Red Lion Hotel review and other thoughts....

[disneegrl4eva]

Im not going to do a typical review of my trip because well I go so often that it has become boring for me to do it but it was a little different this time vs all of my other trips that I thought I would share with you all...I go to DL every couple of months and have been doing so for several years. I live about 5 hours N of DL so its feasible...I ALWAYS stay at hojo with the exception of at least one time a year I stay on property. We were scheduled to go down this upcoming weekend but due to an unforseen and unavoidable situation with one of my "entourage", we had to make a change and the only available time for all of us to go was this past weekend. Unfortunately, hojo was completely booked. My friend usually does her hotels with Priceline and due to our unfortuanate circumstances I had to be brave and let her do it...I was so worried we were going to get Hyatt or Crowne Plaza..now dont misunderstand me, they are both really nice places but pretty far for me imo...I guess staying at hojo has spoiled me due to the proximity between there and the park...so anyways I closed my eyes and braced myself and let her do it and we got Red Lion...at first I had no idea where it was..I wracked my brain and couldnt come up with anything...then after talking with my friend and reviewing the location on where the property was, I realized it was where the Radisson had been...I had no idea that they bought them out...I saw a post that Maryjo had written that she wasnt too impressed with the place and wouldnt really recommend it and I also read TA reports and a few people moaned about it so I was a little worried...we got the hotel for less than we would have payed for entertainment rate at hojo so i mean...anyways, I have to tell you that the only downside to this hotel is the distance between there and the park...the hotel was FABULOUS...comfy beds...HUGE flat screen tv...ipod dock and when we walked in, they had spa music playing...their stereo/ipod dock station had regular music as well as a button that you could listen to different nature sounds...bathroom was HUGE...rooms were HUGE...had alot of space...fridge, a fancy microwave, and good water pressure..they have a restaurant on premise but we didnt eat there so I cant review it...the staff was really nice and accomodating, towels were soft and fluffy and the soap/shampoo products were bath and body works coconut lime verbena and warm vanilla sugar...they are a pet friendly place but they keep rooms for people with pets in the main bldg and the other building is non pet..they have a coin operated laundry room, store as big as hojos and an ART pass kiosk there as well..btw, the shuttle stops right outside the front doors...I really really liked this place...I would not be against staying here again if put into that predicament again...now I want to talk about the weather...for some unknown reason, the park did not clear out just because it rained so that theory just flew out the door...dont go expecting it to happen..if it does great but dont expect it...we got there friday afternoon and the weather didnt start up until it was almost time for Fantasmic to start but thankfully the persevered and stuck it out and went through with the show and fireworks...they just didnt do the snow...saturday it rained ALL DAY AND NIGHT...it really sucked...I ended up finally leaving around 3 and by the time I got back to the hotel, I was soaked through and through...Sunday was perfect for us the whole day...not at any time on saturday did I see a break in the crowds...and even though it was a blockout day, there were tons of people...the funny thing for me was that even though there were tons of people, the rides werent horrendously long waits...I was prepared for the weather because I follow it to the tee starting at least 10 days before but with the understanding that its going to change daily pretty much up until the day we leave...living in california has taught me one thing...you CANNOT PREDICT THE WEATHER...what happened last year or even last month will not be indicative of what it will be say next year at the same time...in fact it seems to go opposite alot of times...I know that hydroguy put out a weather chart but its just not gonna work to go by that chart..this is in no way a disrespect to hydroguy..I think it was awesome that hetook so much time and creativity to do the charts and graphs, but for the fact that I live in CA and go so frequently, I just havent found it to work well...what I recommend is finding a good online weather site and keep your eyes peeled on it...you will probably have to pack and maybe redo some thinking but in the long run it will be worth it..my favorite is accuweather.com...I have found them to be the most accurate site I have come across...if you use weather.com, make sure you add 5º to whatever it says to get an accurate account...also, I could barely find any holiday treats out there like I have in past years...oh they had the candy canes, gingerbread men, and cupcakes and cookies but not the peppermint pot, or yule log...I went and looked in the blue ribbon bakery and also in PI...when I got to PI the lady behind the dessert booth or whatever that is, told me they didnt have any...I asked her if there was any place else that would have them and she said no that they werent making them this year...so if any of you found some Im going to sue ...anyways thats my basic review and I hope that if any of you have contemplated staying at Red Lion that this review will have helped you decide

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

Thank you sooooooooooooooo much!!! We are leaving on the 27th for 9 nights at the Red Lion Anaheim Hotel and I am very excited to hear your positive review. Did you try the pool??? Probably not due to your weather, but I thought I would check.

Thanks!!!
10 more sleeps!!!!

 

[drag n' fly]

Thanks for the review. We are booked there for May. We got a great deal. Here is the link.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325979&highlight=red+hot+deal

 

[LVTiffy]

we stayed there back in oct as well as the disneyland hotel. We stayed there one night, then drove to the disneyland hotel in the AM before park had opened, and the disney hotel actually had our room ready. But anyways back to the red lion.

We loved it. We priceline'd it as well. i believe we got it for $48 plus tax and parking. We didn't try the pool..but i did walk around it and the pool is a rectangler size with looks like comfy lounge chairs. There was 1, maybe 2 fire pits but they didn't have it going when I was there. If we had more time, I would have probably asked them to get it going for me. Room was a decent size with a microwave. and a flat screen tv which was a total plus for me.

