Originally Posted By mrspotts Anyone care to review PP's concierge level rooms? How do they compare to GCH's concierge level? What type of food is available?
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 The hotel rooms are regular rooms with a couple of exceptions. You have turn down service and a flower in your bathroom You also get a special treat on your first night. We've also had this special treat when we have not had concierge. It's the same thing with the GCH rooms, you get a bit more stuff but the room is the same. PPH concierge is really different from GCH. You are also paying much less. Morning is pretty much the same, although no scones and the selection is smaller. Fruit, cereal, pasteries, drinks. Afternoon is "just" cookies (LOVE those huge cookies), pretzel mix, apples, PBJ package sandwiches, drinks, the usual. No tea sandwiches or special treats. Evening is one hot appetizer (or is it 2?), vege tray, cheese tray, crackers, chips and salsa, wine and beer. The concierge room closes at 8pm so there are no evening "toddies" or story time. You can view the fireworks from the pool deck. We really like the PPH lounge We usually do concierge in December. Do you have any particular questions? It's been 2 years since we stayed concierge at GCH, a few months since concierge at PPH, so I might be able to answer
Originally Posted By mrspotts Thanks- actually, as I posted in another thread, I am reeling at the price increase from last year to this year for early December. Last Dec., a girlfriend and I took our two girls and stayed GCH concierge for 4 nights for $270/night with my annual pass. This year, the same week, the same room is $514. Ouch! We normally stay at the GCH, but that rate is just too much to take (even a standard room has been greatly inflated). So, I'm exploring my options. The strange thing is that there seems to be a lot of availability for the time we want to go (Dec 10-13). The main reason we try to do concierge is because my daughter has special dietary needs (celiac disease), and the GCH concierge staff bent over backward to make our stay easy. They provided wonderful, "safe" food for her, most of it ordered from downstairs at Storytellers. Disney is great about making sure gluten free food is available at all of their locations, so I'm sure the concierge lounge at the PPH will be no exception. I was able to completely relax and know that she would be fed. The wine helped, too.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 We have found the CM's in the PPH lounge to be very friendly and approachable. Our grandson was on a gluten-casein free diet so I understand. Further testing revealed that we need to keep him away from all dairy, whole wheat and a list of other sub food groups. You are right that Disney does a good job of providing lots of options. You may want to email vacation planning to see whether they can alert the lounge to your daughters needs ahead of time. I hope you enjoy PPH. Like I indicated, PPH isn't the Grand but it is more "affordable" and we enjoy being there each time
Originally Posted By MickeyMommy I love the PPH! Have you stayed there before? The park view rooms are fantastic! Especially at night when everything is lit up. Last October I booked a park view concierge room for $189, and was upgraded to a suite. Top floor park view - it was awesome! What a deal!!! That was the second time I was upgraded to a suite at PPH. The GCH is wonderful, but you get a lot more bang for the buck at PPH.
Originally Posted By LuLu mrspotts: I'm curious, when you say they ordered gluten-free food for your daughter at GCH concierge, did you have to pay extra? Considering the limited choices at PPH, I'd be surprised if they added food at no charge. But maybe I'm just cynical! ;-) I could see it at GCH tho, where you're paying a lot more.
Originally Posted By mrspotts No, I paid nothing extra. Disney is very accommodating when dealing with special diets- almost every location has gluten free items available. I called ahead (maybe a week?) and talked with resort reservations; they gave me the number for the concierge lounge and I talked with them directly. They said that it wouldn't be a problem, but I didn't know what to expect. We were so pleasantly surprised! In the mornings, there were freshly made gf blueberry muffins or pancakes; at lunch, a hamburger from Storytellers. GF Mickey Crispy treats at snacktime, some kind of gf appetizer at wine and cheese time. In short, we felt very cared for. I think in 4 days we only had to purchase 1 additional meal; the concierge options were more than enough for us (plus we love the Redwood Creek merlot.....) I suppose I should give the PPH a call to check on their gf options.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Please let us know what happens. LuLu may be right about PPH options vs GCH. PPH tends to have 1 CM in the lounge and one or 2 additional CM's working on the food/snacks. I seem to remember GCH having more CM's. With PPH, the offerings are more like snacks than meals. I could imagine them providing a GF muffin though. Now I'm thinking about those delicious Mickey Mouse shaped scones in the GCH lounge. Sigh.
