Off-site hotel help please now that EE will be gone

[OneTrackMind]

Hi. I’ve been waiting for the 2026 onsite hotel reservations to open. Now that EE will be gone, I don’t see how I can justify the onsite cost. We always maximized EE every day - it was still very valuable to us even at only 30 minutes, as we could usually get at least three to five big rides done.

So now I have to look at offsite hotels, which I’ve never paid any attention to before. There are so many threads and so much information on this forum that I don’t even know where to start.

We are going in February 2026. Me, DH and DS (23). DH doesn’t like long walks back to the hotel so we stayed at GCH the last few trips. That means staying as close as possible is a priority. While we appreciated the GCH’s features, we don’t actually care about luxury - basic is fine as long as it’s clean. We also don’t need parking and likely wouldn’t be using a pool. A mini-fridge and microwave would be ideal. If any other information would be useful, please let me know.

I know there are lots of strong opinions on the various options and I’m happy to hear all of them!

Thanks!

 

[irlandaise]

Although you say "as close as possible," don't rule out the delightful Candy Cane Inn. It's only a 10-minute walk (you don't even have to cross Harbor Blvd.), and it has an hourly shuttle if you don't want to walk. Also a nice breakfast, included.

 

[OneTrackMind]

Although you say "as close as possible," don't rule out the delightful Candy Cane Inn. It's only a 10-minute walk (you don't even have to cross Harbor Blvd.), and it has an hourly shuttle if you don't want to walk. Also a nice breakfast, included.

Thanks! Is that 10 minutes to security or to the turnstiles? So about as close as DLH? Not crossing Harbour sounds appealing!

 

[mdmost]

Crossing Harbor is no problem at all. It is completely safe, barely any cars are waiting on pedestrians, and you will have lots of other hotel guests and cast members going that way. The closest hotel is the Best Western which the crosswalk dead ends into. Park Vue also is right across the street.

 

[irlandaise]

Thanks! Is that 10 minutes to security or to the turnstiles?

10 minutes to the Esplanade/security. No way to predict how long it will take to get through security to the turnstiles.

 

[crystal1313]

Park vue inn! They are right at the crosswalk and they just refreshed the rooms with new flooring and furniture and paint in June.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

I do not ordinarily post links to YouTube videos for posters to watch, but

Hi. I’ve been waiting for the 2026 onsite hotel reservations to open. Now that EE will be gone, I don’t see how I can justify the onsite cost. We always maximized EE every day - it was still very valuable to us even at only 30 minutes, as we could usually get at least three to five big rides done.

So now I have to look at offsite hotels, which I’ve never paid any attention to before. There are so many threads and so much information on this forum that I don’t even know where to start.

We are going in February 2026. Me, DH and DS (23). DH doesn’t like long walks back to the hotel so we stayed at GCH the last few trips. That means staying as close as possible is a priority. While we appreciated the GCH’s features, we don’t actually care about luxury - basic is fine as long as it’s clean. We also don’t need parking and likely wouldn’t be using a pool. A mini-fridge and microwave would be ideal. If any other information would be useful, please let me know.

I know there are lots of strong opinions on the various options and I’m happy to hear all of them!

Thanks!

I do not ordinarily post YouTube videos for posters to watch. But, I would recommend you search for some videos. There are various individuals who have done pretty good reviews of hotels. Here is one linked below as an example...

 

[RockyMtnMouse]

We're fans of Desert Inn and Suites. It's across the street (next to Park Vue). I've never stayed at Candy Cane, but I believe the rooms at Desert Inn are bigger and $100 less per night (for our family of 5).