Staying on property vs not...

[DisneyMomma81]

If at Grand Californian...
Comfy big chairs in the oversized lobby
Indoor / Outdoor huge fireplace
Walking through Downtown Disney vs. Harbor Blvd traffic

Anyone can enjoy the lobby, fireplaces, you can stay off site and walk through Downtown D - we did last Thanksgiving, stayed @ Stovall's walked along Disneyland Dr. and cut through the Grand/DD to get to the parks! Disneyland Dr. was lovely, quiet, lots of trees/plants/flowers.

And honestly, I dont go for the hotels, I go for the parks first and foremost.

I completely agree!

But if you REALLY plan to use the facilities, ie, pool, restaurants, etc then its worth it for people, especially if you have kids. The main perks is Its close (although there are hotels across from Harbor even closer), quality restaurants (but more expensive of course) and there are cool experiences like character dining, nice atmosphere like the lobby at GCH and so on! So there are things worth doing, but again only if you really plan to take advantage of it!

Again anyone can use the facilites other than the pool. We eat @ WWS and Storytellers often, love enjoying the lobby during the holidays!

You have to try it at least once! The magic mornings are also a great perk. Spending time in the lobby is a favorite for us.

I agree with trying it once, MMs are nice, especially when you have an AP and don't have any! We in the past have done splits stays, never more than 2 nights on sight, we like to start our visit off site. Again anyone can spend some time in the lobby!!

They simply can't afford to offer acres of landscaped grounds, gazebos, restaurants, shopping, activities, etc etc. characters in the lobby, topiary Disney shrubs, a giant lit Sorcerer's hat, *character meals, At the resort hotels there are *spas, pools & hot tubs, entertainment.

Again anyone can enjoy the landscaped grounds, restaurants, shopping, *some activities. Find out when characters will be the lobby and visit the lobby then, we've been to every resort character meal *you don't need to be a guest of a DLR hotel to dine in one of the resort restaurants. The spa @ the Grand, I'll be visiting in Oct & we're @ HoJo, my mom visited last Thanksgiving & we were at Stovall's! I have yet to stay @ an off site hotel that did not have a pool & hot tub, yes slides are hard to come by. But we aren't there for the pools we're there for the parks!

OP maybe you could try a split stay, start off site and finish on site!

 

[larina]

...Find out when characters will be the lobby and visit the lobby then...

This seems like cheating to me. The characters in the lobby of the hotels are there to visit with paying hotel guests. It is not a public meet and greet. If it were intended to be one there would be signs posted in public places (like DTD or just on walkways) with the times listed.

Anyone can appreciate the grounds, shop in the shops and eat in the restaurants. I encourage people to make time to do just that (we always spend at least an hour in each resort hotel, there's so much to see and do in them), but don't abuse perks that are intended for paying resort guests.

 

[KCmike]

Anyone can enjoy the lobby, fireplaces, you can stay off site and walk through Downtown D - we did last Thanksgiving, stayed @ Stovall's walked along Disneyland Dr. and cut through the Grand/DD to get to the parks! Disneyland Dr. was lovely, quiet, lots of trees/plants/flowers.

Not trying to be difficult here but have to say that when you stay onsite you tend to sit back, relax, and really take in the amenities like the grand lobby, the fireplace after a swim outside, and enjoying walking through downtown disney on your way home. I can't tell you how many times I woke up early and went down and enjoyed the lobby. We have stayed offsite as many times as we have stayed on site and its really not the same. Also regarding Harbor Blvd: I don't like walking back in the late night to my hotel/motel. I have seen several homeless people and if I wasn't walking back in a group I wouldn't feel comfortable having my wife or children doing that by themselves. I have heard numerous accounts of cars being broken into outside the resort as well. With that being said we are saving money this time around and settling in at the Fairfield Inn. Shannon, for us when we stay off property it really is about the parks and we make little time for all the goodness of the Disney hotels. We might make a quick stop at the Grand to take a pic but rarely do we spend more time there. Maybe cause it makes me sad that I'm not staying there?

