Our budget is our budget (on site?)

[katyringo]

The announcement of early entry returning has me overthinking. I will admit. We never stayed on site in the past. We would use our one magic mornings and have an amazing time.

For some reason the announcement has me thinking about on site for the first time ever. Even maybe a split stay. But as the titles says: our budget is our budget. Staying onsite would mean giving up a lot of the in park experiences we were planning like dessert party, etc.

So my dis peeps? Has your thoughts of staying on site changed? Are you considering it now?

 

[Bigmace]

I have never stayed on site and now that there a fewer and fewer perks I probably won't. It was nice when we stayed at WDW because you are in the Disney bubble and its easier to get around. But transportation between the parks is not an issue at Disneyland.

Personally I wouldn't spend the extra money to get into the parks an hour early a select number of days when the rest of my family likes to sleep in a little bit.

 

[CodeGoddess]

The price difference is just too large for EMH only. Someone posted on another thread basically EMH would cost them $400 per person for their trip. I would rather save the money towards things in the park rather than an extra 30 minutes.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

At the end of the day the main question is which is more of a priority for your family - rides or experiences? If you are already a rope-drop kind of family and feel like getting up an hour earlier would make sense for you, and rides are your top priority, EMH might be a huge value. If you are more split between experiences, it might not be worth it. Especially if it makes it harder to enjoy/have energy for nighttime entertainment.

 

[starlite_]

The price difference is just too large for EMH only. Someone posted on another thread basically EMH would cost them $400 per person for their trip. I would rather save the money towards things in the park rather than an extra 30 minutes.

For $400 per person might as well just pay for a VIP tour. Much more effective

 

[ironband74]

As a fellow min-maxer and overplanner, I feel this.

I feel the conflict within myself. Part of me wants to just say "Well Disney, we had a good run, but now it's time for us to part ways." The other part says "DAMN THE BUDGET. GIVE ME THE FEELS!"

However, if this past trip is any indicator, along with the money goes the magic. I already had a hard time enjoying myself because I could feel the difference in the way the park treated me between Genie+ and ILL and Rope Drop commercials being filmed and dining reservations taking forever to get my tables ready. If I stay on site because I feel like I am forced to in order to have my best Disney day...I'm afraid I'll just be bitter about it the whole time and not really enjoy myself. Before I thought someday I'd like to stay on site because I would like to do so. Now I feel like I'm being told that I have to.

Our friends stayed at the GC this last trip and were terribly underwhelmed. No daily service. When they made the reservation they asked if they were celebrating anything and they told them it was their anniversary. Hotel asked who their favorite characters were and they told them. But nothing was done with this information. They were directed to check in via the app. Got their keys on their phones. Had a "Welcome Mr. and Mrs. xxx" sign, but no mention of their anniversary. And why ask them about their favorite characters if nothing was to be done with that information? They were disappointed after paying a premium and really getting nothing extra in return save their own security line and entrance to DTD/DCA.

Anyway, if you can spend the money and not have it hurt your attitude, I say go for it. Early Entry is huge and getting that extra hour in and done means that by noon you can take a nice long break and actually enjoy the room you are dropping coin on. And the pools. They don't charge extra for entry to those yet, right?

 

[roflclaw]

Check with your family, is the time getting rides in important? Are they normally morning people? Or is everyone willing to get up and be ready at the start of that hour if not? Think about experience based things here, too.. we did a split stay a few years ago w/ emh and took advantage of getting some cute photos with little to nobody else around. My boyfriend had a magical time walking through an empty castle. It's the little things lol

vs

Thinking of where else that money could go.. is the dessert party important? Or any other goodies/snacks that would fill out that part of the budget?

Also look at how you guys tour the parks.. do you stop midday for a wind down break? I've only ever stayed at the DLH and love walking around the grounds/sitting by the pool. Historically weather's been in the high 70's/low 80's so pool time in October could be feasible.

And don't forget the (probable) Fall discount! That could bring the price down a bit too.

 

[limace]

For $400 per person might as well just pay for a VIP tour. Much more effective

I guess if you had-what-9 people on your party?

 

[Steven G]

We don't know yet what the EMH benefit will actually be. Will it be 30 minutes like WDW, or a full hour, or ? Will it be both parks, or specific park each day? Will the entire park be open, or only certain rides? Will you be able to start booking Genie+/ILL once you scan in during EMH, or do you have to wait until regular open?

Then, as others have stated, it depends on your family/group? Are you rope droppers already? Do you want to maximize the # of attractions over other things, etc.

