On Site vs. Good Neighbor Hotels

[GatorChris]

I've stayed at Paradise Pier and at Disneyland Hotel. For both of them, I never felt that "bubble" feeling that you get at WDW. I don't know why. I just don't. Maybe the Grand Cali would be different, but I'm not about to drop that much to find out if I'm right or wrong.

We've stayed multiple time at the HoJo on Harbor. If you pay a bit more, you can get a superior room that overlooks Disneyland. With indoor hallways and a mini-waterpark, it has a good "Disney" feel for half the price (compared to PPH) and the same walking distance as the two mentioned above. While not as magical as Disney hotels, it's a good place to be for a long trip. If it had a breakfast, it would be the perfect hotel of the universe.

 

[lindyv321]

I love the Fairfield Inn, but as my stays have become more frequent and longer, I prefer staying on the opposite side of Downtown Disney. I don't like having to endure a sometimes 45-minute wait at bag check to cross the Esplanade and walk back to my hotel.

Paradise Pier is where I stay now and I find it worth every penny.

This concerns me too although we've never waited that long to get through security!!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

The onsite hotels at Disneyland Resort, in WDW terms, are the deluxe resorts. The Good Neighbor offsite hotels, in WDW terms, are the value resorts. There is no in-between (i.e. Disneyland does not have anything comparable to WDW's moderate resorts.) The offsite hotels on Harbor Blvd. are closer to the main gates than some of the rooms at Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel, and Anaheim Resort Transit connects the entire resort area with the parks. Walking from the HoJo (an awesome hotel with awesome staff and my favorite Good Neighbor hotel), you can be in line at the turnstiles in eight minutes. Another benefit of the offsite hotels is cost--they consistently are much cheaper than Disneyland's three onsite options. You also have access to some cheaper dining options (especially the Harbor Blvd. McDonald's.)

However, staying offsite it's harder to access Downtown Disney restaurants and shopping since you enter and exit the main esplanade to the east, on the opposite side from Downtown Disney. Staying at the Disney hotels, you have to cross Downtown Disney, in whole or in part, coming and going from the parks. It definitely gives you a much more solid "Disney bubble" feeling. Our favorite onsite by far is Disneyland Hotel and its staff and management. (Can't stand the Grand Californian after we had a trip from hell there with really unconcerned staff.)

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I've stayed at Paradise Pier and at Disneyland Hotel. For both of them, I never felt that "bubble" feeling that you get at WDW. I don't know why. I just don't. Maybe the Grand Cali would be different, but I'm not about to drop that much to find out if I'm right or wrong.

We've stayed multiple time at the HoJo on Harbor. If you pay a bit more, you can get a superior room that overlooks Disneyland. With indoor hallways and a mini-waterpark, it has a good "Disney" feel for half the price (compared to PPH) and the same walking distance as the two mentioned above. While not as magical as Disney hotels, it's a good place to be for a long trip. If it had a breakfast, it would be the perfect hotel of the universe.

I love the HoJo. But hanging out on a lounger under the unbrellas by the monorail slide at DLH, running a pool-service bar tab, then having a late lunch in your bathing suit at Tangaroa Terrace, followed by a nap and a browse through the giant Disney store in DD has WDW bubble written all over it for me.

 

[julesann]

I like the Disney bubble and when I can (budget wise) I stay on site at the GCH. However, a good alternative for me is to stay at the Anabella. My walk to DLR is via Disney way which is lit by twinkly lights, lovely shaped bushes and colorful signs and I walk through the GCH to DTD to get to the main gate. I stop in the GCH for a relaxing night cap and then it is short walk (10 minutes) to my hotel. This year I am considering the PPH or the Anabella. I have a standard room at the PPH and a premium and the Anabella and I really can't decide. Either way I get my bubble which I love.

 

[avalon451]

There are threads that run into double digit pages, debating the onsite/offsite thing. Some people absolutely must stay "in the bubble" and are willing/able to shell out for it.

I've done both. Stayed at GCH for our first trip. It was lovely! They upgraded us to a courtyard view for free when I asked. Would I do it again? Maybe if I won the lottery..? Otherwise, no.

I've stayed at HoJo, loved it, beautiful room and great service, great pool playground. The walk isn't bad, but at the end of the night it looks like miles. They used to have a great 'retro rate' but now it's relatively expensive.

Last time, I stayed right at the crosswalk at Desert Inn. It was clean, comfortable, simple, and cheerful service at the front desk. They gave me my room preference and upgraded me for free (top floor, as far forward as possible). Pool is indoors, small-- but that's not a huge thing for us. We are staying there again next week, and I was able to book it last spring for $99 a night.

Seriously, check all the hotels at/near the crosswalk on Harbor. You can pull up one of them on TripAdvisor-- Best Western Park Place Inn, Park Vue, Desert Inn are all right there-- for your dates, then click on the map-- if you hover over each of the hotel names it should give you a rate. That's a good way to compare.

I agree with the above poster that you should try to price it out separately rather than book a package. You can save a lot of money that way. "Good Neighbor" hotel doesn't mean anything much as far as price break or anything.

