HoJo and walking distance..

[HydroGuy]

Aw, you California folks are just wusses!!!! Just Kidding! Those of us who are die-hard DisneyWorld fanatics are used to walking great distances and traveling in terms of miles--not feet--to our destination...It really is funny to hear you all debate about how close a certain hotel is to the main gate at Disneyland. We're just amazed that the hotels are across the street! To be able to walk anywhere with having to hop on a bus or monorail is frosting on the cake. You all do realize that Disneyworld is roughly the size of Manhattan, 47 square miles? Come on, now, toughen up, and exercise those leg muscles--get in shape for that WDW trip!!!

I too know you are having some fun so I am not arguing with you here. Just elaborating.

WDW vets have a mindset to use buses, boats and trams, or to drive their car to the resort. And thus it is common for them to come to DLR for a first trip and dismiss the recommendations to get a walking distance hotel. But when they do that, they miss out on one of the significant advantages DLR offers (close hotels) that can really enhance their visit. With the time delays built into getting to the parks by car, bus or shuttle, they often end up getting to the gates later than they should. And since their hotel is too far they do not want hassle with an afternoon break so they stay through the busiest part of the day when the local day trippers come in and build up the lines.

If they have a good attitude, they hopefully will still enjoy their visit to DLR. If not, they may leave with negative feelings about DLR and it is so inferior to WDW. And all because their hotel choice put them at a disadvantage.

Yes, people at DLR have argued for years about how close certain hotels are to the DLR gates. The MousePlanet article was welcome because it was so specific.

Yes, there are nicer hotels a little farther away, and each person needs to make the tradeoff on proximity, hotel quality, and available rates. But a number of us who have gone over the years (like Amy and I) keep sliding closer and closer to that crosswalk on Harbor.

 

[MATTERHORN]

Hence why I have not gone to WDW yet. The advantage of being close is one not to be ignored as Amy&Dan and Hydroguy have pointed out. It is just me alone with a 6, 3, and 1 year old with a double stroller. Staying close in walking distance makes DL trips very do-able for me and much easier to handle than having to rely on transportation.

We also hop back and forth during the day and make one if not two trips back to the hotel for something so I am sure I am walking just as much if not more than I would at WDW as the PP's have pointed out.

So I will continue to be a wuss for a few years!!!! Who's with me ;-)


Andrea

 

[Disney Fool]

Yes, I'm only razzing you guys! I'm not arguing on the merits of the distances. I know only too well the feeling of coming out of a park with tired little ones and trudging back to a hotel that seems way too far away! So keep on measuring, and debating--I'm lovin' it...

 

[drag n' fly]

After just finishing a 10 day trip at WDW with dh and three kids, I will never again complain about the walking at DL. Either you like walking or you don't. We are staying at Hojo in November, honestly we base our decision on the hotel not the walk so it really is not a issue for us.

 

[MATTERHORN]

After just finishing a 10 day trip at WDW with dh and three kids, I will never again complain about the walking at DL. Either you like walking or you don't. We are staying at Hojo in November, honestly we base our decision on the hotel not the walk so it really is not a issue for us.

And I would totally do the same thing if I had another adult with me! DH can't go on most of our trips, only maybe 1 per year out of 5 or 6, so it's just me and that makes a huge difference for me! That said, I don't mind walking obviously or I wouldn't even go to DL since that is mainly what is involved, but there's no need for me to add miles to my already tired 6 year olds legs at the end of the day if I don't have to!

And even for someone that likes walking, sometimes with an infant (started these trips alone with 5, 2 and 2 month old!) it is imperative that you be able to get back to the room fast for that second change of clothes because you already went through the first one!!!

But I still stay at HOJO every few trips mainly for price and because the kids love the pool there. It's fine for $54, I'd even pay up to $75, but for $100, I'm staying in a closer hotel that is just as clean and comfy, without the extra walk!!!

Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

Yes, I'm only razzing you guys! I'm not arguing on the merits of the distances. I know only too well the feeling of coming out of a park with tired little ones and trudging back to a hotel that seems way too far away! So keep on measuring, and debating--I'm lovin' it...

We know!! I agree it is funny that it's mapped out in actual steps too!! I really don't think the HOJO is THAT far, it's just why stay further when you can stay closer for the same price, right?

After going back once, sometimes twice a day last June in almost 100 degree heat and 6 months pregnant, I absolutely wished that I had stayed closer!!! But 2 weeks ago, the walk didn't seem that long! Maybe it depends on time of year for me? And I live in Vegas so I can handle HEAT! Not sure why on some trips the walk just seems longer and daunting and on other trips, it doesn't seem so bad! Weird!


