Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa

As if staying at the Grand California Hotel is not expensive already, the hotel now charges its overnight guests both a 15% Valet Parking Transient Tax equal to 15% of the valet parking charge of $75 or $11.25 and a Valet Tourism Improvement Tax equal to 2% or $1.50. So, to park your car overnight in valet at the hotel, you will pay a total of $88. The charge last year during November 2025 was simply a overnight valet charge of $75. No other taxes...

Have stayed here several times with my family and have found it increasingly difficult over the years to justify the expense of staying here.

One of the few remaining factors that led us to stay here again was the soon to be discontinued early entry into the park. Disney’s decision is incredibly disappointing. The rides all three morning during early entry time into the park had lines and the crowds to enter were long so Disney’s assertion that few used the privilege seem somewhat suspect. Additionally early entry also gave guests of the hotel a leg up on packing rides in before the crowds took off. The new policy of providing one lighting lane for your entire stay is like a slap to the face.

The standard hotel rooms are incredibly small and well worn, our housekeeping team was great though. Since our last stay they changed the fans in the bathroom to ones that run constantly, so if you can imagine a sound just below a refrigerator running, but running continuously during your stay it is rather annoying, especially at that price point.

The hotel is also incredibly busy, from the many restaurants, people coming to view the lobby and guests from other hotels cutting through the lobby, it is loud and unappealing to linger long on the lobby area. It will get worse once the Pixar pier hotel entrance to California adventure is closed and everyone is rerouted through the hotel, and not to mention the long lines to get through security in the morning.

Staff interactions were also mixed, several seem rather disinterested to be there, given the chaos in the lobby I don’t blame them, others were great, just wasn’t the immersive Disney bubble experience we felt when we first started staying there. Security guards into the park were also very much more short with guests, they have a lot on their plate, but short tempered employees seemed more prevalent this go around.

There still are some good things, it’s the closest hotel so pretty easy to step out and take a break or change clothes if you get drenched on grizzly mountain and at least during our stay, they opened the security lines into downtown Disney well before the main gates so hotel guests were able to get to the front of the gates at Disneyland or California Adventure without much worry, but that privilege isn’t guaranteed. To get to the front of the line for security for when they opened at 6:45 during our stay we had to get there anywhere from 45 to 30 minutes in advance. But not sure these few perks really justify the cost.

Overall an underwhelming experience, especially compared to the great stays we’ve had during equally busy periods of time. Without the early entry perk we may switch back to the Marriott with the water park across the street, bigger rooms and about half the price and it’s about the same distance away as the Disneyland Hotel.

Our stay at the Grand Californian was truly magical from the moment we walked in. The hotel is stunning — warm wood, beautiful details everywhere, and everything feels clean, cozy, and welcoming. It’s one of those places where you instantly relax.

The rooms were spotless and felt like a peaceful escape after busy park days. One of the biggest perks for our family was having a private entrance straight into California Adventure. It made such a difference with kids. When they hit that “I’m done” moment in the afternoon, we could slip right back to the room for naps without trekking across the whole resort. That alone made the stay worth it.

We also loved the pool area. There are options for every age — relaxing spaces for adults, fun areas for the kids, and plenty of room to unwind. It’s perfect for a mid-day break or a full “rest day” without ever leaving the hotel.

The spa is beautiful too — calming, clean, and the perfect treat if you can sneak away for a little mom time.

Overall, the Grand Californian feels luxurious but incredibly family-friendly. The atmosphere, convenience, and comfort made our trip smoother, happier, and so much easier with kids. We would absolutely stay here again.

Honestly the most disappointing hotel stay of the year. We travel a lot and have stayed at many off property hotels, everyone had told us about Grand Californian so we thought we should try it. What a complete joke of a hotel. Noise so bad it shook the headboards of our beds for almost 8 straight hours… front desk solution? Try ear plugs. We went to storybook cafe for character dining, waited over 75 mins and hadn’t seen half the characters, were told “too bad it can take up to 90 mins” (btw by the time we got our check and left it was past 90 mins and they still hadn’t show up. The hotel is super packed with people in every nook and cranny, it’s less a tranquil retreat as it is an extension of the park chaos.

