One in every of our largest unpopular Disney reviews is that Imagineering has been on a roll with hotel reimaginings, and that new rooms within the inns are an evening and day development over a decade in the past. Their monitor report hasn’t been flawless, however maximum had been main upgrades and ~90% have completed a just right activity of balancing themed design with trendy visitor expectancies.
Disney fanatics are fast to criticize new idea artwork and reimaginings. If I had a nickel for each time a reader remark described redone rooms as bland, uninteresting, sterile, hospital-like, antiseptic, naked, or dystopian…I’d have a minimum of $5. Which isn’t some huge cash, but it surely’s however a large number of nickels.
Then again, what we’ve came upon is that that is in large part within the summary versus being in accordance with particular room refurbishments. Which is to mention that the normal knowledge is that “new” rooms at Walt Disney International and Disneyland are unhealthy and typically unthemed, however that the majority fanatics ceaselessly like the person reimaginings when seeing a sooner than vs. after comparability.
From our viewpoint, the overarching belief is most commonly a question of old-fashioned reviews. The 2017 reimagining of Pop Century used to be the primary ‘trendy’ era of lodge rooms at Walt Disney International. The fan reaction to that used to be combined, with many loving the purposeful enhancements however complaining that the room appeared too sterile and hospital-like. They weren’t incorrect, there used to be a large number of useless, white area.
Previous to this, Walt Disney International room redos had been heading within the incorrect course with overly generic and no purposeful enhancements to in a different way justify the tasteless designs. However opposite to the average belief that these days’s new rooms are uninteresting and bland, lots of the redesigns that fanatics dislike had been if truth be told completed from round 2014 to 2018. (The rooms that many longtime fanatics love are from a decade previous, and are lengthy long gone.)
That used to be the peak of homogenization, and there are a number of rooms from that technology that appeared nearly indistinguishable from a mid-tier Marriott. A part of that stemmed from visitor lawsuits in regards to the earlier designs having a look busy and garish, however Disney completely overcorrected and went too some distance within the different course. The distinction used to be stark.
The true turning level the place redone rooms began firing on all cylinders used to be Disney’s Riviera Hotel in past due 2019. Previous to this, output used to be hit and miss from 2017 to 2019. Publish-Riviera, Disney has been most commonly crushing it with room reimaginings. The present ‘wave’ of cutting edge lodging that marry space-saving types with well-themed ones is sort of very best. Those be offering an array of upgrades to each the shape and serve as of the rooms, with little of worth misplaced within the procedure.
There were a couple of misses (Fresh, BoardWalk and Royal Rooms at Riverside), however the overwhelming majority had been large wins. That’s doubly true at the DVC aspect, the place Saratoga Springs, Polynesian (longhouses), Grand Floridian, Boulder Ridge, Bay Lake Tower, Kidani Village and Island Tower have all been improbable. There were 0 misses from DVC since 2019.
Or reasonably, there have been till one giant whiff: Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa.
Earlier than we dig into the main points of this underwhelming refurbishment, let’s get started with the fundamentals. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa is, because the identify suggests, situated on the flagship lodge overlooking Disney California Journey (DCA).
Just like the Grand Californian Resort as an entire, the DVC wing used to be designed through the past due, nice Peter Dominick. He used to be additionally the architect for Disney’s Desert Resort and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort at Walt Disney International. The villas additionally mirror the similar California Arts & Crafts taste of the principle lodge.
The DVC wing is way smaller than the lodge itself in addition to maximum different Disney Holiday Membership expansions. The unique Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa options 745 visitor rooms, together with 44 suites. With the addition of the growth wing in 2009, the lodge now gives 945 visitor rooms. In overall, there’s a most of 71 DVC devices, which is small through Disney Holiday Membership requirements.
Between the low provide and prime call for, the Villas at Grand Californian are rather well-liked by DVC participants! This belongings is well-liked as it gives the entire similar promoting issues on the Grand Californian, which is a smart lodge. From the wealthy themed design and a focus to element to the personal front into DCA to nice eating, the Grand Californian is unmatched.
