Grand Californian Hotel Review

This was the first time our family of 5 stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel (or any Disney resort hotel)  after going to Disneyland more than 20 times!  We really couldn’t justify the expense previously.  This time we got 30% off and traveled in the off season and thought we would give it a go since it was only a couple hundred dollars more than staying off resort.  We even asked for an upgrade upon arrival and they gave us a bigger and nicer room, which made us very happy!

There are a couple perks to staying at the Grand Californian:

• 1 free Fastpass per person (not 1 per day… just 1)
• Secret entrance into California Adventure (this was so nice and could have potentially saved a lot of walking – however it was closed while we were there for painting… and it was a serious bummer)
• 1 hour early entry into either Disneyland or California Adventure on alternating days
• When you buy souvenirs at the park you can have them sent to your room
• Upscale rooms and lobby

Given all the perks and the amenities, would I stay there again?  Nope.  There are 2 big reasons why I wouldn’t stay there again.  Number one, I like having a complementary breakfast.  It saves time and money to have something ready and hot to eat at your hotel when you want it.  Second, I think it was a long walk to the parks from the hotel through Downtown Disney.  I would say it took 10 minutes more than when we stay at the Park Vue Inn (our favorite off-resort hotel).

Here’s a video I took of a Grand Californian Hotel room and what our room included