Stressing over Good Neighbor Hotels

[Luv2Diz]

We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn for 6 nights last month and loved it! This was our second stay there. Not a dump at all. Beautiful landscaping, nice rooms and very friendly, efficient staff. Nice, free breakfast. And a nice swimming pool. It's not huge but people were sure enjoying it!

No, CCI isn't the Poly, GF or WL, but the price is considerably less. Loved the CCI location only a 10 minute walk from the parks. Or that they have a shuttle if you prefer that.

I will book Candy Cane yet again for our next trip to DLR.

 

[GatorChris]

I know the stress you're feeling. I'm a WDW vet with 57 nights at their resort hotels and 60+ days at the parks. I'll just say that DL just doesn't compare with WDW when it comes to that "escape in the magic" feel. Period.

We stayed at Tropicana back in 06 and it was not a very clean place. So when we return last year, we spent the extra cash and stayed at Paradise Pier and it was a lot cleaner. The pool and slide is nice as well. The elevators were slow, though, and the hot water was spotty and best. Not a great experience like at a WDW resort (All Stars excluded). Our next trip we're trying HoJo - and the main reason is the waterpark. My kids think water is the greatest and they'll hit a waterslide in 50 degree weather.

Just know that once you hit the parks, it's all good.

 

[bcla]

I took it as tongue and cheek hyperbole.

Our preferred place is the Hilton. I know a lot of people think it's too far and don't like that they charge for internet/parking and don't have breakfast included (except for special rates). However, it's a Hilton. It's a well-maintained business-class hotel that primarily serves the convention-goer. The rooms have been impeccable and the beds extremely comfortable. The in-room amenities are first rate.

And the best part is that their rates are based on convention business, which doesn't correlate with peak Disneyland visitation. I remember getting a ridiculously cheap rate around Thanksgiving. It wasn't too busy and it was a great stay. I even saw the college basketball team I root for, which was participating in a basketball tournament at the convention center arena. I mean - I didn't go to the games, but I chatted briefly with a couple of coaches I'd met before.

 

[rramstad]

Good Neighbor Hotels are just in a marketing deal with Disney.

They aren't necessarily any better or worse than other hotels in the area.

Ramada Maingate has been our go to hotel for exactly the things you indicated were important. Short walking distance, reasonably comfortable rooms and beds, nice pool. Breakfast is semi minimal but included.

It's NOT the GCH, or DLH... and if you want something fancy you won't be in walking distance unless you go with GCH, or DLH, at substantially higher cost.

Our views are skewed in that we spend relatively little time in the room. Late afternoon for big late lunch or dinner, sleeping at night, that's it, so the fancy hotel would be kind of lost on us anyway. We did the GCH once and loved it but never really used the amenities enough for it to be worth the cost.

People here have made some other suggestions that we've taken very seriously but never gone with. BWPPI, Fairfield Inn, and HoJos probably get the most comments here on the Dis. Definitely some people who really like Candy Cane as well. I'm probably missing one or two but IMHO a recommendation from the board is infinitely better than picking a hotel because it is a "Good Neighbor Hotel" which again is just a marketing thing, not a sign of quality...

 

[southlakejr]

I haven't personally visited the hotel in 20 years, but the Castle Inn and Suites just completed a bunch of room remodels. It's a little farther, but it really isn't a bad walk at all.

We've also stayed at the Doubletree, which was nice. But the shuttle thing was a pain.

 

[zap]

Within the past 10 years I have stayed at three different off site hotels.

Carousel Inn was ok but not great. Best part about it was could watch fireworks from observation room. Rooms are small and nothing special but you could pay more for bigger rooms with more amenities. Provided breakfast was not good but I'm VERY picky. Pretty short walk to main gate. This was close to 10 years ago so all this may have changed.

Annabella was the worst of the three. Dirty, moldy, loud guests, and way too far from the main gates to comfortably walk. Looks like it is well over a mile walk. Terrible food. Too expensive for what you get. Probably about 6 years ago.

Park Vue Inn was best so far but not sure it counts as Good Neighbor. Their website says they are a Good Neighbor hotel but they aren't mentioned on Disney's site like the previous hotels I mentioned. Opted to pay a bit more and we got an end room with king bet and Jacuzzi tub. The room was recently remodeled. It was my birthday so I let them know and they gave me a coupon for small ice cream cake from on site Cold Stone Creamery. We sat in the tub and had ice cream cake. Food is not great but people other guests ate it anyway. That was February this year. Planning on staying here in November. About as close as you can get to main gate from off site hotel. I think there is one other off site that is closer but maybe by only 20 feet or so. Even closer than Disneyland hotel.

Of course, I would LOVE to stay at on site hotel but just can't afford it.

On an unrelated note... Steakhouse 55 is great for breakfast while everyone else is at Goofy's Kitchen. Kids are now grown and we prefer less crowded venues when available. There is also a bar with good food and not many people. We thought this was an amazing find.

 

[mummabear]

I think the outsides often don't look that great because the buildings close by have been there for so long. They are going to spend the money and time out of business to knock them down and build from scratch as it would be worth it for them financially. I do think the rooms are usually kept updated though (and I am sure the intermittently do upkeep on the outside too)
We were happy with the Hojo, the rooms were fine-quite large and with everything we needed (we have a pack and play, a double stroller and 5 large suitcases and still had room to move around. Great water play area plus a pool.

