On site hotel!

[NJlauren]

Somethings have changed and it looks like we will be staying on site now!

I currently have the Disneyland Hotel booked, we will overlap one day of half marathon weekend (I'm running the 5k).

Is this the best of the on site options? 2 adults and a 2 year old. Just want to make sure I'm making the right choice if I'm moving to onsite! WDW I know what I want DLR still has a learning curve for me.

 

[Aladora]

It depends on what is important in a hotel.

Most "Disney" feel? DLH
Best pool? DLH
Largest room? PPH
Easy access to DCA? GCH
Potentially shortest walk? GCH
Most laid back feeling? PPH
Pinocchio's Workshop? Located at GCH but you can use it if you are at any of the 3 onsite hotels.
Lowest cost? PPH

We have stayed at all 3 and prefer PPH, regardless of cost...even if GCH was the same price as PPH, we would still pick PPH.

 

[NJlauren]

It depends on what is important in a hotel.

Most "Disney" feel? DLH
Best pool? DLH
Largest room? PPH
Easy access to DCA? GCH
Potentially shortest walk? GCH
Most laid back feeling? PPH
Pinocchio's Workshop? Located at GCH but you can use it if you are at any of the 3 onsite hotels.
Lowest cost? PPH

We have stayed at all 3 and prefer PPH, regardless of cost...even if GCH was the same price as PPH, we would still pick PPH.

This is very helpful! How is the walk to DL from each hotel? Also how about to the DLH from PPH and GCH?

 

[cleophus12]

The walk from any of the onsite hotels is very short. We stayed at Paradise Pier and had a very short walk. And since you are doing the race, the starting line is very close. My DD and I did the Tinkerbell 10K last month and our corral was right outside the hotel. It was amazing especially since we have done several of the WDW races and had to be in Epcot's parking lot at 4:30 am. The convenience of the DLR hotels is incredible.

 

[Bebella]

We loved staying at the GCH a couple weeks ago. Our room was right up from the lobby with a courtyard view overlooking the monorail running through the resort (our son thought that was super neat! He's 3 ...It was a great location since it took almost no time to get downstairs to use the walkway into DTD and to DL. Loved how close we were! We used the back entrance into DCA for the EMH, which was convenient (but you have to get there early). The pool area was nice...3 pools, one has a couple little water slides. We were originially supposed to stay at DLH, and I was really looking foward to that pool but the walk is longer (all the way through DTD) and it get's really crowded after the parks close.

 

[gottalovepluto]

As much as I love the ease of accessing the park via GCH, the theming of DLH is something you won't find at WDW. Walking from DLH to DL/DCA front gate is like walking from Contemporary to MK. 0.5 mi on google maps. Shorter if you hop the monorail in downtown Disney into DL!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I've stayed at all 3. Aladora's synopsis of what's best of each is right on as far as I'm concerned, although we have different preferences because the PPH is my least favorite of the 3.

Keep in mind that as far as distance goes, it really depends on where you stay WITHIN each hotel as well as just which hotel you stay at. These are huge hotels and staying at different places in each makes a big difference. We stayed in one of the rooms at the GCH that's near the "secret entrance" and it was great for going to DCA in the morning but awful for coming back to the hotel (because the door is locked from the inside and the room is about as far as you can get from the main entrance).

Personally I think the DLH is great for young kids because of all the Disney theming. And because you're likely to see Goofy walking around. My kids prefer it, although I prefer the GCH.

 

[Aladora]

Keep in mind that as far as distance goes, it really depends on where you stay WITHIN each hotel as well as just which hotel you stay at. These are huge hotels and staying at different places in each makes a big difference.

I totally agree! Our room in gch was great in the morning because we were close to the stairs leading down to the dtd entrance but absolutely terrible when we were coming back from the park because we were almost all the way at the very end of the furthest corridor.

Our room at pph felt a lot closer even though the hotel is further away. We were quite close to the elevator and unlike others here, we never had a long wait for the elevator. The real drawback of pph was that we were on the 10th floor so walking down the stairs was not a viable option.

Funny story from out DLH hotel stay back in 2011. Our room was on the 4th floor so we decided to walk down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. The DLH was undergoing renos at the time and we actually ended up in the middle of a construction zone and the foreman had to carry our son while walking us out. Apparently we were the first people to take the stairs!

 

[BriannaRuth]

Ha, that is funny -- I do hotel inspections and one thing we always check for is clear stairways! Never run into a construction zone, though!

 

[NJlauren]

Thank you everyone!

I think I am going to go with the DLH! I've reserved it but waiting to see if any discounts come out and possibly upgrade to PPH club level? Always something right

 

[Jerryp49]

This is very helpful! How is the walk to DL from each hotel? Also how about to the DLH from PPH and GCH?

https://www.mouseplanet.com/7280/How_Far_Is_It

We prefer the GCH. The location is especially nice when it`s nap time or clothes changes for the little ones

 

[NJlauren]

https://www.mouseplanet.com/7280/How_Far_Is_It

We prefer the GCH. The location is especially nice when it`s nap time or clothes changes for the little ones

So helpful! thank you!