Hotel Help - Planning

[JCall02]

Hi, I could use the help of some Disneyland vets.

I am trying to plan my family’s DL vacation and am having problems trying to decide on hotels. I have experience with WDW but DL is a whole new experience. We are flying down to LAX (Mar 26 – Apr 2) and do not want to rent a vehicle. My party consists of myself, DW, DS – 8, DS – 4, DS – 2. My MIL and FIL also may be joining us.

The main criteria we are looking for in a hotel are: within walking distance of the park, separate room to be able to put kids down for naps/at night, coffee maker, fridge and microwave , pool and/ or play area for the kids to enjoy. I have narrowed it down to: Howard Johnson (Queen suite – I was a little worried about noise in the family suites), Camelot Inn (family suite), and Residence Inn Maingate (family suite). I went to a local travel agent who I haven’t worked with before and they said they heard nothing but bad things about the Howard Johnson (it also isn't available from her wholesalers) from previous clients (dirty, bad service) and she instead recommended the Tropicana.

The Residence Inn is much more expensive and further to walk but it looks to be the roomiest. The Camelot is nice and close but the pool area looks blah. The Howard Johnson looks good but then I hear bad things from the local travel agent. So how do you decide on a hotel and do you have any recommendations?

Does anyone have experience with Grayline tours to Legoland or Sea World? I am thinking about adding a couple of day trips to break the trip up a bit but I am not sure if the 11 hours will be worth it. Legoland looks like a lot of fun for our boys but I am not sure if there will be enough at Sea World to keep them occupied.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[aristocat65]

I find your travel agent's comments on Howard Johnson odd. I haven't stayed there myself, but most people on this board LOVE it. I would trust their opinion more. My brother and his family stayed there last year and really enjoyed it.

As far as Legoland, your boys will love it. They are the perfect ages. It really is a great park. Definitely worth the trip

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We love HoJo ~ maybe cause your TA *don't use one - it's easy to plan DLR on your own* can't book through them she talks bad about them

 

[skiingfast]

There are three things to look for in Hotels.

1. Location, you can stay super close and walk a couple minutes and be in the resort. You can stay further away and rely on shuttles.
2. Stay onsite to stay within the Magic.
3. Free breakfast, many of the hotels offer them and this can make your mornings easier.

Other than that just find a place that caters to your rooming needs.



Take Hojo with a grain of salt. People rave about here but not elsewhere. There are some reasons.

 

[Ariel224]

Your travel agent is crazy!!! We've stayed at HOJO 3 times now (twice in the kids' suites) and never found anything wrong. Did you check to see if the Queen Suite at HOJO is actually available? It is an extremely limited room type (in fact, for some reason I'm thinking there might only be one suite, but I'm not sure). The kids' suites at HOJO really are VERY nice. We've stayed in one on the 2nd & 4th floors and found the lower floor to be somewhat quieter. I found that at the end of a long Disney day, we're all too tired to notice any noise. The suites also have in room safes. We like that HOJO is an interior corridor hotel (much safer and quieter), parking is plentiful and free, and the rooms are very clean and comfortable.

Don't be deterred by the lack of a breakfast offering at HOJO. All of the rooms have fridges, and they have a little convenience store on site, so having cereal, yogurt, and/or fruit in the room is very quick & easy...we do it every time. Any of the suites will have microwaves as well. Mimi's next door can provide you with a very hearty sit down breakfast, or you can pick up some of their delicious (and HUGE) freshly baked muffins to go.

One word of warning about the water play area at HOJO....my kids would actually rather play there than go to DL! They constantly ask, "When can we go back to the hotel to swim?"

 

[munchkinsmom]

I went to a local travel agent who I haven’t worked with before and they said they heard nothing but bad things about the Howard Johnson (it also isn't available from her wholesalers) from previous clients (dirty, bad service) and she instead recommended the Tropicana...

...The Howard Johnson looks good but then I hear bad things from the local travel agent. So how do you decide on a hotel and do you have any recommendations?

Wow...I've stayed at the Hojo since 2004 and the main reason we stay there is because we know the service by the staff is good and the room will be clean and in working order. We haven't been disappointed yet! We've stayed in the Queen Suite and the family suite and both are very nice.

There are other hotels in the area that we like as well, but the Hojo has always been our "go-to" hotel when we plan for our trips to Anaheim. And people elsewhere do like the Hojo...not just here on the Disboards:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...aheim_Disneyland_Park-Anaheim_California.html

http://www.mouseplanet.com/cgi/reviews/do/display.cgi?product-sku=dlrahjph (on this website, you can also see some reviews on the hotel that your travel agent recommended and check how it compares to other hotels in the area).

From your post I think you've already guessed why this TA is moving you away from some hotels and towards others. The only suggestion I have is to continue to do the research, like you are already doing and hopefully you'll make the right choice for your family!

Good luck!

