Help! Disneyland Newbie: Hotel choice, transportation questions

[Laura's Dad]

We live in Atlanta and have been to WDW for close to 1-2 times per year for close to 20 years. We have stayed at many of the hotels and are very comfortable with the WDW transportation system and our hotel preferences. WE have also done many posts on the DIS and have received many helpful tips over the years on planning our WDW trips. Our family of 3 has decided to take a Halloween trip next year for a week in early October to Disneyland. We have been searching through the Good neighbor hotels and the more I research, the more confused I get. We have (I think) narrowed it down to the following choices: Fairfield by Marriott across the street, Wyndham on Katella, Springhill on the corner of Harbor and Katella, Residence Inn next to Springhill, Homewood Suites just south of the convention center, and Hyatt House on the corner of Katella and Harbor. I know that this is quite a list, but and advice on any of these would be very helpful.

We are traditionally rope droppers and were wondering if the ART system is in any way comparable to Disney world buses. I think that I have figured out how the routes and pickup work and understand that it costs to ride it (we will get a 5 day pass). I was just wondering if the process was similar to using WDW transportation. Are the buses crowded in the mornings? To they get full as they pick up on their routes. Is it easier to walk to the park even though it might be a 15-20 minute walk? Is uber/lyft ant easier? Any transportation advice would be appreciated as well.

 

[Aspencreek]

If it was me I would try to stay close enough so that walking was a reasonable option and then maybe take an uber/lyft occasionally if you want. The furthest distance I feel is reasonable to walk is about to the corner of Harbor/Katella where the Hyatt House or Springhill are located. That corner takes our family about 12-15 mins to walk and I don't get too many complaints. We've stayed further and tried to walk and it is just too much after long days in the park. So now for the last 4 trips we've kept it to that 3/4 mile or so distance and no more just to simplify things. I don't like to have to worry about bus schedules or lines or whatnot so if you are close enough you can skip all that headache and just hoof it out of there - or maybe grab a lyft for $7 for the 2 minute ride.

Of the hotels you mention we've only stayed at the Hyatt House. It's been a good place for the couple of visits, was quiet, had a decent full breakfast, etc. Also stayed at the Desert Palms, which is across the street from Hyatt House, for the first time 2 months ago and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. They had just brought back full breakfast which was appreciated.

 

[vacay77]

I wouldn’t rely on the ART. I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Place which is across the street from the Toy Story parking lot. We’d hop on the Disney shuttle to and from the parks and had no trouble at all, though I’m not sure if they’ve clamped down on that since our last stay. I highly recommend the Courtyard Theme Park Entrance Hotel. It’s pricier but I love that it’s a newer hotel and it’s an easy walk to/from the parks.

 

[Pluto468]

We've stayed at Hyatt House. Very comfortable beds. There's also a Starbucks next to the lobby and a store (maybe Walgreens.) It's a nice hotel and the walk didn't seem too bad in the morning, but felt like 100 miles after a day at the parks. I agree about ART. It was pretty unreliable when we used it. A few times it was great, but more often than not it was late or full and we ended up having to walk.

 

[mel2014]

If you're going to be there for a week, I would pick one of the hotels with more space and free breakfast, which would exclude the Fairfield and Wyndham. To potentially add a new one to your list, we just stayed at the new Home2 Suites (right behind the Fairfield) for two nights and would highly recommend. The walk is about the same distance as the hotels at Katella and Harbor, but I found it more pleasant to go north than south on Harbor. The Home2 Suites replaced the Quality Inn and Suites, where we stayed a couple of times when my kids were younger, so I've had a good bit of experience with the walk and didn't find it bad, whether pushing a stroller or walking with my now-older (11,13) kids.

When we stayed a little farther away (at the Kings Inn), we did take Uber/Lyft a couple of times -- once for rope drop and once for a midday break, and the waits weren't too bad. However, getting an Uber/Lyft at the end of the night is a hassle -- you'll see a line of cars backed up going south on Harbor trying to get into the pick off/drop off lot. You could end up waiting as long for an Uber/Lyft to get into the lot as it would take to walk back to your hotel. Also, the way the traffic lights are set up, there's often more distance involved in taking a car to the park (the Uber/Lyft drivers have to go up to the light at Manchester/Harbor, u-turn, and then go back south to try and pull into the pick up/drop off). Same thing with pulling into your hotel, depending on whether there's a median, they may have to overshoot and u-turn to drop you off.

 

[gelatoni fan]

The hotels you are looking at are all pretty much walkable so I wouldn't bother with transportation. Homewood Suites is sort of the exception to that and I would not recommend it to someone unfamiliar with the area. I've never stayed at the Wyndham so I can't comment on that.

If you want space, the Residence Inn is best, followed by Hyatt House then Springhill.
If you want quality, in my opinion, the Residence Inn is best, followed by Hyatt House then Fairfield.

