Shuttle and HoJo hotel and more ??

[amyr1]

I just got my requested quote from Dreams Unlimited for our March 15-18 trip.

I *think* my quote (1150.xx) for 3 nights at HoJo and 4 day park hoppers is about what I would pay is I booked hotel myself and bought tickets online--when you figure in the tax and all. Please holler at me if I'm wrong in my assumption. The only differences I see is we get a Toon Town admission and a preferred seating to one show by booking with DL.

I have a couple of questions:

1. The quote said it included some ART shuttle??? Will this be needed? We will have a 5 year old with us but we are not go, go, go kind of travelers. Is this something we can do without or do you think it would be better to just have it?

2. The preferred seating....which one is it better to use it on?

3. DL agent recommended HoJo over other hotels because they have a neat splash pad for kids. Will it be warm enough (March 15-18) to spend a few hours in the pools (afternoons...I know the evening get pretty chilly). My 10 year old really, really wants to play in a pool on our trip. I was considering the Desert Inn and Suites for their indoor pool but if we are likely to have warm enough weather...

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
TIA
Amy

 

[Gothemi]

Stayed at the HOJO twice. Nice hotel.

The walk from the HOJO to the main entrance of DLR is very short. It never took us more than 10-15 minutes to make the trek and that was usually because you had to wait for a light at the crosswalk. ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) has a stop for the HOJO and three other hotels. I don't know what hotels get picked up first in that route, but I would think the HOJO to be last as it is the closet.

Preferred seating, I always use mine on Aladdin. Usually a full show and you get some nice seats, but must arrive early.

I have only gone one in March and it was nice and warm during the day, but quickly got cold at night.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Hi Amy,
It is hard to comment on your question regarding price without the number of people, but in general it is usally several hundred dollars less to book yourself.

For example, if you had 4 people it would go like this:

4 tickets: $161 each= $644
HOJO at $100 night plus 15% tax=$345

$989

You may be able to do better than $100 but it is hard to say. You would need to call them and ask for the disboard discount which is 15% off.

No Art needed. It took us 5-10 minutes.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

The walk is very short, but not after a long day with a 5 year old. We did this last summer a few times and ended up taking ART. For us it was worth it.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

For your 5 year old you might consider a stroller ~ my DD @ 5 was still using a stroller at Disney while at home she hasn't used one for years. We love HoJo, ART is not needed. There are a couple of discount options available @ HoJo's ~ the best would be the ent. rate but probably not very likely during mid March. I find it's almost always cheaper to book things by myself. We've never done the Toon Town Morning thing ~ doesn't interest us, the preferred seating isn't a big deal either IMO.

 

[mareed]

The HoJo is available at the Ent rate during those dates! It's $59 - $79 depending on which room you book. I suspect that the travel agencies (like DU) book the "run of the house" rooms, which would be the $59 ones. So, the value of the hotel portion of your package is about $205. I'm sure you can do better booking your room and tickets separately in this case! Here's the dates the ent rate is avble: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14.

 

[amyr1]

How do I go about getting the Entertainment rate?

Can I just go to Walgreens and pick up an Entertainment book? order online?

We live near Houston so the Houston book would probably be more advantageous to us...will that book work to get us the rate in Anaheim?

TIA
Amy

 

[Jazziered]

You need to call this number:

In house reservations 714-776-6120.

You can order the book online:

http://www.entertainment.com/discount/home.shtml


And you can use the one for your city. You just need the card out of the back of the book... And they do ask for it... I got asked...

 

[Brady's Mom]

How do I go about getting the Entertainment rate?

Can I just go to Walgreens and pick up an Entertainment book? order online?

We live near Houston so the Houston book would probably be more advantageous to us...will that book work to get us the rate in Anaheim?

TIA
Amy

Just pick up the book for your area. If you won't use the coupons, though, check about getting a card on e-bay. You can usually get them very cheaply.

You just need the card from the Ent. book - any area's book will do.

 

[bumbershoot]

We always bring a stroller for DS, and if he needs it he needs it, if not, no big deal. We don't use a stroller at home (apart from fitness walks we never did), but we bought a Volo strictly for Disney!

So if you have that, the walks won't be a big deal. It's just a few minutes beyond Desert Inn.

I can't even imagine using ART. By the time you walk to the pickup spot, you're halfway home!

Right now, through mid-April, tickets are on special through disneyland.com:



Promotional 4-Day Park Hopper® Bonus Ticket
kids $161.00 adults $161.00


I have a feeling that when you combine the entertainment rate and the tickets through disneyland.com (and use the e-ticket option...print out the vouchers, take them directly to the gates...the CM will scan the vouchers and give you a proper paper ticket for each person) you'll do a lot better than getting the package!



MTTMM consists of getting into TT an hour earlier than the rest of the guests, a tiny song and dance, and that's it.

Preferred seating, unless it's changed since we had a package, is actually a voucher with 4 tabs to tear off, and you can use all 4 if you have time. They are over in DCA, and in my opinion are just about useless (though I've never gone right in the middle of Spring Break!). Different line and group of seats for Aladdin, some sort of preference in being seated for Animation Academy and Turtle Talk, and one other thing. All we've used is Aladdin, and we had a worse view than those seated in the normal seats (we were in the "orchestra seating" area, and two of the big effects were too close to us, or up above us, and in both cases those sitting higher up would have gotten a better view) AND we had to line up before standby and then were the LAST seated.

So really, those little perks aren't all that great, and it's worth knowing about them before deciding if you want to spend extra.

We DID spend extra for the package for our first big trip, but we did so with eyes open!