Help me decide lodging for October trip

[daniele_ut]

Dh and I are planning to take our 2 kids to DL for the first time in October. DH and were there once before for 2 days pre-kids and I can't remember where we stayed. Our dates will be 10/14-10/18. I should have started planning before now, but we were just able to solidify things.

DD will be 2.75 and DS will be turning 6 while we are at DL. My preference would be to stay somewhere within walking distance but in a suite that has a separate bedroom (with a door to the bedroom). There is a good chance that we will stay late in the parks and all go to bed at once, but if we don't I would rather have the option of putting them to bed and staying up to watch TV with dh or read.

I've done a lot of reading on here and checked out the picture threads and reviews, but I need some prodding in the right direction before I go mad trying to decide. HoJo's kid suites are all booked for our dates, but that would have been our first choice. Are there any other great hotels within walking distance that have reasonably priced suites that we should consider? Or should I give up the idea of a suite and just stay at HoJo or FFI for the amenities and proximity?

Am I placing too much importance on being within walking distance? I'm thinking that I'm not, since we'll have one kid who will need a break at some point for a nap. HoJo would be nice because one of us could take DS to the kids splash area while DD naps.

TIA for any advice!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Dh and I are planning to take our 2 kids to DL for the first time in October. DH and were there once before for 2 days pre-kids and I can't remember where we stayed. Our dates will be 10/14-10/18. I should have started planning before now, but we were just able to solidify things.

DD will be 2.75 and DS will be turning 6 while we are at DL. My preference would be to stay somewhere within walking distance but in a suite that has a separate bedroom (with a door to the bedroom). There is a good chance that we will stay late in the parks and all go to bed at once, but if we don't I would rather have the option of putting them to bed and staying up to watch TV with dh or read.

I've done a lot of reading on here and checked out the picture threads and reviews, but I need some prodding in the right direction before I go mad trying to decide. HoJo's kid suites are all booked for our dates, but that would have been our first choice. Are there any other great hotels within walking distance that have reasonably priced suites that we should consider? Or should I give up the idea of a suite and just stay at HoJo or FFI for the amenities and proximity?

Am I placing too much importance on being within walking distance? I'm thinking that I'm not, since we'll have one kid who will need a break at some point for a nap. HoJo would be nice because one of us could take DS to the kids splash area while DD naps.

TIA for any advice!

There are other walking distance hotels besides Hojos that have suites. I will let someone else talk about those because we've never stayed at any of them because we haven't wanted to spend the money. We just live with all sharing a room for a few days.

I will say though that I personally do not feel you are putting too much emphasis on walking distance. Our first trip to DL, younger boy was 3 1/2 and older boy was 5 1/2. We chose a hotel beyond walking distance based on being able to get a suite at a price point that we could stomach. Never again. Like I said, we'd rather put up with a shared room, and now the boys are older so bedtime is a little less of an issue (I'm usually more tired than they are ). Anyway, when the boys were that young, we found it a big hassle having to take ART buses. If was crowded and tedious and having to collapse the stroller every time was a real drag, not to mention the fun of convincing tired DS to get out of it in the first place. Even though it's ages since we've dealt with strollers, I still wouldn't want to bother with ART.

 

[daniele_ut]

Thank you for that perspective! I had the same initial thought to get a suite farther away, so I am grateful to hear that your experience has taught you it's better to be closer to the park in a shared room before I make any reservations.

The stroller issue is one of the big reasons that I would far rather be within walking distance. My 2 year old rides all the time, and believe it or not, the 5 year old does too on occasion. We have a Phil and Ted's stroller that can be a used as a double or a single and will most likely bring it. It folds in 2 pieces, though, so it would be a big PITB on ART.

 

[tdashgirl]

Walking distance is super important to us too. Therefore, I only stay at places that are within reasonable walking distance (HOJO's is the limit, pretty much). For example, the Embassy Suites on Harbor has awesome rooms and awesome free breakfast, but you can't walk and have to drive or use ART. We stayed there once and never again.

Having said that, if you're looking for suites at a reasonable price, check out the Desert Inn and Suites. You can't beat the walk, and the prices are reasonable. It's very basic, but we've always found it to be clean and totally fine. No fancy pool, just a spacious room very close to the main entrance.

