The Disneyland Hotel - To Stay or Not to Stay...that is the question...

[Nonsuch]

...BUT....man, it's still THE Disneyland Hotel. And any self-respecting Disney fan has to stay at least once, right? So maybe one or two nights? Yeah, but what a pain to have to change hotels. I hate that more than overspending for a hotel.

Changing hotels wastes time (and sucks the magic) out of the middle of a visit.

Not sure how flexible your plans are but maybe you could try to plan a trip to participate in an event like Fall/Spring Dapper Days or Gay Days weekend when rooms are significantly discounted...

Good advice. The big Gay Days event is always the first weekend in October, but a smaller Spring event usually takes place in March (this year was only announced about 3 months in advance). Dapper Day event dates are announced further in advance (Spring 2017 is April 23).

 

[GaryDis]

And any self-respecting Disney fan has to stay at least once, right?

I don't remember reading that one had to be financially reckless in order to be a self-respecting Disney fan.

 

[Pooh2]

Our one and only visit to Disneyland was at the Disneyland hotel. We loved it!!
That being said, at the prices you are looking at I think I would just stay there the last night for the experience and save all that money towards fun meals or extras at the park.

 

[Canuck16]

The price of the 3 onsite hotels at DLR are too rich for our blood so we would never consider staying at any of them. Some of the offsite hotels are just as nice and are just as close to the parks if not closer.

We are going in December and scored a 2 queen bed studio at the Hilton for $109 CDN a night! So we are getting 4 nights there for less than it would cost us for one night at the Disneyland Hotel. I'm willing to walk 20 minutes for savings like that as we hit the parks hard when we go to DLR so our room is only for sleeping so we can't justify paying the high prices for one of the onsite hotels.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I was recently considering a booking at the onsite hotels for next March. The cost of one night was the same as 3 nights at Homewood Suites (the older one). Homewood Suites has a full hot breakfast and a full kitchen. It's such a better bargain that even though it would be nice to be on site, I think it will be even nicer to have much more spending money in the parks. Plus, eating out all the time is very expensive and the free breakfast makes a significant difference.

 

[pokee99]

Thanks to everyone for all of the great replies! Your opinions and comments are greatly appreciated. I've already booked a 'back-up' hotel with a 24 hour cancellation policy, so I can check for better rates for the DLH right up until we leave. My family is still pretty determined to stay there, so I'm gonna do my best! The tip about checking Expedia at the end of the year is a good one - I would much rather book with them in CAD$. Wish me luck!

 

[Dr. G]

I wish you well in whatever you decide. Each person gets value out of different things. We've never stayed at any of the 3 DLR hotels so I can't speak from personal experience. I don't get the "magic" of walking through Downtown Disney that some refer to, I but respect that they feel it; for me once I'm past the World of Disney I don't feel any Disney at all between there and the hotels. We do enjoy walking around the DLH sometimes when we are there. We enjoy the ambiance for free (of course, we can't use the pool) and then leave. We also enjoy walking into the GCH and looking around for a bit for free and then leaving. Our ideal target is $100-$120 per night (including taxes) and we almost always get that within walking distance on Harbor. So in terms of hotel cost we can do 3-4 trips instead of just 1. We spend most of our time in the park and I'd rather relax on Main Street, the back of Flo's, in Critter Country, etc than in a hotel room. All that said, if I could find the DLH for under $200/night sometime I'd definitely stay there for the experience to actually see for myself. Maybe after that I'd be hooked and not be able to go back to Harbor.

Good luck on finding at rate at which you get value from your stay! I'm sure it will be wonderful!

 

[jammyjam25]

I wish you well in whatever you decide. Each person gets value out of different things. We've never stayed at any of the 3 DLR hotels so I can't speak from personal experience. I don't get the "magic" of walking through Downtown Disney that some refer to, I but respect that they feel it; for me once I'm past the World of Disney I don't feel any Disney at all between there and the hotels. We do enjoy walking around the DLH sometimes when we are there. We enjoy the ambiance for free (of course, we can't use the pool) and then leave. We also enjoy walking into the GCH and looking around for a bit for free and then leaving. Our ideal target is $100-$120 per night (including taxes) and we almost always get that within walking distance on Harbor. So in terms of hotel cost we can do 3-4 trips instead of just 1. We spend most of our time in the park and I'd rather relax on Main Street, the back of Flo's, in Critter Country, etc than in a hotel room. All that said, if I could find the DLH for under $200/night sometime I'd definitely stay there for the experience to actually see for myself. Maybe after that I'd be hooked and not be able to go back to Harbor.

Good luck on finding at rate at which you get value from your stay! I'm sure it will be wonderful!

If you go during Gay Days or Dapper Days weekends you should be able to get the DLH for just under $200. We are going for our second Gay Days weekend in about a month and are paying $194/night. Paradise Pier is even cheaper at appx $180. Might be worth looking into for that chance to experience it!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Don't feel pressured by teens. I heard bad advice from someone, pressured my family into it & we didn't have as much fun as their original plan. You pay the bills and $500 a night is not in the budget for the majority of families.