GCH VS HOJO

[amy85]

Hi all,

I'm a disneyland newbie here. We live in Orlando, so we visit wdw all the time, but I've been to DL ONCE about 15 years ago. This board has been so helpful I know things are constantly changing especially with the times we are in, but I'm trying to figure out if GCH is worth the extra money when we come at the end of July.

We booked our trip kinda spur of the moment a few months ago. We are going to a family reunion in Idaho, and I found super cheap flights from lax to mco, so we decided to hit up California for 4 days at the end of our trip. At the time I wasn't even sure we would be able to get into Disneyland, but I found an AMAZING deal at the Howard Johnson!

The closer we get, the more I keep looking at GCH. I would probably only do it for the 2 days we plan to go to the parks. The main reason I keep looking at it is convenience. I'll be traveling with my husband and 2 kids (5 &1) the idea of being able to go back for naps/swim in the afternoon sounds really appealing. I've google maped it, and the HOJO doesn't look THAT far. I'm a little hesitant to pay the extra money when perks like extra hours or the character meals aren't happening.

The concerns I have:
- I heard the slide is closed. Not a huge issue, but my daughter is obsessed with water slides(why I booked hojo) is it still closed?

I know the entry is now open for DCA, are they letting guest through that entry early? I read they've been opening the main gates a bit early. I would hate to be penalized for staying at CGH.

- I thought I read somewhere that CGH doesn't have tubs, is that true?

- is CGH really that much more convenient than HOJO?

The price difference for two nights would be about $800 more.

Thoughts, opinions, and advice appreciated!

Thank you

 

[shosh1530]

The slide at GCH has been open, but I've heard the pool area has had waiting lists at times due to limited capacity (that may change after June 15). You might want to check with HOJO about whether they are requiring reservations for the pool area.

I've never stayed at HOJO, but I don't think it is terribly far. You could also look at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Enterance hotel as they have a water park and are just a smidge closer.

The Disneyland Hotel will also be reopening in early July, so another on property location to consider. We are staying at GCH in late June, but if DLH was already open I'd be tempted since their pool area and waterslide look more fun to me.

 

[Imkarlawithak2005]

We have done both multiple times. Hojo is an excellent budget option and GCH is an excellent luxury option. If your children still use strollers the walk to the Hojo is no worse than walking through the GCH to the Disneyland entrance. The walk from the GCH to DCA is unbeatable. I would not go from the GCH to the Hojo. I would go Hojo then Grand. The play area at Hojo is much more fun for little ones than the pool at GCH, in my opinion. Good luck with your decision. Have a great trip.

 

[Nonsuch]

I know the entry is now open for DCA, are they letting guest through that entry early? I read they've been opening the main gates a bit early. I would hate to be penalized for staying at CGH.

The direct DCA entrance only opened this past weekend, and I have not heard any first person reports.
My personal experience prior to COVID, it was better to use the main entrance (esplanade) at park opening.

- I thought I read somewhere that CGH doesn't have tubs, is that true?

The renovation a few years ago removed most of the tubs, but a few rooms still have tubs.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I love HOJO, but it’s too far. As the crow flies, it’s not “far,” and it’s definitely fine if you have grown children, but:

If you walk on the east side of Harbor, the sidewalks are wider, but you have to a) cross two streets (W. Manchester and then Harbor), b) dodge traffic coming out of multiple hotels, c) contend with a McDonald’s drive-thru ingress/egress, d) unhoused individuals along the route and at the bus stop (never a problem for me, but they are there).

If you immediately cross Harbor at Manchester and walk along the west side of Harbor, there are fewer driveways (the ones that are on that side are employee/shuttle ingress points), but the sidewalk isn’t as wide and you’re maybe 5-6 feet away from speeding traffic whizzing by on Harbor.

