Disneyland Hotel Location

[aliceindisneyland]

I don't mind staying on Harbor at all--yes there are panhandlers (none of whom have ever spoken to me), timeshare dealers (who take no for an answer very easily), and souvenir hawkers (mostly at night), but 98% of the people on Harbor are the ones you just went to Disneyland with!
We're staying on site at DL Hotel for the first time ever--have always stayed on Harbor--and the one negative to me is the extra walk!
Our fave Harbor motel is Best Western Park Place Inn--clean, free continental breakfast next door, and straight across the street from DL!

 

[DisneyWithTot]

If I were flying all the way from New Zealand, I'd opt to stay on-property. (I'd opt to stay on property just coming in from Utah too, but that's me). You're spending so much for plane fare and tickets already that adding that bit of *oomph* to your hotel stay seems to me like a no-brainer. Our friends stayed at the DLH and we stayed at the GCH. Because we have smaller kids, our days seemed to always end in Fantasyland, whether or not we started in DCA. Tomorrowland's just adjacent, so they'd always hop on the monorail to get back to their hotel. The few times we were actually at DCA (near nap time) they'd cut through GCH with us to get back to their hotel. You never have to cross a street which sounds like a little thing but it can actually save up to a few minutes of travel time.

DizMe's definitely got a point about the "Disney Magic" - we never felt like we left it our entire trip when we stayed onsite.

Another thing - if you choose to use the Disneyland Express Bus to go from the airport (we went from LAX to Disneyland), its first stop arriving at DL is the DLH. Its last stop leaving to go to the airport is also DLH. We chose to use that mode of transportation because 1) it was very reasonably priced, esp. with the $5 coupon on the Anaheim site and 2) that way we didn't have to bring a carseat with us for our DD or rent a car. It worked out quite nicely.

 

[nana50]

It has always been worth it to me and my family. We don't mind the walk at all, but we HATE the walk to Harbor, regardless of how close the motel might be. What isn't mentioned is the sleaziness (to me, at least) of Harbor and having to cross a busy street. You might wait quite a while at the light, too. There are hawkers, homeless, and people looking for a handout. You sometimes have to step across prostrate bodies. It's a very different world (I guess it's called Reality) than what you'll find within the resort. Staying onsite enables you to maintain the illusion that you're in an alternate reality where dreams come true yada yada yada. The walk is down a landscaped pedestrian-only arcade with fountains, musicians, vendors, food, and shops. We start taking our kids to DL once they hit age 4, we do not bring strollers and they do just fine. I would guess that most societies would not see the walk as any big deal, but Americans are not, for the most part, very used to it nor very good at it so I think it seems worse to many in this country than it would to people from other places.

Now I will add the following info to be fair: we occasionally stay at Hojo's because we like to go frequently and sometimes we just need that $59 entertainment rate (Hojo's seems a lot farther to me than DLH, although I think on paper they are close to the same distance from the parks); we have had to carry a sleeping child a time or two midway through DTD to DLH, and I admit that can be tiresome; not everyone likes being channeled through yet another Disney merchandise zone; there are some things on Harbor that are handy to have nearby if you like cheap fast food (we don't) or less expensive treats (we do).

But to me, there is no comparison between the places off site and the DLR hotels. While you might find a nice hotel off site, the trade off is that you have to take a shuttle to get to the parks. The motels nearby are generally quite nice for motels, but they are just that and lack the amenities that you'll find onsite. Hojo's has a great water play area but it's not good for older kids. The landscaping is nice but it's certainly not DLH or GCH, and the rooms are spacious but basic. I LIKE granite/marble/glasses that are really glass and nice carpet, bed coverings, etc. Sure, I can drink out of a plastic cup just as easily as I can out of a glass one, but to me one is a lot nicer than the other. I like being surrounded by resort, not looking at the resort through the fence and over traffic, and I'm willing to pay more for all of the above.

DLH has a lot going for it and is our favorite. There are great restaurants and entertainment within the hotel complex and in the nearby parts of DTD. The pool area is awesome. The shops are fun, the grounds are beautiful and great to explore, and to us it's just a very different feel than an off site will give. If money is a big issue, if you don't really care where you stay because "I just need a place to sleep," or if you take frequent trips and don't need the "magic" every time, then off site is certainly a wonderful alternative, but otherwise I'd definitely recommend DLH.

