Is it worth it?

[mermaid&cinderella]

Hello everyone,
I'll introduce myself b/c I think I will have alot of questions on the Disneyland section of this board.
Our family has been to WDW the last 4 years in a row (DD is now 7 years old) and we want to try DL this summer. It seems like very different planning than WDW
So I am looking at hotels. Are the Disney hotels really worth the $$$$$$? We have always stayed on site at WDW, we have done POLY 3 times and CBR once (not a fan of CBR). But I am not convinced its worth it at DL? Am I wrong?
I just got a quote for 3 nights at GC for $1320.00, DLH is $960 and PPH is $870 then HOJO is $450.......seems like a big difference. What will we get at the DL hotels that we won't get at the HOJO (this is the Disney view). How long is the walk from HOJO to the gate?
I need some expert advise here please?
TYIA

 

[Mom loves Disney]

I would love to hear thoughts as well.

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

I would love to hear thoughts as well.

Glad I posted then

 

[DLR29]

Benefits of staying onsite:
-Extra Magic Mornings (kinda like EMH). Offsite guests with tickets of 3 or more days get 1 MM. Guests who stay onsite get MM every day that it is offered during their trip (Su, Tu, Th, Sa).
-Ability to charge stuff to the room
-Ability to have packages delivered to hotel
-Fully "immersed" in Disney

The walk from DLH is about the same distance (about 8 min) as the walk from HoJo (I've done them both). PPH is a little longer, GCH is a little shorter.

The main perks of staying onsite at WDW are: transportation, dining, pools, EMH, and proximity to parks.

At DLR:
-Transportation is all in your feet. Everywhere you will walk, whether onsite or offsite. Walking from HoJo takes just as long as walking from DLH, maybe even shorter (about 8 min). The walk from PPH is slightly longer, from GCH slightly shorter.
-The dining plan is far inferior for many reasons. Basically the short answer is that it won't save you money.
-HoJo's pools rival those of Disney resorts. Maybe not on theme, but in things to do for the kids. They won't care as long as there's a cool water slide and lots of stuff to do, and HoJos provides
-Magic Mornings at DLR are far different than EMHs. For one thing, even offsite guests can take advantage of them

So eliminate all of those advantages from WDW and reconsider whether or not you would stay onsite to save lots of money.

The main advocates of staying onsite go with the "immersion" factor. However, when our family goes and we stay 15 hours in the parks and only use the room to crash at night, we'll gladly save the money.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

We were a WDW family for years, and we still head back there every 18 months to two years, but we are now much closer to Disneyland and have fallen in love.

We ALWAYS stay on site in Florida, but do not think it is worth the cost in California. At Christmast it took us seven minutes from our door at Hojo to the turnstile at Disneyland. In other words, it was closer, in time, than from Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom turnstiles.

This last trip we stayed in a family suite at Hojo on the first floor just a couple of steps from the wonderful sundries store that carried everything imaginable, at very reasonable prices. The suite had beautiful Pirates artwork and it was a very Disney Filled experience.

The Grand Californian is a nicer hotel than Hojo, but my family would much rather stay at Hojo and use the money we save to eat the Blue Bayou, Club 33, or buy a ton of great souvies.

The Disneyland views at Hojo are just about to get a lot better. I was on the phone with in house reservations yesterday and she said the trees which interfere with the view are being removed this next week.

Have a great trip.

 

[gethane]

That is great info about the trees at Hojo. Just yesterday I booked DL view rooms and was worried after one of the threads I'd read here.

 

[kailuagirl]

Thats are hard call. I agree with the MM if you can use them and can get to the parks early that is a huge benefit and sometimes can be worth the price if you are going during crowded times. My friends just stayed at GCH and love it! They said they would stay there every time and it was well worth the money. But they have 2 kids under 5 so closeness was a major issue. The pool at HOJO looks great. I'm sure whatever you decide will be perfect! Follow your gut! It's a hard decision. Look at how long you think you'll be at your hotel vs. the parks, and look at the early entry dates. Those to me are the two main factors. Good luck!!!