 

[Frozen2014]

Can I ask a question? Are hotels at Ball Rd & Disneyland Dr walkable? I'm guessing not, unless there is an entrance to DL on Disneyland Dr, but want to confirm.

 

[Aladora]

Can I ask a question? Are hotels at Ball Rd & Disneyland Dr walkable? I'm guessing not, unless there is an entrance to DL on Disneyland Dr, but want to confirm.

I just checked and it's around 1.3 miles (that's 2km for those of us who use metric!) from the corner of Ball & Disneyland Dr. Google estimates approximately 25 minutes to walk it.

 

[julesann]

You can also take the Mickey and Friends tram from the parking lot that is located in the Ball and Disneyland Drive corner--this cuts the walking time I think to about half. I know there are several threads that explain how to do this including one with pictures and diagrams.

 

[ktlm]

We usually stay at the DLH, but this July we wound up coming in early due to leaving Hawaii early to avoid a tropical storm and the DLH had no availability, so we started off our trip at the Fairfield Inn. We are WDW people, and we quickly discovered that we prefer the Disney bubble and being on property. We do totally feel the bubble at DLH as the walk to the parks is through DTD and we never leave property. However, the price difference is a lot. Although we prefer the DLH, we had no issues with the Fairfield Inn. The staff was great, the hours of the gift shop were tailored for Disney people coming back from the parks at night, they had food options on property that were designed with the park visitor in mind, the rooms were clean. We got a Princess room (which basically meant a lot of room borders, prints, and shower curtains etc. of the type you can find at Target/Walmart- but still fun) and my DD absolutely loved it! The even had "pixie dust" sprinkled on the ceiling that glowed at night when you went to bed. The walk from the hotel to the park was short. The only issue was if you are parking- it can be hard to find a spot-- we were lucky. We certainly would not move the car once we had a spot- it stayed until we moved to the DLH. I would not hesitate to stay at the Fairfield again if I did not want to spend the money to stay on property.

As far as the security lines/metal detectors- we found both sides to be bad in July. On arrival day we got to the park around 11 or 12, and we waited 20 to 30 minutes in the security line. The morning we moved over to DLH, we were going into the park a little while after opening, and the line was huge. We wound up going back to GC and using the resort's CA entrance (which had virtually no line). We had hoppers, so after that we went to the GC about 10 minutes after opening every morning and entered through their gate (hopping to DL if that was our destination). The most we ever had was 2 families in front of us. We were fine giving up that first 10 minutes to avoid the long security line.

Also, one thing you should know about DLR, is that unlike WDW, hopping takes 5 minutes and can be very useful. If you can swing it, I would recommend the hopper tickets. The parks are separated only by a plaza and you do not have to go through security again to hop (security is on the outside edge of the plaza and you go through the same line for both parks). DL/CA is basically like one big park--the two put together take up a smaller area than EPCOT. You can get from the back of one to the back of the other within 10 minutes- we have done it. We go back and forth all day. If we look at the app and the lines are shorter in the other park- we go there for awhile. You can hold FPs in both parks- so that can be useful for RSR FPs. We really get a lot of use out of those hoppers at DLR.

Have fun!!! We love both DLR and WDW!!!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

You have to be careful. Some of those "Good Neighbor" hotels are quite some distance away. Oh and some hotels advertise right next to Disney or even have Maingate in their name. Then you find out they're right next to far corner of Disney property and quite a haul from the actual gates to get in. Or here's my favorite. Right across from convention center/Disney. Then you find out that yes it is right across from the convention center.... The side of it furthest away from Disney that is and it's a long long haul to walk from there. So be sure before booking one to locate it on a map and make sure you're happy with that.

I usually stay at one of the hotels across the street on Harbor. These are bare bones clean room maybe some sort of breakfast type places. You can get a much better hotel than these. But you won't be in walking distance. And it is oh so convenient to be in walking distance. People have their favorites and have had some less than stellar stays. But in my experience none of them on the whole are worth significantly more money than any other. So if you can get one at a big cost savings, do so. But if they're all about the same price, I prefer Best Western Park Place Inn and the Tropicana Inn. The Del Sol would be my least favorite over there. But if it's a significant cost savings vs the others, I'd stay there again. Lot's of people also love the Candy Cane Inn and the Howard Johnson's. these are about at the edge of the distance I'd walk. The security station early in the morning is pretty much walk through on both sides. In the evenings, it's about 5 minutes maybe.

Personally, I've never understood the Disney Bubble argument coming from many of the WDW regulars. Is a 5-10 minute walk across Harbor (that's to the gate early in the morning) really that much less immersed than a 20 minute ride on what amounts to a muni bus with a character painted on the side? I much prefer the convenience of the walk. I do like the whimsical themes of the values though. And Both parks are right there. And all I use the hotel for is a place to flop for the evening.
As for the Disney owned Hotels, They are nice. Of course at those prices they had better be. I don't think the GCH or DLH are quite at the high deluxe level such as the Grand Floridian imo. Probably a bit below that. Paradise Pier was somewhat below the deluxe level and a little bit above a mod. If I didn't have the money to splurge on the GCH or DLH, I'd stick to the across the street places.

