Sell staying on property to me

[Capt Jack]

I have always stayed on property at WDW Except once and hated that 1 time. Other than the extra magic hour (which can be a huge bonus), is staying at the Fairfield Inn just as good. The PPH seems just like a plain hotel. I could be way off but it seems like it has no character to it.

 

[CamoMama]

If you have the money and want a more immersive experience, stay on property. If not, off property is great as well. Everyone loves the HoJo's, which is just a short walk and has a great themed pool area, the Motel 6 is even very comfortable and just a 10 minute walk (although you can use the ART bus). It's much less expensive and your travel time will still be far shorter than the WDW buses going from resort properties to the parks.

 

[interstate70s]

I haven't stayed at the PP since it was the Pan Pacific but I can tell you that the DLR hotels are all much much nicer than the Motels on harbor. Don't get me wrong I do stay at tbose little motels (usually the day we get into town) for their closeness to the parks. Now if the Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton were right across the street and were as convient to the parks as the Disney hotels I might not stay onsite but thy're not, and shuttles are a huge pain in the rear. Like you said EMH is huge, but so are the pools, the service, and the immersion. If we can afford it I like to stay onsite, if not we stay across the street.

 

[larina]

If you stay at PPH, get a theme park view. It is worth it and makes ALL the difference in the experience.

 

[sechelt]

I've stayed at DLH and VGC but not PPH. DLH has the cool Disney touches and GC is just a really nice hotel. If I weren't staying on points through DVC, I'd stay off property, which I've done about 8 times with my kids. You can buy a lot of souvenirs and nice meals with the price difference and that's far more important to me, but that's just my opinion.

In fairness, there are some advantages to staying on site like charging purchases and dining to your room, and having souvenirs sent to your room rather than carrying them through the park. There's also that nice feeling of telling people where you're staying.

Never stayed at FFI but would if it had the best price. We try to get one of the closer 'hotels' on Harbor, like the Best Westerns.

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

We had our first DLR visit last month and were going to stay at HoJo but at the last minute changed to DLH and I was soooooo glad we did. We had the extra hour every morning at the park of our choice, which was such a HUGE bonus in July especially. Plus the hotel was just beautiful from the lobby to the rooms and my kids loved the pool.

We absolutely loved having access to the monorial to go in and out of Disneyland. It was even running for hotel guests only at 7 a.m. Same with the Grand Californian entrance.

And the walk in the morning through DTD was so peaceful and we really felt like we never left Disney by staying onsite. I'm sure HoJo is nice, but for us, we love being in the magic the entire stay and that's what we got at DLH.

 

[krispin41]

I've only stayed at the PPH, but I agree to getting a theme park view. Absolutely amazing. One night we watched WOC from there, and it gives you a totally new perspective. I think there is A thread floating around that has pics of the views. I'm on my phone right now, so can't link it.

 

[marcemc]

I've only stayed at the PPH, but I agree to getting a theme park view. Absolutely amazing. One night we watched WOC from there, and it gives you a totally new perspective. I think there is A thread floating around that has pics of the views. I'm on my phone right now, so can't link it.

Besides, you can watch the fireworks from the roof pool area, they even play the music.

We choose this hotel when we go to DL and the weather will be cold enough for us to swim. Otherwise we book DLH which is our boys favorite.

 

[TheZue]

You get the use of the vacation planners if you stay on site. They will make reservations at restaurants at you so you can skip the waking up at 8am to phone. They can also set up gifts to your room ahead of time or in room celebrations. They also have room service and I don't think Fairfield does. Instead of waiting at the stop light in the morning you can stroll through downtown disney or the GCH lobby. And speaking of Downtown Disney, if you do shop there it's right at your door step instead of being that much extra of a walk. Then there is the delivery of anything you by in the park to your hotel, so if you see something you like you don't have to worry about going back for it at the end of your day/trip or carrying it around all day. Finally the shampoo they leave in your room is actually decent.