 

[specialks]

I have never stayed at that HoJos but after being on these boards for about 2 years, I wouldn't listen to that travel agent. Everyone raves about the Anaheim HoJos here on the boards. One of their employees (Lorealle) actually checks the boards and sometimes posts here. She always seems very friendly and helpful. If you use youtube, you can actually search for hojoanaheim and they have a whole channel of fun little video clips they have made including explanations of the rooms.
They also offer an entertainment rate special that is the "talk of the town" around here so you might check out that (they update it and you have to check it faithfully to hope your dates come available): HoJo Entertainment Rate Dates

 

[BELLEDOZER]

My advice to you would be to book with HOJO's directly, using their number and asking for in house reservations. Tell that you are a member of the board and they will give you a 15% discount for being a member of this board. Then book the remainder of your trip with your travel agent by all means. I found that it was alot cheaper for me when I went to DL in early October to book all my accomodations, air, tickets, etc, etc, etc. I hunted for cheap airfares by choosing an airline that I wanted to fly with, then checking their website often for cheap airfares. I saved $300CDN by doing this for my flights alone, and that's not including the other discounts I found by booking direct. Even for our family trip in Feb, driving down to DL, the only thing I've got booked is our hotel (HOJO's, will not stay anywhere else!), and will just have to order the hopper passes online at the Disney website, then get state maps and hotel books through our local BCAA (AAA to you US'ers) a couple of weeks before we leave. Hope that this helps you out. I would ignore the negative comments about HOJO's as I've stayed there twice, and as always have been impressed with the customer service, and the hotel in general. Whenever I've had a problem, I've contacted them and the problem was resolved the next day, if not sooner.

 

[ironpig70]

I always stay at the Ramada Inn Maingate. We always get a regular room but they do have suites.

 

[Cagirl767]

Our hotel of choice for me, dh and 3 and 5 year olds is the Residence Inn on Harbor Blvd or Homewood Suites on Harbor. Not walking distance, but there is the ART to get you back and forth, Homewood has their own shuttle. Residence Inn on Clementine isn't what I consider walking distance, but some do. It is a nice property and has a kids' playground and room to roam. You can always hop on the ART shuttle. You may be there during Spring Break crowds, so the ART could potentially be crowded.

Most of the motels at the pedestrian crosswalk are smaller properties in size and not much room to roam around. In March/April I doubt you'd be using the pools. There is the Carousel and 2 Best Westerns that may suit your needs. The Tropicana is there too, they have a 2 room suite. It doesn't get much closer than those.

A little further down is Portofino, they have a kids' suite with bunkbeds. It's walking distance.

 

[wvnative]

Of your three choices, we've only stayed at HOJO. We love it. It is our first choice of hotel when we visit. We've never had any issues and the staff is always very helpful and pleasant. I generally travel with teenagers and have heard very little whining about the walk. I always see lots of families there.

My daughter stayed at Tropicana on a school trip several years ago. It seemed a little cramped with 4 teenage girls in the room but even after three days in the room, it still looked pretty good. The choir director always stays here. They apparently give her a spankin' group rate. lol

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Hi, I could use the help of some Disneyland vets.

I am trying to plan my family’s DL vacation and am having problems trying to decide on hotels. I have experience with WDW but DL is a whole new experience. We are flying down to LAX (Mar 26 – Apr 2) and do not want to rent a vehicle. My party consists of myself, DW, DS – 8, DS – 4, DS – 2. My MIL and FIL also may be joining us.

The main criteria we are looking for in a hotel are: within walking distance of the park, separate room to be able to put kids down for naps/at night, coffee maker, fridge and microwave , pool and/ or play area for the kids to enjoy. I have narrowed it down to: Howard Johnson (Queen suite – I was a little worried about noise in the family suites), Camelot Inn (family suite), and Residence Inn Maingate (family suite). I went to a local travel agent who I haven’t worked with before and they said they heard nothing but bad things about the Howard Johnson (it also isn't available from her wholesalers) from previous clients (dirty, bad service) and she instead recommended the Tropicana.

The Residence Inn is much more expensive and further to walk but it looks to be the roomiest. The Camelot is nice and close but the pool area looks blah. The Howard Johnson looks good but then I hear bad things from the local travel agent. So how do you decide on a hotel and do you have any recommendations?

Does anyone have experience with Grayline tours to Legoland or Sea World? I am thinking about adding a couple of day trips to break the trip up a bit but I am not sure if the 11 hours will be worth it. Legoland looks like a lot of fun for our boys but I am not sure if there will be enough at Sea World to keep them occupied.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Hi JCall02!

Congratulations on getting to plan this trip for your family! There is SO MUCH to do and see here in Southern California, and you've definitely come to the right place for help and tips with your Trip Planning!

If you have questions about rates and availability for any of our rooms, including our suites, you can email stay@hojoanaheim.com to reach our In-House Reservations Team. We'd be happy to check and see if our Queen Suite is available for you during the dates that you're looking to say. Plus, if you decide that it makes the most sense for you and your family to book through your Travel Agent, you do have the option to pay an upgrade fee to guarantee our Queen Suite for the dates of your stay!

Good luck with the rest of your planning!
Lorealle

 

[taaren]

We like the Residence Inn but it is a bit of a walk; if you're going to be driving/ARTing anyways you could stay at the Garden Grove one a few blocks down and its much cheaper.
Have you considered renting DVC points and staying at the Villas at GC? A one bedroom could fit 5 of you though you'd need a 2 bedroom if your in-laws join. Its a lot pricier than HoJo but the niceness/roominess/wonderful location might be worth it.

 

[katesorad]

I can't give you any advice on those specific hotels since I haven't stayed in them, but I did want to just comment on your idea of going to either Sea World or Legoland. I'd say skip Sea World. The one in San Diego just doesn't have that much to do. It's more of a 1/2 day trip, if that.. and it's just not really worth the money. If your kids are young (under 10 or so), they will really enjoy Legoland. There is enough to do for an entire day, and the park itself is really nice.

If you do have the option to splurge on hotels, I would highly recommend the Disneyland Hotel. I just think that staying at a Disney hotel is 100% worth it. I've stayed at Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian, but I live in San Diego, so I don't stay up there that often since it's only an hour drive.