Disadvantages of staying off-site and off Harbor Blvd?

[goooof1]

Walking distance is best.....far, far less hassle with busses, extra time, etc. BWPPI is right at the crosswalk and has a free breakfast. Candy Cane is really nice.....good free breakfast, free parking, free, reliable shuttle just for the hotel, and great customer service. Actually the walk is really easy....about 5 - 10 minutes and on the same side of Harbor as DLR. If we stay off-site, Candy Cane is a favorite.

 

[pepe3penelope]

I agree with everyone about staying at Howard Johnson's. We are local pass holders and it is such an pain when parking redirects you. Even when they don't, I plan easily half an hour to get through parking booths, park, walk to the tram area, wait for a tram, walk thru security, wait at the turnstiles...easily 30-45 minutes depending on crowds. Also, you have to consider $18 PER day for parking!!!

We have stayed at DLH and GCH and in October stayed at Camelot Inn And suites in October. It's a hotel and McDonald's closer than Hojo's but not that bad. Staying at Harbor Blvd was soooooo awesome. So fast to walk over & into the parks! Just a little walk to get to DTD if that's in your plan.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I am a newbie too and I am so glad to find this board! We go to WDW every year and decided to add DLR as a midway trip since we can drive. However, I'm more overwhelmed trying to find a hotel for this tiny park than at WDW which is huge! I guess it doesn't seem so cut and dry here.

Where is the BEST located hotel off property for easy walking (we'll have a car but a stroller too so walking would be better).

How bad would it be to stay at the Embassy Suites 2 miles away and take the bus? Is that unrealistic? We have a 5 year old and again, a stroller.

I was looking at Park Vue, Hojo, Candycane, Desert Palms and Embassy Suites and Peacock Suites. Any thoughts????

I'm only thinking Embassy Suites because I know what to expect and darn it I love their free breakfast, that's just money in our pocket! I havent' been to Disneyland in 30 years so I have zero idea what to expect but looking at it on the map I can see it's a tiny fraction of WDW in size which is kind of appealing.

HELP!!

IMO, the Tropicana Inn and Suites is a great location. We've stayed there 3 times now, and it's location next to the crosswalk is pretty much perfect, as is the price. I would not stay 2 miles away and take the bus, especially with a 5 y/o and a stroller. Walking distance is so so much easier.

The Tropicana isn't fancy or anything...and breakfast isn't included (though there's a McDonald's 2 "doors" down on Harbor, and The Cove shop in the hotel that you can get breakfast foo at). But it's a nice, clean, comfortable and *close* place to put your head at the end of a day in the parks.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

Thank you that's really helpful! We are also pretty picky about our accomodations, I would really like to have a 2 room suite otherwise we can't watch TV after my daughter goes to bed, stay up and read etc. We're definitely not a rope drop family, I can't see us getting there before 10am earliest. At WDW we roll in around 3pm!! BUt I agree the bus sounds like a hassle, parking sounds like a hassle. It's $16 a day to park at ES. Our family has a lot of dietary restrictions and we just can't get by with bagels, I wish we could! Did the springhill suites offer hot breakfast? I wonder how much uber would be from ES to the park?????

Yes, they have a free hot breakfast at Springhill Suites. There is also a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the hotel that serves an assortment of pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

My choice out of the hotels you listed would be the Candy Cane. We've always had excellent experiences there: great customer service, clean rooms, AAA and AP discounts, private shuttle that runs on time, right next door to the ABC Mart convenience store (with a 7-11 next to that and a 24/7 CVS across Katella -- so easy to stock up on things), free cont. breakfast (Premium rooms included breakfast delivered to your room), and a close walk if we don't take the shuttle. We tend to walk in the mornings and ride back at night. The ES is nice, but it is 1 mile south of the parks -- not that far overall, but the CCI works out better for us.

 

[Yvie B.]

We ultimately decided on the embassy suites. A solid hot breakfast buffet with hot protein options is so important to us and honestly allows us to fill up and skip lunch and stick a couple bagels in my bag, just kidding, not really The ES is also $50 a night cheaper than the Springhill Suites so I couldn't justify it. Costco gives you $100 disney card when you book so that will more than offset the hotel parking, which is a bummer but not unexpected. We're very used to the bus debacle from WDW so I think we'll be ok taking the ART 1.2 miles. I also feel like the interior of the ES is kind of whimsical and fun for kids, I like the atmosphere. After reading so many reviews on the hotels in walking distance I just feel like we need to go with what we know. Honestly I like the idea of being further away from the busy clump of hotels in a slightly quieter area. Being our first time I know there's a learning curve so when we go we can look around the area and make a different (or the same) decision for next time as we fully plan on becoming DLR addicts! Thanks so much for your help!!!