Disneyland Hotel vs Hyatt Family Suite

[coopersmom]

We are planning our first multi-day Disneyland family trip for fall and trying to decide between staying at the Disneyland hotel in a regular room or the Hyatt Regency Orange County in one of their VIP family suites. The Hyatt room is about twice the size and almost half the price, but the trade off is obviously distance from the parks.

I know Disneyland and DisneyWorld are rather different in that respect so what benefits would we be losing out on by going with the Hyatt? We would have five-day park hoppers, so Magic Mornings would apply, but is there additional Extra Magic Hours (like at DW) that we'd have to forego (could be huge with Cars Land)? Anything else other than distance and transportation time I'm not considering?

And has anyone stayed at the Hyatt that can report back on their experience there?

 

[mrswh]

When are you going? I think that is definitely a factor. We have stayed at the Hyatt OC several times. It is a beautiful hotel - lots of space (check out the 2 bedroom queen suite, it has more space than the family suite and the cost is comparable), very clean, great service, decent food, full service Starbucks in the lobby. The shuttle is frequent (every 1/2 hour) and prompt, and while it sometimes picks up across the street afterward, the Hyatt is always the first stop so you never see a full shuttle go by and leave you hanging. For our most recent trip, the cost of the two bedroom queen suite was 1/2 the cost of a room at the GCH, and a the Hyatt you get two rooms (plus living area!) vs. one small room at the GCH. I will also say that IMO, the Hyatt is a nicer hotel than the GCH. I have not stayed at the DLH so I can't make that comparison.

That said . . . we generally choose to stay at the GCH now. We have two small kids and the convenience cannot possibly be beat. You can go to and from the parks at your convenience with no planning and no set time. From our room to DCA is literally 90 seconds. (This is great for GRR - get soaking wet, pop up to your room to change, back in the park in 10 minutes.) You don't have to take a shuttle, tram, monorail (though you can if you want!), just your feet. It makes the trip so much more relaxing and we end up spending a LOT more time in the parks. Plus, staying onsite just makes the whole trip more Disney and less Anaheim. No traffic, noise, exhaust, etc.

Having said all that - I am not sure I would opt for the DLH over the Hyatt. That would be a closer call for me. While the DLH is a nice walk to the parks through DTD, and would have all the magic of staying onsite, it's just not *that* close. (Compared to anything at WDW, it is *that* close, I'm comparing to GCH.) So it kind of depends on how much you are willing to pay for convenience. I'd rather pay the bit extra (from DLH to GCH) for it to have unparalleled convenience. DLH is about a ten minute walk to DCA, I'd say. Lovely walk, and still very close. But I'm not sure it is worth double the price of the Hyatt and squeezing into one room. For me, that's a debate. I think a lot of it depends on your motivation for staying onsite - is it to avoid hassle, to be closer, to have the Disney experience? How much is sharing one room going to cramp your style?

As far as timing goes - I think it makes a difference because of the perks of staying onsite. We tend to go when it is busy. In August, it is *huge* for us to be able to get into DCA before the front gates open. It will be even bigger this year with CL, and the way I understand it, DLR guests will have MM or EE or whatever you want to call it at DCA *and* DL, but park hoppers with MM will be good only for DL, not DCA. To me, that's big. If you are going at a time when it's not that busy, like during low low low season, you might not care about that.

You are looking at two great options, so I don't think you can go wrong!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We have stayed at both properties and love them both. I think I really need to know more info, though, before I can truly give you my opinion. For example, how many people in your family and kid ages i.e. do you need a lot of space to accommodate your family? Are you going in October? DL is VERY busy in Oct as many people visit during their kids' Fall Break from school and many visit for the decor and parties. Also, Oct can be very hot weather, do you plan on spending much time at your resort and taking breaks to swim?

If you have a very large family and need the space, I would consider the Hyatt. If not, then I would seriously consider staying on-site. Being able to walk to the parks and taking advantage of the early entry perks is worth every penny, especially if you will be there when it is busy (like in Oct). If your family likes to experience the resort and will be there during swimming weather, then no question you want DL.

We LOVED the Hyatt for the large space in our exec King room 700sq ft, AMAZING customer service there, and the price. But for busy Fall Break, I'd pick DLH no matter the price difference. You will not regret it!

 

[coopersmom]

Thanks for the replies. There are three of us and our son is 5. We are planning on traveling sometime between mid-October and mid-November, definitely avoiding Halloween and Thanksgiving weeks. We will have a car at either resort, because we have to drive to/from airport and meeting up with relatives after Disney part of trip (or before, depending on exact stay timing).

How far is the Hyatt (walking distance at all?) and can you see fireworks from the resort like you can the Hilton? Any photos of the Hyatt rooms on the Dis? (I tried to do a search but couldn't find anything like that.)

I think it will probably boil down to cost and comfort (Hyatt) vs convenience (DLH), because the Hyatt rooms do look far superior to anything else I've seen, but staying in Disneyland and walking to and from the parks at will, and just being in "the bubble" is also appealing, especially since this vacation will follow a long stretch of time for my husband to be away from our son.

I sort of ruled out the Grand because the rooms seem less appealing, older and smaller ... for more money. Just hard to fathom the cost, you know? I've never stayed at, or been in, either though, so tell me if I'm making a huge error there.

