Need Help lPlanning Trip to DL in June!!!

[twinmommyks]

We are planning to go to DL in June 2006 with our 3 kiddos, ds9, ds4, dd4. Right now I am so confused about which hotel. While I like to stay somewhere "nice" (not just ok), I prefer to do it at the best rate possible.

For those of you who have stayed at both the DLH and Candy Cane Inn, which is the better choice, in your opinion. Of course, the more money we spend on the hotel means less to spend in the parks and on meals. So I'm just curious if you think spending the extra money on DLH is worth it or would you rather stay at CCI and have more spending money????????

My dh would rather spend less on a hotel and be able to do more with the extra money, but my vacation would be ruined or very uncomfortable if I got there and found the hotel to be "yucky." I know sometimes the pictures on websites are so deceiving so that scares me - a few really bad experiences!!!

Please, please, give me your opinions. Right now, my 2 choices are DLH and CCI, but I've also considered HoJo's and maybe the Hyatt. I'd like something that is either within close walking distance or a hotel that has a "good" shuttle service in which we don't have to wait because the bus is full, etc.

Also, where do you recommend that I book the rooms through for the best rate? Right now, the only place I can even find a rate for the DLH is their site so all I can find is the rack rate of $270/night. Is it possible to find this cheaper elsewhere (should we decide on that hotel)? But, I'll wait for responses before I make my decision. Thank you!!!!!

Bren
P.S. We are returning to DL for our 20th wedding anniversary!!!! With 3 kids this time. I can't wait.
__________________________________
June 2005 - WDW, Animal Kingdom Lodge
July 1986 - DL, Off-site (honeymoon)

 

[twinmommyks]

Please, anyone's input?

Bren

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I don't have answers for you, but I'm feeling the same about the hotels. DH likes to spend less, I want a nice hotel. DLH is expensive, but I want the "magic." I haven't made reservations yet for March b/c we can't decide. We are going with DDs ages 9 and 5. I'm hoping for a good rate at DLH or I guess we'll be at HOJO or CCI.

 

[Aggie96]

That is such a tough decision. There are so many factors to consider. Here's what we did for our trip this past September. We got a GREAT deal at HoJo several months ahead of time. We have stayed at the CCI and DLH. The CCI is wonderful, we just wanted to try something different and haven't stayed at HoJo before. Plus, we had read rave reviews about Mimi's (the restaurant next door to HoJo) and figured we could save a lot of money by eating as many meals as possible there. Then, a couple of months before our trip, we threw all of our wise thinking to the side and made a reservation at the Grand Californian. When it comes down to it, you're going on vacation, ya know? If you can afford to stay on site I say go for it. Especially if this might be the only Disneyland trip for awhile. You will definitely save money by staying off site. And the thing is, you'll be glad you did. So you really can't go wrong either way. But, we have found that for us the greatest thing about staying at DLH or GCH (or I'm sure PP, we just haven't stayed there yet) is that you never have to leave the magic for a second. It's all around you while you walk to and from the parks, while you eat, and while you sleep. It's the difference between going to Anaheim and visiting Disneyland while you're there, and just going to Disneyland. That's just my opinion. Hopefully you'll get a few others to balance mine out before you make a decision!

 

[carmel]

Bren,

I was gonna answer but I have only stayed at the HoJo.

I actually really, really liked the HoJo. The grounds are gorgeous and the pool (actually, they have 2) is wonderful. The rooms are HUGE and we had a balconey facing the Matterhorn. On the nights we were too tired to treck back over to the park to see the fireworks, we could sit on our balconey and watch them. I loved the HoJo and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

We are going to stay at the CCI next december. I wanted to try something different and for some reason, I could get it cheaper than the HoJo for that time. I toyed around with staying at one of the real inexpensive ones but DH pointed out that the parks close at around 6 at the time we are going so we are going to have more time at the hotel than we would in summer months. So, staying in a nice place was important.

