Disney Hotels are they worth the money

[ironpig70]

Been to Disneyland several times before and always stayed in a good neighbor hotel. Twice now I have stayed at Ramada Inn and loved both times. Last trip was at the Carosuel and the room was way to small. Well I am looking at going over Christmas and the wife really wants to stay at a Disney Hotel. I am having trouble coming to terms with the cost.

Grand Californian is $ 3,977

Disneyland Hotel is $ 3,172

Paradise Pier is $ 2,917

Ramada Inn is $ 1,852


Now for the $1100 difference we could stay several extra days.

Been to Disney World before and I see the value of staying on property there but cannot phatom the value here.


Can somebody give me some insight on these hotels or what "Magical" extras come with them that are not posted.

 

[skiingfast]

Honestly the GC is the nicest walking distance hotel. PPH and DLH are nicer than their closer couterparts, but not the greatest hotels in the area. But if you want only a good hotel. There are a handful of choices on Harbor that are closer and half the price or less.

 

[nana50]

The magic of staying onsite is what cost the money. Also the pool at DLH is great. I have stayed at Sheraton and Hojo's. They are both very nice in their own way, but I LOVED staying DLH. My 10 year old grandson did not want to leave the hotel.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I personally cannot justify the expense of staying at one of the DL hotels, as it would triple the cost of my hotel expenses, and would make the 2 trips that I have to DL over the next 8 months not possible. Our family loves HOJO's and would rather stay there, than anywhere else. Bear in mind that you will be probably be in the parks most of the day, and will not spend alot of time in the hotel itself, unless you are taking a mid day break, so in my mind, if you can afford it, go and have a great time. But if you are on a budget like I am, then HOJO's is the better choice. JMHO, and whatever decision you make regarding regarding this will be the right one, as it's the best choice for your family.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Since there are so many descent, close off-site hotels I don't think the Disney hotels are worth the extra money unless you can get a really good deal. I only stayed at PPH last year because I was able to get it for $100 per night. I would personally rather stay a few extra days or take a second trip than pay the sky high prices Disney charges for those hotels.

Now at WDW I have the totally opposite opinion. Non of the off-sit hotels are across the street and you get enough extra perks to make it worth it to me.

 

[1disneynutt]

Disneyland, just not worth it to stay on site.
DisneyWorld, a must.

 

[mom4princesses]

I just posted this on another thread but will do again. We are a family of 8 and to stay at DLR is would be $6,988 and a good-neighbor hotel 2,684, tickets included on both. So I could go 2.5 times for the price to stay at DLR. Not reasonable for us, I would rather go 2 times and have extra money left over.

 

[Judy from Boise]

But to play Devil's advocate, if you are in a job situation where you only get a week's vacation to travel, so multiple trips aren't even an option, it might very well be worth it. It depends on how you view/use your DLR time a "trip" or a "vacation". Neither are wrong, but may have differing priorities.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Hopefully the prices will drop just like they did this summer.

Jack

 

[NewbieMouse]

I think this really depends on the individual, the dates you're going, and how much you value the extras you get when staying on site. We are taking our first trip in a little over a week and to be honest, the deal we got made PPH the same price as Hojo's. We ended up choosing DLH, but even if we had chosen PPH, we still would have gotten some valuable (to us) extras: magic morning every day (which is 3 days on our trip), preferred Aladdin seating, Mickey's toontown morning madness, vacation planning to make all our reservations, the availability of Pinocchio's Workshop so we can have a nice dinner, and a few other things as well. I'm not saying it's always worth it (sometimes the prices I see quoted scare the heck out of me!), but depending on the deal you get, it could be worth it if you value these things.

 

[jodeja]

Here's an opinion from a "newbie"
Because of the 5-for-3 deal, the cost to stay 5 nights at DLH was about the same as 7 nights in a "middle" room at HOJO (not a suite, but a premium view 2 queen room). My 2 DS and I all unanimously decided to stay the 5 nights at DLH.
We love spending time at the hotel though. Swimming, sleeping in and ordering room service, etc.

