Knights Inn Anaheim?

[IAmElsan]

Hi all,
Still on the hunt for our Oct trip and came across this hotel in searching again, a little over the budget but was still curious on any members' experiences with this hotel?

Thanks again as always!

 

[IAmElsan]

Anyone? Thanks!

 

[tlovesdis]

I've never heard of that hotel and I honestly don't think I have ever seen anyone on here mention it. Is it new?

 

[sherilaine]

I've not heard others discuss it either - I'd suggest TripAdvisor might be your best bet for reviews.

 

[IAmElsan]

It is off of Ball Rd. Unaware if it is new but it pops up on all the booking sites.....
I've seen rather favorable reviews on a number of sites I've looked at, but was just curious if anyone here had stayed there as to get their opinion on it as well.

 

[sherilaine]

Only thing I'll add is this is not what I consider walking distance if that is something that would be an issue. I mean technically you can walk it but it would likely be a good 15-20 minutes just to the crosswalk.

 

[IAmElsan]

I put both addresses in Google Maps (don't know how accurate it is) but it shows it would be a 20 minute walk...again don't know how accurate Gmaps is but that's what it shows me....lol

 

[tlovesdis]

I found it on a map and it is on Ball going the opposite way from DL. So you would walk up Ball to Harbor, go left on Harbor and walk up and over the freeway then onto the parks. I agree it would be about a 20 minute or more walk.

 

[avalon451]

Reading your posts about your goals for accommodations, I have to ask if you've read Hydroguy's tips, specifically his Hotel Rule: http://www.disboards.com/threads/hydroguys-hotel-rule.1199862/

He makes a good point. Disneyland is not an inexpensive destination; you're already spending a lot of money for a fun vacation. There are lots of ways to make economies, but you really want to think twice about getting a hotel, however cheap, that is a long walk or requires a bus/shuttle ride. It's not really worth it to scrimp on your hotel.

You can stay across the street at Desert Inn for $109 a night. It's literally at the crosswalk, 5 minutes to the gates, closer than the Disneyland hotel. When you're exhausted at the end of a long day, believe me when I say, you will come out onto Harbor Drive, look up the road at the long, long walk to your hotel, and just want to lie down and go to sleep on the sidewalk. I felt that way even when we stayed at the Grand Californian, because the entrance is halfway down Downtown Disney, and then we had to walk just as far to get to where our room was. Also the HoJo seemed far at night, and it's really only 10 minutes up Harbor. But there are so many right close, Best Western Park Place, Park Vue, Carousel, Fairfield... look around. It might be worth it to pay another 20-30 a night to stay close.

The other thing, is one of the best things you can do to make your stay more enjoyable, is take afternoon breaks. When the traffic in the park is the highest (and it will be, for Halloween), you've been there since 7 a.m. for Early Entry, it's about 1 p.m. and Adventureland is packed so tight you can barely move... you get out of Dodge. Go back to the hotel, rest, eat, swim, and head back to the parks in the late afternoon, rested and refreshed. There's no way you'll do that if you're staying a 20-minute walk away.

Here's a picture of the Desert Inn as seen from the Harbor entrance (on the right, with the tower). I can see my room on the top floor from this pic:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1wxn209ah4jrcwq/IMG_3079.JPG?dl=0

Just my two cents. It's well worth it to stay close!

 

[IAmElsan]

Unfortunately it's just not in the budget to really stay anywhere that's right across the street as to why I am not really looking at those particular properties because it's slightly out of the range. If plans change as far as budget best believe I would stay closer and not have wonder how far something is.

You're right it is already an expensive vacation and if there are ways to chop at that vacation cost I'm going to have to at the cost of other things. If we weren't going to do the Halloween Party that money would def go towards the hotel for a closer, slightly more expensive hotel as the Halloween party tickets are an additional cost to factor in. We stayed on property last visit and honestly there was only one day that we went back to the hotel for a break and didn't even hit the pool, otherwise we were in the parks from 7 till around 10/11ish and which was the first week of June, with us heading in Oct/Nov weather isn't always as stable probably like June was as far as pool wise goes. In addition since we are not on property this time, we will only have one morning of magic morning and even then that may only be at 8 if parks open at 9.

Appreciate your recommendation for Desert Inn, and after crunching the numbers it's actually nearly a $250 price difference between the two. So not exactly 20-30 more at night. Maybe that's not a problem for some people but seeing as I do have a budget this trip $250 is quite a price difference if it meant I can save that by staying farther away....

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Have you had any luck with Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, Costco, etc.? Sometimes a great hotel can pop up on these sites for a surprisingly good rate.

 

[IAmElsan]

Have you had any luck with Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, Costco, etc.? Sometimes a great hotel can pop up on these sites for a surprisingly good rate.

I check almost daily on a number of those sites. Does anyone know of maybe some codes that I might be able to use to help? My fear if I don't book sooner than later that the prices will go up even more....LOL

 

[avalon451]

I wonder if you could get a good deal on Priceline, where you bid for an unknown area hotel room? I've never used them because I don't like the not knowing where the place is, until you get it, but I've read that if you study up on the descriptions of the properties, you can often figure out what the hotel is that you're bidding on. I've read you can bid like $45-$80 and get super nice rooms.

 

[IAmElsan]

I wonder if you could get a good deal on Priceline, where you bid for an unknown area hotel room? I've never used them because I don't like the not knowing where the place is, until you get it, but I've read that if you study up on the descriptions of the properties, you can often figure out what the hotel is that you're bidding on. I've read you can bid like $45-$80 and get super nice rooms.

I *Think* it was through priceline that I booked a hotel in Denver for Comic Con last year and ironically it was the exact one I was planning on booking in the first place but got it for like $20 cheaper a night with that "hotel revealed upon booking" thing. So def lucked out there. I've tried the bidding thing too but they probably laugh on the other side of the computer because I never get any results for what I bid, and honest I bid reasonably and not super low...haha

*EDIT*
Just tried the bidding thing, their Disneyland area hotel space on the map is quite massive, so I would be risking staying even farther than Knights Inn even though it would be cheaper...of course they would have to accept my "offer" but I'm too concerned of the big area that the section that includes Disneyland.....plus once they charge my card no refunds, cancellations, etc. EEEK!

 

[Wahlee]

My sister and I took a last-minute trip a few years back and booked on Hotwire's blind booking because all the close hotels were booked and/or too expensive. I used the website betterbidding.com to research which hotel was which, and ended up getting the Crowne Plaza in Garden Grove (on Harbor across from the Target, so too far to walk, but not super far) for a really good price. They had a free shuttle (I think it shared with the Doubletree) and it worked out really well. Catching the shuttle was kind of a chore when we were used to being able to walk, but you might be able to get a nicer hotel for your budget by going that way. Betterbidding does Priceline as well. I'd do some exploring and research that way if I were in your shoes.