HoJo Plaza vs. Candy Cane Inn?? Any opinions??? Help needed

[lulubelle]

Just to follow up...I got the $99 AAA rate by calling the CCI direct. The reservationist was very nice. And the shuttle was never crowded, and is a necessity for a Lazy-Bones-Jones like me . I am just too pooped after walking for 10 hours or so to walk another 1/2 mile. I noticed they have two buses, one like a giant van and the other the size of a school bus. The driver told me they use whichever is needed based on the crowds. But I know that Hojo's is a great choice, too!

 

[tinkermell]

Hi Lives4Disney!!
I don't have any input cuz I've never stayed at either one, but I just wanted to welcome you back to the DL boards.

I will be trying the Candy Cane Inn this April for the first time on the Official DL Ladies trip too. Woo Hoo!!

 

[Hound 109]

Oh yea! I get to tell it again. I never get tired of telling this one. . .

It was my youngest dd's(2 at the time) first visit to Disneyland. She didn't know what to expect, except for she knew that Sleeping Beauty's Castle was there. All the way to Disneyland in the van she kept telling us over and over that when she got to Disneyland she was going to sleep with Sleeping Beauty in her castle.

I told her that Sleeping Beauty's Castle walk-through was closed years ago, so she wouldn't be able to visit her there, but she would surely see her other places. But she kept insisiting over and over that she would sleep with Sleeping Beauty. We laughed it off and said "Sure, honey. You can just ask her when you see her."

One day when we were in the Animation Studios we saw Belle in the Princess area (used to be where Turtle Talk now sits). So we waited in line for Belle. My dd walks up and asks Belle where Aurora is and matter of factly tells her that Sleeping Beauty is her favorite and she wants to sleep with her. Belle was very gracious and told her that Aurora would be coming out next and they would arrange to have her first in line to see her. Then she kissed my dd on the LIPS! It was precious!

The handler CM put my dd first in line to see Aurora who came out right after. Dd walked right up to her gave her a huge hug and said "Can I sleep with you??" Aurora was taken back and asked "What?" Dd repeated that she wanted to sleep with her. Aurora said "Of course!" and laid out her dress and laid down. Dd laid on top of it, closed her eyes and the picture taking commenced. They both pretended to sleep for about 30 seconds. Aurora asked dd if they could wake up. Dd said "Nope! Still sleeping!" Aurora gave her another 30 seconds or so before they woke up.

My mom and I were seriously bawling. What a magical moment for my dd and my entire family. We even heard Aurora ask the CM photographer for a copy of the picture.

The next year when we went back, we saw the same Aurora during storytelling at the Princess Shoppe. She recognized my dd and called her by name. Then she introduced her to Prince Phillip who went on and on about how Aurora had told him all about their nap time together. How they pulled that off, I have NO idea! But once again, another Disney Magical moment for dd.

Just an aside: After having the above experiences with the princesses at DLR, it is no wonder why I am not a fan of PFFT! Oh how I miss the magic when the princesses were free. Now they are prisoners of the PFF.

Anyways, thanks for letting me share that again! Like I said, I LOVE LOVE sharing the magic!

: Police. ::cop:




Looks like a Disney Diva in training to me.

(you know what they say....."the apple doesn't fall far from the tree")


Cute story DangerMouse.


(but what's up with this sexist "Girls Only" trip ??!!)

BOT - I'm looking forward to hearing from you all on the CCI. Might be a good option for my family if i want to include a couple relatives who can't do alot of walking.

Also, I'm guessing mid day, getting on the tram wouldn't be very hard.

hound -

 

[Lives4Disney]

Dangermouse, that story is PRECIOUS. Those pictures of your daughter are absolutely adorable. I got teary reading the sweet story. I love that!! I thought the characters and CMs at DL were just top notch. They really impressed us so much.


Tinkermell!! Hello again!

NostalgicDad, thanks for that shuttle info!

I love the Disneyland board. YOu guys are soooo nice & helpful. Sometimes the WDW boards get scary.

