Chase UR for Disneyland trip?

[Lain]

Thanks everyone. Definitely looking offsite now that I've seen the points for the onsite hotels

LOL. Yes, it's quite a difference. We've stayed at the GCH and DLH, and they're nice, but really not worth the rack rates. At WDW, there are so many benefits from staying onsite to justify the cost. At Disneyland, where the parks are so close together and the resort area so concentrated, there's very little tangible benefit. Offhand, I can only think of Extra Magic Hours, sending your shopping to your room, and staying in the Disney "bubble." I suppose if you're staying at the Grand Californian, you have direct access to a gate into California Adventure (but even this gate isn't free from long lines in the morning). Other than the Grand, several of the hotels, inns and motels on Harbor are closer to the park entrances than the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier. And even the big chain hotels like the Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton, and Hyatt further down on Harbor are closer to the parks than most of the monorail resorts to the MK or the YC/BC to Epcot. You'll find a lot of suggestions over in the Disneyland forum.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We used UR pts for an onsite stay at WDW in Feb. Availability changed frequently and pricing was based on whatever Disney's price was at the moment. I hesitated for a while, undecided between a moderate costing $0 oop or BWI using points + $800.
In the meantime Disney's promo ended and prices went up (including the # of pts needed.). Grrrr. Lesson learned.