Let me just say that when you compare this to a Disney World (DW) resort the Grand Californian is seriously lacking. It was hard for my family and me to not compare this trip to DW when we have been there so many times.

First off parking at this resort is sub-par unless you pay $17/day for valet you have to park your car across the street and cross a busy road to get to the resort. This is ridiculous IMO for a Disney property. There should be some sort of safe walk way. Check-In was fast and the front desk clerk was friendly and helpful. We arrived on a Wednesday at about 4pm.

The inside of the lobby is grand and beautiful with a huge stone fireplace that must be enjoyed at least one time during your visit....you might have to scope it out though to hit a time when all the seats aren't taken.

The rooms were just OK and a little disappointing. First, they're not very big nor are they particularly very clean, which was surprising to me. Dust seemed to coat all the surfaces and everything just looks worn and tired. There was quite a bit of mold in the shower where the wall met the ceiling. Also, I have experienced better showers at much, much cheaper hotels. The water temperature fluctuations were insane. It would start off warm and then change quickly with no warning. Several times my son was surprised by the water changing from warm to very hot. I'm guessing it was due to other guests taking a shower...it was like being at home and someone flushing the toilet while you're in the shower. This is just not acceptable at a resort or any hotel for that matter. The walls are super thin at this resort. I can't stress this enough. If noise bothers you, especially at night, bring some earplugs or an I Pod (an I Pod can be plugged into the clock radio).

Our room included a queen size bed, a set of bunk beds with a trundle bed beneath, a dresser/entertainment center that holds a flat panel TV and a small fridge, a large closet with a crib and extra bedding, a double sink vanity with a coffee maker and wall mounted hair dryer, and the toilet with shower in a separate room with pocket doors dividing the two. The room with the shower is way too small. The bath amenities were decent products.

We were facing the pool and CA Park but there is construction of their new timeshare property and this hinders the view somewhat for now. It was nice sitting on the balcony at night looking at the lights from the park. Fireworks were not visible from our room at any time.

We ate at many of the restaurants at the resort, Downtown Disney and at the parks including the famed Napa Rose within the resort and not one meal was stellar or even great for that matter. I will leave that for another review though.

The pool area was nice with plenty of chairs most days. It was sometimes hard to find a seat with shade that did not have towels strewn about. By the way there are plenty of towels and life vests in all sizes available poolside. They had a wonderful, long water slide which my son seemed to enjoy. They also had a smaller slide at one end of the pool for the littlest ones. There are actually two swimming pools (one is considered a lap pool), a very small baby pool and one spa. The spa always seemed to be overrun with unsupervised children and the chlorine level was off the charts. My eyes literally started watering within five feet of it. There is a snack bar which also serves alcohol right outside the pool area and there are waiters walking around during the day to take orders. You will need your room key to gain access to the pool area.

There are self serve laundry facilities within the hotel and a small gift shop off the main lobby. Guest services are located within the main lobby and can help you with most anything. There is also a play center for children that charges by the hour if you want a night out. We did not utilize this facility so I can't review it.

We ordered room service twice while here. The first time the food was good, warm, and served promptly. The second time the food arrived cold and they forgot to include our drinks...we ended up waiting another thirty minutes for those to arrive.

Location of this park is what sets it apart. If you are here to visit the theme parks then this is the place to stay. You can literally walk into CA theme park from the resort within five minutes of leaving your room. To get to DL you just walk through Downtown Disney (which is very small compared to Florida's version). It was very nice visiting the park and then being able to leave, go back to the room and rest or pop right over to Disneyland. This is by no means as doable at the Florida theme parks since everything is huge and spread out....they let you think so, but trust me it's not as easy as here with only the two parks.

Utilize your early morning entrance perk to the parks as they fill up fast. CA Park was less crowded and more enjoyable than DL, but of course you go for the magic of DL so you will have to put up with the crowds eventually.

I enjoyed our trip to California’s Disney theme parks but I can't imagine ever going again when there are so many other places in the world to see and visit. If you can, get out and see California too.

