Disneyland Hotel vs. Grand Californian

[AvonleaCF]

Staying at DLH during my next trip and very happy with the decision. I like the themeing better as I've stayed at WL before and Grand is similar. Sure, it's a further walk, but everything at DL is close compared to WDW.

[BrerGnat]

OK so we spent a week at the DLH. We liked it a lot. The pool area, especially. We stayed Club Level and that was fabulous!

That said, we still prefer the Grand overall. We were in the adventure tower at DLH and after we checked in, we never went back to the lobby. I kind of missed that. We never really found time to hang out in the lobby of the Grand either, and I missed the ambiance that a nice lobby adds to a vacation. I sort of didn't feel like the DLH was a hotel, weird as that sounds. It felt more like an apartment building with a really great pool area. It was just odd to come back to the Adventure tower every day and never really see anyone else around.

Also, and it sounds nitpicky, but the distance was a pain after several days, especially because the monorail at DL isn't very reliable. It was down about 50% of the time we needed it. I was tracking my steps and it was 1/2 mile from the lobby of the Grand to the Adventure tower. That really adds up over a week's time. If we had stayed at the Grand, our feet wouldn't have been so tired EVERY day. I honestly felt like we were at WDW! We walked an average of 8 miles per day and those weren't even "commando" type days.

The rooms are nicer at the DLH but I didn't like the bathroom setup as much and the water pressure in the shower was slightly less powerful than a trickle, which wasn't fun.

[AvonleaCF]

Other than the distance, is Disneyland Hotel a good choice? I'm staying there in September and chose it over Grand.

Also -- does the DLH have fridges in the rooms? And does the gift shop sell groceries? Or do you have to go to Grand for those (since they have the Villas)? Usually when I go to WDW I pick up a package of bagels and some cream cheese the day of arrival so I can have breakfast in the room each day. Just trying to plan out DL to see if I can do the same thing.

Any other tips/tricks about the resort?

[tinkwest]

I like GCH for the balconies, the lobby and the proximity to the parks. I like DLH for the rooms (they tend to be larger) and the feel of the property. I've said it before and I truly believe it - I would be happy with either.

I haven't stayed at DLH for several years but at that time they did have refrigerators. I know there were some issues with fridges on some Disney properties, but am not sure if it affected the southern California properties.

Groceries on property? No. You should plan on having them delivered by Vons or Albertsons or pick some things up yourself at a nearby grocery store.

[BrerGnat]

No groceries at DLH. The Grand has a small selection at the QS location but it's not much at all. I made a Target run for some basics but we had a rental car.

The DLH is a very nice hotel. I liked it very much, don't get me wrong. There was a fridge in the room.

One other thing you should know, the pool area/slides open at different times. The pools are open 8-10pm. The slides 10am-7pm only. The pools DO actually close, since they are surrounded by a gate. They padlock the gate when it's closed so no swimming outside posted hours is allowed.

Also, rooms facing Downtown Disney will get a LOT of noise from nighttime musical performances. There is a stage right there and nightly performances until 11pm or so. It was quite loud. Recommend pool view if you are noise sensitive.