Disneyland Hotel questions- DL Resorts vs Good Neighbor Hotels

[triplefigs]

This will be our 1st trip to DL, and we are so excited. There are 5 of us (2A/3C). My DS uses a wheelchair for long distances, so convenience to the parks, character meals, and DTD are important. But so is saving $$!

ETA: He will need the wheelchair the entire time. When we stay at WDW we stay on the monorail. DS loves the monorail.

DL Resorts

1. If we were to stay on property (GC or DLH), would there be a big difference in getting to/from the parks compared to the Good Neighbor Hotels?
2. How long/far of a walk is it to the parks if we are at the DLH? Would the Dreams bldg be most convenient?
3. What category room would we book at the DLH to have the best chance at the Dreams Tower?
4. Is the convenience of the GC worth the extra money?

Good Neighbor Hotels

• Which GNH are within walking distance and have elevators?
• How far is it from the GNH to DTD or the DL Resorts for character meals? Can you walk between the 2 parks or do you have to go around/take the ART?

Thanks for any help!

 

[cirquelovers]

I'll try to answer what I know but hopefully someone else will chime in also

The GC is closer to the parks than the DLH, especially DCA. The GC has a private entrance into DCA and is very convenient to use. I don't know what the cost difference is now but it was too steep for us when we went years ago and stayed onsite.
When we booked at the DLH we didn't specify a building ut got lucky and had the main building, don't recall the name either then or now

It sure seemed like a long walk at the end of the night but I think walking around Disney all day does that to you!! There is the monorail in DTD that you can take into DL or back out. We found it very convenient when it was running. as I recall it stops running before the fireworks.

I remember reading somewhere that the GNH and Disney hotels are pretty much the same distance from the park entrances but obviously the GC is closer to it's own private entrance into DCA.

I can't think of a GNH with an elevator that is within walking distance but I haven't stayed in them all yet I do know that they have accesible rooms though at all the hotels. My SIL went down before and had no problems being in a wheelchair.

Yes you can walk between the two parks, it is a big difference from WDW. The two parks are separated by an esplanade which is actually very small. After you walk through the esplanade, past both park entrances, you will be in DTD. They are all very conveniently located. Although to me getting to Goofys Kitchen from a GNH seemed like a hike to me, then again it was early morning and I could've just been tired and grumpy that day

I hope some of that helped and hopefully others will be along to fill in any blank spots or correct anything that may have changed! I love DL and hope that you will too!

Have a great trip!

 

[femommy]

We just booked our visit at the Best Western Anaheim Inn. It is a Good Neighbor Hotel. Our package was through Costco Travel. Since we were going April 3-8 we were in the black out time so we could not get the buy 3 nights get two free deal. It saved us over $1000 for our 5 night stay to stay across the street. Everyone I talk to say that it is literally right across the street and is very accessible for DD (3 1/2) to have a nap during the afternoon.

I am not sure if this is helpful but it is my 2 cents.

 

[sasywtch]

Best Western Park Place Inn and Fairfield Inn have elevators. The walk from BWPPI is closer to the parks entrances than the DLH. This is only me personally and I know others feel differently but we spend a lot of time in the park so paying an extra $200 a night at the GC, I'd rather spend that 200 a day on food/snacks, seating for Fantasmic. Also, the monorail doesn't go directly to the DLH any longer. I don't know if it's still the same but about 6 years ago, we stayed at the DLH, sister was in a wheelchair and the monorail could only accommodate 1 wheelchair at a time. We had to wait for the second monorail which took forever.

It is a bit of a hike from Harbor to the DLH for Goofys Kitchen but that was a once thing while there and we took our time window shopping along the way. The other 3 days we were going from our room to DL or DCA so the one time hike to Goofys didn't make/break it for us. When mentioning hikes at DL, it's not as far as getting to the ferry at WDW, going to the transportation Center, etc. You can walk from the DL gate to the DCA gate in 2 minutes. Some of the satelite pictures that are on the stickies show a good detail of how far (close) everything is.

Whatever you decide, enjoy! We are doing our first Christmas there this year!

 

[aristocat65]

Here is a link from Mary Jo's sticky which has really helpful maps showing the locations of the hotels in relation the parks.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32467208&postcount=3

As others have said GCH is the most convenient BUT I think the rooms only accomodate 4 people unless you get a suite or a villa. The DLH is about a 5-10 minute walk from the park entrances and their rooms will handle 5 people.
HTH

 

[Peace.love.mickey]

So just to clarify, will he need the wheelchair the entire time, or just if you stay far?

You can for sure walk between the two parks...super close! The ART might be a pin if you have a wheelchair. If it was me, I think I would stay at the DLH! I love taking the monorail! BUT if you can get a deal at GCH, do it!

Maybe if you say you need a wheelchair, they will put you in a room that is closer then they might have put you in...

Good luck..have soo much fun!