I have stayed at the Grand on 2 seperate occasions, one being my honeymoon. My husband's first impression was that of mine when I first stayed as a guest... "this is it for $400 a night?". But as a guest and Disney enthusiast you soon realize you are not paying for the room, but the location and direct entrance into DCA. Those two things are priceless for someone needing quick and easy access to their room (i.e. I am disabled and need to rest from time to time). The rooms with a view are worth it if you are really into Disneyland. On our last trip I stayed up all night watching the crews try to fix the Tower of Terror sign. The surroundings are gorgeous, business center helpful, and Napa Rose restaurant is an absolute must. A tip for a discounted room: Get one Annual Passholder ticket for your group. You instantly receive 10% off your entire room and the discount may be greater depending on the time of the year. Annual passholders can reserve up to two rooms plus get discounts on food purchases thoughout the entire park. If you are not a Disney fanatic or needing immediate access to your room, then I suggest staying at the Paradise Pier or any other number of Good Neighbor hotels. The sticker price won't be as shocking and you will get the same experience.

We stayed at the Disney Grand Californian for 8 nights in May 2008. I can’t say enough about how great an experience you get when you stay here and visit Disneyland/DCA. We have two children (7&9) and the rooms are just what a family needs. We requested one with bunch beds, which the kids loved (no more sharing) and the double sinks, separate from the shower toilet work very well for families. In fact the whole room design is brilliant and well thought out, as mentioned we were here 8 days and it was comfortable. Disney channel on the TV is also great for the kids.

Even better than all of the benefits I mentioned is the proximity of the hotel to the entrance to Disneyland (less than 5 min walk) and it’s own entrance to DCA. This is worth $ when you are coming back from Grizzly Mountain Run soaking wet!

I should also mention the staff who were all Disney level (excellent) courteous and helpful. We had particularly great service from the Bell desk, picking up our park shopping each day and on check in from Dustin.

We have stayed outside the park on two other occasions and The Grand Californian is THE ONLY place to stay when visiting Disneyland.

We stayed here for four nights from June 21-25, 2008. We decided at the last minute to book one room at the Grand Californian rather than two rooms at a less expensive property (the Candy Cane Inn) given the Grand Californian's proximity to the parks and the fact we were travelling with a 3 and 5 year old who would be taking mid-day naps. We could not have been happier with our decision. First, we were pleased that staying in the park allowed us to take the Disneyland Express bus from LAX to the hotel, which was easier and cheaper than renting a car. Check in was the least enjoyable part of our stay, as the hotel was mobbed when we arrived and our express check in paperwork could not be located. But, we were given a nicer room than the one we booked, on the 5th floor with a great view of DCA (trees partially obstruct the views on the lower floors). We could also see fireworks from Disney from our balcony at night. The room was not huge, but had adequate luggage and storage space for 5 people and a stroller. There was no pull out sofa in this room but our son slept on a sleeping bag and mat provided by the hotel between the two beds, which worked fine. The room had a fridge and a flat sreen TV and the TV had cartoons and "bed time stories" at night for the kids. We enjoyed our balcony and view of the park, and found the room to be extremely quite despite the fact that the hotel had to be full. The room was clean and comfortable and reliably freshened twice a day. The biggest benefit (and reason for the price tag) was of course the location. The hotel has its own entrance into DCA, which was incredibly convenient if you need to pause for a nap or to get dry clothes after riding Grizzly Peak. The hotel also has an entrance into the middle of Downtown Disney. From there you can turn left and walk to the Monorail and ride that to Tommorowland, or you could turn right and walk out of Downtown Disney and directly to the main gate of Disneyland, which we found to be the more convenient option, as it is only a 5 minute walk. We went back and forth from the parks to the hotel every day, and could not have imagined doing so if we staying further away, given the 90+ temperatures and two small children. We also enjoyed the hotel's pool, particularly the small kids' waterslide that even young toddlers can enjoy. We found the pool to be quite crowded on some days with no available chairs, but other days were less busy. Pool wait service exists but is spotty, but this may be a deliberate effort to limit alcohol consumption poolside. The hotel's food is quite good though expensive, and the snack shop by the pool is convenient, although stocked with only particular brands (e.g., only Kellogg's cereal, so no Cheerios). We'd stay here again in a heartbeat when returning to Disney.