A few questions on some hotels and what to do?

[disneyfan67]

Hello everyone! I know I have talked about going to Disneyland and I finally going to do it. My wife and I have been playing around with dates for 2006 and we have decided on arriving June 12th and leaving June 17th. We want to go right as our kids get out of school and we think this is a good way to start off the summer. So here is some questions and I really need some help, please?

1. I have been doing a ton of research and for some reason the only offsite hotel that catches my eye is the Candy Cane Inn. It's rated number two on Trip advisor and I seen good reviews on Mouse Planet about it. Can you fine folks here at the DIS boards give me a few reviews on what you think? I have looked at the HOJO and it just doesn't do anything for me, style wise. I kind of like the size and feel of the Candy Cane Inn. Plus, it has it's own shuttle and free breakfast.

2. I don't have a ton of money to spend on this trip because if I did I would be staying at the GCH! I have always wanted to stay at the DLH hotel and my wife and I are wondering if it's worth the extra cost. It's about 350.00 more to stay there and is it worth it? We are trying to stay on some form of budget and I wonder does AAA ofer any decent discounts on Disneyland hotels? Is it worth joining AAA for them and will I save any money?

3. I noticed on the Disneyland website that they offer a dining plan. Is it just like the one at WDW? The one drawback to staying onsite is the cost of the food at the resorts. We're not going to be using a rental car so we need choices that are near by. Goofy's kitchen looks great but eating there everyday isn't in the budget.I've been to WDW and stayed at a Deluxe resort and once you are there, it's hard to find decently priced food without a car.

I hope that this isn't too many questions for anyone and I hope I can get some help here. I'm probably going to stay off site but the DLH hotel is in the back of my mind and tempting me.

 

[CalGal]

One thing you might consider is leaving your options open at least for awhile. You shouldn't have to book too many months in advance.

AAA offers a slight (perhaps 10%) reduction in room rates at Disney hotels. Where I found the best deal through AAA was with their view rooms. The best benefit I found booking a Disney Hotel through AAA was their enhanced FastPass, but this is currenty only offered for packages through mid January. You'll need to wait to see if this benefit is still available next year.

Sometimes you can get some pretty good deals on Disney hotels through Expedia. The problem is, the best deals usually don't become available until a couple of weeks out, and are only available if the hotel is underbooked. That's a possibility in early June. Unless you are getting some nice benefits by booking a package, perhaps you can reserve the Candy Cane separately with the ability to cancel without penalty. Then keep your eyes open for one of these special deals.

I really don't think there's much benefit to the dining plan. I understand it's just vouchures that you can use, but they don't save you much, if any, money. If you want to save $, keep in mind that there are several family restaurants directly across the street from DL, within easy walking distance. Also, AAA and/or Disney Visa will save you 10% at select dining locations at the Disney resort. You will find everything is so much more compact than at WDW.

 

[boosmom96]

I pretty much have to agree with CalGal.
We just stayed at the GC in July, so I'm having a really hard time looking at off-site. That stated, I've been looking at the Candy Cane for a spur-of-the-moment, cheap-as-possible late Sept trip and it really looks like the best off-site. (And I'm kinda familiar with the area.)
What you have to keep in mind is that DLR is so much smaller that WDW it's really hard to imagine!! It is quite possible to stay "off-site" and be closer than the best "on-site" at WDW!!
That said, the DLH is wonderful! My DH & I (and extended family) throughly enjoyed our recent stay at the GC, but we both agree we prefer the DLH. When you take into account the cost of the room, DLH is a hands down winner.
All this boils down to, book Candy Cane Inn (if it's refundable) and keep looking at the DLH. Either way, I think you'll have a memorable trip!!!

 

[bpicard9]

We stayed at Candy Cane Inn from July 29th to Aug 1st this year

We had a lovely stay and wonderful visit to Disneyland. The grounds are beautiful, the location super convenient, the dediicated shuttle was great after a long day at the parks, and the room was clean, comfortable and quiet.
We wanted to get into the parks for EE on Saturday and their breakfast wasn't set up early. On the other days, a we picked up fruit from their breakfast before we headed into the parks.

We really wanted to stay at DLH but the difference in price was the cost of our family's airfare from STL to SAN. DH had such a good time and wants to stay at the park longer so we're considering a last minute to Disneyland over winter break this year. Price difference for a 6 night,5 day stay looking at the AAA site between DLH and the CCI, including cost of a character lunch, is still cost of airfare, so if we go, it looks like we'll stay off-site.

