Disneyland Hotel prices - what up with that?!?

[fozziepitysthefool]

My DS and I now plan our Disney vacations around races. We are doing ToT in October and are thinking Disneyland HM in August... until I looked up the prices of the Disneyland Hotel!! It is priced right up there with WDW deluxe. Seriously? Has anyone stayed there and at WDW to give me a comparison? I looked at DL Good Neighbor Hotels and none of them really work for me... Am I really gonna have to cave and pay those prices?

I didn't raise this over at the Disneyland forum.. I don't want to offend anyone who is really attached to DLH... but am looking for some honest comparison input from my DISers.

[mmmears]

You can ask this on the DL side -- I don't think anyone will get really mad at you... I visit and post in both.

DLH was totally rehabbed and has all new rooms, pools, etc. It does look really nice now. PPH would be a less expensive option.

With the popularity of Carsland at DCA, and the small number of "Disney" rooms on property (compared to WDW), DL does not have to offer the discounts that we tend to get at DL (I had 35% off at WDW last summer and could get only a AAA rate in DL so we went to FL instead). In fact, until a couple of days ago, there had been no discounts in about a year.

So, unfortunately, yes it's very expensive to stay on property at DL right now.

As to worth, I'm not sure. I haven't stayed at the DLH since the remodel but from what I have seen and heard the rooms are nice.

Ask this over on the DL page -- there are lots of people there who can give you reviews of the hotels in that area. Hope this helps a bit.

[KittyKat1978]

I have stayed at the DLH Dec last year and Feb this year. I did have an AP, so I did get a 10-20% discount. I also just got a pin for 25% off 4 or more nights and 20% off for 1-3 nights from now until June 16, 2013 (although I am sure spring break is blacked out). Unfortunatley, I am going to WDW in May so I can't use it.

I also got 35% off last for my stay last Feb (2012) before I got my AP.

Yes, the DLH is very expensive. I would love to stay there everytime I go, but unless I have people coming with me to share the cost, I can't.

It's a very Disney Themed Hotel and there is nothing like it at WDW. Maybe the Royal Rooms at POR with the head board, but the water taps all have Mickey heads on them which I don't think any hotel in WDW has. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I was going to stay in the Marroitt Fairfield Inn (if I went to DL in May) and they have Disney Themed and Disney Veiw rooms. Check them out.

I have stayed in the Best Western Park Place Inn. You can't get any closer than that hotel to DL/CA.

I have also stayed at the Howard Johnson. They are a good choice as well since they are an actual hotel with indoor hallways.

[fozziepitysthefool]

Originally Posted by KittyKat1978

Yes, the DLH is very expensive. I would love to stay there everytime I go, but unless I have people coming with me to share the cost, I can't.

I was going to stay in the Marroitt Fairfield Inn and they have Disney Themed and Disney Veiw rooms. Check them out.

I have also stayed in the Best Western Park Place Inn. You can't get any closer than that hotel to DL/CA. I have also stayed at the Howard Johnson. They are a good choice as well since they are an actual hotel with indoor hallways.

California is very far for us to go, and I doubt we will make it back again anytime soon... So I am torn between just saying what the heck and splurging and staying off property and saving a few bob. I mean when we go to Manhattan it costs us a fair bit, just I am so used to having options and split stays etc at WDW... Still, I will look into the off-property hotels you suggest. I do like the indoor hallways option. Thanks for your help!

[fozziepitysthefool]

Originally Posted by mmmears

You can ask this on the DL side -- I don't think anyone will get really mad at you... I visit and post in both.

That does explain why they don't seem to have competitive pricing. Okay... off I go to the DL side. Wish me luck!

[gilesmt]

Dlh it not like wdw hotels, as a pp stated it has rooms more like POR, but I don't think the grounds of any of the hotels there compare to the theming on the outside, like the lakes, or the big sculptures, no boats, or river views. The pools are okay, but not like wdw. I would consider it more like a moderate, except for space, dlh and pp have big rooms, like the poly, I believe they all sleep 5 there, gc cost the most and the rooms are very very small.

The great thing about Cali is that you can stay right across the street, and have less of a walk, and a better view. And pay half the price or even less than a third of the price. We have stayed at many, our favorites are Fairfield inn, you can ask for a theme room, a top floor and a view, and you will see the fireworks better than at dlh. I have always got the military rate there and paid under $100 a night, compared to the $350 dlh wants. And the walk is closer to the main gate than dlh.

