Tour a Pool View Room at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
You probably didn’t think we would be visiting Disneyland here at the start of Walt Disney World’s holiday season. But with the weather putting a bit of a damper on things, I thought we’d hop over to California and preview a pool-view room at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
For starters, I doubt we will ever have much coverage of the Disneyland Parks here on the site. But as a first-time visitor, I was impressed with the hotel and felt like some of you might enjoy seeing a few photos of our room.
Unfortunately, due to the busyness of our Adventures By Disney Trip, I was unable to focus on a full resort review. However, I wrote several blog posts from the balcony of our pool-view room and enjoyed that time immensely. So pack your suitcase and hop on a plane. We’re doing things West Coast style today.
Grand Californian Pool View Room
We arrived at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel late on a Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully, our room was ready upon arrival. Most of us were eager for a brief break after an entire morning of touring Walt Disney Studios, followed by a trip to Walt Disney Imagineering.
Little did we know, we’d visit Walt’s apartment later that evening after entering Disneyland Park. But I’ll share that in an upcoming trip report via email when time allows. On this visit, I was with my friends Kristen and Anna from Firefly Travels. Our tour group included about 25 new friends. My first impression of the room was that it was cheerful. But on closer inspection, I began to notice more high-end details.
Our room was an Arts and Crafts style, like the rest of the resort. We had two queen-size beds.
The wall behind the bed had a mural featuring Chip and Dale, busy at work in an orange tree. I liked how the mural transitioned from wood tones to a painting.
Some of the artwork paid tribute to the history of oranges in California. I remember visiting Walt Disney World as a child with my family and staying at Orange Lake Resort. There was an abundance of orange groves in Florida back then. Until this trip, I didn’t realize that California produced such a large crop of oranges.
When we first met with our Adventure by Disney tour guides, they asked us where we hoped to go on the trip. I immediately mentioned that I hoped we would stop at Griffith Park to see the carousel where Walt Disney took his children on the weekends. It is said that this setting was what first inspired him to create a theme park where families could enjoy time together. Unfortunately, given the circumstances of the last few years, the carousel is now boarded up. Anyway, I found this artwork in our room at the Grand Californian to be a beautiful representation of a time when one dreamer dreamed.
I also found another ancient relic of times past in our room—a room service menu. Okay, I’m partially joking, but I was shocked that full-room service was available all day. Unfortunately, we have yet to see it return to Walt Disney World.
Related: Why Does Disney World No Longer Offer Room Service?
Not only that but the halls were lined with carts of leftover room service during our stay. Had not the majority of our meals been included, we would also have regularly had a cart of leftovers sitting outside of our room. Here in Orlando, you would have to visit the JW Marriott Orlando at Bonnet Creek to get a decent meal delivered to your room. Technically, you could order DoorDash to your Walt Disney World Resort, but that’s not special.
A dresser sat immediately under the television, and a sofa was in the corner.
Standard amenities included a Keurig coffee maker.
A drawer beneath it had the accompaniments.
We see the same beverage cooler available in most standard resort rooms.
Our guest bath was also impressive. It has a walk-in tile shower with a small triangular bench, which provides plenty of room to place personal items and shave your legs. This should be the standard for every future remodel.
That overhead rain shower was another first-class touch.
The bath area also had a decorative basket weave tile floor, a double vanity with plenty of storage space, and a split layout so multiple guests could get ready simultaneously. It even had a small step stool for children, a makeup mirror, and a laundry basket. We ended up using the laundry room during our stay, but you might want someone to help you find it. The Grand Californian is a tremendous hotel with a unique layout. We were nowhere near a laundry room and had difficulty finding it the first go around.
Lastly, we’ll take a look at our hotel balcony. I was pleased to find a table for two. We also had a lovely pool view.
I would have gladly spent several days out here working on Resorts Gal. There are few places (or jobs) where one could say that.
We could see the top of the Pixar Pal-a-Round over the roof of the adjoining building. That’s how close we were to Disney’s California Adventure Park.
If you’ve never visited Disneyland before, without a doubt, the most significant benefit of staying at the Grand Californian is the proximity to the theme parks. One exit leads to Downtown Disney and is only a short walk to the entrance of Disneyland Park. Another exit leads directly inside Disney’s California Adventure Park. You can be out of your room, down the elevator, and through the turnstiles in less than 10 minutes.
Ultimately, our room and stay at the Grand Californian ended up being one of my favorite things about our Adventures by Disney trip. So, if you are planning on taking a trip to Disneyland, I believe it’s worth the splurge to spend a few days at Disney’s finest hotel.
You might consider a split-stay, during which you can plan a full resort day at the Grand Californian. Just remember to order room service! For more obscure hotels we’ve covered on the site, you might enjoy one of the following:
- Disney Cruiseline Wish Stateroom Tour
- Universal Studios Cabana Bay Volcano View Room Tour
- Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review
- The Pools at Loews Sapphire Falls
In the Comments
What do you think about our pool-view room at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel? Have you ever visited? Do you have any questions about staying here? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
