Recommendations on hotels

[Sakura1017]

Going to sdcc and was going to add a short trip to Disneyland. I originally had grand Californian stay but Im thinking now of changing to Disneyland hotel or off site hotels. How late has the monorail been running so far? I was thinking I could go back and forth with monorail and Disneyland hotel. Yet, if I was looking at off site I could stay at either jw mariott or mariott anaheim club level and uber/lyft back and forth too. Club levels at those hotels would still be cheaper in price than disneyland hotel. Though I was reading jw mariott anaheim could be closer to walk as well. Does the 30 minutes really give you that much an advantage at disneyland? Any guidance would be great.

 

[OlliePop27]

Going to sdcc and was going to add a short trip to Disneyland. I originally had grand Californian stay but Im thinking now of changing to Disneyland hotel or off site hotels. How late has the monorail been running so far? I was thinking I could go back and forth with monorail and Disneyland hotel. Yet, if I was looking at off site I could stay at either jw mariott or mariott anaheim club level and uber/lyft back and forth too. Club levels at those hotels would still be cheaper in price than disneyland hotel. Though I was reading jw mariott anaheim could be closer to walk as well. Does the 30 minutes really give you that much an advantage at disneyland? Any guidance would be great.

I don't personally find the 30 minutes to be worth the cost, but that's entirely subjective. You can easily do the rides you want at DL without EE. I recommend buying LLMP and LLSP.

As for the monorail, it has to be running for it to be helpful. If the temperature is much above 83 degrees then they shut it down until the temperature cools off. Even on hot days it will run mornings and at night, but don't be surprised during warmer months for it to be closed during portions of the day.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Fair warning I am biased. I would stay at DL Hotel or GCH or even Pixar. Uber plus tips cost time and money. Pixar has a new entrance that is very close to DCA. We have used it every time we have stayed at DLH. Game changer for proximity to DCA. So if the monorail is running you get easy entry access to DLR and Pixar Pier Entrance to DCA.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I don't know what time or what temperature they close the monorail. It seemed to be going all day this past Sunday. There's a heatwave coming tomorrow. I imagine it'll be closed all afternoon.

The 30 minute early entry makes a HUGE difference in DCA. You can get all or close to all of the headliners done in the first 2 hours if you start with Guardians at early entry.

I don't know how much benefit it is in Disneyland Park. I tried to use it once and the first 2 rides I tried to go on weren't open. I haven't bothered with it again.

 

[OlliePop27]

I don't know what time or what temperature they close the monorail. It seemed to be going all day this past Sunday. There's a heatwave coming tomorrow. I imagine it'll be closed all afternoon.

The 30 minute early entry makes a HUGE difference in DCA. You can get all or close to all of the headliners done in the first 2 hours if you start with Guardians at early entry.

I don't know how much benefit it is in Disneyland Park. I tried to use it once and the first 2 rides I tried to go on weren't open. I haven't bothered with it again.

I can usually get everything done that I want in DCA in 2 hours without EE, assuming the rides are open. I'm sure it's even easier with EE. Sorry to hear about the bad luck with DL, it's happened to me in the past too and is frustrating.

 

[OlliePop27]

I don't know what time or what temperature they close the monorail. It seemed to be going all day this past Sunday. There's a heatwave coming tomorrow. I imagine it'll be closed all afternoon.

The 30 minute early entry makes a HUGE difference in DCA. You can get all or close to all of the headliners done in the first 2 hours if you start with Guardians at early entry.

I don't know how much benefit it is in Disneyland Park. I tried to use it once and the first 2 rides I tried to go on weren't open. I haven't bothered with it again.

High on Sunday was only 82. When I've been and it's close to 90, it will shut down middle of the afternoon until it cools back off.

 

[Brittney Cornwell]

Personally, first choice is GCH and then if not that the Westin

 

[Pluto468]

Going to sdcc and was going to add a short trip to Disneyland. I originally had grand Californian stay but Im thinking now of changing to Disneyland hotel or off site hotels. How late has the monorail been running so far? I was thinking I could go back and forth with monorail and Disneyland hotel. Yet, if I was looking at off site I could stay at either jw mariott or mariott anaheim club level and uber/lyft back and forth too. Club levels at those hotels would still be cheaper in price than disneyland hotel. Though I was reading jw mariott anaheim could be closer to walk as well. Does the 30 minutes really give you that much an advantage at disneyland? Any guidance would be great.

I'd keep the Grand if it's an option. There's just nothing like being that close. Plus it's such a nice hotel.

 

[Sakura1017]

Personally, first choice is GCH and then if not that the Westin

I disliked the Westin when I stayed there one time for d23 expo. I will keep trying to see if courtyards will open up at GCH. Currently, I changed my reservation to deluxe Disneyland. Crazy that deluxe is cheaper than standard view.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I was thinking I could go back and forth with monorail and Disneyland hotel.