If this is one of your few trips to DL and you have younger children, GCH is worth the splurge. Private entrance/security check, proximity to parks makes a midday nap/rest break less hectic, gift shop purchases delivered so you don’t have to haul them around…if you have the money, spend it here!

 

[PirateBrigade]

Addendum: Look into DLH if your daughter loves water slides. It’s further, but walking down DtD is much different than walking down Harbor (and the headboards at DLH are just straight up magical).

DCA entrance will be useless if I assume you will start the park hopping day at DL, each day. At ages 5 and 1, DCA is a half-day park, at-best. It’ll make your end-of-day that much more relaxing as your rooms are right there.

If I needed to hotel hop, I would:
Day 1) flight into CA, stay at random hotel. go to the beach, do California things, eat burritos.
Day 2) early AM go to GCH, drop luggage with bell hop, check-in, if you don’t have a stroller, rent one from City Stroller and have them deliver to GCH. Midday get your bags and go to room
Day 3) 2nd day in park.
Day 4) Check out in AM, I presume your flight back to MCO is that afternoon.

things to consider: is it cheaper to hire a private car to drive you to GCH/DLH vs renting a car and hotel hopping? Car rentals are insane right now, but you have car seat and booster to contend with, so I get it.

 

[sjmac42]

It comes down to this, HoJo is an 11-12 min walk to the Disneyland turnstiles, GCH is 5-6 mins. So how much is that extra 5-6 mins actually worth? Only you can answer that. It’s definitely not what I would call too far, stayed at the Hilton last time which is 16-18 mins and that was fine for us. I’ve stayed at many places around DL including all onsite hotels and HoJo’s and the Disneyland Hotel is my favourite. I always prefer on-site if budget allows at the time but it’s nowhere near as critical as it is a WDW to do so. Then there is the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance which has a great waterpark and is a 7-8 min walk to the park turnstiles, so that may be a good compromise for you. It’s a very nice hotel and only 3-4 years old.
But there are heaps of “offsite” choices across all budgets and styles within a 5-15 min walk to the turnstiles.

 

[Mimi2Cam]

The price difference for two nights would be about $800 more.

Only you can assess if it is worth an additional $800 for you to stay onsite but I can tell you that of our four total trips to DL, two of our stays were at HoJo and two were at the Park Vue. I will tell you that although it's not a bad walk to HoJo and we'd definitely stay there again, knowing that your trek ends right across the street at the Park Vue (or BWPPI, Tropicana, Desert Inn, etc.) is pretty darned nice.

That said, when we did stay at the HoJo, we took breaks every day for naps & swimming and never minded the ~5 minutes more to walk.

I have pondered the benefits of staying onsite every time we've gone to DL and just could not pull the trigger. Again, personal opinion...

 

[amy85]

Hi all,

I'm a disneyland newbie here. We live in Orlando, so we visit wdw all the time, but I've been to DL ONCE about 15 years ago. This board has been so helpful I know things are constantly changing especially with the times we are in, but I'm trying to figure out if GCH is worth the extra money when we come at the end of July.

We booked our trip kinda spur of the moment a few months ago. We are going to a family reunion in Idaho, and I found super cheap flights from lax to mco, so we decided to hit up California for 4 days at the end of our trip. At the time I wasn't even sure we would be able to get into Disneyland, but I found an AMAZING deal at the Howard Johnson!

The closer we get, the more I keep looking at GCH. I would probably only do it for the 2 days we plan to go to the parks. The main reason I keep looking at it is convenience. I'll be traveling with my husband and 2 kids (5 &1) the idea of being able to go back for naps/swim in the afternoon sounds really appealing. I've google maped it, and the HOJO doesn't look THAT far. I'm a little hesitant to pay the extra money when perks like extra hours or the character meals aren't happening.

The concerns I have:
- I heard the slide is closed. Not a huge issue, but my daughter is obsessed with water slides(why I booked hojo) is it still closed?