Can I ask a question? Are hotels at Ball Rd & Disneyland Dr walkable? I'm guessing not, unless there is an entrance to DL on Disneyland Dr, but want to confirm.

Some are nearly a mile away and some are over a mile away. But it's not nearly that far to the garage where you can take the tram in. It's not as convenient as the walk across Harbor though. And if you want to get there really early, you're probably going to walk the whole way. They're certainly doable. But I prefer the extra convenience of the ones across Harbor. If you get a headache or over heated or just need to go back, it's 5 minutes away. Oh darn. Forgot that sunscreen. 5 minutes away. No waiting for trams or busses.

 

[WonkaKid]

Is a Good Neighbor hotel a good move, or is it important to stay on-site? If so, is it really worth the extra $1,000?

I've stayed at three hotels at DL in the past: HoJo, Candy Cane Inn and the Disney GC. The common areas of the GC are exceptional; really nice. However, the rooms are merely nice. Not exceptional. Generally, it's more than twice the price of the CCI or HJ. I'd stay off site at a non-Disney hotel. It's simply not worth the money. By all means, have a drink at the GC bar. But stay at a cheaper place. You won't really miss anything.

Also, CCI is definitely walkable to the east park entrance but they also offer a free shuttle. We'd always walk in the morning and usually take the shuttle home in the evening.

Lastly, FWIW, I've been to all the Disney parks except for Shanghai. I like DL Anaheim the best.

Have a great time!

Rob

 

[monorailrabbit]

I haven't stayed offsite, but we just went for our first trip and we were on the fence too. We ended up booking the DLH, because why not? It might be our only trip (Lord, I hope not, because now I'm in love!) and we got a really sweet deal on the room. In the end, I'm very glad we chose to stay onsite. I loved walking through DTD and with the early morning entry, we were the first ones in the park every day - that was awesome!!! The hotel itself was awesome, we loved the rooms, the beds were heavenly, and we super enjoyed the monorail slide. Of course, it's completely up to you! How much time will you spend at the hotel? We had a whole day just to shop and bum around and play in the pool. We also always stay onsite at World, usually value. I just like being in the bubble, and even though DTD does have an outdoor mall feel, we definitely still felt like we were in the bubble!

 

[Astylla]

We have been fortunate to stay on site at DLH a few times but now I can't justify the cost unless it's a special event / Dapper Day, etc. The great part about DL is that there are multiple motel/hotel options.

My newest love is HOJO , booking a superior queen bed room facing Disney as it gets me "close enough" for a fraction of the cost. Recently we had a trip where we both got sick and had to head back early, but got to enjoy fireworks from the balcony and could still hear a good portion of the music ! I even caught a few glimpses of WOC heh.

For us now we enjoy our midday breaks just two adults and find HOJO is about as "far" as we want to stay ideally. Our other favorite is Candy Cane Inn as the private shuttle is available and timely but not necessary but can be nice to take at the end of the night. Breakfast is a nice plus too and it's plentiful. Free parking too which can be rare outside of HOJO too.

We just stayed at Camelot Inn and suites due to a killer steal on Hotel Tonight app for $114/night, parking was 12/night but it was an easy walk , next to pizza press and room was really quiet even on the back facing the freeway!

You really can't go wrong with what you choose as long as you do your research and know the accommodations you are expecting.

 

[Winnowill]

We've never stayed ON-site. Our last three trips, we've stayed at Hotel Menage (love!), Peacock Suites (really great!), and Red Lion (walkable!). Our visit in October, we're going one night at...I forget which IGH property, but we're finishing up back at the Peacock - it's our timeshare, so we don't pay actual money for it. I have a good friend who stayed at GCH last summer, and she was distinctly UNimpressed with the rooms, though they loved the common areas.

 

[azdisneylover]

No matter where you stay, wishing you the best trip ever! We have stayed across the street at The Tropicana and all 3 Disney Hotels. We prefer the Grand Californian if we can fit it into our budget, then the Disneyland Hotel, then Paradise Pier Hotel. Since you are going during off season, the parks will have shorter hours, which leaves more hours for your hotel or DTD. If I was going in February, I would stay onsite to take advantage of the Magic Morning for the Disneyland park on Sat, Tues and Thurs, and Early Entry for the California Adventure park on Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri. For us, that hour in the morning is great! Getting back to the room is a snap, especially at the end of a long day. Every step counts on the way back to your room. Having packages sent back to the hotel instead of lugging them around or waiting until the end of the day to purchase an item. Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Californian is a wonderful little place to grab a bite to eat or just a snack and sit and relax for a few minutes. You can sit outside and see inside California Adventure without the bustle noticing you! It is wonderful.

 

[avalon451]

By the bye, there's a great little thread by Hydroguy called "Hydroguy's Hotel Rule" about this, that I think makes a great point: if it's not in very close walking distance, you're wasting your time, and probably money. The hotels near the crosswalk are all closer than all but the GCH, and sometimes even closer than that. Depending on which room you end up in at GCH-- you could be walking those lovely, timbered corridors for half a mile before getting out onto DTD, and then you're still only halfway along DTD to security.