Is it REALLY that big of a deal to stay 1 mile away?

[mbelmore]

Staying at Embassy Suites 1 mile away and have a car, but after reading here, it seems like people are very, very against this option. Is it really that big of a deal? With 7 days there and 4 in the park, seems like it'd be okay and we're not the "rush around to make sure we see everything" type.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

It isn't that big a deal if you don't have to be in the parks every minute that they are open! Given, there are perks to the Embassy Suites: free breakfast, bigger rooms, kitchenette. But if you want to return during the day for naps and swimming, it will take longer and that reduces your time in the parks. Whether or not it's a big deal is really up to your preference. If the DLR commando style isn't your style, don't worry. Just enjoy your stay! By the way, you might want to look into the shuttle service from the Embassy Suites. Parking is $15.00/day at DLR, so the ART might be cheaper overall.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Staying at Embassy Suites 1 mile away and have a car, but after reading here, it seems like people are very, very against this option. Is it really that big of a deal? With 7 days there and 4 in the park, seems like it'd be okay and we're not the "rush around to make sure we see everything" type.

I think it's a personal decision and depends partly on your touring style and trip expectations. My DH and sons are early risers. We like to get a lot done early in the day and then meander through the rest of the day, so getting to the gates before opening each morning is important to us. Also, I hate dealing with the buses and am not keen on using the parking option unless we're sure we don't want an afternoon hotel break. Others though will be perfectly comfortable with the things that bother me and find the greater distance and dependence on non-walking transportation acceptable trade-offs for a particular hotel experience or amenities that don't interest me personally.

 

[Lolsmum]

Nope.

I grew up about 3 miles away. We still went home for naps/quiet time every afternoon when we went until my younger sister was at least 7. I think it was my mom who wanted the nap.

I love Embassy Suites and their breakfasts. I'm in the UK now and no family is near Disneyland, so last time we did it we rented a house about a mile away. Worked just fine to head home for a rest then come back.

 

[emacat]

No, it's not a big deal. Many people do.

I would get a hotel that has a shuttle that goes back and forth at a regular interval, both for the end of the day, and in case you want to head back for a while in the afternoon. The walk may be fun in the morning, but it won't be after a long day in the park! The small shuttle cost is worth it.

 

[interstate70s]

It's not that big of a deal, but it is more inconvenient. Especially driving...then parking...then tram or bus.

If I wasn't going back to the hotel during the day it wouldn't bother me taking the ART shuttle, so that would be my choice as pp mentioned.

There are cons in staying closer too though. The close non Disney motels are old and basic. You 'll definately have a nicer room for you 're money staying further out. So there are tradeoffs either way.

 

[merrrydeath]

I've always been an advocate for staying as close as possible, but my bff and I did a really last minute trip during memorial weekend and the best deal we could find(literally the day we were leaving) was at Motel 6 Maingate. So every morning, we drove to the Mickey and Friends parking structure and took the tram. It was fine. Paying for parking was annoying but whatever. We never had trouble getting there before the park opened. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to the parking structure.

 

[mbelmore]

Thanks, all...I was getting a little stressed out at my choice, I feel better now and will look into a shuttle etc., from the hotel. I swear, I've spent more time looking into this than I did when I traveled for 35 weeks to Central America, Western and Easter Europe, combined! 'Course I was by myself then and now have a husband and a soon-to-be 4 year old, but still.

 

[julieheyer]

It's def a personal choice. We've never stayed at the harbor hotels, but are in Nov. I'd love a quick walk to the parks for a change. Waiting for the shuttle on both ends, just missing one and having to wait at the end of the day, taking the tram to the parking garage, etc. all eat into my park time . We're only in the park 2 days this trip, so every minute is precious to me. We don't swim, or hang out in our hotel. It's a nice thought to be able to go back if we forget something or someone's tired. We sleep, shower, chill and pack food, and have quick bfasts at our hotel. -that's it. Close and clean is my current goal.

If I had a longer timeframe I'd stay at the Ayres hotel!! Loved it there!

 

[rokstedy]

It's no big deal at all if you have transportation. But it is $15 a day for parking if you're not taking a shuttle or walking in.