 

[rosiep]

Even though I am on the West Coast, I frequent WDW much more often than DL. Here's my take: While the motels themselves along Harbor Blvd are in and of themselves a great value, it really devalues my experience stepping into the "real" world at the end of a park day. It makes the experience seem much more like a visit rather than a vacation. Having said that, I deplore the cost of the DL hotels. I think they are far more overpriced than their WDW counterparts. For instance a night at WDW Animal Kingdom Resort, in a standard room, double occupancy for Feb. 18-19th is $457.88 inc. tax, the same night at the Grand Californian is $554.58

Still, if this is your first trip, or it's a rarity that you visit DL, I'd say shell out the cash if you can.

 

[Magalex]

Great question & this has been an informative thread for me. I think I am going to start leaning towards DLH or PPH for our trip in July 2013. It will be our first & only trip to DL just because we frequent WDW. Unless we visit again like in 20 years or so

 

[Eeee-va]

What did you hate about staying off-site at WDW?

If you stay at the FFI you won't have the transportation issues you may have had being off-site at WDW. In fact, I understand you can generally get to the parks quicker walking from an off-site hotel, than you could get to a WDW park from a resort via bus. So that wouldn't worry me, if that's your main concern.

If you didn't like the lack of magic when you left Disney property...the walk on Harbor Boulevard (which is how you'd get to the FFI) isn't bad, and doesn't scare me, but I wouldn't call it magical. You walk near a busy road (though there are nice sidewalks and trees) and you can sometimes pass homeless people sleeping on benches at the bus station. I don't mind the walk personally; it kind of quiets me down and readies me to go get some sleep before I go back and play in the parks again the next day. And sometimes you can get glimpses into Disneyland through the fence, or even see a monorail go by! But walking out the GCH to get to the Paradise Pier Hotel is much more magical, and also has a nice long serene bit. (You do have to cross a road to get to the PPH, though.) I imagine the walk through Downtown Disney to the DL Hotel is equally nice.

If by Disney magic you're mostly thinking inside the room, well, I don't think the standard view PPH rooms are any more magical than a room off-site, unless you consider televised princess bedtime stories and a channel telling you how great Disneyland is to be magical. (And I ADORE seaside resorts, which is the theme of the PPH!) I did love the shampoo but you can buy it, I think even online.

On the same trip, my mom and I stayed at the Red Lion 2 nights, then the PPH standard view 2 nights. We actually both thought the Red Lion's rooms were as nice or nicer than the PPH's, and they were about half the price. (Though I did enjoy that pricey extra Magic Morning/Early Entry I got staying at the PPH. This was back when they weren't offered daily.)

I am sure that, as others have said, a park view makes all the difference at the PPH. I'd definitely make every effort to purchase a park view room if you stay there.

Early Entry is a HUGE perk, but it's reportedly going to just be one park per day starting at the end of September. If that happens, Early Entry will still be very nice, but it will be a lot easier for non-hotel guests to see Cars Land (get to DCA early on a non-EMH morning).

Have a great trip!

 

[Capt Jack]

What I hated about it was the whole International Drive congestion. I know DL and WDW are night and day, from what I have heard. I know when we got the extra hours at WDW, we could hit all the rides in a whole land before the official opening. I guess that's what I'm wondering. This will probably be our first and only trip to DL and I want to get the most out of the parks. When we go to WDW, we are there from opening to closing.

 

[interstate70s]

The only lands open at DL park during EE are fantasyland and tomorrow land, you can definately get all of one land done during that time at least, it seems that all the major attractions are open at dca during EE. How much you can get done there would depend on what you choose to ride.

 

[marcemc]

Great question & this has been an informative thread for me. I think I am going to start leaning towards DLH or PPH for our trip in July 2013. It will be our first & only trip to DL just because we frequent WDW. Unless we visit again like in 20 years or so

Considering it is your first and only trip to DL, if I were you, I would absolutely stay at the Disneyland Hotel

Have fun planning.