Stay at Disney hotel or not?

[silvaohana808]

Yes.

We're a family of 4. The first time we went, we stayed at PPH and loved it. But the walk to and from the gates... not so much. 20 minutes at the end of a long park day seems like 20 miles, even cutting through the GCH.

The next time I went solo, I stayed at the Del Sol. It was fine for what I needed - somewhere close that wouldn't break the bank.

The next we went as a family, we stayed at the DI&S. The kids liked the indoor pool (until other loud and rambunctious kids arrived), and DH and I liked how it was close enough for a break if we wanted. And cheaper than PPH.

The next time, I was at the Clarion, down by the convention centre. I liked how it was across the street from Toy Story parking lot and the bus took us right to the security entrance on Harbor. As I'm not a back-and-forth kind of person, this wouldn't work for your specific situation, but the price sure is awesome.

I went in Feb to DLH with a group and while I loved staying there - the monorail was a quick and easy way into the park and the history and models made me smile - there is no way I could afford it for our family. Sharing the room at a group rate was the only way I could stay there until I win a lottery.

In October, I stayed at the DI&S again. It was just fine. Even though we were waaaaay at the back, it was still closer than PPH.

This March the family is staying at the Tropicana. We got a smokin' good rate on the room and we all appreciate being across the street from the entrance.

In a way I don't mind the delineation of 'bubble' and 'no bubble'. It's nice to have a bit of a break from the relentless Disney-ness of the parks at the end of the day. BUT... if I had the money... we'd be at DLH at least once.

Question about staying near the Toy Story Parking lot. Was there any trouble with walking there and catching the shuttle?? Is that parking lot less busy? How were the lines for the shuttle when coming back to your hotel? I'm looking at hotels near that parking lot too if its not too much of a problem. That is, if we do stay in the parks all day.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Question about staying near the Toy Story Parking lot. Was there any trouble with walking there and catching the shuttle?? Is that parking lot less busy? How were the lines for the shuttle when coming back to your hotel? I'm looking at hotels near that parking lot too if its not too much of a problem. That is, if we do stay in the parks all day.

It was fine. First off, it's literally kitty-corner to the hotel (Clarion). The hardest part (ha ha) is walking up the slight incline and standing in line for a bus. Which was never really a 'line' because they're always there it seems. Coming back was super easy too. I think the longest we waited was like 5 minutes maybe. It sure felt good to sit down after a full day in the parks.

 

[silvaohana808]

It was fine. First off, it's literally kitty-corner to the hotel (Clarion). The hardest part (ha ha) is walking up the slight incline and standing in line for a bus. Which was never really a 'line' because they're always there it seems. Coming back was super easy too. I think the longest we waited was like 5 minutes maybe. It sure felt good to sit down after a full day in the parks.

awesome!! thanks for the info!

 

[fly girl]

All boils down to personal preference. (and if you can snag a decent rate!)

We are lucky enough to get military discount so I have always stayed onsite. My family loves GCH and how convenient it is, but granted at a premium cost. We typically go only once a year (and skip a year or two sometimes) so we justify the added cost.

But I would never not go to DLR because I had to stay off site. I would just pick a hotel in walking distance that was clean and has favorable reviews.

The one thing that would be the deal breaker is having to mess with a car. Nope. Even when we did a San Diego to Anaheim trip one year, I had dh turn in the rental at Downtown Disney Alamo when we arrived. I checked in to the room, he dealt with the car. We used Uber to get to LAX when our vacation was over. (I hate driving in the midwest, no way would I make it in LA with all that traffic. )

 

[silvaohana808]

All boils down to personal preference. (and if you can snag a decent rate!)

We are lucky enough to get military discount so I have always stayed onsite. My family loves GCH and how convenient it is, but granted at a premium cost. We typically go only once a year (and skip a year or two sometimes) so we justify the added cost.

But I would never not go to DLR because I had to stay off site. I would just pick a hotel in walking distance that was clean and has favorable reviews.

