Oh Great, now I am confused...

[candygirlIRE]

So I sat down to prep my booking for our Disneyland trip in October.
I am ready to book hotel and tickets.
So I have one quick look at the Disney website to see what offers they may have (we are planning on staying at a good neighbor hotel) as we've been checking and it looks like booking PH tickets and hotel separately (through the hotels own site) would be the cheapest option.

So I see that staying at Paradise Pier at Disneyland and our hotel of choice is only about $200 difference in price --- so what do we do here??

I mean, it would be great to stay AT Disneyland and not have to drive (or shuttle) each day (note: we were going to drive and park each day, as I find the shuttles really a bother in the morning with the kids, and that makes my day start out bad - plus the hotel we were going to stay only has shuttles leaving every hour vs. every 15-30 minutes likes some hotels).
However at the good neighbor hotel they have a FULL breakfast every morning and indoor pool.

What do we choose?? The price difference as a booking does not matter to me, it's the "other" costs of staying at one hotel vs another.... do you know what I mean??
Would we save on parking, or do you still pay to park at Disney when you are a guest?
I know there is no breakfast option with Disney that is free, so what are our cheap(er) meal options?


SO many questions... not sure where to start with them really... looking for some insight....
Really confused now

I am also wondering if going though an agent other than Disney would get me a cheaper deal on a Disney hotel??

 

[smile4stamps]

Parking at Disney Hotels is $15/day for self-park... more for Valet. I don't think there is any way around that.

Also they do not offer any free breakfast or anything unless you book Conceirge and then you will be paying for that!

I just stayed at the PPH in June and loved it! I was splurging for my birthday trip and I thouroughly enjoyed staying there! It was wonderful. If the right rate comes along I will definitly stay there again. However I am a cheapskate by nature and if I am not splurging I find a hotel that is cheap and close or is cheap and I can get a shuttle if the price is right.

Also on my Birthday trip I used Priceline for the second half of my trip and I ended up at the Doubletree Orange. It offered a free shuttle hourly and it worked ok for me. I would have loved to stay at the PPH longer but it just wasnt in the budget.

If it is a cost factor I would recommend a Good Neighbor hotel on Harbor. Most no longer offer free parking but figure that into your overall cost and find out what will work for your family.

 

[gokdog]

We had a similar issue on our trip last March, booking the hotel separately and adding the park tickets later wound up being much cheaper, but it was due to a issue on the website with billing the wrong rate.

What we did was book the hotel only, then called and added on the tickets, which ultimately led to the correct pricing and a great trip at the Grand Californian.

In my humble opinion, the experience staying at one of the Disneyland Hotels on property is amazing, and all things being equal, I would choose on property, but it all comes down to what price is right for you.

For instance this year we are going to end up doing 4 trips and probably 2 will be on property and 2 off, due to the high rates during the summer and our availability. If you can arrange a Sunday to Thursday trip, avoiding Friday and Saturday you can sometimes get a significantly reduced rate on property and enjoy the best of both worlds.

 

[MenchieMan87]

I'm planning on staying at this Good Neighbor Hotel in September because it does not require driving or shuttling, it's a five minute walk! http://www.parkplaceinnandminisuites.com/

 

[disneyrand]

The Park Vue Inn offers breakfast and a light "dinner" (lots of finger foods). It's situated directly across the street from the main entrance (no shuttle needed) and is much cheaper than the Resort Hotels (and actually closer to the Main Gate than the Disneyland Hotel, itself.)

When the wife and I go for our bi-annual "Mom and Dad only" trip, next year, this is where we'll be staying.

 

[Misskitty3]

It sounds like if you stay at PPH it would cost $200 more plus the daily parking fee and breakfast.

You could always have cereal/oatmeal in the room to save on breakfast costs. Plus, staying at PPH, you would also get into the park early on MM's.

Not sure if you are aware, but the PPH is a little bit of a walk to the parks, if that is a consideration.

 

[StarTink]

I stayed at Paradise Pier my first DLR visit. It wasn't nearly as close as I thought it would be.Staying at a good neighbor hotel maybe closer. If you can book at one with free breakfast and/or parking you may be saving more than $200.