Lives4Disney

 

[trodrigue]

We just returned from staying at the CCI in the premium room and loved it. In addition to the breakfast delivery and the evening turn down, there was a really nice set of soaps, bath salts, lotions, a loofah sponge, q-tips etc. Also, a great grind and brew coffee maker, biscotti and bottled water. And the shower was quite nice with a great head. It was very clean. The shuttle only runs twice an hour and the first one only gets you to the park 15 minutes before opening. I preferred walking most of the time, and it was no problem for my 5 year old. I took the shuttle back at the end of the night when I had my arms full of purchases, and was glad not to walk that time. I did have to wait for the shuttle for 25 minutes as I had just missed it. I do not know where you would put the 5th person, but they do say you have room for a roll away if you want it. We had 4 and the room seemed full.

We also stay at Paradise Pier, and I think the walk is pretty comparable. I like PP because they have two queens plus a convertable couch that turns into a bed. Even with the 4 of us, we usually use the convertable bed.


I have not stayed at the HOJO, but I did drive by it last week and was not impressed by the location, and there are two major street crossings, where there is one small crossing for CCI, and of course none with PP.

 

[nurse.darcy]

The BEST thing about the CCI is the private shuttle. Mind you, the walk is VERY short to the main entrance so in the morning no biggie, HOWEVER, after a full day in the parks you will appreciate the PRIVATE shuttle to the hotel. Trust me, I just stayed at the Portofino, which is right across the street from CCI and would have given my right arm to be on that CCI shuttle at night. The ART is fine but the private shuttle is AWESOME.

 

[DangerMouse]

I have not stayed at the HOJO, but I did drive by it last week and was not impressed by the location, and there are two major street crossings, where there is one small crossing for CCI, and of course none with PP.

We only deal with ONE street crossing when we stay at the HoJo. We cross the street from Manchester across Harbor then walk down the West side of Harbor (closest to the parks). There is a lot less foot traffic that way and you can cut into the employee shuttle entrance/taxi waiting area to cut off some time.

To the OP. You really can't go wrong with either location. The biggest benefit at the HoJo is larger rooms and kid-friendly pool area. The biggest benefit at the CCI is free shuttle and breakfast. You have to decide what is most important to you.

 

[jhryb]

BTW, we stayed at the DLH in August, and Hojos really was just as nice. Add in the price difference (we paid $54 per night at Hojos) and it can't be beat.
No room service, but there is a Mim's cafe very near by.

How did you ever get $54 per night? What a great rate! I have already made reservations at Hojos for Aug (our first trip to DL), but our reserved rate is much higher.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

How did you ever get $54 per night? What a great rate! I have already made reservations at Hojos for Aug (our first trip to DL), but our reserved rate is much higher.

I was wondering the same thing. I also tried to price out CCI and I get $134 per night for August but I cannot find it on Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels,com, etc search engines. Am I missing something?!!

 

[DangerMouse]

I was wondering the same thing. I also tried to price out CCI and I get $134 per night for August but I cannot find it on Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels,com, etc search engines. Am I missing something?!!

HoJo ent. rate is only available during times where they have low occupancy, so it will probably be difficult to get that rate in August. Best bet is to just keep checking on their website using the promo code sd50. They often release new ent. rates 30 days prior if they need to fill more rooms.

CCI is a privately owned hotel and is not listed on any of the discount travel sites. They don't have a hard time keeping full as they are very highly rated and small enough to stay at a high occupancy pretty much all year long.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

How did you ever get $54 per night? What a great rate! I have already made reservations at Hojos for Aug (our first trip to DL), but our reserved rate is much higher.

HoJo ent. rate is only available during times where they have low occupancy, so it will probably be difficult to get that rate in August. Best bet is to just keep checking on their website using the promo code sd50. They often release new ent. rates 30 days prior if they need to fill more rooms.

CCI is a privately owned hotel and is not listed on any of the discount travel sites. They don't have a hard time keeping full as they are very highly rated and small enough to stay at a high occupancy pretty much all year long.

Thank you so much for the clarification.

 

[wowsmom]

When you've stayed at CCI have you walked or used the shuttle??? Does the shuttle line get super crowded?? Was the shuttle convenient or a hassle??

