Fairfield Inn or any other GNHotel?

[m-tinkerbelle]

hi!

We're from Spain and got an awesome last minute airfare to LAX so we didn't think it twice and decided to go to Disneyland. So we don't have much time for planning ahead
So, we once stayed at the former Pacific Hotel but now we want to stay at one of the Harbor Blvd hotels since they're cheaper.
But, I can't find any GN hotel that offers free shuttle service from LAX (I don't mind, I can stil use Super Shuttle). We were thinking about staying at the Fairfield Inn but there are no in-room safes?

Has anyone stayed there recently? do you recommend any other GNH hotel that's cheap, nice and convenient? (GNH= Good NEighbor Hotel)

thanks a lot in advance!

 

[mouseymommy]

We like the Best Western Park Place Inn. It is SO close to the entrance! The Park Vue Inn is also supposed to be nice, and they also have free breakfast, and a light dinner. When are you planning on going?

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I saw on Marriott's website that the Anaheim Fairfield has safes in the room (why my brain doesn't remember where they are...I guess I'm getting old lol). They also have a safe deposit boxes at the front desk.

I know that the HOJO does have safes in the room - located right inside the night stand and their nightly rate is lower than the Fairfield.

I've stayed at both hotels and would highly recommend them for their quality and comfort.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

thank you for your replies!
we're thinking on staying off-site feb 27th to march 5th. today we got a good offer for the Anabella hotel, and I don't know if we should take it or not.
the downsides are that it seems to be too far away from the park's main entrance, and also, i checked through google earth and I can't find any grocery shops nearby to buy food.

So we're not sure which hotel to choose, Anabella because of the offer or any of the other ones on Harbor Blvd.
You were right, the fairfield inn is one of the most expensive hotels in the area. A lot cheaper than the on-site hotels but it still costs more.
I took a look at the hotels you both mentioned and they look clean and nice.

We have to make a decision soon or we'll have to sleep under the stars!

And we want to feel comfortable wherever we stay because we'll be travelling from Spain and we'll have spent 2 1/2 hours travelling by plane and more than 12 hours of flight

 

[sonnyjane]

I choose based on location. Honestly, as long as it's a decent, clean place, I just pick the closest one. I have booked at Camelot, Tropicana, Ramada Inn Maingate, Best Western PPI, and Park Vue Inn. They aren't fancy, but they are so close. I have stayed on-site at Paradise Pier and the truth is, even though it was fun to stay at an official Disney hotel, you just can't beat the closeness of those main hotels across the street on Harbor.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

What are your travel dates and in particular, what nights are you needing hotel accommodatoins? I'll be honest, I'm kinda bored here and I wouldn't mind scouting prices for you as well.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

thank you both!
we would be staying there from feb 27th to march 5th. the lowest rate i found for anabella is above 600 euros and my travel agency can book it for those dates for less like 500 euros (very nice price, considering we can have it all prepaid from here and not having to deal with credit cards through the internet).

the rest of the hotels (with the exception of one HoJo that's too far away from disneyland) are above that price.

I'm quite happy with the price they gave me but I don't know if I'm happy with the lenght we would have to walk daily to and from the parks, specially if we want to go to the hotel to have a mid-afternoon break

 

[Kittyskyfish]

thank you both!
we would be staying there from feb 27th to march 5th. the lowest rate i found for anabella is above 600 euros and my travel agency can book it for those dates for less like 500 euros (very nice price, considering we can have it all prepaid from here and not having to deal with credit cards through the internet).

the rest of the hotels (with the exception of one HoJo that's too far away from disneyland) are above that price.

I'm quite happy with the price they gave me but I don't know if I'm happy with the lenght we would have to walk daily to and from the parks, specially if we want to go to the hotel to have a mid-afternoon break

That price is not too bad! I did those dates for the Hojo, saw the price, and practically shot coffee out my nose.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

That price is not too bad! I did those dates for the Hojo, saw the price, and practically shot coffee out my nose.

lol!!!
the same happened to me when I tried to search for a rate for the Paradise Pier, it was more expensive than the Disneyland Hotel for those dates! and definitely it's not worth the $4,500 price (room only)

thank you for doing the search for me!

Oh, one more thing if you don't mind. I was wondering if the hotels labeled "Good Neighbors" do give you more advantages than the other Anaheim-area hotels (such as the Anabella). Do guests get Early Morning Magic Hours or something? I tried searching through the GNH sites but didn't find anything. The only thing I know is that some park hopper passes give you early morning entry to the parks some selected dates, so what's the benefit of the GNH hotels?
I'd appreciate it if you could clarify that for me, I'm a bit confused XD too much information to read and process in too little time

thank you!!

 

[sonnyjane]

lol!!!


Oh, one more thing if you don't mind. I was wondering if the hotels labeled "Good Neighbors" do give you more advantages than the other Anaheim-area hotels (such as the Anabella). Do guests get Early Morning Magic Hours or something? I tried searching through the GNH sites but didn't find anything. The only thing I know is that some park hopper passes give you early morning entry to the parks some selected dates, so what's the benefit of the GNH hotels?
I'd appreciate it if you could clarify that for me, I'm a bit confused XD too much information to read and process in too little time

thank you!!

