PPH or Howard Johnson

[Tattylou]

I know this has probably been asked before so I apologize in advance. We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 boys, ages 4 and 6). We are going to Disneyland in April 2015. I have only been to DL once in the 90s when I was a teenager and stayed at the DL hotel. DH and the boys have never been. Grandparents are also coming and staying in their own room. We are currently booked at the Howard Johnson. Orbitz is running a sale and it would cost about $600 more for us to stay at PPH than at Howard Johnson. I'm wondering if it is worth it? We always stay on property at WDW and so it feels odd to me to stay off property (although I know it is less "necessary" at DL than WDW). We are content with a value or mod resort as long as it is clean and has a good pool for the kids. Any opinions, info, suggestions, etc are appreciated!! Thx.

 

[darph nader]

$600 can go for suvvies,food or whatever. HoJo is closer,(I think) and from what I understand nice pools.

 

[ButterflyKisses77]

I would love to stay at one of the Disney hotels too but when it comes down to it i'd much rather spend the extra money in the parks. I always see SO many things i want! HOJO is a great hotel and $600 is A LOT more! I'd save the money but its ultimately up to what you guys want

 

[StageTek]

HJ is close to the DLR entrance, is clean and has a great pool for the kids. Seems it has everything you're looking for.

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

If you can afford it, definitely do PPH. Staying onsite is just so magical, and you will never be away from disney! A complete disneyland vacation is more than just the parks, and IMO, it is better to be closer to the disney magic than closer to the parks. In fact, if you stay at PPH, you are not just CLOSE to the magic, you are IN it! So fun! The Hojo has a great pool and it is a great hotel for families and all, but at the end of the day, it is just a regular hotel. The DLR resorts are unique, and if you do not go often, might as well splurge! But if you prefer to spend that money on something else, or if for you, a hotel really is just a place to sleep (meaning you are at the parks all day with no breaks) you will still have a great vacation if you choose to stay at the Hojo!

 

[llump41]

IMHO it depends on what your typical stay is like. If you only use a hotel to sleep then i would stay at HoJos. However if you use the hotel as part of you experienced stay on site. There are some benefits to surfacing on site-early admission, possible extra fast passes to name a couple.

 

[bumbershoot]

For me, $600 is too much of a difference depending on how long a stay it is. I haven't stayed at Hojo in years, not since before they put in the water play area, but as much as I love PPH, $600 is a good chunk of money.

Though is it $600 more for both rooms (you say the grands are coming and have their own room)? How long of a stay is it?

When we were going to DLR all the time I mapped out courses on mapmyrun.

PPH to the center of the esplanade via the Grand shortcut (rather than following the signs Disney provides), starting from the sidewalk (which means you've left your room, traveled the hallways, dealt with the elevators, and gone outside): .47 mile.

HoJo to the center of the esplanade walking on the park side of Harbor, going to the center of the esplanade, starting from the sidewalk (which means you've left your building and gone to the front of the property): .48 mile.


The actual pool at Hojo is a simple pool; same as PPH's pool. PPH has a waterslide that goes into a separate area from the pool and Hojo has the whole water play area.

PPH has nice big airy rooms, and my HoJo experience tells me that their rooms are similar.

 

[BethID]

I would stay at Hojo. I agree that $600 is a lot of money for extras. I stayed at PPH on my last trip in February. I got a great deal and it was the same price as Hojo. The plus was we got early entry every day, but that perk is not worth $600. It was nice, but the pool area was pretty plain. Hojo's has a much nicer water play area, especially for the age your kids are. The walk times are very similar.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I didn't even know HOJOs still existed, I guess I don't get out enough

 

[abookworm]

We've stayed at the HJ twice and were very happy with it. It was clean, close, we had a park view, and we watched fireworks from our room one night! It also has a McDonald's and another family restaurant next door for affordable meals.
It's a very easy walk to the gates and for a savings of $600 I would definitely choose HJ.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

