1st trip to DLP....should I splurge on DLP Hotel?

[Cyrano]

I've notice a certain "our hotel is better than yours" attitude lately with posts - surely hotel choice is unimportant ? So far we've been to Newport, Cheyenne and NY - Cheyenne wins for kiddy factor

I agree with Steve don't think anyone is putting other peoples choices down.
Everyone has their favourites, which is fine

 

[Dee8197]

I've notice a certain "our hotel is better than yours" attitude lately with posts - surely hotel choice is unimportant ? So far we've been to Newport, Cheyenne and NY - Cheyenne wins for kiddy factor

I certainly see no more than friendly banter as far as hotels go on this board - we all have our favourites (like me with the Cheyenne) and we all like to talk about them but that's as far as it goes, nobody ever criticises anyone else choices or tells them their wrong - it's just different people with different opinions derived from different lifestyles and desires.

I agree with Steve, I have NEVER seen anything on this board that could amount to "snobbery" we are all very friendly and enjoy reading the others opinion on various subjects- one being hotels.
We are all different and our hotel needs vary from visit to visit in some cases, some like more creature comforts than others ( each to their own ) we all want the best out of our holiday and in some cases the location and type of hotel does come into the equation.
eg Our first visit Newport Bay -25th Wedding anniversary
Second- Cheyanne - one night stay while visiting Paris
Third -SL standard room because we liked the look of it and wanted a swimming pool ,only had to consider our selves and able bodied son
Fourth - SL Montanna room, because we had to consider the cold in relation to DH heart condition and this time we had our son with special needs with us too.
Next visit HNY because some on this board give it such rave reviews (no names mentioned ) and because the pool looks great. If it is next Christmas we will have a room overlooking the ice rink too so that we don't have to stand for 3 hours in the freezing cold while DS fulfills his lifetime ambition for the second time
Yes, one day we will stay at the DLH too,just for the experience and because our son wants too, it may only be one night but at least we can say we've done it
Seriously though there is NO-ONE on this board that I would even remotely consider to be we are all just people with a love for disney (all with different life-styles and wealth) who want to share our opinions and maybe in so doing help others to get the best out of their stay at DLP

 

[Dee8197]

But, that's just my opinion, and everyone has other priorities. In my case, since I travel MANY times a year, I don't like to spend huge amounts of money to a hotel. To others, there Disneyland-visit is their only vacation, and they like to splurge then. It's up to everyone for themselves to decide!

I'm sure that there are quite a number of people who travel MANY times a year on this board - I not sure that how many times they travel has much to do with how much or how little they "splurge" on their hotel at DLP. It is all down to personal choice and priorities at that moment in time

 

[Frances999]

Hi Debs

As others have said, it is difficult to make a comparison with the WDW resorts. I think that visiting DLRP and WDW are two completely different holidays, despite them both being Disney.

Obviously the location of the DLH is incredible and that is what warrants the high room rates. I have found the service to be on par with that of the Grand Floridian at WDW and the rooms are of a very generous size. Compared with the WDW resorts the DLRP hotels are certainly on a smaller scale and some facilities, such as the number of food outlets/shops does not compare with the WDW resorts. Also, the pool at the DLH is nothing particularly inspiring, despite being perfectly adequate and nicely themed.

When are you hoping to travel? I always think that in the winter the DLH is especially worth the extra. It's wonderful being able to pop back so easily to warm up during the day. In the summer, I think the stroll back to one of the hotels on Lake Disney would be pleasant and certainly not seen as a burden.

For us the hotel is an extremely important part of our trip. If it was a choice of (for example) 3 nights at the DLH or 4 or 5 nights in one of the other hotels, there is a good chance we would choose the DLH.

 

[MazdaUK]

I've just persuaded DH that DLP is a possibility for October 1/2 term. We went at Witsun in 2003 and stayed at HNY - since then DH has always said it has to be a moderate or better for him as he loved the room and the comfy beds. However, once he started looking through the brocure he started thinking about one of the cheaper ones, and thought SL as it has a pool but is cheaper. Going in October we can't be sure of the weather of course so I think I'll persuade him to spend the extra few £ on Montana rooms.

Then again both DS love cowboys.

Decisions decisions!

 

[Dee8197]

I am a lover of SL
The Montanna rooms are convenient. However when we stayed in the lodge in July we were closer to the pool than we were in the Montanna room at Christmas. In July the pool was FREEZING ! We didn't even stick our noses around the door this time - we were cold enough already.
Was the pool at the HNY warm ? I imagine it is - another reason why we may try out the HNY next time

 

[nicola]

We have stayed at Kyriad, Holiday Inn, Newport Bay, HNY and DLH. I rate them in this order 1.DLH 2.HNY 3.NBC 4.HI 5. Kyriad. If money is no object I would DEFINATELY splurge and go for DLH. The DLH is simply beautiful IMHO and its location makes such a big difference to the overall experience. However, if I had to choose between downgrading hotels or staying an extra night I would choose the extra night. The HNY is also a wonderful hotel and NPB is fine too. If you don't mind staying offsite I would recommend HI but I wouldn't personally like to stay offsite for the entire trip. We usually spend an extra night at the beginning of the holiday at HI. The only hotel that I would really not go back to is the Kyriad. We found the rooms to be very tiny and a tad claustraphobic (sp?) for us. I agree with what everyone else has said that it all depends on how important the hotel is to you in particular. If you just view your hotel as a place to rest your head at night then go for the cheapest. I like to get 'settled' into my hotel and consider it my home for the week. The DLH far exceeded my expectations and it was just so nice after an exhausting day to not have to walk to the buses or around the lake. It was also really nice to leave the window open and listen to the park music after it had closed To sum it up I would say yes do it, splurge, its worth it and life is too short.

 

[NIK]

If you are looking for the cheaper end of the market then you can't beat the Santa Fe. I stayed there the first time I went and have no complaints about this hotel. [How long do you spend in the hotels anyway???] However the second time Iwent I stayed at the Sequoia Lodge and I am going back to that one for my next visit in November. I liked the theming better and the fact that you can walk out the back door of the hotel and see the village across Lake Disney is a bonus. It's a pleasant walk back.

I always think staying in the Disney hotels adds to the experience although of course you do pay extra for the privilege.

 

[Ware Bears]

I always think staying in the Disney hotels adds to the experience although of course you do pay extra for the privilege.

I agree, it is only because we are a family of 5 that we stay off-site. I would much prefer to stay at a Disney hotel, although I suppose what I have never had I can't miss!