First DL trip, where to stay?

[imLissy]

I've been to WDW 20 times, but this Oct/Nov will be our first trip to DL. Originally, we were going to stay at the best western across the street as one of my friends suggested it, but we've been thinking of staying at PP. The extra hour in the mornings is kinda a big deal since we have a toddler who will generally wake up 8am EST, though for all we know, he may adjust to the time change ok.
We'll be visiting the parks mon-Fri. Based on park hours from 2016, it seems like getting in an hour early would be advantageous 2 of the 5 days. It's hard to justify spending twice as much money for 2 extra hours, but open to other suggestions as to why a Disney hotel would be better.

 

[felice]

Whilst I'm sure there are reasons why the Disney onsite hotels would be better in terms of being onsite all the time, if costs are an issue then I would suggest staying at a hotel / motel on either Harbor, E Katella or (S) Manchester Av. Prices are a bit cheaper, certainly if you stay at a hotel around Manchester - plus you would have the useability of the ART bus transit service which will get you to the parks without too many problems. Even at night, when the parks are close to shutting for the night, it appears to be perfectly safe to walk in Harbor / Katella / Manchester without too many worries although the ART service normally does run until at least midnight, regardless so this should help for safety and security. You will still have a good experience staying off-site as opposed to on-site, but with quite a bit less regarding actual costs.

 

[cubed]

We are going to DL for the first time this August and decided to stay at the Hyatt House vs onsite. It's less than half of the price of a regular room onsite and we get two rooms, one with a king bed and one with bunk beds for the boys (6 and 2 when we go on our trip). We have 3 day park hoppers which gets us at least one early morning entrance. We will rope drop the other days.

 

[DisTXMom]

We are in love with Disneyland hotel. From the light up castle headboards that sing "when you wish upon a star" to the nostalgic Disney touches throughout, to Goofy in the lobby. We love it all!!

 

[Belle83]

A lot of the 'off-site' hotels are nearby but are still very much budget hotel/motel type places. If I had to choose between a Best Western and Paradise Pier, I would go for Paradise Pier. Not just for the extra hours but for the nicer room. We went to DL last year and stayed at the Grand Californian and while we were not paying for that (and probably never could), it was very convenient with a 1 year old. This year we are staying at Hilton Anaheim, which saved us a lot of $ over Paradise Pier because we got such a great rate at the Hilton. We will have to take the ART to get to/from the parks (well, we could walk but we're not planning to). This is supposed to be a budget trip for us though. How much money is 'twice as much'?

 

[sasywtch]

I would look at it the other way, are those 2 hours early entry worth the walk back to PP if you need to go back to your room during the afternoon? The BWPPI is right at the light and extremely close whereas the PP can be a bit of a walk. If money isn't an issue, go for PP but it is further to walk to the gates.

 

[Sun_soakin]

Stay at PP, it's a nicer hotel, and do the EMH everyday...it's awesome!

 

[imLissy]

the best western starts at $170 a night where as PP starts at $300 which is a pretty big difference. we definitely want to be within walking distance, we enjoy walking. Anything that's within Boardwalk-Hollywood studios walking distance is perfectly reasonable even for a midday snooze. I should also note my BIL and SIL are staying at the Grand Californian so envy may be an issue, ha ha.

 

[GatorChris]

If you have family at the Grand Cali, there's no reason to stay at a Disney resort. You can meet up with them for swimming at their nice pool. We did that back in November and had fun.

On our first trip to DL after 10 years at WDW, we wanted to stay at Disney hotel just because you HAVE TO at WDW. So we did PP. It was alright. Didn't seem very Disney at all - not like a moderate or even a value does at WDW. And we've been staying at the HoJo which is just as far away walking as the PP but nearly half the price for a room that has a park view. If you're like me and like to budget, you'll be just as happy at Best Western or HoJo as you are at Paradise Pier.

There's also the Disneyland Hotel like someone mentioned, but it'll cost you far more than it's actually worth, IMO. And Grand Cali is just outrageous in price. Grand Cali is the only place that "feels" Disney. It has theming that gives you the bubble or escape feeling. Very much like Wilderness Lodge, but at double the price. The other two are just like Hiltons or Hyatts. Nothing special and definitely no feeling of escape.

 

[Aladora]

If you have family at the Grand Cali, there's no reason to stay at a Disney resort. You can meet up with them for swimming at their nice pool. We did that back in November and had fun.

I'm pretty sure that in order to use the pool, you have to be a registered guest of that hotel. You might be able to sneak in but I would not want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to leave.