The Disney property hotels are just head and shoulders above the good neighbors. IF they would have ran any kind of deal I would have forked up the cash.

All this is just my two cents.

 

[darph nader]

I know this sounds 'low budget',(it is). We really miss the camp grounds in the corner where 'someone' decided to put up a multi-level parking lot.

I know it sound like a redneck thing,,,but it was FUN.

 

[taaren]

The main perk to staying on-site was well put on another thread discussing this, its that you never have to leave the Disney "bubble". The service is phenomenal, everything is squeaky clean, there's little to no traffic to deal with, you park your car then only walk through DTD to get to the parks, and reality doesn't intrude on your vacation.

We love the parks, but no longer do them like we used to, now we go and relax and enjoy going back and forth to the room/pool etc.

If you're just going to open and close the parks and not use the pools/go back for naps, its wasted money (other than the MMs) to upgrade to on-site. However, if you want a vacation experience that takes advantage of all the amenities and makes the realities of life go away (ie indigents on Harbor, gum on the street, etc), then its simply magical to stay on-site.

We can't afford it for every trip, but for the ones we can it really transforms the experience.

 

[fctiger]

I think I have it figured out:

For the summer (beginning June 18):

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY -
- EMH for DCA for Disney Resort guests
- APEE for DL (must be booked at least 3 days ahead of time)

TUESDAY, THURSDAY, SATURDAY, & SUNDAY -
- APEE for DCA (must be booked at least 3 days ahead of time)
- MM for DL for Disney Resort guests and those holding 3-day or longer park passes (pass holders have one MM, resort guests every available day throughout their stay)

So I agree that EMH to DCA for Disney resort guests is a huge perk, since SOMEONE will be in both parks early every day this summer.

Yes...on site guests will now get Tuesday Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at DL and Monday, Wednesday and Friday at DCA. Getting in early to DCA, especially for the rest of this year, is a huge perk IMO. The park hoppers usually only allow one early entry and I think only for DL. The DCA early entry, for now, is only for resort guests, I believe. I like to stay onsite, but have stayed off site when it makes sense to. For the Expos I stay at Jolly Roger..it's close to Convention Center and cheap. When I come out Sunday for the Carsland thing I'll stay at the Carousel..I won't be in the room hardly at all and it's a one night stay. For Destination D we had booked at HoJo for a couple nights before the event (at a convention in San Diego right before and not worth it to go home for 2 days then come back out) but a killer hotel deal was offered at DLH so changed all nights to that. So...depends on the trip..and for a resort trip this year, I think on site has a big benefit in its column. They may even do the fastpasses they have done in the past for resort guests and with Radiator Racers that could be a big deal indeed.

Ok, thanks to both of you!

Yeah you laid it out well because I was reeeeaaaally confused lol. But after looking at that, I suspect a lot of hotel guest will be just as confused this summer too trying to figure out who can go where on each day!

And certainly I agree IF you are planning on doing the early entries, then yes the Disney hotels are very worth it. If you ARENT then it will depend on other factors like how much you use the facilities and how close you want to be, etc. I dont think the rooms themselves are all that much better than you will find at the Hilton or Hyatt frankly. In fact GCH rooms feel a little small to me when you consider what you are paying for, but I dont mind since it was just two of us last time.

But YES, you did bring up a good point about last summer that I completely forgot about and that was getting the 2 FPs to use for any ride last summer. That was a GREAT plus and got me on Star Tours about 3-4 times in one day (MM+regular FP+regular FP+hotel FP). So yeah I will agree those perks do add up if you take advantage of them.

I'm actually a little bummed I didnt hear about the 2 FP deal again this year! That alone might have convinced me to do a Disney hotel alone, especially for RSR which will be SWAMPED!!!!

 

[DizMe]

Ok, thanks to both of you!

Yeah you laid it out well because I was reeeeaaaally confused lol. But after looking at that, I suspect a lot of hotel guest will be just as confused this summer too trying to figure out who can go where on each day!

