Most 'Disneyfied' non-Disneyland hotels near the parks?

[ComixGirl]

I apologize if this post is in the wrong place or if this has already been posted somewhere else here on the boards (I promise I made an attempt and looked lol), but could anyone recommend a 4-star hotel near the parks that has some Disney touches or light theming that aren't one of the three Disney-owned hotels? We'll be taking our first Disneyland family vacation in December and will be traveling with our 4 year old and 6 year old, so some fun Disney touches are always a big hit for them. After watching one of the Disneyland DIS videos I believe Craig mentioned that some hotels can get away with a bit of Disney/Mickey here and there (without breaking licensing rules), so I figured I'd go to the boards to ask all you Disney pros. Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[Steven G]

Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

it's only 3 stars though.

 

[ComixGirl]

Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

it's only 3 stars though.

Thank you, Steven! Anything in particular that makes it 'Disneyfied' that you'd like to share?

 

[DLgal]

I think the Hojo has Disney themed rooms, but it is definitely NOT a 4 star hotel.

You won't find Disney touches in the 4 star hotels in Anaheim unless it's the Grand Californian or DLH. The Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriott don't have Disney touches in them, although some may offer rooms with a distant fireworks view.

If you want a resort that FEELS like a Disney resort but isn't, try Great Wolf Lodge. It's a fantastic place with an indoor water park (perfect for the ages of your kids). It's about 2 miles or so down Harbor from DLR. It looks and feels like Wilderness Lodge at WDW. It has a bunch of activities inside in addition to the water park (bowling, mini golf, kid's spa, arcade, interactive adventure game). Prices in December will probably be really low. Waterpark access is included in the price. It's a great waterpark too...highly recommend this resort, especially in the colder months if your kids like swimming.

They have some fun themed suites with bunkbeds/separate kid's "room."

 

[ComixGirl]

I think the Hojo has Disney themed rooms, but it is definitely NOT a 4 star hotel.

You won't find Disney touches in the 4 star hotels in Anaheim unless it's the Grand Californian or DLH. The Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriott don't have Disney touches in them, although some may offer rooms with a distant fireworks view.

If you want a resort that FEELS like a Disney resort but isn't, try Great Wolf Lodge. It's a fantastic place with an indoor water park (perfect for the ages of your kids). It's about 2 miles or so down Harbor from DLR. It looks and feels like Wilderness Lodge at WDW. It has a bunch of activities inside in addition to the water park (bowling, mini golf, kid's spa, arcade, interactive adventure game). Prices in December will probably be really low. Waterpark access is included in the price. It's a great waterpark too...highly recommend this resort, especially in the colder months if your kids like swimming.

They have some fun themed suites with bunkbeds/separate kid's "room."

Thank you for all of this helpful information- I hadn't heard of Great Wolf Lodge, I'll have to look it up but it sounds great!

 

[BriannaRuth]

Great Wolf is nice but for the $300+ a night you'd have to pay to stay there, you might as well pay for the PPH. What you're really paying for there is the cost of their waterpark, which is included in the cost of the hotel room. Which is fine if you're planning to be at their waterpark all day, but not if you're going to be at Disneyland all day. Even the PPH isn't 4 star, though.

 

[Steven G]

I recommend Great Wolf Lodge too, but only second hand knowledge, it's supposed to be a great time.

The Marriot Anaheim Theme Park Entrance hotel is nice because of the "waterpark" it has inside the hotel property, exclusive to guests. It's also very close to DL.

 

[figment_jii]

I think you're going to be hard pressed to find any "four-star" places within walking distance of Disneyland. Maybe down by the Convention Center there are four-star resorts, but most of the lodging along Harbor Blvd (from between Katella to Ball) are motels. They're fine, but they're not luxurious. None of the motels along Harbor Blvd really have anything that I would say reminds me of the three on-site hotels in terms of a Disney-theme. Most will have some kind of Disney advertisements in the lobby. I think the Fairfield Inn has some premium rooms that have some Disney touches, but it's definitely not a four-star resort.

 

[Midnightred]

I know Hojo isn't a four star, but the Kids Suites are roomy and they have a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. I love the cheerful décor and there's lots of room. Housekeeping usually arranges the stuffed animals on the bed which is cute. Fairfield as someone mentioned has Disney themed rooms.

