The Trials and Tribulations of a Last Minute Trip

[zanzibar138]

Thought I would replace this now obsolete rant with our updated itinerary.

Day 1 - Fly to LAX, then onto Portland, pick up hire car and stay at Econo Lodge Portland City Center
Day 2 - Check out the sights in Portland
Day 3 - Drive the Historic Columbia River Highway, checking out the many waterfalls (including the famous Multnomah Falls) on the way through, stay at Celilo Inn, The Dalles
Day 4 - Drive to Eugene via Koosah Falls, stay at Timbers Motel, Eugene
Day 5 - From Eugene head towards the coast and drive north a couple of hours, checking out the sights on the way, stay at Shearwater Inn, Lincoln City
Day 6 - Explore the coast north of Lincoln City
Day 7 - Drive to Woodburn via Salem and Silver Falls State Park (my friend from Oregon says this is her favourite place in the world), stay at Best Western Woodburn
Day 8 - Drop off hire car before an afternoon flight to SNA, arriving early evening, transfer to a DLR area hotel (as yet undecided) and have an anniversary dinner at Naples
Day 9 - Day in the parks, followed by a late night flight back home

 

[Meemoo]

Exciting news When do you go? The exchange rate is depressing at the moment, it makes the Disney hotels so much more expensive. I was trying to ask for advice under the DVC thread about using my DVC points to book a room at DL Hotel if I can't get in at Grand Cal with them, they all respond telling you it is better to pay cash, but for us it is not quite the case!

How about Hojo's?

 

[ColinA]

Exciting news When do you go? The exchange rate is depressing at the moment, it makes the Disney hotels so much more expensive. I was trying to ask for advice under the DVC thread about using my DVC points to book a room at DL Hotel if I can't get in at Grand Cal with them, they all respond telling you it is better to pay cash, but for us it is not quite the case!

How about Hojo's?

maybe rent the DVc points out and use the cash.

 

[zanzibar138]

Exciting news When do you go? The exchange rate is depressing at the moment, it makes the Disney hotels so much more expensive. I was trying to ask for advice under the DVC thread about using my DVC points to book a room at DL Hotel if I can't get in at Grand Cal with them, they all respond telling you it is better to pay cash, but for us it is not quite the case!

How about Hojo's?

Ugh. It makes everything more expensive. We've had a pretty good run though!

We're looking at arriving on 28th Feb and leaving on 3rd March. Dapper Day is the 1st.

I've actually found out that it's only the night of the 28th that's booked out, so we can still stay in a Disney hotel for our last two nights (if I can convince DH to agree to it lol!)

TBH I don't really 'get' HoJo's... These days it seems to be getting too expensive for what it is.

I didn't even know you could book the DLH with DVC points - thought it was only GCH. Good luck working that one out!

 

[Meemoo]

Ugh. It makes everything more expensive. We've had a pretty good run though!

We're looking at arriving on 28th Feb and leaving on 3rd March. Dapper Day is the 1st.

I've actually found out that it's only the night of the 28th that's booked out, so we can still stay in a Disney hotel for our last two nights (if I can convince DH to agree to it lol!)

TBH I don't really 'get' HoJo's... These days it seems to be getting too expensive for what it is.

I didn't even know you could book the DLH with DVC points - thought it was only GCH. Good luck working that one out!

Not long to wait at all, very jealous! I'm not sure about Hojo's either but I've heard plenty of good about it and we are staying there partially for our trip.

 

[Meemoo]

maybe rent the DVc points out and use the cash.

I have considered that also. It is actually only 1 point I am missing to get me 2 nights at DL Hotel, that is 1 point I will need after purchasing the one off yearly points through Disney. I'm planning to try get 3 nights mid week at GCV as soon as it hits the 7 month booking window, if that fails I will think other options and cross my fingers!

 

[ColinA]

I didn't even know you could book the DLH with DVC points - thought it was only GCH. Good luck working that one out!

You can book at any Disney hotel in DL or WDW with points but the cost of points is much higher. It is called Disney Collection or similar.

Some of GCH is DVC and works out much better on DVC points.

