Grand Californian Super Thread

[crystal1313]

Has anyone experienced any cleanliness issues in the rooms lately?

 

[kikismom]

So wait...you had to stand in line for an hour and a half to get in for early entry?

I was wondering this too. That seems crazy.

 

[tink89]

So wait...you had to stand in line for an hour and a half to get in for early entry?

I was wondering this too. That seems crazy.

Not OP but did stay at GCH recently during EE. I do think OP meant 7:30. not 8:30. We got in line at 7 am each day and at around 7:20/30 they start letting everyone in. If you have EE you show your key once inside by rope drop and are let through.

 

[evilmommie]

I just returned from our DLR trip staying at GC, I'm pretty certain our next trip will be back to DLR and not WDW (we are a 4-time WDW visitor), even though our stay at GC cost a bit more than any trip we had at WDW (2 deluxe stays). For any first time visitors coming soon, you are in for a treat. Here are a few of our highlights and I'm hoping to give some insight a few of the hot topics I've seen in the chats of late.

Early Entry -- This is an amazing benefit to staying at GC. We took advantage of it all 5 park days we had and no matter what you are looking for (paid LL attractions or volume of rides), it can work if you are willing to get downstairs a little early to the DCA or Downtown Disney exits for security. Best option was the DD exit as being at the front gates of DCA and DL are preferred for Early Entry, unless you are looking for Pixar Pier attractions or Soarin. If you have an early riser in the family, have that person get down to security by 630am and you'll be fine. The rest of the group can trickle down sometime before 7am, but make sure they all get to you by 6:55am b/c the line starts getting screened right at 7. Once you get in, you'll be able to walk to the front gates and get a spot right at the front of one of the entrances. We were first in line each day at the gates.

• DL Early Entry- you can ride each ride at Tomorrowland or Fantasyland if you want. Prioritize going to Space Mountain or Peter Pan first and then knock out the rest of the rides. You will have no problem riding all of the rides before 8am. If you want to do Rise, get to the gate to Frontier/Galaxy by 745-750am and fast walk to Rise and you'll be there with minimal wait.
  • 8/14/22 we did PP, Alice, Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, then lined up at the gates to Frontierland and Galaxy's edge (in front of Red Rose). They open the gate once the "welcome to DL announcement" happens and rode BTMRR, Indiana Jones, Pirates and then went to Space Mountain, Buzz and Star Tours without LLs before any waits.
  • 8/17/22 we went to Space Mtn, then went to Fantasyland to line up at the gate to Galaxy edge/Frontierland. We were close to the front of the line and ended up running a bit to start and then fast walked and were the first people on Rise. We then did Smugglers, BTMRR, Indy, Pirates, Star Tours and then did a Genie + for Space. It was about 10:15 at this point.
  • 8/19/22 we went on PP, Snow White and then lined up at the gate for Frontier/Galaxy. We were again on the first ride for Rise and then hit all of the big park rides until 1030 with minimal to no waits. Space MTN again we used our Genie+.
• DCA Early Entry
  • 8/15/22 we went to the DCA entrance from GC and they started security at 7am and everyone was able to get in early. We headed towards pixar pier, then cut over to AC to ride Web Slingers and Guardians and walked on both. My girls wanted to split off and ride incredicoaster, Toy Story and a bunch of other rides. My son and I sprinted from Guardians and got in line at RSR and ended up with a 25 minute wait. Once done there, we grabbed breakfast at Pixar Pier, did Incredicoaster and Soarin. Crowds started picking up around 1030am and we went back to the hotel to relax/pool.
  • 8/18/22 we went to downtown disney exit of GC, and were first in line at DCA. We were the first 4 people on GOTG. When done, we walked (not fast-walked) to RSR and about 20-30 people were at the rope near RSR. They dropped the rope around 750 and let everyone queue up. There was a temp closure when at 8am and eventually it came up and we were about a 5 minute wait.

Overall, whatever is a priority to you, you can get done. For us, RSR and Rise were priorities and we were able to get on both rides 2x. Both are prone to breakdowns, so that is a concern, but if you really want to ride them, you can get there easily, b/c the rope drop people have no chance to get ahead of you.