Here's my experience I posted on another thread, which highlights the differences of opionions people have about DLH:
When we went last year we stayed one night at the Disneyland Hotel and then 2 nights at Hojo, just to compare and see if it was worth the extra money for DLH. At that time, it cost less to stay in the Premium King Suite at Hojo than a standard room at DLH.
The verdict: my boys and I LOVED the DLH!!! We're ruined! We would now feel a bit let down if we had to stay somewhere else.
My parents, on the other hand, felt that since both hotels were clean, friendly, and adequete for sleeping, the extra cost of DLH was too much. They admitted that they liked the DLH more, but they personally felt they'd choose Hojo next time to save the money.

So, now we've just finished booking our 2010 trip - just the boys and me this time. I went back and forth countless times about whether to stay offsite to save some money or where my heart really wanted to be: DLH
I finally asked the kids their opinion: would you rather stay at the DLH for 5 nights, or for the same price 7 nights at Hojo? and they both said DLH!!!

 

[skiingfast]

Hopefully the prices will drop just like they did this summer.

Jack

Quite likely. At the annual shareholders meeting Disney said the occupancy rate at the DLR was only 68-69%. If you want to get that up to 90% you need to cheapen the rates.

 

[DaisyLuvr]

If you book a package you can get some great extras, previously mentioned (calls, toontown morning etc). But if you book apart from the tickets you can also get some great hotel deals too! You just have to keep checking back. I was able to secure a summer room at the Grand Californian for only $220 for a night. I jumped to secure the rate and am so happy I did! The rate for the same day is now up to $460! I love having magic mornings and there can be some very magical extras.
Case in point, last summer I was able to DLH for the first time thanks to the 6 for 4 offer and LOVED it! Then went back in December with little sister for her birthday and stayed at the PPH, we got a free park view upgrade, free rice krispy treats in the evening (I assume that was for her birthday), free turndown with mickey candies each night and there were several other extras that were amazing. She was turning 14 and thought she was too old to enjoy Disney, and was so HAPPY! This experience made me a total convert to staying on property, but I feel it is most definetly worth it! Even though I might be in the minority.

 

[egritz]

A friend who has AP's to DL says the following:

1) if money is no option, hands-down stay at DLH (which she actually prefers over GC & definitely over PP).
2) if money is an issue then stay across the park in a Good Neighbor Hotel.

That said, she usually stays across the street!

We are staying, for the first time since I was a child, at the DLH in two weeks -- we are only staying there because the 5 for 3 deal & my brother really wants his kids to stay at least once in the DLH. For us it was less than $400 more than our normal Good Neighbor Hotel (Ramada Inn Maingate -- which offers free wi-fi & continental breakfast, added bonuses!) But we'll be closer to our family & the family (our nieces & nephew) is what this trip is about.

For $1000 less I would personally choose to stay at the Ramada Inn. Use that money saved towards booking WOC dinner reservation & Fantasmic! Dessert Reservation. If you have a princess, you could treat her to the royal makeover at BBB, or your family can take one of the Disney tours. Or, as you said, use the money to stay a few extra nights! Or you could save that $$ towards your next trip to Disney! Or Or Or -- the options are endless -- ultimately you have to decide what that $1000 would be best spent on.

One other thought is staying just a night or two in a DLH & then transfer over to Ramada Inn. I personally have never stayed at 2 different hotels in the same trip like that & think it could be rather inconvenient, but then you would get the DLH Magical Experience, but save money on a few nights at the Ramada.

 

[Eeee-va]

It's definitely a personal choice. During our December trip, we actually never went back for a mid-afternoon break, so staying on-site might have been a waste of time. IMO, If you are going in mid-to-late December (especially after schools get out) then it just MIGHT be worth the expense to you because the parks would be more crowded, making a respite away from them more valuable. But if you're really going during one of those times when the park is open moderately late every day and you can stay in the parks all day, then go back and crash, it really doesn't matter where you are.

For myself, I'm pretty cheap so I haven't stayed on-site in ages.

There ARE Disney gift basket options (I don't recall exactly who you call to get them) that you can have sent to "Good Neighbor" hotels. They're very pricey, but would give a touch of Disney magic.

For myself, I'd rather have a couple nice dinners than stay at a fancy on-site hotel, but as mentioned in this thread, some people have a more money than time, in which case getting an immersive on-site vacation may be the best. Myself...even if I don't have much time I also don't like to spend money most of the time, so I stay off-site.

