Hotel help....

[KPLC]

We will be at Disney July 6 - 8th this year. Travelling from Toronto family of 5...I am sure that this will be the only trip we make to DL as a family of 5 - do we stay at the Disneyland Hotel or save the cost at stay at the Howard Johnson - if we stay on property do we get early access on the day of arrival - as we were thinking of getting a 2 day pass and then heading to Downtown Disney on the Friday after checkout..thanks for your help!

 

[Misskitty3]

We love Hojo's! We like the Disneyland Hotel too but, for us, definitely not worth the cost. Even getting into the parks an hour early isn't worth the cost to me but you may feel differently! If you by a 3 day pass you can get 1 day of early entry into DL without staying on property.

 

[Geemo]

Yes, you will get EE on both check-in and check-out dates.

If you stay onsite you'll be able to use the pool and other amenities of the Disney hotel on check-out day.
After touring DTD you can lounge around the pool.
On checkout day we often leave our bags with Bell Service until we are ready to leave for the airport. My grandkids love to swing through DTD one last time then head for the pool. Ordering a pizza from Marris is also a must for them. Marris' delivers and are so reasonable priced, a large pepperoni is around $20.

Geemo

 

[sherilaine]

If this is going to be your only trip to Disneyland and you are only staying for 2 nights, then I'd say stay on site and enjoy that whole experience. We love the kids suites at the Hojos but when we go to Disneyland we stay for over a week each trip. The onsite hotels are expensive but if we were just staying for a couple of nights we'd stay onsite for sure!!

 

[tomato]

How old are your kids? We were going to stay at Hojo's but we have teens and felt that the place seems a little young for us.

We're staying at The Courtyard Anaheim this time and very excited about it. Everyone gets their own bed, TWO showers, a Starbucks in the building, a water park, AND it's still less than the Disneyland Hotel. And actually closer to the gates than DLH.

 

[goooof1]

Agree with pps: For such a short trip, and a first one at that......DisneyLand Hotel...... EE every day and just all around Disney Magic!

 

[gottalovepluto]

That is a very busy time at DL. If the budget can stretch for onsite, I'd go for it. EMH is great during summer, just be there when it starts, don't be late!

Side thought: have you thought about 3 day tickets? The parks should be running full hours (8am to midnight DL) making it easier to take advantage of the 3rd day even if you only have a half a day to use it can be worth it! Personally we get a lot more out of half a day in the parks than exploring downtown Disney. There's just not much to explore to us, it's some shops (which you can see online ahead of time if you're interested in any of them) and restaurants that as expensive as those inside the parks! (Exception: Earl of Sandwich, if you're looking for bang-for-your-buck food go there, close to DLH too! Also there is a Starbucks, and Haagen Dazs if you get an ice cream craving.) Does your crew swim? DLH has those monorail water slides, and you may really want an afternoon break each day during the heat of the afternoon (July can be really hot) so if a break is not in your plan I'd consider making space for one.