If environment apart price (or the usage of DVC issues), it’s my #1, #2 or #3 Disney lodge within the U.S., proper along Desert Resort and Animal Kingdom Resort. What can I say, I’ve a sort! (Significantly, regardless that, it’s a false impression that every one 3 are the similar taste–there are main variations!)
With that out of the way in which, let’s check out the rooms at Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort (VGC), beginning with the previous…
The above rooms are circa 2017, the results of VGC’s first comfortable items refurbishment.
In keeping with customary lifecycles, the Villas at Grand Californian must’ve won a troublesome items refurbishment a couple of years in the past. That used to be not on time, in large part because of COVID, and the exhausting items refurbishment used to be rescheduled to ultimate 12 months.
For the ones unfamiliar with this time period, a troublesome just right refurbishment is normally a gut-job all through which the furnishings, ground, fixtures, and different parts are changed. We refer to those as room reimaginings, as they in most cases lead to materially-different rooms. It’s a top-to-bottom overhaul.
In between exhausting items refurbishments, there are comfortable items refurbishments to increase the lifetime of a specific room design, and to present them a recent glance that takes benefit of trade tendencies and inventions in design. Comfortable items refurbishments normally contain updating furniture, together with however now not restricted to wall coverings, ground, linens, decor, and a few furnishings.
Walt Disney International has been using comfortable items refurbishments rather successfully within the ultimate decade to introduce space-saving design options. Because of this, the road has been blurred between comfortable and hards items refurbishments, to the purpose that we’ve noticed huge adjustments all through comfortable items tasks (particularly at the DVC aspect) to put in new fold-down beds and make different main adjustments.
Right here’s a take a look at the brand new rooms at Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort. Extra like new-ish rooms…
Let’s get started with the most important replace, which is the substitute of the settee sleeper with the Inova pull-down mattress.
Whilst affordable minds might vary about just about each different facet of room designs, there’s transparent consensus in regards to the new pull-down Murphy beds. They’re a lot more relaxed that settee sleepers due to having a standard bed, and the gap freed up when transformed right into a sofa makes the room really feel better.
The Inova Murphy beds had been a large hit with as regards to each Disney Holiday Membership member we all know. This taste has unfold to each unmarried Disney Holiday Membership room (and past!) that has been renovated in the previous few years, and for just right explanation why, as DVC experiences that member pride surveys give those rooms very prime marks.
The ground has additionally been up to date.
As has been the case with all different redone rooms, the carpeting used to be got rid of and changed with laminate flooring that are supposed to give the glance of hardwood ground. This has been supplemented with a space rug, which combines issues up and gives a dash of colour and extra texture to the room. That is an development over the previous carpeting, which used to be having a look badly worn and dated.
No longer each not too long ago redone room has had a space rug, however that is in a different way pulling from that playbook. The whole lot up so far is exactly what we anticipated of the VGC exhausting items refurbishment. Now comes the large rug pull…
Actually not anything else modified. Right here’s a non-exhaustive record of the non-changes that we’d’ve anticipated in line with fresh DVC precedent:
- There are not any integrated USB-A or USB-C ports.
- There are not any beside telephone stands
- There’s no table or pull-down fifth sleeper underneath the TV
- There’s no Keurig Okay-Duo unmarried serving and carafe espresso maker
- There’s no art work at the out of doors of the Inova sleeper
- The toilet wasn’t touched, duration
- Not one of the tilework used to be changed
- Not one of the furnishings used to be modified
- Not one of the home equipment had been modified
Listed below are extra pictures of the “redone” rooms on the Grand Californian:
A minimum of to my eye, not anything modified apart from the set up of the Inova sleeper and substitute of the carpeting with exhausting ground and an accessory rug. Granted, this appears to be like great and (IMO) used to be what the room wanted maximum, however nonetheless…there’s so much that didn’t occur in what must be Disneyland’s flagship hotel all through what must had been a troublesome items refurbishment.
