HOJO Hints & Tips

[Leshaface]

They have the standard 20% off for APs but now they also have the 50% off rate for APs on the same days it is offered for the Entertainment rate. So you can get the discount with your AP, instead of having to get an Entertainment book card also. Here is the website to check if your dates are included for the 50% off rate: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=29

Thank you so much!!

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

For those of you who have frequented the Kids' Suites, which would you choose; a lower room that is less noisy or a top floor room with the skylights? I like the way that the skylights look in pictures, but will I be looking at a nice view of the city or traffic passing by my face? How noisy is it on the top floors facing the freeway, and how much does white noise help? We are somewhere in the middle between light and heavy sleepers.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for really good coffee and/or hot chocolate that comes in k-cups that I can buy online ahead of time?

 

[smiley_face2]

I really hope they add our 2 nights in June. I would really really like to stay there but not for only $25 less a night than the PPH.

That happened to us one time too, with the Disneyland Hotel. The difference was about $30. per night so we went with it. It was a peak season for Hojo's I guess. I remember I had people who did not believe me...sounded almost offended that I may be telling porkies... I put a copy of all the information in here just to show that I was not!!
That's the only time we would ever stay anywhere else now... we love Hojo's, but who wouldn't want to stay right in the DLH for so little extra a night?! and actually we did split the time between the two places....

 

[smiley_face2]

I noticed you went to DL during July of last year. We will be going at the same time this year and was wondering what the weather was like? Thx

We've been there twice in July, and once in August. One time at the very beginning of July, and once in the middle to end. Both times were pretty hot... the early July trip it was 104F for several days.... good thing we were on holiday and not working in it!! Lot's of the rides are air conditioned, and the shows too, so you can escape from the heat, and going back to HoJo's for a dip in the pool in the afternoon helps too. We never get that hot here, so it's a treat for us!

 

[Bread&Butterflies]

When I stay in a HoJos's room that has no microwave I bring my toaster for bagels and such.

Just got back from a stay in building 5, standard double, and we used the toaster every day. Cost me $10 at CVS a few years back. it's my "travel toaster" ... I brought a stick of butter and bagels. (Once I brought a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. That was yummy. ) I used the tray they had with the coffee stuff on it and put it under the toaster over by the tv... there were only two outlets by the fridge/coffee maker and both needed to be plugged in. That worked well, it caught all the crumbs and was easy to clean and gave me enough space to cut/butter bagels.

But DON'T FORGET a knife and other utensils!! One year I remembered the spoons, but forgot the bowls. This year I forgot my zip lock baggies!!! And had nowhere to put the pb&j sandwiches once they were made.

My dd loves her oatmeal... so we eat that when we have a microwave.
I loved the coffee makers they have now. I could have used that to heat water for oatmeal. It worked perfectly for my general foods instant cafe mocha's tho. Loved the cups with lids provided. But as others mentioned you might want a bigger cup. It was the perfect size for me tho.

Oh, I also bring ice packs and out them in the little freezer... then pop them in my soft cooler for a day in the parks. It keeps my waters and cheese, etc very COLD.

This time ,I needed some personal "ladies" items once I got there and I couldn't believe what I spent on them in the little store. So bring some just in case.

I Love, Love the George forman on the balcony idea!
It reminds me of when I was a kid, my mom brought her electric frying pan and we had grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs on our trips to Disney.

 

[Ariel224]

For those of you who have frequented the Kids' Suites, which would you choose; a lower room that is less noisy or a top floor room with the skylights? I like the way that the skylights look in pictures, but will I be looking at a nice view of the city or traffic passing by my face? How noisy is it on the top floors facing the freeway, and how much does white noise help? We are somewhere in the middle between light and heavy sleepers.

In Nov we were on the 4th floor. The freeway noise is definitely a presence, but can be muffled with white noise. We got used to it after the first night. Some people are okay with it and some are not, based on what gets posted here. I'm requesting the first floor for our trip this fall to see how much of a difference there will be.

The highway side view is truly nothing spectacular. I don't think it would be worth purposely requesting a higher floor just for the view.