 

[zanzibar138]

Not long to wait at all, very jealous! I'm not sure about Hojo's either but I've heard plenty of good about it and we are staying there partially for our trip.

Well, that's assuming it all goes ahead. Technically it's all still talk at the moment, nothing has been booked yet. Trying not to get too excited until it's official. I wasn't going to say anything yet either, but I had to have my rant about the Dapper Day rates lol!

HoJo's has a very large following on the boards. I know a lot of people like the water playground area and the inside corridors, and are willing to pay more for both of those things. I'm not fussed on inside/outside corridors, and without kids the water playground is pretty meaningless to us too. It's a nice easy walk from the parks though and our room (we stayed for one night on our first trip) was perfectly fine

 

[Meemoo]

Well, that's assuming it all goes ahead. Technically it's all still talk at the moment, nothing has been booked yet. Trying not to get too excited until it's official. I wasn't going to say anything yet either, but I had to have my rant about the Dapper Day rates lol!

HoJo's has a very large following on the boards. I know a lot of people like the water playground area and the inside corridors, and are willing to pay more for both of those things. I'm not fussed on inside/outside corridors, and without kids the water playground is pretty meaningless to us too. It's a nice easy walk from the parks though and our room (we stayed for one night on our first trip) was perfectly fine

Fingers crossed for you, I'd be losing sleep with excitement just having the thought that I could be in DL next month Yes, I must admit Dis Boards and Trip Advisor convinced me to try Hojos. I am a bit of a hotel snob, I do love a good 4-5 star but for DL I was willing to compromise and spend more on experiences in the park and stay onsite for a few nights

 

[zanzibar138]

Fingers crossed for you, I'd be losing sleep with excitement just having the thought that I could be in DL next month Yes, I must admit Dis Boards and Trip Advisor convinced me to try Hojos. I am a bit of a hotel snob, I do love a good 4-5 star but for DL I was willing to compromise and spend more on experiences in the park and stay onsite for a few nights

I'm kind of the opposite. Usually we're happy with a 2-3 star hotel, and prefer to spend more time and money enjoying the journey and the destination. However, on this occasion we'll have shorter winter hours and LOTS of refurbs happening, plus access to the great Dapper Day rates. If we were ever going to splurge on DLR accommodation, it makes sense to do it this time around.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hooray! Congratulations on heading back there again.

 

[jevs]

Woohoo although I was looking forward to reading some closer to home trip reports for when I'm too poor to travel afar

Must admit that the thought of hojos turns my blood cold, all those children before I upset anyone, I do have 3 of my own and they still have not bought me noise reduction headphones for my birthday, I ask them every year

Hope the trip becomes a reality

 

[Meemoo]

Woohoo although I was looking forward to reading some closer to home trip reports for when I'm too poor to travel afar

Must admit that the thought of hojos turns my blood cold, all those children before I upset anyone, I do have 3 of my own and they still have not bought me noise reduction headphones for my birthday, I ask them every year

Hope the trip becomes a reality

Tell me more re, Hojo - I guess I am just searching for a reason to justify for myself to book DL Hotel for 9 nights haha - but I am trying to be sensible!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Hooray! Congratulations on heading back there again.

Thanks! DH is trying to book flights as we speak. Looks like we'll be doing just 1 night at DLR now, and since we'll miss out on Dapper Day rates, it won't be at a Disney hotel. I'm just stoked to be able to use my AP again

Woohoo although I was looking forward to reading some closer to home trip reports for when I'm too poor to travel afar

Must admit that the thought of hojos turns my blood cold, all those children before I upset anyone, I do have 3 of my own and they still have not bought me noise reduction headphones for my birthday, I ask them every year

Hope the trip becomes a reality

You'll still have Wanderlust's TR to look forward to Would you like me to post a quick TR from our Thailand trip to tide you over?

Tell me more re, Hojo - I guess I am just searching for a reason to justify for myself to book DL Hotel for 9 nights haha - but I am trying to be sensible!!