No, Good Neighbor guests to do not get the perks that on-site guests do. Only on-site guests get access to every Magic Morning offered. Other than that, guests staying off-site can get ONE Magic Morning entry with a ticket of three days or more. They are simply called "Good Neighbor" hotels because they have partnered with Disney to be called such and to get in on the package deals that Disney books, there are no extra perks. There are plenty of great hotels that don't have the official "Good Neighbor" label, so don't take too much stock in the name.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

lol!!!
the same happened to me when I tried to search for a rate for the Paradise Pier, it was more expensive than the Disneyland Hotel for those dates! and definitely it's not worth the $4,500 price (room only)

thank you for doing the search for me!

Oh, one more thing if you don't mind. I was wondering if the hotels labeled "Good Neighbors" do give you more advantages than the other Anaheim-area hotels (such as the Anabella). Do guests get Early Morning Magic Hours or something? I tried searching through the GNH sites but didn't find anything. The only thing I know is that some park hopper passes give you early morning entry to the parks some selected dates, so what's the benefit of the GNH hotels?
I'd appreciate it if you could clarify that for me, I'm a bit confused XD too much information to read and process in too little time

thank you!!

*mops up nose*

We travel from Texas to Disneyland about 2x per year and always stay at GNH properties but the only connections I know of is that you can book their rooms on Disney's website and that you can purchase tickets at the hotel. Other than that - it doesn't offer any advantage to those visiting Disneyland Resort.

I think some Anabella guests cut through the Grand Californian to short-cut it to the gates. It's a walk but I don't think it'll be that bad.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

thank you both!!!

we'll be buying tickets for more than 3 days (maybe we should get AP though we'll only use them for the lenght of our stay) so we'll take advantage of that EMH morning

my DH and I have been considering the options and I guess we'll stick to the Anabella offer

we can hardly wait!

the last thing I have to ask you guys (thanks for answering my questions, really) is if those park hopper tickets do allow you to enter the same park twice in one day. the last time i was there they would stamp your hand and you could come back later, but I don't know if that's still available.

we want to go back to the hotel to take a nap and maybe even some pool fun

 

[Kittyskyfish]

thank you both!!!

we'll be buying tickets for more than 3 days (maybe we should get AP though we'll only use them for the lenght of our stay) so we'll take advantage of that EMH morning

my DH and I have been considering the options and I guess we'll stick to the Anabella offer

we can hardly wait!

the last thing I have to ask you guys (thanks for answering my questions, really) is if those park hopper tickets do allow you to enter the same park twice in one day. the last time i was there they would stamp your hand and you could come back later, but I don't know if that's still available.

we want to go back to the hotel to take a nap and maybe even some pool fun

With park hopper passes, you can enter and exit each park as many times as you wish. Go between DCA and Disneyland as much as you like!

 

[sonnyjane]

thank you both!!!

we'll be buying tickets for more than 3 days (maybe we should get AP though we'll only use them for the lenght of our stay) so we'll take advantage of that EMH morning

Just want you to know that if you have an AP, you will NOT get any Magic Morning privileges. It's the only real downside of having an AP. You can only get entry to MM by 1) staying on-site or 2) having a park ticket of 3 days or more.

For what it's worth, I don't think that it would be worth getting an AP in your case, since you will not be staying on-site and will not be planning any other trips to Disneyland other than the 8 days you'll be at the parks. I'm not sure how long you'll be buying tickets for. Since you're in another country, I know you can often get more than the 6-day tickets that Disneyland offers, but if you can't, you can upgrade your 6-days at the parks for $5 per extra day.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

thank you!
I was just checking that things didn't change THAT much since the last time I was there in 2000

I can't believe I'm going back to Disneyland! in my home country (Argentina) it was easy to get cheap flights to LA/Disneyland but since I moved to Spain it gets more and more expensive to fly to that particular part of the world. I thought I would never visit Disneyland again

I'm happyyyyyyy!!!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

2000?? Oh, man! You are in for some changes!

I also don't agree with getting an Annual Pass. It doesn't make sense since your trip isn't that long and you won't be back within the year. The price difference is just too great and you won't make up for the difference with merchandise or food discounts. Unless you guys can put it away like crazy!

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

2000?? Oh, man! You are in for some changes!

I also don't agree with getting an Annual Pass. It doesn't make sense since your trip isn't that long and you won't be back within the year. The price difference is just too great and you won't make up for the difference with merchandise or food discounts. Unless you guys can put it away like crazy!

You're right, we'll get four day park hoppers and extra single day passes if we need them i wish there were passes for longer than four days!

Thankl you so much for your help

The last time i was there i had a picture taken at the gates of california adventure when it still was being given the finishing touches. Downtown disney was still under construction and i missed fantasmic because that october it wasn't running. So i know there's plenty of fun waiting for us

 

[8timesblessed]

You can buy 6 day passes. You can also add extra days for 5 a day. No need to buy seperate one day tickets.

 

[sonnyjane]

You can buy 6 day passes. You can also add extra days for 5 a day. No need to buy seperate one day tickets.

Yes, in fact please DON'T buy separate one-day tickets. It's incredibly expensive. As 8times said, you can buy 6-day hoppers and add extra days on for $5 per day at the parks. Also, since you're coming from Spain, I'm not sure if they offer longer trips or not, but I know Aussies can get 14-day passes and Canadians can also get more than 6-day park hoppers. Just look into it.

 

[8timesblessed]

You can buy 6 day passes. You can also add extra days for 5 a day. No need to buy seperate one day tickets.