Newbie - Need Some Hotel Advice!

[ericafny]

We (Me - 30 & DBF - 29) are Disneyland newbies (WDW vets!) and are planning a trip for this coming July for 7 days. We are planning on flying in on a Friday, doing other So Cal activities for the weekend, and then spending Mon - Thurs at the two parks (I read weekdays are less crowded).

I really have two questions I guess. The first is where should we stay?? I kind of want to stay at one of the the hotels on site, and was interested in Paradise Pier or the Disneyland Hotel. If we do this (and this leads into my second question...) will it be a pain in the you know what to spend the weekend (Fri-Sun) at a different hotel off site for our other activities? We have done the hotel switching at WDW but its a different ballgame there. Any advice from my west coast friends??

 

[got2travel]

First off staying onsite at DL is not anything like staying onsite at WDW. You don't get as many perks as you do at WDW. Really the only thing you get is the ability to use the early entry for every day it's offered instead of just once which is what is included in the park hopper tickets. Besides, staying offsite can sometimes get you closer to the front entrance gates.

Now, if you want to stay onsite just because it's Disney and not to get any perks, then go for it. I prefer the Disneyland Hotel over Paradise Pier. I just like the theming, the room decor and the pool better. Paradise Pier does not have quite as much Disney atomosphere and it's a bit farther from the parks.

For switching from onsite to offsite, you won't get any help from Disney so you'll have to completely pack up, or stuff everything in your car (if you get one) and move it over. Disney will let you store you things until you are ready to move though.

Honestly I'd just stay offsite the whole time so I wouldn't have to hastle with switching. The most popular offsite hotel with these boards is the Howard Johnson. It's not my favorite but it is a decent hotel. I prefer BW Park Place Inn, Candy Cane Inn and Camelot Inn. I'd also consider the Anabella or the Carousel Inn. These are all within walking distance to the parks and the Candy Cane Inn also provides it's own free shuttle.

 

[Husker Mickey]

I would add Fairfield Inn by Marriot to the list of possible hotels. It is within walking distance and we have never been disappointed. The rooms are clean and have a mini frig. There is a pizza hut on the 2nd floor and snacks there also. The staff is friendly and there is also a gift shop for those other things that you might need.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Are you going to have a rental car? If so, then switching will be easy. I mean, sure you have to pack up a bit, but what they hey, it's not that big of a deal.

We love to stay at the onsite hotels when we can afford them. Not so much because they're "Disney" hotels, but because they are actual "hotels" with all the bells and whistles. The majority of Good Neighbor hotels are really more like motels. Not all of them, but most of them are motels.

If it's your first time to Disneyland and you want to make it a little more special, I would stay onsite. The Disneyland Hotel would be a great choice (although we love the Paradise Pier Hotel too). And although it can appear that the Paradise Pier is a longer walk to the gates compared to the Disneyland Hotel, it really isn't longer at all. (The exception to this would be to the DTD monorail station, which is a shorter walk from the Disneyland Hotel, although it's not a very far walk from the Paradise Pier either.)

When we stay offsite, there's only a couple of places within walking distance we would stay at. Our first choice is the Howard Johnson (love the themepark view rooms there - it's like you're still in the magic). We would also stay at the Candy Cane Inn.

Hope you have a great time no matter where you stay.

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

I assume you are renting a car. If so, I would recommend NOT staying close to DL over the weekend, instead choosing a hotel close to the other SoCal activities you want to check out, then moving to a DL-area hotel for the rest of your trip. If you are staying out by DL, traffic on the I-5 will eat up a lot of time getting to the other things in SoCal you want to see. Like you, we are WDW vets and have only been to DL once, but here's what we did and it worked out great so maybe it will help you.

