Hotel suggestions...

[CrazyMe]

We are a family of 6 and need somewhere to stay!
I have been looking into different places but having never been there before, I don't know which place we should try...

It looks like you have to pay for parking at all the hotels around Disney Land, so I would rather not have to drive and have to pay to park at Disney as well... but what ever works I guess.

What would you suggest? Stay at a Disney Hotel or one near by? We have 6 so I know we will have to get a suite or 2 joining rooms...

Lets hear it! Thanks!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Desert Inn & suites is right across Harbor from the parks, and I "think" they don't charge for parking. They have suites that sleep 6 as low as $99/night.

 

[tlovesdis]

A suite at one of the Disney hotels is going to cost a small fortune! Right across the street there are a few hotels that can accomodate 6. My favorite is the Park Vue Inn. They have a few rooms that sleep 6-8. Desert Inn also has rooms for 6, but that is not one of my favorite. Those are both right across the street from the parks!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

We're staying at Desert Inn and Suites. Walking distance right across the street. They DO however make you pay for parking now. For the first week in June the suite we got was 149..four queens..1 1/2 baths and a sitting room.

 

[aurorae]

Here's a map that shows the hotels that are in walking distance.

 

[larina]

You didn't mention a budget, so here's my two cents. I'd stay on site, if you can afford it and it is something your family would enjoy. We like the Paradise Pier because it has more space than the other two Disney properties (unless you do a villa at the Grand, but that is WAY out of our budget these days) and, honestly, is just more our style. I love the light colors and the surf theme at PPH. The Grand is beautiful (there are several threads with pics of all the hotels) but too dark for me really. I love to eat there (we'll be having Christmas Eve dinner at Napa Rose), but since I hear the rooms are smaller and darker, I'd rather pass on all the extra money it would cost. When we went in May the Disneyland Hotel was just a little more than PPH, but that was due to construction and the pool being down. That's how we ended up at PPH, and we were so glad we did. The DH is fun, with it's Mickey carpeting and statues and all, but I just don't like it much. It is too dark. I guess I like a lot of light. I can't wait to see it next summer, with all the contruction walls down and everything, but until then, you can find us at PPH (there are 8 of us, so we get a suite, the have two or three room; we did two when there were 6 of us in May, three for the 8 of us on our upcoming Christmas trip). Get a CA view room if you can, it is really fun. You can see WOC at night, but even during the day, seeing the park is just neat! We also do concierge. Just the water alone for all of us is about worth it.

 

[gabsandalex]

We just came back from a stay at the Homewood Suites. They have 2 room suites with 2 queen beds & bathroom in one room, a sofabed and kitchenette in the other room. There was a decent sized fridge, microwave, 2 burner stove/oven, and free hot breakfast in the morning. They do charge for parking, but we didn't have a car. They have a shuttle to and from the parks that leaves every 30 minutes - I think it was about $13 for a 5 day pass for adults and cheaper for children, but can't remember. The one thing that really stood out for me at this hotel was how nice and helpful all of the staff was. We literally didn't have a single negative interaction with any employee - they were actually pretty chipper no matter what time of day lol. I would stay there again.

 

[larina]

At the PPH, the 3 room suite has 3 bathroom and some of the 2 room suites have 2 bathrooms (maybe all, but I'm not sure). That was a big deal for us. 6 people need 2 bathrooms to keep everyone from hating each other in the morning.

 

[Malcon10t]

Our favorite hotel is Residence Inn Maingate. The rooms are comfy and LARGE. They come with a complete kitchen, living room, dining area and separate bedroom. They can sleep from 4 to 10 depending on the room you get.

 

[It'sKim]

We always stay at the Park Vue across the street. They don't charge for parking, have a hot breakfast, and a social hour that works for a light dinner. Also, on the day you check out, they will let you park your car there until 11pm, so you can visit the park or go shopping on your checkout day without having to worry about parking.

 

[CrazyMe]

I didn't mention budget yet cause I don't even know what to think we will be paying per night! But really I would pay a little more to be happier and have enough room Really looking forward to a clean place that we will be comfy in and not far from the parks and other stuff to do...

A nice pool would be nice as the kids will probably want to swim at sometime during the stay..... Me, just somewhere to relax and sleep!

