economical trip, and hotels?

[ashpinoza]

well im looking for a economically friendly trip. we are flying and the cost isnt too bad, and the car isnt to bad either if we book it as a package on a travel site. which also brings up, what would you all recommend as the best travel site? i like priceline but does anyone have any better recommendations, and also i think i am leaning towards ramada maingate hotel, i have looked at several and this one looks to be a pretty nice place and budget friendly, i am wondering does anyone have personal experiences with it? or if there are ANY budget friendly nice hotels you would like to recommend throw it in and ill check it out! thanks

 

[kc10family]

first.. when are you going? That will assist with your replies.

I have done many things to make it "economical" over the past years, but it depends on you and your family on wht one thinks is "economical". (that was not ment to sound rude)

Here is a link to hotels in the area.. love this guy for putting it together.
I would take a look at each hotel for the dates you are going and see if that is what you want.
May people stay further away from the maingate for $$ reasons and don't mind the shuttles. I for one do not care for the shuttles because I would rather walk and be able to do as I please when I please and not wait for a shuttle.

I like a few hotels on Harbor and found the Desert Inn and Suites to be a favorite however we are checking out the Ramada maingate this trip (June). I have yet to find a hotel I would NEVER stay at again on Harbor as of now.

Ref- other "economical" things we do? (now mind you we drive so we can bring a lot of thing)
-We bring our own "specials" like the light up things for at night
-Bring snacks and water
-bring in PB&J for the kids
-have brought in a subway sandwich (cut it up and did not put it in the subway wrap)
-morning coffe
-treats like candy etc you can get from your hotel store

I guess it comes down to, what are you willing or not willing to do.

I do hope this was a bit of help.

 

[Saskiwi]

We just visited DL from New Zealand - the flight costs thousands of dollars plus our dollar is only worth about 50c US, which made most things about twice as expensive as at home so we were seriously budgeting during our visit! Some things that worked for us:
Eat breakfast in your hotel room most days - we stayed at Hojo's which doesn't provide breakfast so we brought our own milk, cereal bowls and spoons - if you stay somewhere that offers free breakfast, use it!
DL doesn't mind you bringing your own food into the park (within reason) - we made sandwiches most days, took water bottles and other snacks, packed in an insulated backpack. Worked really well and saved us $$$$.
Check out restaurants near DL where you might like to dine while staying (there's a good Disney dining thread sticky on this forum) and get coupons: Mimi's has a great deal if you join their e-club, as does Rainforest Cafe, Denny's and various others.
Disney souvenirs: visit the Disney Outlet Store in Anaheim for discounted Disney stuff - most of it a lot cheaper than in official Disney stores.
Hope those help - have fun!

 

[Lakewood]

well im looking for a economically friendly trip. we are flying and the cost isnt too bad, and the car isnt to bad either if we book it as a package on a travel site. which also brings up, what would you all recommend as the best travel site? i like priceline but does anyone have any better recommendations, and also i think i am leaning towards ramada maingate hotel, i have looked at several and this one looks to be a pretty nice place and budget friendly, i am wondering does anyone have personal experiences with it? or if there are ANY budget friendly nice hotels you would like to recommend throw it in and ill check it out! thanks

There is a KOA on Harbor, if you guys camp you could probally save some cash. You could then send the camping equipment back home for future use.

 

[LavenderPeach]

We stayed at the Super 8 which was cheaper than any of the other places we looked at. It's not as close to DLR as some of the other places but it was still walkable. Now, I don't know if I would consider it a nice hotel but it wasn't a complete dump either. I did have some issues with it (hair dryer didn't work, clock kept blinking, rude employee and no fridge even though we reserved one) but if you really want a budget hotel, you might want to look into it. I think it was about $50/night during spring break time. They also have a free breakfast. It was donuts and a couple types of cereal. I brought my own cheerios and used their milk and bowls and spoons.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I think someone else thought they posted a link for you but it isn't showing up. Check out these links for hotel maps/info:

