Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa

The thing that the grande California has is location, location, location. I stayed in March for a business event also. The rooms are average at best. Hotel definitely looks like it has not been updated in quite some time. I remember having to wait in my room for them to bring my luggage up to at least 45 minutes. The folks at the valet seem like they work pretty hard. The rest of the service definitely does not match the price you pay for this hotel. But they do have location. After you’re done in a long day at Disneyland you can walk back to your hotel from the park or go to Disney walk to have a great meal. I compare the grand California to the failed Acolyte series, they put out. It just needs to be better if it’s going to have the Disneyland name on it.

Prefacing this review with it was an Easter stay so it was busy. The Mix: Greeted at a gate where you need to give your name - and then proceeded to check in - there are 2 choices - self park and valet - with a 30 $ difference - so I went self park - bad choice. Upon saying "self park" the valet derisively told me I would have to park my car down the hill to the left then left and ONLY 20 mins he emphasized. I asked for luggage help as Im 56 with a back issue and my son had just pinched a nerve in his shoulder - it was one large piece and a backpack -the guy said "since you are self parking one of you should just take it while the other parks". Wow - far cry from a luxe experience. Check in WAY better and the front deck people were highly efficient and way more magical disney attitude - phew. We took our luggage (quite a ways to room) and were quite pleased with the theme park view especially knowing we would view World of Color (Note if you want Quiet DO NOT BOOK A THEME PARK VIEW - but we loved it. Ice machine - 3 separate tries - never worked. Called the service - in our stay it was never fixed and they cant bring you ice. Parking: self park is a LONG WAYS down the hill from resort crossing Disney drive (a busy intersection and then in this outside not great area. Its a 15 min plus journey from our room. Pay the extra 30. I had a very magical moment with customer service person Liz on the phone - again - she had "disney magic" and helped me get a robe so I would not have to purchase at store - and she was every bit the Disney magic we missed at the other stuff. Beds are comfy - rooms are getting a needed renovation right now but it was the weekend so no noise. Pool crowded but nice - bar at pool has an awesome espresso Martini with another magical bartender. We just got back from Disneyworld where we were at the waldorf astoria. The service there was amazing and we were in a suite. The price point was the same. We had just a standard room here. So for the price both of us were disappointed overall. At 1k a night - they can do better. I appreciated the very magical staff - and that made up for some but again when we checked out - we were told it was min 20 min wait plus for a bellman - so again we took it ourselves. The we waited in a line where we were ignored for a good 15 mins (along with the other people waiting) then it was another 10-15 finally getting someone. I would suggest having some staff that can "double up" as bellman during busier times - a note we left at a later check out and were told this was a better time to do this - I cant imagine how bad it is at actual check out time! I do want to say the bellman who got our luggage later that night was vey kind and attentive - and put our bag in the car for us. So at least we excited more gracefully. I debated the star rating - 5 star to some magical people - 1 star for the bell desk and valet (minus the last guy) and 3 stars for the room itself (but Im sure after updates a little better) and no ice machine (the closest one was 5 floors down - make a left then a right etc.) Ive had better rooms at the nearby Hilton and Hyatt Place.

None

Our recent stay at the Grand Californian (March 21–24) was deeply disappointing due to unexpected renovations and a lack of transparency. Upon arrival, we found that the only pool with a slide was closed—something our children had been looking forward to, but we weren’t informed beforehand. Dining was equally frustrating: Hearthstone Lounge had no children’s menu due to kitchen renovations, and Craftsman Bar’s stove was broken, leaving only a poke bowl and chips and salsa as meal options. At one point, we had to resort to ordering Domino’s—hardly what you expect from a luxury Disney resort. Even room service was severely limited, offering only cold breakfast items and a microwaved cup of oatmeal. To top it off, a glass of wine at Hearthstone Lounge was served in a plastic cup due to a glassware shortage. Disney is known for its high standards, but this experience did not reflect that. Had we been informed in advance, we could have planned accordingly, rather than paying a premium price for a subpar experience. Future guests deserve better transparency about ongoing renovations.

Just stayed at the Grand Californian for the weekend. We usually LOVE this hotel and would go back. Just be aware the pool area is completely under construction. The pool with slides that the kids usually love is completely closed off. As of leaving today there was only one useable pool. This is not listed anywhere on the website. It was a complete surprise to us when we arrived. Spring break is in full swing so surprising they would do this much work around this time. The staff was very gracious in trying to compensate us for the construction but definitely keep this in mind. I would book the Disneyland Hotel until construction is done. Definitely a misstep on Disney's part for not notifying guests of the lack of amenities especially when rooms are $700-$900 minimum during this time of year.

