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momtoo2
09-13-2006, 04:38 PM
We will be staying in the GCH this Dec. for the first time. We have made our travel arrangements and I have a few questions and was hoping for help :)

We are booked in a standard room and I have read per the Disneyland website this can be City or garden view...I have tried to request the garden one but was told it doesn't exist or they are unable to make requests...does it exist? I know there is the monorail courtyard area. I am not looking for a free upgrade or anything I just would like a "green" view over a parking lot/other DLR hotels view.
We plan on arriving early in the morning...well mid morning. Will they hold our luggage in bell services till our room is ready or do we just leave it in the car? I know the parking is across the Disneyland Dr....can you park somewhere near the entrance while just checking in and they will take your luggage at that point?
I don't expect our room to be ready at Check In and I know Check In is officially at 3:00...are they usually close to this.

We have saved for this trip and we are soooo excited. We have stayed at the other 2 DLR Hotels and have really liked them so I hope this one is great too.

Any secrets or tips would be greatly appreciated. :)

kisroo
09-13-2006, 05:24 PM
We will be staying in the GCH this Dec. for the first time. We have made our travel arrangements and I have a few questions and was hoping for help :)

Yay you!! It's a beautiful hotel.


I know there is the monorail courtyard area. I am not looking for a free upgrade or anything I just would like a "green" view over a parking lot/other DLR hotels view.
I believe the courtyard is one of the standard views.


We plan on arriving early in the morning...well mid morning. Will they hold our luggage in bell services till our room is ready or do we just leave it in the car?
They will hold it in bell services. I don't know about parking so I can't answer that question.


We have saved for this trip and we are soooo excited. We have stayed at the other 2 DLR Hotels and have really liked them so I hope this one is great too.
We've ended up cutting back on the frequency of our DLR trips so we can stay in the GCH. Both my husband and I love staying there. Great service, comfy beds/pillows, gorgeous decor with a slight Disney touch, great location...I could go on and on. ;)

Some tips? Hmmmm...well, I do know that they do a couple "early entry" things for guests (you have to sign up in advance). The last time we were there, it was for Sephora and Build a Bear.
*Enjoy sitting by the fireplace and maybe catching a story while you're there (a CM comes by and tells stories).
*I'm not sure of the ages that they accept but, Pinocchio's Workshop has childcare/activities geared just for kids. And, if you want to take advantage of Pinocchio's Workshop for a bit of adult time, the lounge off the lobby is also a nice place to sit and relax~they sometimes have pianist playing on a grand piano in the lobby, which makes it even nicer!
*You can get good food at great prices (for the amount you get) at Whitewater Snacks.
*Be sure to ask the CM who checks you in if there are any special events going on, too.

Have a wonderful time!

~kisroo:)

wwithers
09-14-2006, 02:49 AM
I know the parking is across the Disneyland Dr....can you park somewhere near the entrance while just checking in and they will take your luggage at that point?


Depending upon how busy it is when you're going, you have a reasonable chance of getting your room when you get there.

Just pull up to the front and tell the valet that you are checking in but don't want to valet. They will unload your luggage and leave your car in front for you.

june1st1997
09-14-2006, 03:30 AM
Any secrets or tips would be greatly appreciated. :)Don't foget GCH guests have their own entrtance to CA.

DH and I love to visit the bar in GCH (not a "bar")... and get appetizeres after 5... so cozy and food is great. Bets way to get Napa Rose food without going to Napa Rose...

june1st1997
09-14-2006, 03:33 AM
I messed up the "quote" function...

I answered alot more of the questions than it looks like I did.

Sorry!:D

geoffa
09-14-2006, 04:53 AM
You WILL love it. Great atmosphere and as someone else said, find time to sit by the hearth. Early morning is good whilst it's still quiet - get a newspaper and a coffee before the park day begins. There's also an outdoor hearth in the garden overlooking the CA park which is a great spot if its a fine morning - and again so quiet. The pool is superb and there is now a new spa added. We had a room overlooking Paradise Pier but rooms overlooking the Downtown area are fine. There are trees everywhere. The story telling is neat and often Kodak and the other bears turn up from Brother Bear. Character breakfast at Storytellers is fun but isn't obligatory. The Hearthstone bar is a nice spot for a drink or afternoon tea. Your car question has already been answered - valet parking is $12 a day should you opt for it. There are 3 main exits - the main entrance - one out into Downtown Disney and one which lets you into GCA park. One option you may like to try - they do a tour of the hotel pointing out the arts and crafts features - if you're into that sort of thing. The Napa Rose restaurant is superb with the most excellent wine list and knowledgable sommeliers - try and budget for at least one dinner there - it's well worth the outlay. Most of all - enjoy! (One extra tip - they run buses to Universal Studios should you desire to leave Disney at any point - see the concierge desk) And if I were to recommend any restaurant in the downtown area it would have to be Catal.