 

[PoohBearFriends]

Tropicana and Ramad Inn Maingate both have elevators next to the stairs to get up to the second level. We had a double stroller at both and we did not carry it up the stairs. I don't know if all of them do but those 2 do for sure.

Again Tropicana is right across the street, very convient

 

[triplefigs]

Thanks all. And yes, he will need the wheelchair the entire time. When we stay at WDW we stay on the monorail (DS loves the monorail). Do any of the DL Resorts or GNH have rooms with monorail views?

 

[Disney Fool]

Hi, Triplefigs!!! Disneyfool here. Just wanted to chime in: you'll love DL. I fell in love with it on my first trip. I just wanted to say that if you're used to staying on the monorail resorts at WDW, you will be disappointed in the size of the rooms at the GNH's. I don't think there are many nearby hotels that have comparable square footage of the monorail resorts at WDW. The GC sleeps 4. The DLHotel sleeps 5. I believe some of the rooms at the Grand Calif. have views of the monorail going by, but not all. None of the Disney resorts have a monorail stop like the WDW monorail resorts. There is a monorail stop near the DLH in Downtown Disney. It takes you right to Tomorrowland. I have stayed at the DLH and found the size of the rooms comparable to Poly. It is undergoing a renovation right now, and the Dream Tower should be finished by June. There are some threads on this board that show the renovated rooms. The Grand Californian has an entrance to California Adventure. The distance from there to the turnstyles at Disneyland would be comparable to walking from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom , perhaps just a little bit further. The distance from the Disneyland Hotel to the entrance of Disneyland/CA plaza would probably be similar to walking from the entrance of Epcot to the the dancing musical fountains behind Spaceship Earth. I hope this helps. Have fun planning your trip. It's such a fun place to visit.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Howard Johnsons has elevators in 2 of their buildings, one of which would also have views of the monorail (bldg 1 premium room(??)/disney view room). The walk to the parks, distance wise, is compairable to the walk from DLH- just walking down Harbor vs DTD and no option of using the monorail.

 

[Dobie]

Hi! You will have a great trip.

If your primary concern is closeness or convenience, any of the GNH right across the street from the crosswalk will do the trick for you. They are long and narrow, so there are several that are totally close. Much closer than the PPH or the DLH.

If you want to be close AND have an immersive DLR experience, the GCH will do that for you. It is very expensive. My husband and I can stay somewhere else for a grand cheaper, but we think of that $1000 as our biannual treat. We have great fun when we go to DL and stay somewhere else--we are in BLISS when we stay at the GCH. But, we are not foodies and don't really buy souveniers, so that's how it balances out for us.

BTW, I went to WDW last summer and while I had a blast, it does not NEARLY compare to DL. At DLR, you spend NO time commuting between parks, NO time getting from room to parks, NO time waiting for busses, and the rides are close together!!!!! And the weather is a gazillion times better. You will have a total blast!!!!

 

[lwanthony]

Just a quick plud for the Fairfield. I have stayed there a number of times, and it has always been enjoyable. The walk to the park is not bad at all, of course the walk home after a long day seems longer, but that is true of any hotel. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

**** You can have 5 in a room at GCH ******

The monorail goes "through" the GCH but doesn't stop there, so you will definitely be able to see it there (though I don't know if you can request a monorail "view" room).

 

[DisneyMomma81]

There are several great options right across the street which will be closer than 2 of the DLR hotels and cost much less, do you have to have an elevator ~ what about a ground floor room? There are other character meals besides Goofy's ~ *Minnie's is right in the park and we love it there, lots of great characters. My fave DLR area hotel (incl. on site) is HoJo ~ (especially when we can get the ent rate) Our 1st visit to WDW was last Oct. and we stayed on site ~ I'm very glad we did, we've also spent at least 1 night @ each of the 3 on site DLR hotels (GCH is my least fave) ~ there's no need IMO to stay onsite at DLR *we only do to take advantage of MM ~ we're AP holders so no MMs for us.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks all. And yes, he will need the wheelchair the entire time. When we stay at WDW we stay on the monorail (DS loves the monorail). Do any of the DL Resorts or GNH have rooms with monorail views?

Just a quick plud for the Fairfield. I have stayed there a number of times, and it has always been enjoyable. The walk to the park is not bad at all, of course the walk home after a long day seems longer, but that is true of any hotel. Hope you have a great trip!

Another plug for Fairfield Inn by Marriott. They have elevator access, they have rooms with a view of the park. I stayed on the 4th floor, but rooms on the 9th floor are unbelievable and have awesome fireworks views as well! Anyone can go to those floors for a better view as it's open corridor, and you should also be able to see the Monorail zipping by as it goes past Tomorrowland. It's about a 3-5 minute walk closer to the parks from FFI than from Hojos depending on how fast you walk. Good luck on your decision. I have links to photos of my rooms and views in my signature below. HTH.