Last August I stayed at the Hyatt Orange. Room was decent. I think I got the room on priceline for like $60 or $70 plus tax and parking. They had a free shuttle that picked u up, then took you to Crown Plaza to pick up their guest then straight to disneyland. Total trip:10 minutes. We loved the shuttle. The shuttle was actually better than walking to disney from the disney hotel IMO.

So we are taking another trip next week and I did priceline again. I crossed my fingers at either the red lion, hyatt Orange, or the crown plaza because of the shuttle. We got the Hliton Anaheim. Doesn't look too bad for $40 a night plus tax and parking. I called them and no free shuttle but the ART picks up there. Its going to be my first time using ART so we will see how that is.

 

[Howry]

Last time we went, we stayed at Dolphins Cove and used the art. It wasnt bad at all. The only bad thing about it is their really long lunch hour where nothing is running.

 

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your review. I got the Red Lion on Priceline for our 2 nights post-cruise in early May.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thanks so much for your review.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay there. Although it's a little distance from the park, it's not THAT far, and if I remember correctly they have 2-bedroom suites. So, if the hotel itself is nice, and offers those suites, it will be a nice option for larger families.

I see I'll have to take another look at it.

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

We will be at the Red Lion in 6 days for the first time. I will give a review about it, either when we are there or when we get home.!!!!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

. Did you try the pool??? Probably not due to your weather, but I thought I would check.

no way ...hey im from cali....unless its in the 90º's Im not getting in any pool

Thanks so much for your review.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay there. Although it's a little distance from the park, it's not THAT far, and if I remember correctly they have 2-bedroom suites. So, if the hotel itself is nice, and offers those suites, it will be a nice option for larger families.

I see I'll have to take another look at it.

hey MJ...yeah I dont know about the suites but usually suites are nicer than the main rooms from what Ive noticed and if that's true then they will be amazing

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

no way ...hey im from cali....unless its in the 90º's Im not getting in any pool


That's what I thought...lol

It says on their website that it is a heated pool. We are from Canada....so we might try it as it will be a little warmer for us...lol

 

[tinkermell]

Hi ya Lynn!

Thanks for the review. We did Priceline too at the last minute and got the Orange Hyatt, which was really nice. I liked the private shuttle.

Anywhos, I was hoping to get the Red Lion, cuz it seems to be getting really good reviews. The pictures of the hotel look amazing.

Maybe someday we can try it.

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

We just got back from 9 nights at the Red Lion. All things are positive except for one. The website and the staff says the pool is heated, but there was no way!!! It was like ice the whole time and we had great weather. The rest of our experience was great. The rooms are nice. There was a hair dryer, microwave, fridge and a free safe. We had two rooms and two cars. Instead of the $14 parking fee, they only charged us $10 per day, which was a great bonus. We also received $20 per day. per room vouchers for breakfast. The buffet was hit and miss. If it was hot, it was good. The price was $10.95 for Adults and 10 and under were free. You could also order off the menu and use the coupon towards your bill. Our bill was either $0 or $2, and then we tipped based on the total before coupon. Our kids ate free...so it was worth it!!! I thought this hotel was great, but would probably not go back, due to the lack of pool heat. My kids love to swim and could not even get in. We had most days at 74-80 degrees and the pool was still like ice.

 

[DisneyMax74]

Yes we stayed at Red Lion last Sept and to be honest it alsmot ruined the trip. My daughters are the biggest water bugs you have ever seen. We are from utah and they swim outdoors untill you positively cant do it anymore........they wouldnt set foot in the Red Lion pool it was so cold. Its really sort of a boring pool. It does have a couple nice fire pits though but no hot tub.

Overall the hotel was nice but very plain in my view. (Not a fan of modern style furnishings) The staff were nice but seemed overworked.

It is new and clean so it has that going for it and Im sure many people will like the decor more than we did.

Personally I would not stay there again but its mostly because the pool was sooo cold and my girls couldnt swim.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Hey Lynn, thanks for the review. Trying to find a reasonable suite close that is a bit above the one's offered on Harbor. I will check this place out.
Have a good one.

Jack

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Thanks for the review. I was originally going to stay at the Hilton during my trip the last week of March, but they are completely booked the first night of my stay. I would have had to book a different hotel for that night. Then I found the Red Lion which, frankly, I'd never heard of before. So I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. It makes me feel better about making a reservation there.

 

[drag n' fly]

We just got back from 9 nights at the Red Lion. All things are positive except for one. The website and the staff says the pool is heated, but there was no way!!! It was like ice the whole time and we had great weather. The rest of our experience was great. The rooms are nice. There was a hair dryer, microwave, fridge and a free safe. We had two rooms and two cars. Instead of the $14 parking fee, they only charged us $10 per day, which was a great bonus. We also received $20 per day. per room vouchers for breakfast. The buffet was hit and miss. If it was hot, it was good. The price was $10.95 for Adults and 10 and under were free. You could also order off the menu and use the coupon towards your bill. Our bill was either $0 or $2, and then we tipped based on the total before coupon. Our kids ate free...so it was worth it!!! I thought this hotel was great, but would probably not go back, due to the lack of pool heat. My kids love to swim and could not even get in. We had most days at 74-80 degrees and the pool was still like ice.

It was this review that changed our trip from offsite to onsite. I got a great deal on this hotel but there is nothing that frosts my hiney more than a cold pool (no pun intended) . I decided to change our dates so we could take advantage of the onsite spring promos.