 

[Hambletfamily]

If you book a package you can get some great extras, previously mentioned (calls, toontown morning etc). But if you book apart from the tickets you can also get some great hotel deals too! You just have to keep checking back. I was able to secure a summer room at the Grand Californian for only $220 for a night. I jumped to secure the rate and am so happy I did! The rate for the same day is now up to $460! I love having magic mornings and there can be some very magical extras.
Case in point, last summer I was able to DLH for the first time thanks to the 6 for 4 offer and LOVED it! Then went back in December with little sister for her birthday and stayed at the PPH, we got a free park view upgrade, free rice krispy treats in the evening (I assume that was for her birthday), free turndown with mickey candies each night and there were several other extras that were amazing. She was turning 14 and thought she was too old to enjoy Disney, and was so HAPPY! This experience made me a total convert to staying on property, but I feel it is most definetly worth it! Even though I might be in the minority.

I agree the treats are a nice thought. Don't forget about the mickey soaps and shampoos - I think my husband brought home enough to last a year. lol.. jk. We also got a view upgrade durning our trip in December because we were celebrating our 16th anniversary.
We are staying at PPH again because it's so close and easy. We have stayed off site and found staying at PPH was much much more convenient.

 

[rentayenta]

Staying on site is totally worth the money, you just need to be smart with your money. Being smart with our money meant purchasing DVC. The two bedroom we are staying in at the GCV for the week cost 1/3 of the total cost of our DVC contact.

 

[lulubelle]

The magic of staying onsite is what cost the money. Also the pool at DLH is great. I have stayed at Sheraton and Hojo's. They are both very nice in their own way, but I LOVED staying DLH. My 10 year old grandson did not want to leave the hotel.

I agree with Nana50. If you can afford it, by all means stay on site. You will not regret it. Soaking in all the Disney ambiance makes my toes twinkle! If the extra $$ is making that little voice inside you stress out about it, stay offsite. We do both, but now that we own DVC, usually stay onsite. I love the Hojo's and the Sheraton for offsite choices, too.

Also, like Judy said, if you only get one vacation a year and can splurge, stay onsite.

 

[ginormous]

I'm a big fan of the HoJo and the Grand Californian. They are both friendly and make a pleasant stay.

When do we choose the expensive GCH over the HoJo?

First off, sometimes discounts/season help with the GCH price. Second, a lot of our trips for just the weekend. The difference in price is not nearly as steep when you are only staying a couple days. Third, sometimes we think we'll get super use out of the amenities. At GCH we love magic morning , the big hot tub, and the short walk to DCA and Disneyland.

When it is just the two of us for a short trip, we tend to powerhouse through the parks. We hit the rides, commando style. We get up early for magic morning and go till the afternoon. We then come back, take a nap, relax in the hot tub, head back to the park, and go till late. We get up the next day, rinse, and repeat. It's a grueling pace that can't be sustained for more than a couple days, but we love it. The GCH location and amenities help make this pace possible, dare I say enjoyable.

However, if you are staying longer, you'll get a magic morning with your ticket and a lot more time to take it all in. I think the HoJo is the way to go for that. It's a great hotel, and if you have been taking it easy, the walk to and from the park doesn't seem long. Plus, we love grabbing McDonalds on the way to the park in the morning.

For our next long weekend trip we are hitting both hotels. We are at the HoJo on a Thursday and Friday, and then GCH Saturday. This will make our crazy pace even crazier, but we'll get two magic mornings out of it (Saturday/Sunday). Oh, and I'll get an afternoon in the lovely GCH hot tub. It's almost like sports therapy for RideMax commandos.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Back again to say that things change through the years.......with a young child and wanting to come more frequently, we did offsite for many years. Then did on site when DD and I started doing "girls" trips. Did on site concierge when my DH had such limited time to vacation, and didn't want to stay at a lower level of lodging as when he traveled for work (VP of International branch). Now that my DD is off to college I think we might be back to full circle and off site. Wow wee college is expensive.

The common denominator is we never had a less than magical experience, because it was our choice to have a great time in all circumstances.