Also I wasn't sure if there are any perks to staying at a Disney Hotel or not?

 

[carnival kid]

We always stay at Fairfield Inn which is just across the street. You can get joined rooms with an internal door. This is what we did when we went this year. That gave us 4 double beds and two bathrooms. They also provide a mini fridge and coffee facilities.

 

[Huff]

We rarely stay close to the Disneyland area. Higher prices, often fees for parking etc. Instead we've been staying at the Radisson Suites near Knotts Berry Farm. We have a car and its a very fast easy drive as the hotel and Disneyland parking are right off freeway exits. Takes maybe 10 minutes.

Radisson is a 2 room suite with 2 queen beds in one room and queen sofa, fridge and microwave in 2nd room. Both rooms have flat screen TV's.

Included is free hot breakfast buffet which is decent and saves quite a bit of money in the mornings!

Hotwire often has this listed for about $50-$65. Hotwire doesn't list names but this hotel is the only suite hotel in the area with breakfast so easy to spot on Hotwire.

Another option is to use promo code CARLSONF when booking online for 20-70% off. It's a friends and family code. If asked just say you know someone who works at a Radisson. They've not once asked me in many years staying at Radissons. Rack Rate is around $150-$200 but I've never paid more than $80. Great value!

 

[oilrok]

We have 8 of us going down at the beginning of January and have decided to rent a vacation rental for the week.

Just an idea for you

 

[CrazyMe]

Where would I find that vacation rental info? Usually when we go on vacations we rent a condo or something like that... I didn't even think about looking into something like that for this trip.

 

[bjscheel]

Where would I find that vacation rental info? Usually when we go on vacations we rent a condo or something like that... I didn't even think about looking into something like that for this trip.

Have you checked vrbo.com? I haven't been to DL, yet, but I did look at some VRBO listings in planning for 2013.

 

[CrazyMe]

Thanks! I need to get on this and decide where we are staying!

 

[smiles33]

Before you choose where to stay, I recommend reading HydroGuy's tips, including his rule re:staying at a hotel within walking distance because of the lost time spent parking, waiting for shuttles, etc.

We had a two bedroom Kids' Suite at HoJo for $99/night (a special Entertainment card rate that isn't always offered, so it may be as high as $160). But the Kids' Suite only has bunk beds and a sofa bed, so not enough room for 4 kids (unless one sleeps in the king bed with you). They also have one huge two queen bed suite in the entire hotel, so you can call them directly to ask.

It is an 8 minute walk to the gates, but if you stay at PPH, that is also about an 8 minute walk. The closest hotel is the Grand Californian but it's also the most expensive if you need a suite.

We loved our stay at HoJo and highly recommend it to others. We usually do VRBO for our road trips, but I figured we wouldn't cook while at DLR so there's no need for a full kitchen. Plus HydroGuy makes a compelling argument for staying within walking distance! Good luck figuring this all out!

P.S. I forgot to mention HoJo has free parking, free wi-fi, and a fun water park area for kids.

 

[makthompson]

check out the rent/trade board on this site. They are DVC owners and can usually get you rooms at a much cheaper price then what Disney charges. Growing up we always stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. Ever since they build The Grand Californian we always stay there. Love it and worth the money to us.

 

[GenGen22]

We rarely stay close to the Disneyland area. Higher prices, often fees for parking etc. Instead we've been staying at the Radisson Suites near Knotts Berry Farm. We have a car and its a very fast easy drive as the hotel and Disneyland parking are right off freeway exits. Takes maybe 10 minutes.

Radisson is a 2 room suite with 2 queen beds in one room and queen sofa, fridge and microwave in 2nd room. Both rooms have flat screen TV's.

Included is free hot breakfast buffet which is decent and saves quite a bit of money in the mornings!

Hotwire often has this listed for about $50-$65. Hotwire doesn't list names but this hotel is the only suite hotel in the area with breakfast so easy to spot on Hotwire.

Another option is to use promo code CARLSONF when booking online for 20-70% off. It's a friends and family code. If asked just say you know someone who works at a Radisson. They've not once asked me in many years staying at Radissons. Rack Rate is around $150-$200 but I've never paid more than $80. Great value!

I have stayed here too. I booked through getawaytoday.com and they offer the 3rd night free.