The one thing that would be the deal breaker is having to mess with a car. Nope. Even when we did a San Diego to Anaheim trip one year, I had dh turn in the rental at Downtown Disney Alamo when we arrived. I checked in to the room, he dealt with the car. We used Uber to get to LAX when our vacation was over. (I hate driving in the midwest, no way would I make it in LA with all that traffic. )

yes! I"m hoping we can get a decent rate. I'm leaning towards DLH...we loved it the last time! do you know on average how much percent off the military discount is? My mom is military so maybe she can see what the rate is when we go.

LOL...we have no choice with the car...we're roadtrippin' it from Colorado so we'll have a car...but I'm thinking if we can either stay on site or book a room that's close to the parks or to the parking lot then we can just walk. LA traffic is no joke but we're from Hawaii where traffic is almost just as bad.

Thanks for the info!! very helpful!

 

[fly girl]

yes! I"m hoping we can get a decent rate. I'm leaning towards DLH...we loved it the last time! do you know on average how much percent off the military discount is? My mom is military so maybe she can see what the rate is when we go.

LOL...we have no choice with the car...we're roadtrippin' it from Colorado so we'll have a car...but I'm thinking if we can either stay on site or book a room that's close to the parks or to the parking lot then we can just walk. LA traffic is no joke but we're from Hawaii where traffic is almost just as bad.

Thanks for the info!! very helpful!

Up to 40% off at the Grand Californian
Up to 35% off at the Disneyland Hotel
Up to 30% of at the Paradise Pier

Rooms aren't always available (they only have a certain allotment) so call ASAP to get the rate.

Mom either has to be active duty or retired with a card to show proof. You will have to show it upon check in. You can get discounted tickets too, look up military salutes. Lots of good info!

Cannot do anything about the car with road trip! But I would still stay within walking distance so you will not have to deal with it on park days!

 

[silvaohana808]

Up to 40% off at the Grand Californian
Up to 35% off at the Disneyland Hotel
Up to 30% of at the Paradise Pier

Rooms aren't always available (they only have a certain allotment) so call ASAP to get the rate.

Mom either has to be active duty or retired with a card to show proof. You will have to show it upon check in. You can get discounted tickets too, look up military salutes. Lots of good info!

Cannot do anything about the car with road trip! But I would still stay within walking distance so you will not have to deal with it on park days!

awesome!! I will have her call. Thanks so much! yes...hoping to not use the car on park days! LOL.

 

[maleficent55]

We have had connecting rooms at the Best Western Park Place Inn...you end up with 4 queens, two full size pullout sofas and two bathrooms. Breakfast is included but we’ve never tried it, we like to eat in the parks.

the Camelot inn is in the process of room renovations, they are in the midst of it so some rooms are done and some aren't. They have a two room family suite, only one bathroom, but two queens in one room and a king and pullout sleeper chair in the other room.

Desert Inn has family suites with two bathroom I believe, but I have never stayed there.
If you have a lot of money to spend then by all means stay on property, but otherwise you’re not really getting a ton of bang for your buck in the sense that there will not be any breakfast included and the rooms are small and you’ll have to get more than one which will up the price.

 

[mfleeting]

Hello! We are planning on visiting DLR in October from Oct 12-Oct 19. There will be 4 adults & 4 children (Ages 9, 8, 5, & 2). We are planning on being the park 4 days...so we don't have to rush, take our time, and take in everything we can. Especially with 4 kids, it'll take us a while. ]

If you can afford it then it’s always a nice splurge to do

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I'm also looking at Desert Palms...has anyone stayed there? How long is the walk?

Family of 7 Goes to DLR 2/4-2/10/18 -- this poster loves that hotel and posted photos from her last stay. She has a large family, so hotels that can fit everyone really matter! The walk isn't bad -- it is a lot closer than the Clarion! (And the Clarion gets VERY mixed reviews on this board, so be careful -- some people love it and some people will never go back.) The walk is probably about 15 minutes, all on the same side of Harbor as the parks.

 

[silvaohana808]

Family of 7 Goes to DLR 2/4-2/10/18 -- this poster loves that hotel and posted photos from her last stay. She has a large family, so hotels that can fit everyone really matter! The walk isn't bad -- it is a lot closer than the Clarion! (And the Clarion gets VERY mixed reviews on this board, so be careful -- some people love it and some people will never go back.) The walk is probably about 15 minutes, all on the same side of Harbor as the parks.

oh my goodness!! this is sooo helpful! thank you so so much!