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

Thank you for your replies! I have another question......character meals, are there any in the park? And if so if I stay at HOJO and have an early breakfast ressie (do they do that at DL?) can I get in early??

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Go with HoJo! I've spent at least one night at each of the 3 DLR hotels and to me they're not really worth it. We stayed on site for our 1st WDW trip last Oct. and I'm glad we did but it's just not worth it @ DLR.

Character meals, there's a total of 5, 1 at each of the 3 hotels ~ GCH - Storyteller's *breakfast only, DLH - Goofy's Kitchen *all 3 meals kind of, I think they shut down for a few hours in the afternoon, PP - Mickey & Friends *breakfast only ~ and 1 at each of the parks ~ DL - Minnie & Friends *breakfast only, & DCA Ariel's Grotto. Getting in early I'm not too sure ~ I know we did for our early breakfast @ Ariel's a couple years ago.... I have noticed when we've been waiting for a MM a CM walking guests back for breakfast @ Minnie's ~ I think they do that so people who don't have a MM don't make a fake reservation with the intention of getting in for the MM.

Have fun ~ WDW was fun, but we love DLR. The weather will be much more tolerable too.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

DLR29 gave a great review of the plus and minuses. A young Hydroguy in the making.

We did WDW last year also and found so many perks. The sheer size of WDW and dining plan make it worth the while to stay on site.

At DLR if you are accross the street it is all people that are going to disney or the convention center so you still are surrounded by disney. If you don't get the entertainment value at HOJO which is the best price there are many hotels along Harbor that have great deals and are even closer. You are only have to cross the street and then you are in the bus and tram area which is all Disney, music playing and signs and all.

So the 8 minute or 5 minute walk from Harbor is 90% Disney time because so much of the walk into the proemenade that splits the 2 parks is disney owned and happy people headed into disneyland, there is no where else to go once you head down that road.

 

[azdisneylover]

We stayed at the PPH in November, and we loved it! The kids loved the big slide at the pool, DH liked the character breakfast in our hotel so much, we cancelled our ressies at Goofy kitchen and ate there twice.(It was Lilo and Stich at the time). We all loved the MM soaps, the candy coins left on the bed nightly, the Disney stories on TV, the cookies first night and the Magic Mornings! In the parks we loved having packages sent to our room instead of carrying around the parks. I know we will try to stay on site when ever we can when the kids are younger, because the Magic Mornings alone are so worth it for us! (Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday). I did not like the slow elevators in the hotel or not having a microwave in our room. Getting in early and getting on all the rides in Fantasyland then heading off to other rides once the park opened at regular time made our days there so enjoyable. The walk to and from the parks was enjoyable, taking the shortcut through GC and seeing all the neat stuff in DTD.
Where ever you decide to stay, you will have a great time! You are going to Disneyland! Wish I was going too.
Take a ride on the train around the park for me!

 

[KCmike]

If you stay offsite you get:
cheaper room rates
Get to see traffic and McDonalds everyday
Restaurants on Harbor are expensive - IHOP is extrememly expensive compared to one here in KC
Possibly see homeless on harbor. Not trying to scare you and there is no security factor here but none the less they are sometimes there.


On site:
Disney immersion
Walk through Downtown Disney not city street
More lush grounds surrounding DLH and GCH
Better swimming facilities - tons better
Koi fish ponds and waterfalls
Disney Dining restaurants - $$$
MM offerings
Disney Stores within the hotels
Food court style at DLH pool and White Water snacks at GCH
Better Park views
Music for fireworks in piped in on DLH tv channels

 

[jodeja]

How long is the walk from HOJO to the gate?
TYIA

Since others have already discussed the pros/cons of on-site versus off-site hotels, I'll just pipe in on this one question.
On our last trip to DL, I wanted to see if paying the extra money to stay at the Disneyland Hotel was really worth it so we stayed half the time at the Disneyland Hotel in a 2 queen room with the connecting Mickey Character Quarters for the kids and the second half at HoJo in the Premium King Suite.
The walk was really about the same distance. However, since my mom was traveling with us and she had a serious knee problem, we used ART a few times when traveling back to HoJo at night. I don't believe that ART goes to the Disneyland Hotel, but I hope someone will chime in if I am wrong on that. I think it's nice to have the option to use ART if you are really tired or have lots of packages to carry back.

