Hotel Assistance

[Gauchograd99]

I am in need of some assistance here so please ANYONE who has stayed at the 3 "Resort" hotels please chime in. I am setting up a very special weekend for my girlfriend and need to know which hotel is the best in your estimation in regards to space, a good bathroom (not the Motel 6 shower type I hope) with the goods to pamper her, and an overall happiness. I have read all the reviews and spoken to people on the reservation line, but they push the Grand Californian as it is the biggest money maker. Is it worth the money or is the good old fashioned Disneyland Hotel the best of the bunch as the reader reviews seem to say. PLEASE post something here for me to take into account. Thanks everyone!

[Disney Nick]

Originally posted by Gauchograd99
I am in need of some assistance here so please ANYONE who has stayed at the 3 "Resort" hotels please chime in. I am setting up a very special weekend for my girlfriend and need to know which hotel is the best in your estimation in regards to space, a good bathroom (not the Motel 6 shower type I hope) with the goods to pamper her, and an overall happiness. I have read all the reviews and spoken to people on the reservation line, but they push the Grand Californian as it is the biggest money maker. Is it worth the money or is the good old fashioned Disneyland Hotel the best of the bunch as the reader reviews seem to say. PLEASE post something here for me to take into account. Thanks everyone!

Weekend with your g/f..... Grand Californian all the way. Not even a question about it.

[MouseWife]

We have stayed at the Paradise Pier and the G.C. The Paradise Pier is wonderful~ for families and anyone else, really. Very nice, like a Hilton, as someone else has compared it before.

But the Grand Californian?! Ooo, It is sooooo nice!! I would love to see a room with only one king-sized bed. The rooms are lovely, not huge or Ritz-Carlton type but very comfy. The lobby is a great place to sit and have a drink, hot chocolate comes to my mind.

You can walk over to Downtown Disney much easier and that is nice, too.

Just make sure, as I was told but they didn't give me, a room near the elevator. Luckily our room was near the stairs so when we wanted to leave, we would use them. But, coming back in was a little hard at the end of the day.

Just make sure you get the best rate. Check around with any type of discount you have available to you. And, once you make your reservation, even Disney can change them if it gets better. Ask for their very best rate.

Have fun!

[tredla]

Both DLH and PPH have slightly larger rooms not counting suiets. The real truth is there are three hotels for three differnt kinds of people. Will start with PPH the hotel is for those who wish to be close to the parks but want to be away from the crowd it is less expensive then the others with nice quality and is a place many people who travel for there work prefer to stay the food served is largly japanies in style I cant coment on how good it is as i dislike the style of food altogether. The roof top pool and spa add to the soclution of this hotel along with a privite intrance to DCA.

Next DLH a place for children or the child in all of us the newly remodeled neverland pool is a child's paradice complete with the crockedile. the rooms are a definite step ar three above motel 6 and the park view is said to be breathtaking. Be ready for chidren to be runing up and down your halls and maybee some cranky ones stayng next door that had a longer then usual day in the park. the DLH is magical if thats the kind of magic your looking for. The DLH has food tastes for anyone from goofy's kitchen to hooks point and beyoned the food hear is great and theres plenty of it to.

Finaly GCH the hotel is beutiful to look at and you pay for it to. while butiful the rooms are unusualy small for the cost. Deppending on ware you stay noise may bother you to a mild extent, rooms faceing down town disney tend to get a little more noise then some gests prefer late into the evening although by keeping both your door and windows closed the sound is greatly reduced. the food is said to be the best disney has to offer. Many people enjoy this hotel although for me its over priced for what you get. The GCH also has its very own intrance into DCA if eligance is what your after this is the place.

[Gauchograd99]

For anyone who has stayed at the hotels: Are the bathrooms a shower/bath combo or is there a nice sized tub? I know there are no rooms with an in-room hot tub or large bath but something larger than the 1 foot wide bathtub would be preferred. I am looking at all 3 from the standpoint of getting the best overall room for the dollar... and a nice sized tub to relax in would help me out greatly (besides the spas in the hotels).
Also, I looked at the floorplan and then the room 360 view and they tend to be the exact opposites. Maybe the floorplan is one room option and the 360 view is another, but it really looks cramped in there. Any thoughts?

Nmorleles: You wouldn't happen to be a regular at Rod's piano on the weekends would you?

[MouseWife]

Originally posted by Gauchograd99
Maybe the floorplan is one room option and the 360 view is another, but it really looks cramped in there. Any thoughts?

Ah, the rooms are sort of short. I think that is why they don't offer roll-aways {at the G.C.}. But, if you get a room with only a king bed, then, you should be alright.

