Grand Californian Super Thread

[bambialways4ever]

I hear people say this a lot here, but I have NEVER had a hotel room with a microwave, unless it was an apartment style with a full kitchen or kitchenette.

No shade intended, but is this something that is more typically found in motel style lodging? Because I have never seen it as a standard amenity in any hotel I have stayed in, especially a resort one like the Grand Californian.

We're staying at 5 star hotel in the midwest next month and they don't have microwaves.

 

[Becca1007]

Hi All--we will have a just-turned-three year old who will need a nap pretty soon after we get to the GCH and probably before our rooms our ready. Any ideas on finding a quiet area? This will be in late July, so probably pretty crowded.
Thanks

We used to just get a spot at the pool under an umbrella when my little guy needed a nap.

 

[DLgal]

We're staying at 5 star hotel in the midwest next month and they don't have microwaves.

As they shouldn't. A microwave in a hotel room, to me, screams "budget lodging."

 

[DizMe]

A microwave could conceivably be a very difficult and labor-intensive thing to clean, and they can leave behind some very pungent smells. This happened to us at a Marriott in Irvine; there were some people down the hall that created very pungent odors from whatever it was they were fixing in the room. The hotel had to move everyone around them due to the complaints. I felt sorry for housekeeping.

A microwave is a very handy thing to have, but I think it comes with extra baggage as far as hotel management is concerned.

 

[DLgal]

A microwave could conceivably be a very difficult and labor-intensive thing to clean, and they can leave behind some very pungent smells. This happened to us at a Marriott in Irvine; there were some people down the hall that created very pungent odors from whatever it was they were fixing in the room. The hotel had to move everyone around them due to the complaints. I felt sorry for housekeeping.

A microwave is a very handy thing to have, but I think it comes with extra baggage as far as hotel management is concerned.

Gross. That is why they don't belong in high end hotel rooms.

 

[Nonsuch]

Hi All--we will have a just-turned-three year old who will need a nap pretty soon after we get to the GCH and probably before our rooms our ready. Any ideas on finding a quiet area? This will be in late July, so probably pretty crowded.
Thanks

There are many seating areas spread around GCH.
Map is somewhat confusing, since floorplan changes on various floors.

1A: Not for resting, but small chairs for kids and TV (cartoons)
3A: Lots of seating, but open to noise from lobby below
5A: Outside patio
5B: Very quiet
6A: Seldom used overflow seating for Veranda
6B: Near entrance to WOC viewing patio

 

[ClaraOswald]

I'm not a high-end hotel gal so I guess that's why I'm so used to microwaves. Haha!

 

[DizMe]

I'm not a high-end hotel gal so I guess that's why I'm so used to microwaves. Haha!

Oh, I think mw's are great in some places, especially if it's a larger accommodation like a suite. In a pricey multistory hotel, especially when the rooms aren't terribly large, I could see where the hotel would be hesitant to offer them in every room. On the flip side, I've read about people bringing their own small appliances (which kind of blows me away!) and actually cooking in the hotel room. I'd much rather have people using a mw than rigging up some cooking device of questionable safety.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Oh, I think mw's are great in some places, especially if it's a larger accommodation like a suite. In a pricey multistory hotel, especially when the rooms aren't terribly large, I could see where the hotel would be hesitant to offer them in every room. On the flip side, I've read about people bringing their own small appliances (which kind of blows me away!) and actually cooking in the hotel room. I'd much rather have people using a mw than rigging up some cooking device of questionable safety.

We brought a toaster the last time we stayed at Park Vue. We ate breakfast in our room and our son has limited breakfast foods he'll eat. When we fly, we obviously don't bring it. Though when he was younger, we did buy a cheap toaster and Target and then just left it there when we flew home.

I'm excited that the DVC room will have a microwave and toaster for us though!

 

[DLgal]

We brought a toaster the last time we stayed at Park Vue. We ate breakfast in our room and our son has limited breakfast foods he'll eat. When we fly, we obviously don't bring it. Though when he was younger, we did buy a cheap toaster and Target and then just left it there when we flew home.

I'm excited that the DVC room will have a microwave and toaster for us though!

I'm sure you were safe about it. But the one time we had to evacuate a hotel because of a REAL fire, it was because a guest brought a toaster and it shorted or something and caught fire in the middle of the night.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Weird. Must have been a defective/damaged toaster. Knock on wood but I'm 41 years old and have never had a toaster short out or start a fire. But we tend to unplug when not in use, even at home.

 

[bambialways4ever]

A microwave could conceivably be a very difficult and labor-intensive thing to clean, and they can leave behind some very pungent smells. This happened to us at a Marriott in Irvine; there were some people down the hall that created very pungent odors from whatever it was they were fixing in the room. The hotel had to move everyone around them due to the complaints. I felt sorry for housekeeping.

A microwave is a very handy thing to have, but I think it comes with extra baggage as far as hotel management is concerned.

Gross. That is why they don't belong in high end hotel rooms.

Agreed. Someone didn't just burn popcorn, they literally caught it on fire in the room we stayed in on a Hawaii trip, and it was impossible to get the smell out. They ended up having to replace the entire microwave and deep clean the cabinet it was in. And it wasn't just us being complainers- the maintenance team agreed it smelled unbearable too.

 

[DLgal]

Weird. Must have been a defective/damaged toaster. Knock on wood but I'm 41 years old and have never had a toaster short out or start a fire. But we tend to unplug when not in use, even at home.

Cheap appliances cause a lot of home fires every year. Toasters, in particular, always come with a tag that says to unplug when not in use. Hotels that provide them leave them unplugged between guests for a reason. They are a major fire hazard, and can go up in flames when not in use due to cheap electrical parts and plastic casings that can overheat simply from the electric current coming through the cord.