If price is not the biggest concern, the Residence Inn would be my recommendation. The Hyatt House is a favorite among my extended family. Their expanded suites are good and similar in size to the Residence Inn rooms but not quite as nice. I often recommend the Fairfield to people unfamiliar with the area because many people don't want to walk any more at the end of the day. Springhill is fine but I'd mainly recommend it if it's cheaper than the other options you are looking at and you're watching your budget.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

We just stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance and the walk wasn't too bad. The pool area with water slides was a big hit. The rooms were a good size and the hotel was nice. I prefer to stay within walking distance and avoid needing transportation. Next time I might opt for the Disney bubble and go with the GCH.

 

[HairyChest]

I’ve stayed at the Hilton by the convention center and loved it. The walk was about 10-15 minutes, and it felt like a nice proper hotel, not a dingy motel that you just sleep in and leave for a ridiculous price. It reminded me of the Disneyland hotel without the Disney Characters.

 

[Hyphen677]

The Fairfield Marriott is great if you don't have a car. It's a five minute or less walk to the park and is close to a Panera and a McDonald's where you can grab a cheaper bite to eat. We stayed there in June and it was comfortable.

 

[AndrewC]

I’ve stayed at the Hilton by the convention center and loved it. The walk was about 10-15 minutes, and it felt like a nice proper hotel, not a dingy motel that you just sleep in and leave for a ridiculous price. It reminded me of the Disneyland hotel without the Disney Characters.

Which way did you walk up to the parks? Toward the DLH and then through downtown Disney, or up Harbor?

 

[Laura's Dad]

If you're going to be there for a week, I would pick one of the hotels with more space and free breakfast, which would exclude the Fairfield and Wyndham. To potentially add a new one to your list, we just stayed at the new Home2 Suites (right behind the Fairfield) for two nights and would highly recommend. The walk is about the same distance as the hotels at Katella and Harbor, but I found it more pleasant to go north than south on Harbor. The Home2 Suites replaced the Quality Inn and Suites, where we stayed a couple of times when my kids were younger, so I've had a good bit of experience with the walk and didn't find it bad, whether pushing a stroller or walking with my now-older (11,13) kids.

When we stayed a little farther away (at the Kings Inn), we did take Uber/Lyft a couple of times -- once for rope drop and once for a midday break, and the waits weren't too bad. However, getting an Uber/Lyft at the end of the night is a hassle -- you'll see a line of cars backed up going south on Harbor trying to get into the pick off/drop off lot. You could end up waiting as long for an Uber/Lyft to get into the lot as it would take to walk back to your hotel. Also, the way the traffic lights are set up, there's often more distance involved in taking a car to the park (the Uber/Lyft drivers have to go up to the light at Manchester/Harbor, u-turn, and then go back south to try and pull into the pick up/drop off). Same thing with pulling into your hotel, depending on whether there's a median, they may have to overshoot and u-turn to drop you off.

We looked into the Home2 Suites and were really impressed. We may go with this. Can you ship groceries to this resort? We will not have a car.

 

[mel2014]

We looked into the Home2 Suites and were really impressed. We may go with this. Can you ship groceries to this resort? We will not have a car.

While we were waiting outside for our airport cab, we saw someone getting a large grocery delivery. Looked like maybe Instacart. I know Vons and Amazon Prime Now also do delivery in the Anaheim area. I don't know if the front desk would hold perishable groceries for you, but as long as you're there to grab the groceries, absolutely you can get delivery. The kitchens were really well equipped -- silverware, paper towels, dish soap and dishwasher soap, sharp knives, etc and they'll provide a mini cooktop and pans upon request, so I think it would be a great place for a long stay to save some money on expensive park meals.

If you want a park view ask for a room on the northwest side - we were in Rooms 402 and 404 and had a great Matterhorn view

 

[crystal1313]

I would stay at the Wyndham. We love it there and they have top notch customer service. The rooms are spacious, as they typically have two queens and a sofa sleeper. It’s recently renovated and really nice. Plus they have free parking and a Starbucks in the lobby. If you stay there, you would not need ART as it is within waking distance.

we did stay at the homewood suites too. While the extra space was nice, the room was in need of a refresh as it was pretty beat up. Lots of furniture was in need of repair.

We have been seeing some amazing rates at the JW Marriott which we loved as well. One thing to note is the parking fee there is expensive (not sure you’ll have a car).

have a great trip!!

 

[Laura's Dad]

While we were waiting outside for our airport cab, we saw someone getting a large grocery delivery. Looked like maybe Instacart. I know Vons and Amazon Prime Now also do delivery in the Anaheim area. I don't know if the front desk would hold perishable groceries for you, but as long as you're there to grab the groceries, absolutely you can get delivery. The kitchens were really well equipped -- silverware, paper towels, dish soap and dishwasher soap, sharp knives, etc and they'll provide a mini cooktop and pans upon request, so I think it would be a great place for a long stay to save some money on expensive park meals.

If you want a park view ask for a room on the northwest side - we were in Rooms 402 and 404 and had a great Matterhorn view

We are more interested in drinks and snacks. I will check these out. Thanks.