TribeFan
09-14-2006, 09:24 AM
Just an FYI ... you cannot leave your car on the drive while you check in. There is no short term parking on the drive. So what you can do is A) leave your luggage and then head to self parking across the street, or B) have one of your party head to check in while the other person parks the car in self parking.

momtoo2
09-15-2006, 08:08 AM
Thank you so much for all the wonderful information. When we check in I will take the kids and get in check in line and my DH can unload to the bell services and then go park the car and meet us inside...he will love that :)
I didn't know about the outdoor patio portion with the fireplace so this sounds great.
We did the WL last year and every morning I would get up around 5:00 am or 5:30 am just to sit in the lobby or on one of the floors...I would drink my coffee and write in my journal and it was one of the best parts of the trip. I didn't get a lot of sleep but hey!
Again thank you

stan4d_steph
09-15-2006, 09:29 AM
We did the WL last year and every morning I would get up around 5:00 am or 5:30 am just to sit in the lobby or on one of the floors...I would drink my coffee and write in my journal and it was one of the best parts of the trip.If you like coffee, you might want to invest in the refillable mug at Whitewater Snacks. There are plenty of places to sit in the lobby and enjoy it. :)

geoffa
09-15-2006, 11:31 AM
I didn't know about the outdoor patio portion with the fireplace so this sounds great.

Again thank you

To find the outdoor hearth go out the exit into the gardens located to the immediate right of Hearthstone bar. Turn right on the path and you'll find it tucked under the overhang. As it shares the same chimnney of the indoor hearth you can imagine where it is located outside. Enjoy!
If I can find a picture of it I'll post it up here.

geoffa
09-15-2006, 12:16 PM
Here's a picture of that GCA outdoor hearth:

http://www.sca-group.co.uk/personal/darrin/GCAhearth.jpg

pisces
09-16-2006, 09:58 AM
Outdoor Hearth:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pisceslibra/31063637/

momtoo2
09-16-2006, 07:01 PM
Again Thank You. I love looking at photos of where we are going. I have scoured the internet...a Disney trip is like therapy I think :)

Leslie21
09-17-2006, 03:17 PM
I have a question. We're going in early Nov. and I'd like to know if the hotel will have any Christmas decorations up yet ? :)

geoffa
09-18-2006, 01:37 AM
Decorations start to appear after Thanksgiving so you may be a bit early.

going2disneyAZ
09-18-2006, 08:12 AM
Decorations start to appear after Thanksgiving so you may be a bit early.

NO! The GCH was in full Christmas splendor last year at Thanksgiving Week. Even Santa was there taking orders from the little ones!

geoffa
09-18-2006, 09:37 AM
NO! The GCH was in full Christmas splendor last year at Thanksgiving Week. Even Santa was there taking orders from the little ones!
Not early November though!:)

DadandFamily
09-21-2006, 10:46 PM
If you want to immerse yourself in Disneyland the entire time you are there, you picked the right place to stay. Congradulations! The hotel itself looks and feels like Disney's land. There is an entrance to California Adventure directly from the hotel. You can get to Disneyland either by passing through California Adventure or by walking through Disney's outdoor mall area. Either way, you feel like you are in Disney's land at all times. In this way, staying at GCH is like sleeping in the Disneyland park itself. If you stayed at the other DL hotels, you would have to cross streets with cars, which interfere with the Disney effect.

We live near DL and go to Disneyland and California Adventure often. I've never stayed in GCH but have been there many times to have our lunch or dinner near the huge fireplace. If I did stay at GCH, I really would not be concerned about the room view we had because most of our time would be spent in the GCH lobby, California Adventure, Disneyland, or Disney's outdoor mall.