Help!

[seattlebusymom]

I am in need of some advise from my Diser family!

We are returning to DL in May and are making our plans right now. Here is the 411 on our situation.........

We have been to Disney MANY times but have always been onsite. This time with the economy we may not be able to splurge. There will be 7 of us. My DH and girls ages 6, 8 and 11, my mom and 13yr old niece. This is a very IMPORTANT trip however as my dad passed away in September and my mom is coming with us and will be celebrating her 75th while there. One other tidbit is mom will have a mobility scooter.

We are open to either 2 rooms or a suite property. We are holding rooms at the HOJO but they only have NDD1 rooms and I am not sure how nice they are???? Anyone have advise on how these rooms would be given our past at the DL hotel? I am also told the walk is the same that we are used to just the other direction. Is that right?

Lastly what other places should I think about? Anyone had experience using the ART with a scooter or seen it done?

Thanks to all who can offer any help. With dads passing I want to make this extra special for all and I am sad that we can not stay onsite so thanks for being my experts to create a diffrent kind of magic this year!

 

[spacemermaid]

I'm sorry for the loss of your Dad.

To answer your question about HOJO, I found the NDD1 room that I had on my last trip to be very nice. The beds were so comfortable , and there was a lovely view of one of the pools. Of course, it wasn't the same as the Disneyland Hotel (no Disney artwork in the rooms, etc), but it was a clean, comfortable, spacious room, with an unbeatable price! And, dare I say, much more comfortable beds! The only forseeable problem is that the buildings that the NDD1 rooms are in have no elevators, so you'd have to be on the first floor so your Mom can get around with her chair.

The walk from HOJO to the Park is about the same as from the DLH to the Park.

Hope you have a fabulous trip!

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

try park vue - location can't be beat and our experiences there have been good.

 

[seattlebusymom]

Thanks for the feedback on the HOJO. We requested rooms on the lower floor do to mom. How are the rooms in size? What places to eat are near there?

 

[disney-super-mom]

Did you look into the "5 days for the price of 3" deal that Disneyland is running? Perhaps that would fit into your budget if you want to stay onsight. Plus if you book it through Costco.com, everyone in your party gets a voucher for a character meal too (which is kind of a nice little bonus for Costco members). And you can also get a $20 Disney gift card for each package you book (another Costco perk). It may not be that much more than what you're paying to stay at the HOJO.

However, we love the HOJO and stay there often when we can't afford to stay onsight. The rooms aren't as plush or themed as the rooms onsight, but the rooms there are very nice and cheerful, the grounds are pretty, and the garden pool as well as the Castaway Cove water play area are really great! The HOJO is the ONLY Good Neighbor hotel with waterslides.

It's about a 7-10 minute walk to/from the HOJO, so ART isn't really all that necessary. Our youngest (who is five) can easily do the walk. Your mom will be just fine riding her scooter to/from the parks. One of the ladies on our ladies trip had a scooter and she did the trip back and forth to the parks many times without any problems.

Keep in mind, as a DisBoard member, you can get a 15% discount on rooms at the HOJO. I checked to see if the Entertainment rate is available for you, but it's not available for any dates in May. But the 15% DisBoard discount is always available. If you didn't have it applied to your reservation, call in-house reservations and have them apply it. You can call Monday-Friday between 9:00am-5:00pm at 714-776-6120.

But spacemermaid is right. You need to request ground floor rooms for your mom. The buildings with elevators are buildings 1 and 2, but the NDD1 rooms are in buildings 3,4,5, and 6, and those buildings don't have elevators.

Hope you have a very magical trip with your mom.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thanks for the feedback on the HOJO. We requested rooms on the lower floor do to mom. How are the rooms in size? What places to eat are near there?

Rooms sizes are good. They are about 355 square feet, which feels plenty roomy for our family of four.

Places to eat (that you walk by to/from the parks):

Mimi's Cafe is literally right across the street and has great food! We eat there a few times each trip. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can also do takeout and take the food back to your room at the HOJO.

A little further down is McDonalds. We sometimes stop in here for a quick breakfast when we're trying to get to the parks early.

There's also a Millies restaurant (located in front of the Fairfield).

There's also a Quiznos.

 

[audrabolster]

I agree with Disney mom, would using the new Disney deal work for you guys? Sometimes people can save a lot of money that way!

 

[seattlebusymom]

Thanks for all the advise so far. It is helping my stress level SO much!

