Disneyland Hotel or Candy Cane Inn for a First (maybe only) Visit?

[jsmla]

It's not technically my first trip but the other visits were for DD's dance conventions which were held at an LAX hotel. I spent our DL time trying to keep track of a gaggle of adolescent girls who spent most of their time shopping. DH has never been. We are both WDW vets but DH really isn't a theme park guy. He is going to humor his Disney obsessed wife.



I can't decide on whether to just pony up for DLH or save a few by staying off site. Here's what we're looking for:

Quiet(ish)-I know it's Disneyland but a girl can hope! In particular we'd like to avoid large groups.
Walkable to the parks
CLEAN!!!! I have issues.



The early entrance mornings would come in handy since we'll be on Central time and are early risers anyway. I'm just not sure if it's worth the $$$ price difference.

We probably will have a car, we're driving to Las Vegas for a wedding after the DL portion.

We would be there 3 nights at DLH, 4 if at CCI.


Any advice?

 

[GoBears 1980]

That is like asking should I eat at McDonald's or Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

The Disneyland Hotel is a great, 4 star, full service hotel with an amazing pool and it flows right into Downtown Disney and the parks.

There is no doubt the DLH would enhance your vacation. Will it enhance it enough is a question only you can answer.

 

[VandVsmama]

The Disneyland Hotel is really great. But if you want to save some $$, there are some great motels nearby that are walkable. Candy Cane Inn has great reviews. I have never stayed there. We stayed earlier this month at Best Western Plus Pavilions for $119, which included taxes. Parking there is free. Breakfast is free grab & go items in the lobby. Walk to the parks was about 10 minutes and we cut through the GCH.

When are your travel dates?

 

[jlp879]

Either one will do the job for your trip, but you have to decide what is more important. It sounds like you would be giving up another day in the parks to stay at DLH. Would you make use of all the amenities of the DLH? If not, stay at Candy Cane and then plan a nice dinner at Steakhouse 55.

DLH is great, but its rack rate is 3 times the motels on Harbor Blvd. If we don't get the much better AP rates at the DLH, we stay offsite and visit for a meal.

 

[YukonMommy]

For me personally I would rather take the $ saved by staying off property and spend it on other things. We are the type of people who just need a place to rest our Disney filled heads and tired feet as we spend the majority of our time in the parks. As long as its clean and walkable we are good to go!

Have a magical time!

 

[4Siamese]

If you do want an on site hotel then Paradise Pier might be a good alternative, nice hotel, great location and The price point in comparison to the other DLR hotels is very good.

 

[Angrose]

My DH isn't really a theme park guy either. He humored me last November when I wanted a family trip to see the Christmas decorations. I had originally booked us a place on Harbor Blvd, which would have been perfectly fine, but after thinking about it some more and receiving a great discount promo from Orbitz, I decided to spring for the DLH. I was going to keep it as a surprise, but I couldn't help myself and I just had to tell him! Well, when I said that I upgraded us to the DLH, my DH got sooooo excited! I really think he enjoyed staying there more than I did! He loved taking the monorail "home" after a late night in the park, and really enjoyed his "night caps" at Trader Sam's. I do think I spoiled him now though because whenever I go on my solo trips or without him I stay offsite and he always wrinkles his nose at that LOL!
If you can afford, I say go for it!!

 

[jsmla]

I think I'm just overly concerned with the cleanliness (I really have issues!) and am tempted to just throw money at the problem. The price IS high compared to offsite but if the early entry is worth it we can swing it.

I'm very unfamiliar with the whole area. We don't want to drive or use the ART. Of the motels that met the walkable part Candy Cane Inn appealed to me the most. I'm actively avoiding any motel with a water park type pool area. Our kids are grown and we'd like as quiet an environment as we can get given that it is Disneyland. While I'd like a fridge we don't need a kitchen and are not interested in the free breakfasts.

We probably won't be using the pool, maybe the hot tub.

 

[jsmla]

My DH isn't really a theme park guy either. He humored me last November when I wanted a family trip to see the Christmas decorations. I had originally booked us a place on Harbor Blvd, which would have been perfectly fine, but after thinking about it some more and receiving a great discount promo from Orbitz, I decided to spring for the DLH. I was going to keep it as a surprise, but I couldn't help myself and I just had to tell him! Well, when I said that I upgraded us to the DLH, my DH got sooooo excited! I really think he enjoyed staying there more than I did! He loved taking the monorail "home" after a late night in the park, and really enjoyed his "night caps" at Trader Sam's. I do think I spoiled him now though because whenever I go on my solo trips or without him I stay offsite and he always wrinkles his nose at that LOL!
If you can afford, I say go for it!!

I really am leaning this way. I think we'd enjoy Trader Sam's as well. When we stay offsite in Orlando it's usually in a condo. There are some really nasty motels there!

When do the 2016 packages come out?

 

[soma151]

Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance…….Opens in Aug they say, but we got some great deals for Dec. 1 bed room suite sleeps 6, fire works pool view with balcony, we got 3 rooms for the standard room price $259….Sorry didn't see no water parks.

 

[VandVsmama]

If your DH isn't a theme park kind of guy, you should check out one of the recent DIS podcasts. They did a whole segment on Disneyland for dads who don't like Disneyland.