The tub, sorry. Can you ask someone? Or can you go in and check out the rooms? Since you live so close, maybe you could go in and view the rooms.

[Gauchograd99]

<<Ah, the rooms are sort of short. I think that is why they don't offer roll-aways {at the G.C.}. But, if you get a room with only a king bed, then, you should be alright.

The tub, sorry. Can you ask someone? Or can you go in and check out the rooms? Since you live so close, maybe you could go in and view the rooms.>>

Here is where I might have an issue with the G.C. Hotel... when I went over there to ask them in person about the rooms they simply handed me the number to call for reservations. Needless to say I was not thrilled with that treatment and let the reservationist know when I spoke to her that this was their response instead of answering a couple questions. Needless to say the Disney love is not to be found with some staffers (as we all know). I would have spoken to the manager, but what does that do in the way of good? They usually care even less. It is amazing what people act like when you show up in street clothes (wearing my UCSB warm-up top over a Disney t-shirt and shorts) compared to if I had gone in dressed up... I wonder... maybe I will test that.

Anyway, any bathroom info would be appreciated as I am big on a nice bathroom setup and nice bed (which I seem to get a consensus there is) when someone wants 300 of my dollars per night for a room.

[Not Afraid]

Our room at the GC had a plain ole' tub, nothing spectacular. Certainly not built for two

[MouseWife]

Okay, you hit the preverbial nail on the head.

I have only stayed there once. I have given my complaint before, but, since yours sounds similar to mine......

I went in the night before the Super Soap weekend. I only wanted to ask questions, and, to ask if I could pre-register, I wanted information. {On the soap site I found that times were changing daily and I wanted to right information.}

The female clerk was trying to be helpful. As she was trying to help me this male clerk {older, balding, actually looked rather uptight} totally frowning said No, we can't help you. He totally pooh-poohed what I was asking. I told him that I didn't expect to check into the hotel until the next day and that I knew that early check in is only upon availablity {that is what I asked her, if it seemed very croweded and what time I might be able to get a room.} But his attitude was so very very very very rude. I was definitely offended.

I was dressed totally casual, we were running out to pick up dinner at Jacks' and decided to run in and ask the questions. Yes, the hotel was totally done up with some sort of party going on, I was definitely under dressed. But, not in the lobby. That totally upset me.

The next day was fine.

And~ luckily I didn't just give up. I went totally early to the park. It did open up at 8 instead of ten. And, the guests who had booked two nights there {I stayed at a cheaper place one night} weren't informed that the park opened earlier.

I guess what I am saying is leave those rude people {moderators won't let me say what I really would like to} and enjoy your time.

I would insist that someone show you a room. Heck, haven't hotels always had the option of previewing a room?

Grrr. Again, some people are so unimportant in real life they have to come across as some big shot on the job. I really wanted to give that guy a piece of my mind about guest relations.

[rexfarms]

Have a good time with your girl! Can I go into a Hotel and ask to see a room?

[roberts1398]

Has she been to DLR before? That might make a difference. We always stayed at DLH when I was a child, so I have tremendous emotional attachment to it, and if it was me, I'd prefer to stay there over almost anywhere in the world (ok, well, maybe Paris...).

If, however, she hasn't been there before and has no attachment, from what I hear, I'd say go with the DTD view in GC, with concierge service.

But don't just stick with the first price you get. Ask about their "best possible rate" (magic words that make them check), and call back a few times to see if you get a different price (I hear that happens regularly). And if concierge isn't THAT important to you, you may want to wait to see if you can upgrade at check-in (I hear you can get good rates at it that way). Also ask about what the AP and Disney Club rates are, as it may be cheaper for you to get an AP/Disney Club with the hotel savings...

Don't forget to check Expedia and Travelocity too. I hear that if you make your ressies and start checking 2-ish weeks ahead, you can often find steals on unsold rooms. Wouldn't be concierge, and you wouldn't be able to specify view (I don't think), but if you were able to save $100 a night, it'd buy a lot of champagne and bubble bath, lol!

I'd also try dressing up and going to check it out ahead of time. It's the pits that that kind of financial/social discrimination occurs, but it's reality. And it sounds like this is VERY important to you, so ignore the rudeness and do what you gotta do...

My not so humble opinion!

[tjrj]

You want romantic-how nice! Then it must be the GC-each room has a balcony -small but room enough for 2, the lobby with fireplace setting is great especially with a drink in hand. And the bathrooms are lovely-nice tile, warm woods, and the toiletries are definitely a step up from regular hotel fare(and yes, most girls really appreciate this). But unfortunately the tubs/showers are simply regular stuff.

