Had a wonderful stay at the Grand Californian. Check in was a little on the average side as she didn't give us much information about the property and the magic mornings but we soon found out what to do and where to go. Ate at the Storytellers cafe first night staff their were excellent. The rooms were very comfortable. had a safe and fridge and a nice bathroom.

The location was great close to everything. I personally thnink it doesn't matter at which disney resort you pick they are all nice and all offer great things. The pool at DC was great and the lounge chairs wre also comfey. Ate at Disney Pier which was very nice and also at Disneyland Hotel at Goofy Kitchen which was a buffett dinner great.

Loved disney had a fantastic holiday.

I'd really like to give this 2 1/2 stars. Three is too high, but two seems petty. We stayed two nights (Mon - Tues) and this was a splurge for my boyfriend's birthday. We usually stay at the Annabella Hotel, which is a terrific value for the money, but have always wanted to stay at the Grand Californian. We were disappointed.

The Good: Location, location, location. So easy going back and forth from hotel room to Downtown Disney or California Adventure. Got soaked on a ride? Just dash up and change. Feeling chilly? Run up and get a jacket. SO convenient.

Housekeeping was excellent.

Drinks at hotel lobby bar surprisingly strong!

The Bad: Service outside of housekeeping. No one seemed to smile anywhere. Room was not ready at 3:00 pm check in time, we had to wait until 4:00 pm, and we were not given the King bed I had reserved, because they "didn't have one." When I politely mentioned I had reserved one, was told bluntly that a reservation is no guarantee. Also, upon phone reservation, was told they would have something for my boyfriend's birthday at check in. As she was sending us off to go wait somewhere for the room, I had to mention it with my boyfriend standing there, taking away some of the magic.

Rooms, while clean, are TINY and average and just NOT worth the price. We ordered room service breakfast (which arrived ice cold, although I don't know if this is typical with room service) and we could barely fit the table in the room.

No bar at the pool, so I had to go into the hotel lobby bar in my swim cover up to order drinks (VERY AWKWARD) and then struggle with my key and hands full of beverages to get back into the pool.

Because we were delayed checking in by an hour, I requested a late check out for an hour, and was refused.

At half the price, these things wouldn't have bothered me, but for so much money, I had really high expectations. So if you don't mind spending $400 a night only to be close to the park, then by all means, stay here. Otherwise, save your money and get a nicer room and better treatment at one of the neighborhood hotels.

Our family (a toddler and a baby) recently stayed at this hotel for four nights, during the first week of October. We took advantage of a convention rate that was available to the general public, and paid $219 per night. The hotel and its grounds are absolutely gorgeous, without a lot of the blatant Disney decor. The lobby is stunning, and the three pools are really nice and well-kept.

The biggest negative for us was the check-in process. We utilized the express check in and called the hotel when we were 2 hours away from the resort (around 1:30 p.m.). However, when we arrived, well after the check in time, a room was not available for us. With two tired young children in tow, this was not welcome news. We were told to call the number again in 15 minutes, which we did. Still no room. We waited and called again, and same story. At this point, it was more than an hour past check in time. We finally got a room, but it wasn't our original room with a good view. We were so tired, we were past caring at this point.

The rooms are standard rooms, and definitely are not worth the $400-$500 rack rate. The room is pretty small and cramped, the bathroom wasn't very clean, and there are definite signs of wear and tear in the rooms. The mini refrigerator in our room didn't work very well, but it was swapped out with a new one, within an hour of us calling the front desk. The hotel shampoo and body wash products are really good, and I'm a product junkie who is very picky about those things.

The biggest plus about this hotel is location. With two young children who still take afternoon naps, this hotel really made our visit to the parks much more enjoyable. We also loved WhiteWater Snacks, the "convenience" restaurant in the resort, near the entry to California Adventure. It's kid-friendly, tasty, and reasonably priced (for Disneyland restaurants).

The Storytellers' Cafe was a lot of fun as well, and our girls loved the character breakfast. While it's overpriced food-wise (as are most of the character meals), the overabundance of costume-wearing characters scampering about made the high tab well worth it.

The pools were probably the family favorite. With a baby pool, a play pool with two slides (one adult/one toddler) and a large lap pool, it was a nice way to spend a hot afternoon. There are plenty of towels available, as well as lots of swim float jackets for children. We didn't utilize the bar service as I had read it was very slow (which also seemed to be the case when we were there), but with WhiteWater Snacks nearby, it didn't matter.

As our girls get older and don't need naps, I don't see a reason to return to this property. We'll probably stay at a more Disneyesque, and more reasonably-priced hotel in the future. But for our first visit, it was overall, a nice stay.

Nice lobby (but everything is kind of plastic and ersatz if you look closely) and decent rooms, although very average. It's a big hotel, a little impersonal, and our rooms were a fairly long walk from the elevators.

One thing the Disney Hotels do (we've stayed at the Disneyland Hotel as well) really well: customer service. They have got it down, and the staff is always delightful here. My husband left his Visa card at the Story Teller restaurant, and we called from home to see if they found it. They had, and they mailed it to him the next day at no charge.

You'll pay a premium to stay at a Disney property, and so very close to both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure park).

We travelled as 2 adults with 4 teenaged girls, and we stayed here for 2 nights. It was April, Spring Break, and the girls all had one room, while we adults had another. We were all seriously bummed that the pool waterslide was closed for the entire time we were there.

I don't know how Disney does it, but kids LOVE everything about Disneyland, including this hotel. Our kids had a blast here, and they were delighted to be so close to the park. Even though we had 2 14-year-old girls in the group & 2 12-year-old girls they adored watching the little kids Disney channel on TV every night. They collapsed into delighted giggles watching this silly show. The girls also enjoyed the meals at the Story Teller restaurant with Chip 'n' Dale and some of the other Disney characters.

We ate at the fancier restaurant (fine dining) here, and it was ok, nothing Michelin would note, but not bad. We also ate at the Japanese restaurant (also a Disney property) across the street, and that was decent too. Just know that with everything here, you'll pay a premium for being on Disney property.

Bottom line: If you love all things Disney, you'll love this hotel too. You'll pay a premium to stay here, but then, you are practically at the gate of Disneyland AND California Adventure Park.