split stay PP & Grand Californian ?

shannon006

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
We have a 6 night stay at Paradise Pier theme park view club level. We have only stayed at The Grand Californian on our previous 3 visits. I am considering doing a split stay and keeping 4 nights at Paradise Pier and moving to courtyard view for 2 nights at The Grand. I have changed resorts a few times at WDW and it can be a hassle having to pack up the room, unpack and pack again to leave. With needing to be in Disneyland to try and get a boarding group this is seeming like it could be more of a hassle trying to move our bags and get checked in early in the am. I love love love The Grand, but am conflicted, so I thought I would ask for others opinions and points of view that I may not have considered.
 
We have a 6 night stay at Paradise Pier theme park view club level. We have only stayed at The Grand Californian on our previous 3 visits. I am considering doing a split stay and keeping 4 nights at Paradise Pier and moving to courtyard view for 2 nights at The Grand. I have changed resorts a few times at WDW and it can be a hassle having to pack up the room, unpack and pack again to leave. With needing to be in Disneyland to try and get a boarding group this is seeming like it could be more of a hassle trying to move our bags and get checked in early in the am. I love love love The Grand, but am conflicted, so I thought I would ask for others opinions and points of view that I may not have considered.
Not going to lie - Paradise Pier is not worth it. Maybe club level will work out better, but I was not impressed at all with my room or the hotel in general.

If you do go with a split stay, just have all your stuff ready to go in the room. Go ahead to DL and get a boarding group. You should have enough time to even Rope Drop a ride or two before sending someone back to the hotel and getting bags moved over. If you check-in at the Grand first, you will even have your keycard and can use the gate to cross the street.
 
Different take here. If money no object, yes I would stay GCH all the way.

But, of all the split stays at DLR, this might be the easiest logistics. Have as much stuff packed/ready to go night before. Roll luggage via crosswalk from PPH to GCH in the early morning, on your way to park opening. Your GCH reservation (just give your last name) gets you through the GCH checkpoint; no worries there. Do NOT go around Downtown Disney on your GCH check-in morning.

Drop luggage with bellhop, allowing 5-15 mins for this in the morning (but likely faster than that). If ROTR Boarding Group is priority, you really don't need to check into GCH in the morning after you drop luggage. If it's an EMH day, you already have room key from PPH to use for that. But if a room request at GCH is important, then check in early and tell them you will wait for the right room.

Yes it's extra work to pack/store luggage and check-in/unpack. But if the split stay is your plan/budget, then don't sweat at all. I know a lot of times we get to day 2 or 3 and realize we never unpacked.

PPH to GCH as easy as split stay gets, I think.
 
Perhaps split the difference and just stay at the Disneyland Hotel for the whole trip unless you don’t like it. DLH is my favourite of the 3.
 


Personally, I wouldn't want to deal with moving stuff and packing, etc. Are you sure that you'll use the Club level stuff at Paradise pier? They close earlier than the other hotels. It's never made financial sense for us, but I suppose if I had a large group that was willing to go back to the hotel to get stuff out of the lounge, it would be money well spent.

I don't know your whole story, but with the limited part posted, I'd be inclined to just do a regular non-club stay at GCH or DLH and not have to move at all.
 

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