HTH

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Hi Disneyfan67

We are planning our first trip to DL in June too We will be in california from June 5-15 and are planning on DL June 11-15. I've been looking at Candy Cane Inn too - it looks great for offsite. I may do what some of the others suggested in making a reservation that can be cancelled with CCI and look for specials for the DL Resorts. If I see any specials out there for our time frame I will post it here on the boards. The 2006 rates just came out on the DL site but so far they are all the same rate - no seasonal rates yet.

Thanks to everyone who answered disneyfans67's questions - they helped me to.

 

[Vanvmom]

Ressies at Candy Cane Inn can be cancelled at no charge if you cancel them more than 24 hours in advance. To help stay on budget, we usually only buy one meal in the park each day, plus a snack. We get the free breakfast at Candy Cane, then pack sandwiches & soda for lunch (and leave them in the locker outside DL between the restrooms and GS). I use a carry on sized bag to bring food (Pnut butter, jelly, crackers, tuna packets, fruit, zip-lock baggies, etc.) on our trip, and then use that same bag to bring souvenirs home.

 

[daannzzz]

The Candy Cane Inn is a two story "U" shaped motel with loads of character. The parking lot is in the center of the U but it is a pretty place with lots of flowers. The rooms are a bit small but are comfortable and they have really nice decore (for a motel).
Howard Johsnson is a bit more dated but the rooms have interior corridors and are bigger, more spacious and most of them have balconies (some overlooking Disneyland with great views of the fireworks). The rooms are comfortable but the decore is a bit bland and has no cohesive "theme". The gorunds are pretty with lots of pine trees.
Both places are great but the Candy Cane wins for atmosphere.
I usually stay at HoJo as I like the larger room and balcony.

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

I think the two primary considerations are;

1. How much do you have to spend? Would staying on-site mean you'd have to cut back in another area?

2. How much time do you plan to spend in the room? If you're going to be in the room quite a bit, it might be worth spending a little more for an on-site hotel. If you're only planning on sleeping in your room, you might be better off in a less expensive off-site room.

We've been to WDW a couple times and stayed on-site. I can't imagine staying off-site at WDW. I really love the Disney theming, and it significantly enhanced our experience.

We were at DLR a couple weeks ago we spent very little time in the room while we were awake. We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn which is right across the street from DLR. It was VERY convenient and, while I did miss the Disney touches in the room, the BWPPI was certainly meet our needs and was a lot less expensive than staying on-site!

 

[disneyfan67]

I want to thank everyone who has responded so far. I'm glad to see that there is a lot of helpfull people on these boards. I'm going to book my room at the Candy Cane Inn later today and I'm looking forward to staying there. I like the thought of their premium room with all of the perks that come with it.

I just want to go and see Walt's original park that started it all and if I go the Disney Deluxe route I won't be able to afford it right now at this time. I'm getting to the point in my life that I would rather go to Disney every year on a affordable style vacation than wait every 2 to 3 years and save up for a stay at a deluxe resort. The kids are getting big and pretty soon they won't want to go with their Disney obsessed dad! LOL!

The Candy Cane looks pretty nice to me and I hear the rooms and beds are comfortable. When I go next June, I'm going to look around and check out a lot of the hotels in the area and get a feel for them. I'm really looking forward to this trip and I'm in the process of looking for airfare. If all goes well, I'll have airfare booked before the start of the hoildays.

 

[disneyfan67]

Ressies at Candy Cane Inn can be cancelled at no charge if you cancel them more than 24 hours in advance. To help stay on budget, we usually only buy one meal in the park each day, plus a snack. We get the free breakfast at Candy Cane, then pack sandwiches & soda for lunch (and leave them in the locker outside DL between the restrooms and GS). I use a carry on sized bag to bring food (Pnut butter, jelly, crackers, tuna packets, fruit, zip-lock baggies, etc.) on our trip, and then use that same bag to bring souvenirs home.

I just made my ressie at the Candy Cane for 5 nights in the second week of June. I went ahead and booked the Premium rooms that are bigger and have a lot more features to them. I'm working on saving toward a nice but economical Disney vacation and I have a feeling that my family will love the Candy Cane Inn and Disneyland. I'm searching for airfare and hope to have that bought and paid for by fall. Then all I have to save for is food and the extras.