Arlene,
If you go to laughingplace.com, the HoJo is a very popular hotel and they offer a discount to LP'ers. The link that tells you about the discount is a little hard to find; if you're interested and can't find it, e-mail me and I'll try to find it for you. The HoJO looks like a nice hotel and it is a relatively quick walk to DL. Also, check out tripadvisor.com for reviews.
I've stayed at the Candy Cane Inn before. We liked it a lot. It was a relatively quick walk to DL and they had a good shuttle also. The rooms are small but clean. It is a well-respected and popular hotel.
Laughingplace will have a lot of reviews about the Desert Inn. I personally know nothing of it, but the reviews are mixed.
I've stayed at the Residence Inn Garden Grove also. It's a new RI and I usually love them. However, this was one of my least favorite RI's (poor design of the building and the rooms). However, most of my gripes about it were related to the hotel being at capacity; if you're traveling during non-capacity times, it would be fine.
I assume you have been to the DL portion of these discussion boards. They are smaller but I like them better than Laughingplace. (Do you think that will minimize the trouble I'm in for mentioning the other website?)
I'm still debating the cruise also. I'm very concerned about the number of days at sea we have scheduled. I still prefer
DCL to the other cruise lines, but I do have to admit that the other lines have a better itinerary than our current one. I booked my cruise through Costco, so my payment is due in May. I'm going to wait until then and see what happens.
Wishing those of you cleaning up after the hurricane and those of you waiting to see where the next one is heading the best of luck. I was 5 years old when Hurricane Camille hit the coast of Mississippi - I still remember the misery of no electricity or running water during the heat of August.
And, as always, thinking of Sophie and her family.
)