I think with Carsland the timing--which my son is dreaming about almost nightly already (literally)--could be very critical but the lure of staying in a larger suite, with a separate bedroom, will make it feel more like a vacation for my husband and myself too.

 

[bzkds]

I stayed at the Hyatt a few months ago. It's a really nice hotel, but it is not convenient if you're toting a baby, stroller, diaper bag, etc. The shuttle drivers are very helpful with getting the stroller on/off the van. But it was a huge pain for me, since my older kids and dh wanted to stay in the park and I was the one going back and forth with the baby. My friend had a free parking pass for DLR, so she ended up driving back and forth with her kids (double stroller, a baby and toddler plus 2 older kids) after one trip on the shuttle van.

I will probably not choose to stay that far away again, unless maybe it is a trip for just dh and myself. I really prefer the ability to walk across the street (or through Downtown Disney if you're in a Disney hotel), especially at night when you're tired and sitting waiting for the van to come get you.. the other hotel options are all so much closer.

One other thing, the bunk beds (single over double) are in the room with the bathroom, and we also had a crib in there. It was annoying to me that dh and I had to go into the kids' room at night and in the morning to get to the bathroom. But my 2yo is a light sleeper, so that might be a non-issue for other families. And I'm not sure if ALL the family rooms are set up the same.

Beth

 

[bzkds]

Oh.. and it's about 2 miles away, so really too far to walk. HTH

 

[disneegrl4eva]

i personally would stay at the DLH...keep in mind that just as you walk into DTD there is the monorail that takes you into DL..now if you started your day at DCA that would be a little bit different but overall you have to consider where you are going (DL) and how much time you are actually going to spend in that room...just being engulfed in that ambiance even outside of being in the park does it for me and i absolutely think the goodnite kiss is AMAZING...my vote is for DLH

 

[mrswh]

Thanks for the replies. There are three of us and our son is 5. We are planning on traveling sometime between mid-October and mid-November, definitely avoiding Halloween and Thanksgiving weeks. We will have a car at either resort, because we have to drive to/from airport and meeting up with relatives after Disney part of trip (or before, depending on exact stay timing).

How far is the Hyatt (walking distance at all?) and can you see fireworks from the resort like you can the Hilton? Any photos of the Hyatt rooms on the Dis? (I tried to do a search but couldn't find anything like that.)

I think it will probably boil down to cost and comfort (Hyatt) vs convenience (DLH), because the Hyatt rooms do look far superior to anything else I've seen, but staying in Disneyland and walking to and from the parks at will, and just being in "the bubble" is also appealing, especially since this vacation will follow a long stretch of time for my husband to be away from our son.

I sort of ruled out the Grand because the rooms seem less appealing, older and smaller ... for more money. Just hard to fathom the cost, you know? I've never stayed at, or been in, either though, so tell me if I'm making a huge error there.

I think with Carsland the timing--which my son is dreaming about almost nightly already (literally)--could be very critical but the lure of staying in a larger suite, with a separate bedroom, will make it feel more like a vacation for my husband and myself too.

There are photos on the Hyatt site, of course, and you can check Tripadvisor if you want traveler photos. The rooms are nice and they do have a pool (though not as exciting as the DLH pool of course!).

I do think the shuttle is easy, the only issues are having to go with the schedule - which for us meant always rushing around (sprinting out of the park to catch a shuttle so we don't have to wait 30m for the next one), or waiting around (just missed the a.m. shuttle now have to wait 30m) - and also the crowding after fireworks. If you do take a shuttle and stay for fireworks, either be the first one out of DL and run to the shuttle stop, or hang out for 45 minutes, because the shuttle stop can get very crowded.

If your DS is really excited about CL, that should probably sway you a little more toward staying onsite. I think the onsite perks are very valuable as far as that goes. But - we don't know what the policies will be in October or November. If I were you, I'd cover all my bases and make a reservation at both places - then see what specials come out (Hyatt's prices often change too) and what the onsite perks are for your dates.

To me, it comes down to money. If spending the money isn't a big factor, and you can handle sharing a room with your DS, then stay onsite. If you'd rather use the money for a longer trip, or another trip, or souvenirs (that's some serious shopping you can do with that money) or just save it, then you'll still have a wonderful time at the Hyatt.

 

[cgh]

I've not stayed at the Hyatt, but I have stayed at DLH. One consideration is that on property you get MM every single day of your visit. I'm not sure if the DCA MM will continue through the fall or will include Carsland (though I'm really assuming it will-and hoping it will!) Park Hoppers off site are MM for 1 day. We go in August, and the parks are crowded. With naps also, that early morning is so helpful. We are able to knock out so much then. Now, if you don't think you'd ever wake up for that time, then that might not be anything to push you over.

Another consideration (which was a huge factor for us last year, and again this year, was the pool). DLH has water slides that are pretty deluxe (including one for toddlers which we love!) Though the DLH isn't as close as GCH, we really liked staying there, and the walk through downtown disney. I would walk that multiple times a day (to go to and from before, after, and during nap). I didn't mind it. Sure, its not as close as GCH-but I loved that we didn't need transportation and could be immersed in the resort.