Originally Posted By ktrackprincess08 On a side note about gluten-free food in Disneyland, I found this post on another website: <a href="http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=137130" target="_blank">http://intercot.com/discussion...t=137130</a> This gives a few names and phone numbers for people to speak to about diet needs, and it looks like Disneyland does a great job at the hotels and inside the park at providing more than I would ever expect (I'm so excited for my next trip there, now that I know all of the options I'll have for food!)
Originally Posted By mrspotts ktrackprincess,we're veterans of 5 gluten free trips; there are actually some things that we've learned over time that might help you. I don't know if people pm on Laughingplace, but I'd be happy to help if I can.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 ktrackprincess08, thank you for the link! Very interesting. Although our grandson does not have celiac disease, he shouldn't eat whole wheat and some other products with gluten. mrspotts, it said that PCH Grill has gluten free offerings, so that is good news for your daughter as far as a kitchen that is close to the lounge
Originally Posted By princesstamcat WOW! I am right now baking a gf pizza to bring to a birthday party for my son and feel teary that I could go to Disneyland and be pampered! Thank-you so much. It never even occured to me to ask.
Originally Posted By princesstamcat Now, after reading this I am even more amazed- WE HAVE TO SQUEEZE IN ANOTHER TRIP! My boys are such troopers and I had no idea such accomadations had been made. I can't decide if I should tell them or just surprise them with pizza at Pizza Planet. They have been so sad they couldn't eat pizza at DISNEYLAND. OH my this is just so wonderful!
Originally Posted By princesstamcat Reading this; I meant that I read the link from ktrackprincesso8. THANK_YOU_THANK_YOU_THANK_YOU-THANK_YOU
Originally Posted By princesstamcat And now finally I really understand what hijacking a thread means! lol
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 LOL! Anyones joy at finding a reason to go to Disneyland can't be a hijack! MrsPotts brought up gf so it's really all good Odd thing is our grandson's nanny and ourselves (the grandparents) are more diligent about his food choices than his parents, especially on vacation. I'm thrilled when I am armed with alternate choices that I can easily guide them to.
Originally Posted By mrspotts Don't mind the hijacking at all- it's great to get the word out that a family with GF needs can relax and enjoy the Disney Parks. I just read the intercot thread, and echo everything that was said there. A few other things: We found it easiest to dine slightly off-peak hours- the chance of a mixup seems less to me when the servers aren't swamped. Also, you will talk with the manager or the lead at each location when you order gf- it takes slightly longer, but I'm sure we can all agree that it's worth it to ensure safe dining. The list from City Hall is updated frequently, especially as different vendors are used to procure ingredients. Get a new one each trip. California Adventure has its own list, available at Guest Services just inside the gates. Chef Chris and Chef Toby are good resources, but what I mainly got from them was reassurance. A phone call to them isn't really necessary, I don't think. A few of my daughter's gf but delicious favorites: Barbecued Turkey Leg (from outdoor vending), Pizza at Storyteller's Cafe in the GCH (we loved this so much that we ordered one to take with us on the plane home! Airport food isn't really an option any more ), Pancakes at Storyteller's (cooked on a dedicated grill!!!), GF Mickey Crispies. I think, but may be wrong about this, that she had real french fries (dedicated fryer) at Tomorrowland Terrace, along with a burger in a Kinikinnik bun. Anyone else tackling diabetes along with their gluten intolerance? We have the double whammy, but always have fabulous numbers at Disneyland because of all the walking.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 mrspotts, is the list you receive strictly GF or is it all encompassing for other restrictions? I'm curious because I'd possibly ask for a GF and a Dairy Free list and I don't want them to look at me like I'm from the moon
Originally Posted By mrspotts I'm pretty sure that it was a gluten free list, and that there were other special diet lists in the same binder where it was kept. They pull it out and run a quick photocopy; as I understand it, they cater to many, many types of diet, including vegan, Kosher, casein free, egg free, etc. The cast members are unflappable- not once did I get the impression that we were anything but normal park/hotel guests. Very fun!
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Thank you! It is actually casein free that we'd be looking for. We typically just say dairy free. I should have known that you would know what casein is I so appreciate knowing about the lists and it's great to know that I won't be looked at like I'm from the moon