GC Pool The pool at GC is amazing whether you want to get a ton of sun, or sit and relax with a drink/food in the shade. We went pretty much each day of our trip (Aug 13-19) and didn't have issues finding seats before 2pm. After 2pm, or more closer to 4pm, it starts getting really lively and it can be more competitive to find spots. They are relatively good at screening out people who aren't staying at the GC. The live music at the pool is super underrated. We loved the scene there and a server will come around and take your drink/food orders all day, which is convenient.

Genie+ a great value if park hopping, b/c you can bounce between parks all day and use all of the rides available. If you are doing early entry at one park, once the crowds build, you can start using some LL's at that park, then take a break and do LL's for the afternoon/evening at both/either park. If you aren't super budget conscious, its worth doing. There were a few days I added it for my wife who came in the park at 2pm (was working during the day) and she got on 3-4 rides and to me it was worth it, even for a few rides with the waits.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• Food stuff - Beignets & Mint Juleps are insanely good, both original variety and passionfruit (seasonal option). Drinks at Pym's are super fun, the X-periment and Honey Buzz are great. Lunch menu at Lamplight Lounge was a disappointment, should have booked a dinner instead). Storytellers cafe character breakfast was amazing, worth every penny both food wise, service, atmosphere and characters (Aug 16th). We LOVED the Taro cold brew at Docking Bay7. At GC, hearthstone and Craftsmen were great, the impossible sausage pizza was a huge hit. Best value by far was Napolini Pizza which is right at the Downtown Disney exit of GC. Great prepared salads and delicious pizzas, very reasonable. We ended up going there a few times to bring back to the hotel. Trader Sams is a must do if you get a reservation, it was so much fun.
• Ride takes Indiana Jones, GOTG were highlights for our family. (Dinosaur and TOT don't compare in my opinion to either sister-ride). Small world, Pirates and BTMRR all are much better in DL, BTMRR is amazing at night and in the back row. Mr Toad's ride is a real trip, one of our favorites. Space Mountain with the background music I felt was more fun than the WDW version. RSR and Rise are worth paying $ or rope dropping with Early Entry, truly unbelievable experiences.

Best recap in a long time! Thank you.

 

[kikismom]

When you order food poolside is it from Craftsman or Hearthstone or somewhere else? We are going to have lunch at the pool one of our days and I was curious about the menu.

 

[DLgal]

When you order food poolside is it from Craftsman or Hearthstone or somewhere else? We are going to have lunch at the pool one of our days and I was curious about the menu.

It comes from Craftsman Grill.

 

[DLgal]

Has anyone experienced any cleanliness issues in the rooms lately?

We stayed in 2 different rooms in July. The first one could have used a vacuum. The second one was spotless. The first one was a Club Level room on the 6th floor. The second was on the 4th floor, non CL.

 

[twodogs]

Is daily housekeeping now back to “standard” for all rooms or do you have to request it still?

 

[DLgal]

Is daily housekeeping now back to “standard” for all rooms or do you have to request it still?

We didn't get it on our non club level 2 night stay.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

So wait...you had to stand in line for an hour and a half to get in for early entry?

Typo, 7:30 not 8:30

 

[Jack_Burton]

I just returned from our DLR trip staying at GC, I'm pretty certain our next trip will be back to DLR and not WDW (we are a 4-time WDW visitor), even though our stay at GC cost a bit more than any trip we had at WDW (2 deluxe stays). For any first time visitors coming soon, you are in for a treat. Here are a few of our highlights and I'm hoping to give some insight a few of the hot topics I've seen in the chats of late.

Early Entry -- This is an amazing benefit to staying at GC. We took advantage of it all 5 park days we had and no matter what you are looking for (paid LL attractions or volume of rides), it can work if you are willing to get downstairs a little early to the DCA or Downtown Disney exits for security. Best option was the DD exit as being at the front gates of DCA and DL are preferred for Early Entry, unless you are looking for Pixar Pier attractions or Soarin. If you have an early riser in the family, have that person get down to security by 630am and you'll be fine. The rest of the group can trickle down sometime before 7am, but make sure they all get to you by 6:55am b/c the line starts getting screened right at 7. Once you get in, you'll be able to walk to the front gates and get a spot right at the front of one of the entrances. We were first in line each day at the gates.