 

[Cal-Pie]

Grand Legacy has a suite with two bathrooms. It's basically two regular hotel rooms with a living room in the middle. So it has two bathrooms, two microwaves, two mini fridges, etc. When we stayed in one, it was the building the furthest back and we asked for a high floor and never heard any noise from the parking lot. They also have a really nice pool area for kids. No slides or anything, but a splash pad area and the pool gradually gets deeper. My boys loved it. Walk is quick and easy to the parks and lots of food options nearby too.

All this time I thought all the suites at GL were in the front building under the bar? That's why I've been avoiding them. Do you happen to know how many suites they have toward the back?

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'm very open to staying onsite. walking distance and driving distance. With that said, based on your dates, I would stay onsite for at least half of the stay and the entire stay if money wasn't an issue. It's a busier time and everything is decked out for Halloween. Even downtown Disney and the hotels are set up with decorations and special food items.

If you decide to buy a Halloween party ticket, you will appreciate going straight to bed after the party without dealing with a drive or a long walk.

 

[silvaohana808]

I'm very open to staying onsite. walking distance and driving distance. With that said, based on your dates, I would stay onsite for at least half of the stay and the entire stay if money wasn't an issue. It's a busier time and everything is decked out for Halloween. Even downtown Disney and the hotels are set up with decorations and special food items.

If you decide to buy a Halloween party ticket, you will appreciate going straight to bed after the party without dealing with a drive or a long walk.

great suggestions! Thank you very much! So excited to see all of the Halloween decorations for the first time!

 

[crystal1313]

All this time I thought all the suites at GL were in the front building under the bar? That's why I've been avoiding them. Do you happen to know how many suites they have toward the back?

Hi! I am not sure how many they have. They did the remodel in phases. The first phase was totally rebuilding the furthest building in the back. Once that was done, they starting on the new lobby/front building. I have not stayed in the new front building. So I cannot compare the two suites. But this suite we had was massive!

 

[silvaohana808]

Thank you so much everyone!! We are still debating on site or off site but the offsite hotels I've narrowed it down to are: Desert Palms and Desert Inn. The other hotels in the surrounding area either aren't available for my dates, they don't have a big enough room for everyone to stay in one room, or it is out of our price range (2 bedroom suite @ Tropicana).

 

[ca819]

I stayed at DLH twice last year and, while it was super expensive, I loved the convenient location and the extra magic hours. If you're an early bird, then you might want to consider that. My mom and I were able to get the majority of rides done at CA Adventure during EMH. The park was virtually empty for an hour.

 

[silvaohana808]

I stayed at DLH twice last year and, while it was super expensive, I loved the convenient location and the extra magic hours. If you're an early bird, then you might want to consider that. My mom and I were able to get the majority of rides done at CA Adventure during EMH. The park was virtually empty for an hour.

yes! we stayed at DLH 4 years ago and absolutely loved it! thanks so much!

 

[StarlitNight05]

I would probably try a split stay in your situation, since you will be there for a week. Start off at Desert Inn & Suites then transfer over to the DLH (even if it's just for a few days). You can check in as early as 6am and will be able to use EMH privileges for check-in day. That way you can test out staying offsite, still save a nice chunk of money, and end your visit with DLH magic!

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

yes! I"m hoping we can get a decent rate. I'm leaning towards DLH...we loved it the last time! do you know on average how much percent off the military discount is? My mom is military so maybe she can see what the rate is when we go.

I can verify Military discount of 40% at GCH. I am retired military and got 40% off for both stays in August and December. I checked PPH for a split stay in November 11/26-11/28 with GCH 11/29-12/3 and it was 30% off but they only had club level available. I am not a fan of PPH's club level so skipped it and am staying off site for those 3 days instead. You have to call the reservation line to book and pay 1 day hotel rate to keep it. You can get 2 rooms per military member per visit.

Definitely look into the Salute tickets- they are a great deal if your mom will be with you.

OPTIONS - all hoppers:

3 DAYS- 181

3 DAYS/ MP- 225

4 DAYS- 201

4 DAYS W/ MP- 260

You can get up to 6 Salute tickets- more if you can prove it's immediate family. They sell them at the gate or you can get them in advance at a base.