We also are holding reservations on deposit at the DL Hotel too. Originally it was only going to be my mom and I and girls but the 2nd room adds almost 1000K to the package as opposed to the 250 or so at the HOJO. I did reprice with the 5 for 3 and really the only thing that changed is the amount of time we could stay for the same price. If it was just the one room it would be a no brainer to stay on site with that promo but with all coming it is still a good chunk of change!

Do you think room size that the two properties are about the same?

I had looked at a couple other deluxe properties in the area but I am scared that the ART could be a nightmare with the scooter and all.

Again you are all AWESOME for your help. I SSSOOO appreciate you all!

 

[bumbershoot]

"I am also told the walk is the same that we are used to just the other direction. Is that right?"

I definitely agree with that.



Does she have her own scooter? Does it have a good battery? Because my roomie on the ladies trip used a scooter, and it zipped along from HoJo to the parks, around all day, and back, no worries. She rents from a local company, though I cannot recall the name... they delivered it to the hotel and picked it up when she was done with it. Absolutely fabulous, it seemed.

The only issue with the scooter is that it seems you have to use it going on the "hotel side" of Harbor, instead of crossing over and using the relatively shorter way. That's b/c of the light poles, or rather it's one main one that I noticed, that looks just TOO close for the scooter to make it around (or it might make it, but you'd have to be very very careful). I hadn't even thought about it until my friend mentioned it, and on the last walk I took back to the hotel, I really noticed the tightness, and that one last "no parking" sign is what really sealed the "hmm, you really can't easily (if at all) take a scooter along here" deal.

So I really don't think you need to take ART, since the distances are really so similar.

 

[allgrownup]

I am in need of some advise from my Diser family!

We are returning to DL in May and are making our plans right now. Here is the 411 on our situation.........

We have been to Disney MANY times but have always been onsite. This time with the economy we may not be able to splurge. There will be 7 of us. My DH and girls ages 6, 8 and 11, my mom and 13yr old niece. This is a very IMPORTANT trip however as my dad passed away in September and my mom is coming with us and will be celebrating her 75th while there. One other tidbit is mom will have a mobility scooter.

We are open to either 2 rooms or a suite property. We are holding rooms at the HOJO but they only have NDD1 rooms and I am not sure how nice they are???? Anyone have advise on how these rooms would be given our past at the DL hotel? I am also told the walk is the same that we are used to just the other direction. Is that right?

Lastly what other places should I think about? Anyone had experience using the ART with a scooter or seen it done?

Thanks to all who can offer any help. With dads passing I want to make this extra special for all and I am sad that we can not stay onsite so thanks for being my experts to create a diffrent kind of magic this year!

We just got back from HoJo, NDD1 room. we were on the second floor, I would assume the rooms on the first are identical. We had a roll-away bed, one double, a crib and the second double all in a row. There was still plenty of room for luggage for 6, two strollers, and the two older kids (4 and 6) to spread out and not be under foot constantly.

I haven't stayed on site since 1964 or so , so I really can't compare room sizes.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[Brady's Mom]

"I am also told the walk is the same that we are used to just the other direction. Is that right?"

I definitely agree with that.



Does she have her own scooter? Does it have a good battery? Because my roomie on the ladies trip used a scooter, and it zipped along from HoJo to the parks, around all day, and back, no worries. She rents from a local company, though I cannot recall the name... they delivered it to the hotel and picked it up when she was done with it. Absolutely fabulous, it seemed.

The only issue with the scooter is that it seems you have to use it going on the "hotel side" of Harbor, instead of crossing over and using the relatively shorter way. That's b/c of the light poles, or rather it's one main one that I noticed, that looks just TOO close for the scooter to make it around (or it might make it, but you'd have to be very very careful). I hadn't even thought about it until my friend mentioned it, and on the last walk I took back to the hotel, I really noticed the tightness, and that one last "no parking" sign is what really sealed the "hmm, you really can't easily (if at all) take a scooter along here" deal.

So I really don't think you need to take ART, since the distances are really so similar.

My mom rented an ECV from Deckert's (a local company) and loved them. We also used the *shortcut* and crossed at Manchester and never had a problem with tightness. I wonder if ECV sizes are different?? I heard about the shortcut from the Dis!! I think Molly specifically!!

 

[seattlebusymom]

Can you all share with me about the short cut you are talking about?