Andrea

 

[Amy&Dan]

After just finishing a 10 day trip at WDW with dh and three kids, I will never again complain about the walking at DL. Either you like walking or you don't. We are staying at Hojo in November, honestly we base our decision on the hotel not the walk so it really is not a issue for us.

Yes I agree about you either like to walk or not. I do, thats why most of our vacations as in 2-5 per year, are spent at Disney. We love being on the go. We love the large resorts at WDW which is why I plunked down tens of thousands of dollars to buy into DVC/SSR. And why when I am out of points I like to stay at one of the very spread out mods like POR or CBR. But I still stand by my opinion that based upon what I like and want in offsite lodging at Disneyland that the Hojo does not fit our bill 100%. To me its not a cut and dry thing of I don't stay at the Hojo therefore I must not like to walk.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Yes, people at DLR have argued for years about how close certain hotels are to the DLR gates. The MousePlanet article was welcome because it was so specific.

It is one of those finer points of the Disneyland side of disboards that makes all of our debates, decisions and waffling over those decisions fun and interesting. And I will say again, the same thing happens over on the WDW side regarding resorts. People asking over and over, how far is the walk to the food court if you are staying way out at Pop, POR, etc. Threads where people rant about how long the hallways at Boardwalk are while others tell them to give them a break! At Disneyland the walking one does in reference to their resort is the same concept but in a different light.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hence why I have not gone to WDW yet. The advantage of being close is one not to be ignored as Amy&Dan and Hydroguy have pointed out. It is just me alone with a 6, 3, and 1 year old with a double stroller. Staying close in walking distance makes DL trips very do-able for me and much easier to handle than having to rely on transportation.

We also hop back and forth during the day and make one if not two trips back to the hotel for something so I am sure I am walking just as much if not more than I would at WDW as the PP's have pointed out.

So I will continue to be a wuss for a few years!!!! Who's with me ;-)


Andrea

Andrea, I thought you had a trip to WDW planned soon? Did you cancel it? And don't let the size thing of WDW put you off. The transportation is easy to use and very reliable. And being able to stay onsite for sometimes as little as $79 (I got $49 at Pop once with an AP rate, they have way better AP rates and codes at WDW) is such a bonus. Don't get me wrong, Disneyland will always be my true love , but WDW does have its good points too! Its not nearly as overwhelming as some make it out to be. Your Disneyland knowledge will serve you very well when you make the trip.

 

[MATTERHORN]

Andrea, I thought you had a trip to WDW planned soon? Did you cancel it? And don't let the size thing of WDW put you off. The transportation is easy to use and very reliable. And being able to stay onsite for sometimes as little as $79 (I got $49 at Pop once with an AP rate, they have way better AP rates and codes at WDW) is such a bonus. Don't get me wrong, Disneyland will always be my true love , but WDW does have its good points too! Its not nearly as overwhelming as some make it out to be. Your Disneyland knowledge will serve you very well when you make the trip.

Oh I still really really want to go, but due to DH's job we had to cancel our May trip and are now using the points at the Grand in April! It's just that I don't mind doing DL with just me and the kids, but I want our first time at WDW to include DH so alas I am still waiting. Hoping for next May now!!!

Thanks a bunch though, I will only consider onsite at WDW so that's where we'll be, most likely at the BW as that's where my friends' points are so we can book 11 months out! Thank you though, I think I will definitely go with just me and the kids to WDW after we have been there as a family atleast once!


Andrea

 

[drag n' fly]

Yes I agree about you either like to walk or not. I do, thats why most of our vacations as in 2-5 per year, are spent at Disney. We love being on the go. We love the large resorts at WDW which is why I plunked down tens of thousands of dollars to buy into DVC/SSR. And why when I am out of points I like to stay at one of the very spread out mods like POR or CBR. But I still stand by my opinion that based upon what I like and want in offsite lodging at Disneyland that the Hojo does not fit our bill 100%. To me its not a cut and dry thing of I don't stay at the Hojo therefore I must not like to walk.