We arrived at LAX about 10:00 am, got a rental car (convertible, woohoo) and were at Universal Studios before noon. Saw pretty much everything there and then went over to our hotel in Hollywood, The Roosevelt Hotel. I had no idea at the time it was a "star hangout" . Somehow I managed to get it for $100 bucks a night online, so it was very reasonable. Saw all the sights along Hollywood Boulevard that night and the next morning. Then went to the La Brea Tar Pits, then went to the beach/Santa Monica Pier/walked all the way to Venice Beach and back/drove by all the "LA" sights we wanted to see that afternoon. Went back to the Roosevelt for the night, checked out the next morning after one more walk down the Walk of Fame to get a starbucks, and went to DL area that morning. Thank goodness it was a Sunday--traffic was bad enough and I can only imagine who horrible it would have been trying to get there on a weekday. We checked in to the Annabella Hotel, checked out downtown disney and the Annabella pool (not the greatest but it was decent). The next morning we started out bright and early for Disneyland. We rode the trolley that stops at the hotels along Katerra Ave., but we had to wait quite a while for an empty trolley as we were trying to get there at rope drop and I later figured out it was less than a fifteen minute walk to the park entrance and it was just as easy to walk. In fact, the Annabella is just south of Paradise Pier, so its about the same walk--I would say for the difference in price, stay at the Annabella instead of Paradise Pier. It is a little dated, but a good deal for the price. We did DL open to close, next day Cali Adventure open to close, next day took a drive up to Santa Barbara along Hwy 1 and over the mountain to the wine country that is north east of Santa Barbara (great drive)(this is the only time my car left the Annabella parking lot during our entire stay at DL--we walked or rode the trolley), the next day did Cali Adventure again, next morning did the Goofy's Kitchen character breakfast, checked out and flew home.

As for your question about where to stay if staying at a Disney hotel, I have not stayed at any of them and am not an expert, but we did walk around inside each hotel so that I could "plan" my next trip. I am not sure it is really worth it to stay at one of the Disney hotels, because they are all three a LOT more expensive than what you can pay at a non-disney hotel, and we don't stay in the room much anyway. But I have decided that if I go again and I was going to spend the extra dough to stay at a DL hotel, I would love to stay at the Grand Californian. It is so cool that it has a special guest only entrance into the CA park, and it is very close to Disneyland entrance, so it would be really easy to go back to the room for a rest or swim during the day. The pool area was also nice. The walk from the other two disney hotels is as far or farther than some of the non-disney hotels across the street. Between the other two, I would next choose the Disneyland Hotel. We walked around inside the Disneyland Hotel while waiting for breakfast and it seemed nice; we just made a quick stop into the Paradise Pier--it was ok, nothing special.

Have a great trip!

 

[ericafny]

Thanks for all of the responses so far! We will be renting a car because we will be driving to LA for a day (we have friends who live there) as well as spending a day at the beach in Laguna. So packing stuff into a car doesn't bother us (its only two of us). We also don't mind walking a bit, we are fairly in shape (or at least we would like to think so ) and we do understand visiting a Disney park whether it is WDW or Disneyland will involve an enormous amount of walking so whether or not the hotel is far from the park entrance doesn't really bother us.

I have read Hydroguy's thread which is really really REALLY helpful! And have gotten some excellent advice and looked at the map he has posted with where all the hotels are in relation to the parks. I also looked at the pics of the Disneyland Hotel and the pool looks so nice and the themeing is right up our alley. I think we are leaning towards doing maybe Fri-Sun at an off-site and then Mon-Fri at the Disneyland Hotel.

Now...off to understand the intricate FP system that seems different than the one in WDW...

 

[ericafny]

Thanks MerrissaandMomLoveDis, I didn't think about the traffic aspect of the whole thing! We come from NY so we are quite familiar with traffic. We will have to work around that and plan accordingly. Great plan you had. We did Hollywood Blvd a few years ago when we were in LALA land for our friend's wedding. It was fun wasn't it? We will prob just go to LA to see them since we did all that but we want to do other activities such as go to Laguna beach, I want to see the Pacific Ocean...the Atlantic is boring me...