• DL Early Entry- you can ride each ride at Tomorrowland or Fantasyland if you want. Prioritize going to Space Mountain or Peter Pan first and then knock out the rest of the rides. You will have no problem riding all of the rides before 8am. If you want to do Rise, get to the gate to Frontier/Galaxy by 745-750am and fast walk to Rise and you'll be there with minimal wait.
  • 8/14/22 we did PP, Alice, Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, then lined up at the gates to Frontierland and Galaxy's edge (in front of Red Rose). They open the gate once the "welcome to DL announcement" happens and rode BTMRR, Indiana Jones, Pirates and then went to Space Mountain, Buzz and Star Tours without LLs before any waits.
  • 8/17/22 we went to Space Mtn, then went to Fantasyland to line up at the gate to Galaxy edge/Frontierland. We were close to the front of the line and ended up running a bit to start and then fast walked and were the first people on Rise. We then did Smugglers, BTMRR, Indy, Pirates, Star Tours and then did a Genie + for Space. It was about 10:15 at this point.
  • 8/19/22 we went on PP, Snow White and then lined up at the gate for Frontier/Galaxy. We were again on the first ride for Rise and then hit all of the big park rides until 1030 with minimal to no waits. Space MTN again we used our Genie+.
• DCA Early Entry
  • 8/15/22 we went to the DCA entrance from GC and they started security at 7am and everyone was able to get in early. We headed towards pixar pier, then cut over to AC to ride Web Slingers and Guardians and walked on both. My girls wanted to split off and ride incredicoaster, Toy Story and a bunch of other rides. My son and I sprinted from Guardians and got in line at RSR and ended up with a 25 minute wait. Once done there, we grabbed breakfast at Pixar Pier, did Incredicoaster and Soarin. Crowds started picking up around 1030am and we went back to the hotel to relax/pool.
  • 8/18/22 we went to downtown disney exit of GC, and were first in line at DCA. We were the first 4 people on GOTG. When done, we walked (not fast-walked) to RSR and about 20-30 people were at the rope near RSR. They dropped the rope around 750 and let everyone queue up. There was a temp closure when at 8am and eventually it came up and we were about a 5 minute wait.

Overall, whatever is a priority to you, you can get done. For us, RSR and Rise were priorities and we were able to get on both rides 2x. Both are prone to breakdowns, so that is a concern, but if you really want to ride them, you can get there easily, b/c the rope drop people have no chance to get ahead of you.

GC Pool The pool at GC is amazing whether you want to get a ton of sun, or sit and relax with a drink/food in the shade. We went pretty much each day of our trip (Aug 13-19) and didn't have issues finding seats before 2pm. After 2pm, or more closer to 4pm, it starts getting really lively and it can be more competitive to find spots. They are relatively good at screening out people who aren't staying at the GC. The live music at the pool is super underrated. We loved the scene there and a server will come around and take your drink/food orders all day, which is convenient.

Genie+ a great value if park hopping, b/c you can bounce between parks all day and use all of the rides available. If you are doing early entry at one park, once the crowds build, you can start using some LL's at that park, then take a break and do LL's for the afternoon/evening at both/either park. If you aren't super budget conscious, its worth doing. There were a few days I added it for my wife who came in the park at 2pm (was working during the day) and she got on 3-4 rides and to me it was worth it, even for a few rides with the waits.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• Food stuff - Beignets & Mint Juleps are insanely good, both original variety and passionfruit (seasonal option). Drinks at Pym's are super fun, the X-periment and Honey Buzz are great. Lunch menu at Lamplight Lounge was a disappointment, should have booked a dinner instead). Storytellers cafe character breakfast was amazing, worth every penny both food wise, service, atmosphere and characters (Aug 16th). We LOVED the Taro cold brew at Docking Bay7. At GC, hearthstone and Craftsmen were great, the impossible sausage pizza was a huge hit. Best value by far was Napolini Pizza which is right at the Downtown Disney exit of GC. Great prepared salads and delicious pizzas, very reasonable. We ended up going there a few times to bring back to the hotel. Trader Sams is a must do if you get a reservation, it was so much fun.
• Ride takes Indiana Jones, GOTG were highlights for our family. (Dinosaur and TOT don't compare in my opinion to either sister-ride). Small world, Pirates and BTMRR all are much better in DL, BTMRR is amazing at night and in the back row. Mr Toad's ride is a real trip, one of our favorites. Space Mountfin with the background music I felt was more fun than the WDW version. RSR and Rise are worth paying $ or rope dropping with Early Entry, truly unbelievable experiences.

