Did you see this? I donāt know which hotels you are looking at but some hotels are coming up with solutions.
Garden Grove is just a little far afield. I've been mostly looking at the suites hotels at the corners of Harbor and Katella.
@danceintherain, the Candy Cane Inn is a little less than half a mile from the Esplanade, so it's a pretty easy walk. It also has its own shuttle. (And a good breakfast.)
The Howard Johnson is about half a mile the other direction, if they prefer a real hotel with indoor corridors instead of motel-style buildings.
What kind of lodging are they looking for, and when is their trip? Maybe the City of Anaheim will solve the transportation problem before their visit.
Hopefully we can find
@danceintherain a solution other than sending his/her parents all the way to Garden Grove!
It's an odd situation. My cousin's husband died recently, and my mom offered to take her and her 5 kids to Disneyland. Probably this summer, because my cousin is a teacher. My first suggestion to my Mom was the Courtyard. She balked at the $800/night price tag. I priced out the Candy Cane Inn, but none of the rooms sleep 6, so some of the kids would need to stay in a different room, which is a different conversation. I haven't broached the "motel-style" rooms situation with my parents yet, but it's on my list.
I'm doing some preliminary research, in order to, hopefully, prevent some misunderstandings. My parents are wonderfully generous, but a little weird to plan travel with. My dad is picky and can come across as abrupt/gruff. My mom doesn't pay attention to details, until there are immediate consequences. I'm putting together a few "packages" for them to approve, and then offer to my cousin. This way everyone can go in with the same expectations, and any "extras" my parents come up with at that last minute can just be gravy. So they commit to X, and Y can be adjusted when they're actually in the moment. I am not worried about my parents overspending. They have plenty of money that they could straight up pay for everyone to stay in the nicest suites and get a VIP tour guide every day. But, they don't want to do that, and tend to promise the moon, then be shocked when the moon is expensive.
For an example of one of the things my dad can be prickly about is MultiPass/ILL. If he purchases it, he expects it to be used as much as possible. He loves buying it and values it, but only if it gets used. I know this. All of my siblings know this. We've learned to either brush off his complaints, or not commit to it unless we think we'll use it. It might be a better option for everyone involved, if he gives my cousin the cash to cover it, then she can make the decisions about who does and does not get it. This isn't something my parents will consider in advance though, and my cousin has no idea about this pain point.
No, not that far if you have a car. but since
@danceintherain was looking in the half-mile category, I assume that he/she wanted a hotel that's not too far for people walking.
My cousin will be driving in, but I have no idea if my parents will rent a car or not. It's just something to discuss further, because obviously, some of the hotels are closer than the parking lots. My dad would walk....my mom wouldn't be happy about it.....no idea about my cousin and her parents. My experience with them is that they pinch pennies as much as possible, and their priorities may be entirely different than my parents are. ART meant anyone who wanted to save the money and walk could do it, and others could walk. Or even if bus/shuttle is planned, but the lines are super long....a decision could be made to walk after all. It's just an extra detail to consider in advance.
At the moment, the Camelot Inn and Suites is at the top of my list, so I will be broaching the "motel-style room" conversation at some point. Mostly, I plan to discuss most of the potential hiccups with my parents in advance, so they can offer a few options that they'll be reasonably happy with, and my cousin can have a clearer picture of what it might be like to travel with them.
My mom keeps saying, "I want to make it nice for them," but "nice" can mean a lot of things. I know I prioritize things differently than my parents do, and what I can rely on them for. For example, I rarely spend ANY money on souvenirs for my kids, when we travel with my parents, because I know my mom is probably going to buy them at least one thing at every stop. It actually drives me crazy, because I know I'm going to have to find a place for it during the trip home. She always goes in with a budget, then blows it out of the water, and attempts to make things equal among the children. So the trip starts with "I will spend $75 on each kid...." then DD11 falls in love with something "else" so each kid gets $100....and so and and so forth. Fortunately, I have the financial ability to spend money on the things that I care about (like sleeping arrangements) and let my mom be her.
I'm not sure my cousin will have the confidence to ask for a second room, or a larger suite...or a sit-down meal.....or whatever it might be that she values for her family "instead of" a toy from every shop. So, I want her to be able to start from a comfortable place, before my mom throws the unexpected at her.