Once again, thanks to everyone for all of your very helpful advice

 

[joseph821]

Thanks MerrissaandMomLoveDis, I didn't think about the traffic aspect of the whole thing! We come from NY so we are quite familiar with traffic. We will have to work around that and plan accordingly. Great plan you had. We did Hollywood Blvd a few years ago when we were in LALA land for our friend's wedding. It was fun wasn't it? We will prob just go to LA to see them since we did all that but we want to do other activities such as go to Laguna beach, I want to see the Pacific Ocean...the Atlantic is boring me...

Once again, thanks to everyone for all of your very helpful advice

HI I live in NYC and go to Disneyland at least twice a year. I suggest you stay at the Disneyland Hotel. You will be able to get Magic Morning/Early entry - everyday it is offered during your stay. If you stayed Monday thru Friday, you would be able to go Tuesday and Thursday morning. I also request a room in the Dream Tower with a pool view or a Downtown Disney view. You can get a room like that for $300 more or so...but since you are going in July I would not take the chance and assume you could get an upgrade for free..I have been upgraded to a view room for free but that was during the off season. I also lived in LA for over 3 years. There is plenty to do: J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, the Getty Villa in Malibu (beautiful), the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botancial Garden in San Marino (great place). Leo Carillo State Park in Malibu has a beautiful beach over 1,600 acres and a nature trail that leads to tide pools and rock formations, and Sequit Point, which contains sea caves and a natural tunnel.

 

[HydroGuy]

Now...off to understand the intricate FP system that seems different than the one in WDW...

I would say the FP systems themselves are 95% the same between DLR and WDW. However, the fact that the parks at DLR are so close (a one minute walk) and the staggered opening times (not always but usually) between DL and DCA means that different FP strategies can be used as compared to WDW. And these are worth taking the time to understand. Especially during summer high season.

 

[ericafny]

I would say the FP systems themselves are 95% the same between DLR and WDW. However, the fact that the parks at DLR are so close (a one minute walk) and the staggered opening times (not always but usually) between DL and DCA means that different FP strategies can be used as compared to WDW. And these are worth taking the time to understand. Especially during summer high season.

Yes I have your "Getting the most out of fastpast" thread bookmarked and am starting to read through it to begin to understand the strategies. Your threads have been a huge help and have really helped me to understand the difference between Disneyland and the WOrld. Thanks for all of your helpful info!!

 

[Sherry E]

I had a feeling when you were talking about an offsite hotel that you didn't mean the offsite ones just outside of the DLR gates, but ones closer to where your other activities are. If you want a hotel down in the DLR area, I am a big advocate of staying onsite. IF you want the whole Disney experience from beginning to end and really want to immerse yourself, stay at one of the 3 DLR hotels. If you just need a place to rest your head and don't care where it is, then get a room at a Good Neighbor Hotel and save money. I have stayed at all 3 DLR hotels (multiple times since 1988 or so), and I cannot imagine ever NOT staying at one of them now. I live up in L.A., so a lot of fellow SoCal residents wouldn't think it's necessary to stay at a DLR hotel when we could just go home. For me it completes the experience and it is so nice when you are tired after a LONG day to just go back to your hotel onsite and conk out.

Also, there are more perks staying at a DLR hotel than just getting the Early Entry/Magic Morning on the days it's available (it does come in VERY handy having that extra hour in the morning). You also can send whatever purchases you make in DL or DCA back to your DLR hotel so you don't have to lug them around the parks or rent a pricey locker. Also, being a guest at one of the hotels you can use your room key (Key to the Magic) to charge any meals or purchases, AND, more conveniently, you can use that key to gain access to the California Adventure entrance inside the Grand Californian Hotel (no matter which of the 3 hotels you are staying at). Non-hotel guests can only use that entrance later in the afternoon, but if you are a hotel guest and use it in the morning, you can usually enter DCA about 20-30 minutes before DCA officially opens, which is very important for getting in the line for Toy Story because they line you up in a spot inside DCA where you have a head start on all the people coming in through the main entrance of DCA and you can get in the TSMM line before they do!!!