[Gauchograd99]

Thank you to everyone who has given their two cents! The funny thing about the "moron" behind the counter's attitude is that I easily make 5 times what he does a year and just because I was wearing shorts he and the rest of the staff could care less... nothing unusual as I get that treatment at South Coast Plaza too at the jewelry stores. Once I drop a Platinum card on the table someone swoops in to help and I just ask why I was so important after the card hit the glass.... reading the book by it's cover huh? hehe
I am still thinking about the suite (1bed version) but at $1,000-3,000 a night I think a normal room would suffice.
We are regulars at the park but usually near darkness so a few people might know us. I think I might go over on Friday evening after work (or Sat morning) while dressed up nice and see if I can get better information and try to see one of the rooms and the 1 bed suites. I have heard a bit about the suites from the reservationist I spoke to but it does not sound like a $1,000 a night place to me unless you can take the wet bar home with you AND they give you a complementary case of wine to take home. hehe

If anyone has been in a suite let me know about that situation too! Thanks all! BTW: did you know there is a 5th floor patio you can rent out for a party at the GC?

[disneymeimei]

Here is my two cents...take it for what it is worth.

Our family stayed in a suite at GC in March. We travel to DL at least twice a year, usually staying at DLH. This last time we opted to stay at the GC. The first night was in a regular room, overlooking DD. For our family of five it was very crowded. (One child was given a sleeping bag). The next day we packed our bags and were told they would be moved to our suite while we were at the park. I totally loved this ...until we returned ... our suite wasn't ready, our luggage (with the kids bathing suits) was missing. Okay... so we went back out to DCA for another hour. Came back, went to the concierge (very snotty up there) our room is ready, still no luggage, however. It took two hours and several phone calls to finally get our things to our room. The whole time they were in the first room!! I was beside myself and let them know in a very even tone. This was taken with a patronizing smile.

The suite had the best view; monorail - wave to everyone, rapids - very pretty at night. We never closed our drapes because we enjoyed watching all that was happening out the window in the park. The suite itself was dark, one bathroom (we were spoiled with two at DLH and with a family of five this is very important). Not much privacy for changing or private time. We loved the toiletries. The actual bathtub/toilet space was not very luxurious, cramped and nowhere to put your things (i.e. glasses) while you were showering.

As far as the snotty attitude... it is more likely to happen in an "upscale" establishment than in a "family oriented" establishment. That is just the nature of things, unfortunately. We are by no means the poor country bumkins they made us out to be, we just don't go around flashing our wealth for favors. I was very dissappointed with this percieved attitude and let my opinion known when we left. I would never want to cost anyone their livelihood, however, they really need to go back to Disney School to learn that every guest is special, not just the "money flashers".

Next trip we will be back to our same suite at DLH with our same room service waiter and "magic" all around.

Have a wonderful weekend, whichever hotel you choose!!

DisneyMeimei

[LPnerd]

WILL YOU PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOURSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dress-up to get a courteous reply to some questions at A THEME park!!
All of you deserved polite, eager answer to your questions!
I am staying for the first time at DL in Sept. I was on here asking the same kinds of questions. I am a DVC member so I could use points to stay at any of the hotels on site. I CALLED all 3 hotels and the DLH was way above the others in way of forthcoming. DC was downright RUDE and P waslike talkin to hojos.
That ,combined with the bigger rooms, better view and food,
and great pool well we went with the conceirge ( sp) level at the DLH
and nothing I have read on here makes me think I made the wrong choice. Most everyone rates it 1st or 2nd best, where the other 2 interchange alot.
I wouldn't stay anywhere that I was treated with less than Disney Magic. And at those prices...neither should you!
Of course...thats just my opinion.

[Gauchograd99]

I am really thinking that the DL hotel is the place to be even though it is not considered the "upscale" hotel of the bunch. I guess the Disney people never thought about putting an upscale bathroom in the upscale rooms. It seem they made them smaller (probably called "intimate"), snottier assistance (called "higher class") and charged even more than the Mariott for nothing more than good old fashionied location, location, location. Hmmm... my woman still gets final say in where she stays obviously, but it seems the best time would be the Disneyland Hotel and not the Grand Californian. Keep up the comments as I will continue to read them until I have made the plans and booked the room. If someone can sway me to the other hotels I will definitely look into it but the GC has really irked me.

[MouseWife]

Originally posted by LPnerd
WILL YOU PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOURSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dress-up to get a courteous reply to some questions at A THEME park!!
All of you deserved polite, eager answer to your questions!

Yes, you are so right.