Midnightred

 

[Steven G]

You may want to consider:
http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgifts.com/home.do
they do deliver to some/most local non-Disney hotels/motels in the area, for a nice start, although I believe some of their packages are for the DL hotels only.

 

[jolinda]

The Holiday Inn & Suites on Walnut has Disney themed suites (Princesses, Fairies, Pirates, Cars, Star Wars, maybe some others).

 

[ddwlms]

The Holiday Inn & Suites on Walnut has Disney themed suites (Princesses, Fairies, Pirates, Cars, Star Wars, maybe some others).

I love this hotel, but it is also not a 4 star

 

[Jedi Mouse]

I'd look at the Sheraton Park Hotel. It used to be "The Inn at the Park" and was the sister hotel to the Disneyland Hotel when both were owned by the Wrather family. They also have some great historic Disneyland pictures up.

So while it might not have much in the way of Disney themeing, there is definitely some Disney history.


http://www.yesterland.com/innatthepark.html

 

[pblack]

Out of the box...you could try looking at airbnb, homeaway, flipkey, or any of those home vacation rental websites. I know when my family looked 2 years ago, some of the houses had Disney themeing and they looked pretty awesome. I thought I read awhile back that L.A. was going to stop those types of rentals, but I could be wrong. Still could be worth checking out.

 

[ComixGirl]

Great Wolf is nice but for the $300+ a night you'd have to pay to stay there, you might as well pay for the PPH. What you're really paying for there is the cost of their waterpark, which is included in the cost of the hotel room. Which is fine if you're planning to be at their waterpark all day, but not if you're going to be at Disneyland all day. Even the PPH isn't 4 star, though.

Hmm, good points- I didn't realize this hotel would be that pricey (or how much use we'd get out of the water park), I think I'd almost stay at Paradise Pier for that price?

 

[ComixGirl]

I recommend Great Wolf Lodge too, but only second hand knowledge, it's supposed to be a great time.

The Marriot Anaheim Theme Park Entrance hotel is nice because of the "waterpark" it has inside the hotel property, exclusive to guests. It's also very close to DL.

I'm very much leaning towards this one- the rooms look so nice and the location can't be beat!

 

[ComixGirl]

I think you're going to be hard pressed to find any "four-star" places within walking distance of Disneyland. Maybe down by the Convention Center there are four-star resorts, but most of the lodging along Harbor Blvd (from between Katella to Ball) are motels. They're fine, but they're not luxurious. None of the motels along Harbor Blvd really have anything that I would say reminds me of the three on-site hotels in terms of a Disney-theme. Most will have some kind of Disney advertisements in the lobby. I think the Fairfield Inn has some premium rooms that have some Disney touches, but it's definitely not a four-star resort.

Thanks for the info- this will be our first time staying at a hotel near Disneyland, and I'm starting to realize that 4-stars near the parks might not actually exist lol (not to mention I must sound like such a snob trying to limit myself to 4-stars, but that's more to keep the husband happy than anything else lol)

 

[deetman]

I'd look at the Sheraton Park Hotel. It used to be "The Inn at the Park" and was the sister hotel to the Disneyland Hotel when both were owned by the Wrather family. They also have some great historic Disneyland pictures up.

So while it might not have much in the way of Disney themeing, there is definitely some Disney history.


http://www.yesterland.com/innatthepark.html

This is a pretty minor point, but I think the timeline in that article is wrong. My first visit to Southern California (and Disneyland) was in 1988, and we stayed at 'Inn at The Park'. I'm positive it was still called that then. There's no way I'd know the name otherwise.
Great info though!

 

[ComixGirl]

The Holiday Inn & Suites on Walnut has Disney themed suites (Princesses, Fairies, Pirates, Cars, Star Wars, maybe some others).

They do?! I love stuff like this! ^_^ I'm going to have to do some recon- I'd put theme rooms over 4-star any day! (it's the kid in me lol)

 

[Canadian Girl 77]

My DH has the same hotel issues as your DH. We stayed at GCH last trip. I'm not willing to pay rack rate though! We ended up booking at HJ - in the Queen Suite. It has two bathrooms so it was deemed acceptable. Let's see how it actually is in August!