Disneyland Hotel vs. Tropicana Inn and Suites?

[Artygal90]

I'm budgeting out a 4-night Disneyland trip for early March with my mom, sister, and toddler son. I've been twice before and always stayed on Harbour Boulevard to save money and be close to the park entrance. That was our plan for this trip as well, specifically a standard room (2 queens + sleeper chair) at the Tropicana Inn. The Tropicana's average price including tax is $277/night and we are planning to split the hotel costs three ways.

However! I noticed on Disneyland's website that they are running a 25% discount on rooms for our travel dates. A standard room at the Disneyland hotel (2 queens + daybed) would be $595/night including taxes (I can't seem to find a list of what the un-discounted rate would be). I would *never* pay that much to stay at a hotel if I had to shoulder the cost myself, but might consider it if I am splitting the cost with two other people.

Here's the pros and cons of booking the Disneyland Hotel as I see them:

PROS:
- It probably would be my only chance to stay on-property at Disneyland unless I win the lottery
- Early Entry!
- Nicer grounds/pool/lobby, more of a resort feel
- (Probably) More spacious with 3 adults and a toddler

CONS:
- $$$
- Twice as long of a walk than the Tropicana
- Would not want or need all of the amenities (will be too cold to use the pool, don't want to book character dining, prefer to skip Trader Sam's)
- Don't care about staying in the "bubble"

What do you think? Is the Disneyland hotel that much nicer that paying an extra $424 per person to stay there over the Tropicana makes sense?

 

[Hyphen677]

Early entry is only 30 minutes. I would take the savings and shorter walk any day.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I'm budgeting out a 4-night Disneyland trip for early March with my mom, sister, and toddler son. I've been twice before and always stayed on Harbour Boulevard to save money and be close to the park entrance. That was our plan for this trip as well, specifically a standard room (2 queens + sleeper chair) at the Tropicana Inn. The Tropicana's average price including tax is $277/night and we are planning to split the hotel costs three ways.

However! I noticed on Disneyland's website that they are running a 25% discount on rooms for our travel dates. A standard room at the Disneyland hotel (2 queens + daybed) would be $595/night including taxes (I can't seem to find a list of what the un-discounted rate would be). I would *never* pay that much to stay at a hotel if I had to shoulder the cost myself, but might consider it if I am splitting the cost with two other people.

Here's the pros and cons of booking the Disneyland Hotel as I see them:

PROS:
- It probably would be my only chance to stay on-property at Disneyland unless I win the lottery
- Early Entry!
- Nicer grounds/pool/lobby, more of a resort feel
- (Probably) More spacious with 3 adults and a toddler

CONS:
- $$$
- Twice as long of a walk than the Tropicana
- Would not want or need all of the amenities (will be too cold to use the pool, don't want to book character dining, prefer to skip Trader Sam's)
- Don't care about staying in the "bubble"

What do you think? Is the Disneyland hotel that much nicer that paying an extra $424 per person to stay there over the Tropicana makes sense?

If this is likely your only chance to stay I say 100 % do it! The monorail can cut down the walk and is right by DLH. I’m not sure about the monorail and early entry but you could take it back at the end of the day.

We have some of our fondest Disney memories checking into the hotel and staying at the hotel from when my son was a toddler.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

What is the price difference to stay at GCH during the same time? If you are already splurging you might want to consider that.

 

[Pluto468]

I'd stay at DLH. I think you'd really like it and $400ish isn't bad as far as splurges go. It's such a nice hotel and I bet your toddler will like the light up headboard. The daybeds are very cozy and probably nicer to sleep on than the sleeper chair at Tropicana.

The walk IS a bit further, though. Is your toddler still in a stroller? The monorail is awesome so you'll be able to use that at least some of the time.

Will you visit DCA at all? If so, you can use the new PP entrance which is close to DLH.

Have a great trip!

 

[Artygal90]

What is the price difference to stay at GCH during the same time? If you are already splurging you might want to consider that.

