Help us decide, please :)

[kailuagirl]

Help!! can't decide where to stay, going M-Th after thanksgiving. These are booking package prices w/ $20 gift card and 3 character meals, I priced it otherway too, and it's about $60 cheaper for each one w/o package )

BWPPI $1067.56
PPH $1283.56
DLH $1307.56
GCH $1463.50

We'd only get 1 extra MM day by staying onsite.

We've never stayed onsite, only been to DLR 3x. It's DH, me and DD3. We stayed at BWPPI 2x before and loved how close it was to go back to the room. Though $400 extra for spending would be great, but the onsite prices are pretty good too, when we went last summer they were too far out there.

Any suggestions, recomendations, advice, tips, etc. would be great. I'm so tired of trying to figure this out I want to move on already. Thanks!!

 

[farmfresh]

I vote for onsite if you can swing it!

 

[Ginger Renae]

I would just stay at BWPPI and enjoy having extra spending money. I don't think staying onsite has the same "magic" as staying onsite at WDW. Crowds are going to be non-existent so I don't think having a MM is nearly as necessary as it is during the busier season.

 

[dreamerliz]

I'm with you. My head is confused with sooo many options. I am now contemplating Disneyland Hotel which I hadn't considered before!!!!!!

Waiting to hear what others say!

 

[skiingfast]

I would not do PPH, if you are worried about going back for naps it's considerably more walking compared to the rest.

I wouldn't worry about MM as I posted on your other thread you should have more than enough time to see the parks.


But staying on site will get you a toontown party on one morning. That will give you some character interaction and let you give the extra cost of the meals.

Are the DLH and GCH so close because it's a nice room at the DLH? A new room with a view would be nice when you are back while DD is napping.

 

[QueenDoOver]

It is only $220 more to stay at PPH over BWPPI and I think it is worth it. Depending on where you are at in the parks, the distance is not much difference. We have stayed at PPH several times and really love it. We like the cartoon room, the slide, the room service for breakfast, the view and the walk through the Grand California. It is just a more Disney experience and worth it at least once.

 

[Master Mason]

I've been going to DL for 45 years, and I have never been able to justify the extra cost to stay on property. All we do is sleep and shower in the room anyway, and there aren't enough perks to justify the added expense to me.

But everyone thinks differently

 

[VallCopen]

Well having a 3 year old myself I can totally understand wanting to have something close. We are DVC members so we now get to stay at the Grand but before joining we would always stay at the Pier, it is only across the street from the Grand, still nice, very bright and cheery and they are the largest rooms of the onsite Hotels and you do feel like you are in the Magic. We stayed an extra few days at the Disneyland hotel this past June and I was surprised how far the Disneyland hotel felt, especially if we didn't ride the monorail back, but for some reason we didn't feel the same going back to the Pier, maybe because we loved walking through the Grand Hotel each time but it didn't seem bad to us. But I would choose onsite for sure, especially with the little one, but if $$$ is not a big deal I would stay at the GRAND, and those are good rates that you might not be able to do on the next trip at that price, where then you can stay off site again.

 

[farmgirljen]

For us an important deciding factor is having a microwave and mini fridge in the room for snacking and small meal prep. It is a necessity for us, and we can't justify staying somewhere that doesn't provide them- the on site hotels don't have them in the rooms from what I hear..so, we stay offsite as close as possible, and the walk is not bad at all. It just depends on what kind of conveniences you will want for your family. Only you can really make the choice

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

If you can swing it, do the GCH... we LOVED the proximity to the parks... it was sooo awesome, and the room was beautiful. That said we're doing PPH this time for something different!

 

[lulubelle]

I would stay on site. The trip always seems more magical for us on site. And the rates are very reasonable. Try it, you'll like it!
Good luck deciding.

 

[marcemc]

I would say stay on Disney property this time.

I can recommend both PPH & DLH. They are both a short walk to the parks and they are nicely themed.

I have also heard great things about GCH but we have never stayed there.

