I'm finally submitting a review for the Grand Californian after my third stay in the hotel in as many years. Since bringing my 2 girls here in February of 2009 for the first time it really is the only place I know around Disneyland. To be quite honest, I really don't want to risk taking a chance with somewhere new when I know a great thing when I have one! When doing Disneyland with young kids (mine are now 8 and 5 years old), the convenience of both parks is soooo worth it!! One year, we had a room facing Disneyland right over the World of Disney store. I had just gotten my girls down to sleep and was enjoying a nice adult beverage on the balcony. My view towards the ground was the chaos of people waiting for the tram to get to the parking lot. I knew right then and there why this hotel is worth the extra money. As I sat down on the patio my gaze fell on the sights of Disneyland Park and was back into vacation mode. Now if you are like me, (and I realize we all consider different aspects of vacations as more important than others) I consider it a luxury if it saves me from dealing with crowds of people. I have to work hard and budget money for this trip like many of you, but the reduction in stress and the increased enjoyment came from literally being able to walk to my room at any time. The private entrance to California Adventure and Downtown Disney just added bonus. I really can't speak to the fact of staying at a good neighbor hotel is a good comparison or not, I just am not willing to risk the regret of not staying at the place I know is a "sure thing". If you are reading this you know already that a Disneyland vacation is going to be a big chunk of change(and totally worth that too seeing the magic in my girl's eyes). To some it may not meet the "5 star" rating based on comparison to others, but the minute I pull into the Grand Californian and turn my keys over to the valet, walk through those big beautiful sliding doors. We are officially in the magic kingdom!! Spend the money!! It's not the Ritz, but it is a beautiful hotel, it is Disneyland, and it allows you to enjoy all the money you put down to get here anyway.

We stayed at the hotel Dec. 12-15 to celebrate my daughter's 7th birthday. We are passholders and often visit Disneyland although it is about an hour and half commute. We have the Disneyland parking pass but that makes no difference - the hotel charges $15 per night regardless. We arrived early and were happy to check-in early. The front desk person was not very verbal so most of the details about the hotel, I learned from his co-worker checking in another family next to us. I asked for bunk beds for the kids (and requested them at hotel booking) but they stated there were none available. The hotel was clean and there was huge Christmas tree in the middle of the hotel which made for great pics. The room was clean - a little dated. I love the convienence of being able to visit the hotel room whenever. For the first time, we were able to leave our stroller in the room for a bit.
My only real complaint was that the hotel did not tell us Santa was in the hotel taking pictures with the kids! We have small children and they would have loved to see Santa! We found out later from Facebook when our friends (staying the exact same days) posted their pictures. Oh, also - there were a lot of smokers in non-smoking areas around the hotel but the hotel staff didn't seem to care. Hate that!
One night we had dinner at Storyteller's Cafe and it was very good. I highly recommend it for dinner.
We are giving the hotel another go Feb. 12 and 13th... we'll see....

Definitely trhe way to go if you are staying multiple days at Disneyland!
A private entrance to both parks, and Downtown Disney.
Nice restaurants on site. Child Care available. Modern, clean facilities. Helpful Staff. What more could you want!

Our family stayed for four nights in late January 2012. The Grand Californian is excellent, and I would not stay anywhere else on a return trip. You simply cannot beat this location. You are in very easy walking distance to both parks, as well as right in the middle of Downtown Disney. The separate entrance to the California Adventure Park is a huge plus-- you can avoid the long lines at the main entrance. Even better, the private entrance is just a few steps away from the Grizzly River Run, so when you get soaked on this ride (and you will!), you can head straight to your room to change and get back to the park(s). It was also great to be able to enjoy the pools and hot tubs and take a break from the parks one afternoon.

The hotel itself is lovely, and does a great job of incorporating the Arts and Crafts style and the nature motifs throughout the property. Some here have complained about the rooms being small, but we had an average room and thought it was plenty big. Remember, you are going to be at the parks almost all of the time, so the room is somewhat of an afterthought. Service (housekeeping, room service, valets) was excellent, very prompt and responsive. The room service breakfast was very good (and is the only hotel food I tried). This place is everything you need at Disneyland!