What's your goal for taking the monorail back and forth to the DLH? If it's just less walking then yes, it will save you some steps. What it probably won't save you is time, especially if you're wanting to stay at the DLH so you can take advantage of early entry. For your strategy of taking the monorail on an EE day, you'll have to be in line at security very early so you can be one of the first through, because if you're not on the first monorail of the day then you'll have to wait for the next one, which will put you in the park late and take up your valuable EE time.

The other thing is that the monorail station is all the way at the back of Tomorrowland. If you're doing Tomorrowland first, that's great, but if you like to do Fantasyland or something else first, it's not quite as convenient and will put you behind all the other guests who are going anywhere other than Tomorrowland as you head wherever else you might be going.

And while taking the monorail back and forth during the day can be nice, you have to remember that the lines can be VERY long, depending on time of year and time of day. They'll definitely be very long at park closing.

Does the 30 minutes really give you that much an advantage at disneyland? Any guidance would be great.

Not nearly as much as it used to when it was an hour! I'm not sure it's that much better than doing an "opposite park/opposite day" strategy. It's probably more advantageous for DCA than it is for DL. We almost always stay on-site, but since they changed it to 30 minutes that's mainly because I just like the hotels and the feeling of being immersed in the world. The GCH is my absolute favorite and is so close to the parks. Definitely stay there if you can afford it.

 

[Sakura1017]

What's your goal for taking the monorail back and forth to the DLH? If it's just less walking then yes, it will save you some steps. What it probably won't save you is time, especially if you're wanting to stay at the DLH so you can take advantage of early entry. For your strategy of taking the monorail on an EE day, you'll have to be in line at security very early so you can be one of the first through, because if you're not on the first monorail of the day then you'll have to wait for the next one, which will put you in the park late and take up your valuable EE time.

The other thing is that the monorail station is all the way at the back of Tomorrowland. If you're doing Tomorrowland first, that's great, but if you like to do Fantasyland or something else first, it's not quite as convenient and will put you behind all the other guests who are going anywhere other than Tomorrowland as you head wherever else you might be going.

And while taking the monorail back and forth during the day can be nice, you have to remember that the lines can be VERY long, depending on time of year and time of day. They'll definitely be very long at park closing.


Not nearly as much as it used to when it was an hour! I'm not sure it's that much better than doing an "opposite park/opposite day" strategy. It's probably more advantageous for DCA than it is for DL. We almost always stay on-site, but since they changed it to 30 minutes that's mainly because I just like the hotels and the feeling of being immersed in the world. The GCH is my absolute favorite and is so close to the parks. Definitely stay there if you can afford it.

My goal originally was to go back and forth if needed to take an afternoon break then go back. But I'm starting to realize using the monorail won't benefit me at all. Just knowing now that it won't run when temps are high and it being down for a few hours. I am trying to switch to GCH. I originally had partial view and canceled it for Disneyland Hotel. If I read the woodland views were good I would have definitely booked that. Now I might need to book an offsite hotel and uber/lyft back. But a pro might still work if I stay at Disneyland Hotel because if I stay till midnight I don't need to rely on a ride getting back. Plus this will be preparing me for the disney marathon races.

 

[OlliePop27]

My goal originally was to go back and forth if needed to take an afternoon break then go back. But I'm starting to realize using the monorail won't benefit me at all. Just knowing now that it won't run when temps are high and it being down for a few hours. I am trying to switch to GCH. I originally had partial view and canceled it for Disneyland Hotel. If I read the woodland views were good I would have definitely booked that. Now I might need to book an offsite hotel and uber/lyft back. But a pro might still work if I stay at Disneyland Hotel because if I stay till midnight I don't need to rely on a ride getting back. Plus this will be preparing me for the disney marathon races.

On site is great and I'm sure you will love GCH. Just know there are numerous hotels literally across the street, several 5 minutes from the park entrance. Many of us frequently stay in these spots right across the street and it's very easy to have an afternoon break. It's not the same as staying onsite, but there are many clean and comfortable options at a lower price point, some with multi room suites.

If onsite is important, it does sound like GCH is best given your preferences. I wouldn't choose DLH just for the monorail. Choose DLH if the theme fits your interests better. Many hotels on Harbor (offsite) are substantially closer to the park entrance than DLH (but DLH is an amazing hotel and taking the monorail is very cool).

 

[Sakura1017]

On site is great and I'm sure you will love GCH. Just know there are numerous hotels literally across the street, several 5 minutes from the park entrance. Many of us frequently stay in these spots right across the street and it's very easy to have an afternoon break. It's not the same as staying onsite, but there are many clean and comfortable options at a lower price point, some with multi room suites.