So that's my kind of snobby answer

Well then I'm snobby too. you expressed exactly how I feel. For us, the hotel is part of the trip. My kids, and now my grandkids, LOVE staying in nice hotels. Compared to all the expenses of going to Disneyland I will give up buying more trinkets, another sweatshirt, or whatever and stay at the DLH. We eat a big breakfast and that hold us to dinner. It is all in what you want and what you expect.

 

[Susie63]

This will probably sound stupid,but we stayed at DLH for 8 nights in Feb(our very first trip to any Disney park) and the thing I liked best.....I didn't see a car,truck or any other vehicle except for the occasional golf cart. Just the fire truck,the trolley bus,the train. It was like I had left this world behind. That...for me..was a magical thing about staying at the DLH.
Oh yeah....one other thing.....their hotel staff is like no other,and I have stayed in a lot of hotels.
Spend the money. You will never regret it

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

Oh gosh, now I'm leaning more towards DLH! I've never been any good at making decisions. DisneyWithTot You are right when you say we are paying so much to fly from NZ and we are also going to Las Vegas and doing a week cruise down into Mexico so I guess that is why I was unsure if I wanted to spend the extra $$$$ staying at DLH but I think I am now being convinced

 

[Sherry E]

Oh gosh, now I'm leaning more towards DLH! I've never been any good at making decisions. DisneyWithTot You are right when you say we are paying so much to fly from NZ and we are also going to Las Vegas and doing a week cruise down into Mexico so I guess that is why I was unsure if I wanted to spend the extra $$$$ staying at DLH but I think I am now being convinced

I'll throw in my two cents too. I agree with DizMe, DisneyWithTot, Nana50 and Susie63. In fact, I don't even really need to say much else because they all expressed it beautifully.

It is a very individual choice, and sometimes money issues are just too daunting, so staying onsite is not always an option (I dealt with that last year). You have to do what makes the most sense for you. But everything they said is how I feel as well. If money were no object - or less of an object than it is now - I would stay onsite every time, without question.

I really like the perks that come with staying onsite, such as the MM option ( a real help in getting on the rides in Fantasyland, where the lines grow quickly), the option to send your purchases back to your DLR hotel (free of charge) so you don't have to get a locker or lug them around all day, the parking that spares us the trouble of having to deal with the horrible lines at the Tram, etc. I also LOVE to enter my hotel room (if it is the PPH or DLH) and be greeted by happy little bath products with Mickey Ears caps (which I quickly hoard and stash away in the drawer so that Mousekeeping will leave more of them the next day). I love getting my 'welcome packet' at the front desk when I check in (it used to be a bright pink folder with all kinds of papers and park maps inside, and it had Goofy's face on the front; not sure what they are giving out now). I love getting my very own "Key to the Magic" that has my name printed on it (room key and charge card combined, and also what you use to gain entrance on MM days). I love looking around for Hidden Mickeys in the carpets and decor of the hotels (any of them). I love opening the drawer in the hotel room and seeing the special DLR stationery and pretty postcards I get to take home as a souvenir. I want the all-encompassing experience whenever possible.

As the previous posters have stated so eloquently, I like to have the feeling of never leaving the magic. I see the city and the traffic and the litter and hear the noise every day in my neighborhood. If I am only going to be at DLR once in a while - like once a year or something - I want to forget the city! I want to forget the real world momentarily. DLR is a fantasyland as a whole, and I want to totally indulge in the fantasy, from all aspects. I want to be totally immersed in all things Disney from the second I get out of the car when we arrive at the hotel to the second we get back in the car to leave. Yes, you can walk around the grounds of the hotels (especially the DLH or the GCH) and enjoy what they have to offer without staying on-property. I have done that too, even when I was not staying there. But there is something so nice about just being able to retreat back to a DLR hotel after a long day and then wake up in the morning to see the happy Mickey Ears bath products and the Hidden Mickeys in the room or whatever, starting the day with a dose of Disney right off the bat. It helps to get me in the mood to hit the parks.

 

[Dobie]

The Dobies are staying at DLH for the first time this summer. We have stayed at DCH twice before and absolutely loved being surrounded by DTD and all the resort magic when we were not in the parks. Two years ago, we stayed at the Sheraton, which is very nice, and dined several times "off campus." We had a wonderful time, and would never not go if we could not stay on site, but all agreed that staying in a resort hotel made the trip so much more special.

