DL on site vs off site?

[Princess Tink]

We have been to WDW many times, but my will be DS(8) are thinking abuot taking a mom & son only trip to DL in Feb. Are there any incentives or bonuses to staying on site for a long weekend (chicking in on a Friday out on a Monday)?

We would never think of doing so at WDW, but it appears more people choose to stay off site in CA....just trying to figure out the reason I guess. Having transportation will not be an issue, a co-worker highly recommended we have a rental car (he lives close to DL).

Any advise for a first time would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CalGal]

At WDW, you are so much closer to the action staying on-site and that is the only way to get some benefits, such as EE. At Disneyland, everything is so much more compact, and there are several affordable motels, inns, and hotels, around as closer, or even closer, than 2 of the 3 Disney properties. These "off-site" properties are typically much less costly, and, like the Disney properties, are within walking distance to both parks. There are several very nice hotels that are serviced by the ART bus system as well.

Like you, I would not consider staying off-site at WDW, but have and would stay off-site at Disneyland. That being said, I still love staying on-site at Disneyland. If you can afford it, the Grand Californian is so nice and very convenient. The walk from Grizzly River Run to our room (to change clothes after getting soaked), took around a minute. On-site guests do get EE rights on days when it is offered (usually Sat, Mon, Tue, and Thur), although you may get one EE with your park hopper anyway. Your hotel key serves as a "FastPass" to the monorail from Tomorrowland to DTD. You can charge everything to your room, and I think you may still be able to get package delivery to your room from the park shops. You also have rights to the GCH entry to DCA (although we were only asked a couple of times to show our key when entering DCA). Most importantly, you are in the midst of the magic, especially staying at the GCH or DLH.

 

[cardaway]

We almost booked offsite but I kept having to think "offsite is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". Every offsite hotel review I read had horror stories spread throughout. At least with the three Disney hotels you have a better idea what the quality and service will be like.

There still is also package delivery, onsite only monorial access, and EE which definately pushed us over the edge into the DL.

 

[vascubaguy]

We decided to stay off-site, mostly because of it was 1/4 of the price of staying on-site.

I have stayed off-site at WDW before and will never do so again. DL is much less spread out, so there is a strip of hotels right at the gates of DL. We are staying at the Carousel Inn this October which has gotten pretty good reviews. The cost... $60 per night... no place on-site comes even close!!! Did I mention it's right there at the entry gates? Just a very short walk. You also get continental breakfast, mini-fridges, etc... We would also be really close to alternative places to eat from the park restaurants.

I've never stayed at any of the 3 DL resorts and I'm sure they are really nice, but the cost-benefit analysis just didn't justify it for me.

They do currently have a promo where you stay 3 nights and the 4th night is free. Of course many of the "good neighbor" hotels have the same deal.

Oh, if you book a stay at one of the DL resorts thru AAA, you can get unlimited fastpasses... that might make it a little more worth it if you go during a busy time!

 

[CalGal]

Oh, another nice advantage of staying on-site IF you book a package through AAA is the Enhanced Fast Pass, which essentially disconnects all the Fast Pass attractions so that you can hold Fast Passes for several attractions simultaneously. However, that benefit is currently only available for travel through mid January. I don't know if that benefit will be available next year.

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

I guess it depends on your priorities. Previous posters have pointed out benefits of staying on site. If price isn't an issue, I'd stay on site.

Price IS an issue for us so we stayed at Best Western Park Place Inn last week. The hotel lobby is literally right across the street from the entrance to DLR. In my family's humble opinion, BWPPI is comparable to WDW's All Star Resorts. And, you get an "OK", not great, breakfast for free at BWPPI.

 

[safetymom]

I stayed onsite at PP and off site at the Anaheim Hilton last year. Right now I am sitting in my room here at the Anaheim Hilton and it is so much better than PP. We have a corner room that overlooks the parks. We have been using the ART shuttle and haven't waited more than 5 mins.

 

[munchkinsmom]

If cost isn't an issue, and it's your first time at the DLR, then I'd definitely recommend staying on-site. I've stayed at all three hotels and my most favorite is the Grand Californian. It's closer to the action. Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive out of the three. The other on-site hotel I'd consider would be staying at the Disneyland Hotel. They have a great pool. The Paradise Pier Hotel, although the cheapest of the three, wouldn't be worth it to me to stay there. I'd probably vote for staying off-site instead of staying at the PP Hotel.