The times we've stayed there, we've used the shuttle.

One day when headed back to the hotel, the shuttle filled up before we could get on it. The driver said "give me 10 minutes". He went and dropped his load and came back and got us, even though it wasn't at the regular pick-up time.

 

[jlovesee]

We are going out to CA in early March and this thread was answering the questions I needed answered. Is the SD50 rate you mentioned good for everyone?

Jennifer

 

[MommyWithDreams]

We are going out to CA in early March and this thread was answering the questions I needed answered. Is the SD50 rate you mentioned good for everyone?

Jennifer

The SD50 rate is good if you have the entertainment book. You will need to show the front desk your entertainment card when you check in to receive the 59/ rate. Hope that helps.

 

[Ferry Joy]

The SD50 rate is good if you have the entertainment book. You will need to show the front desk your entertainment card when you check in to receive the 59/ rate. Hope that helps.

So if you are from "Way out of town" do you think you get good value in purchasing the Entertainment book? I saw them mentioned on another web site as a good way to save money but was unsure as I have never even used the books we have at home.

 

[Ferry Joy]

Another vote for CCI.

We've been staying at lower budget places the last couple of trips, but our 4-year-old always points out our "favorite hotel" as we drive by.

We even got a Christmas Card from CCI this year signed by all the employees.

We are looking at budget places (because we want to stay a week this time) where have you stayed that you liked?

 

[SnowWhite12]

We have ressies at Desert Inn and Suites, but I would reconsider hojo if I could get the $54 rate. I entered the ent. code on their website, but the prices listed (for April 21-27) are $129-144 per night. I can't swing that!

 

[disneylandguru]

I've stayed at Howard Johnson on many occasions and like the combination of it's close location to the pedestrian entrance as well as the fact that it's right next to Mimi's Cafe -- one of the nicest and most reasonable restarurants in that area of the Disneyland Resort.

But keep in mind -- always make sure you get a Disneyland View room -- one that faces the park. If you get a room on the back side of Hojo it is extremely noisy since the hotel is right up against Interstate 5.

As far as Candy Cane Inn -- the one thing I don't like about them is that they are very exclusive on their booking options. They are one of the few hotels in the area that does not allow booking via the many large reservation networks (Travelocity, etc). Instead, they prefer to handle all their reservations themselves. I'm not certain, but that philosophy generally doesn't benefit the consumer in terms of competitive pricing and deals.

 

[DangerMouse]

But keep in mind -- always make sure you get a Disneyland View room -- one that faces the park. If you get a room on the back side of Hojo it is extremely noisy since the hotel is right up against Interstate 5.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. I have stayed in various types of rooms at the HoJo, and my experience has been that it is much quieter in Bldg. 2, which is the back building (closest to the freeway). The reason it is quieter is because they only have rooms facing toward the center of the hotel (overlooking the pool/coutyard area) and have soundproofed the side close to the freeway. The lower floors are below the freeway wall, and are the quietest. The only time I have had issues with freeway noise at the HoJo was in Bldg. 1 in a Premium Disney View room. It was so loud, I needed earplugs. This room was on the far north side of Bldg. 1 on the 7th Floor, so it was closest to the freeway and above the freeway wall. If you request a room on the south end of the bldg, and blow the 6th floor, you won't experience near as much noise.

This is just my experience.

 

[bumbershoot]

So if you are from "Way out of town" do you think you get good value in purchasing the Entertainment book? I saw them mentioned on another web site as a good way to save money but was unsure as I have never even used the books we have at home.

If you have one at home that's current for when you're traveling, just use the card from that book! You do not have to use the Anaheim-area book, not at all.

And even if you can't use a book in your area, well, for example...right now the book for my area (south puget sound) is on mega-sale for 12.50, and I *think* shipping costs are waived as well right now. 12.50 to get the book and card, and then b/c of the card (depending on if the rate is available during the dates I want of course...and you can book it before you buy the book!) I can get 59 vs 100 or more...the yes, it's absolutely worth it.

Just don't buy the Anaheim book if you don't have a book for your area. Just get the least expensive one you can find.