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Desert Inn and Suites is right across the street and has suites. We have stayed there and had no issues, it was clean and had a continental breakfast.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Can you all share with me about the short cut you are talking about?

Hello,
Also from Washington. Hope you have a wonderful trip. Just wanted to share with you that my family stayed at HOJO last year Feb 14-21, and my cousin and family were at DLH in a Suite. Other than the additional space of the suite, I would say the condition was very comparable, and our bill was absolutley more favorable

The short cut: HOJO faces South, so when you exit, you have get across Manchester which is sort of a side street without much traffic running East and West, and it intersects with Harbor. We generally jay walked across Manchester, right in front of the HOJO entrance, went West to Harbor, crossed over and headed South on the West Side of Harbor, under the monorail track, past the local bus station, turning right at the taxi station and entering the park on the North Side of the ART/Shuttle Area.

The Harbor Hotels are all on the East side of Harbor, so that is where all the foot traffic is, plus, coming from HOJO, if you stay on that side, you have to go further to the next crosswalk (the main one), so you are back tracking. And that is what makes the other way a shortcut.

Of course, if you want to go up to McDonalds, then you would probably just proceed to the main crosswalk. However Mimi's is right at the corner of Manchester and Harbor, so if you had breakfast there, you would not be backtracking.

Hope that helps. We found the walk very doable, except sometimes my 6 year old at the end of the day would need a piggy back ride part way home.

 

[bumbershoot]

My mom rented an ECV from Deckert's (a local company) and loved them. We also used the *shortcut* and crossed at Manchester and never had a problem with tightness. I wonder if ECV sizes are different?? I heard about the shortcut from the Dis!! I think Molly specifically!!

That is good to know! I didn't even think about it until my roomie mentioned it, and I think she used that same company for her ECV...interesting.

 

[avalon451]

Can you all share with me about the short cut you are talking about?

Here's a map of it: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=88663

Except like the previous poster, we jaywalked across Manchester, and crossed Harbor at the light. Then once we went in the north side of the shuttle drive we jaywalked south across the drive, too, to join the thundering hordes at the security tables-- because usually it was the southernmost security tables that were open.

We're bad, we jaywalk. Only when safe, though, with no traffic coming-- no dodging in front of vehicles.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Here's a map of it: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=88663

Except like the previous poster, we jaywalked across Manchester, and crossed Harbor at the light. Then once we went in the north side of the shuttle drive we jaywalked south across the drive, too, to join the thundering hordes at the security tables-- because usually it was the southernmost security tables that were open.

We're bad, we jaywalk. Only when safe, though, with no traffic coming-- no dodging in front of vehicles.

We go this same route. And we jaywalk across Manchester too. It's just a side street anyway......it doesn't get much traffic. Yep, my family is a bunch of law breakers, and I'm their leader. (haha)

 

[SueM in MN]

That is good to know! I didn't even think about it until my roomie mentioned it, and I think she used that same company for her ECV...interesting.

ECVs do come in different sizes. When you rent, they ask your weight so that they can give you an ECV that will be appropriate for that weight.
The heavy duty ECVs have a larger battery and are a bit larger.

 

[seattlebusymom]

Thank you thank you to all my friends with GREAT advise. Fun to see so many fellow Washingtonians!! We must all have the jaywalk bug in the NW! LOL!

My update is after you all put the five day bug in my ear we are going for the long haul. After everything we have been through this year we deserve a nice stay. So far the HOJO can not keep us the full 5 nights so it looks like we are headed to onsight afterall! Keep your fingers crossed as I just found a TA promo for rates as low as 99.00 per night so I am even curious to quote a club level.

I may be able to treat my mom and family to the disney dream we need!

No matter what I am going to go check out the HoJo and see it first hand. I have to admit I was a little sad when they said no room in the inn! LOL

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thank you thank you to all my friends with GREAT advise. Fun to see so many fellow Washingtonians!! We must all have the jaywalk bug in the NW! LOL!

My update is after you all put the five day bug in my ear we are going for the long haul. After everything we have been through this year we deserve a nice stay. So far the HOJO can not keep us the full 5 nights so it looks like we are headed to onsight afterall! Keep your fingers crossed as I just found a TA promo for rates as low as 99.00 per night so I am even curious to quote a club level.

I may be able to treat my mom and family to the disney dream we need!

Feel free to book another room onsite at the promo rate starting November 14th for five nights.