Help picking our hotel. Howard Johnson, The Tropicana or Pixar place??

[Tink3rbell86]

My husband and I are taking our kids (14,12 and 9 to DL for their first visit in April. 4/8-4/14. Well either have a 3 or 4 day park hoppers. 1 or 2 non park days. One will be spent with family that lives in the areas. My husband and I have been and stayed at the courtyard. We are yearly WDW visitors and always stay on property we like the Disney bubble, hotel activities and themes. The transportation there is big for us, but that’s not really a helpful factor here to help us pick.

We are looking at the Tropicana mostly due to the proximity to the Disneyland entrance. It seems like a basic hotel with not much to talk about. Is it updated, rundown, Clean?

Our friends recommend the Howard Johnson. They stayed in a “park view” room. They said it was clean and the water park was a lot of fun. Idk how much use we would get out of the pool that time of year. Is this more family friendly?

The price difference between these is only $200. So if we go with one of these we want to pick on what’s more family friendly and clean and overall enjoyable

Our original plan was to stay at Pixar place. We wanted to stay when my husband and I went. They had just opened and we couldn’t get a room. I love the theme. I like the early entry even though it’s only 30mins. Seems like their is a little more to do there then the other 2 hotels. It is $1000 more. Is it worth the higher price??

Open to all pros, cons or suggestions to stay away from one of them. Thank you for your help!

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following curious

 

[cruisehopeful]

Deciding if Pixar is worth it to you depends greatly on how you'll use your park days. If you will be up early, the early entrance can make a big difference. When I had younger kids, they were never up and ready for that. The cost is usually more than the difference of just the room. Parking is higher and all onsite food is more expensive than what you'll have walking distance from the other hotels.

 

[Tink3rbell86]

Deciding if Pixar is worth it to you depends greatly on how you'll use your park days. If you will be up early, the early entrance can make a big difference. When I had younger kids, they were never up and ready for that. The cost is usually more than the difference of just the room. Parking is higher and all onsite food is more expensive than what you'll have walking distance from the other hotels.

We are coming from the east coast. Our past experiences when visiting the west coast is we are up and ready to go early. we are flying so we won’t have to worry about parking. The Howard Johnson and Tropicana don’t have onsite food options from what I see. So a lot of our food on park days specifically will be in park or downtown Disney. We will pack some grab and go snack to carry with us no matter where we stay(apple sauce, granola bars, goldfish type things). Maybe the occasional McDonald since we would pass it on our walk over.

 

[mdmost]

I would opt for Pixar Place if you are okay with the extra cost. You're in the Disney bubble. It's a comparable walk from the Howard Johnson. You would get the early entry benefit and Disney theming. We stayed at the HJ in 2016 and it was fine. The spray park and pool were great but our kids were fairly young at the time. You would be right next to the highway and that noise can bleed in. We've never stayed at the Tropicana so I can't speak to that. Being you've always done Disney property stays, I would continue that tradition. It's a much more fun walk to go from the Pixar Place to the gate through Disney Springs every day than Harbor Blvd.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We are coming from the east coast. Our past experiences when visiting the west coast is we are up and ready to go early. we are flying so we won’t have to worry about parking. The Howard Johnson and Tropicana don’t have onsite food options from what I see. So a lot of our food on park days specifically will be in park or downtown Disney. We will pack some grab and go snack to carry with us no matter where we stay(apple sauce, granola bars, goldfish type things). Maybe the occasional McDonald since we would pass it on our walk over.

Personally, I would stay at Pixar if I could afford to. They have an entrance to DCA across the street now, though I don't know if it's open during early entry.

 

[DharmaLou]

HoJo has always been my fave and I stay there regularly. You can also get a 15% discount at this link with code 1000022077

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Tropicana or Best Western are going to get you closest to the front gates with the least amount of walk off property. Best Western has hot breakfast. You definitely leave the bubble. Pixar is a farther distance. Have you priced the Grand Californian? Definitely more expensive but if you can swing it then it is the closest hotel and best bubble experience of maybe any Disney property.

 

[MouseBrief]

In our experience the “water park” at Howard Johnson is more appealing to younger kids. It might not be very exciting for the pre-teen/teen age range. We do like the hotel in general though.
The Crush slide at Pixar Place is not fast and thrilling either, but I enjoyed it as an adult, and we rode it a lot. We also made a lot of use of the Pixar Shorts Court and fireworks view from the recreation deck.
Despite being the lowest cost of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels, we love Pixar Place Hotel and think it is great. It might be fun to go when the redo is still so fresh.
I think it will just depend primarily on whether you plan to enjoy the Pixar Place amenities or just want a place to sleep. In the latter case, Tropicana should serve you well or you can go with Howard Johnson if the midcentury theming appeals to you.
We have walked from all three hotels and didn’t mind the trek at all.

 

[Pluto468]

I would stay on property. Hojo is nice but the walk feels really far, especially at night. If you stay on Harbor I'd look at the hotels right across the street, like BW park Place, Park Vue or BW Anaheim Plus.

Are you open to other resort hotels? DLH is actually less expensive than Pixar Place sometimes, depending on the night. The Grand Californian is amazing, too.