 

[mumeof3]

we have stayed both in and out,when we drove down we stayed outside either in hotel or Timeshare and never had a problem,the last two times we flew down and stayed onsite with free dining....if I couldn't get free dining I would probably not stay onsite and may not even go to Disney......

 

[HydroGuy]

If you are going when park hours are short - say 10AM-8PM - and when weather is cooler, it is not that big a deal. Crowds will be less and one can spend 10 hours at the parks for all hours it is open and it is not that hard.

If you go when park hours are longer and/or it is warmer, and when it is more crowded, then it can make a huge difference. Many folks around here understand the huge advantage you get by arriving to the parks before they open and getting an early start.

What happens when you stay at a close walking distance hotel - 5-10 minutes away - of which there are probably 15 choices - is you can squeeze in more sleep and still hit rope drop. Wake up by 6:30-7:00, get some quick showers, grab a bagel and be standing at the park gates at 7:30 AM for an 8AM opening.

What happens when you stay father away and drive in is that you need to wake up 30-45 minutes earlier to make rope drop. That means before 5:45-6:30AM. So what often happens is that folks just can't wake up that early and they end up arriving at the parks by 8:30-9:00AM. Missing those first 30-60 minutes makes a sharp difference in what can be experienced that day.

Further, since the hotel is so far away relatively speaking, it is too much of a hassle to go back for a nap for many guests. So folks don't. They stay through the most crowded part of the day and are tired and ready to go back to the hotel by 7PM. So they call it quits. Or they stay late in the evening and get really, really tired. And can't make it up early the next morning.

If they do decide to take an afternoon break and get a nap, they can easily spend 90+ minutes in transit round trip. This means a shorter afternoon break than those who stay at a closer hotel.

Over a 3-5 day trip this time adds up. Many folks just don't care that much and think saving time is not that important and getting to the gates early each morning is not that important. Those folks are often the same ones waiting in 60+ minute lines midday for the big rides and getting on the DLR average of 10 rides per day. Those who stay closer and walk and get to the gates early and take afternoon breaks can maximize their day and ride 20-30 rides per day pretty easily.

For us personally we rarely wait for any ride more than 20 minutes and get 20-30 rides per day without rushing.

To us it is absolutely worth it to stay at a closer hotel to DLR because we almost always go during summer high season. I would rather stay at a lower quality hotel and be closer than a higher quality and be further away. When we are at DLR we are not there for the hotel. We are there for the parks. We just need comfortable beds and a quiet place to sleep.

Hope that helps!

 

[MrsMears]

I've always been an advocate for staying as close as possible, but my bff and I did a really last minute trip during memorial weekend and the best deal we could find(literally the day we were leaving) was at Motel 6 Maingate. So every morning, we drove to the Mickey and Friends parking structure and took the tram. It was fine. Paying for parking was annoying but whatever. We never had trouble getting there before the park opened. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to the parking structure.

My husband and I stayed at Motel6 Main gate for Memorial Day weekend too! We have 5 more trips reserved for that same hotel by the end of the year.

Our AP's allowed us to park free at any of the DL parking structures.

 

[mrswh]

Having done both, I agree somewhat with HG, but IMO it's not all as dramatic as he says. I don't know about the shuttle options from the Embassy Suites but when we have stayed at the Hyatt in the past, it took nowhere near 90 minutes round trip to take an afternoon break. If you time it right and know what time the shuttles are running, you take a 5 minute walk to the shuttle (for us it was usually a 2 minute sprint LOL), spend 5-10 minutes on the shuttle, and there you are at your hotel. Reverse on the way back.

Also, while we definitely agree with the rope drop/afternoon break strategy for the shortest lines, if we wake up for rope drop, break in the afternoon and then go back in the evening, we are usually too tired to wake up for rope drop the next morning anyway - whether we are staying at the GCH or the Hyatt a mile away. I think it just depends on your family. Is your almost 4 year old going to actually take a nap if you go back to the hotel and rest? If not, you might as well just stay until he/she drops and call it a day - then it won't matter much whether you are staying on property or in Newport Beach.

I do think that if you are staying on site (I can't comment on any of the Harbor hotels/motels because we haven't stayed at any of them), it does get you more park time. But having four days will help you, and as HG said, if you are going at a time when the parks open a little later, you will be just fine.