HTH,
Cherie

 

[rentayenta]

That happened to us one time too, with the Disneyland Hotel. The difference was about $30. per night so we went with it. It was a peak season for Hojo's I guess. I remember I had people who did not believe me...sounded almost offended that I may be telling porkies... I put a copy of all the information in here just to show that I was not!!
That's the only time we would ever stay anywhere else now... we love Hojo's, but who wouldn't want to stay right in the DLH for so little extra a night?! and actually we did split the time between the two places....

The difference is actually $64 I was comparing the PPH without taxes to the HoJo including taxes. Now I really hope that rates comes thru!

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

When we stayed in a first floor family suite there was no freeway noise in the room unless the balcony doors were open. I was worried about noise from the elevator, located next to the room, but was pleased to discover we did not hear that either.

The closets in the family suites are not very large, but there are two of them and we found it adequate for a family of five, during winter season, for a week. In other words, it was fine. The closets had a limited number of hangers. I just called the front desk, and voila hangers arrived in very short order.

The family suite rooms had a solid rack to place luggage and a large desk/dresser combo unit with deep drawers. It was great for all the kid stuff especially if you have kids who are too short to use a closet hanger rod. A two year old could still put stuff away in the large drawers.

The safe was large enough for our computer and other things we didn't want to leave sitting around unattended.

In building 4 we were on the first floor, by our choice due to a stroller, and so close to the dump bucket that our balcony was regularly moist. The dump bucket is preceeded by about 30 seconds of a very loud clanging bell. I thought that bell might be heard in outer space. It was very noisy. The kids playing and having a good time became background noise, and I am a mom, so that is essentially the soundtrack of my life, but that bell was obnoxious.

The standard double room had a huge closet, with a fold away twin bed, and open closet near the bathroom. It was more than enough storage. In answer to the comment about putting a baby to sleep in the closet, the crib provided by Hojo is too large to put in the closet, but a pack and play would fit easily. Actually the crib could fit in the space with room left over, it just can't navigate the door and turn into the space.

When we had a harbor side room in building four we had a lot more road noise than when we were freeway side in building one, first floor.

Last but not least, we would call Mimi's when we were getting ready to leave the park and put an order in for muffins for the next day. As we walked past the restaurant we could walk in and pick them up, almost no wait. The next morning we had HUGE and Wonderful muffins. I adore their carrot raisin, wowsa! My son really liked the blueberry muffin. They were great in the morning with our K cups.

 

[garettdoyle]

We stayed in a family suite for 7 night during Thanksgiving week in 2009. I don't remember the exact rate but it was around $135 per night. Overall, I thought it was a good value. The highway is loud. We had the A/C and/or fan on, so that we didn't notice it too much. After the first night, everyone was so tired each day it didn't stop us from sleeping. The parking lot does get pretty full. We always found a spot but sometimes it was on the opposite of the property. I was not impressed with the little store. It was overcrowded with tourist junk and expensive. I would rather it be a mini-grocery/7-11 than a bad version of a gift shop. I can't imagine buying any souvenirs in that place. I drove 3 or 4 miles to a super target (or something similar) to buy our breakfast items, bottled water, and snacks.

We walked each day to DL/DCA. It is about a 15 minute walk. We did eat at the Mimi's next door and it was good. We stopped at McDonalds for ice cream once and for pancakes one morning. My wife and daughters (7 and 9) liked HoJo. We only used the pool a few times as it was a bit chilly to swim (mid 60s). Frankly, we didn't spend a ton of time in the room. We liked having the refrig and microwave. I liked having two bathrooms.

It certainly is not a "Disney" hotel. If you want somewhere close that is not outrageously expensive, it is worth considering. If you want a resort that you will spend lots of time at, you might be disappointed. Staying at a DL resort was going to be 2-3 times more money. It just wasn't worth it to us.

Will we stay there again if/when we go back, maybe. I would certainly recommend it to others. I have traveled frequently in my job and I have stayed at a wide range of hotels. If you are use to Westin or Hyatt, you'll be disappointed. If you are happy at a Holiday Inn Express or Courtyard Marriott, this HoJo should work for you.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

Garretdoyle,

What floor were you on when you had freeway noise in a family suite? I wonder if the noise is much worse when you are higher in the building? We had plenty of vegitation and the wall seemed to offer a lot of noise protection.

 

[ginnyhowes]

this is a great thread!
We have just booked 3 nights in October in a deluxe queen bed room- actually we have booked two rooms, one for the kids and one for us and requested interconnecting rooms. They said they can request and but not guaruntee it- a bit worried about that as the kids are only 1 and 3 and obviously can't be in a room down the hall!!

