Justifying the price of GCH

[DisneyAndreaM]

We have been very lucky to travel to DLR from Canada two of the past three Decembers. We are planning again for this year. We have stayed at the Hyatt the past two times in a two bedroom suite and it is absolutely wonderful for a family with two small kiddos and the shuttle is great. It's quite convenient actually.

Each visit though we have spent a lot of time at GCH and absolutely love it at Christmas-time. (We go to Napa Rose, get hot chocolate and sit by the fireplace, take in the lobby entertainment etc). It's always been on our "bucket-list" to stay there. Well, this year we are actually in a position to afford the stay and I am thrilled. I'm having a very hard time though justifying the price! It's $765 a night for a room and our usual Hyatt 700sq foot suite is $247! For those of you who stay there, how do you justify the stay when so many other great hotels are SO much less? Is the close proximity to the parks worth the cost difference? I know it's a personal decision but look forward to hearing how others justify the price

 

[DLgal]

We have been very lucky to travel to DLR from Canada two of the past three Decembers. We are planning again for this year. We have stayed at the Hyatt the past two times in a two bedroom suite and it is absolutely wonderful for a family with two small kiddos and the shuttle is great. It's quite convenient actually.

Each visit though we have spent a lot of time at GCH and absolutely love it at Christmas-time. (We go to Napa Rose, get hot chocolate and sit by the fireplace, take in the lobby entertainment etc). It's always been on our "bucket-list" to stay there. Well, this year we are actually in a position to afford the stay and I am thrilled. I'm having a very hard time though justifying the price! It's $765 a night for a room and our usual Hyatt 700sq foot suite is $247! For those of you who stay there, how do you justify the stay when so many other great hotels are SO much less? Is the close proximity to the parks worth the cost difference? I know it's a personal decision but look forward to hearing how others justify the price

I don't pay rack rate. Ever. Find a discount of some sort. They are available. I just stayed there for $450/night over a summer weekend.

 

[whoever]

The Grand is just awesome. The rooms are a bit cramped, but the great hall is amazing. It's our Disneyland Home, Even if we do stay at the DLH from time to time. LOVE the Grand. Justify it? Heck... I don't justify anything, I just do it and enjoy it. I love the Grand so much, I have a Bedroom Suite in my bedroom/Bathroom at home from the Grand pre-remodel. It's just an amazing hotel.

 

[julesann]

I love staying at the Grand for so many little and big reasons. I really don't want to stay anywhere else. However, I can't justify paying $765 but that is based on my budgeting for all of my travel and entertainment expenses given my income. I stay at the Grand when the price gets under $500 or even under $400 a night with a convention rate or by finding a great deal that is offered by Disney or one of the sites like Orbitz (and I'm splitting it with my db).

 

[deedubb]

Honestly, it is tough to justify at that cost. It is that much more painful with the current exchange rate.

That said, we just came back from a week at DLR. We went back to the hotel daily, some days more than once. It is just so convenient when it's right there. The only thing you have to worry about is that once you stay at the Grand, you may never want to stay anywhere else! You could also make it a split stay to ease the pain a bit.

It's almost impossible to justify, but just do it!

 

[whoever]

Dapper Day rates help... Just sayin'

 

[gottalovepluto]

The proximity and staying in the bubble. How much time do you spend getting to the shuttle, waiting for the shuttle, in the shuttle? Every day. That’s time you’ll have in the parks or at the hotel staying at GCH. They say time is money after all.

The rooms are SMALL. A little less small than before now that you can store luggage under the bed though. We sleep and shower and relax a bit in the afternoon (most of us go the pool) and that’s it. We just don’t spend much time in the room. If you spend a lot of time in the room the size could be problematic.

Fwiw we cut the cost by arriving the night before and staying offsite and then hit GCH in time for early entry for park day #1.

 

[Lostdutchman]

Not worth the cost at all

 

[whoever]

Not worth the cost at all

Vehemently disagree. In the winter, it may have some reduced utility, but the ability to loop on Grizzly 15 times in a row and then just squish-squash 250 steps and be in your room is priceless..

 

[heidispidi]

I stayed at GCH the first time I came to DL, splitting the cost with my sister. When I came back for my 2nd visit, with our family of 4, we stayed at PPH, and I wished every time we walked by the Grand to the parks that we were staying there, and I promised my DH that if we ever came back to DL, we'd stay at the Grand. There was no question of staying anywhere else this visit, bc he remembered that promise! I love the atmosphere of the hotel, the proximity to the parks and DTD, as well as the pool and lobby areas. As OP have said, it is very convenient to stay there too.

 

[wingednike]

We have been very lucky to travel to DLR from Canada two of the past three Decembers. We are planning again for this year. We have stayed at the Hyatt the past two times in a two bedroom suite and it is absolutely wonderful for a family with two small kiddos and the shuttle is great. It's quite convenient actually.

Each visit though we have spent a lot of time at GCH and absolutely love it at Christmas-time. (We go to Napa Rose, get hot chocolate and sit by the fireplace, take in the lobby entertainment etc). It's always been on our "bucket-list" to stay there. Well, this year we are actually in a position to afford the stay and I am thrilled. I'm having a very hard time though justifying the price! It's $765 a night for a room and our usual Hyatt 700sq foot suite is $247! For those of you who stay there, how do you justify the stay when so many other great hotels are SO much less? Is the close proximity to the parks worth the cost difference? I know it's a personal decision but look forward to hearing how others justify the price

If your family is in agreement to stay and it's in your budget, just do it. Otherwise you will always wonder. If you stay and don't find it as valuable as you hoped, then at least you know for next time.

