Onsite or Offsite?

[peterpanandwendy]

I have never been to Disney World, but I have heard that saying onsite is necessary at Disney World, not so much at Disneyland. We ALWAYS stay off site at Disneyland just because budget does not allow onsite, but we have never had trouble with the offsite hotels. Yes, they are not 'themed' like the Disneyland hotels, but actually, the HOward Johnson (where we usually stay) sort of has a cool "tomorrow land" theme going on, with it's mid-century modern futuristic feel to the architecture. It also has a variety of Disneyland attraction posters up around the halls which give a nice touch, and a ton of Disney merchandise in the store. They have a great water park for young kids and really beautiful gardens that feel 'resort-ish'… It is also the same distance walk to the park as the Paradise Pier, albeit down a busy street, not Down Town Disney. However, the street is tree lined, has a nice clean sidewalk, and has Disneyland banners all along the way, so it doesn't feel too 'out of the bubble' really.

For us, it is worth it to have more money to spend on treats, nice meals, fun merchandise, an extra day etc and stay off site.

 

[disneyfirsttimer18]

We just went on our first trip to Disneyland a few months ago. We rolled into Anaheim on a Monday night, stayed at the Motel 6, then checked into the DLH Tuesday morning.

Upon leaving Disneyland, my DH and I decided that if we can't afford to stay on-site, we can't afford a DL trip. It's our personal decision.

I have heard great things about the hotels/motels off-site. There are people who never stay on-site, people who only stay on-site, and people who do both on and off-site. It really is a personal decision.

 

[taffy]

For WDW staying onsite really is a must these days but for DL we always stay offsite. We have our favourite local hotels (Tropicana, CAmelot, Park Place) All of these are closer to the entrance than 2 of the 3 onsite hotels.

I should say we use the hotel as a base and are not there to sit by the pool so we find these hotels perfect for us. I find the savings allow us extra days and usually an extra trip a year.

 

[wishspirit]

Thank you so much for your help and advice! It's very much appreciated!
I'm still unsure, so I think it will come down to final budget nearer the time.
I think the main reason for staying onsite for me is because we are Brits, we have an 8 hour time difference. With just the 5 hour to Florida, we are there at rope drop. I wanted to know if I could use my time advantage best by being onsite.

I'll keep pondering! Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Also remember that no matter where you stay, you get one early entry with a 3, 4 or 5-day ticket. We stay offsite and always take advantage of that one early day. Even during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, we were able to get on six rides in Fantasyland before the 8:00 a.m. park opening. Then we went over to quickly ride Space, Buzz, Star Tours, and get a Space Fast Pass for later. It's worth getting up early, and you get to do it once even if you're not staying at an onsite hotel.

 

[RKKUNK]

I think it depends on your budget and what's important to you. It will be August so the prices at the DLR hotels will be at a premium. If you can afford it or can save up the money for the DLR hotels and you really want to stay at one of these hotels because it is important to you, say a once in a lifetime trip or special event in your life, then go for it! Especially if you will take advantage of the EE and the extras like time at the pool. The DLH in our opinion is one of the cleanest hotels we have stayed at in the DLR area. But... we do stay offsite when budget doesn't allow it or during the summer when the prices at the DLR hotels are soooo expensive.

 

[GatorChris]

If you've got the extra $150-200/night to spend, then definitely stay-onsite at DLH. Definitely a great place.....but for us, not really worth it. I've had 7 trips to WDW and never stayed off-site and never will. Shoot, I'll never stay Value on-site again after 1 experience with that. But DL is different. You really don't get that bubble feeling you do at WDW, even at DL hotels. You can stay on a Harbor Blvd hotel and be really close to the action, which is important. Also, the EMH you get at onsite hotels is good, but if you get to the parks at 8am in the summer, the parks will be virtually empty for 2 hours and won't be crowded until 11am. That said, if you can get up that extra hour early (and with you coming from 6 hours away, that's possible), you can certainly take advantage of it. But if I were to get up early enough to hit the parks at 7am, then stay until the fireworks at 9:30pm, I'd be one cranky dude. After about 2 days of that, I'd probably do something stupid and soon "be serving at her majesty's pleasure".