 

[kim3339]

I think the Best Western Park Place has suites that have a separate bedroom. Their prices are usually really decent. You can get discounts there like AAA and buy in advance. The location is perfect as well. It's right next to, if not right at, the main crosswalk across from the main walk up entrance to Disneyland. Just cross the street and you are there!! Plus, there are restaurants right there as well.

 

[poohnpigletCA]

I think you are on the correct path with staying in walking distance. In the past we have stayed at the Carousel Inn and the Camelot which is next door. However, there prices have gotten so high lately. We went from doing suites only to a standard room at the Paradise Pier. I bring a book light and we bring headphones for our laptop. We still read a book or watch a movie and the kids are so tired from the day it is no problem.

For example on getawaytoday.com

For your dates including tickets the Camelot Inn would be 1420. and the Paradise Pier would be 1520. The Paradise Pier has a yellow slide that goes into a water jet instead of a pool and my kids love it. The walk is very short if you go out the front doors, cross the street, and walk through the lobby of the Grand Californian.

 

[daniele_ut]

Having said that, if you're looking for suites at a reasonable price, check out the Desert Inn and Suites.

Thank you! That's a definite contender. The room looks like exactly what we need.

I think the Best Western Park Place has suites that have a separate bedroom.

Thank you very much for the suggestion! I will call to double check, but from their website it looks like their suites don't have a door between the bedroom and sleeping area, and they don't seem to have availability on our dates.

For your dates including tickets the Camelot Inn would be 1420. and the Paradise Pier would be 1520. The Paradise Pier has a yellow slide that goes into a water jet instead of a pool and my kids love it. The walk is very short if you go out the front doors, cross the street, and walk through the lobby of the Grand Californian.

Paradise Pier looks like a ton of fun, but I'm not sure if dh would go for it pricewise, but he could surprise me. We actually have some left over tickets from when he took his youth orchestra last spring, so we don't need tickets for me or dh, just for DS. That might make a package less desirable.

 

[poohnpigletCA]

I would never pay rack rate for Paradise Pier. The last few trips we have gotten PP cheaper than Camelot suite or Carousel. Last October my sister got it for $100. a night on Expedia. I would not pay the 250-350 a night. We have stayed at the Best Western Park Place and that was a nice short walk.

 

[daniele_ut]

If we got a rate that good for Paradise Pier, we'd definitely take it, lol!!

 

[tdashgirl]

I would never pay rack rate for Paradise Pier. The last few trips we have gotten PP cheaper than Camelot suite or Carousel. Last October my sister got it for $100. a night on Expedia. I would not pay the 250-350 a night. We have stayed at the Best Western Park Place and that was a nice short walk.

I agree. We stay at Disney hotels only if we get a fabulous deal. So what I do is book a room at a local hotel, all my faves don't require deposits and have easy cancellation policies. Then I check Disney's prices as time goes by to see how they are. Last October, the AP rates came out and we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for about $20/night more than one of the Harbor hotels. Totally worth it IMO.

 

[Funball]

Hey trip planners!!!!

I have still have park maps for Disneyland and DCA !!

 

[mwrogers]

If you really like the HoJo suites, don't give up on them yet. In the past, I've been able to piece together a 5 night stay by calling every day until I had all 5 nights booked in a suite. People cancel them all the way up to 24 hours before.

 

[daniele_ut]

If you really like the HoJo suites, don't give up on them yet. In the past, I've been able to piece together a 5 night stay by calling every day until I had all 5 nights booked in a suite. People cancel them all the way up to 24 hours before.

Huh, I hadn't even considered that approach. I'm going to call back and see what they have available for each of our nights. Thanks!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

If you really like the HoJo suites, don't give up on them yet. In the past, I've been able to piece together a 5 night stay by calling every day until I had all 5 nights booked in a suite. People cancel them all the way up to 24 hours before.

Oooh, that's smart!

 

[daniele_ut]

I just wanted to say thank you again for all of the advice. I talked it over with dh and he ranked proximity to the park and the quality of the pool higher than the privacy of a suite.

Right now I have a deluxe queen (NQQ2) room overlooking the pool in building 2 booked at HoJo for the 4 nights of our stay and I will keep calling back to ask about the Kid Suite availability.

