Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

Reviews

• AC

  Aubrey Caruth

  4 days ago
  3.0
  The location is the real product here. Walking distance to both parks is what you're paying for, and nothing else at the property matches it. The room. We booked a king and were placed in a queen room. With a crib in the room, space was extremely tight. We also paid a premium for Club Level, but the room itself was nothing special: pillows were far too firm and the beds weren't comfortable. Family amenities. For a Disney resort built around families, the lack of basics is hard to believe. Cribs can't be guaranteed, only pack and plays, and there were no diaper genies or other conveniences for traveling with young kids. At this price point, that should be standard. Most Marriotts offer these at no charge. The standout. Housekeeping was excellent. They set up our daughter's toys in creative, playful ways each day, including Bluey wearing a sleep mask. It was a thoughtful touch and the best part of our stay. Bottom line. We won't be staying at a Disney resort again. The Marriott across the way offers roomier accommodations and better family amenities, and it's the smarter pick for families with little ones.
• JD

  John Durham

  Oct 13, 2026
  5.0
  I had a wonderful experience staying at this hotel! The staff were friendly, professional, and always ready to help. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, creating a relaxing atmosphere throughout my stay. The service was excellent, and the overall hospitality made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived. The location was convenient, and the facilities were impressive. I also appreciated the attention to detail and the staff’s efforts to ensure guests had a pleasant experience. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for comfortable accommodation and quality service. I look forward to visiting again!
• RN

  R N

  Oct 10, 2026
  1.0
  A $1,200-a-Night Hotel With Service That Rivals the DMV I’ve stayed at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel multiple times over the years and have generally enjoyed the experience. The rooms were decent, the service was good, and the location was fantastic. While expensive, I always felt the convenience and overall experience justified the premium. Unfortunately, my stay this past week was genuinely terrible. At $1,200 per night on a weekday, plus $75 for valet parking (which they somehow also manage to tax), you’d expect exceptional service and a well-maintained property. Instead, the hotel appeared noticeably neglected, and nearly every employee I encountered seemed either miserable, indifferent, or outright annoyed at having to assist guests. A few examples: Check-in: I noticed through the app that my reservation had been changed from the two-bed room I booked to a single-bed room. When I approached the front desk, there were no fewer than nine employees standing around with no customers. Not one acknowledged me. When I finally asked for assistance, they looked at one another as though I had inconvenienced them. The representative proceeded to explain that I could simply check in online and didn’t need the front desk. When I explained the room discrepancy, she questioned why I needed two beds since I was traveling alone and hadn’t listed children on my reservation. I’m not sure why my sleeping arrangements required justification when I had already booked and paid for a specific room type. Only after insisting that they honor my reservation or connect me with a manager did she suddenly discover that the room I originally booked was available after all. Housekeeping: The following morning, I stopped by the front desk to request that my room be serviced before 5 p.m. I was told they couldn’t make any promises about completing housekeeping during the day. Apparently, expecting a $1,200-a-night hotel to clean a room during normal daytime hours is unreasonable. Even more unpleasant, room-service trays containing leftover food that had been sitting in the hallway that morning were still there when I returned that afternoon. The hallway had begun to smell. Pretty gross for a supposedly luxury property. Valet: At checkout, I called the front desk to ask that my vehicle be retrieved. I was told the valet department was too busy to take calls. When I arrived downstairs just minutes later, I found four valets standing around chatting, without another guest in sight. I then waited approximately 20 minutes for my vehicle while listening to employees openly complain about being underpaid, guests not tipping enough, and how terrible their employer was. Quite the luxury experience. The one bright spot was the spa staff. They were genuinely friendly, professional, and helpful. Unfortunately, they were the exception rather than the rule. I understand that hospitality employees have difficult jobs, and I don’t expect perfection. But I do expect basic courtesy, reasonable housekeeping, and employees who don’t make guests feel like an inconvenience for asking them to perform routine services. What’s especially disappointing is that I’ve happily paid these premium prices before because I believed the experience justified them. This time, the property appeared poorly maintained, service was consistently substandard, and the overall atmosphere felt like a hotel that had stopped caring. Calling this a premier luxury hotel at this point is laughable. Frankly, the experience would have been disappointing at a fraction of the price. Disney is charging five-star prices while delivering service that, outside of the spa, felt more like a visit to the DMV. I won’t be returning anytime soon. The location is exceptional, but location alone doesn’t justify $1,200 a night when the rest of the experience is this poor.
• JP

  Janet Petet

  Oct 7, 2026
  5.0
  Our initial greetings in the drive way right outside our car was fantastic! They knew what we were celebrating and had our itinerary down! Our hotel guide/ concierge took us on a tour of the lobby and main points and then took us up to our club level room and showed us the Veranda! So fun seeing the food and drinks available to us all day and evening! Our room was lovely, set up in a craftsman furniture style with desk and sofa with small balcony looking towards Disneyland Hotel and Downton Disneyland. Our room had the adorable welcome Minnie Mouse Themed Basket on the bed♥️🤗 Our door also had the Disneyland Celebration Banner over the door which is visible in the hallway when you walk up! I can't say enough for 5 plus stars for first impressions ♥️ Our entire trip was wonderful, 6 days 5 nights...and the staff on the 6th floor is there for you for any of your needs up until 10 pm at night. The room service was superb, with excellent prompt service and their restaurant food was awesome!
• AP

  Ashley Palski

  Sep 26, 2026
  2.0
  We had a great experience at the Grand Californian in 2025 and were really excited to come back this year. Unfortunately, this visit was significantly more disappointing. We were traveling with a larger family group and had three rooms right next to each other. Despite our room having the most children, we were placed in a room without a couch bed, which made the sleeping arrangements much more difficult. We were also disappointed to find that most of the pools were closed during our stay, and we did not receive any advance notice about the closures. The biggest issue, however, was the mosquitoes. All three rooms in our group had mosquitoes inside, and everyone was bitten while sleeping. My husband was actively killing mosquitoes in our room, so this was not simply a matter of getting bitten outside around the property. We also never opened the sliding glass door during our entire stay, making it even more concerning that we had multiple mosquitoes inside the room. Having the same problem across three adjacent rooms was incredibly frustrating and not something we ever expected at a resort at this price point. We paid an extremely high price to stay at the Grand Californian because of the location, convenience, and level of experience we expected. Unfortunately, this stay simply did not live up to that price. What made it even more disappointing was that I reached out to Guest Services afterward to share our concerns and never received a response. We loved our previous stay, which is why we chose to return, but after this experience I would caution others against spending top dollar to stay here. At this price point, the room accommodations, resort amenities, cleanliness, and guest service should be considerably better.

Frequently Asked Questions About Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa