My mom, sister and I stayed at Candy Cane Inn last November. I was pleasantly surprised. It was very nice. The furnishings were nice. The grounds were very pretty.
We choose to walk to
Disneyland (it seemed quicker than the shuttle) and we took the shuttle back to the hotel. It was really nice to have a shuttle that didn't share with other hotels. The walk was about 7-10 minutes to the front gates.
We had a ground floor, Premium room; it has slightly more square footage than a regular room. The two queen beds where comfortable. The room had a fridge, coffe maker, etc. Plenty of space for three gals who like to over pack!
The breakfast offerings were fine--no cooked to order like the Embassy Suites, but it was fine. The pool area is nice. If your kids like a big pool, you might want to consider another place, it's not huge. There is a hot tub too. We didn't use the pool because it was cool when we were there. October has some warm days, so you might use the pool more.
I am going back to DL this summer with my husband and kids, and I am considering going to CCI again. The pool is a big issue with my kids, so we may try somewhere else with a bigger pool.