Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa - Anaheim, California

Kassondra M.

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.

Rachael K.

So disappointing. Much of the property is under construction, or they are offering limited services but you aren’t told that when booking and you certainly aren’t given any kind of discount because of it. Probably the most I have ever spent on a hotel room. You could hear the people in the room next to us Not just a little, but their complete clear conversations. There was also no water pressure in the shower. Beds were great. I will give them that. The only hot breakfast option was Hearthstone which was a sad buffet for $40 a person and they couldn’t even be bothered to clear our dishes. The Mickey waffles were soggy and the bacon was raw. Half the pool was closed for renovations so that was more crowded than it should have been. Again - no warning or discount. Overall just so disappointing for what we paid. Never again.

Adrienne P.

We chose this hotel for it's proximity to the parks since we still have napping aged children. It was so easy to get to and from the hotel to the parks with their special entrances.

The hotel itself is beautiful, comfortable and a welcome escape from the bustling park. The rooms are large with plenty of space to unpack. There are Keurig coffee maker and a small mini fridge in each room. Double sinks and even a step stool. Even a place to park the stroller near the front door.

Overall we had a wonderful time and even ran into a few princesses on the property which made my daughter so happy!

Note to parents with napping children: there is construction happening so ask the hotel before arrival for a quiet room.

Heather A.

We just completed our first stay at the Grand and it was not so grand. We stayed on the DVC side in a renovated 2bdrm villa (4518). We paid 7k on rented DVC points.
The biggest frustration we have is being completely ignored in our complaints. We didn’t get our room request due to those requested rooms having balconies blocked for construction. That was completely fine for us since the room we did get would have balconies and a view of Redwood Challenge.
The first day we noticed that out of the 3 bathrooms only ONE had hot water, so our mixed family of five had to share one bathroom. We called to file a complaint and no one reached back out for help. So we were stuck with that for the stay.
The construction noise was loud and disrupted naps during the day (one of the main reasons ppl stay so close with young kids). The visual of the Grand was difficult to enjoy with all the construction and closures. NOTHING was offered to guests in exchange for the inconveniences.
The biggest upset for us was on our 3rd day someone entered our room and screwed our balconies shut and zip tied the door. Not only is this against fire code to not have an emergency exit (besides the front door) but it wasn’t needed as nothing was being done on that side while we were there. I have cancer and struggle with temperature regulation. I was trying to get on the balcony to cool off in the middle of the night (as I had done the two previous nights), however after numerous tries I could not and learned in the morning through inspection that it had been sealed with screws. We checked out that morning and complained at checkout. We were told we would be contacted by a manager. No one has called. I filed an email complaint through Disney guest services and no one has reached out from that side either.
This was something I have dreamed about as I have battled through chemo and radiation this year. Although our room was beautiful, our stay was ugly and disappointing. So sad that the magic did not reach us in a time that we truly needed it. 😢
Proceed with caution if you are staying here the next couple months during construction.

lillik932

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.

Wyndy B.

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.

Elvin F.

We didn't even get in to the hotel. We were there early for breakfast and were declined entry due to not having reservations when we were told that walk-ins were accepted. The lady at the front gate was extremely rude in telling were were not allowed in without showing a reservation. We were told to turn back and go eat somewhere in the park. Will never stay at this hotel because this extremely rude start to our day. I do not recommend it. For the happiest place ever, they definitely has some extremely unhappy cast members working here. A very bad start to our visit to Disney.

ChelseaBee

Disappointing experience. Extremely expensive so you expect to get what is advertised. Hotel was under refurbishment but they did not send anything to advise of this in advance. Many restaurants were closed, pool was 1/2 closed, entry to california adventure was closed (told to use Pixar’s but you had to join their line for early entry and end up at back of park), shower not hot first new nights and then no hot water on theirs night until after midnight, spa open restricted hours, nowhere to sit in the lobby, rooms in need of updating. Beds are very worn. I understand that hotels need to do refurbishments but you should let people know in advance so they can decide if they want to stay there and you should provide discounted prices as all amenities are not available. We paid about $750 per night and there was no way it was close to worth that. In the future I will stay at good neighbour hotels. We were very sad because we had always wanted to stay on property and it was a once in a lifetime trip. We spoke with management and they did provide a small credit. Having said that, I didn’t appreciate having to make a complaint when the problem was obviously effecting everyone. They should have just automatically provided everyone a credit for the inconvenience. The squeaky wheel gets the grease but I don’t want to have to squeak to get decent service and it’s not fair to others who may not feel comfortable asking.