 

[Living42Day]

The toaster/microwave thing is what scares me most about staying in a hotel. You can do everything right and be careful, but you cannot control what others do or bring to a hotel. If someone brings in a defective toaster/coffee maker/portable stove or leaves the microwave running or leaves their flat iron on accidently, it could pose a seriously dangerous situation for everyone else.

 

[DizMe]

Cheap appliances cause a lot of home fires every year.

You can do everything right and be careful, but you cannot control what others do or bring to a hotel.

Most people don't pay much attention to warning tags because frankly, they're often only there for legal purposes, not protection. I mean, does anyone really need to be told to remove the windshield shade before driving? At home, I rarely unplug any of my appliances. I'll have to think about that.

Nevertheless, it's also pretty obvious that you have to be careful about electrical things. In spite of the addition of many safeguards, there are plenty of things that plug in that can be hazardous. So much of what we use is cheaply made with shoddy materials and it's anyone's guess how safe some of them are. Many people (myself included) bring extension cords, because hotels are notorious for having just enough outlets for their own needs (though that is improving). It can be tricky to find an outlet where you need one, and when you have 3 teenage girls with you... but anyway, is a Dollar Tree extension cord really safe? I don't know.

 

[Living42Day]

Most people don't pay much attention to warning tags because frankly, they're often only there for legal purposes, not protection. I mean, does anyone really need to be told to remove the windshield shade before driving? At home, I rarely unplug any of my appliances. I'll have to think about that.

Nevertheless, it's also pretty obvious that you have to be careful about electrical things. In spite of the addition of many safeguards, there are plenty of things that plug in that can be hazardous. So much of what we use is cheaply made with shoddy materials and it's anyone's guess how safe some of them are. Many people (myself included) bring extension cords, because hotels are notorious for having just enough outlets for their own needs (though that is improving). It can be tricky to find an outlet where you need one, and when you have 3 teenage girls with you... but anyway, is a Dollar Tree extension cord really safe? I don't know.

My answer to that question - no. I say that because I was reorganizing and updating the power strips in our home a couple weeks ago because I got a random bad feeling about them. I unplugged the one behind the television and was shocked to find a blackened, burned power strip where our electric fireplace was plugged into. Everything still functioned normally so I would have never known had I not pulled it out to replace it.

After seeing that, I Googled and found out that high powered electronics are not to be plugged into power strips and should be powered directly into a wall outlet. I felt like an idiot because it seems so obvious. It's scary how dangerous things can really be if we're not super careful. I'm throwing out the rest of the extension cords and power strips and purchasing all new ones/limiting what we actually use them for.

 

[DLgal]

Most people don't pay much attention to warning tags because frankly, they're often only there for legal purposes, not protection. I mean, does anyone really need to be told to remove the windshield shade before driving? At home, I rarely unplug any of my appliances. I'll have to think about that.

Nevertheless, it's also pretty obvious that you have to be careful about electrical things. In spite of the addition of many safeguards, there are plenty of things that plug in that can be hazardous. So much of what we use is cheaply made with shoddy materials and it's anyone's guess how safe some of them are. Many people (myself included) bring extension cords, because hotels are notorious for having just enough outlets for their own needs (though that is improving). It can be tricky to find an outlet where you need one, and when you have 3 teenage girls with you... but anyway, is a Dollar Tree extension cord really safe? I don't know.

If the cord has a UL mark on it, it's safe. If not, throw it away. I would personally never use a dollar store ANYTHING that carries electricity.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Most people don't pay much attention to warning tags because frankly, they're often only there for legal purposes, not protection. I mean, does anyone really need to be told to remove the windshield shade before driving? At home, I rarely unplug any of my appliances. I'll have to think about that.

Nevertheless, it's also pretty obvious that you have to be careful about electrical things. In spite of the addition of many safeguards, there are plenty of things that plug in that can be hazardous. So much of what we use is cheaply made with shoddy materials and it's anyone's guess how safe some of them are. Many people (myself included) bring extension cords, because hotels are notorious for having just enough outlets for their own needs (though that is improving). It can be tricky to find an outlet where you need one, and when you have 3 teenage girls with you... but anyway, is a Dollar Tree extension cord really safe? I don't know.

I feel like I hear about hair dryers catching fire more than other things these days. I hate having to use power strips, in general. I'll mostly just use them to charge my phone and kindle.

My answer to that question - no. I say that because I was reorganizing and updating the power strips in our home a couple weeks ago because I got a random bad feeling about them. I unplugged the one behind the television and was shocked to find a blackened, burned power strip where our electric fireplace was plugged into. Everything still functioned normally so I would have never known had I not pulled it out to replace it.

After seeing that, I Googled and found out that high powered electronics are not to be plugged into power strips and should be powered directly into a wall outlet. I felt like an idiot because it seems so obvious. It's scary how dangerous things can really be if we're not super careful. I'm throwing out the rest of the extension cords and power strips and purchasing all new ones/limiting what we actually use them for.

There are a lot of things that you shouldn't use power strips or extension cords with but I feel like it's not super well known. I'm a nerd who always reads manuals when I buy things so I learned it a lot time ago. I do have to remind my husband though. Ha!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

There are many seating areas spread around GCH.
Map is somewhat confusing, since floorplan changes on various floors.

1A: Not for resting, but small chairs for kids and TV (cartoons)
3A: Lots of seating, but open to noise from lobby below
5A: Outside patio
5B: Very quiet
6A: Seldom used overflow seating for Veranda
6B: Near entrance to WOC viewing patio

View attachment 758267

@Nonsuch — is the number designed to indicate which floor you would find it on? E.g. 5A is on level 5?

 

[Nonsuch]

@Nonsuch — is the number designed to indicate which floor you would find it on? E.g. 5A is on level 5?

Correct