My GF and i love staying on site(DLH) we stayed at the PPH and its definetly not as good. the walk seems long to get into DCA. even longer to DL. although it is true that you stay within the "disney bubble" but the fact that you cross a street to go through the GCH ruins the bubble effect a little. GCH and DLH keep you in the action 24/7 with being inside DTD. ive never stayed at hojo so i cant speak on it. PPH just isnt worth the $600 to me. Depending on how much time you plan on staying at your hotel why not just upgrade to a better hotel in the area and split the difference.

either way...you cant go wrong being at The Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[GatorChris]

Here's my creds. WDW vets (see signature) who always stayed in WDW resorts - mostly moderates. Because of money and proximity, we've switched to DL for our family vacations the last two years. We went last November and this November and stayed at...drum roll please....PPH and HoJo. So I have the advice that fits you like a glove.

2013: We stayed at PPH for 5 nights because we found a 20% off rate and was able to stay there for $207/night ($250 with taxes and fees). We found the room to be large and fun. Water slide was cool. Having CMs check you in always feels magical. And having a character meal onsite was a great way to start the trip. Here's the downsides. The hot water worked only part of the time. The elevators there must be the slowest on the planet. You have to cross a street to get from the hotel over to Disney property, so it loses that "magic bubble" feeling. The theme of this resort is nothing like a WDW moderate resort - it seems more like the Crowne Royale over at Orlando's DTD. Just a tall tower in the middle of town, rather than a true resort feel that WDW gives you at their hotels.

2014: We stayed at the HoJo with a discount (which is found everywhere on the internet) in a Superior room (looking into DL) for about $160/night (including taxes & fees). So for two extra nights, it cost us about $100 less. Not bad. The good stuff: It's as close to the Disney promenade as PPH (http://www.mouseplanet.com/7280/How_Far_Is_It). The rooms are spacious and have a good view (superior rooms). My kids loved the water park as much as they loved the water slide at PPH. Customer service was great at the front desk, and I mean great, so that matched the CMs. As Harbor hotels go, it has a good SoCal feel to it. Free parking! The bad side: no free breakfast, just like at the PPH. Not quite as current as PPH, which is not to imply the HoJo is old - it's just not as current as PPH. You can hear through the doors, which is bad if there's a crying toddler for a few nights next door (that wasn't fun) - PPH is super quiet. No onsite Disney character meal (which makes it more like a moderate at WDW). Like PPH, you have to cross the street to get to Disney, and it's not quite as "clean" on this side of Disney.

Hope that helps. Oh, and Go RedSox! If we're trending right, we're due for another WS title.

 

[jina]

Just got back from 4 nights at HoJo's Lin a kids suite- had a queen+bunk bed last time and definitely prefer the suite. Very reasonable - AP rate was $193 for separate rooms and 2 bathrooms. Dd5 loves the water playground- far more than the GCH pool when we stayed there last summer. Never stayed at PPH so can't compare but we are now HoJo converts. We did regular rope drop and stayed till 11 or 12, grabbed lunch in a park, then back to HoJo's to play at the water playground. Then back to the parks for dinner and another ride or show. Perfect trip for young families. Regular room was fine too but DDH fallls asleep much faster when we have separate rooms. A 2 room suite on site would be great but $800+ per night which we cannot afford.

 

[Tattylou]

Thanks for all the great advice!! I think I'm going to stick with HOJO's. It would be $600 extra per room for 5 nights (2 rooms = $600 more for us and $600 more for grands). The more I read of everyone's experiences I think I will be better off to use the $600 in the parks (or towards plane tix for our next trip). Maybe once I'm out there then I can take a peak in PPH and see if it is something I'm interested in for next time we go out west. Thanks again and appreciate the Red Sox shout out, lol!

 

[MommyWithDreams]

I guess the days of the $69 HOJO Entertainment rate are long gone huh? The secret got out. HoJo prices are crazy now.

 

[abookworm]

I guess the days of the $69 HOJO Entertainment rate are long gone huh? The secret got out. HoJo prices are crazy now.

Yep, that's what we paid years ago! But we also went during non peak times too.