Hotel questions

[Cinderellee]

Sorry, I have read through some of this and have gotten a lot of good info, but still have a few questions. It has been 15 years since I have been to DL and we are planning a trip with our 2 kids (6 and 2.5) in Aug.

Is it worth the extra $$ to stay on property? I know at WDW it is, at least for us. There seem to be several nice hotels right across the street that get great reviews on here and on Trip Advisor.

If on property, Paradise Pier or DLH? The Grand is totally out of the budget.

Just trying to get a feeling for all of this. We need to book soon if we are going in Aug. TIA

 

[Huff]

If you can afford it then its worth it for the Disney immersion but for us its not in our budget to stay on site at DLR like we do at WDW. DLR has 3 resorts, all deluxes and rather pricey.

At WDW there are other benifits to staying onsite than just Disney experience. Disney transportation to/from parks and other resorts is great. So is EMH. At DLR you have no need for transportation once there. The two parks, 3 resorts and Downtown Disney are all right there in walking distance from each other.

Many of the walking distance hotels are actually closer to the front gates than Disneyland Hotel, although the Disneyland hotel is close to the monorail which takes you inside Disneyland to Tomorrowland.

We have our own car and choose to stay a few miles away so we can afford nice resorts. Parking at DLR is $15/day but we have AP's which makes it free.

 

[Butterfly123]

There is a thread "What's the advantage of a good neighbor hotel?" on this page that you will find helpful.

 

[msheriffm]

If your budget is tight stay at a good neighbor hotel. The rooms at Disney Hotel are cute but small and not that fancy. When reading about the location across the street be careful across the street can still be a long walk. Also some of the blocks are really long, one area of hotels that is across from DL but it is a street that can not be crossed. I would look for a hotel that has their own free shuttle. Be careful because many of the hotels share a bus and that requires you to buy a pass. One time we stayed at either the Hyatt or Marriott and had a two bedroom suite for less than what we would have paid for DLH. Where ever it was we just shared a big bus with the sister hotel next door. Also if you are driving check if the hotel charges for parking. Paradise Pier is too far away don't bother to pay for it.

 

[larina]

Sorry, I have read through some of this and have gotten a lot of good info, but still have a few questions. It has been 15 years since I have been to DL and we are planning a trip with our 2 kids (6 and 2.5) in Aug.

Is it worth the extra $$ to stay on property? I know at WDW it is, at least for us. There seem to be several nice hotels right across the street that get great reviews on here and on Trip Advisor.

If on property, Paradise Pier or DLH? The Grand is totally out of the budget.

Just trying to get a feeling for all of this. We need to book soon if we are going in Aug. TIA

Worth it?
Only you can decide if it is worth it for your family. The price difference is huge! There are decent motels across the street, but they aren't hotels, by any means.

PPH or DLH?
Who's in your party? How old and how many? PPH has incredible view rooms, but without the view, people complain that is it just a regular room. I love PPH and its bright and cheery rooms, which are also bigger than DLH rooms of the same class. DLH recently went through huge renovations. I hear the rooms are wonderful, though a bit dark for my own taste (I find the whole DLH dark and the renovations seem to have made it even darker!).

I'd book today if it were me. August is selling out quickly from all I hear. We expected that though with CarsLand opening.

 

[larina]

...Paradise Pier is too far away don't bother to pay for it.

That's a matter of choice. We don't find PPH too far at all! Totally worth the walk in my opinion and it IS closer to the parks than DLH. Just make sure you know about cutting through the Grand.

Oh, and the other perk of staying on-site, besides just being on site, is that you get Magic Morning entry EVERY DAY they have it of your stay AND you can enter DCA early some days as well (is that everyday?).

 

[HydroGuy]

Sorry, I have read through some of this and have gotten a lot of good info, but still have a few questions. It has been 15 years since I have been to DL and we are planning a trip with our 2 kids (6 and 2.5) in Aug.

Is it worth the extra $$ to stay on property? I know at WDW it is, at least for us. There seem to be several nice hotels right across the street that get great reviews on here and on Trip Advisor.

If on property, Paradise Pier or DLH? The Grand is totally out of the budget.

Just trying to get a feeling for all of this. We need to book soon if we are going in Aug. TIA

Well, you will find many WDW visitors around here who will only stay onsite at WDW but at DLR are fine with off-site.

It is hard for me to answer the question of whether onsite is worth it because I myself have changed my mind.

When I was younger and my kids were younger and money was tighter, I always looked at how staying off-site saved enough money to allow us extra days at the parks. I totally thought onsite was not worth it.

Now kids are older (college and high school) and money is not so tight and I like to splurge for things like DLR hotels and Fantasmic dessert seating (something I never would have done 10 years ago).

With kids now older they also appreciate the GCH more than younger kids would.

So onsite is both worth it and not worth it to me, depending on age of kids and amount of discretionary money we have.

 

[msheriffm]

That's a matter of choice. We don't find PPH too far at all! Totally worth the walk in my opinion and it IS closer to the parks than DLH. Just make sure you know about cutting through the Grand.

Oh, and the other perk of staying on-site, besides just being on site, is that you get Magic Morning entry EVERY DAY they have it of your stay AND you can enter DCA early some days as well (is that everyday?).

Oh I was not aware of the shortcut thanks for the information.

 

[larina]

Oh I was not aware of the shortcut thanks for the information.

Yes, I'm terrible with directions but all kinds of people here can walk you through it step by step practically. You can cut through the Grand and into Down Town Disney to get to DL, but the Grand has its own entrance to CA, which is great! We used it more often than not, even when headed to DL (except for MMs) because DTD was SO crowded Christmas week.

 

[coaches24]

We will be staying on site (PPH) for the first time at the end of the month but normally it is not in our budget. Last time we stayed at one of the further away good neighbor motels (motel 6 anaheim maingate) and had a great time. It was a little hard walking back at the end of the day but still manageable for us. I dont think its a must to stay on site. If you worry about spending too much you can stay offsite at some nice places and still have a great time.

I am expecting that staying onsite will just ad a little bit more Disney magic to our trip. Not something I would splurge on every time but I think its nice to splurge once in a while.