I know the entry is now open for DCA, are they letting guest through that entry early? I read they've been opening the main gates a bit early. I would hate to be penalized for staying at CGH.

- I thought I read somewhere that CGH doesn't have tubs, is that true?

- is CGH really that much more convenient than HOJO?

The price difference for two nights would be about $800 more.

Thoughts, opinions, and advice appreciated!

Thank you

Thank you!! The courtyard looks nice, but I can't justify paying more for about the same walk. If I'm going to splurge, I think I want to be on property. The slides do look like more fun at DL HOTEL. I have a family member that is a wdw cm, so I'm able to get a discount at GCH that makes it cheaper than DLH

The slide at GCH has been open, but I've heard the pool area has had waiting lists at times due to limited capacity (that may change after June 15). You might want to check with HOJO about whether they are requiring reservations for the pool area.

I've never stayed at HOJO, but I don't think it is terribly far. You could also look at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Enterance hotel as they have a water park and are just a smidge closer.

The Disneyland Hotel will also be reopening in early July, so another on property location to consider. We are staying at GCH in late June, but if DLH was already open I'd be tempted since their pool area and waterslide look more fun to me.

Thank you!! The courtyard looks nice, but I can't justify paying more for about the same walk. If I'm going to splurge, I think I want to be on property. The slides do look like more fun at DL HOTEL. I have a family member that is a wdw cm, so I'm able to get a discount at GCH that makes it cheaper than DLH

 

[amy85]

We have done both multiple times. Hojo is an excellent budget option and GCH is an excellent luxury option. If your children still use strollers the walk to the Hojo is no worse than walking through the GCH to the Disneyland entrance. The walk from the GCH to DCA is unbeatable. I would not go from the GCH to the Hojo. I would go Hojo then Grand. The play area at Hojo is much more fun for little ones than the pool at GCH, in my opinion. Good luck with your decision. Have a great trip.

Thank you! Yes, if we were to do it, we would do off-site for 2 days then GCH for 2 days. Yes, we would also bring our double stroller. Good to know the walk from HOJO is similar as GCH TO DL. THANKS

 

[amy85]

Addendum: Look into DLH if your daughter loves water slides. It’s further, but walking down DtD is much different than walking down Harbor (and the headboards at DLH are just straight up magical).

DCA entrance will be useless if I assume you will start the park hopping day at DL, each day. At ages 5 and 1, DCA is a half-day park, at-best. It’ll make your end-of-day that much more relaxing as your rooms are right there.

If I needed to hotel hop, I would:
Day 1) flight into CA, stay at random hotel. go to the beach, do California things, eat burritos.
Day 2) early AM go to GCH, drop luggage with bell hop, check-in, if you don’t have a stroller, rent one from City Stroller and have them deliver to GCH. Midday get your bags and go to room
Day 3) 2nd day in park.
Day 4) Check out in AM, I presume your flight back to MCO is that afternoon.

things to consider: is it cheaper to hire a private car to drive you to GCH/DLH vs renting a car and hotel hopping? Car rentals are insane right now, but you have car seat and booster to contend with, so I get it.

Wow! Thank you so much for all the helpful information! I really appreciate it!

I should have included in my original post that I have a family member that is a wdw cm that is able to get a discounted rate at GCH( that's why it's only $400 a night more than the HOJO) DLH doesn't have any discounts for when we're there.

I currently have 1 day of park reservations for DL and one day for DCA. My husband is a big marvel fan, and my 5 yr old really wants to ride radiator springs. I guess we would really only use that entrance one day, and then possibly that afternoon for a break.

The way I have it currently planned
Day 1: fly into la and do LA things
Day 2: the beach
Day 3pen- possibly drive down to San Diego and do the zoo
Day 4- DL
Day 5-DCA - flight leaves at 11pm

However, I realized I didn't plan it right bc no matter what hotel we stay at, we wouldn't be able to come back for a nap on our last day as we would be checked out.

