Parent: what age to "splurge" and stay onsite?

[bayareadisneyland]

Everytime I have a trip I feel like I need to be onsite but wondering if I should wait until my kids are old enough to remember! Right now I have a 5 & 2 year old. With naps in the afternoon and early bed times (8:30ish) I love getting into the park early. Also love the convenience w the strollers to be close. DLH also has a great slide for small kids. And the Mickey wake up calls! Thinking when my kids are a bit older it may be easier to stay offsite? No strollers and we can stay up later? Or is it more special when they are older and can remember more- pls advise!

 

[Geemo]

Everytime I have a trip I feel like I need to be onsite but wondering if I should wait until my kids are old enough to remember! Right now I have a 5 & 2 year old. With naps in the afternoon and early bed times (8:30ish) I love getting into the park early. Also love the convenience w the strollers to be close. DLH also has a great slide for small kids. And the Mickey wake up calls! Thinking when my kids are a bit older it may be easier to stay offsite? No strollers and we can stay up later? Or is it more special when they are older and can remember more- pls advise!

I love EE and security of an on-site stay.

It's hard to say how much a 5yr old will remember of the hotel on a trip to DLR.

The only reason my grandkids remember an on-site stay at 6 and 9 year old was because we stayed at the GCH. They loved watching the Monorail whiz by through the courtyard every few minutes. Plus when they found out they could sleep on the floor in sleeping bags, the Q bed was not an option.

There are times of the year when room rates are less. If you have the flexibility to book then it would save a little.

My grandkids, after a trip would talk about time in the parks, not the hotel.
Their favorite non-park portion of a trip the past few years is Marris pizza by the pool. Those mid-day breaks or the hot tub after a long day in the parks are nice.

If your budget allows then go for it. The kids will like it and you'll love it. It will make special memories for you.


Geemo

 

[Indiana Scott]

My son is 27 and we haven't done it yet.
So I'll let you know when we hit that age!

 

[az4boys]

We've only stayed onsite once - at the GCH. Our twins were almost 4. I think the only thing they remember from the hotel that trip is the Mickey waffles we ordered for room service. They are 14 now. I've realized that what impresses them is not the same as what impresses me.

 

[22Tink]

My son is 27 and we haven't done it yet.
So I'll let you know when we hit that age!

Same here!! We stay onsite at WDW but never at DL.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Same here!! We stay onsite at WDW but never at DL.

Exactly the same here. We find it beneficial to stay on-site at WDW but not DLR.
Frankly, I don't think kids get that much more out of a trip to DL relative to where they stay. All the local hotels are nice enough and just being at DLR is a "splurge".

 

[KatieJoy]

First time onsite with dd was DLH for her 3rd birthday (12 now) She seems to remember quite a bit. My kids love the resorts though, we do midday break everyday with pool time. For that first time, at 3, we got into the park, rode the train, and she asked to go back to the hotel for the pool It was her birthday, so we did.
Ds was 4 (9 now)our first WDW visit, and seems to remember very little. So I guess it just depends on the kid.

 

[TheZue]

We've only stayed onsite once - at the GCH. Our twins were almost 4. I think the only thing they remember from the hotel that trip is the Mickey waffles we ordered for room service. They are 14 now. I've realized that what impresses them is not the same as what impresses me.

I think staying onsite is for the parents. Our kids liked it but they also liked the Candy Cane Inn & the RV park. Personally I think 5&2 are the ideal age to stay onsite. Being able to easily pop back to the room for a nap is huge. That said we used to stay at the Best Western Park Place Inn and it's also super easy to pop back there for a nap; arguably easier than DLH. It all comes down to your budget and your priorities, if you can afford it and want to, go for it

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

I think staying onsite is for the parents. Our kids liked it but they also liked the Candy Cane Inn & the RV park. Personally I think 5&2 are the ideal age to stay onsite. Being able to easily pop back to the room for a nap is huge. That said we used to stay at the Best Western Park Place Inn and it's also super easy to pop back there for a nap; arguably easier than DLH. It all comes down to your budget and your priorities, if you can afford it and want to, go for it

Yes, I couldn't agree more! We went to Disneyland for my oldest's 6th birthday and our (now middle) son was 3. We stayed at DLH and LOVED it. We normally stay there or GCH, but we took a second trip one year and stayed at the Hilton. While we missed the EMH, proximity to the parks, and easy access to Downtown Disney (where we like to eat a lot of our meals) our boys still had a blast. I have even asked them and they said they would rather stay longer offsite then shorter vacation and stay onsite. Really, it is all about the parks. However, after staying at the Hilton, DH says we will only stay onsite. He prefers the atmosphere and the extra perks and doesn't mind paying extra for it.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’ve never stayed onsite. We need a suite. It’s preferable to a single room imo.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hotel choice is based on what we as adults want and can afford. It’s not for our son.

As a kid I remember well loving ANY hotel. Give me a motel 6 square of a pool and I was happy as a clam. I watched my son at 6 looooove a Ramada rectangular pool in AZ as much as he’d loved the DLH pool.

Kids might remember, they might not. Adults might remember or not. I barely remember my honeymoon. Should i not have gone?

Stay where the adults want to stay. The kids will love wherever you go.

 

[MkaMouse]

Hotel choice is based on what we as adults want and can afford. It’s not for our son.

As a kid I remember well loving ANY hotel. Give me a motel 6 square of a pool and I was happy as a clam. I watched my son at 6 looooove a Ramada rectangular pool in AZ as much as he’d loved the DLH pool.

