On Site vs. Good Neighbor Hotels

[DisneyPiPhi]

Hi, everyone! This is my first post on the Disneyland section of these boards, because I have just begun planning our first DLR trip!

We are looking at flying out to DL in February and staying for five nights. We will probably do four-day base tickets and visit each park twice, although that is not set in stone. Travelers are myself, DH, and DD who will be four-and-a-half at the time of our trip. She has been to WDW twice and is pretty much a savvy vet at this point.

Here is my initial question: right now, we are looking at a Good Neighbor Hotel (like one of the Best Westerns or the Fairfield) because of the cost savings. This seems so strange to me because we always stay on-site at WDW, but I get that DLR is a totally different ball game. 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?

 

[mommymermaid]

The answer to your question will probably vary a lot. I love staying on site, and have stayed off site the last time I went with my family. It was much easier to stay off site recently because my children were older and needed less hotel breaks for naps and such. But I really did miss the on site hotels! DLH is my favorite. The good neighbor hotels are pretty close in proximity, though, some even closer than the resort hotels!

 

[jevs]

We stay off-site as it isn't worth it to us to pay significantly more to stay on Disney property at Disneyland. We're always there in Winter and spend the days at the parks so a hotel room is just somewhere to sleep. That said, I would love to stay at the GC at some stage...

 

[Indiana Scott]

The off-site hotels you mention are very nice, clean and modern facilitites. They can afford to be nice because they are busy!
So yes, they are indeed a good choice and with the free breakfasts they provide we actually prefer them to the on-site places.

 

[Dr. G]

Tough question because it is so personal to each individual. I'll preface this with: we've never stayed on-site at DLR (have at WDW) so I can't give both sides even from my own perspective...

If you have unlimited money and budget then you may as well. If you have another place for that $1,000 to go, I'd stay off-site. The hotels across from Disneyland on Harbor are within easy walking distance (as mentioned above, some are closer than Disney Hotels!). The walk is very safe. To me, Downtown Disney is just another Mall and doesn't feel like Disney once we are past the World of Disney Store, so there is no "bubble" for me on the walk to the Disney Hotels. On some of our trips we'll go walk around the Disneyland Hotel to enjoy the vibe, but honestly I'd prefer to be in DL or DCA than at the Hotel, so we don't stay long. We just sleep in the hotel so we don't need a "Disney Bubble" around us at the hotel either. We are not pool people, so there is no draw for us that way either.

So, if you have money to spend, are afraid you'll miss something by being off-site, or plan on using the pools extensively, you may be happier at one of the Disney hotels. Otherwise, off-site is better for you.

And if I had to choose between a Disney hotel or getting Parkhopper passes instead of one-park-per-day ("base" in WDW terms), I'd stay offsite and get the Parkhoppers in a heartbeat!

We have always had a WONDERFUL time staying offsite. We've stayed at HoJos, Fairfield, Carousel, Castle Inn, Staybridge, Residence Inn, and BW Raffles Inn & Suites and have been just fine with all of them. When we travel other places we don't stay in anything fancier than a La Quinta/Hampton/Best Western/Etc so our tastes aren't too expensive for hotels. Safe and clean are key for us. Hope that helps somewhat. And in case you missed it early, HIGHLY recommend Park Hoppers. It's like a 45-60 second walk from one gate to the other.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Yes, there I bit of variables to think of A couple other things to consider:

If you wanted to be in the parks before the park opens for regular guests, the Disney Hotels allows early entry everyday you are staying with them. Versus the 4 Day Hopper has 1 Magic Morning that you can use one time, either Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday; and is for Disneyland only.

Proximity wise, the Good Neighbor Hotels here, are very close to the entrances of the parks. (We are only about an 8 to 10 minute walk from the Main Gates). My family stayed at a off-site hotel in WDW and it took us 20 minutes just get off Disney property. So staying on site at WDW is definitely a must over there (at least to me). But I have noticed that it is MUCH faster to walk to a Good Neighbor Hotel here.

But where ever you do stay, I'm sure your will have a magical time. Hope your enjoy your trip to Disneyland!

Kriss

 

[Canuck16]

We stay offsite at DLR as we can not justify the added cost that it would be to stay onsite when we can stay off site and only be a 20-25 minute walk to the parks.

We would rather save that money and use it for tours or special meals.
For our upcoming trip in December we were able to secure a 2 queen studio suite at the Hilton for $84/night.

For that kind of savings I can stay offsite and walk a bit as we plan on being in the parks most of the day and not in our room very much anyways

Also, I would recommend getting hopper tickets instead of one park per day ones as you can easily hop between DL and DCA which we always do.

 

[5forMickey]

When you stay at WDW where do you typically stay? Several of the good neighbors are motels with outside corridors, maybe comparable to a value resort. The newer courtyard is very nice, maybe moderate. There are also a couple newer hotels. If you know what accommodations you like at WDW you could do a better comparison that way.

Worth and value are highly personal and have led to some heated discussions here, so much so that I've noticed many people opt out of answering the question lately. Since the onsite hotels are always booked I'm going to say many people find the value in them. I'd study websites of the places that are in the price range you want to be as well as several different review sites and try and make your decision with a wide range of views. Good luck.

 

[sheetz]

The onsite hotels are popular for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the lack of upscale hotel options in the area. I read somewhere that out of all the large hotel districts in the country Anaheim has the fewest number of 4 star hotel rooms. When some of the new luxury hotels open in a few years the Disney hotels may start feeling some pressure.

 

[Disneyland1084]

As others have already said, it's a personal preference. To me, it's worth the extra money to stay on site. Early entry every day it's offered, park purchases delivered back to your room to name a few. However, my last three trips there I've stayed off site across the street. Howard Johnson twice, and the new Marriott Theme Park Entrance. Both are nice and good alternates to the DL hotel. To me, staying off site doesn't take away any of the magic. I just prefer to stay on site because of the location and extra amenities.