I have never stayed on DL property. I know they are a lot more expensive. But, if you are going during months that the park stays open very late each night, you might not spend that much time there.

I can stay pretty much anywhere with a bed and running water but hubby likes 'finer' establishments . My oldest daughter (7yr old) is also spoiled in the area of hotel accommodations (she has stayed in many 5 star hotels). He (and she) thought the HoJo was quite nice.

Hope this helps.

 

[abby]

We went last April and stayed at the DLH and loved it. We are going back this spring and I am having the same thoughts, where to stay and is it necessary to spend so much money???? I have thought of HOJO because of all the good reviews, but the thought of missing our walk through downtown disney makes me think I may well spend the money to stay at DLH again (although I really want to try the GC) I travel with my dd (5) and the hotel is more important to me than her.

 

[LucyKate]

We also stayed at the HoJo on our one and only trip and loved it.

I can't say we missed out on any "magic' because we got that during the 10-12 hours we stayed in the parks each day. The hotel was a place we slept, had a swim one evening, and that was about it.

Like many here, I preferred to spend about half as much (or less) on accommodation (though still very good accommodation) by staying at a non-Disney place, then spend the money saved on souvenirs, character meals, photos, Blue Bayou etc, which to us, added a lot more "magic" than had we stayed at a Disney hotel and not been able to afford these.

I'd say, if you have the money for a splurge, stay at the DLH, but if you want to stretch the funds, stay at the HoJo or CCI - I can't see how you'd go wrong with either.

 

[BrerMama]

Heaven knows we still can't decide between DL and WDW, let alone which hotel. However, if we do DL, we'll be staying at DLH. We'd be going for 8 nights and would be planning a break from the parks every day. The pools at the offsite hotels are just not what our family wants. They are small and your basic motel pools. If I'm going to be spending a few hours every day at a pool, I'd like for it to have some atmosphere. Also, we have AAA and the enchanted fast pass when you stay at an onsite hotel is too good to pass up.

We are by no means on-site fanatics. In fact, until our 2004 trip, we'd never tried onsite. And at DL, with some off-site hotels closer than on-site, I never thought we'd want to stay onsite. After looking at all the pros and cons, however, we'd go with DLH in a heartbeat.

 

[CindyT]

This summer we stayed at the Candy Cane for one night, then the DLH for three. I absolutely loved the DLH and highly recommend it. Candy Cane was fine, I would stay there again; but for pure Disney magic I would go back to the DLH in a heartbeat. We were able to take advantage of AAA rates and the unlimited Fastpass.

 

[CalGal]

When I struggle to decide whether to put down the extra bucks to stay on site, I also split my stay. But that can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you don't have your own car.

Another thought; book a stay at the CCI (or elsewhere) that you can cancel without penalty, and see if rates are reduced for the DLH a bit later. If you are going in late June, after school lets out, that's not very likely. However, if you go in early June, you might find rooms at up to 1/2 off on Expedia a couple of weeks before your arrival. Similarly for ADisneyQueen: if your March trip is early in the month before the spring break weeks, a deal may open up.

I've never stayed at the CCI (although I'm considering it for a future stay) or HoJos (wouldn't want to risk a room too close to the freeway), but have stayed at many of the nicer Anaheim hotels over the years. I like the Hyatt when it has it's own shuttle (don't know if it does now); Embassy Suites South has lovely rooms, but is also on the ARC; I didn't like my stay there because the room was right next to the elevator and I didn't find the staff helpful (but then I complained on their website and they sent my a coupon for a free nights stay so I'm going to give them another shot). I liked the Anaheim Marriott a lot. There are many great choices if you can deal with the shuttle. The rates at these hotels vary quite a bit depending upon the season, whether there are big conventions, etc. I've made my choice largely based upon who had a good rate at the time. But truth be told, I usually end up going to the DLH or GCH for at least part of my stay nowadays. Once spoiled.... I love that Disney guests get EE each day it is available now, and I lreally ove getting the enhanced FP when booking through AAA. I also like to take leisurely midday breaks, and prefer to stay inside the magic line.