Until we know what the actual EMH benefit will be, I think it may be difficult to really get a grasp on this.

 

[katyringo]

I guess if you had-what-9 people on your party?

I made that post. It wasn't per person but per day of our trip. We currently have a great deal on 6 nights, 5 day tickets with genie plus at the Anaheim hotel for $2800 for 2 adults and 2 kids (one of which is 10). The same trip at paradise pier in a standard room is $4800. So $400 a day more.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I made that post. It wasn't per person but per day of our trip. We currently have a great deal on 6 nights, 5 day tickets with genie plus at the Anaheim hotel for $2800 for 2 adults and 2 kids (one of which is 10). The same trip at paradise pier in a standard room is $4800. So $400 a day more.

That is a pretty big price tag. You could probably get a fall discount to bring it down a little, but between the deal you already have being quite good and the price tag at the onsite hotels, it is probably hard to justify. I think the comparison to a VIP tour does actually make sense - if you wouldn't spring for the tour, it probably doesn't make sense to pay for the onsite benefits at this point.

When in doubt though, flip a coin. If you feel relieved at the result, you got the right answer. If you feel like you want a do over, do the opposite the coin indicated!

 

[starlite_]

I guess if you had-what-9 people on your party?

Not necessarily, folks share tours all the time.

 

[ColoradoLime]

This is making me question our hotel as well. It might be worth the upgrade to stay onsite since one of my reasons for not staying onsite was the lack of benefits. I could be hopeful that fall discount would come out and make the cost not hurt so much but given when we're going the standard rooms at DLH are sold out. So a discount off a premium room might still be more expensive than what a standard no discount room would have been when I was first looking. UGH

Maybe I'll go sell some plasma this summer and make some extra cash. lol

 

[gelatoni fan]

It's mostly if you want to do a bunch of rides in the first hour. But you probably wouldn't have the energy to last till the evening when lines are low so I actually don't see it as that much value, especially on a mulit-day visit. But if you want the DCA entrance of the Grand Californian or the theming/pool of the Disneyland Hotel, then this could be the extra that makes the price easier to justify.

 

[Pluto468]

OP~ Your idea of a split stay sounds good. And depending on your Harbor hotel the extra cost might not be as much as you think. For instance, Residence Inn for $600 a night (family suite) or Best Western Anaheim Plus in for $240 a night (2 room suite).
When the spring sale started my 2 room suite at the Hojo was the same price as 1 night at Grand Californian ($500). Paradise Pier has rooms starting at $344 a night.

I think EMH is a really great perk, and it seems like other amenities are coming back to the hotels, too.

I agree with everyone else about deciding what is more of a priority for your family.

I do think it's fun to splurge and stay onsite sometimes. We've done it once so far and enjoyed it so much we're doing another split stay in June. (If there's a summer room discount.)

 

[evilmommie]

We’ve always stayed on site and never use the EMH. It’s never been of value to us. We come in after park opening and always hit what we want, after the crush has dissipated…will be interesting to see how DLR brings back this “perk”. We stayed at GCH on reopening day/weekend and it was worth every penny. Less crowds, less people..it was amazing. I’d take those perks back any day. LOL

 

[ColoradoLime]

But you probably wouldn't have the energy to last till the evening when lines are low so I actually don't see it as that much value, especially on a mulit-day visit.

I have to disagree with you on this. When we go we're there from early morning to night with no breaks!! If you want to do Disney right, suck it up and push through. lol

 

[starlite_]

I have to disagree with you on this. When we go we're there from early morning to night with no breaks!! If you want to do Disney right, suck it up and push through. lol

Honestly, this is me too. I don't understand why the norm is to leave the parks and go to the pool. Pools are literally everywhere, why pay $200 a ticket just to leave and go to a pool?? hahaha

Probably why I don't really see the value in paying $400 for a hotel room I'm just gonna sleep in.

 

[Bigmace]

Honestly, this is me too. I don't understand why the norm is to leave the parks and go to the pool. Pools are literally everywhere, why pay $200 a ticket just to leave and go to a pool?? hahaha

Probably why I don't really see the value in paying $400 for a hotel room I'm just gonna sleep in.

My Wife and I could easily power through a whole day but then we started having kids, who get cranky if you try to do too much.

 

[starlite_]

My Wife and I could easily power through a whole day but then we started having kids, who get cranky if you try to do too much.

I suppose I was just a particularly resistant child. Don't have any of my own yet but my parent's would take us from open to close (breaks for food and shows of course). The idea of just leaving the parks is so bizarre to me.