http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

Fairfield Inn gets good reviews.
Years ago when I was on a budget, I stayed at Anaheim Plaza Inn and Suites. It wasn't bad. If room rates were outrageous anywhere else, I would stay there again considering it's just a place to sleep. They had a great Olympic sized pool and outdoor jacuzzi. Towels were at the pool. Quite a few people here have since posted they would stay there again. You can get rooms from $49-99 a night depending on the season and if it's busy. If you're just looking for a place to sleep that's clean, I think Anaheim Plaza Inn might work.
Check out Tripadvisor.com for reviews of all the different area motels/hotels.

 

[avalon451]

I can sure appreciate the need to be economical-- we're not going back any time soon!

Do you need to have a car? I mean, are you getting one of those Citypasses that has several attractions on it like Seaworld and San Diego Zoo, and Universal Studios on it as well as DL... because then yeah, you need a car... but if you're just doing DL, you don't really need one.

I love HoJo, especially if we can get the Entertainment book rate of $59-$79 a night. If you can get the rate, it's the nicest hotel on Harbor for that price, and it's 7 minutes' walk to the gates. They have a great pool and a water play area for the kids-- rooms are large and very comfy. Here's the link with the Ent rate dates: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14 Even if your dates aren't listed, they often add more dates in as it gets closer, if they're not booked up (usually weekdays).

You might want to double check on whether you can get a better deal by booking everything separately rather than booking a package through an agency. Sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars booking separately. Price it all out.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[kc10family]

I think someone else thought they posted a link for you but it isn't showing up. Check out these links for hotel maps/info:

http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

Fairfield Inn gets good reviews.
Years ago when I was on a budget, I stayed at Anaheim Plaza Inn and Suites. It wasn't bad. If room rates were outrageous anywhere else, I would stay there again considering it's just a place to sleep. They had a great Olympic sized pool and outdoor jacuzzi. Towels were at the pool. Quite a few people here have since posted they would stay there again. You can get rooms from $49-99 a night depending on the season and if it's busy. If you're just looking for a place to sleep that's clean, I think Anaheim Plaza Inn might work.
Check out Tripadvisor.com for reviews of all the different area motels/hotels.

Thank you for posting the link, I gues my copy paste did not work. I like the other map you have as well, I will need to bookmark that.

 

[DangerMouse]

I'd also recommend the Anaheim Plaza for a clean, close-by, budget hotel.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thank you for posting the link, I gues my copy paste did not work. I like the other map you have as well, I will need to bookmark that.

No problem!

 

[Tammylynn]

We got the expedia sale rate of $49 for the Quality Inn, which is about 20 feet further from the main gates as HoJo. Before we left, I had some serious buyer's remorse because I'd heard nothing positive about Quality Inn before we left.

It was not bad at all. The rooms *are* tiny, older, and the hotel is a bit noisy being so close to the freeway, but we didn't mind one bit! Again, it depends on what is most important to you. The room was clean enough, but there were some signs of its age such as old fixtures, carpet stains, and outdoor hallways. But there's a micro and fridge, which we didn't even have in the $300 room at the GCH!

If you are renting a car and don't plan to walk to the resort, Hotwire is nice because you can specify how many children you are bringing (and they'll guarantee the beds). Betterbidding.com Orange County Forum will give you a good idea of what hotels you might get when you bid.

If you are walking, I'd say the best bet is 1) Entertainment rate at Howard Johnson (http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14) 2)Quality Inn at a lower rate or, 3) bidding on a hotwire room and using the shuttle service.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

check jet blue vacation deals

 

[pomlover]

yeah it's amazing how many hotels don't have microwaves and minifridges nowadays even though they are expensive.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

yeah it's amazing how many hotels don't have microwaves and minifridges nowadays even though they are expensive.