Hojo does not fit my bill either.......anymore. I got spoiled staying at WDW loved POR/AB. Next trip is a split stay GF and 7 day Eastern. For us when we booked we tried to get a room at DLH and or GC but their was no availability at that time so I booked at room at Hojo to be safe in case one didn't open up. We are going down for dh SPE conference. After staying onsite at WDW I certainly have higher expectations now and am willing to pay the extra money as it does make the holiday more enjoyable for us.
Anyone with small children or travelling alone at DL will definitely want to stay closer. Our youngest is 4 now so it isn't as much of an issue. This trip is dh and I... no kids so it does not matter as much. We have agreed though we are staying at GC for close proximity or DLH for the pool for our next family trip. I certainly wish we could do a Disney trip 2-5 times per year but living in Calgary, Alberta does not make for cheap flights so we will never go that often.

 

[wendithepooh]

I agree that depending on who is in your group,HoJo can be a long walk at night.We have stayed at the Park Vue inn and the Desert Inn and AT NIGHT it was so nice not to have walk back to the HoJo's.We are going back in June with my OLD parents and they can't walk that far,esp. after walking all day in DL.However,my DH aunt and uncle are staying at the DLH and they are much worse then my parents-they are going for the monorail.What the HOJO needs is a dedicated shuttle and that would solve a lot of issues.

With that said,You will enjoy it if you go.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hojo does not fit my bill either.......anymore. I got spoiled staying at WDW loved POR/AB. Next trip is a split stay GF and 7 day Eastern. For us when we booked we tried to get a room at DLH and or GC but their was no availability at that time so I booked at room at Hojo to be safe in case one didn't open up. We are going down for dh SPE conference. After staying onsite at WDW I certainly have higher expectations now and am willing to pay the extra money as it does make the holiday more enjoyable for us.
Anyone with small children or travelling alone at DL will definitely want to stay closer. Our youngest is 4 now so it isn't as much of an issue. This trip is dh and I... no kids so it does not matter as much. We have agreed though we are staying at GC for close proximity or DLH for the pool for our next family trip. I certainly wish we could do a Disney trip 2-5 times per year but living in Calgary, Alberta does not make for cheap flights so we will never go that often.

My "five times" became "two" when dh had the nerve to stop travelling for his job and wracking up those ff miles!! I so agree with being spoiled by the WDW moderates. And for that matter, I feel the same way about the values because you are still onsite and paying less than you often do to stay at a motel on Harbor Blvd. The onsite lodging choices at WDW are what make it more desireable for my family to go to WDW over DL in some ways. Even though DL is still my favorite park. And while I was mindlessly going about my day I thought about this thread some more and came up with why this Hojo walk is a thing for me. Its really about the time spent on Harbor Blvd. I walk to the DLH or PP and never mind it. Its as long, in fact PP may be longer. But since I am on DTD it doesn't seem long and I don't feel I left the magic behind. Harbor Blvd. is your typical, busy city street. The less time I spend on it the better. Also the Hojo was the first time we stayed offsite and I was missing the DLH. For me, staying onsite for my first trip and the subsequent three more after that made it hard to switch. So I like to stay right on the crosswalk now so that I can somewhat convince myself its even better than onsite since its closer! Since that Hojo trip we have stayed offsite a couple more times and it was easier than that first time in part because it was closer and in part because we had stayed offsite before and knew a bit more what to expect as far as the differences in our overall vacation. Which is just as good when we stay onsite in many ways, just different. Oh and another thing, we often stay in the parks until midnight or even later if we shop after park closing. That walk up the to Hojo one night at about 1:00, an hour after closing felt very long. That was definitely a time I was wishing we were closer to the crosswalk.

P.S. You will love the GCH if you do stay there! The DLH is still my sentimental favorite but the location, amenities and atmosphere of the GCH are not to be beat. And enjoy your seven day Eastern, that was my all time favorite vacation to date.

 

[drag n' fly]

My "five times" became "two" when dh had the nerve to stop travelling for his job and wracking up those ff miles!! I so agree with being spoiled by the WDW moderates. And for that matter, I feel the same way about the values because you are still onsite and paying less than you often do to stay at a motel on Harbor Blvd. The onsite lodging choices at WDW are what make it more desireable for my family to go to WDW over DL in some ways. Even though DL is still my favorite park. And while I was mindlessly going about my day I thought about this thread some more and came up with why this Hojo walk is a thing for me. Its really about the time spent on Harbor Blvd. I walk to the DLH or PP and never mind it. Its as long, in fact PP may be longer. But since I am on DTD it doesn't seem long and I don't feel I left the magic behind. Harbor Blvd. is your typical, busy city street. The less time I spend on it the better. Also the Hojo was the first time we stayed offsite and I was missing the DLH. For me, staying onsite for my first trip and the subsequent three more after that made it hard to switch. So I like to stay right on the crosswalk now so that I can somewhat convince myself its even better than onsite since its closer! Since that Hojo trip we have stayed offsite a couple more times and it was easier than that first time in part because it was closer and in part because we had stayed offsite before and knew a bit more what to expect as far as the differences in our overall vacation. Which is just as good when we stay onsite in many ways, just different. Oh and another thing, we often stay in the parks until midnight or even later if we shop after park closing. That walk up the to Hojo one night at about 1:00, an hour after closing felt very long. That was definitely a time I was wishing we were closer to the crosswalk.