And certainly I agree IF you are planning on doing the early entries, then yes the Disney hotels are very worth it. If you ARENT then it will depend on other factors like how much you use the facilities and how close you want to be, etc. I dont think the rooms themselves are all that much better than you will find at the Hilton or Hyatt frankly. In fact GCH rooms feel a little small to me when you consider what you are paying for, but I dont mind since it was just two of us last time.

But YES, you did bring up a good point about last summer that I completely forgot about and that was getting the 2 FPs to use for any ride last summer. That was a GREAT plus and got me on Star Tours about 3-4 times in one day (MM+regular FP+regular FP+hotel FP). So yeah I will agree those perks do add up if you take advantage of them.

I'm actually a little bummed I didnt hear about the 2 FP deal again this year! That alone might have convinced me to do a Disney hotel alone, especially for RSR which will be SWAMPED!!!!

I always had trouble remembering the MM days, but someone posted once that it's on days that begin with 'T' and 'S'.

So...now it's the same, with the T & S days being DL and adding the others (M,W,F) for DCA.

It will still be confusing figuring out the times, though!

 

[Zbugz]

I know this sounds 'low budget',(it is). We really miss the camp grounds in the corner where 'someone' decided to put up a multi-level parking lot.

I know it sound like a redneck thing,,,but it was FUN.

I stayed there when I was a kid and have always wondered what happened to it.

 

[hootey]

We have stayed off property three times and on property five times. We will simply no go if we can not stay on property. Every time we have stayed off property, the visits cost a lot more, have to deal with street people going to and from the hotel or those gawdy-awful livestock shuttles, hotel staffs that are rude at best, small cheap rooms, small televisions with horrible reception for the morning news, and lots of noise.
When we stay on property, everything is paid in advance, except snacks and keepsakes, lots of amenities, very quiet large rooms that are very well designed and furnished, large pools, waterslides, jacuzzies, characters on grounds and in lobbies, everything is spotless, very friendly and profesional staff always happy to answer a question or assist in some way, high quality restaurants and gift shops, always have hot water in rooms, ttmm, early admission and private entrance to DCA, easy access to monorail, gift or souvineer express service, and the disney cast mambers in the parks always seem to be a little nicer when they know you are a disney guest. These are the reasons I have off the top of my head so to speak. Need more?....

 

[larina]

hootey said it well. It is just a whole different experience to stay on-site. If ANY kind of a decent deal comes up between now and then, we'll transfer to on-site for our next trip, or maybe just make two trips

 

[limace]

Oh gosh, some of the people above make it sound like you're walking through Modadishu to get from a Good Neighbor hotel to a park. That's silly. Some of the Good Neighbor Hotels are closer than the Disney hotels, and you're paying (at least for this summer) about 25% of the price of a stay at the GCH to stay offsite. To be honest, if I want a resort experience, I'll go to a resort somewhere, for much less money. In DL, I'm coming to be at the park, and it's just not worth it to me unless you can get a screaming deals (and there sure aren't any screaming deals to be found right now).

As I mention every time we get to one of these threads, I stay onsite now at WDW, and not at DL in general, as the perks at WDW are so much greater (and distances are so much farther) than they are here.

HOWEVER, since what you want to do is convince your husband, I think you'll want to focus on the early entry perks. You're going in October, right, so I can't imagine it'll be too crazy when you're there (unfortunate, because if it was insane, then you'd have a better chance of convincing him to upgrade next time ). I'd say try and get a pin, walk him through the DL resort hotels, or else save the money and book it yourself and surprise him. That's actually my hope for our August trip-which I guess negates much of what I said above-but I may book a night or two at the DLH as a surprise for my family at the end of our trip, just because I really want the early entry perks.

Another great option for you if you can plan at least 11 mos in advance is to rent DVC points to stay at the GCH. The units are much nicer and it's generally signifcantly cheaper. Here's the point chart, and you can typically rent points for $12 each. For instance, GCH normal rooms are $500 a night this summer (!!!!!!) but if I could rent points to stay at one, they'd cost $312, in a better room, on a weeknight. Highly recommend this option.