I wonder, though, what to do about the issues? My husband works in a similar business and there is no way they would treat their guests in such a manner. Be it a small group or a group that would take over the entire building.

Personally, I think they squished the rooms together to make more money.

[Gauchograd99]

MouseWife has hit the nail on the head... they did not care what you got out of the room, only that once you were up you got out of the room. The reason the rooms seem to be smaller in the new hotel is that it suggests you leave and head out to shop. By shopping they make even more money off of you, so why have you really love your room.
Well, I have more room choices with the DLH than the GC anyhow so I really think that is going to win out.

[roberts1398]

I meant to comment on this in my last post, but forgot.

If this is even happening on a somewhat regular basis (and clearly from the posts it wasn't an isolated incident), they really need some serious business education here. While I can understand economic snobbery at some "high class hotels" in some locations, it should NOT be happening anywhere at DLR.

First of all, to judge by the fact that a person is wearing a t-shirt and shorts is totally ludicrous at DLR. It's the uniform, for Heaven's sake! Rich and poor alike dress that way at DLR. A Mickey Mouse shirt knows no economic or social distinctions. Who puts on a suit and tie or designer clothes to go ride GRR???!!!

Second, I know there are TONS of people who live like paupers in their lives, but save every penny to do DLR in style. So even if they aren't in the highest tax bracket, it doesn't mean that they aren't a customer primed and ready to spend big bucks at DLR. And it also doesn't mean that they don't have upper income tax bracket friends and relatives (and total strangers who read their posts on bulletin boards) to whom they're going to pass on EVERY negative experience, discouraging them from spending their money at GC, and maybe even DLR in general.

Really, REALLY bad business, guys. If you're listening ... this would be a very easy way to start improving public relations at DLR...

[MouseWife]

I was speaking to my niece last night. She travels a lot, using such accomodations as the Four Seasons and if that isn't available, the Ritz-Carlton.

I told her about how I was treated and the stories I had read on here. She was appalled. She told me that at those 4 {5?} star hotels they are not snobby and they treat people well.

Perhaps I should have sent in a letter. I don't know. I sure wish someone would ask MY opinion.

And, you are so right. It should never matter if someone can easily drop the cash and stay there or if they have saved for years to go. Each guest should be treated the same.

And well, not poorly!!!!

But, didn't we hear about this back when it opened? That the staff at the GC sort of felt on a different level than the others? Something about how at the P.P. and the DLH you can use any facilities at either place. But, when people staying at the PP wanted to go and use the pool at the GC they were given a bunch of slack? Does anyone remember this?

Ha, we fixed the desire to go out and shop {for the kids and hubby}. My son brought his GameCube and they holed up in the room.

[Gauchograd99]

I have finalized the plans as of today.
NOTE TO ALL: It is a GOOD thing to ask questions you might find to be stupid. I asked why there is nothing in the resort that seems to fit the needs of a couple on their honeymoon only to find out the HONEYMOON SUITE at DLH was wide open for that weekend! The best part, it was not $1,000 like the suites seem to run according to the info I had received in the past. Granted, after talking to the person taking my information down and commenting on the treatment at GC (she asked why I did not want to stay there, they are pushing that hotel) I received an apology from her (she was speechless) and I think that might have helped the rate a bit. The best part: A BATHTUB BUILT FOR TWO!! Finally a larger than normal bathtub in which to relax at the end of the day. Granted, the wet bar will probably not be touched, but those jets in the tub will do wonders to you after a day in the park.

Remember everyone: In the future, ask the question you feel almost stupid to ask and you shall receive from the Original Disneyland Hotel. (where's my check for the plug? hehe)

[MouseWife]

Wow! Good for you for asking questions!!

Okay, this is in very poor form, but, spill the beans. What did the suite cost?

And, you didn't say when you were going. I heard someone got exceptional rates the week/weekend of 9/11.

Okay, that sounds great. I wonder if I can get hubby to go for this? I have always wanted to go back to Disneyland alone with him. Haven't done it in 20 years!!!!!

You have a lot of fun!!!

[Gauchograd99]

The suite cost I got was right about 379/night. You might be able to do better and you might end up higher. just remember that the GC rate for an upstairs room is normally 391 according to what I was told, and the AP deal I was given was 274 for that a couple days ago. I would think the farther into rehabs you request it the more you would save. We will be there 9/13-15 so you cannot have the room! hehe

[MouseWife]

Originally posted by Gauchograd99
We will be there 9/13-15 so you cannot have the room! hehe

Well, okay.

[roberts1398]

Congrats, Gaucho, and good for you for being persistent. Your girlfriend is a lucky girl to have someone as romantic as you! You will have an incredible time, I'm sure!