Walking Distance Hotel List w/ discussion & details of hotels

[mjmcnns]

I stayed there a few years ago and I thought it worked fine. The rooms aren't as nice as the lobby, but it's certainly an adequate hotel.

I ended up booking the Ramada Plaza for my second trip to DL since I've been an adult, but that was more because we saved about $200 on the hotel over the course of our trip.

Our final two choices came down to DP and RP...I'd be just as happy staying at Desert Palms again.

 

[momrek06]

Just booked Desert Palms Hotel and Suites for late January. They're having a sale right now, $99 for 2 queen room. Also, resort fee has increased to $7.

It seems a good deal and a nice looking hotel. Any opinions on it?

Like I posted unthread, DH & I stayed there in September! We thought it was great! We had a king suite on the 4th floor! Fifth floor (are banquet rooms) is where the large breakfast room is! The breakfast is 6-10am and plentiful!

In the suite there was a fridge and microwave. Both rooms have a large plasma screen tv. The bed was very comfortable.

There is free wifi and free parking. It has a large gift shoppe in the lobby.

It is a short (12minute) walk to DL and a short walk also to Anaheim's GardenWalk.

HTH!

 

[Scribble Kitty]

Thanks for the replys. I did read about your stay and it helped me decide on it.

Is it true you can see a bit of the fireworks? Hopefully we'll be in the park to see them, but just incase. Obviously it wont be great, but every bit helps.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Just booked Desert Palms Hotel and Suites for late January. They're having a sale right now, $99 for 2 queen room. Also, resort fee has increased to $7.

Thanks for the update - I added it to OP.

And thanks for the reviews you added, momrek06 and mjmcnns.

 

[momrek06]

Thanks for the replys. I did read about your stay and it helped me decide on it.

Is it true you can see a bit of the fireworks? Hopefully we'll be in the park to see them, but just incase. Obviously it wont be great, but every bit helps.

YW! The night we stayed at DPI&S, there were no fireworks. Parks closed at 8pm that night. It appeared that everyone headed to GardenWalk. We ate at PF Chang's. Yummmy.

Thanks for the update - I added it to OP.

And thanks for the reviews you added, momrek06 and mjmcnns.

YW, Liz!

 

[wdwmickey]

Fot those of you that have stayed at the Red Lion, can you tell me where it is in relation to the Ramada Plaza? I can't seem to find it on the map. I checked the price for our dates and the price is definately right Thanks so much!

ETA: According to mapquest it looks to be right next to the Toy Story parking lot, is that correct? If so can we take the parking lot shuttle/bus to the parks?

 

[skiingfast]

Fot those of you that have stayed at the Red Lion, can you tell me where it is in relation to the Ramada Plaza? I can't seem to find it on the map. I checked the price for our dates and the price is definately right Thanks so much!

It's strait down the east side of Harbor. So about one crosswalk and 100 feet more than the RP.

ETA: According to mapquest it looks to be right next to the Toy Story parking lot, is that correct? If so can we take the parking lot shuttle/bus to the parks?

You can, walking it is about 5 minutes shorter into the Toy Story lot. Of course you will loose that time while on the bus for a few minutes. At least it will save steps.

 

[wdwmickey]

Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply, trying to figure out how to save a few more dollars on our Disney trip since DD1 just got accepted into the National Honor Choir and we're planning a trip to NYC in February to see her perform at Carnegie Hall

 

[PurpleEars]

First, I just want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. It really helped me when I was planning for a business trip to Anaheim (with side trips to DL/DCA). As a result, I am going to post my recent experience to resurrect this thread and to potentially help others out.

I stayed at Ramada Maingate for 8 nights in the beginning of November. I was attending a conference at the Hilton but there was no way I would be shelling out $200 a night to stay there! I ended up paying around $80 a night for Ramada Maingate through Expedia.

At check-in, I requested a quiet location as I am light sleeper. They were able to give me a quiet location at the back of the property with 1 queen bed but the room wasn't ready until after 3pm. The room was clean, though there were signs of wear. A little bit of TLC could improve the look of the room dramatically.

The free wi-fi worked reasonably well but it was slow. Not dial-up slow, but slower than what I have gotten used to having. There was one morning that the wi-fi didn't work, but that was the same day Hilton was having issues too, so I don't know if it was a wide spread problem.

The breakfast was adequate. Hard boiled eggs, donuts, and sliced bread (both white and brown) were available each day. They also alternate between pastries and mini-muffins for the other baked item. They had oranges every day I was there and they seem to alternate between apples and bananas for the other fruit. They had oatmeal and corn flakes out every morning, and they alternate between froot loops and cheerios for the third cereal. You can get milk, apple juice, or orange juice. There is a coffee machine (I have no idea if the coffee tastes ok or not). Selection for tea was limited. There is a tray in the room for you to take to the breakfast area and take the food you want. You can then eat by the pool or go back to your room to eat. I went to breakfast at 6:30 every day when it opened so I don't know if the selections get thinner later.

Water pressure was adequate in the shower, though the shower heads are a little bit low. I am 5'8" and I hit my head on the shower head many times during the week. They supply soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion.

It took me 5 minutes or less to walk from my room (at the back of the property) to the bag check. I am a fast walker, especially when I am on my own! I would say the hotel is within easy walking distance for most people.

Check-out was painless. I was in and out in less than 2 minutes.