In truth, I’d pass so far as to mention that this used to be now not a troublesome items refurbishment. Within the put up reopening technology, each the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Villas won comfortable items refurbishments that integrated set up of the brand new Inova pull-down settee mattress and sofa combo.
The argument may well be made that the Polynesian longhouses comfortable items refurbishment used to be extra consequential than this. So…what the heck took place?!
Our easiest wager is that one thing took place and this used to be now not the supposed finish consequence.
We must word that the Grand Californian has had so much of building during the last year-plus. This used to be one element of that. The lodge rooms also are being redone, Napa Rose returned from its reimagining earliner in 2026 (above), Storytellers had a moderately main refurbishment, and extra.
The development has been nonstop, and it’s now not completed. There’s nonetheless a brand new Membership Stage front room is being constructed above the principle foyer, and Disneyland has supplied no updates on that during over a 12 months. Our expectation is that it debuts through Christmas 2026, however it might slip into 2027.
In terms of those new rooms, the loss of art work at the out of doors of the Inova unit is, by myself, a significant pink flag. Disney has been formulaic with those redos, and the entire others characteristic artwork on this area. Possibly sourcing impacted the challenge as an entire? In all probability it’s that plus a exertions factor? Or GCH allocating restricted sources in opposition to the lodge aspect? It’s unimaginable to mention from the out of doors having a look in. It’s simply transparent that one thing is up.
Disney is easily conscious that participants don’t seem to be happy with the VGC room redo. The outlet letter from SVP Invoice Diercksen within the fresh factor of Disney Information Mag is titled “You percentage. We concentrate.” In pertinent section, it stocks this:
From mild refreshes to sweeping renovations to various ranges of updates in between, each and every challenge goals to make the most productive use of Contributors’ annual dues, and each and every takes under consideration the entirety from the situation of present interiors (comparing which parts must get replaced and which may well be refurbished) to rising tendencies across the community and around the trade.
For the hot refresh of the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa, for instance, crews changed ground and maximum home equipment, put in pull-down beds in the back of sofas, repolished tile paintings, resealed counter tops, refurbished furnishings and extra, all with an eye fixed towards keeping the villas’ signature California Craftsman taste.
Then, as with every challenge we execute to your behalf, we as soon as once more did what you’d be expecting from an organization so iconically related to ears: we listened. We heard Contributors’ reward for the villas’ largest adjustments – with the brand new ground and pull-down beds garnering in particular enthusiastic critiques – however we additionally heard a transparent request for deeper adjustments.
And I’m happy to percentage that we aren’t looking ahead to the hotel’s subsequent renovation cycle to meet that request. In 2026, crews will start a 2d section of updates, with a focal point on the toilet, knowledgeable through Member comments and in keeping with the hotel’s unique design taste.
To that time, DVC has posted every other refurbishment caution at the Villas at Grand Californian web page:
Starting in past due 2026, the Disney Holiday Membership Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa will go through refurbishments. Please permit for added commute time. Visitors may additionally see and listen to building all through their keep.
Whilst DVC paints this as a question of being attentive to member comments, that would possibly simply be a lovely narrative to advance. It’s more straightforward to give an explanation for than the demanding situations of building logistics, provide chain woes, exertions boundaries, and many others. And it makes participants really feel heard, which is essential to DVC.
I’m susceptible to consider there have been unanticipated hiccups with the ultimate refurbishment that led to a challenge bifurcation. DVC doesn’t simply have never-ending cash for refurbishments, and so they couldn’t blow their price range at the ultimate challenge after which so temporarily go back for every other overhaul.
On the contrary, there’s a capital reserves fund that will pay for refurbishments. They may be able to’t spend cash they don’t have, and conversely, in addition they can’t simply decide towards making an investment in refurbishments and pocket the cash. That’s now not how DVC works.
Now that we all know every other refurbishment is at the means, I’ll percentage my choice for that challenge: center of attention at the bogs. (Just right information, since that’s what DVC says they’re doing!)
The Grand Californian must proceed leaning into its Arts & Crafts taste, which the redone residing area does. This refreshed house has wealthy woods, lanterns, ornate main points, and draw inspiration from the wildlife. Simply because it did sooner than (as a result of now not a lot modified!).