 

[mareed]

The Disneyland views at Hojo are just about to get a lot better. I was on the phone with in house reservations yesterday and she said the trees which interfere with the view are being removed this next week.

When we left HoJo on Jan. 4, we noticed that some of the trees had been flagged with some sort of caution tape, and I figured they were getting ready to either remove or greatly trim them as they were the ones that would have been blocking the balconies. Glad to see confirmation of my theory!

 

[disney4metoo]

Wow, everyone had some great information. Here is my personal opinion.

I have stayed at HoJo once and was quite pleased with the customer service, cleanliness of the room, comfort of the beds, etc. It is a good place to lay you head and the price is unbeatable. I would not want to walk down the streets to Disneyland at night but that is my personal preference. It is hard to compare views of DL at the HoJo with the Grand Californian. That being said the premium view at HoJo is...ok and better than looking at the street or parking lot. I think the best thing Hojo has is value rates, comfortable, clean rooms and walking distance to DL.

If I had a choice it would be The Grand Californian hands down. We love, love, love the premium park views, and the proximity of the hotel. You can ride Grizzly Rapids, get wet and run up to your room and change. Need a loaf of Boudin bread for lunch, run down into the park and be back in the room in 10 minutes ( including elevators.) We love looking out at our view and sitting on the balcony, the lobby is beautiful. Walking back to the hotel through Downtown Disney is fun and entertaining. We just love it. However, staying on site is expensive and a luxury.

 

[HydroGuy]

A young Hydroguy in the making.

I much prefer that to me being an old DLR29.

 

[DLR29]

A young Hydroguy in the making./quote]I much prefer that to me being an old DLR29.

I've definitely learned from the best!

 

[sasywtch]

It all depends on what is important for your family. We've stayed at the DLH twice and prefer the Harbor motels as we don't elect to spend the extra money per night and where we stay, BWPPI is closer than the DH. I kinda disagree with the expensive eateries on Harbor. I find them much cheaper than the Disney hotel side (excluding IHOP as they are very overpriced). On the Harbor side you have Mimis,Millies, Dennys, McDs and a little further the eateries at the Garden Walk. I've never seen homeless on Harbor but we just cross at the light so probably wasn't looking for them but I never felt unsafe. I don't think in all the years I've gone that I haven't been at the crosswalk light with at least 10 other families (usually alot more). We don't pay a parking fee and are closer to the park than the DLH. The GC is closer but I would just rather visit during the day.

The east end toward the DLH seemed to be more expensive to me.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

No one has mentioned some of the other perks you get staying at the GCH and PPH. The special tours and activities that are available to onsite guests.

I've seen power fitness walks through DCA - before the park opens, Pilates in the ballroom, not to mention the pre-opening shop experiences at DTD - Sephora makeovers, Build a Bear sessions, etc. For people who don't want to stand in line at these stores, that is gold. I've done the makeover at Sephora with my best friend and we had a blast!

If you do the fitness walk - you'll see an aspect of the park that only the folks on the Segway tour see - and you get to see them, too!

Just some thoughts. We have done both and I will always have a fondness for the DLR hotels. We were married at the GCH and it is truly a relaxing place!

Not to mention you can ride Grizzly River Rapids, get soaked, run up to your room, change, and be back in the park in under 20 minutes from the GCH.....

 

[vpalmer]

We are in the same boat! My 6 YO DD has been to WDW 4 times and on DCL twice. We are planning a 2 week trip to CA this summer and plan to spend 4 nights at DL. The onsite/offsite debate is driving me crazy! The one thing that is plaguing me is the safety factor. I hate feeling vulnerable and unsafe. Maybe there is no difference safety wise but I am one of those who places immersion very high on our list when visiting Disney

Also, I have seen in this thread people say there is no transportation at DL. I was thinking if we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel we could take the monorail at night from Tomorrowland to DD. I was thinking this could save valuable steps with DD who will be 7 at the end of a long day