 

[jenergy]

We have stayed off property three times and on property five times. We will simply no go if we can not stay on property. Every time we have stayed off property, the visits cost a lot more, have to deal with street people going to and from the hotel or those gawdy-awful livestock shuttles, hotel staffs that are rude at best, small cheap rooms, small televisions with horrible reception for the morning news, and lots of noise.
When we stay on property, everything is paid in advance, except snacks and keepsakes, lots of amenities, very quiet large rooms that are very well designed and furnished, large pools, waterslides, jacuzzies, characters on grounds and in lobbies, everything is spotless, very friendly and profesional staff always happy to answer a question or assist in some way, high quality restaurants and gift shops, always have hot water in rooms, ttmm, early admission and private entrance to DCA, easy access to monorail, gift or souvineer express service, and the disney cast mambers in the parks always seem to be a little nicer when they know you are a disney guest. These are the reasons I have off the top of my head so to speak. Need more?....

This pretty much sums it up. I will only stay off-property for last minute trips that I can't save enough up for to stay on-property. It really is a so much better experience staying at the DLR, especially if you like to do things in DTD. I mean, any other hotel you stay in you won't want to walk to/from and motels remind me of every horror movie ever made (especially the motels in Anaheim!). Sometimes even PPH feels too far for me after a long day.

 

[engo]

We're staying at a Good Neighbour hotel this time around, but my husband is... umm, "frugal" (though I prefer to call him cheap), and told me that staying on property is not worth the money.

How about a split stay on-site for a day or two, followed by off-site stay? That would give you an idea what you miss and whether it's worth the money.

 

[GrandBob]

This pretty much sums it up. I will only stay off-property for last minute trips that I can't save enough up for to stay on-property. It really is a so much better experience staying at the DLR, especially if you like to do things in DTD. I mean, any other hotel you stay in you won't want to walk to/from and motels remind me of every horror movie ever made (especially the motels in Anaheim!). Sometimes even PPH feels too far for me after a long day.

Oh, for crying out loud! The surrounding area is perfectly safe and clean. I agree with limace's comment above - it ain't Mogadishu.

Anyway, if PPH feels too far for you, you may want to try someplace closer, like PVI or BWPPI.

I can understand stating a preference, though mine is not to be raked over the coals with outrageous rates. But let's keep some perspective here.

 

[larina]

How about a split stay on-site for a day or two, followed by off-site stay? That would give you an idea what you miss and whether it's worth the money.

I'd start off-site and move on-site, if you go with a split stay. Lots of people have done it both ways and the general consensus seems to be that staying on-site and moving off is disappointing.

 

[jenergy]

Oh, for crying out loud! The surrounding area is perfectly safe and clean. I agree with limace's comment above - it ain't Mogadishu.

Anyway, if PPH feels too far for you, you may want to try someplace closer, like PVI or BWPPI.

I can understand stating a preference, though mine is not to be raked over the coals with outrageous rates. But let's keep some perspective here.

I never said it wasn't safe, I said that motels (in general) remind me of horror movies with a note about Anaheim from a purely cosmetic standpoint. I understand Anaheim isn't Tijuana but it isn't the Hamptons either haha and we are definitely keeping some perspective if we are to call it clean.

I'm just trying to give the OP reasons to give her husband to stay on property instead of off property like she asked, not give a pros and cons list.

 

[DizMe]

Oh gosh, some of the people above make it sound like you're walking through Modadishu to get from a Good Neighbor hotel to a park. That's silly. Some of the Good Neighbor Hotels are closer than the Disney hotels, and you're paying (at least for this summer) about 25% of the price of a stay at the GCH to stay offsite. To be honest, if I want a resort experience, I'll go to a resort somewhere, for much less money. In DL, I'm coming to be at the park, and it's just not worth it to me unless you can get a screaming deals (and there sure aren't any screaming deals to be found right now).

I didn't read where anyone made it sound awful, but it is absolutely true that you will encounter hawkers & street people. I have twice had to step over a homeless person lying across the sidewalk at night. Once I heard a rustling in the bushes as I was walking on the sidewalk back to Hojo's (across the street) and saw a man in there. It was just my daughter and me, and though nothing happened it still made me uneasy and I will not walk on that side of the street at night now. I saw someone's kid almost get hit by a car crossing at the main crosswalk. I just don't like Harbor and there is no way it compares with DTD. Some of the motels are technically closer, but it really does not feel like it to me. You have to wait for traffic, you have to go with the flow of all the others walking with you, and while not awful, the area's not great, either. Walking through DTD is still an exercise in commercialism, but it's less strip mall and more resorty.

I have never paid 4 times as much for a DLR hotel. In fact, I've paid a relatively small amount more than I'd have spent at BWPPI, PVI, or Hojo. On average, I spend about $75 night more for DLH or GCH. Sure, that adds up, but you're not just throwing it away--you're getting more for your money. For some that's not a big deal, for others it's huge. We usually stay 3 nights so it's $225 more for my family of 5 to stay onsite. Whether or not that's worth it is a very individual assessment. You should see something similar in Oct.

HOWEVER, since what you want to do is convince your husband, I think you'll want to focus on the early entry perks. You're going in October, right, so I can't imagine it'll be too crazy when you're there (unfortunate, because if it was insane, then you'd have a better chance of convincing him to upgrade next time ). I'd say try and get a pin, walk him through the DL resort hotels, or else save the money and book it yourself and surprise him. That's actually my hope for our August trip-which I guess negates much of what I said above-but I may book a night or two at the DLH as a surprise for my family at the end of our trip, just because I really want the early entry perks.

This is a great idea. With my husband, I booked us into DLH and I made a vague mention of a great deal I found the first time we stayed there. The next time, we stayed at Hojo's with a retro rate and my DH said he would rather pay the extra to stay onsite, so it can work! We did enjoy our stay at Hojo very much, but since we view the hotel as a big part of our family vacation, we usually stay onsite and are lucky to be able to budget for it.

 

[ValpoCory]

Renting DVC points at the Villas at the Grand Californian is the only way my family could afford to stay on property. For 6 nights in January, we are paying $178.33 per night, final cost.

 

[nunzia]

I have had decent experiences and not so great experiences staying off site, but I have always had a great experience staying onsite. One time while walking back to the Jolly Roger there was a guy swinging chains around that he wrapped all around his body and screaming about being saved. OK..a bit icky and not a magical way to end the day. However, it is usually fine and I have no grief with folks who prefer to stay off site for any number of reasons, and I also have no grief for anyone who just prefers onsite..again, for a variety of reasons. BTW we found parts of October quite busy when ther around theHalloween parties. Our party was sold out and frankly was pretty darn packed with a worse fireworks crowd than certain times when the park was open to all (the Haloween fireworks..what I could see of them..were really amazing though, and well worth it)
I'll be staying at the Carousel on Sunday night and expect it will be fine. I bought DVC points since I really love the Grand, but DVC rooms were booked and points were tight and cash was too much for the one barely there night I'm staying.

 

[kkmcan]

We have always stayed off site but as I get older I get pickier. We do use our hotel. We aren't just there to sleep. We take 3-4 hour breaks in the afternoon and we almost always use the pool and jacuzzi. The couple of times we stayed at the Anaheim Plaza really brought our trip down.

It was so not exciting to go back to rest in that room. It felt icky and it was icky.

So while I have never stayed on property before, I do think I'm turning into a hotel snob.

The hotel is a big part of our trip. I have to have a hotel that has a pool and a jacuzzi. That warm water feels so good when my body is aching.

Now that our kids are older, dh and I can leave the kids for an hour and hit the hotel bar for drinks. Not easy to do in a motel, so I"m looking forward to that for our first ever on property stay in Oct!!!!! 2 nights at DLH and 2 nights at the Grand!