 

[smartlabelprint]

When is your trip and what are your preferences in a hotel/motel?

Also, I don't recommend package purchases. We've always had success buying things separately.

Are you getting a car rental? We usually don't.

 

[22Tink]

It's such a personal choice but we never stay onsite. We just can't justify the extra cost when we're hardly at the hotel. We like to stay right across the street at Best Western PPI. Free breakfast and a 5-10 minute walk. We'd just rather spend the money on character meals or other extras rather than on the hotel.

 

[Laundress]

Sounds like you will be ok with staying off sight. when comparing WDW to DLR it is a different experiencen with respect to hotel locations. Your offsight choices are still closer then a WDW hotel can be. Location wise I don't think you gain much of an advantage. Of course staying at the GC with a park entrance attached is very nice.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Generally, staying off site is better for my group. We still go to the hotels for food/drinks if we want to, but since we only use our room to sleep and shower, we'd rather not pay the high prices to stay on site. Off site you can often get free breakfast or a kitchen, too, making it even a better value.

 

[lindyv321]

We will be staying offsite for the first time in a few weeks. We are usually at DLH but decided to give an offsite place a try. We will be at the Best Western Parks Plus Inn. It was half the cost of the DLH which allowed us to be able to afford tickets to Mickey's Halloween Party. So I guess we'll see in a few weeks which option we like better. I know I'm going to miss early morning entry each day and I'm nervous about getting through bag check in the morning with everyone else but for the savings we have to give it a shot.

Also like others have said, get park hoppers!!

 

[Kindermouse]

We will be staying offsite for the first time in a few weeks. We are usually at DLH but decided to give an offsite place a try. We will be at the Best Western Parks Plus Inn. It was half the cost of the DLH which allowed us to be able to afford tickets to Mickey's Halloween Party. So I guess we'll see in a few weeks which option we like better. I know I'm going to miss early morning entry each day and I'm nervous about getting through bag check in the morning with everyone else but for the savings we have to give it a shot.

Also like others have said, get park hoppers!!

Just don't compare BWPPI to DLH-one is a nicer best western motel and the other is a 4 star hotel with a major brand. I think you'll be happy if you know what your paying for. I feel like the people who aren't happy with the offsites are surprised that they are getting a motel rather than a 4 star hotel. BWPPI is a clean, simple and the furniture and textile have been updated and they have a nice breakfast but you're not going to get light up head boards. you will still be able to watch the fireworks from your room but there isnt a club lounge to watch it from. You wont get an awesome pool with a waterslide a short distance from Trader Sams but you will get a average pool and money in your pocket to do more extras while your in the park. You will be at security in less than 5 minutes from the door of your room and 5 minutes walk from the turnstiles to your (and any tired cranky kids you have with you) bed at the end of the night. that is worth a lot in my book. Enjoy

 

[lindyv321]

Just don't compare BWPPI to DLH-one is a nicer best western motel and the other is a 4 star hotel with a major brand. I think you'll be happy if you know what your paying for. I feel like the people who aren't happy with the offsites are surprised that they are getting a motel rather than a 4 star hotel. BWPPI is a clean, simple and the furniture and textile have been updated and they have a nice breakfast but you're not going to get light up head boards. you will still be able to watch the fireworks from your room but there isnt a club lounge to watch it from. You wont get an awesome pool with a waterslide a short distance from Trader Sams but you will get a average pool and money in your pocket to do more extras while your in the park. You will be at security in less than 5 minutes from the door of your room and 5 minutes walk from the turnstiles to your (and any tired cranky kids you have with you) bed at the end of the night. that is worth a lot in my book. Enjoy

No high expectations from me! I'm totally okay with a regular non fancy room!! We literally sleep and shower there so as long as it's clean then I'm good!

 

[Disneyland1084]

I know I'm going to miss early morning entry each day and I'm nervous about getting through bag check in the morning with everyone else but for the savings we have to give it a shot.

Please don't be. Every time I've stayed off site the bag check in process was done quickly. Just get an early start and you'll be fine.

 

[Sagginit]

This is really up to the person and how you want to tour/vacation. I went last fall and stayed offsite across the street at the Camelot. It was plain but spacious and served its purpose. We were there for just 3 1/2 days so we spent tons of time in the parks. It was part of a road trip and we had a car so we went off site for a few meals after park hours. I was fine not being in the bubble and still had a great time. I loved the ten minute walk to the gate, some of the disney hotels are in fact farther away.

This year we are going back after deciding not to go to WDW b/c of Zika (long story....). I honestly was super stressed about having to cancel with WDW and the airline just a few weeks out so I was not in the mood to shop around. Our DL package is actually only $100 more and we want to go at a slower pace so we had to factor that in when trying to find somewhere to book just 3 weeks out. We are "treating" ourselves to the bubble but not spending on extras I normally consider.

With plenty of time to plan the $1,000 in my opinion is totally worth it to stay offsite. There is so much you could do with that and as the parks are so compact you will find you can move much faster than at WDW (thus the time savings of staying onsite isn't as valuable as it may be at WDW). When you get closer you can always check to see if the disney hotels have any deals, although you will at that point be locked into your dates (for ex. with our trip they were only offering this discount we found last week for trips Sunday-Thursday with at least 3 nights, so if I was not already paying to change my flight I would not have been willing to change my dates for the hotel deal as we initially wanted to vacation Monday-Saturday). I think if your daughter is a WDW vet you will be able to easily get there at park open and tour around a chunk of the park without needing that morning hour as she knows the drill so to say. February does not appear to be pool weather so I would also say when booking your offsite hotel, location, location, location

 

[Keels]

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.