I love Disney but don't have the need to be in a bubble. However, when my brother and his family came over, I decided to book a room onsite even though we would be in Disneyland for just one day. My main reasons were:
1) having a character breakfast early the next morning
2) having a theme park view of DCA. They were able to see World of Color and listen to the music.
3) Elderly members and a newborn in the group. After a few hours, they decided to rest in the room.

I don't regret spending the money and it definitely was what we needed at the time.

 

[Buson808]

Everytime I go to check in, when the front doors slide open and you hear the piano, the smell and just everything about the atmoshere of The Grand gives me goosebumps when I first step into the lobby.....

Thats my justification!!!

Im going for 8 nights in Feb!

 

[Sunclytie]

I don’t think i’d stay at the Grand at rack rate but Disneyland has some great hotel discounts this fall. So we're trying it out in a couple of weeks, just to know what it’s like.

 

[whoever]

Wait...I’m not a Disney fan if I don’t ride the same ride 15 times in a row? Ha Ha ok

I've stayed at the Grand 11 times now I think and the DLH 3-4 times. The Grand is simply amazing and where I would choose to stay every time had they not redone the room configurations which makes a party of my size tight. It has so many beautiful touches and amenities as well as its own entrance to DCA and the entrance to DTD is about as close as you can get to Disneyland. What's not to love? Is it worth it? Well given that its usually at 90%+ occupancy, I would say quite a few people think it's more than worth it.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

Discounts. As mentioned before, Dapper Day rate is a good one. Get a Disney Visa card and wait for a special rate. AP special rates are pretty consistent. We are very budget limited on our trips, so it's typically 4-5 years between our stays at the Grand. Back to the original question in the psot, justifying the price is pretty easy. it's extra time. For example, early morning entry at 8am, if we stay offsite we need to leave the hotel by 6:30 or 6:45 to make it through the security line and line up at the gates. Staying at the Grand last trip, we left the hotel at 7:30 and made rope drop at 8am no problem. We are not all day marathoners when we go, it's too much over a 5-6 day park visit. So we typically leave early to get back for showers before bed. The ability to quickly go back to the hotel in the middle of the day for rest/showers = more time in the parks for us. Last trip we stayed until closing 5 nights in a row. Not typical for us.

And i totally get the advantage for riding Grizzly Extra magic hour for hotel guests allowed me to ride Guardians 6 times before park opening.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

I've only stayed at the Grand Californian once (for my honeymoon) and while it was super convenient and nice (easily my favorite Disney hotel on either coast), it's incredibly hard to justify the cost. I'll consider it for a future milestone anniversary in a couple years, though.

Our next Disneyland trip is in about a month, and we're staying offsite, about 3 miles away, for $120/night, in a large King room with hot breakfast included. There's a bus stop directly in front of the hotel that takes us straight to the parks. Basically, our 4 night stay costs as much as 1 night at the Grand Californian. We can easily afford it, but it makes no sense to spend 4x the money for maybe 2x the fun.

 

[Aby]

We are in the same position as you! The Canadian dollar doesn't help anything either! I too can't help thinking about how high the cost per night is to stay there, but we are in the financial position to do so without harm to the rest of the budget, so we're going to go for it. I am keeping my eye out for room only discounts and hoping that I can get something to at least keep the cost down. We are locked into certain dates though, so it is what it is.

Aby

 

[tink89]

Last year I asked the same question but about DLH. I got the same responses some saying do it some saying they could never justify the rate for the amenities or that it was not worth it to them. I was also told that worth is subjective to each person and i must agree. We booked DLH and it was going to be the one and only time i would pay that much to stay on site. But after being there we are coming back and even spending more on a bigger suite. To me the smile and happiness on DD face is enough justification. I can totally justify it and think its worth it to us. If money is not an issue and you are not going into debt to go on vacation then stay where you like.

DH told me last year to book whatever I wanted and i explained that it would be $$$$. when he found out exactly how much he was very surprised. After staying there the first night he said we there was no way he could stay off site again.

Coming from someone who had always stayed off site i totally felt like I was in the bubble and like i was on vacation. I could walk downtown to shop while DD and DH used the pool. Or we could walk to the hotel to change quickly for dinner. We took many trips back and forth to rest at the room or go to the pool. IT was great and well wroth it.

 

[tasha99]

Hmm . . . I couldn't justify the cost. If you go to Disneyland a lot, consider DVC. We bought Grand Californian points on the second hand market, and they've made staying on site in a 2-bedroom affordable. My kids (adults) far prefer it to a hotel--we get a kitchen, have food delivered to stock it, and they can come and go. We only go every 2-3 years, so a small contract was enough. Depending on your travel habits, and especially if your kids are young, it's worth a look. My kids are 20, 25, and 28, and they STILL love going to Disney as a family.

 

[starry_solo]

Not sure if there are any Disney Stores in Canada, but if there are, see if you can find part-time / seasonal work and get an employee discount?

Justification is different for various people. Some people would rather spend $1000 on the newest smart phone than the money on a nice experience.