One Week in a Disney Hotel?

[JBrown48]

Hi all!
We are in the beginning stages of planning our weeklong October 2017 trip to DLR and are really torn between splurging on a Disney hotel or opting for the more cost-effective and roomy VRBO (which we'd done before and LOVED.)
We've never experienced a Disney hotel before and it's always a dream of mine to do so. I think what's really holding me back is the possibility that being crammed into a hotel room would drive us to want to ring each others' necks
While we don't have a large family, we are a family of 4 (2 adults, a 3-year old and a 9 year old.)

In short, my question is: if our family is going to DLR for one full week, could we comfortably stay in a Disney-brand hotel or would it be better advised to go the VRBO route where we can do laundry, cook meals, let the kids spread out and play and have downtime, etc.?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sherilaine]

We have been tempted by wanting to stay onsite as well. While we have never done a vacation home rental in the area, that is because we want to be within easy walking distance of the parks. We have rented condos for other non Disney vacations and it is nice to be able to cook some of your own meals and eat out when you want and have onsite laundry and plenty of space. For Disney, we don't want to spend too much time in the room. But we still need a certain amount of space. This upcoming vacation we actually booked a stay at the PPH but now we are going to cancel it and for the same reason you listed, one room, one bathroom, one tv, just too small for us, unless you can afford to book a suite, which for us was just too much money to justify. We have stayed in the kids suites at the Hojo on Harbour for all our Disney trips - as it's close enough to walk and it gives us two rooms, one with a king size bed and one with bunks. The kids have their own room with their own closet, drawers for their clothes, an area to hang out and watch tv and their own bathroom and we have the same on our side. We don't make any meals there but there is a microwave and table and chairs so you can get take out, heat up leftovers etc. My kids are 13 and 12 and the older they get the more we like having extra space on vacation. They also have onsite laundry which is not too bad.

I think cost is definitely an issue as well - it's one thing if we were going to stay in smaller accomodations and it be cheaper but when the larger accomodations are also the more affordable then it's hard to succumb to that dream of being onsite. Maybe someday we will do it when it's just a 4 or 5 night stay but when we stay for longer than a week each visit, I think that number of days would drive us crazy. Every family is different though, so you have to be honest with the family you are and do what works for you!

Good luck deciding.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Tough call! I've only stayed GCH onsite but my two cents... I'd look at the DLH. Rooms at PPH and GCH are smaller than DLH I believe. And at the ages your kids will be DLH could be great with all the Disney characters and theming from the rooms to the pools. But if cooking your own meals is important at all that's not possible at DLH. You could bring your own in-room breakfast (cereals, snack bars, juice boxes) that doesn't require cooking. Also there's the split stay option, a few days at one and then a few days at the other.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

You might investigate renting points to stay at VGC (The DVC section of GC) in a 1BR which would give you more space.

 

[MrDisneyFan]

It depends on what you want. If you're planning this far out and coming to the park isn't a regular thing I personally really think it's worthwhile to stay on property if your budget can swing it. I've stayed on and off property and I'm sure you'll have a great time regardless but there is something extra magical about staying on property at a Disney hotel! It's so nice to be close and know if you want to take a break you can go back and swim or nap then be a short walk back to the park. Can't beat the proximity of the grand Californian but it's also the most $$.

I honestly don't know what's in the area for vrbo but my personal preferences are to be somewhere within walking distance at least. The grand Californian has dvc rooms that are more spacious with a kitchens. I know really nothing about that but you can check out the dvc rent board here on the Dis.

 

[Nonsuch]

...We are in the beginning stages of planning our weeklong October 2017 trip to DLR and are really torn between splurging on a Disney hotel or opting for the more cost-effective and roomy VRBO...

Gay Days are the first weekend of October, with excellent onsite rates (including the week befor and after).

You might investigate renting points to stay at VGC (The DVC section of GC) in a 1BR which would give you more space.

Some of the best rooms in the resort! It might be possible to rent at 7 months in advance, which is lower cost (using non-VGC points).

 

[ShaunaM]

We have done it and are doing it again. Family of five the last time we did it the kids were grade 3, 6 and 7. We were not in room very often unless our eyes were closed. We had groceries delivered by VONS so we could eat breakfast in our room. WE were in the Frontier tower at the Disneyland Hotel, our second stay we had an adjoining room with my parents so they took our eldest in their room but it would have been fine even if they had not. This time given the 40% hit we are taking with the Canadian dollar we are booked into the Paradise Pier. WE would all prefer to be back at the Disneyland hotel...we all loved it...just too dear this time round. We burn the candle at both ends when we are there so are not in the room a lot so for us it worked great, we loved the walk through downtown Disney , our last room we were in the Fantasyland tower and watch the fireworks from our room, it was great.