Moved post to other board, thanks for the heads up guys!

 

[bpx2]

Is daily housekeeping now back to “standard” for all rooms or do you have to request it still?

We’ve had normal daily housekeeping without asking for our past two stays.

 

[Malcon10t]

We've been getting daily housekeeping without request since just before Christmas.

 

[Disney0010]

We have yet to have any type housecleaning at GCH since the reopening. Last year at WDW, we stayed five nights at the Riviera and had housekeeping twice. Each time they emptied the trash and swapped out bath towels. That was it.

 

[finchy3]

We recently stayed 14 nights and had a full room clean on day's 4,8 and 12, we received no daily towel and trash in-between

 

[Jack_Burton]

Is it a fairly short walk from GE back to GC? On the map it looks like half a mile at most. I think my kids scheduled a droid building before lunch and the plan was to take the droids back to the room after and grab lunch. I'm assuming carrying them around on rides isn't fun.

 

[DLgal]

Is it a fairly short walk from GE back to GC? On the map it looks like half a mile at most. I think my kids scheduled a droid building before lunch and the plan was to take the droids back to the room after and grab lunch. I'm assuming carrying them around on rides isn't fun.

You can get a locker on Main Street for $10.

It's about a 15 minute walk back to GCH from GE.

 

[drmoore1976]

Is it a fairly short walk from GE back to GC? On the map it looks like half a mile at most. I think my kids scheduled a droid building before lunch and the plan was to take the droids back to the room after and grab lunch. I'm assuming carrying them around on rides isn't fun.

It is. We did it 2 days late morning to head back to the pool. Galaxy's edge back to GC, I would say 10 mins. Its honestly unreal how quick it is to get from the very back of DL park to the exit. I'm saying 10 mins to the DD entrance for GC, it may take a few mins back to where your room is. My son got a droid in the morning one day and it was not something you want to be hauling around in the park. He enjoyed letting it roam on the ground a bit and use the remote control, but i would plan on a quick trip back to the hotel to drop it off.

 

[drmoore1976]

Is daily housekeeping now back to “standard” for all rooms or do you have to request it still?

We had cleaning daily. One day we were in our room midday on a park break and let the staff know we just needed H20 and towels and i brought the trash cans out to empty, but they were there daily to clean like normal. They did a great job for us.

 

[drmoore1976]

We just returned from the Grand as well. Stayed in room 3210, very close to the elevator, great pool view. We only made two early entries out of a possible 4 on our trip. Tips above from drmoore1976 are great! We were a bit shocked at the line for Disneyland in the morning, but it went fast. Got down right at 7 am, made the early entry by 8:30. For our DCA morning, we are big Guardian fans. Walk directly to it and rode 5 times in a row before opening

Great call about how shocking the line is when you first see it at either DCA entrance or the exit to Downtown Disney (for Front Gates of DCA/DL). If someone in your party can get down 30 mins early, you'll be in the first 20 groups to get through security, but even if you get closer to 7am, security moves fast and you'll still get a good spot in line at either park gates. Key thing is, when you see a HUGE line for security, don't freak out, it moves fast and you'll still be fine for Early Entry. They tended to let you into the park a few mins early and usually they pre-scan the first 10 people or so in line so they can just fly through the turnstyles.