Help convince me, it is worth $1100 more to stay at Grand Californian than HOJO

[Kris Puyear]

Hi,

We are arriving June 18th and staying until the 22nd in Anaheim. I have reservations for a Disney view room at HOJO, total cost $396 ($99 a night).

Now all of a sudden, I have an inspiration to stay on property and the only hotel I can get is the Grand Californian for $333 a night. I am checking Expedia everyday trying to get a cheaper rate, but so far no luck.

Can you guys convince me that it is worth the $1100 extra that it is going to costs us to upgrade to this hotel?

We are only going to do this trip once. We have gone to WDW many times and either stayed at the value resorts or Port Orleans Riverside (old Dixie Landings).

After we leave Anaheim, we are going to San Diego and stay at the Best Western in Mission Bay to do Sea World and San Diego Zoo.

Thanks for all your answers to this and all previous posts.
Kris

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I happen to love Hojos and I have really no desire to stay at the GCH- and personally Id much rather use the 1000 bucks to buy more stuff (PINS!) or have more experiances or more good meals because quite frankly how much time will you spend in your room??

-em

 

[adznyfan]

i love to stay onsite even knowing it's gonna cost more and it generally costs $1000 more - if this is your ONLY trip to disneyland i say go for it esp if you book thru aaa you can get a really nice fast pass option if you stay at a disney hotel and the grand californian, while i've never stayed there has a really nice lobby and balconies on most of the room

for me there's nothing like staying in the middle of the magic and you're a 5-10 minute walk thru downtown disney to disneyland and i believe you have your own entrance to california adventure but $1000 is alot of money

cindy

 

[Hermosa11]

I have not stayed there, but my friend went and stayed there with her three kids. She LOvED it. The convenience was nothing but wonderful.
I say, if money is available to you..........and this will be your "once in a lifetime" trip to DL.............Go for it. HoJos is a bit dated (I stayed there a couple of times back in the early '70's.......and once with GF when we were youthful traveling companions in '76...........
GO FOR IT!!!!

 

[KaitlinsMom]

HOjo's is fine - They have remodeled their pools and the place actually is quite nice - It's very clean and well kept - Our family stayed there when they were here a year ago -

I must tell you that Grand California hotel is my favorite hotel - Absolutely spectacular and a great pool - What about if you stayed there your last day or two? That would put a great ending to your vacation! That extra money you saved could buy a lot of souvenirs!!!!

But if you do have the extra money - Grand CA is well worth the money - Just make sure you get a park view room - If you have a downtown Disney view, it tends to be loud at night time -

Karen

 

[yeartolate]

Alot of it depends on what your financial situation is.

I wouldn't dig myself into a financial hellhole to go.

What you are paying for is convinience - ultimatly a more relazing vacation. How much does this mean to you? The GCH hotel is beautiful.- but you can visit and not stay there.

Also - you can add on to your GCH bill more expensive food options. Except for White Water snacks, you will pay a hefty price for a meal.At Hojos you have a number of reasonably priced options nearby.

I loved HoJos - we will certainly be return visitors there - the rooms were spacious - the view was nice -- and the customer service was the tops.

 

[crazymomof 4]

If you have the money do it! Especially if you are going only once!

 

[NHLFAN]

You might want to think about staying at the HOJO for the first day or two...and GCH the remainder.

Hope prices and availablity get better for you...

 

[HaleyB]

I say go for it. The GC is fantastic, beautiful, and in the heart of it all. HoJo's is fine, as others have said, but it is still a HoJo's that is 35+ years old... it has been updated and redone but in the end it is just a decent room fairly close by DL... The GC on the other hand is a fabulous resort right in the middle of the magic. It is apples to oranges, GC is well worth the money if you have it to spend. I think you might regret it if you don't stay at the GC, I know you will NOT regret it at all if you do.

 

[LucyKate]

This is a no-brainer for me - I went to Disneyland to spend every hour we could in Disneyland - not a hotel room.

