DL here we come!!!!!!

[chip64]

Well, after waiting several years we will finally be coming back to DL and staying at the DLH from July 8th-14th. Our last visit was in Feb. of 2000 I think and obviously DCA wasn't open yet. Is the new park pretty nice? Should I keep our reservation at the DLH or wait till we get there to try and get a room upgrade or a room at the Grand Californian? I know it's summer but will the parks be packed? How should the weather be during our visit? Sorry for all the questions but as I said it's been a while. We will be bringing both our daughters which are 13 and 15. Any suggestions or not to be missed attractions at the new park? And last but not least, what is anyone's opinion who has stayed at the GC Hotel and is it worth the price difference? Thanks, Chip.

 

[year2late]

I think "worth it" depends on your realsistic budget and your travel itinerey. If you tend to spend alot of time touring the parks and little time in the room, there is little sense in attempting an upgrade, especially if you are budget conscious. All the hotels are packed for the summer, so I am not sure how much shift room there will be. I would rather spend the extra money for reserved fantasmic seats as the walkways are filling up over three hours ahead of time!!!

GC is closer and has its own private entrance into DCA, but then again anybody can use that enterance after the initial GCH have entered.PP amd DLH are all in easy walking distance of both parks.

GCH is a beautiful hotel and I was fortunate to stay there but I likely will not return until I can get a deep discount.

 

[Elly]

I think you will really enjoy DCA if you consider it as an extension of Disneyland and don't try to "compare" it. The parks will be very crowded during the summer, with the weekends being the most crowded. The weather should be cool in the early morning, warming quickly when the morning clouds burn off, and cool again in the evening. Highs could be in the 80's or possibly 90's. I have not stayed at the Grand Californian, due to the fact that the off site hotels are almost as convenient and much, much less expensive. In DCA, I would make sure to do Soarin Over California, Grizzly River, and the animation studio (can't remember the name). Oh, and the the Electrical Parade!

 

[jordanyosh]

DCA is quite nice. l really enjoy it as it has more space than Disneyland. Soarin over California, Grizzly river run, Maliboomer, California Screamin, Aladdin, The Animation Building, It's Tough to Be a Bug, Golden Dreams.

Where to stay? DLH has a better pool, but the Grand Californian is beautiful but expensive. I have stayed there 2x and loved it. that's up to you. We stayed there during Easter week and although the parks were busy, the hotel didn't seem that bad. the lobby is beautiful and we loved sitting by the pool and having servers come around and get us food and drink. We also got massages through their small fitness area/spa. Quite nice as well.
All three restaurants have great food. Is it worth the price difference? It depends what you are looking for.

Crowds and weather....Crowds--busy, very busy. Space Mtn is closed for 2 years, so the rest of the park is busier. we were there a few days ago and the stand-by line for splash was almost 2 hours long. Try and utilize the FastPass effectively and that should help with the crowds. Weather, hot, but not too muggy. We've had unusually cool weather so far. Up until this week.....it should start warming up...80's and 90's.

If you have any more questions let us know