Do yourself a favor, save $300+ a night and stay across the way at the Westin. It’s a nicer property, with nicer amenities and less than 10 mins extra walk.

I want to give my complete unsponsored opinion about my stay and experience. Keeping in mind, this stay had been a bucket list item for me ever since the hotel opened.

The Good: Convenience. Truthfully its about the only true benefit. Sure the lobby is beautiful, and the staff are A++. But just about everything falls flat when paying 600+ a night on a weeknight. The convenience of being able to walk straight in and out of Disney California Adventure is a HUGE benefit for families.

The bad: The rooms are in desperate need for a renovation. If I'm paying 600+ a night the fixtures in the shower should be clean of grime and scaling and not have the water shoot in 50 different directions. While the bedding and entertainment are nice the bathroom and mini fridge need help. The mini fridge hardly keeps items cold so don't plan on keeping that can of beer or bottle of wine cold for a treat after a long day in the park.

The "What the heck": Pricing. I get it, you're at Disney and they have you in a chokehold but come on. 14 bucks for a bottle of beer? I live 30 mins from New York City and have never seen that expensive of a bottle. Also, $70 per person for a breakfast buffet? Just because there are some characters walking around that is completely insane.

Positive suggestions: reevaluate the menu and food options. This extends into Disneyland as well. Most kids have basic taste buds. Pasta, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggs/grilled chicken, cheese pizza, etc. Sometimes as parents we don't want to fight another battle and just want a basic selection to choose from to get our kids some quick food. Also, what would it cost to have a bottle or two of complimentary water in the rooms. Most competitors do. Its a small gesture. Show a little value.

Also, find a way to add a monorail stop. This would only add to the convenience level and drive more people to stay at this property. After a long 10+ hour marathon in the park it would be incredible to just hitch a ride to get back to the hotel.

This is outright one of Disney’s best resorts. Located next to Disney California Adventure, it’s a quant yet expansive resort with a large pool area, several dining options (Hearthstone Lounge, GCH Craftsman Grill, Storytellers Cafe, and Napa Rose) on top of room service, a three-pool pool area, fitness center, and spa. It also features access into Downtown Disney with Disneyland Park just a short walk away.

Tips
- Takeout is available at Hearthstone Lounge (bar drinks) and Craftsman Grill, which also features quick servicing dining.
- You can many times join the walk-up list for GCH Craftsman Grill (table service), otherwise try to secure a reservation for other locations
- Lounging in the lobby is a great rest option from the parks, which features a dessert and coffee bar (with some adult beverages)

I have stayed here a few times. And others should know. It’s only appeal is it’s connected to downtown Disney. Staff are great…but that’s it! Rooms are very dated even on the club level. Room service takes an hour. Club level Veranda Room for breakfast has no hot food except for bagels. Even a holiday inn does better than that. Security check to get into Downtown and into park from the hotel has a massive line in the mornings. It should be three times the size. Breakfast downstairs takes reservations only for the most part. They are not setup at all for the amount of people that come here. It’s that’s not a new situation.

The hotel staff were very accommodating. We asked for a microwave and they brought us one before we had even finished unpacking. Additionally, they went above and beyond to decorate our room during turn down because they knew that it was our daughter’s 6th birthday. Really fantastic effort. Park was super convenient for California adventure and also to Disney downtown and Disneyland. Pay attention to which days you get early admission as it’s different for each park. Only downside is the cost. Restaurants onsite, specifically the character breakfast was extremely overpriced. Breakfast for our family of 4 was over $250.

Rooms were clean and right on Disney California adventure park, easy access.

Ok so the elephant in the room here is the cost, we almost sold one of our kids organs to exchange AUD on a low rate to USD to pay for the 5 enjoyable nights here. Staff were wonderful, customer service was top notch and the magic was all there. All hotel staff were very kind to our kids that traded their pins, even the security guards were in on the action.