The fridge and microwave were nice to have. I went to Food 4 Less twice to stock up on groceries (30 minutes walk each way). Both the fridge and microwave worked well. Since I was on my own for the trip, I didn't want to eat out anyway. The grocery store meal thing worked really well for me.

I would say my overall impression of Ramada Maingate is that it is the most comparable to a value hotel at Disney World, but with a shorter walking distance than Contemporary. I would stay there again if the price is right, but I will be open to trying other hotels along there as well.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread! I want to do it myself, but since I am the OP, I wait for nice people like you.

My family and I made a quick trip to the Ramada Maingate the last weekend of October at $100/night. I agree with your assessment 100%. Our family of 5 had a two queen bed room and a free roll-away bed (comes with the deluxe room, if you request it early enough). We like eating at Disneyland for snacks and two meals a day, so the breakfast was perfect and fast for us (we like making the rope drop if possible). Hotel was slightly worn, but still nice and the beds were very comfy. Parking was crowded the first night and better the second. They only let us stay until 3pm on checkout day (they said they were expecting a large group) so we moved the car to DTD parking for a couple more (up to 3) free hours before driving home.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I added the bed comments to the OP from mad hatter fan's thread.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Well, now that you are all back from your holiday trips, do you have anything to say about your good neighbor stays?

 

[wdwmickey]

We loved our stay at the Red Lion Inn My DD and I stayed for 9 nights; Dec 16th-25th. The beds were fantastic (my back never hurt as it does at home). We had a fireworks view room that overlooked the back of DCAfor less than $70 per night including taxes! The room even had a radio/clock/white noise machine/ipod dock which was really nice. We slept with the sounds of the ocean every night.

We walked the first day and it took about 20 minutes (we had to wait on the lights) after that we took the ART bus that left from right in front of the hotel, loved saving some steps in the morning and tired feet at night

The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. We will definately stay at Red Lion again.

 

[starshine514]

Our stay at the Quality Inn on Manchester was fine. The motel was well-kept and the furnishings were of good quality. It was clean. We had a H/A first-floor room (there are no elevators, so be sure to request the first-floor if travelling with someone with mobility issues) with 2 doubles. It was very tight. We had to park the ECV so that it either blocked the door or our route to the bathroom. The room had both a fridge and a microwave.

Breakfast was fine. They had a couple of wafflemakers, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, toast, english muffins, oatmeal & a microwave, corn flakes (and maybe cheerios?), a couple of kinds of juice, skim and 2% milk, awful coffee, pastries and donuts, apples and oranges. It was served from 6:30 - 9:30 am.

The walk wasn't too bad. I would stay there again if the price was right!

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Thanks for the updates wdwmickey and starshine514

 

[Goofy_Mom]

I'll add one. We just got back and stayed at the Sheraton Garden Grove. It's located right across the street from Target on Harbor Blvd. We got it at about $70/night. I bid on Priceline at $84, but they had a lower "public" rate on priceline's website($75). When I called to tell them so, they refunded the difference plus $25 and a $50 credit towards another booking. I'm used to staying at Best Western Park Place and Carousel Inn. This place is great!!! You don't get the view of DL like you would at closer Inns, but we were never in our room long enough to enjoy the view. The rooms are bigger (than the Inns we're used to), full bath rooms instead of shower/toilete combo with separate vanity. The beds were amazing and so were the pillows. Check out was painless. They had a bill under the door when I woke up that morning. They put everything on the card I used to check in with. If I was good with it (which I was) everything was taken care of. There was a fee for parking, a shuttle fee, and wifi. However, if combined the parking and shuttle, it was discounted by a $1.50/day and they gave me free wifi for doing the package.

Water pressure was good and the shower head was a good two feet above my head (I'm 5'8"). Cleaned every day and if we wanted fresh linines on our beds, all we had to do was leave a "change sheets" on the bed. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were in our bath room every day, too. They have a resturant on property and good room service. Both time I ordered, I recieved it within 15minutes. Huge protion sizes. I ordered a side of fries one day and it was the size of a dinner plate and piled high. The w

The shuttle that took us to and from the parks was prompt. Came every half hour. Last pick up from the park was an hour after closing, first pick up from the hotel was 45min before opening. They were also less expensive than the Anhiem buses that service most of the hotels.

Kids loved it, I loved it. If I can get another fantastic deal, I'll be here again.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Summer planning BUMP!

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

We loved our stay at the Red Lion Inn My DD and I stayed for 9 nights; Dec 16th-25th. The beds were fantastic (my back never hurt as it does at home). We had a fireworks view room that overlooked the back of DCAfor less than $70 per night including taxes! The room even had a radio/clock/white noise machine/ipod dock which was really nice. We slept with the sounds of the ocean every night.

We walked the first day and it took about 20 minutes (we had to wait on the lights) after that we took the ART bus that left from right in front of the hotel, loved saving some steps in the morning and tired feet at night

The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. We will definately stay at Red Lion again.

If you're still around, what website did you book through to get such a good rate?

 

[wdwfreak]

w

 

[skiingfast]

w

I have a good friend from Webster Grove.


If you look at the OP it has a summary of what many hotels offer.

A big key for DLR is stay close you can walk to the parks and not need a time wasting shuttle like you do at WDW.

If you haven't already you may also want to read the DLR guide for WDW vets.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599