 

[Sleestack]

The Dobies are staying at DLH for the first time this summer. We have stayed at DCH twice before and absolutely loved being surrounded by DTD and all the resort magic when we were not in the parks. Two years ago, we stayed at the Sheraton, which is very nice, and dined several times "off campus." We had a wonderful time, and would never not go if we could not stay on site, but all agreed that staying in a resort hotel made the trip so much more special.

Id say you made a pretty good choice, considering where you are coming from and its your first trip. Have a GREAT TIME!!!!!!!!! (we stayed there our first trip, and my dd then about 6 left a message in the room safe. LOL if you find a message in the safe with a map!)

 

[skiingfast]

If your budget is tight staying on Harbor will help in two ways.

You can stay for a third of the price of the DL resorts. Also if you stay at a Disney resort hotel you will have been very persauded to eat only disney food. Harbor itself has a few resturaunts just ouside the park and you may have interest in getting in your car and going elsewhere as well. If you stay at disney you will leave your car and will have to conciously make an effort to leave property.

 

[Sleestack]

I just plugged the distance from the "hat" at the entrance of the grounds at DLH to the entrance gates at Disneyland, and it was .41 miles.

At a snails pace (2.0 mph) that would be 12.3 minutes.

At 3.0 mph, that is 8.2 minutes.

So it is not that far at all.

Seeing it in print seems so reasonable... but I remember how my feet hurt like a bugger. I laughed when you said "snails pace" because Im pretty sure it took longer for us LOL! BUT, in my defense we stayed in the farthest tower. Yeah, that MUST have been it.

Also, we were there a week ago, and we saw our very first pan handler. He was extremely polite and didnt confront anyone, just sat in his wheelchair as held his sign. I consider myself lucky that we have never seen the problems on harbor that Im reading. We went to Hollywood to sight see... anything seems like Mr Rogers Neighborhood after that!

 

[DizMe]

If your budget is tight staying on Harbor will help in two ways.

You can stay for a third of the price of the DL resorts. Also if you stay at a Disney resort hotel you will have been very persauded to eat only disney food. Harbor itself has a few resturaunts just ouside the park and you may have interest in getting in your car and going elsewhere as well. If you stay at disney you will leave your car and will have to conciously make an effort to leave property.

This is true, but some (like us) have an AP in the party and go during times of the AP promo rates so it isn't such a wallet-buster. We stay at DLH for $149. PPH was $129.

Many others took advantage of the Expedia deal last fall and paid $100/night! At that price it isn't much more than staying on Harbor. You do still have to figure in the resort fee, but most of the off site hotels charge a similar parking fee now (Hojo's is an exception).

Of course, that doesn't help if you have to go during times when the good promos aren't in effect

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Seeing it in print seems so reasonable... but I remember how my feet hurt like a bugger. I laughed when you said "snails pace" because Im pretty sure it took longer for us LOL! BUT, in my defense we stayed in the farthest tower. Yeah, that MUST have been it.

:

What tower would be the farthest? For me, the longest walk always seems to be accross the hotel complex! Once I step foot on the hotel property, I feel I should be in my room,not have another few minutes of walking

 

[Saskiwi]

Not sure what your budget is for the trip, but from a fellow Kiwi, the DL resort hotels, were all way out of our price range ($NZ was .50c US when we visited - ow!!)
We stayed at Howard Johnsons and were VERY happy with it - never saw anyone dodgy and felt totally safe wallking along Harbor late at night - (safer than in Cathedral Square ,Chch for a start!)
Hojo's is an 8 min walk from DL main gate and our kids (6 and 9 at the time) did it no trouble, sometimes twice a day.
Sure if money was no object we would love to splurge at the GC, but Hojo's really was great - fantastic kids pool area, nice people, great view of the Matterhorn and fireworks from our balcony (we paid a little more for a premium park-view room) and easy access to DL - what more could you want?

 

[farmfresh]

From anther NZer. if you don't plan to do a trip like this again, then definitely think about the DLH. As others have noted, there are options (a bit) closer, and a lot cheaper. But the walk is much nicer through Dtd and only a little longer. You will be very surprised at the different ambiance between the parks and the immediate surrounds.

If you can swing it to stay on site, then do so. Have a great trip.