If a microwave is really important to you and your budget, you could consider buying a cheapie one from Walmart or something like it. I've bought cheap small ones from Walmart for less than $25 (for work, not at DL, but I'm sure they are probably comparably priced). That's less than the price of one Character meal. Then give it away when you're done, do like a microwave swap where people just keep passing it on, or leave it in the hotel with a note for the maid that she can have it. That's what I would do if budget were important and I really needed a microwave. A minifridge, well that's another story...I've heard of people buying the cheap foam type coolers and putting all their drinks, sandwich fixings, etc., in it w/ ice. It's a good enough solution for a few days, and you just replenish the ice as needed. It would probably hold more than a minifridge anyway. Most hotels fridges are the size of a small square cubby hole.

 

[kc10family]

yeah it's amazing how many hotels don't have microwaves and minifridges nowadays even though they are expensive.

DD#2 needs meds every day so we always have to have a fridge to keep the meds in.
This is a must, so we dont even make a reservation if no fridge is offered.

I know some time we will need to figure it out because one of these days we will stay onsite again and I think they have a few for rent... not sure.

If a microwave is really important to you and your budget, you could consider buying a cheapie one from Walmart or something like it. I've bought cheap small ones from Walmart for less than $25 (for work, not at DL, but I'm sure they are probably comparably priced). That's less than the price of one Character meal. Then give it away when you're done, do like a microwave swap where people just keep passing it on, or leave it in the hotel with a note for the maid that she can have it. That's what I would do if budget were important and I really needed a microwave. A minifridge, well that's another story...I've heard of people buying the cheap foam type coolers and putting all their drinks, sandwich fixings, etc., in it w/ ice. It's a good enough solution for a few days, and you just replenish the ice as needed. It would probably hold more than a minifridge anyway. Most hotels fridges are the size of a small square cubby hole.

I think this is a great idea.
They have a walmart not but 5 minutes up the highway (can't remember the exit) and it is a SUPER WALMART AND (did I say AND) it has a very very large section of Disney stuff.. last time I was there I bought all our Tinkerbell gifts and more.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

DD#2 needs meds every day so we always have to have a fridge to keep the meds in.
This is a must, so we dont even make a reservation if no fridge is offered.
I know some time we will need to figure it out because one of these days we will stay onsite again and I think they have a few for rent... not sure.

A lot of times, if you are staying at a reputable hotel, if you tell them you need a fridge for meds they'll let you have one for free. Put in a request when you make the reservations. I'm not sure if it's the case w/ the DLR hotels, but in past experience staying all over in various different vacation destinations in the U.S. it's usually been the case for us -- unless they flat out say they don't have fridges. They usually give higher priority to those who need one for meds and then for us have waved the daily fee.

 

[nvwifenmom]

I stayed at the Hotel Menage from the 14 to the 17 of April. It claims to be 4 star but I'm not so sure about that. It was a decent hotel. The pool is great and the hot tub is even better after a long day on your feet and although I didn't take advantage of the pool for the nightly fireworks, I've heard it is a great place to watch them. Our room was clean and relatively quiet. I read before going that it is best to take the shuttle to Disneyland but we walked and it wasn't bad at all. It took about 15 minutes to get to the entrance. The price was great. We had a fridge but we had to request it after we arrived. I would stay there again.

 

[aprincess@mail.com]

We have stayed at the Anaheim Maingate which is now REd lion and it was really nice. we got a good rate of about $50-70 depending on which season we visited. The room was nice and it had a fridge.
although the last visit there was in july and they charged me $10 a night for parking. not sure why they did that...
but the room was nice. we have also stayed at the ramada maingate and it was okay too. have fun picking out a hotel, i think there all gonna be pretty much the same on Harbor blvd.

 

[ashpinoza]

we decided on the HOJO! we will be using the entertainment book rate, so its only 59, OR 69 depending on the room, so thats AWESOME.

 

[DangerMouse]

we decided on the HOJO! we will be using the entertainment book rate, so its only 59, OR 69 depending on the room, so thats AWESOME.

Excellent choice!