Disney Resort vs. Good Neighbor

[cgorn]

My wife and I are going to DL in late August. We're trying to figure out whether to stay at one of the three Disney hotel or a "good neighbor" hotel. It looks like the perks of the Disney hotels are that you are guaranteed admission to the park even when it's filled to capacity; and (with a "resort magic package") you can collect FastPASSes for multiple rides at one time. However, the price difference is substantial, but we're willing to pay the difference if it means a much more enjoyable vacation.

We're looking at Good Neighbor resorts in walking distance (the Fairfield Inn appears to be "a five-minute walk" according to reviews). A short walk is a huge plus, but does that mean we're walking across a busy highway, or is it a fairly reasonable and navigable intersection? We're willing to take good shuttle or tram service if available, which I believe is another perk of the three disney hotels.

And is there really a worry that the parks could be filled to capacity? We've been to WDW a few times, but never to DL.

Any advice on this would be most helpful.

Thanks,

Chad

 

[hlbtimes2]

I cant see any reason the parks would reach capacity in August. Typically it happens around big holidays- July 4, Christmas, New Years. Or sometimes it will happen around a special event- the pirates premier in June.

If you want the enhanced fast pass be sure you book thru AAA. Just staying onsite will not get you that perk.

I've stayed at a few good neighbor hotels. We would rather spend less, and stay an extra day. We dont spend enough time in our room to make it worth it. We did stay onsite last fall. While it was nice, we probably wouldnt do it again.

Our favorite good neighbor is the Candy Cane inn. You'll find a lot of people on here will say the same thing. Its a close walk, and offers a free shuttle (their own shuttle, not part of ART). They also offer a nice cont. breakfast. I've stayed at the Fairfield. It is a decent property. I would stay there again, if I couldnt get into the Candy cane. Hojo's (howard johnson) is also a popular choice for many.

 

[Tamarap]

The Fairfield Inn is almost right across the street from the entrance to the park. The intersection is very navigatable, not a highway by any means. We were just at DL yesterday and I met my family at the Mcdonalds right next door to the Fairfield Inn and made a mental note that if we ever want to stay overnight we would defintely keep it in mind location wise.

 

[daannzzz]

Here is an ariel view of the resort. You can fidn the Fairfiled on here and see how close it is. There are a couple others that are closer though.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html

 

[ZeusNike]

In WDW we think staying on site is a must. At DL we don't usually bother(Other than if we book with AAA and get the enhanced fastpasses). From experience I can recommend the Candy Cane Inn, HoJo, Fairfield (it was quite a while ago for that one....) and the Park Inn (now called Camelot Inn I think...). All are in a great location. Fairfield and Camelot are a slightly shorter walk than CCI and HoJo (all are an easy walk IMO) but the CCI would get my nod because they have a great breakfast and a free dedicated shuttle (not ART as mentioned above).

 

[cgorn]

Thanks for your tips. That ariel view is a great help. I think we're going to lean towards staying at Paradise Pier through the AAA special. The fastpass benefit is too good to pass up, especially since this will be our first trip to DL and DCA, and we don't have any plans on returning soon (we've done WDW three times in 4 years, though). If for some reason the hotel is full, we have a good idea of other places. to check out.

Thanks!

Chad

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think you'll really like Paradise Pier. We have stayed there twice and loved it both times. I prefer to stay onsite but I am also happy staying offsite, so if your plans change, just know that you can still have a wonderful time at Disneyland at one of the offsite hotels. The best part of staying onsite to me is the overall Disney magic that the three onsite hotels offer. You will also receive charging privilidges meaning you will have one bill at the end for everything you buy and eat if you use your room charge card. They will also transfer your purchases back to the hotel free of charge which is a nice benefit so you don't have to worry about buying something and and then carrying it around all day. The walk to and from the hotel will be a very pleasant one up Downtown Disney as opposed to a busy city street with traffic and lots of noise. It takes about 10-15 minutes depending on how fast you walk and how many times you stop to window shop. There is a monorail stop in Downtown Disney that is about five minutes from PP that will take you straight into Tomorrowland. As a hotel guest you receive priority boarding at night when the monorail stop going back to Downtown Disney is the most crowded. PP has really nice, spacious rooms that are nicely furnished. They come with a nice pullout couch bed too. They also have a nice pool area with an awesome pool slide my kids really enjoyed. If you don't mind spending a bit more, upgrade to a theme park view, we did that for a cost of about $23 a night and it was wonderful. And one of the best perks of staying onsite is getting to take advantage of Early Entry each morning its offered instead of only once as you would if you were staying offsite. And if you can book through AAA and get enhanced fastpass then that is even better! Good luck and have fun with your planning.

 

[kristenhh]

I have stayed at the Fairfield and it is a great hotel. However, I would say the walk is more like 10-15 minutes. Other hotels are a shorter walk:

Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites
Best Western Park Place Inn (The closest to the crosswalk)
Tropicana
Carousel
Park Inn

The Fairfield used to be cheaper than the others, but they have raised their prices a lot in my opinion. I do love getting Marriott Reward Points though.

Good luck!

 

[Torjohnson]

Tropicana is good, and literally a four minute walk, as is the Ramada Maingate. I have been to the Disneyland Hotel, and I frankly am not sure it is worth the additional price...
I mean,it isn"t fancy, but you can get all the perks(park hopper etc) without the major price.

 

[ssc7]

We were at the Camelot (aka Park Inn) 5/1 - 5/5/06. The rooms were dated, the carpet was stained, continental break. was small, pool was small, but for the rate price, friendliness of staff, free parking, early registration and so close to the front gate you can smell Mickey, it was totally worth it. Besides who stays in the hotel anyways, it was a sleeping pit stop and shower, we played played played!!!!!!!

 

[IandGsmom]

It really depends on you and how big the price difference is. For us (4 adults and 2 kids) the difference between Embassy Suites and Paradise Pier was $1000. That was too much to pay for the unlimted fastpass. We are using the difference this December when we treat ourselves at the Contemporary
A great place to check what others though of the hotels is Trip Advisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/