If onsite is important, it does sound like GCH is best given your preferences. I wouldn't choose DLH just for the monorail. Choose DLH if the theme fits your interests better. Many hotels on Harbor (offsite) are substantially closer to the park entrance than DLH (but DLH is an amazing hotel and taking the monorail is very cool).

That's if GCH opens up for the category that I want. Currently I check to modify and nothing is there. I also have a jw Marriott reservation too. It's club level and it's still cheaper than Disneyland Hotel but not that much. I know jw Marriott you could walk or take public transportation like the ART.

 

[Wilcojoe]

My goal originally was to go back and forth if needed to take an afternoon break then go back. But I'm starting to realize using the monorail won't benefit me at all. Just knowing now that it won't run when temps are high and it being down for a few hours. I am trying to switch to GCH. I originally had partial view and canceled it for Disneyland Hotel. If I read the woodland views were good I would have definitely booked that. Now I might need to book an offsite hotel and uber/lyft back. But a pro might still work if I stay at Disneyland Hotel because if I stay till midnight I don't need to rely on a ride getting back. Plus this will be preparing me for the disney marathon races.

We’re staying at the DLH for the third time next week. I have been obsessively tracking the hours of operation of the monorail as to me it is a game changer for convenience. We never use it for EE, but ideally I like to return to the DLH on it between 12-1pm and return to the parks between say 5:30-7:00pm and then take it back home between 10pm-close.

What I have noted is that it does indeed seem to shut down anytime the temp is above 86 degrees. The good news for us is that the current high temps for the next week seem to be trending down (highs around 80) and it doesn’t appear it will be close to 86 for the days we’re in the park.

That being said I have noticed that it does still tend to shut down regardless of temps for at least 3 consecutive hours between around 2pm and 6pm. It then shuts down around 8:30-9pm and opens back up around 10 after fireworks. So for us the only concern is that it is open when we want to return to the park in the early evening. Since we will be doing early entry at DCA for 2 of our 3 park days, it makes it even more special since we will be in DL in the afternoon and evenings on those days.

So I am not so sure that it’s just the temps that cause it to shut down, I also feel like staffing schedules plays a part as well. So for us it seems our late aftenoon return will be the one time we really need to hope it’s open in that 5:30-7pm window.

I think it’s more psychological but having that monorail open really does make our stays onsite offset the exorbitant cost.

 

[Pluto468]

That's if GCH opens up for the category that I want. Currently I check to modify and nothing is there. I also have a jw Marriott reservation too. It's club level and it's still cheaper than Disneyland Hotel but not that much. I know jw Marriott you could walk or take public transportation like the ART.

I'd keep checking multiple times a day for a GCH room to open up. I did that for my last GCH trip and was able to get the room type I wanted by stalking the website. Once at DLH the room I wanted opened up the day before my trip.

DLH is still an awesome place to stay even if you don't get into the Grand. If the monorail is closed sometimes you can still use it for some of your walks to/from the parks.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I know jw Marriott you could walk or take public transportation like the ART.

Does the ART run early enough for EE?

 

[Sakura1017]

Okay I chose the disneyland hotel but now I am regretting it based on customer service. I didnt know packages can be delayed because it needs to go to their receiving security. Which can take up 1 to 2 days depending on when your shipment gets in. I had to call to find out why it was turned away. You would think they would call to inform a guest. Does grand Californian have the same issue. I also went to pick up my package accidentally left my phone. You would think they would call your room as a courtesy. I usually stay at hotels where this is concierge that way if issues arise they could help. I even went to talk about a restaurant issue and they give me a card that says to call or email them. Everything is done as an email which takes 5 business days. This is ridiculous. I wish I stayed at another hotel. I like disneyland better than disney world but there are hotels that have better customers service than this one.

 

[Sakura1017]

Does the ART run early enough for EE?

I chose disneyland hotel so wouldn't be able to answer that

 

[BriannaRuth]

Yes, the Grand Californian has the same policy as the Disneyland Hotel as far as package delivery. I think they need to do a better job of being sure that guests know about this policy, which I believe was new as of last year.

Here’s a link to a thread from last year. I don’t know how current this information is since I have not been back since I posted this last year but based on what you’re saying, it still seems to be in effect:

Delivery of packages to Disneyland hotels

 

[5forMickey]

I didnt know packages can be delayed because it needs to go to their receiving security. Which can take up 1 to 2 days depending on when your shipment gets in.

I’m sure it’s frustrating when you’re not expecting this but it’s for the safety of all guests and has been the policy for as long as I can remember, at least going back to 2000. We had to ship an oxygen concentrator for my Dad and it was quite a challenge. If you think about the amount of packages sent in and out they probably don’t have a way to reach out personally to each guest. Again, I understand the frustration but it is the world we live in that requires safety precautions.