Honestly, if you're a hotel snob, you may be disappointed with HoJo's. We had a park view room (with a fantastic unobstructed view of the fireworks, which made it all worthwhile). The room was clean and comfortable, but a little dated and tired looking, and quite dark. This was also back in the day when it was reasonably priced. I think it's far too expensive now for what it is. I thought the rooms at the Desert Inn & Suites and the Portofino Inn were both much nicer, more modern and brighter.

I would check out the new Springhill Suites on the corner of Harbor and Katella. It's only been open a few months (they were just finishing it off when we stayed at the Portofino, which is next door). It looks nice and so far the reviews on TripAdvisor are pretty good. It would be a 10 minute leisurely stroll to the parks, so not much further than HoJo. Looks like it's more expensive than HoJo, but less than the Disney hotels. Might be worth paying a bit more if it makes the difference between having a disappointing stay or an enjoyable one, and it's still saving you money over the Disney hotels.

 

[Meemoo]

Thanks for the tips! I had a look at the one you mentioned, Springhill Suites on Trip Advisor, It does look nice and modern in the lobby but the rooms weren't really my taste, the long lights above the beds and the green carpet give me a nursing home feel! (Now I really must be sounding like a hotel snob ) We booked a Queen Bunk Room at Hojo's, the kids chose it, it looks like it has been updated compared to the regular rooms. They told me they are re doing all the hallways etc right now so maybe a little fresher when we get there. The main reason for choosing it was for the interior hallways, and the walking distance. I am hoping we will like it, as long as it is clean and comfy, and not dingy it should be ok for us. We have our lovely Aulani Villa to look forward to on the way home

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for the tips! I had a look at the one you mentioned, Springhill Suites on Trip Advisor, It does look nice and modern in the lobby but the rooms weren't really my taste, the long lights above the beds and the green carpet give me a nursing home feel! (Now I really must be sounding like a hotel snob ) We booked a Queen Bunk Room at Hojo's, the kids chose it, it looks like it has been updated compared to the regular rooms. They told me they are re doing all the hallways etc right now so maybe a little fresher when we get there. The main reason for choosing it was for the interior hallways, and the walking distance. I am hoping we will like it, as long as it is clean and comfy, and not dingy it should be ok for us. We have our lovely Aulani Villa to look forward to on the way home

Lol! Don't worry, my mum is a bit fussy with hotels too. It's always interesting trying to find accommodation for us all balancing budget for DH and I with her requirements

If you do decide to keep looking, we were very impressed with Portofino Inn & Suites. They seem to get pretty average reviews on TripAdvisor, but we thought it was great! Rooms were fairly modern and spacious, light and airy. The interior hallways were nice and open and light. Pool area was decent, but not resort-like. And only a 10 minute walk to the parks. They've got some very well priced kid suites too. It was a great compromise for us.

 

[jevs]

Yes please to the Thailand trip report I may not comment a lot but I do read trip reports to get inspiration and lust over more travel

 

[zanzibar138]

Yes please to the Thailand trip report I may not comment a lot but I do read trip reports to get inspiration and lust over more travel

Ok, I'll hurry up and finish my RunDisney TR, then get onto a quick Thailand one as well Hopefully before it's time to do my next TR

 

[crazy Cat Lady]

Just dropping in to say I'M JEALOUS!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Hi Zanzibar

A Feruary trip will be just wonderful. We too have had a change of plans. DH and I were meant to be going to Europe at the end of the year but due to a few things and him being wonderful, he thought it wouldn't be right if I didn't get to go and help Mickey celebrate the 60th anniversary of my second home So, the DD and I are off again for another mother/daughter trip

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel on our last trip and I would have loved to have stayed again this year. But, as it will be nearly 2 years ( I know right, HOW did THAT happen!!! ) since our last trip, we will be spending our time doing lots of shopping to bring home things to add to our collections. And the dollar is also a factor when it comes to the nightly rate. Even with an annual pass, I still don't think I would get it per night at a rate that fits in the budget.

We will be spending all 18 nights at the Ho Jo. It has gone up in price since I last stayed there, but I got a good deal that was too good to pass up! This will make a total of 61 nights all up we have stayed there. It ticks all the boxes for us too. Walking distance to parks, inside corridors, room safe, laundry and friendly staff

Just have to patiently wait now.......................is it November yet