Is staying at a Disneyland hotel on property worth it?

[csgsu]

I keep going back and forth and dont know if its worth it

 

[ludari]

I do enjoy staying on property for a few reasons. In most cases I enjoy the convenience of being as close as possible to the parks because sometimes I will take a break mid day to rest in my room. I also enjoy that my Disney experience doesn't end in the parks but extends to my hotel. Finally I really enjoy the Magic Morning hour into the park before the park opens to the public. I understand that some people cannot justify the cost of staying on property and they are some decent local hotels and if there was a place I needed to budget my trip it would definitely be the hotel.

 

[csgsu]

well I dont know if this helps but this will be our first and prob only time ever to disneyland....we live in ga and going to disney world is just allot easier for us

 

[cinderkelly]

If my budget allowed my dream would be to stay at the Grand Californian. You have a direct entrance to the CA park and it's beautiful to boot. But at $400 a night on average it's just not possible for us right now for our family of 5. For us we weigh the pros and cons as to how much $$ we want for other things, such as character dining or special restaurants, and just plain ol' fun money. If you can afford it without breaking the bank or sacrificing something else you want to do, I say go for it if you think it's your one and only trip to DLR.

Edited

 

[Butterfly123]

We go to Disneyland every year or two and always stay off property and it's fine. It just the way we choose to budget our money.

Now I've never been to WDW. If I ever went as a once in a lifetime thing, I would for sure budget to stay on property. So if you can swing it for a special trip, I would. But if it meant compromising or shortening your trip, then I would think about an off property hotel.

You would be just fine off property, but on site would probably feel a little more special.

 

[MoreDisneyFreaks]

I think it would depend on when you're going and how frugal you are. I have been to Disneyland 15+ times and only once stayed on property. I didn't enjoy it because I'm too frugal and felt everything was just so expensive (a bottle water in the hotel lobby is same price as it is in the park). I enjoy grabbing a quick bite before entering the parks and typically eating dinner outside the park as well. When you stay on site, there are not many less expensive options.

The one consideration is if you are going during the summer or peak season and want to enjoy the themed pools or get away from the parks.

I have been to Disneyworld twice and would never consider staying offsite there. They are completely different experiences.

 

[TheChapman6]

I always stayed onsite. I love the music played on property before you even leave the lobby of your hotel. I love being able to see a Disney theme and never leave the bubble. Also we never have to deal with traffic. The grounds are so magical and you can get Mickey waffles just a few steps from your room.

The magic morning is a great benefit and staying at the grand California you have that entrance into California adventure that can't be beat! Love the little touches!

 

[northvan548]

well I dont know if this helps but this will be our first and prob only time ever to disneyland....we live in ga and going to disney world is just allot easier for us

Yes, it is worth it increases the overall experience and especially if it's a "one in a lifetime" or very rare trip, I would definitely stay on site. For people that go regularly or have an extremely limited budget, off site is perfectly fine but, staying at a DL hotel is a very very special treat!

 

[AngiTN]

well I dont know if this helps but this will be our first and prob only time ever to disneyland....we live in ga and going to disney world is just allot easier for us

This could be my post but we live in TN (on the GA border) and are planning a trip to DL this summer. We opted to stay on site for the reason that it is our only time to go due to higher costs to get to CA. We typically stay Deluxe at WDW so opting to stay onsite at DL is comparable. Really, will work out to cost less since a DL trip is only 5 days but our WDW trips are usually 8-10 (to get it all in). We picked Disneyland Resort hotel because, while I would love the Grand Californian, I understand it's very similar to WL and AKL (our usuall resorts at WDW) and we want something unique to DL.

 

[YukonMommy]

For us (a family of 6) we would rather spend that money staying an extra day(or two), eating where and what we want and having money for the extra's.

I think whatever you choose you will have a magical time!

 

[chinablessings]

We stayed on property our first visit and to be honest, I'm not sure it was worth the extra $$$. We only used the room to sleep and shower as we were at the parks the rest of the time. Yeah it was close and it was nice to have a private entrance to the park but IMH not for the cost.

 

[ktlm]

Depends on your financial condition and preferences. For us, it is worth it. We are WDW vets like you and we love the Disney bubble. If you stay at the Disneyland Hotel (DLH) or the Grand Californian (GC), you never have to leave Disney property while you are there. The walk to the parks is through DTD (for GC you actually have a park gate directly into California Adventure at the hotel). We stay at the Disneyland Hotel and really enjoy that walk. If you stay off property, you will see the outside world as you are coming and going to the parks.

Also, DLH is great. The rooms are beautiful. We love the Disney touches. The gift shop is great. There are good dining options if you want to eat at the resort including character dining at Goofy's Kitchen. Trader Sams is a great bar. You get the Disney treatment from the wonderful CMs there.

The downside is that the prices to stay on property are really high- we find them to be significantly higher than what we typically pay for our WDW trips. We generally stay deluxe at WDW, but we usually have some type of discount. Even when we have gotten a discount for DLH, it is a smaller discount then we get at WDW.

 

[mt mommy]

This is a highly debated topic for DLR!! You get to stay in the Disney bubble at a DLR hotel. We have stayed at both. The hotels surrounding the DLR are so close. Much closer than a value resort at WDW.