 

[Howry]

My husband and I are taking our kids (14,12 and 9 to DL for their first visit in April. 4/8-4/14. Well either have a 3 or 4 day park hoppers. 1 or 2 non park days. One will be spent with family that lives in the areas. My husband and I have been and stayed at the courtyard. We are yearly WDW visitors and always stay on property we like the Disney bubble, hotel activities and themes. The transportation there is big for us, but that’s not really a helpful factor here to help us pick.

We are looking at the Tropicana mostly due to the proximity to the Disneyland entrance. It seems like a basic hotel with not much to talk about. Is it updated, rundown, Clean?

Our friends recommend the Howard Johnson. They stayed in a “park view” room. They said it was clean and the water park was a lot of fun. Idk how much use we would get out of the pool that time of year. Is this more family friendly?

The price difference between these is only $200. So if we go with one of these we want to pick on what’s more family friendly and clean and overall enjoyable

Our original plan was to stay at Pixar place. We wanted to stay when my husband and I went. They had just opened and we couldn’t get a room. I love the theme. I like the early entry even though it’s only 30mins. Seems like their is a little more to do there then the other 2 hotels. It is $1000 more. Is it worth the higher price??

Open to all pros, cons or suggestions to stay away from one of them. Thank you for your help!

This is just my opinion but I don't think its worth the extra $1000 to stay at Pixar. $1000 extra dollars allows you to do more fun stuff in the park etc which is where you will be most days anyway.

I think your kids may be a little old for the Howard Johnson water park area. Its kind of cool but mostly geared towards younger kids. However I wouldn't decide on which hotel based on that. I think either that or the Tropicana is fine, I would choose whichever is cheaper during your stay.

Tropicana will be closer which may help with the choice.

 

[crystal1313]

Tropicana is nicely updated and very close to the crosswalk to Disneyland. They do have a coffee shop and convenience store on site. We have always found the rooms clean.

Hojo view rooms are awesome. We love them. That being said, the water park is fantastic but imo, geared towards younger kids. They do have a regular pool area as well that is very nice. Hojo is a hotel not a motel and they have excellent customer service. Rooms have always been clean for us.

I have not stayed at Pixar place since the refurbishment. But I have been to the lobby and pool area. They did a nice job. We are looking forward to trying out the rooms! $1,000 is a lot of extra money. That’s a hard decision. We love staying in the bubble when we can, but usually our decisions are based on our budget. And now you really only get the 30 min early entry.

Wanted to throw out one more option for you if you’re looking for close. Park Vue Inn. It’s right at the crosswalk on harbor to Disneyland. They have a variety of room types too. It’s not as freshly updated as Tropicana, but still nice. And has always been clean for us.

Hope that helps! We have some room tour videos and walking videos for Hojo, Tropicana and park vue. We also have some walking videos for Pixar place.

https://youtube.com/@anaheimparktourist?si=JCk-mjJbmpGBeKRQ

 

[lilsonicfan]

@Tink3rbell86 I took a look for your dates and see the following for 5 ppl:
Pixar Place $483/night = $3,390
Best Western Park Place Inn Mini Suites $288/night = $2,022
Tropicana $239/night = $1,677
HoJo using code $241/night = $1,647

So it does seem a little more like a $1,400-1,700 difference. Honestly I am not sure I personally would choose PP for that price. The Best Western I mentioned is the closest you can get for an offsite hotel, right across the street. Not much in amenities and it is motel like but SUPER close walk and still a savings of nearly $1,400. We've stayed there with a family of 5 and it's been clean and nice, and with free breakfast.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I would try to find recent videos on youtube of all your choices. Including searching for videos where people show what the walk to the park is like from each. That will give you a decent idea of what kind of "vibe" each place has.

 

[PKJoe]

Candy Cane Inn might be a good option also

 

[LAS2AMS]

There’s actually a lower rate for the HoJo, if you join their free rewards program. Including taxes and fees, it’s almost $2,000 less than Pixar Place.

I lknow people hate it when I write this but I can’t say it enough as my day job is advising high net worth individuals on how to spend their money.

Let’s be frank - if money wasn’t an issue, you and others wouldn’t start these topics because ultimately they’re here to find justification to spend on the Disney properties. Think of it this way: your oldest is 14. In what will seem like a few days to you, they will want their own car. College is around the corner. Do you have adaquet savings for these events?

Ulltimatley, most of your time will be spent in the parks and you’ll have a great time no matter where you stay. For most people, spending an extra $2K just to enhance a few days vacation makes absolutely no sense. You’ll aftuallly save more as the HoJo includes a breakfast, and there’s numerous eateries on the Harbor side that are better, more filling and cheaper than at DLR.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

You’ll aftuallly save more as the HoJo includes a breakfast,

That Hojo does not include breakfast.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Candy Cane Inn might be a good option also

Candy Cane Inn only sleeps 5 with a rollaway, some of the others have a sleeper sofa for the 5th person instead of a rollaway.

 

[LKing]

Apparently the Pixar Place entrance to DCA is only open until noon now. https://www.disboards.com/threads/which-hotel-would-you-choose.3958612/post-65879237

 

[LAS2AMS]

Apparently the Pixar Place entrance to DCA is only open until noon now. https://www.disboards.com/threads/which-hotel-would-you-choose.3958612/post-65879237

Given that the PP entrance to DCA is one of the few things Disney restored after shuttering for many years, we’ll take it. Maybe the PeopleMover will be next.