In your opinion which is the best Good Neighbor...

[Amy&Dan]

Kiwi and Hydroguy, I know where you are coming from! I do like the Hojo and for someone who wants more atmosphere and grounds, its the obvious choice. But the walk can feel far at night. Not awful but I think after a long day it can feel like a bit of a hike. But once I get to the place, I am so glad I am there because I think the grounds are so nice and I like the interior hallways, balconies and large rooms. In the morning, its a piece of cake as you say! I know we had to stop staying there for a couple of years because my fil would come with us and he couldn't do that walk. The ART was a good thing for him but its not failproof in that lines can be long and the Hojo while the first motel it comes to returning from Disneyland is the last hotel it stops at. It was aggravating to drive by our hotel, make several stops then turn around and return! But it saved fil some steps.

I think if someone is used to WDW and realizes that its ten minutes each way, which if you do a midday break means a total of maybe 20extra minutes of extra walking a day vs being at the crosswalk, then the Hojo is great. If you have mobility issues or kids that won't sit in a stroller but are young enough that the walk is far, the crosswalk is better. I would say the difference from the crosswalk motels to the Hojo is about five minutes but if you have spent 12 hours at DL, that feels like a lot longer!

And for the record, I got slammed on this board regarding the Hojo too. In fact one time the old manager there responded to one of my threads where I said the walk could feel far after a long day. I stayed off Hojo threads for a few years after that one! Since then, I have come back to realize its a great place and Lorealle who posts on this board and works at the Hojo along with the Ent rate have all made me really appreciate it again. In real life and on the boards!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

How is the shuttle at CCI? And does Hojo's have a shuttle too?

 

[disney-super-mom]

I like HoJo's and agree with everything Amy said. A slight word of caution. The one time we stayed there we walked to the parks. It is not that far. In the morning. But at night after being on our feet all day it felt like 10 miles! Along the way we walked past 6-8 hotels with envy for all the people with shorter walks. In reality it is probably an extra five minutes from the closest of the close - BWPPI, Park Vue and Tropicana. Especially when you add in the larger size of HoJo's and the time it takes to get from your room out onto the street.

This subject of extra walk from HoJo's vs. extra niceness of HoJo's never fails to generate debate. Once you stay there you can decide for yourself. There is no "one size fits all" answer.

Hahaha! Yes, we call that long walk (10 minutes at the most) back to HOJOs at the end of the day the "death march"!

But as HydroGuy said, it's really not that far.....an extra 5 minutes longer than the closest hotel/motels.

For us the longer walk is worth it. We save so much with the Entertainment rate, the rooms are brighter, the grounds are pretty, and the new Pirate's Cove is the icing on the cake for this family.

If we couldn't get the Entertainment rate, we might still choose to stay at the HOJO if it had a comparable rate to the other Good Neighbor hotels. If not, we'd probably stay at the Candy Cane Inn (they have a free shuttle and nice continental breakfast, cute rooms, and pretty pool area). OR....we would splurge a little and stay at the Paradise Pier or the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[Amy&Dan]

How is the shuttle at CCI? And does Hojo's have a shuttle too?

You can catch the ART (Anaheim Regional Transporation or something to that affect) from very near the tunrstiles of Disneyland (you will see it as you walk towards Harbor Blvd.). You can pay as you board or buy a pass that is good for a few days (much cheaper if you plan to take this) There are several stops, you need to know which stop for your hotel (ask them at the desk) and then it will make the stops for its route. Its sort of a toss up. On the way to the parks, the ART is great in that the Hojo is the last stop on its route so you don't stop at other hotels and get to the park in a jiffy. You have a little ART stop right near the front desk with a bench. But as you sit there and wait, you think, "is it faster to just walk the 8-10 minutes?". At night, when you're tired it great but as I mentioned earlier, at night the Hojo is the last stop for the ART shuttle as it makes its rounds. So you will pass by the hojo as you go further up Harbor on the other side of the freeway, stop at a few places, then come back towards DL and then stop at the Hojo. So it is generally as fast or faster to walk. But if you're tired it may well be worth the trade off. So there is public transportation available very easily from the Hojo, but no hotel run and free shuttle like the Candy Cane.

Some people take cabs from DL to the Hojo, its pretty cheap, maybe $5 with the tip, not sure.

The CCI shuttle is owned by the Candy Cane and its theirs. So it won't make multiple stops. I believe you tip the driver. I want to say they have two shuttles departing to and from the parks each hour.

Another hotel near DL that has its own, dedicated shuttle is the Sheraton. There are two Sheratons, this is the one that looks like a castle. Its supposed to be very nice, it has the Star Hotel brand Heavenly Beds, onsite dining and some other perks. Its further (not really walkable) but again, has the shuttle. I have never stayed there but it gets high marks. Its pricier and you don't see as much about it on these boards.

 

[disney-super-mom]

The CCI website says the shuttles run on the hour and half hour, so I guess that means every 30 minutes.

I believe that when one shuttle is taking people "to" the parks, the other shuttle is taking people "from" the parks, and it just cycles like that every 30 minutes, if that makes any sense.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

The CCI shuttle does run about every 20 - 30 minutes. It will take guests to DL and then pick up any that are waiting. It just makes a continuous loop all day long. The drivers are very nice and they make sure you know their schedule. They have more than one shuttle, so on really busy days, they can run more than one.