 

[cruisehopeful]

For me personally, if I am going to be awake and use the early entry and can afford to stay onsite, the extra cost is worth it. It just gets so crazy crowded as the day goes on. I got a lot done with early entry to DCA (went on every headliner that I wanted to go on), but since you mentioned that you have a toddler, maybe you won't want to go on those types of rides anyway. If I am not going to use the early entry, there's no reason for me to pay to stay onsite.

 

[NewbieMouse]

the best western starts at $170 a night where as PP starts at $300 which is a pretty big difference. we definitely want to be within walking distance, we enjoy walking. Anything that's within Boardwalk-Hollywood studios walking distance is perfectly reasonable even for a midday snooze. I should also note my BIL and SIL are staying at the Grand Californian so envy may be an issue, ha ha.

If cost is an issue I would stay at the BW. We stay there every year and it very close, which is also a plus for tired toddlers at the end of the day. The toddler will adjust to the time difference pretty quickly. There's a free breakfast as well. Onsite can be magical, but I prefer to be closer and can never find a way to really justify the cost.

 

[tzeitel]

At WDW we stay at POR or Pop, at DLR we stay across the street on Harbor. It is hard to imagine how close off property is at DLR when you are used to WDW, but it is seriously close to the parks. We travel in May & Oct and have stayed at Desert Inn & Suites, Tropicana, HoJo, and Best Western Stovall's. The motels across the street are pretty basic, but we have found them clean, safe, and staff has been friendly. Have you checked Google maps? You can do the 3D view and get so close it shows everything very clearly.

This past Oct we did DCA when resort guests had MM, we went in for the regular guest rope drop and it was not super crowded - we got there like 10 minutes before rd. Once the ropes dropped we were able to do Soarin' with no wait at all, then we went to RSR and got a FP. The rest of the park was minimal to no wait (5-10 minutes) for the next couple of hours. I did take pictures of the rope drop but for some reason I cannot find them - if I do I will post them so you can see.

It really all depends on what you want to do. While we would love to stay at the DLH or GCH it just does not justify the cost (for us). Our hotel (DI&S) for our 5 day trip next week comes to $643 (including tax and parking), the difference between the BW and PP is $650 - I would look at that as another trip, or our food budget, or our flights (which are actually cheaper). We get up early as well, but we just walk over to DtD and have french toast beignets at the Ralph Brennan's cs

 

[Angrose]

If your stay will include Nov 5th, then you could book with the Dapper Day rates which are almost half off for the onsite hotels.
http://dapperday.com/fall-2017-disneyland-ca

 

[gappedout]

I am coming for the first time May 18 - 20 (partial days on 18 and 20) from a conference in Palm Springs. I decided on the Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites based on board recommendations and reviews I have read. I am traveling by myself so I did prefer to be super close from a walking/safety perspective. I got a three day park hopper with Magic Morning access on the Saturday I fly home.

 

[Midnightred]

Stay at Hojo, your toddler will love the water park! It is more landscaped than the other Motels except for Candy Cane Inn. The beds are so comfy, it's super clean, has Mimi's Café next door, a nice gift shop, and it has retro décor. It
s really cool I love it!

Midnightred

 

[Nevada Jen]

A lot of people on this board highly recommend the "hotels" on harbor directly across the street. Many of them are closer than PPH or DLH and they are noticeably cheaper. I gave in to the great reviews and tried HOJO last year and didn't learn my lesson and tried Fairfield recently. Here is the thing. Yes, they are cheaper. Yes, they are closer. But they are packed like sardines MOtels. I discovered that I am just not OK with that. None of them are comparable to the onsite hotels. The only comparable off site within what I consider walking distance is Courtyard Theme Park. But it is almost as expensive as PPH. Your sister may be able to put you on her room reservation to get you early access and pool access at GCH. Those rooms all allow at least 5 people I think. So that might solve your early entry dilemma. Unlike WDW, the early entry really is a big difference at Disneyland. The crowd level difference is shocking, particularly at DCA. I can live without it now because I have been so many times, but for the first few trips it made a big difference in the experience.

 

[22Tink]

I like to stay onsite in WDW but we've never stayed onsite at DLR, nor have we ever felt like we're missing out. The extra hour wasn't ever a big deal to us but it sounds like it might be for you? Our 'go to' is the BWPPI because of the super short walk and free breakfast. This year we're going to stay at the Tropicana because we got a pretty good deal and it's still a really short walk. For us, we'd rather spend the extra money on character meals or souvenirs rather than hotel because we're only there to sleep anyway.

 

[imLissy]

Angrose, you are my new best friend. I'll just fine and dapper for those hotel rates! lol