I rarely hear of someone going on a trip to DL (no matter where they stay) and having a terrible time!

 

[merrrydeath]

My husband and I stayed at Motel6 Main gate for Memorial Day weekend too! We have 5 more trips reserved for that same hotel by the end of the year.

Our AP's allowed us to park free at any of the DL parking structures.

We really liked it! The "hardwood"(not sure if they really were) floors were a surprising feature. I thought the drive to the parking structure was super easy with the freeway entrance being so close. It wasn't as convenient as walking that's for sure, but if I ever find myself in a similar situation again I won't turn my nose up so much at staying further away.

 

[MomToOne]

I don't think it's a big deal at all. The hotel we always stay in is not within walking distance. The Embassy Suites is on the ART shuttle route, correct? Just take that if it is. While many people on this list will make waiting for a shuttle sound absolutely awful, it's not. I actually prefer the shorter walk to the shuttle stop at the end of the day when I'm tired - I'll gladly sit there 10-20 minutes waiting for a shuttle instead of having to walk another 10-20 minutes back to a hotel And even taking the shuttle, we still make it to rope drop just fine. And we go back for an afternoon break just fine too.

 

[mbelmore]

Sounds like my instincts were correct...it's a better fit for us to stay at Embassy Suites. Emma is a great little traveler, has been at it 3 or 4 times a year since 6 months old and yes, she still takes 1.5-2 hour naps. We'll probably get there relatively early and go home for lunch, a nap and maybe even a swim....return and have dinner somewhere at the park and head home around 9p for bed. We can stay late-late on Tues and Fri as we can sleep in and plan on heading to the coast to meet up with friends on our "off-days" and will be on no schedule whatsoever. We are more about creating happy memories than being sure to hit every nook and cranny in the parks. DL will always be there but we'll only have one 4th birthday with our daughter. It's more important to me to spend the time together happily and not get trapped on the tourist treadmill and get all stressed out. If she's having a bad day or the crowds get to be too much--we're heading to the pool or beach.

 

[cgh]

I actually think its not that big a deal if you plan on staying in the parks morning-night. I think if you are planning on heading back and forth from the hotel (ie. if you have a child who needs naps), a mile away ends up seeming much longer.

 

[HydroGuy]

Having done both, I agree somewhat with HG, but IMO it's not all as dramatic as he says. I don't know about the shuttle options from the Embassy Suites but when we have stayed at the Hyatt in the past, it took nowhere near 90 minutes round trip to take an afternoon break. If you time it right and know what time the shuttles are running, you take a 5 minute walk to the shuttle (for us it was usually a 2 minute sprint LOL), spend 5-10 minutes on the shuttle, and there you are at your hotel. Reverse on the way back.

It sounded to me the OP was talking about driving to the parks from ES. If that is the case I think my time estimates are right. No one mentioned a shuttle. Do they even have one? If so that will reduce the time for commuting. My experience with hotel shuttles (from the DoubleTree OC) was that it can be tricky to make it for rope drop. So yes maybe they have a shuttle but if it can't get you there early enough then it loses some value.

I am not trying to throw a wet blanket on the whole idea. I am trying to give an alternate point of view. I have heard stories too many times from folks who ended up being disappointed because they stayed too far away from DLR. So I am putting that out there. If someone makes that choice and is aware of all the pros and cons then chances are good they will be happy with their choice.

 

[::danielle::]

I think it all comes down to how your family prefers to travel and visit the parks.

We stayed within walking distance of DL when we visited in 2009. I loved that I didn't have to carry a lot of stuff with me because we could always walk back to get what we needed (dry clothes from riding the rapids, etc.). We would head back for naps each day. It was also really nice late at night when we were tired and knew that we'd be in bed within 15 minutes.

On our trip to WDW earlier this year we used buses to get to the resorts. We hated the hassle of it. We would have to sometimes wait for the bus, then wait for any additional pick ups, etc. We realized that in the course of one day we would spend approximately 2-3 hours dealing with transportation (to the park, home for nap, back to park, home for the night). Plus I'd pack a big bag of stuff in case we needed anything. We've ultimately decided that for us convenience is important.

For a lot of people, time spent in transit is not a big deal. Only you know what's right for your family!