I think GCH is around $675/night (!) before taxes. It's a lovely hotel, but I have to draw the line somewhere (also, I crashed with a friend there over the summer so it "feels" like I got to stay there already).

 

[Artygal90]

I'd stay at DLH. I think you'd really like it and $400ish isn't bad as far as splurges go. It's such a nice hotel and I bet your toddler will like the light up headboard. The daybeds are very cozy and probably nicer to sleep on than the sleeper chair at Tropicana.

The walk IS a bit further, though. Is your toddler still in a stroller? The monorail is awesome so you'll be able to use that at least some of the time.

Will you visit DCA at all? If so, you can use the new PP entrance which is close to DLH.

Have a great trip!

He is still in a stroller, and he would love the monorail.

We will be at DCA for at least one day. Radiator Springs is always a must!

 

[Artygal90]

Early entry is only 30 minutes. I would take the savings and shorter walk any day.

True. We didn't have it for my July trip and didn't miss it at all. Having a two year old along means we can't rush to all the coasters first thing.

 

[irlandaise]

I'm budgeting out a 4-night Disneyland trip for early March with my mom, sister, and toddler son. I've been twice before and always stayed on Harbour Boulevard to save money and be close to the park entrance. That was our plan for this trip as well, specifically a standard room (2 queens + sleeper chair) at the Tropicana Inn. The Tropicana's average price including tax is $277/night and we are planning to split the hotel costs three ways.

However! I noticed on Disneyland's website that they are running a 25% discount on rooms for our travel dates. A standard room at the Disneyland hotel (2 queens + daybed) would be $595/night including taxes (I can't seem to find a list of what the un-discounted rate would be). I would *never* pay that much to stay at a hotel if I had to shoulder the cost myself, but might consider it if I am splitting the cost with two other people.

Here's the pros and cons of booking the Disneyland Hotel as I see them:

PROS:
- It probably would be my only chance to stay on-property at Disneyland unless I win the lottery
- Early Entry!
- Nicer grounds/pool/lobby, more of a resort feel
- (Probably) More spacious with 3 adults and a toddler

CONS:
- $$$
- Twice as long of a walk than the Tropicana
- Would not want or need all of the amenities (will be too cold to use the pool, don't want to book character dining, prefer to skip Trader Sam's)
- Don't care about staying in the "bubble"

What do you think? Is the Disneyland hotel that much nicer that paying an extra $424 per person to stay there over the Tropicana makes sense?

I was about to say, "Do it!" until I saw your comment about not caring about being in the Disney bubble. To me, the ambience of the Disney hotels is a large part of the reason for staying at one. So for you, it might not be worth the extra cost even with a discount.

Oh, and of course you can calculate the undiscounted cost of a particular room type by multiplying the discounted rate by 1.33.

 

[DizMe]

I'd stay at DLH. There is so much to see and do in both the hotel and DTD that simply can't be replicated across the street. Who knows if you'll get another chance like this? The walk doesn't seem longer to me, maybe because you don't have to cross any streets or leave the resort. And, as mentioned above, there's the monorail! But to be fair, $400 is still a chunk of money and not worth it if it puts you in a financially uncomfortable place.

 

[boscoj]

Another vote for staying on site. Keep in mind, even tho early entry is only a half hour, you can get a lot done with you son in fantasy land during this time...

 

[OlliePop27]

I personally recommend Tropicana. The convenience to the gates with very little kids can't be beat. I also would love to stay at DLH more, but $400 is a lot of money when you know it's a bit further away.

I think the reason it does make a difference is returning for afternoon naps. That's 4 times a day doing the long walk or monorail. The monorail requires being in Tomorrowland, waiting, and you have to fold the stroller down. You also have to wait for the elevator to get down from the Downtown Disney platform. I love the monorail, but it's kind of a pain to do repeatedly when travelling with a stroller.

If you've ever stayed at Tropicana, make sure to call the front desk about their "return visitor" rate. It isn't on the website, but it is a slight additional discount on top of whatever rate you already found (it's better than AAA).