We also love marriot residence inn main gate, the free breakfast is to die for, and you can cook all your meals in your room if you want, you can hike it but it is a little further maybe 3/4 mile or so. There is a bus for like $4 a day, as many trips as you want. The residence inn garden grove down the street is great also, great free breakfast, but about 1 mile away I think more like two. Howard Johnson's is a great place, both them and fair field in. Have two great resturaunts, Mimi's is the absolute best right between the two hotels, Millie's is okay right in front of Fairfield, and McDonald's is right next door. So food is so close nd outside the park so you pay less.

We have stayed at both best westerns, but that was like 20 years ago. We have done all three of Disney on site, for us pp is the best, gc is the worst and dlh is okay. End of August will have a discount, usually, not sure how much and exactly when, but it is later in August.

[carolinamama]

When we went to DLR, we stayed at Grand Californian. I balked at the prices at first, then Disney discounted the rooms 40% about 3 months before our summer trip. According to the DLR boards, that was rather normal.

We LOVED Grand Californian, and it was so nice to be at DCA in mere minutes. We also got an auto upgrade from standard to pool view.

Had they not run the deal, we were going to stay at Embassy Suites just off property.

[carolinamama]

One more thing - Costco had good deals for booking, while AAA did not. We booked through Costco, got the 40% off the room, and got meal vouchers good at any premium dining. We saved $140 right there with dinner at Ariel's Grotto

[DisGirl819]

We never stay on property in DL. So many good neighbor hotels are close to the parks and nice too. We love the Anabella Hotel, cheaper and only a few minutes walk to the parks.

[cgh]

It is a deluxe hotel. I've done DL and stayed at the DLH twice since the renovation and actually was rather shocked when I started looking at the WDW hotels as it seemed their prices were much higher for something comparable. From photos at least it seems comparable to the Contemporary. It has light up headboards that plays "you wish upon a dream" with fireworks lighting up. We love it there.

[cruise cruise cruise]

It is a delux in that it is a true hotel with interior corridors, it is in full walking distance to Disneyland, California Adventure and DTD, views of parks and fireworks, has a nicely themed pool with slides, and onsite table service restraint.
With the DW deluxes, you are paying for the location just as much as the resort itself...same goes for DLH
And I agree with the others, the room theming is wonderful!

[SA mom]

We visited Disneyland last year and was also surprised to find the prices at all the on-property hotels were high. I was also surprised to find that the walking distance from the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier were longer than expected and many off-property hotels are actually closer to the front gates.

We stayed at the Sheraton Anaheim on points. It was wonderful and their Club Level amenities are just fabulous.

[mdsd8700]

Everyone is so different as whether or not they feel the high cost of the DLR hotels is worth it. For our family it is. Although I will agree the theming is not what you would expect comparing to a WDW Deluxe resort, except for the GC which is our favorite. We have stayed at all three hotels although we haven't stayed at the DLH since they have redone the rooms which are very "Disney". We had a downtown view at DHL and we loved it. Similar to overlooking the Boardwalk. The pool at the DLH is the best themed. The PP has some really nice theme park views and we stayed in one of those as well. At DLR we prefer to stay on property even though there are many offsite locations within the same walking distance at much better prices. Not everyone feels the same.

The Disneyland portion of the Boards gets this question often and there are lots of people who can offer lots of first hand experience. Plus many first hand reviews of the good neighbor hotels. I believe you were going to check over there so you should be able to work out what will be best for your family.

We absolutely love DLR and very much looking forward to our trip this summer.

Good Luck

[Julylady]

We are WDW vets and had stayed at every wDW moderate and deluxe hotel except Grand Floridian. In February I had to travel to the Los Angeles area for work so we spent 4 nights first at the refurbished Disneyland Hotel. It was just enchanting! I would never compare it to a WDW moderate! The pool is beautifully themed, the rooms are large, most with a daybed. The grounds are lovely. I liked the property before the redo, but it was a little tired. It is now officially my favorite Disney resort except for Aulani. If I had to pick the WDW hotel it most reminds me off it would be the Contemporary. Both are a short walk from the theme park, both have a nice counter service restaurant, both have lobby coffee bars, both have a great signature restaurant, both have great pools, both have larger rooms that sleep five, both have terrific fireworks views from some rooms (if you look past the parking lots).

We also really like the Downtown Disney area and enjoyed the walk to the parks each day. Grand Californian is great too. It really reminds us of Wilderness Lodge and you can't beat the convenience. Paradise Pier feels more like a offsite hotel to us. We have also had stays at the Anaheim Hilton and the Candy Cane Inn. The Hilton is a full service hotel filled with non- Disney conventioneers. It kind of took us out of the magic. The CCI was charming, but we prefer more amenities than that property offers (like an on- site restaurant).

Our first love is WDW, but Disneyland runs a close second!

[profa]

I would recommend the Howard Johnson or the BW maingate someone mentioned for which you can stay even closer - right across the street.