 

[DahliaRW]

For us an important deciding factor is having a microwave and mini fridge in the room for snacking and small meal prep. It is a necessity for us, and we can't justify staying somewhere that doesn't provide them- the on site hotels don't have them in the rooms from what I hear..so, we stay offsite as close as possible, and the walk is not bad at all. It just depends on what kind of conveniences you will want for your family. Only you can really make the choice

The on site hotels have mini fridges, just not microwaves.

 

[ScottJayhawk]

My 2 cents is that variety is the spice of life! I'd vote for staying someplace you've never stayed before!

 

[Hound 109]

We'd only get 1 extra MM day by staying onsite

If staying onsite for Mon, Tues & Wed nights..... you'd get Tuesday morn. AND Thursday morn. for MM.

Crowds are going to be non-existent so I don't think having a MM is nearly as necessary as it is during the busier season

I agree that MM might not be necessary, but if DL doesn't open till 10am that week, & one is an early riser & up & ready to tour anyway.....then getting into DL at 9am (when everyone else has to wait till 10am) would be worth it to me. Especially to get the FL rides out of the way.

I would not do PPH, if you are worried about going back for naps it's considerably more walking compared to the rest.

My preferred way of touring puts the PPH immediately following the GCH as far as the fewest steps & most convenient for naps or a mid day break.

For me:

- DL first (always first)
- hop to DCA
- into the PPH (or GCH or DLH) for a mid day rest.
- Back thru DCH for a few rides etc. in DCA
- & then hop back to DL to finish the evening. Rinse & Repeat each day.




OP, are you staying staying 3 nights or 4 nights at the hotel?

 

[the donut]

Did i miss something? If staying onsite, you'd get Tuesday AND Thursday for MM.

I assume OP is thinking she would get 1MM with a 3 day hopper.

We used to always stay offsite until we bought into DVC. We tried the HOJO (walking distance) and the Hyatt (free shuttle), and definitely preferred the walking distance hotel. However, with little ones, it really is great to stay onsite, especially if they're nappers. I feel like it gave us a lot more time in the parks and was less hectic. We tried the DLH once before our DVC membership - we got connecting rooms and really had a great stay. We didn't mind the extra distance compared to the GCH, and it still seemed closer than the HOJO somehow. Probably because you can get there without having to cross any streets and wait for any traffic lights.

I also think magic mornings are fantastic. I think we usually get as much done in half a day if we have a magic morning compared to a full day without one, especially as we spend a lot of time in FL because of the ages of our kids (1 and 4). I feel like we're one step ahead of the crowds until the late afternoon.

 

[the donut]

For us an important deciding factor is having a microwave and mini fridge in the room for snacking and small meal prep. It is a necessity for us, and we can't justify staying somewhere that doesn't provide them- the on site hotels don't have them in the rooms from what I hear..so, we stay offsite as close as possible, and the walk is not bad at all. It just depends on what kind of conveniences you will want for your family. Only you can really make the choice

I'm so with you on the kitchen issue. It's probably too late since the GCH villas are really booked up far in advance, but the 1BR villas and larger have a full kitchen, and the studios have a microwave. All units have a fridge. So you can have your cake (staying onsite at the GCH that is) and eat it too (get the kitchen for your meal prep).

 

[gabrieltorres]

We stayed at the GCH and it was fantastic

 

[kailuagirl]

Thank you everyone so very much!!!

Hound -- 3 nights, although for the PPH it's only $20 more for 4th nights OMG and another day at DLR!! that's great!!! can't believe I just realized it, but for GCH it's $550 more, $250 more for DLH and $200 more for BWPPI. I think I was looking more towards DLH or GCH.

Maybe we should just do PPH and do a 4th night, probably wouldn't be able to get there to check in before MM that day as it would probably be 7, but could do afternoon and evening. hummmmm. now I'm more confused

 

[idkmybffminnie]

My opinion is not staying onsite if you are on ANY kind of budget. If money is no issue at all, I'd say go for it but having that extra spending money to spend at the parks is a perk to me than the room I stay in. When I do visit, I still go to the hotels (I have friends who work at pph) and walk through gch to get to down town disney so even though im not sleeping there, it still has the same feeling to me. I have stayed at pph before and it didn't feel much different to me than staying a block or two down the street at another place.