 

[GoBears 1980]

I don't think enough people focused on the WHEN of when you are coming.

In February Extra Magic Hours might not be worth it. In the first three weeks of August it might to essential to have them.

The "bubble" effect isn't as great in Anaheim as it is in Orlando, which is precisely why Disney bought almost 50 square miles of swamp land in central FL.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

because we are Brits

If you're coming all this way, then maybe you should stay onsite. I know you didn't really ask for my opinion on whether or not you should, but I can't help but think what a shame it would be to come out here to stay at a motel across the street. I don't know, if it was a good friend from Europe asking me, I would urge that person to stay onsite.

 

[VandVsmama]

Hello everyone!

I am planning my trip to Disneyland for August next year (I know this is early, but I'm a planner!). I have been to Orlando many times before, but I have only been to Disneyland once, and have never planned a trip there myself.

We are doing a road trip of the West Coast, and plan to spend 3 days at Disneyland. Since August is a busy time, would the Extra Magic Hour in the parks be important? I have only really stayed on-property at WDW, and the once I didn't wasn't great. Will this be a problem here? There is a big price point difference between Disney owned and Good Neighbour hotels, is it worth it?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

My two cents (or pence):

The Disneyland Hotel is really great. EMH in the summer is worth getting up early for. And EMH in August will be 7:00-8:00 am. The DLH has a cool tiki bar that is a lot of fun.

BUT....
If *I* personally had to choose between not going to DL or going to DL and staying at a Good Neighbor hotel, I would stay at a Good Neighbor hotel without question. If you book early enough, you can often get pretty decent room rates. For example, the Tropicana Inn and the Camelot Inn (they are sister properties on Harbor Blvd, Tropicana is next to the Best Western Park Place Inn) often have deals where if you stay 5 or more nights, you get something like 20-25% off of the room rate. In some cases, this can bring the room rate (before 17% tax is added on) to just over $100 a night. And that is a phenomenal price.

Staying at the GCH will run you about $500 a night. DLH about $400 a night. I would consider a room rate of $150 before tax at a Good Neighbor hotel on Harbor Blvd across the street from the DL entrance to be a good deal.

And over 3 nights, that is $750-$1050 less for your lodging. This could mean that instead of 3 days at Disneyland, you could do 4 days at Disneyland instead. Or have spending money for extra splurges...like having dinner at the chef's counter at Napa Rose at the GCH. Or doing the Fantasmic! dinner package at the Blue Bayou restaurant inside Disneyland.

 

[BensWife]

We have had 4 stays this past year (being our first year of having APs) and we have stayed at DCV, DLH, and Embassy Suites South (twice). For us, the decision to stay off site was financial. That being said, I will probably spend the money to stay on property every time from now on. I know people say that if you stay off site you are still in the Disney "bubble", but when we stayed at the Embassy Suites I felt like I was leaving the magical Disney "bubble" every time we got onto the shuttle to take us back, but that hotel is a lot farther away so maybe that has something to do with it. It was a great hotel, but just a hotel. The next time we go, I will definitely be staying on property. I would have to say that I am a hotel/resort lover, meaning a hotel is more that just a place to sleep to me. Now, my DH would stay off site every time because a hotel is not that important to him, so for him his view is, why pay so much more when all hotels look the same when you close your eyes? To me, it is more than that. Here are my pros for staying on site: I love having cast members check you in (just something special about it), I love the wonderful pools, I love that the Disney properties are so close (especially the Grand), I love that you can have special "Disney" presents sent to your room, I love being able to send anything you buy in the parks to your room so you don't have to carry it around the parks all day. Cons: price. Our family is planning another vacation soon, and we are adding more budget for our hotel next time so we can stay on property.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

The main reason we stay onsite is to enjoy the resort pools. EMH is a great perk, but I wouldn't spend what amounts to an extra $50 per person per day to get it [DLH is $200-$300 more per night than BWPPI.]
If you're just staying at DL 2 nights for your 3 day tickets, a Harbor Blvd hotel will free up a lot of cash to spend inside the Parks!
On site = It's all about the hotel.
Off site = It's all about the Parks!