Pros at DLR Hotel

1. EMH

2. Stay in the Disney "bubble"

3. Disney magic everywhere


Cons at DLR hotel

1. More expensive than some Neighboring hotels



It is a very personal decision. I have NEVER regretted staying at a DLR hotel. I have however, regretted staying at a good neighbor hotel. Only because the accommodations were not as nice at DLR. I have only stayed at walkable resorts. HoJo and Marriott Fairfield. (I will admit I am a bit of a hotel snob.)

I do not buy into the case of "you only sleep there, who cares?" Coming back to a nice hotel near the parks is a MAJOR PERK for our family. I would rather save for 3 years and stay at a DLR hotel.

You will have to decide what is important to your family. HAVE A MAGICAL time, no matter where you stay!!

 

[smithfamilyof7]

I think whether or not it's worth it totally depends on the person. If money isn't an issue and you want the "full" experience, then definitely stay at the DLH. It's an awesome experience and you won't regret it. But, if you're going to have to pinch and save in other areas to afford the DLH, I'd say go with a good neighbor hotel.

I've been to DL twice, as an adult. The first time we stayed at the DLH. I loved how easy it was to get around, absolutely no need for a car. The walk to the park was easy. We were in the parks as much as we could be, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the pools. It's such a beautiful setting though, magical touches in everything.

The second time we stayed at a good neighbor hotel. The walk was still good, and we still didn't need a car. Our dining options were actually better, because there are a lot of places to eat on Harbor Blvd... and a convenient store where we bought materials to take lunches with us to the parks.

I have no regrets either way!

 

[hjgaus]

well I dont know if this helps but this will be our first and prob only time ever to disneyland....we live in ga and going to disney world is just allot easier for us

How often do you go to WDW? Do you drive to WDW? Where do you usually stay once you get to WDW?
I see you were recently there around October.... do you usually make use of the perk of the AM OR PM Extra Magic Hours ?
Did you use the Disney Dining Plan?

If and when you get to Southern California do you plan to do extra stuff outside of Disneyland?

 

[csgsu]

How often do you go to WDW? Do you drive to WDW? Where do you usually stay once you get to WDW?
I see you were recently there around October.... do you usually make use of the perk of the AM OR PM Extra Magic Hours ?
Did you use the Disney Dining Plan?

If and when you get to Southern California do you plan to do extra stuff outside of Disneyland?

We go about once a year to WDW
we drive to WDW
We stay in a moderate or art of animation resort
We do use the magic hours
we dont do disney dining

 

[csgsu]

I think whether or not it's worth it totally depends on the person. If money isn't an issue and you want the "full" experience, then definitely stay at the DLH. It's an awesome experience and you won't regret it. But, if you're going to have to pinch and save in other areas to afford the DLH, I'd say go with a good neighbor hotel.

I've been to DL twice, as an adult. The first time we stayed at the DLH. I loved how easy it was to get around, absolutely no need for a car. The walk to the park was easy. We were in the parks as much as we could be, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the pools. It's such a beautiful setting though, magical touches in everything.

The second time we stayed at a good neighbor hotel. The walk was still good, and we still didn't need a car. Our dining options were actually better, because there are a lot of places to eat on Harbor Blvd... and a convenient store where we bought materials to take lunches with us to the parks.

I have no regrets either way!

Where do you stay when you do a good neighbor hotel so you can walk?

 

[AquaDame]

Where do you stay when you do a good neighbor hotel so you can walk?

The ones on S Harbour across the street are actually closer in many cases than the DL hotels (except Grand Californian of course). We have stayed at Best Western Park Place Inn & The Carousel Inn - both were perfectly fine but I did prefer the Best Western and we've stayed there three times now. Tomorrow we are checking in to Stovallis - it is a longer walk to the entrance but doable and it will be closer to the starting line for our race.

I do not think the DL hotels are worth the price. I love, love, love staying in the Adventure Tower, don't get me wrong. Walking down to Trader Sams was nice and I really love the retro pool area theming but its not worth 4x the cost of staying "closer" at the Best Western for us. That one hour goes really fast, and with a three or more day park hopper you get one freebie morning anyway if you purchase it ahead of time. So for a three night stay as with this trip it would cost over $800 more for two hours of super early (be there at 7am one morning and then 8am the next ready to go) mornings.

 

[hjgaus]

We go about once a year to WDW
we drive to WDW
We stay in a moderate or art of animation resort
We do use the magic hours
we dont do disney dining

If your family does not mind SOME long wait times at certain rides (DL still does paper Fast Passes) then Extra Magic Hours will not be needed which would have been MY only thought into staying on property!
SO....staying off property would be just fine!

Sometimes (we are locals) we enjoy staying at The Hotel Indigo (check Tripadvisor website) on Katella Ave. !
The walk is not far (I hear around 10 - 15 minutes depending on how fast you all walk) but driving is ONLY a few minutes away! Prices are comparable to the Moderates / Values of WDW! They are also located near lots of places to dine!

Hope this help!
Enjoy the day!

 

[Butterfly123]

With some of the hotels on Harbor, like Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites, it takes less than 5 minutes from your room to the actual entrance to the parks.