I agree with a PP though, you can't compare it to a deluxe resort though they won't stack up.

 

[RoyalPrincess]

If most of the Good Neighbor Hotels around Disneyland, (including the Carousel - in my opinion is a great hotel), look like "dumps" to you, I would definitely stay at the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel.

Any hotel (including the Grand Californian, even check) have really terrible reviews. They don't verify that people actually stayed in the hotel before they wrote those reviews.

If you don't want to stay in a, as you say, "dump" then I would stay in the Grand Californian.

 

[Sherry E]

We were getting reports behind the scenes, so I swooped in and deleted some unnecessary posts. Let's stay polite and respectful of each other, shall we? If someone says something you don't like, ignore it and move on.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

I've been reviewing some of the Good Neighbor Hotels on the podcast & blog. You can find a list with links HERE.

 

[Sherry E]

I've been reviewing some of the Good Neighbor Hotels on the podcast & blog. You can find a list with links HERE.

Tom --

You read my mind. I was just trying to find the list with links, or at least links to a few of your blogs about the different places, to share here! I thought it was such a good idea to do a series on the Good Neighbors and I knew it would be helpful! You beat me to the punch!

 

[BBQMonster]

If you don't need to be within walking distance the Doubletree Orange is a great hotel. They have a free shuttle that will take you to and from Disney. We stay there most Friday nights during the summer and have done so for years. Hope this helps.
BBQMonster

 

[MommyJKM]

We like the Fairfield Inn right across the street. I'm not sure it's a Good Neighbor, but they have reasonable rates ($169/night)

The other 5 directly next to it and across the street from DL (HoJo, Carousel Inn, Camelot Inn, BW Park Place, Tropicana) are maintained well!! Don't worry

 

[chrisaman]

I took it as tongue and cheek hyperbole. Our preferred place is the Hilton. I know a lot of people think it's too far and don't like that they charge for internet/parking and don't have breakfast included (except for special rates). However, it's a Hilton. It's a well-maintained business-class hotel that primarily serves the convention-goer. The rooms have been impeccable and the beds extremely comfortable. The in-room amenities are first rate. And the best part is that their rates are based on convention business, which doesn't correlate with peak Disneyland visitation. I remember getting a ridiculously cheap rate around Thanksgiving. It wasn't too busy and it was a great stay. I even saw the college basketball team I root for, which was participating in a basketball tournament at the convention center arena. I mean - I didn't go to the games, but I chatted briefly with a couple of coaches I'd met before.

we stayed there on our last trip. We thought it was very nice and we liked it. We are use to staying at four and five star hotels wherever we go and I would put it on par with all the other 4 star hotels. They do get u with lots of fees but I feel their rates are pretty low for what u get so in the end it all evens out

 

[GracieB]

Although not right across the street, they are more upscale, and are less than the on-site hotels.

 

[zanzibar138]

I think you are setting yourself up for disappointment comparing the cheaper offsite hotels to WDW deluxe accommodation. The hotels closest to DLR are set up for practicality and convenience, not luxury. They are just a place to shower and sleep. For me, the 'luxury' is being able to walk across to DLR in 5-10 minutes. As someone else mentioned, you will find bad reviews about anything. As long as the majority are good, I usually don't bother too much about it. Having said that, there are places on Harbor that get better reviews than Carousel.

If you want luxury, stick with the higher end chains like Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton etc. You'll have to sacrifice the convenience of a short walk, but it would still be walkable. I'm not sure if these places have a dedicated shuttle, or whether you'd have to catch the ART. As someone else mentioned, these hotels cater for the convention crowd, so you can expect business luxury, not resort luxury.

With your current mindset, the only hotels I can see you enjoying would probably be the DLH or GC. As you've already mentioned that they're not in your budget, you will have to manage your expectations accordingly.

 

[katclicks]

We stayed at the towne place suites last year. It was on the ART line and was at most a 10 minute ride each morning. It had a wonderful breakfast and our room had a small kitchen that was useful for keeping our food in-we drove and had some perishables. It was clean and quite. I would stay there again for sure.

 

[joelybelly]

The hilton is our hotel of choice and have not been disappointed. We have stayed there 5 times! We love it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Op, the carousel will be like pop or an all stars, but without the bright paint and Disney touches. It's a motel with doors opening to the outside, with staircases.

I stayed there one night and wasn't a huge fan but there were other things going on that colored my views. It's hard to beat the location.

I like the hilton, I enjoy staying at anabella (the trick is to walk towards paradise pier and grand Californian and go to DTD via the path through the grand), and the ramada plaza (the hotel on katella, not the maingate motel on harbor) is good too. I liked HoJo but that's when the rates were better.

When you see how close carousel is (and try some pizza press pizza!) it will really make up for any perceived (or real) wear and tear.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

We love the Candy Cane Inn. If you go into not expecting a Disney hotel and all of the touches that go along with one, I think you would be happy. Its very clean, beds are comfy, the property is old but well maintained and has very pretty grounds, the pool is small but clean and pretty, free decent breakfast, 5-10 min walk to the park, free private shuttle and free parking. The staff is always friendly and accommodating.
I can't speak for the Carousel, but not all places on Harbor are dumps...but there is a good amount of Harbor motels that I have stayed at would not stay at again. 10+ visits to CCI and we have not been disappointed.