If cost is something you have to consider, other posters have recommended great hotels. When we go to DLR, our family usually stays at the Howard Johnson's Anaheim Plaza Hotel. It's about a 7-10 minute walk to the entrance of DL, but if people prefer not to walk, one can get a pass for a shuttle (I think children are free) which is $3/day. It's also very close to fast food joints and a lot of restaurants.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Albertan mom]

Check the NEED HOTEL RECOMMENDATION thread, I just posted there about the Park Inn

 

[Princess Tink]

Money is not growing on trees around here, so definately something in my mind when planning any trip. So, I think we may try to stay off site. With that said, we are looking at the HoJo & Embassy-South. The HoJo is a bit cheaper but the Embassy includes a warm breakfast. The Embassy is a bit further away, but has the ART. Does anyone have any advice looking at the 2 of these?

 

[TiggerCate]

I'm staying at the Embassy South in October for the 2nd time. Every time I have planned a trip to DL, I have considered staying on-site- and then I have also done a cost/benefits analysis and come out for off-site. If money was no object, I would probably stay on-site, but it is a consideration for us. For much less than a DL hotel, I have a decent room, including a hot breakfast for five (and an evening reception included when we are at the hotel.) We can't beat that!

 

[HydroGuy]

My two cents...We went to DLR last week. When we do DLR, we spend only enough time at the hotel to sleep. We leave early (7:30AM), come back late (after midnight) and take an extended break in the afternoon (for more sleep). Over four days and five nights, the total time spent at our hotel when we were not sleeping must have been a few hours. We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn (which I would recommend as being clean, quiet and responsive). It is not worth it for us to stay at a DLR hotel, which we did once before in year 2000.

Some people like to spend a lot of time at the hotel while at DLR, and maybe the DLR hotels are worth it for them.

 

[Dave Dizney]

We've done both on and off site - and unlike Disney World, I would vote to stay off site. I've stayed in 4 different locations, and have not had a bad experience staying at a Disney "Good Neighbor" hotel. You can still get EE depending on the ticket media you purchase. If you're only staying there to sleep (and maybe a dip in the pool), go for the price.

 

[CalGal]

Last week, I split my stay between the Embassy Suites South and GCH. I stayed a few nights at the Embassy Suites because some family members were staying there, and I think they enjoyed it just fine. Last I heard, they did not have much trouble with the ART, although it did add a bit of time and trouble. I thought the ES was lovely and the rooms are very nice, but frankly, I ended up being very disappointed. I imagine much of this was just bad luck. Here were my complaints:
- The room was not ready at 3:30 even though checkin is 3PM
- While waiting for my room I had to use the restroom. The one stall in the public restroom was completely clogged up. Disgusting. I had to find the restroom in the conference section.
- They told me they would notify me when the room was ready. They did not. Finally, I went back to the front desk at 4:15 to find out the room was ready.
- I was assigned a room directly next to the elevator. I requested a change since I worried that it would be noisy. They said the best they could do was to give me another room on a higher floor, but still directly next to the elevator. The humming of the elevator kept me awake at night, and my son was not able to nap during the day. Mind you, I made my reservations nearly 2 months in advance, and checked in at a reasonable time, so I expected a better room assignment.
- The toilet in our room was not functioning properly when we checked in. It was fixed after I notified the front desk.
- The floor in the bar area of the room was very wet
- We had two room keys. One did not work. I went down to the desk to have it reprogrammed, and it still didn't work.
- ES advertised high speed internet, which was important to me. They offered it through the TV for $10, and it was a total burn. I was not able to do anything with it; the screens were chopped off and hard to manipulate, and much of my typing didn't take. I couldn't access my email, and it was the slowest internet I have ever experienced.

Yes, the breakfast spread is nice, and they have an evening reception. However, we always like to be at the park at opening, so we didn't have time to fully enjoy the breakfast.

In conclusion, if you do decide to stay at the ES South, request a room away from the elevator, and don't waste money on the internet.

PS--GCH was heaven.

 

[TiggerCate]

CalGal, I had the same experience with ES in 02 with the internet- I was a bit ticked off. I heard they have since added wireless. Do you know if that's true? I would like to check email from time to time but don't even know if that's a possibility...