 

[calilou]

I think it's definitely worth it and will enhance your week at DLR, even if you stay onsite just this trip and go back to larger offsite accommodations next trip. It's worth experiencing. I would make renting DVC points at the Grand a priority. If you're able to get in it will be similar cost wise to staying in a VRBO while giving you more space than a resort hotel room. Best of both worlds. If that doesn't work, I would look at splitting your stay and doing your last two nights at DLH or the Grand. Have you heard of David's Rentals?

 

[planningjollyholiday]

We always do a week long stay and have never felt like we were too cramped in the DLH. It is definitely way more magical to be onsite and within an easy walk to the parks while staying in the disney "bubble". I personally would find it a drag to have to drive from the vbro house and then have to park/take the tram in. Plus when I'm on vacation the last thing i would want to do is laundry or cook meals and then clean up, so those amenities don't rate high on the list for me. As far as letting the kids "spread out", that is what the pool area is for, and let me tell you the pool and water slides are fantastic!!!

 

[firefly87]

We have done both but as our kids have gotten older and the family has grown, we have learned that its way better for our family to rent a home from VRBO. Are you planning to spend every single day at the parks? On our last big family trip down, we took a day off in the middle of the trip and just had a "down day". It was MUCH nicer to have that day off in a home rather than in a hotel room.

We stayed at one home that was within walking distance but you had to go roundabout the DL Hotel so while the walk was still do-able, it was longer than it should have been and it felt even longer on the way home. Every other home we've stayed, we have had to drive in. Honestly, it's not that bad. Yes you have to allow for extra time to drive, park and ride tram over but to us, the benefits of staying in a home outweighed the slight inconvenience. We have a large extended travelling family so laundry facility is a must along with the kitchen. It's just far too expensive for all of us to eat out every night, even if we are on vacation. We do easy things, like sloppy joes, spaghetti/salad/garlic bread, or crock pot meals. Plus we pack our lunches in and use the kitchen space to prepare those.

So while staying onsite is fun and yes you get to stay in the Disney bubble, you know what is best for your family. I know that for my family, we really need the extra space plus the kitchen/laundry facilities, especially if it were for that many days.

 

[disneyfirsttimer18]

Our family of 5 stayed at DLH, kids were 3, almost 6 and almost 8. We are a family who loves our space, but our room was perfect for us. We took afternoon breaks each day and still could have stayed, happily, for several more days.

 

[hodad]

I've stayed at the GCH and off-site in a Funtierland townhome, within walking distance of Downtown Disney. If I were to return for a week, I would consider a split stay, with my last two nights in a Disney hotel.

 

[JBrown48]

I am so sorry that I had just seen all of these replies. THANK YOU ALL so very much for taking the time to give me all of your experiences and years and years of wisdom and tips. It's much appreciated and I look forward to sharing my family's trip with all of you!!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm sure you have made up your mind, but I hadn't seen this post (I was at Disneyland at the time).

If you *can*, do.

I like PPH the best.

Rooms at PPH and GCH are smaller than DLH I believe.

PPH has the biggest normal rooms. Then DLH, then the Grand.

This does not include suites or villas.

And every normal PPH room has the pullout (pullOVER, actually) sofabed, along with the 2 queen beds. I slept in it comfortably as a then-overweight 5'3" person.

 

[PoohsFan1]

PPH has the biggest normal rooms. Then DLH, then the Grand.

This does not include suites or villas.

And every normal PPH room has the pullout (pullOVER, actually) sofabed, along with the 2 queen beds. I slept in it comfortably as a then-overweight 5'3" person.

It's nice to hear about the pullover sofabed and the size of the room compared to the other onsite Disney hotels. We are staying at PPH for one night before switching over to VGC for the rest of our stay and my kids would do anything to sleep in their own beds . However, when you say "normal room" what are you meaning by it? Are you talking non concierge rooms? I'm asking because we will be in a upper floor TPV room and I wasn't sure if that was considered a normal room too (not that it really much matters for 1 night though).

 

[Nevada Jen]

As far as I have seen at PP all the rooms are the same size. Even the suites are just normal rooms with a wall knocked out. The PP rooms with two queens and a sofa bed are big enough that , even with the bed pulled out (it is a twin btw), there are a couple of places you could easily put a twin air mattress on the floor. The last time we were there we had the 3rd floor rooms with the patios. The patios were certainly roomy and it was nice to be able to just walk out onto the pool deck!

 

[bumbershoot]

I mean the standard rooms.

We have had some intense luck with PPH room assignments, and it's getting harder to remember what normal rooms are like lol. But I basically just mean not-suites.

2Q and one couch that pulls over into a bed, one bathroom.