Everything is close together over here - unlike in Florida - so it is easy and quick to get from the hotels to the parks' entrances. No buses or boats needed! I know people say it is closer in some cases if you stay at one of the offsite hotels, but you would be coming from a different direction. When you take the walk from any of the Disney hotels, you get to stroll through Downtown Disney and soak in the atmosphere on your way to the parks. It is more festive, and if you are a lover of Disney detail, it is fun to wander through the hotels and see the decor and then head to DTD and on to the parks.

The Paradise Pier is in many ways shinier and newer looking than the DLH, and it has a cute beachy theme, with pastels and suns and a surfing motif in the rooms. THe DLH is the original and is the most 'Disney,' but it is a little bit worn inside. However, the DLH grounds are beautiful - lovely waterfalls, great koi fish pond, miniature remote-controlled Jungle Cruise boats, Goofy's Kitchen, etc. And The GCH is the least Disney-fied out of all of them, but is the most upscale and elegant, and has all sorts of great woodsy, rustic touches around it, as well as a gorgeous lobby and the great Storytellers Cafe restarant. If you care about having that extra Disney hotel experience, DLH or PPH are the better choices. Otherwise, I would suggest DLH.

Anyway, if you look in my trip report (the link is in my signature below), you can read about my last two Paradise Pier stays and see pictures (I have actually stayed at PPH about 4 or 5 times since 2000). My October 2008 stay was NOT good. My December 2008 stay was good. If I could afford it, I would stay in the GCH more often than I have because of the convenient location, but I really think the PPH is fine. It is the least expensive, it is is cute, it's clean, it's bright - there is nothing at all wrong with PPH except for that it's NOT the DLH or the GCH!!! But it is fine as its own little hotel. It just doesn't have sprawling grounds on which to develop, but it's very basic and pleasant.

Also, since I am up in kind of a bustling area of L.A., I may be near some of the other places you are visiting, so let me know if you need any info on anything else up this way.

 

[ericafny]

Thanks Sherry! I will be checking out your TR as part of my research There is so much info to take in. This really is a different experience than visiting WDW (which we have done for the past 4 years). I am def thinking we will stay onsite and I am leaning towards Disneyland Hotel, however if the prices are too high we will choose Paradise Pier. But, we may spend our first 3 nights either in LA or possibly in Malibu. We stayed in Malibu in 2005 for our friends wedding at a Reinassance Inn I believe and it was actually really nice. We were about 20 min away from Hollywood (with no traffic of course) and the area was beautiful.

We are still in the very early planning stages but I am leaning towards this. Of course as all of you obsessive planners know I will probably change my mind a gazillion times before then

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry! I will be checking out your TR as part of my research There is so much info to take in. This really is a different experience than visiting WDW (which we have done for the past 4 years). I am def thinking we will stay onsite and I am leaning towards Disneyland Hotel, however if the prices are too high we will choose Paradise Pier. But, we may spend our first 3 nights either in LA or possibly in Malibu. We stayed in Malibu in 2005 for our friends wedding at a Reinassance Inn I believe and it was actually really nice. We were about 20 min away from Hollywood (with no traffic of course) and the area was beautiful.

We are still in the very early planning stages but I am leaning towards this. Of course as all of you obsessive planners know I will probably change my mind a gazillion times before then

You're welcome! You will definitely be fine at either the PPH or the DLH. It really completes the whole experience (for me) to stay onsite. If you choose PPH, though, definitely read my TR and avoid room number 513!!

Well, think of it this way - even though you are a seasoned WDW planner and visitor, DLR is foreign territory to you. BUT, once you get one trip to DLR under your belt you will see how much easier it is to plan a trip because of the smaller scale and close proximity of everything. It is so easy to just leave the gates of Disneyland, walk across the esplanade and right on into DCA!! It is not an overwhelming experience like I have heard WDW can be.

Malibu is beautiful, so you can never go wrong staying there!! Plus, it is great for celebrity-watching! Geographically speaking, I am located kind of right between Hollywood and Beverly Hills, down the street from LACMA, the Tar Pits, The Grove/Farmers Market, etc. It is a hub of activity here, so, again, let me know if you need any info on anything in this neck of the woods.