 

[clb79]

We stayed last Oct at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel. They have "family suites" that are adjoining rooms. They start around 109 a night and are the same distance as hojo but the other direction on Harbor (you are right across the street from the Tower of Terror. It was an easy walk (less than 10 minutes) with a stroller pushing/carrying a 2.5 year old and 5 year old. The hotel is older, but clean and has the privacy of separate space for the kids and has a huge pool. You really can't beat them for the price unless you can swing the Ent rates @ Hojo.

I am pretty sure (someone local can verify), but that weekend is a charity event called Chocwalk (Childrens Hospital of Orange County) Sunday AM at the resort which brings a lot of extra people in that weekend so things will keep booking up and rates will go up that weekend. It wont be as easy to find last minute cancellations that week in Oct.

Also, you will be surprised how many other people make the exodus from Utah for Fall Break.

 

[daniele_ut]

Also, you will be surprised how many other people make the exodus from Utah for Fall Break.

No surprise here! You know what they call UEA (the Utah Education Association convention which gives the kids 2 days off adjacent to a weekend in October for the non-Utahns out there), don't you? Utah's Exodus to Anaheim. Dh teaches at a private school, though, so I was really hoping his fall break wasn't going to coincide with UEA this year. Oh well.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Anaheim Plaza. Did you mean that Chocwalk is at Hojo on Sunday? We'll keep that in mind.

 

[prncssmel]

No surprise here! You know what they call UEA (the Utah Education Association convention which gives the kids 2 days off adjacent to a weekend in October for the non-Utahns out there), don't you? Utah's Exodus to Anaheim. Dh teaches at a private school, though, so I was really hoping his fall break wasn't going to coincide with UEA this year. Oh well.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Anaheim Plaza. Did you mean that Chocwalk is at Hojo on Sunday? We'll keep that in mind.

I am totally with you. DH is at the U, and I was so upset when they scheduled his break the same week as UEA. Seriously, don't they know I want to go to DL without everyone else in the state?

 

[clb79]

No surprise here! You know what they call UEA (the Utah Education Association convention which gives the kids 2 days off adjacent to a weekend in October for the non-Utahns out there), don't you? Utah's Exodus to Anaheim. Dh teaches at a private school, though, so I was really hoping his fall break wasn't going to coincide with UEA this year. Oh well.

I didn't make a reference to the unofficial name for UEA, LOL because I thought it was split from some area's Fall Break again like last year, I didn't realize they were having it mid month again. Last year there were still a lot of people during Fall Break even with a lot of the state having their break earlier in the month.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Anaheim Plaza. Did you mean that Chocwalk is at Hojo on Sunday? We'll keep that in mind.

No, the Chocwalk http://www.chocwalk.net is a big event that effects the entire area and takes place on Disneyland Property itself. A lot of people make a weekend out and stay at the surrounding hotels and visit the parks before and after the walk. Apparently it is also their 20th Anniversary for the event this year. Last year people talked like it had as much as an effect as the "Exodus from Utah" with regards to how booked the hotels are and how crowded the parks end up, although some of the participants have to be local.

They are anticipating 15,000 people for the walk (last years projection was 12,000). Basically I was just trying to warn that between the Chocwalk and "Utah Exodus to Anaheim" (UEA) prices will only end up going up from here on out for that particular week/weekend in general. In fact I checked the price at Anaheim Plaza and they already upped their prices this past week for Friday and Saturday night that weekend. It will also mean that as popular as Hojo is to begin with , its going to be a busy week and that will make it harder to be successful piecing together a stay in a Kid's Suite like other people mentioned doing, NOT that you can't try anyways (if you did get one it would be well worth whatever extra effort it takes)

 

[daniele_ut]

I didn't make a reference to the unofficial name for UEA, LOL because I thought it was split from some area's Fall Break again like last year, I didn't realize they were having it mid month again. Last year there were still a lot of people during Fall Break even with a lot of the state having their break earlier in the month.

I could have sworn that when I checked the dates for UEA last spring that it was scheduled for the following weekend because I remember breathing a big sigh of relief that our trip *wasn't* going to be UEA weekend. Either I saw the wrong dates or they changed it since then. Either way, it sounds like our not-so-high-season trip is going to be crowded!

Thanks for the heads up on what to expect that weekend!

I ordered our MHP tickets last night and now it's really starting to seem real!