This has been a hotel we have been visiting for years. Of late the prices have increased an incredible amount while the service and experience has gone down greatly. Such a shame , I feel the magic has gone from this hotel that once was a true extension of the parks…

Wish I could give them six stars! Everything about our stay was PERFECT! Special shout out to Millena, who was so kind, patient, understanding, and helpful in our most stressful moment (flight cancelation) - thank you so much for going out of your way to help us to end on a high note. You’re the BEST!!

The Grand Californian Hotel & Spa We recently stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa for a special trip to celebrate my birthday. Overall, we had a great experience, but there were a few disappointments that kept it from being a perfect stay. The accommodations were fantastic—our room was clean, the beds were incredibly comfortable, and the staff was helpful and friendly throughout our stay. One issue we encountered was that only a few rooms have bathtubs, which we didn’t know in advance. Since my autistic 3-year-old is afraid of showers, we had to switch rooms the next day. Thankfully, the staff was very understanding and went above and beyond to make the transition smooth. Unfortunately, our kids got sick the first night, but again, the staff was amazing. They quickly helped us change the sheets and even allowed us to stay in our original room past 11 a.m. until the new room was ready. Their kindness and flexibility during a stressful situation made a big difference. However, there were some unexpected disappointments. One of the main reasons we splurged on this hotel was for the private entrance into Disney California Adventure, which was closed without any warning. This was a major letdown, especially since easy access to the park was a huge factor in our decision to stay here. Additionally, the pool with the slide was closed, which was a disappointment for our kids. We were also looking forward to dining at Storytellers Café, but it was relocated to a banquet room with a limited menu. While the food was still good, they didn’t mention ahead of time that the menu would be different, which was a bit of a letdown. Despite these setbacks, the overall experience was positive thanks to the outstanding service and comfortable accommodations. I would give the Grand Californian 4 stars and would consider staying again, but I’d definitely confirm what amenities will be available beforehand next time.

I’ve stayed at the Contemporary at Disney World and felt like this hotel should be comparable but was not. - bad water pressure - little hot water, and even at its hottest, it was never truly hot - shower in general was average - premium hotels at Universal, for example, have multiple shower heads to customize your shower - bedding is nothing different than a Hampton Inn - thin walls - terrible tv - when you get back from a long day in the parks, you might like to flop on the bed for a while and watch tv but your choices are almost laughably limited - requested connecting rooms months ahead of time, didn’t get it and didn’t even get close rooms - one room ready on time, the other room was 90 minutes late - lots of lobby seating but it’s not enough for the amount of people always in the lobby Every staff member we encountered was lovely. Having your own security line is immensely time saving. The early entry perk is nice. But for the price, it’s just not worth it. If this were a premium hotel, it still wouldn’t be worth it but I could justify it. But just the actual hotel itself, not considering the parks-related perks, this is not nearly up to par.

This was a bucket list resort for our family that didn’t live up to the expectations. I had booked a pool view room to accommodate 5 of us. They put us in a room that would only accommodate 4. After inquiring about being put in our requested room they stated they didn’t have the availability in our room class but could downgrade us voluntarily with no price adjustment. That wasn’t an acceptable solution to me. We were switched with the promise by management (Jaime)of a price adjustment only to not have that honored once we checked out. We absolutely needed to have a room that accommodated 5 as originally booked. Also, we were never informed that our last day visiting the park would also be void of the biggest reason for booking this hotel. The convenience of entering DCA from the hotel. If this is something that is motivating your booking the property they won’t have that option through May. How they are accommodating this I don’t know as it was never a conversation at check in. The rooms are just ok. For the price tag I would take Disneyland hotel over this. Grand Californian is nothing special sadly. The hallways smelled like a barn. The first room was small and tired and wouldn’t feel comfortable for two people much less four. A love seat that faces the bed. (Why ?) And a desk that is smack dab in the middle of the room that honestly just gets in the way. The set up is less than functional. The room we were switched to did what it needed to. We were told it would have scaffolding and no balcony access. We agreed with the promise of the difference of the price. Once we checked out they no longer cared. Which seems to be Disney’s attitude these days. Our family has visited World and Land since the 70’s throughout the years. Staying on property only. I don’t know why something always has to be lacking and a visit to the desk to stand and resolve it for an hour. I would have loved for the room to have been what we needed from the start. No trek back to the front desk. No negotiations to get us into a room we actually booked for a higher price tag. I would have really loved to have settled in after a long day of traveling and relaxed instead of that. Then I could have simply been disappointed that the bucket list item wasn’t what I had hoped it would be without the time involved trying to solve their mistake.