We were here during Starwars week so it appears to have commanded a higher rate. We opted for the Downtown view room which was nice to watch the action but as others have mentioned it can be noisy, but the kids enjoyed it and would run out to the balcony to have a look.

Early entry was the icing and we used those early entries to our full advantage, the park is essentially foot steps away from the hotel. Proximity of the hotel was also convenient for mid day breaks and sleeps for our younger family members.

For those Australian's that have never visited, the security checks to go into the park can be more intrusive than what we experience at our domestic airports back home, its next level but i get it because of the constitution.

I recommend a character meet breakfast, youll need to pay extra for it and dont expect your kids to finish their actual breakfast with all of Disney's greatest swinging by your table.

The hotel is very nice and extremely convenient when entering the parks, especially DCA. I would say that for the money the rooms should be better cared for. Our couch was frayed, the bathroom door sticks and the toilet rocks. There is live music every night which would be nice if it wasn’t so loud that you can’t hold a conversation with your dining partner and the music can be heard in the upper level rooms with the balcony doors closed. It’s actually really unpleasant. I’m not sure if I would spend the money to stay here again.

We’ve stayed at the Grand Californian many times but this was the first time that when we entered the room, our last name wasn’t on the tv screen. My daughter just turned 1 years old and we also purchased an in room celebration to make her birthday a special one and a small detail of the last name not on the screen is bothersome especially if your spending almost a thousand dollars per night. I talked to 3 different people to try and get the situation resolved and all 3 people told me a different story which was extremely frustrating. I was told it was a “computer glitch” to the WiFi needs to be reset in the room to we can reset it remotely without coming to the room and the issue never got resolved after being there for 5 days. May not be a big deal to some people but when you pay a premium price, I definitely want everything that I paid for.

Had another guest walk in our room while I was in the shower and wife was getting dressed. No call back from guest exp manager

The hotel located in Anaheim LA , 45 minutes from airport, it is a family friendly hotel with 5 swimming pools, the staff is friendly and helpful and it has private access to Adventure Park and downtown Disney

This is THE hotel to stay at in Disneyland! The location is fabulous, walkable to literally everything. We were a party of ten (with four children) and had a two bedroom suite. The room was spacious and beautiful with a view of the Grizzly River Run ride. We spent A LOT of time at the pool—perfect for our little ones and the food was AMAZING! The live music was SUCH a vibe! The pool chairs do fill up quickly but we got a table by the entrance every day. I have only one small (and petty) complaint— we stayed here four years ago and had access to the Verandah club, which is their club level lounge. For all 10 of us it was an extra $250 a night and we thought it was well worth it. This trip, the price was $880 and we couldn’t justify the price hike. Other than this, we really enjoyed our trip and will definitely be returning!!

My family and I visited the Grand Californian in July. While we've visited Disneyland many times this was actually our first stay at the hotel. First, it's a beautiful facility, a lodge-like oasis seemingly very far away from the heat/crowds at the park - but you're actually right in the middle of everything. This hotel provides awesome early access to the park unlike some of the other hotels. You get in at 7:30 and are literally walking around while the crew members are getting everything set up for the day. Very cool experience. Our room was spacious enough for four and included a couch/trundle bed larger enough for a child. It was also very quiet, spacious and cool. It overlooked downtown Disney and had a great view of the evening fireworks. It was also convenient to run down and grab food/shop/whatever. One other thing I've seen in the review that I wanted to help with; if you choose to self-park, the lot is across the street beside the Pixar place hotel. It's about a 5-minute walk from the front doors of the Californian to the lot. The valet team seemed awesome but if you prefer to self-park it's very convenient. Lastly, HUGE thank you to the housekeeping crew. We had an early flight and I left one of my favorite shirts in the room's closet. When we inquired about it, they had found it and the team were kind enough ship it to me a few days later. Really awesome.