So I think I will switch day 3 and day 5. If we switch to GCH we would do that for nights 3 &4 and then could possibly just hang by the pool that last day, but HOJO says the car can't be there after noon on the day of checkout (also a reason not to do DCA on day 5, we would have to go park at DL)

Since you've been so helpful and seem to know a lot. Would you look for an off-site hotel in la for the first 2 nights, or someone near anahiem? I was leaning towards anaheim as it seems safer, and we would be closer to go check in the morning of the 3rd day.

Also, is doing a day trip to the sandigo zoo crazy?

Thanks again!

 

[amy85]

It comes down to this, HoJo is an 11-12 min walk to the Disneyland turnstiles, GCH is 5-6 mins. So how much is that extra 5-6 mins actually worth? Only you can answer that. It’s definitely not what I would call too far, stayed at the Hilton last time which is 16-18 mins and that was fine for us. I’ve stayed at many places around DL including all onsite hotels and HoJo’s and the Disneyland Hotel is my favourite. I always prefer on-site if budget allows at the time but it’s nowhere near as critical as it is a WDW to do so. Then there is the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance which has a great waterpark and is a 7-8 min walk to the park turnstiles, so that may be a good compromise for you. It’s a very nice hotel and only 3-4 years old.
But there are heaps of “offsite” choices across all budgets and styles within a 5-15 min walk to the turnstiles.

Thank you! That's what I keep asking myself, how much is a 5 min walk worth! DH keeps saying whatever I decide, so I just need to decide lol

 

[amy85]

Only you can assess if it is worth an additional $800 for you to stay onsite but I can tell you that of our four total trips to DL, two of our stays were at HoJo and two were at the Park Vue. I will tell you that although it's not a bad walk to HoJo and we'd definitely stay there again, knowing that your trek ends right across the street at the Park Vue (or BWPPI, Tropicana, Desert Inn, etc.) is pretty darned nice.

That said, when we did stay at the HoJo, we took breaks every day for naps & swimming and never minded the ~5 minutes more to walk.

I have pondered the benefits of staying onsite every time we've gone to DL and just could not pull the trigger. Again, personal opinion...

Thank you! I appreciate your experience. Good to know that you still took breaks and it was doable. I'm sure either will be great, and I'm just completely over thinking it

 

[vacay77]

If you are getting a great discount at GCH, I would go that route. I've never stayed at the Ho Jo, but I've stayed at the Courtyard which is nearby and closer to the parks than the Ho Jo. The Courtyard is the farthest I will stay at, off property. While the walk doesn't seem too long to and from the parks to the Ho Jo, every minute counts at the end of the day with tired feet and little ones.

 

[vacay77]

Wow! Thank you so much for all the helpful information! I really appreciate it!

I should have included in my original post that I have a family member that is a wdw cm that is able to get a discounted rate at GCH( that's why it's only $400 a night more than the HOJO) DLH doesn't have any discounts for when we're there.

I currently have 1 day of park reservations for DL and one day for DCA. My husband is a big marvel fan, and my 5 yr old really wants to ride radiator springs. I guess we would really only use that entrance one day, and then possibly that afternoon for a break.

The way I have it currently planned
Day 1: fly into la and do LA things
Day 2: the beach
Day 3pen- possibly drive down to San Diego and do the zoo
Day 4- DL
Day 5-DCA - flight leaves at 11pm

However, I realized I didn't plan it right bc no matter what hotel we stay at, we wouldn't be able to come back for a nap on our last day as we would be checked out.

So I think I will switch day 3 and day 5. If we switch to GCH we would do that for nights 3 &4 and then could possibly just hang by the pool that last day, but HOJO says the car can't be there after noon on the day of checkout (also a reason not to do DCA on day 5, we would have to go park at DL)

Since you've been so helpful and seem to know a lot. Would you look for an off-site hotel in la for the first 2 nights, or someone near anahiem? I was leaning towards anaheim as it seems safer, and we would be closer to go check in the morning of the 3rd day.

