Are guests staying at Disneyland hotel able to access the Grand Californian to or from any of the three entrances (the one from DTD and the two from DCA)? What about non guests, just like if you wanted to visit the resort to walk around or eat?
Thanks.
Most of the restrictions re: Grand Californian entrances are for related to entering DCA from within the hotel. In the morning hours they only allow Grand Californian guests to use the DCA entrance to Grizzly Peak and Pixar(Paradise) Pier Hotel guests to access the DCA entrance to Paradise Gardens/Pixar Pier area. I don’t know if the pier area entrance can also be used as an exit (haven’t ever tried), but I do know that if you are inside DCA you can use the Grand Californian entrance to exit DCA and enter the hotel to walk/eat/shop. You just may not be able to get back into DCA if it’s early enough in the day (I haven’t tested since Covid, but in 2019 & before, to use that DCA entrance before 10-10:30am ish they would ask for proof of a receipt for Storytellers or a Grand Californian room key).
If you want to access Grand Californian and won’t be entering DCA first, you can use the DTD entrance. If in DTD (which requires a security screening to enter), anyone can access Grand Californian from the DTD entrance, regardless of if they are a hotel guest or not without restriction most hours of the day (likely only middle of the night 2am-5am hours would have that entrance shuttered up & only available by contacting a night guard to grant you entrance).
Then lastly, there is the front of the hotel entrance that isn’t as easily accessed by foot traffic, but is possible (this path also wouldn’t be very much help at all unless you’re staying at the very few hotels in the vicinity of the Pixar/Paradise Pier Hotel). This pathway has a gate that you must scan your room key to enter, but that last we used it the steady traffic of people would hold the door open for the next party & no one was stopping & asking for proof of a hotel room key.
It’s also been almost a year since I checked out this side of the hotel personally so it might be slightly different & when the gate was first installed a security guard would be stationed there to assist with guests who didn’t have their key or were having issues scanning their key. The gate was a relatively new addition & before the gate, Disney security would stand at that pathway & you needed a Grand Californian room key or confirmed reservation for a restaurant inside the hotel only to get past them. Otherwise they would direct you to continue walking to the DTD security screening to access the Grand Californian from the DTD entrance. But they’ve possibly relaxed a bit on this entrance.
Thank you!
Would you happen to know if DLH guests can use the pools at GCH, or vice versa,?
Generally, no. The only exception I know of is if the pool for the on-site hotel you’re at is under major construction & therefore completely closed.
Yes it can, and you don’t have to be a guest. I’ve used it to walk back to M&F from WoC.
Oh nice! Thanks for the intel! We’ve not stayed at a hotel on that end since the entrance opened up so I was clueless.