 

[StarlitNight05]

I vote for DLH, but like irlandaise said, if you don't care about the bubble, it may not be worth the extra cost. I personally love the bubble. There is something special about being encapsulated in Disney magic from start to finish.

The DLH property itself is incredible and I think your toddler would absolutely love it. The new DVC tower pool has a Steamboat Willie splash pad that would be perfect for his age, and it's soooo adorable (anyone staying at DLH can use the DVC pool). I know you said it may be too cold to swim, but Anaheim weather can surprise you! I guess it depends on where you are from

To continue my DLH gushing, I love Trader Sam's and also being able to grab a dole whip (or adult beverage) from the walkup window. The walk is longer, but I find it more pleasant since it's through DtD...it makes it feel like part of the experience! And as others said, you can use the monorail to cut down on some time when going to/from DL.

Let us know what you decide! Hope you have a great trip!

 

[crystal1313]

If you think it will be the only time you can stay at the DLH, and you can afford the extra cost, I would stay at the DLH. Even if you don’t take advantage of EE (which we never could get going early enough when our kids were toddlers. We were up, but actually getting out the door was difficult. Lol) I think it would be a magical experience for you and your son. Plus what a fun girls trip with your mom and sister! The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun just to soak up the atmosphere. We actually don’t mind the walk to the gates because we enjoy walking through downtown Disney to get more excited about our day. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a fantastic trip!!

 

[cruisehopeful]

How realistic is it that you would use early entry? When my kids were young, they were never easy to get up and out that early, especially if we were in the park the night before. I love staying onsite because I love being there. If you truly don't think you'll be doing anything on the hotel grounds, I'd save the money and use it towards other experiences in the parks.

 

[Artygal90]

How realistic is it that you would use early entry? When my kids were young, they were never easy to get up and out that early, especially if we were in the park the night before. I love staying onsite because I love being there. If you truly don't think you'll be doing anything on the hotel grounds, I'd save the money and use it towards other experiences in the parks.

We will be coming from TX so a 6 am wake up time for EE will feel like 8 am to us. He actually did great on our offsite trip in July!
I’m more worried about the other adults in my party

 

[ClaraOswald]

I have never stayed at either of the hotels you mention but we did splurge to stay at the Grand Californian in early 2023 (with a discount) and it basically ruined Harbor hotels for me. I never cared about the "bubble" either. But I have to admit, just walking through DTD to get to the parks is a LOT better than walking from Harbor. And now I just don't see us ever staying on Harbor again (we ended up getting DVC...ha!) So if you think staying at the DLH could "ruin" Harbor hotels...might want to reconsider.

 

[lilsonicfan]

So we never stayed on site until Jan of this year when I was able to snag a room using my DVC points at the Grand. It was so nice being close and of course the Grand is a beautiful hotel. All that being said, we did 4 days too and barely used the hotel amenities, as we were in the parks all day. EE was of zero value, I have teens/tweens lol. The cost for me due to DVC was not significantly higher than a hotel on Harbor. Personally, I’d probably rather save the money ($1200-1300 among 3 of you!) unless it’s a bucket list or something.

 

[HauntedSpell]

If it's a bucket list item maybe do 1 night at DL hotel and have a resort RR day or 1/2 day? Depending on the weather the pool and the hot tub might be okay. If someone in your family has a Disney visa card there's a 30% discount and no night requirement.

 

[l4dyj8]

For your preferences you stated, save the money. And I’m one that likes the bubble and doesn’t mind the walk through downtown Disney. We also take breaks. Which is great during hot or crowded days. We also spend a lot of time in the room/hotel with the restaurants and lounges. If you were going during any seasonal time, that would be different. The onsite hotels would have some decor or event as an added perk. But in March, not so much. We’ve had different (standard) rooms at DH and some have been disappointing. We only stay onsite when there’s a deal. But we were passholders and able to make the most of the amenities and less about the park.