Thanks!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Actually right now DLR guests get Early Entry on all the days its offered, not just one day per hopper. For us staying onsite really adds to the whole experience. We have stayed at the HoJo and the Park Inn and were satisfied both times, the accomodations were basically just fine. But since we had stayed onsite so many times, well it was tough to not compare! Besides all the magical touches a Disney owned hotel offers, the biggest pluses to me is the walk up Downtown Disney as opposed to a busy street and the customer service at the Disney hotels. We really enjoy that walk especially in the evening when all the musical acts are out. I have stayed onsite a total of six times in Disneyland and each time was consistently great. 5 at the Disneyland Hotel and once (soon to be twice) at the Paradise Pier. Each time we experienced great service. Several times I have had problems ranging from noise in the room next door (tv up to the highest volume at 3:00 a.m. with kids screaming and playing, we were convinced the parents had died or left the kids alone, turns out they were drunk) to a smokey smell to a clogged sink. All normal, typical hotel complaints. What was so nice was that each time it was handled quickly (within minutes) and effectively. We would then get a follow up call to make sure it had been handled. I have noticed at WDW and Disneyland the level of customer service in their hotels is pretty amazing. I don't go expecting everything to be perfect right off the bat (although it usually is) but I know that if there is a problem, Disney will go above and beyond to make it right.

I don't agree with posters who say Paradise Pier isn't worth staying onsite if that's all you can get. While I don't think its quite as themed as DLH or GC it still has a lot to offer. We have a $129 rate in September for four nights and $185 for the other three but I would pay more. I liked the HoJo just fine but for our family there was simply no comparison. I have looked into the Hilton Anaheim and it was more expensive than PP, so to me why would I pay more to stay offsite, JMHO.

I wish Disneyland had moderate and values like WDW but we all know that can't happen and why. If they had cheaper offerings I would certainly take advantage but they don't so we bite the bullet when possible and stay onsite. I am happy to see they are starting to offer better incentives to stay onsite like EE and lowering rates at PP as well as offering better deals using DVC points. I am also happy that there are so many "good neighbor" offerings and I would stay offsite again if I needed to budget more (which I always should I guess!).

 

[safetymom]

I am here right now at the Anaheim Hilton and this place is much much better than Paradise Pier was.

I am paying $129 for a corner room on the 13th floor. I have a fantastic view of the fireworks. I am a short shuttle ride away from the parks.

The restaurants are mch better here than the choices at PP. The parking garage is much better.

The customer service I have received here surpassed our experience last year at PP.

The elevators at PP were terrible. Here at the Hilton I never wait for one.

I am glad that many people like PP but we won't be returning. The theming is almost non existant to me, I have seen better theming at a Hilton or Marriott.

I do miss the entry into California Adventure and the early entry but I am not willing to put up with PP to get them. I also don't understand why there isn't a laundry at PP.

 

[CalGal]

CalGal, I had the same experience with ES in 02 with the internet- I was a bit ticked off. I heard they have since added wireless. Do you know if that's true? I would like to check email from time to time but don't even know if that's a possibility...


Thanks!

The "wireless" internet access that I was aware of was through the TV and it was bogus. It used a wireless keyboard and remote. I didn't see anything about wireless through your own laptop at the ES. I suppose it's possible they have something down in the Conference Center area, but I sure wouldn't count on it.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I am here right now at the Anaheim Hilton and this place is much much better than Paradise Pier was.

I am paying $129 for a corner room on the 13th floor. I have a fantastic view of the fireworks. I am a short shuttle ride away from the parks.

The restaurants are mch better here than the choices at PP. The parking garage is much better.

The customer service I have received here surpassed our experience last year at PP.

The elevators at PP were terrible. Here at the Hilton I never wait for one.

I am glad that many people like PP but we won't be returning. The theming is almost non existant to me, I have seen better theming at a Hilton or Marriott.

I do miss the entry into California Adventure and the early entry but I am not willing to put up with PP to get them. I also don't understand why there isn't a laundry at PP.

I am glad you are enjoying your stay at the Hilton. Everybody has their preferences! Sorry you had such an obviously horrid stay at PP.

 

[safetymom]

It wasn't a horrid stay. I just posted my opinions like everyone else. For the money I got a much better value at the Hilton. Staying onsite at DL is not like staying onsite at WDW.