 

[farmgirljen]

We stay offiste as well. While it might be "neat" to stay at one of the Disney hotels, I just can't wrap my mind around paying that kind of money for a place to sleep....We have stayed at the Ramada Maingate twice, and have 2 upcoming trips booked at the Del Sol Inn... Both have very basic complementary breakfasts, and are very close walking distance to the parks...Which for us is super important. The rooms at both hotels have micro, fridge, and coffee makers...so you can do a lot of eating from the room as needed... Also, something I did prior to our last trip was go to the websites of the restaurants close to DL(like mimi's) and sign up for their email specials. I get tons of coupons from them....I would rather be able to buy more souvenirs in the parksor do character meals than pay alot for the hotel room... Also, 3 trips have been booked via a travel agency..1st trip booked through disney, 2nd through dreamsunlimited, and this Sept trip booked through getawaytoday. I found it much cheaper to book the room for my december trip through the hotel itself with the AAA rate($59 night at Del Sol in December!) and buy our park hoppers seperately than it was going ot be booking it through the travel agency...Almost $200 cheaper!

 

[candygirlIRE]

No I wasn't aware that it was a little bit of a walk to the park itself

We are looking for an indoor pool as well, that was one of our reasons for picking the hotel we did originally.

I am thinking it will just be easier to stay where we planned and drive daily to the park (we get free parking for halloween party still right?? we are only going to disney that day for that, not during the day).

Too many choices too many choices...

 

[spacemouseneer]

Well, when it comes to Park Hoppers tickets, since you are from Canada especially, look at Flight Centre. I don't know how many days you are going for but, a 2 day Park Hoppers is $173.00 at the Disney main gate, and a 7 or 8 day Park Hopper is $200 if you go into a Flight Centre store or $218 if you order online. Those are Adult Park Hoppers. Child ones are a little better in price. I just paid $777.00 in total for 3 Adult 7 Day Park Hoppers and 1 Child one.


Spacemouseneer

 

[cmwade77]

Unless it has changed recently, if you book a package with Disney (including tickets), you get free parking for up to two vehicles (this might be included with even a room only reservation, I am not sure). It is part of the resort fee, which I believe is now included in any price quote you get.

By staying onsite you also get MM and the ability to go into DCA 1 hour prior to park opening to get FPs for WOC. In addition, you also get two FPs (valid for up to 6 people each) per guest in your room that can be used on most attractions in either park, including Star Tours and Little Mermaid. (I believe this will still be happening at that time, but you may want to call to confirm) These perks are indeed a major benefit, not to be taken too lightly.

As for food costs, Paradise Pier hotel is really close to Katella, where you can catch public transit or you could get a cab for about $10 roundtrip to the nearest market. Another option is to have a market deliver to the hotel, I know there are a few in the area that specialize in this. As I recall there is a smalle fridge in the rooms and you can get a microwave upon request. There is a Denny's within waling distance.

It is indeed a bit of walk into the parks; however, you can use the Grand Californian and Monorail entrances, which reduce the walk.

 

[smile4stamps]

Unless it has changed recently, if you book a package with Disney (including tickets), you get free parking for up to two vehicles (this might be included with even a room only reservation, I am not sure). It is part of the resort fee, which I believe is now included in any price quote you get.

By staying onsite you also get MM and the ability to go into DCA 1 hour prior to park opening to get FPs for WOC. In addition, you also get two FPs (valid for up to 6 people each) per guest in your room that can be used on most attractions in either park, including Star Tours and Little Mermaid. (I believe this will still be happening at that time, but you may want to call to confirm) These perks are indeed a major benefit, not to be taken lightly.

The resort fee is no longer as of this year. The parking is $15 per car. I do not think it is waved even with a package.

Each guest will receive 2 fp. Each fp is good for one person not for 6 people. This is only through the summer currently. If it is extended I am sure they will not announce that for some time!

 

[nemofans]

One option to consider if you stay at a hotel that doesn't offer free breakfast is to bring it yourself. When we go to WDW, we ship down a small box filled w/breakfast items & snacks.