The weakest hyperlinks of the previous residing house, the settee sleeper and carpeting, already modified. The cloth wardrobe and TV unit must more than likely be swapped out for one thing extra trendy, however in a different way, I’m nice with the desk, headboard, espresso desk, cupboards, in addition to the entire woodwork and lighting fixtures, closing unchanged.
For probably the most section, the rooms are comfortable and relaxed, a pleasant approach to decompress after a hectic day within the parks. There’s a soothing sense to them, similar to the lodge as an entire and the Arts & Crafts taste.
Those rooms are stress-free and lend themselves to indoor/outside residing, very similar to properties in Pasadena and then they’re modeled. Sitting at the balcony or patio with a morning espresso or post-parks snack is an effective way to unwind. You’re feeling a global clear of the parks, regardless of being within DCA. It’s additionally rather the distinction to the Disneyland Resort (and Villas) or Pixar Position Resort.
Talking of which, in the event you’re seeking to come to a decision between this and the Villas at Disneyland Resort, take a look at Grand Californian vs. Disneyland Resort for a comparability of each and every.
Something I really like in regards to the Villas at Grand Californian is the balcony. We lucked into a super view of Pixar Pier, and it used to be improbable. I recognize even the Downtown Disney, Woods-Courtyard, and Pool Perspectives, however not anything beats overlooking DCA. It’s one thing particular, as now not many inns are situated within theme parks.
For us, the balconies on the Grand Californian give it an edge over maximum rooms at Disneyland Resort or Pixar Position Resort. However in truth, I just like the rooms as an entire (even the lackluster “new” ones) and whole bundle of the Grand Californian as an entire over the ones inns.
In the event you’re just right with the extra mellow and earthy taste of the present Villas at Grand Californian rooms, it’s an implausible pick out. Having a kitchenette is excellent, and one thing we recognize over the lodge aspect of the valuables. It’s great to reserve some of the scrumptious pizzas from GCH Craftsman Grill and feature leftovers to reheat.
Staying within the Villas at Grand Californian studio rooms may be the most cost effective approach to keep on the Grand Californian, whether or not that suggests the usage of your individual club or saving cash through renting DVC issues.
The Grand Californian is some distance and away our favourite of the 3 Motels of Disneyland Hotel, and that’s true whether or not you’re staying within the older villas or more recent lodge rooms. See our our Grand Californian Resort & Spa Evaluation for an outline of facilities, why we find it irresistible such a lot, and many others.
After spending a large number of time on the Grand Californian, in particular its commonplace spaces, I’ve come to actually recognize the hotel. It’s like a mixture between Desert Resort and the Grand Floridian: it has a way of comfortable and earthiness like Desert Resort, however with a extra polished and trendy pedigree.
Disney’s Grand Californian Resort is obviously a luxurious hotel, however an inviting and extra casual one–very in step with California. Its stage of difference is instantly obvious in its furniture and Craftsman design.
The ostensibly “rustic” glance would possibly seem less-refined in the beginning blush, however upon nearer inspection, that couldn’t be farther from the reality. I’ll more than likely at all times have the Walt Disney International “house” hotel bias, however with each and every keep, the Grand Californian comes nearer to dethroning Desert Resort.
Making plans a Southern California holiday? For park admission offers, learn Guidelines for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Know about on-site and off-site inns in our Anaheim Resort Evaluations & Scores. For the place to consume, take a look at our Disneyland Eating place Evaluations. For distinctive concepts of items that’ll strengthen your commute, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Holiday Making plans Information. In spite of everything, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seashore, and plenty of different SoCal towns!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your ideas at the Villas at Grand Californian? Have you ever stayed at each VGC and the Villas at Disneyland Resort? Which do you like? What do you bring to mind the “redone” rooms, each lately and the most probably consequence of the second one part of the refurbishment? How would your evaluation vary from mine? Do you settle or disagree with our overview? Any questions we will mean you can resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas under within the feedback!