I am in love with the Grand Californian. I’m not sure what it is…everything is high quality and great service but the Disney VIBE is unbeatable. I’ve stayed at many many Disney resorts and there is just something about the Grand Californian that is ultimate magical.

If you are a Disney nut and you can afford it, don’t even think about it and just book it. You won’t be disappointed. Location - access to DCA and Downtown Disney is the ultimate convenience. Pool area is fantastic and exactly what you would expect from this hotel.

Our only disappointment was with the dining. When we visited, their kitchen was undergoing maintenance and their menu in every restaurant was very limited. That was too bad but the good news is there are lots of other options super close so it didn’t ruin our vacation.

Counting down the days until our next visit…

We stayed at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel for two nights while visiting both Disneyland and California Adventure with our two kids.

Previously, we stayed at the JW Marriott Anaheim, but this time we chose the Grand Californian mainly for its unbeatable location—especially since we were traveling with a toddler who still needed naps and went to bed early. The proximity was definitely the highlight: it’s only a 5–10 minute walk to the parks compared to 20 minutes from many other hotels. There’s also a direct entrance into California Adventure, just a 5-minute walk, but we only used it for re-entry in the afternoons and as it was not open for early morning rope drop, which was a little disappointing.

The hotel itself has a beautiful grand lobby with warm wood details, and the staff were consistently friendly. My older son enjoyed the storytelling and movie activities, which were a nice touch. Our room, however, was fairly basic for the price. It was comfortable enough for two adults and two children, but definitely felt like the premium was for location rather than luxury. One downside was the in-room toiletries—their shampoo, body wash, and body lotion were very drying and not what I would expect from a hotel at this price point.

Before our stay, I tried contacting the hotel several times to ask about late check-out, but wasn’t able to get through. In the end, I was happy to pay $149 to extend our stay until 5PM, which worked out perfectly with our midnight flight.

We used the pools during our non-park day, and they were extremely crowded—busier than the parks themselves. We ordered lunch poolside, but the food was underwhelming and overpriced compared to what we found inside the parks. In hindsight, UberEats would have been a better option. On the plus side, the gym was large, air-conditioned, and nearly empty—I had it to myself for an hour aside from a couple of people refilling water bottles.

One thing I overlooked when booking was checking which park offered early entry for hotel guests. During our stay, only California Adventure had early entry, not Disneyland. If I had known, I might have picked different dates to take advantage of both parks’ early access.

Overall, despite some drawbacks, the Grand Californian’s location made our July visit much smoother. Being able to quickly return to the hotel to rest and cool off during the day was a huge benefit, especially with kids.

We stayed here for nearly a week in July 2025. The proximity to the parks and separate access to DCA are very handy, especially with young kids. Wish room was slightly larger, but overall an excellent stay.

We recently stayed at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel and Spa for 4 nights, and while there were certainly some positives, a few disappointing aspects kept this from being the five-star experience we expected for the extravagant price point they are charging families.

On the plus side, the cast-members were consistently friendly, welcoming and eager to help. Their warm attitude added a lot to the overall atmosphere of the hotel. The location is incredibly convenient, being able to walk directly to the parks and back to our room for midday breaks in hot summer days was a big plus, especially with kids.

HOWEVER, the condition of our room left much to be desired. For a room that costs over $1,000 a night, we expected a much higher standard of cleanliness and upkeep. The carpet was visibly soiled and frayed in multiple areas. The main overhead light (the one integrated into the crown molding) didn’t work at all, so we had to rely solely on the small bedside lamps for lighting. One of the bed duvets was completely torn down on one side, which was quite surprising given the hotel’s luxury branding. The Keurig machine was also unreliable, failing to work four out of five times we tried it. The bathroom stool had clusters of hair stuck to it, which raised immediate hygiene concerns.

Overall, while the service and location were excellent, the room condition was far below what anyone should accept at this price point. Disney can—and should—do better to meet the expectations of guests paying these premium rates.