Kids might remember, they might not. Adults might remember or not. I barely remember my honeymoon. Should i not have gone?

Stay where the adults want to stay. The kids will love wherever you go.

I 100% agree! I was going to post a similar comment, but you've said it perfectly.

 

[Summer2018]

Everytime I have a trip I feel like I need to be onsite but wondering if I should wait until my kids are old enough to remember! Right now I have a 5 & 2 year old. With naps in the afternoon and early bed times (8:30ish) I love getting into the park early. Also love the convenience w the strollers to be close. DLH also has a great slide for small kids. And the Mickey wake up calls! Thinking when my kids are a bit older it may be easier to stay offsite? No strollers and we can stay up later? Or is it more special when they are older and can remember more- pls advise!

For me, it’s about comfort and convenience. DD was 7 on our first trip to WDW. We stayed at CBR. We didn’t like it there, so our next 2 trips were at All Stars Music. At that time, value worked for our budget, but once we could afford to stay deluxe, we have become accustomed to it. If we really needed to travel on a tighter budget, we would go back to value again. At no time have we considered staying off-site. Staying onsite keeps you in that magical bubble.
The one trip that we spent a week in WDW then went to Universal, the magical bubble popped. We may as well have gone home.
The value resorts offer low prices while retaining the magic and convenience of never leaving WDW.

 

[Sun_soakin]

We mix it up but more than half our trips are onsite. We also like all three hotels, so we mix them up as well. My kids definitely prefer the DL hotels because of early entry, short walk, and fun pools.
My oldest is 13 now and he’s okay with an off-site place if it serves a decent breakfast b/c he loves a buffet. My 8 y/o always wants to stay at GCH with a park view....so maybe as they get older they don’t care as much? I care though, if the weather is going to be nice, I prefer the resort environment (pools) of DL hotels.

 

[tzeitel]

For me, it’s about comfort and convenience. DD was 7 on our first trip to WDW. We stayed at CBR. We didn’t like it there, so our next 2 trips were at All Stars Music. At that time, value worked for our budget, but once we could afford to stay deluxe, we have become accustomed to it. If we really needed to travel on a tighter budget, we would go back to value again. At no time have we considered staying off-site. Staying onsite keeps you in that magical bubble.
The one trip that we spent a week in WDW then went to Universal, the magical bubble popped. We may as well have gone home.
The value resorts offer low prices while retaining the magic and convenience of never leaving WDW.

WDW is very different from DLR (this is the Disneyland board so I am assuming the OP question was regarding DLR hotels). We would never stay off-site at WDW but same cannot be said DLR. The motels across the street are as close (some are even closer) than the DLR hotels. The DLR hotels do not have the bubble the WDW resorts do, they are really just hotels w/o the amount of space found at WDW resorts.

 

[bayareadisneyland]

Yes- only asking about DL. Thanks everyone! Agree we will make it fun anywhere- I guess I just feel like like is easier staying onsite w such little kids.

 

[DizMe]

I almost always stayed on site when my kids were little. They will have a blast wherever you are, but IMO there is more magic for sure at the resort hotels and as the paying adult, I prefer it .

Some agree with this and some disagree, but for me, it is a big part of the magic not to have to deal with the outside world when I'm at DL. My kids will stay anywhere and did love the Hojo waterpark when they were little, but they definitely remember (and love) the resort hotels, even from a very young age. We tend to do things a little differently with a resort stay. We spend more time at the pool, in the restaurants or lobbies, in DTD. I can't explain it because it isn't true for everyone, but we all feel like we're still in the parks and part of the magic, whereas at off site locations we lose most of that once we leave the resort.

As most others have said, it really comes down to what the parents want or feel is best for the family budget. For me, staying on site is more important than spending a lot of money on other things so that's what I do. If your budget is tight, you might find it silly to spend a lot on a resort hotel.

 

[tzeitel]

Yes- only asking about DL. Thanks everyone! Agree we will make it fun anywhere- I guess I just feel like like is easier staying onsite w such little kids.

I think if it is easier for your family to stay on site then I would not see it as a splurge. I was looking for a cheaper option for our upcoming trip since it is a longer than normal trip (usually do 5 days but we are going for 9!), found it at the Comfort Inn on E. Katella (I am a Choice Hotel employee and this one has a discount) but staying at the Desert Inn is so convenient! Yes it is more $, but we forget stuff in the room all the time, we like to go back to the room for our hoodies when the sun goes down, walking back after a full day in the parks takes no time at all. So if it is easier/more convenient to stay on property, then why not? Once they ae older you can have this debate again. By then they will have their own opinions, and they might not even mind off-site if it means extra days in the parks

 

[bumbershoot]

I guess I just feel like like is easier staying onsite w such little kids.

Because I have tracked, in some way or the other, routes around Disney for years, to me I don’t feel the resorts are THAT close. The time we stayed at the grand and our room was VERY close to being literally as far from the center of the esplanade as if we were coming from hojo, I realized there was little convenience.

If proximity is most important, stay at the Tropicana.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

The older my daughter gets, the less important the hotel location for her, she is far more focused on the parks. Also enjoys Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel we stay at Side note: one of my earliest childhood memories was our stay at the DL Hotel. I remember describing the memory to my mother when I was a teenager, she cracked open a box of photos I've previously never saw before. Sure enough, there was a pic of me at the hotel showing the scene I described. You never know what your kids will remember.