if this is a repeat.

We will be staying here for the first time next month. I know room requests are not guaranteed but wanted to know what I should ask for. I would love a room closest to the exit into Downtown Disney for easy access down to the esplanade since we will have an infant and young child I thought it would be best for less walking down long hallways and across the hotel. Second, are there any Downtown Disney view rooms that are easy to get to the exit into Downtown Disney?

Although, my first choice is shortest distance to the exit into Downtown Disney which is the fastest way to the esplanade, correct?

We are arriving on a Sunday afternoon so I thought I would call the day before to confirm our reservation and put in our room requests or do you think this should be done sooner?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Davids-Coco]

Can anyone give me any insight on the 7 month booking window at the GC? We will be traveling November 12-17 and hope to get a 2 bedroom villa. Does this resort usually book up? Thank you!

As of right now, your dates are still open for both a dedicated and lock off 2 bedroom. If you have flexibility in the type of 2 bed you want, you will have better luck. I would call RIGHT at 7 mo though or online at opening. That weekend is also the Avengers Half Marathon and runs usually bring larger crowds. That said, we will be there too, lol.

 

[Nonsuch]

...We will be staying here for the first time next month. I know room requests are not guaranteed but wanted to know what I should ask for. I would love a room closest to the exit into Downtown Disney for easy access down to the esplanade since we will have an infant and young child I thought it would be best for less walking down long hallways and across the hotel. Second, are there any Downtown Disney view rooms that are easy to get to the exit into Downtown Disney?

DTD is on the north side of GCH, some shops are located below guest rooms. DTD view rooms are on floors 3 to 5, shown in yellow.
The normal route into DTD is the route from the elevators shown in red.
The "short cut" route to DTD is to take the emergency stairs shown in blue, but not the best route with an infant and young child.

I request rooms near the elevators adjacent to Napa Rose, the route shown in green is convenient access to DCA.

 

[MommyJKM]

Does anyone know the email address & who to contact at the Grand Californian, so I can let them know a delivery of Ice Hockey tickets will arrive prior to our stay?

I live in Australia and have ordered our tickets, but have found that they can be delivered upto 10 days before the event. We are also renting DVC points, so I hope this doesn't become an issue with guest names etc. Your help would really be appreciated as I am starting to panic about not getting the tickets.

Call the concierge at GCH 1 (714) 635-2300 (use Skype if it's going to cost you a lot in long distance from Australia) and they will make a note for you and will probably accept the tickets for you. Concierge is actually at the hotel and I've always been pleased with their services.
We once had a candy basket delivery but it was for 2 days before we were arriving and the concierge signed for it and stored it for us after I made the phone call.

 

[ahale08]

DTD is on the north side of GCH, some shops are located below guest rooms. DTD view rooms are on floors 3 to 5, shown in yellow.
The normal route into DTD is the route from the elevators shown in red.
The "short cut" route to DTD is to take the emergency stairs shown in blue, but not the best route with an infant and young child.

I request rooms near the elevators adjacent to Napa Rose, the route shown in green is convenient access to DCA.

Thank you so much! This map is very helpful with the color lines as the other maps I was confused trying to figure out where everything is.

 

[MommyJKM]

DTD is on the north side of GCH, some shops are located below guest rooms. DTD view rooms are on floors 3 to 5, shown in yellow.
The normal route into DTD is the route from the elevators shown in red.
The "short cut" route to DTD is to take the emergency stairs shown in blue, but not the best route with an infant and young child.

I request rooms near the elevators adjacent to Napa Rose, the route shown in green is convenient access to DCA.

I need to three way call with Nonsuch when I make my DLR room reservations!!

 

[SMorgan711]

DTD is on the north side of GCH, some shops are located below guest rooms. DTD view rooms are on floors 3 to 5, shown in yellow.
The normal route into DTD is the route from the elevators shown in red.
The "short cut" route to DTD is to take the emergency stairs shown in blue, but not the best route with an infant and young child.

I request rooms near the elevators adjacent to Napa Rose, the route shown in green is convenient access to DCA.

Wow! Awesome map! I came here looking for room requests too. We'd like something close to the amenities for our first trip. Are all the restaurants near Napa Rose? It looks like this might be a good area for access to DTD and DCA but I was just wondering how close it is to the restaurants.

ETA: found the maps in the 1st post. Looks like all the restaurants are near there. Think I will do the room request near the elevators near Napa Rose! THANKS!

 

[yolie912]

Hello
Has anyone heard anything about when the refurb will start?

 

[helenb]

We're staying at a studio in the DVC villas, which we booked through David's. We made our request in advance, and David's booked at exactly 7 months for us. No problem, even though it is Easter weekend.

 

[adykate]

We are staying at GC for the first time this week. We have 3 adults and 2 young kids in the room, so we requested one of the rooms with 2 queen beds and a daybed. I was told the only rooms with that set up are on the Disneyland Drive side, farthest from the entry into California Adventure. Does anyone know if this is true? I just like to be as informed as possible when checking in so I can ask about a different location if desired.

 

[KalamityJane]

I believe that is correct, I think they are the ones over the entrance because the rooms are slightly bigger and can fit the daybed better.