P.S. You will love the GCH if you do stay there! The DLH is still my sentimental favorite but the location, amenities and atmosphere of the GCH are not to be beat. And enjoy your seven day Eastern, that was my all time favorite vacation to date.

Well we priced out the seven day Eastern for spring break 2008. It was 1700.00US dollars a day for our family of five (cat4). I could do connecting lower but I want the balcony. So we decided we could not justify the cost and back to my favourite happy place....Disneyland! wooohoo. I have convinced dh to stay at DLH this time. We decided against GC because every hotel west of us is very much like it in style and themeing.(we are 60 miles from Banff National Park). I am looking forward to our upcoming trips!

 

[DisneylandPrincess]

Can I get any tips for HOJO rates of $54 a night? I can never find deals like that. Any help is so appreciated!!!

 

[snoodledoo]

Is there a problem taking the ART from HoJo?

 

[Amy&Dan]

Well we priced out the seven day Eastern for spring break 2008. It was 1700.00US dollars a day for our family of five (cat4). I could do connecting lower but I want the balcony. So we decided we could not justify the cost and back to my favourite happy place....Disneyland! wooohoo. I have convinced dh to stay at DLH this time. We decided against GC because every hotel west of us is very much like it in style and themeing.(we are 60 miles from Banff National Park). I am looking forward to our upcoming trips!

DCL vacations are wonderful but so darned expensive it makes it prohibitive for a lot of us. Especially for families of five. Frankly I don't when or if we will ever cruise again. We had to go in September, at the height of hurricane season (and Ernesto barely missed us) to afford it. We didnt' get a balcony due to costs and could do Cat 9 since we are only four people. I hope to go again someday, but in the meantime I am content to "slum" it at DL and WDW!

And I am one person that actually prefers the DLH over the GCH. The GCH is wonderful but that theming also does not appeal to me as much. I live in CO and it reminds me of many of our mountain lodges here. And I see way too many evergreen type trees all year long, I like palm trees and Disney reminders when I am on vacation!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Is there a problem taking the ART from HoJo?

There is no problem its just one of those things that can be a hassle. Since the Hojo is a walking distance hotel it often can take less time to walk it, rather than wait for the ART and then ride it to the park. I remember a couple of mornings when we must have just missed an ART and sat and waited debating whether to just walk it. I hate agonizing over stuff like that and second guessing my decisions! At night the lines were long and while the Hojo is the first, closest stop from DL, it is the last one dropped off. They go past the Hojo and then onto some other hotels further out on Harbor, then swing back and drop off at the Hojo last. Although a couple of times during a midday break when it wasn't crowded with people returning to their hotels, the drivers would drop us off at the Hojo first. They wouldn't go all the way in but would just let us out at the crosswalk right there at the hotel. A few times we split up, my husband would go back on the ART with my fil and the kids and I would walk. We almost always got there quicker but our feet were a bit more tired. But I hate standing there waiting so it was fine for me!

So no problem, just not as easy as it sounds. But very welcome if you want to save some steps or have little ones or elderly members who just need to save some steps. You can purchase an ART pass that will save you some money right at the Hojo. Otherwise, its $3 per trip, per person. Although children are cheaper, can't remember by how much.

 

[MATTERHORN]

So no problem, just not as easy as it sounds. But very welcome if you want to save some steps or have little ones or elderly members who just need to save some steps. You can purchase an ART pass that will save you some money right at the Hojo. Otherwise, its $3 per trip, per person. Although children are cheaper, can't remember by how much.

Children under 9 were free, I don't know if that has changed in the last 3-4 months. Also you can buy a 5 day pass for $12 I believe! Like Amy&Dan said, it's just more of a hassle for me to take everything out of my stroller, fold it up, lug it on, and then get the kids and me on! It's easier and faster to walk it, and then I am not on their schedule either. Plus stopping at other hotels makes it take longer too!

But believe me, somedays I really really wanna take it!!

Andrea