 

[dotfurio]

I've stayed at CCI before. It's our "winter" hotel when we don't care about the waterpark (otherwise we stay at Hojo). CCI is clean and comfortable and an easy walk to the park, and if you're tired out at the end of the day they are one the few hotels left with their own dedicated shuttle (free).

If money were no object I'd stay at a DL hotel. We've stayed at DH many times and GC once. But as the kids got older and we realized we weren't really spending a lot of time at the hotel, it didn't make sense for us financially to spend our money that way. Like a previous poster said, PP might be a good compromise. The last dates I checked on the new Marriott and PP, the rates were the same. PP was actually a couple dollars cheaper if you factor in parking fees.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

DLH is my favorite hotel. Then again i do spend a decent amount of time in the room. we get up early for the park and spend the hot crowded afternoons at the hotel and go back at night.a lot of people dont recommend it but i love the concierge level. im big on convenience and the concierge CM's are so nice and generous.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

I love the DLH, it is my absolute favorite. Normally I would say go for it, especially if it is a first and only trip. However, if I'm reading this right, if you stay at the DLH you would sacrifice one day in the parks? If this is correct than i would stay at CCI.
Also just a heads up, doing a packages through disney usually doesn't save you money, and can actually cost a bit more than if you were to book a la carte.

 

[jsmla]

I can't get prices (on Orbitz, Expedia or any site) until Disney releases them. I thought they'd come out at the same time as the WDW rates. How far in advance is average for booking DL?

Also, I saw on Mousesavers that Disney Visa holders got a 25% discount on week nights this past spring.

We'd lose 1/2 a day, maybe less if we spend three nights instead of four. We'd just leave for Las Vegas after our time in the parks that last day.

Thanks for the help!

 

[ADLFAN]

We stayed at the DLH for our first trip, and the hotel was lovely, it had room service and drinks by the pool options, it had the awesome pools and waterslides, it had beautifully landscaped grounds and onsite restaurant options, and we even watched a fairy tale wedding from our window! But I grew to dislike the longish walk through Downtown Disney to and from the hotel, and it was pretty expensive.

For our next trip, because there WILL inevitably be a next trip after you have fallen in love with DLR, we stayed at the Fairfield Inn and it felt fine, the room was nice and clean, the staff was Disney friendly, the pool was not an artistic shape, but it was usually pretty empty and felt just fine, there are restaurants all along Harbor, and we saved a lot of money. I even felt that the walk was more enjoyable, albeit without a Starbucks! Everyone heading to Disneyland is super happy and I did not notice any of the bus stop population that lots of people have mentioned.

If you won't use the pool, and yyou do not want a waterslide atmosphere I might suggest staying somewhere cheaper and checking out the DLH by wandering through the place to see if you think it would be worth it for a future, maybe celebratory ,visit. Because there will be one! Haha, or maybe you have stronger will power than me, because I was booking our next trip like as soon as we got home!

Next time we have a reason to celebrate, I would really consider splurging on the DLH again. For longer trips, it would be hard to afford.

 

[jsmla]

That's the thing, I really don't see us going back. He can only take so much Disney and I'd rather continue our annual trip to WDW where we can drive over and stay in our camper. Besides, the West is a huge outdoorsy adventure place for him. Last August we went to Zion and the Grand Canyon. He would have preferred Yosemite this trip but I took a look at the April temps there and, uh, no. I don't do cold. Besides, I'd really like to see DL without half a dozen girls in tow and this looks like a good opportunity since we'll already be out West.

 

[Nonsuch]

I think I'm just overly concerned with the cleanliness (I really have issues!) and am tempted to just throw money at the problem...

DLH is very clean, and the rooms are bright and large. It is the most recently renovated of the 3 Disney hotels.

 

[ADLFAN]

That's the thing, I really don't see us going back. He can only take so much Disney and I'd rather continue our annual trip to WDW where we can drive over and stay in our camper. Besides, the West is a huge outdoorsy adventure place for him. Last August we went to Zion and the Grand Canyon. He would have preferred Yosemite this trip but I took a look at the April temps there and, uh, no. I don't do cold. Besides, I'd really like to see DL without half a dozen girls in tow and this looks like a good opportunity since we'll already be out West.

Well then I guess maybe you should treat yourselves and go for the DLH! And you may find the atmosphere helps to convert him to a Disney lover afterall! The pool area plays Jungle Book music and is very relaxing... Steakhouse 55 is there, for a romantic adult meal. The rooms are lovely, the beds are heavenly, every cm we came across was super friendly, and you will have a magical time!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

CCI is where I always stay when spending a night or more. I've been staying at CCI for many years and have always had a positive experience. I LOVE the super soft beds and the showers are awesome after a long day at DL. I also truly appreciate so much the kindness of the staff and how friendly and also reliable the shuttle bus drivers are. Money is not something I have very much if at all right now. Sometime should I be able to stay even one night at DLH, especially in December, I would love to. I stayed at DLH for one weekend many eons ago when I was a young kid because my dad won a stay there. I am now as an adult truly a huge Disneyland fan, just am happy being there, so would enjoy a stay at DLH but know I would always be able to for free just check out the grounds sometime. I wish you an awesome trip!