 

[TiggerCate]

The "Unofficial" guide has a values rating for the hotels. They base it on the stars/quality of the hotel combined with the rate. As far as best value for 4-star hotels, they have the Anabella ranked as #1, Hilton Suites (Orange) ranked as #4, and the Doubletree as #16 (the rest in the top 20 values aren't 4 star). I don't know how much they cost a night, but probably less than the DLH. I would LOVE to stay at the DLH, but whenever I start to look at the rates, I just can't justify it. I DO like nice hotels, but I like to feel like I am at least getting a good deal, KWIM? I have stayed at the Hilton Suites but don't find it as great of a deal as in the past. They do have a breakfast cooked to order and an evening manager's reception (i.e. free drinks and snacks) that is included and that makes it a better deal to me than someplace that doesn't have those included. I am staying at an Embassy Suites for the second time, because they have the same set-up, although it's not quite as nice as the Hilton Suites was.

 

[TiggerCate]

The Anabella actually looks pretty nice. I'm about ready to change my reservations. LOL.

http://www.anabellahotel.com/

 

[twinmommyks]

Thank you so much for all your replies!! I appreciate everyone's input. It looks like we are planning to go on/around May 24 (our school lets out earlier than most) so I am hoping for good rates at the DLH (better than what I am finding now). I think I will book CCI as a back up and continue to research for some specials for on-site (thanks for the suggestion, CalGal).

CalGal - Do specials on expedia tend to show up in advance or just a few weeks in advance? I have never booked a big vacation like this on-line before. Our trip to WDW last year was planned (and paid for) by the corporation my dh works for - this year we are planning and paying.

CindyT - when you booked your trip, did you book on-line through AAA or did you call an agent? We just became members of AAA so that is an option for us. I LOVE the idea of unlimited fast passes. My twins are not patient and totally hate standing in long lines. I just priced a package on their website and it was actually higher than the disney site - that surprised me abit. Any suggestions on the best way to book AAA for the best deal. And how do find out about the specials with AAA?

Thanks so much everyone for all your opinions and input. I know that I want to stay at DLH but just need to find a better rate than the rack rate of $270 that I am finding now. Do you think that is possible for travel in late May?

Any other suggestions or ideas would be great. Thank you.

Bren

 

[CalGal]

Historically, it seems that Expedia rates at DL may drop up to a month or so ahead of time, with the best rates often seen around 2 weeks out. I believe this will only happen if a fair number of rooms are still available. I think Expedia has a good arrangement with Disney. Since the 50th party has started, I haven't seen many times when good rates were available for more than a day here or there though. Sometimes Disney offers some other deals to try to increase attendance before the busy summer season, so keep your fingers crossed.

I booked a AAA package last summer, and went in to the AAA office rather than booking online. Actually, I first tried to price things online, but it didn't work for some reason. But pricing and later booking at the office was a snap. I haven't heard for sure if the Enhanced Fastpass would still be available next year. The brouchure I had was for 2005 , and only indicated availability for trips through mid Jan 2006.

Good luck.

 

[BrerMama]

Enchanted Fastpass is available for 2006, but you'll be paying rack rate. We're going in June and we debated and hemmed and hawed. You can now price out AAA packages online -- it wasn't working but is now. In the end, we're going for 8 days and decided we'd rather have the $1000+ in price difference between DLH and Hojo to spend on food and souvenirs. So we're staying Hojo. CCI isn't available for a family of 5 through AAA, unfortunately, or I probably would have gone there.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

We are planning a trip in early June too for our first trip to DL

I went ahead and booked a room at CCI however I am keeping my eyes open for specials for DisneylandHotel and Grand Californian. I will post if I see anything come up for that time frame.