Also, is doing a day trip to the sandigo zoo crazy?

Thanks again!

I would probably stay at a nice hotel in the LA area for the first couple of days if you are going to be doing activities in the LA area. Traffic is a nightmare and I'd avoid driving back and forth from Anaheim to LA as much as possible. San Diego for the day is doable, but in all honesty, I'd probably skip it if you have other activities planned. With traffic as it is, it will be a very looong day. I'd see if there are other things in the Anaheim area that your family would enjoy.

 

[DLgal]

Stay at the GCH. The Hojo is not anywhere in the same league as the GCH, which is one of Disney's absolute best resorts IMO. The Hojo is a budget hotel, and everything about it reminds you of that.

 

[Geemo]

Thank you! Yes, if we were to do it, we would do off-site for 2 days then GCH for 2 days. Yes, we would also bring our double stroller. Good to know the walk from HOJO is similar as GCH TO DL. THANKS

Make sure your stroller meets the size requirements for the parks.

Strollers larger than 31" (79 cm) x 52" (132 cm) and wagons are not permitted.

I would go for GCH on your trip. It is so close and easy to pop to and from the parks.
The only time the distance GCH to the park was an issue for us was the first time we stayed there.
Our room was the farthest one from the lobby. The walk at the end of a day was a killer.
It took longer to get to our room from the lobby than it took to get to the parks from the lobby....

From this I learned to request a room near the lobby.

Geemo

 

[amy85]

I would probably stay at a nice hotel in the LA area for the first couple of days if you are going to be doing activities in the LA area. Traffic is a nightmare and I'd avoid driving back and forth from Anaheim to LA as much as possible. San Diego for the day is doable, but in all honesty, I'd probably skip it if you have other activities planned. With traffic as it is, it will be a very looong day. I'd see if there are other things in the Anaheim area that your family would enjoy.

Thank you! That's great advice!

 

[amy85]

Make sure your stroller meets the size requirements for the parks.

Strollers larger than 31" (79 cm) x 52" (132 cm) and wagons are not permitted.

I would go for GCH on your trip. It is so close and easy to pop to and from the parks.
The only time the distance GCH to the park was an issue for us was the first time we stayed there.
Our room was the farthest one from the lobby. The walk at the end of a day was a killer.
It took longer to get to our room from the lobby than it took to get to the parks from the lobby....

From this I learned to request a room near the lobby.

Geemo

Thanks! Yes, it's a sit and stand type. Even before they changed their requirements I wouldn't have wanted to navigate one of the large side by side strollers at Disney.

Thanks for the room tip. Do you by chance know which room views are near the lobby? If we're going to do it, I figured we might as well go for the theme park view/ dtd view. However, I would think those would be far from the lobby.

Thanks!!

 

[RedVines2001]

I'd say that purely because you can get the GCH at a discount makes it worthwhile for you to stay there. I think that switching days 3 and 5 would be a good call. And don't quote me on this but I want to say that if you're parking at car the GCH they *might let you keep it parked till the end of the night after your check out because they assume that you're going to be in the parks.

Your flight being at 11pm will make it a long day no matter what you do. I think the easiest, most relaxing way to spend that last day would be request a late check out, get some pool time in the morning, then hangout in Downtown Disney for the afternoon and grab an early dinner before heading to the airport. A day trip to San Diego would be exhausting and that redeye to Orlando would be torture (been there done that).

As far as staying in LA vs Anaheim for the first couple of days I'd recommend staying nearing the destinations that you want to visit. Driving back and forth from LA and Anaheim will be tough. Did you have specific LA things to do in mind? I ask because there may be things in Orange County that are similar to what you would want to do in LA. Personally the touristy LA things don't really appeal to me and I enjoy Orange County much more. OC has nicer beaches too in my opinion.

Food for thought. Hope you have a good trip.