If you're going to spend your day in the hotel stay at the GC - if you're going to spend your day in DL, then save the money, stay at the Ho Jo (which is a fine hotel) and spend the money insted on nice meals.

Unlike the GC the HoJo is NOT a 5-star hotel, but it is clean, decent, has great staff, is recently renovated and is a 10 minute walk from DL.

The GC is the ONLY hotel at DL which can be truly regarded as "on-site" as it has its own entrance to DCA - but is still a 5 minute walk from DL. The
DL and PP hotels are both as far, if not further, away than HoJo and a number of other hotels.

 

[geffric]

we couldn't decide either , so we are splitting our stay. We will be at the GC 3 nights and then the rest in at the Carousel Inn.

 

[Dobie]

I would never stay anywhere else but the GCH. If we can't afford to stay there, we don't go. To us, the convenience of our hotel being in the park means that we have a park experience 24 7. There is nothing like lounging by the pool, waiting for your fastpast window!

That said, we also tend to go commando the first day and a half or so, so it would make sense to stay somewhere less spendy the first night, check out in the morning, drop our bags at bell services at the Grand, check in (early), then go the the park and go commando until we are dropping dead at 4 our so and can get our room.

You will have a great time!

 

[two-foxes]

Have you tried AAA? Like a previous poster said, you can get unlimited fastpasses if you book a package in a DLR resort with them. I priced out doing everything seperately through travelocity, then priced a package thru AAA....not too much of a savings..less than $150 with airfare. So we booked PP with them. Plus, they may have better availability at any of the three DLR hotels during your visit. If you are not a member, I think it is $65 for an annual membership. Not bad for the overall discounts and perks available around the country with them.

 

[hookedup]

The GC is very nice, I have stayed there 4 times and certainly loved it.
That being said I dont think I would shell out the $1000+ to do it.
Hojo's is no luxury resort but it is a pretty decent place and a good value for the money. I have not stayed there in many years but always hear good things about it.
The thing that makes GC so special to me is the resort (great pool, lobby, etc) I dont think the rooms are all that great - they are quite small in fact. So if you aren't going to have time to really enjoy the resort I would not pay the extra $$.
Just hanging out in the lobby is really cool and we love the pool and spa. But as my dh is quick to remind me - if you are going to spend most of your time at the parks and not hang out a bunch at the hotel it is sort of a shame to spend that money. Unlike WDW the hotels offsite (on Harbor Blvd) are close and easy to walk to the parks. You don't have to stay onsite to be in the action. Heck that 1000+ could practically pay for another trip to WDW for you!

Of course the location of GC is awesome and very convenient - I know to some folks that alone might make it worth the big bucks. Hojos is very walkable, but it is not "onsite" like GC. It is very fun to get soaked on Grizzley Rapids at DCA and then be able to pop up to your room to change your clothes. We have done that a bunch. I do love the GC but $300+ a night is a lot to spend on a hotel anywhere!
What about a couple of nights and Hojo's then switch to GC for a couple? Just make sure that you stay at Hojos first and your last days at GC (dont start off with GC and then more to Hojos).

Whatever your decision have a wonderful trip!!!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

If you can afford to do it without cutting back on other things then do it! Staying onsite isn't really about just the proximity to the parks. After all, in WDW you might be onsite and miles from many of the theme parks. Onsite to me means being in a Disney owned and operated hotel, surrounded by that Disney magic. Whether it is worth $1100 is pretty individual. It's a lot of little things that add up to a really special vacation but it comes with a pricetag! Obviously you will spend the majority of your time at the parks but with the upcoming crowd projections you might really enjoy having a true resort to escape to. To me I had to stay onsite to really know that it was a priority worth paying for (most of the time)! We always prefer to stay onsite but did enjoy the Howard Johnson's last June. It is a very clean motel with lovely grounds and a wonderful, helpful staff. We missed the DLH but it was nice to save the money and since we we had just stayed at the DLH a month earlier felt like we needed to cut back. Since this is your only visit it Disneyland and since you are used to staying onsite at WDW you might want to give it a go! Good luck, you will have a magical vacation whichever option you choose.