Anyone else had interconnecting rooms- do you think we will get them ??

 

[Kayla's Mom]

this is a great thread!
We have just booked 3 nights in October in a deluxe queen bed room- actually we have booked two rooms, one for the kids and one for us and requested interconnecting rooms. They said they can request and but not guaruntee it- a bit worried about that as the kids are only 1 and 3 and obviously can't be in a room down the hall!!

Anyone else had interconnecting rooms- do you think we will get them ??

We had connecting rooms when we went with my parents last year. We did not request them, but both rooms were reserved under my card. It was great and really convenient to open those doors and just walk back and forth between the two. We were in building 2 (we had the deluxe queens and my parents had a king).

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Last but not least, we would call Mimi's when we were getting ready to leave the park and put an order in for muffins for the next day. As we walked past the restaurant we could walk in and pick them up, almost no wait. The next morning we had HUGE and Wonderful muffins. I adore their carrot raisin, wowsa! My son really liked the blueberry muffin. They were great in the morning with our K cups.

Oh awesome to know, thank you! I knew you could call ahead and pick up food, but I didn't know you could get JUST muffins. We may have to do this. I love Mimi's bran muffins, they are sooo good!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I made reservations for two standard rooms for October. I asked for adjoining rooms and the reservationists told me that I didn't need to worry about not getting adjoining, she noted it in my reservation.

So I'm not going to worry.....much. lol

I also asked for building four. I think the kids would love to be near the water park area.

 

[ginnyhowes]

so i wont worry about the connecting rooms either then!!
We requested deluxe rooms so are in building 2 ( we wanted the microwave)
On the map it looks a long way from the water park and entrance- is it a long walk ?

Also - do you think I should swap to the premium rooms for the view- I didnt because I didnt know if there would be fireworks to see when we were there ( mid week in Oct) and also I was worried about freeway noise- What would you do- I got the entertainment rate so the difference is only $10 a night. Should I swap- is the view good?

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We have never been to DL as a family (my last visit was in 1989!). We were going to get view rooms but decided that we will not be spending much time at all at the hotel. The $40 dollars saved can go for snacks or breakfast each day.

 

[Littleprincess2010]

We have never been to DL as a family (my last visit was in 1989!). We were going to get view rooms but decided that we will not be spending much time at all at the hotel. The $40 dollars saved can go for snacks or breakfast each day.

Im with you on that one. The extra for the microwaves is good, but the upgrade to Premium can be used for fun stuff in the parks (where we will be most of the time anyways)

 

[DizNee Luver]

Even though I booked through Disney Travel, do you think I'd be able to call HoJo's and request an upgrade & then just pay the difference to HoJo's? Has anyone ever done this before?

We booked thru Disney Travel & I did call HoJo's and request to be upgraded to the premium Disney view rooms. We will pay the difference upon check-in. I believe she said it would be around $15+tax per night. We need the microwave & I thought I read you could pay for a microwave for the standard rooms, but the price seemed a bit steep....so the upgrade made sense for us.

 

[GrandBob]

so i wont worry about the connecting rooms either then!!
We requested deluxe rooms so are in building 2 ( we wanted the microwave)
On the map it looks a long way from the water park and entrance- is it a long walk ?

The pool view deluxe rooms are all we've ever done (because of a recommendation from this board). But we love them. Quiet - no freeway noise - and a nice relaxing balcony overlooking the pool - it seems almost all kids will head over to the pirate play area.

No, it's not a long walk. I dare say you'll spend longer waiting for and riding down the elevator from your room than walking to Pirate's cove.

HTH,
Bob

 

[Eeee-va]

For the record, I know someone here had trouble getting connecting rooms. I THINK Hojo considers "adjoining" rooms as being next-door and "connecting" rooms as being linked with a connecting door. I don't want to worry anyone but if getting rooms linked by a door is important, I would double-check with them sometime.

I wasn't impressed by the park view rooms but for $10 more I'd think about it. I personally preferred the standard doubles (2-story buildings) to the premium rooms. That said, I stayed in the standard doubles in December (so we didn't need to use the air conditioner like we did in June) so the room seemed quieter. Plus the Internet and safe worked without asking for them to fix them, and I had my own bed.