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

[5forMickey]

One more comment about the deposit. DLH didn't use to charge a one night fee for room only reservations, in fact you were able to reserve with the hotel directly. People really took advantage of that and would book multiple places waiting until the last minute to decide where they were staying which left Disney holding empty rooms. I wasn't surprised at all when they went to a one night deposit up front, instead I'm amazed that it took so long. Its a little harder to hold multiple reservations at different places if you actually have to put money on the line. I'm amazed that all the hotels in that area don't require it. I see them moving to this with ADRs in the future. I really had to think about WOC dessert this year and what night I really wanted to go when I had to pay for all 8 spots up front instead of reserving for say three different days and deciding at the last minute which night I wanted to go.

Also, while we have never had major issues, we have had some small hick ups during our stays and the management always goes above and beyond to work with us. Our last trip I wasn't very happy about being put in Frontier Tower, it was kind of a Hugh mix up. They weren't able to move us as they were booked, but they bent over backwards to make it better (we had an amazing meal compd at steakhouse 55 which was completely overboard for my complaint but they really felt bad we weren't totally happy) and gave me a direct person to talk to for our next stay so there wasn't any miscommunication. If anyone leaves with complaints about management it's because they didn't give them the opportunity to correct the issue.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I am a huge fan of DLH! The staff is amazing! I love the headboards and the ambiance they add to the room. I couldn't swing it at the prices you were quoted, but I agree with the above poster that said to keep checking.

Something else to consider when deciding on the value is the level of service you receive at a Disney hotel. There is a huge difference (to me) between a hotel and a motel. Having Bell Services available so that I don't have to figure out how to schlep everything to the room is HUGE for me! (I'm going to have to figure out how to get everything to our room at the Camelot when we go in Oct. Being disabled and using an ECV adds an additional wrinkle. )

 

[aristocat65]

You've received some excellent advice here! I agree with all of it. The Disneyland Hotel is my favourite of the onsite hotels and I'm so glad we stayed there a few years ago. I think I paid around $200 with an Expedia discount code a night and I thought that was high once you add tax, parking, exchange (yes, we are also Canadian). If you have never done so, I absolutely would stay there, but like everyone says-wait!! If you can be a little flexible with your dates that helps and Sunday to Thurs is cheaper than weekends. There may be sales and if not the Cheaptickets codes are great. LMTclub.com is also good and has DLH on offer right now for $280 at the end of August, so keep an eye on them. The deals are out there! You can usually get a free membership code online. I got one at Thanksgiving a few years ago and i seem to be a member forever!
For now, you could book a back up hotel that can be cancelled. There are a lot of nice new hotels in the area now. We are staying at the Hyatt House this time as we have quite a bit of travel planned in the next year and I didn't want to blow so much on Disney this time.

 

[AussieNSW]

I am one of those people whose expectations I think we're to high. I had built up the idea of staying at the Disneyland hotel since I was little and coming all the way from Australia it seemed like when I was growing up it was an impossible dream. I had up until this year now visited Disneyland 3 times and WDW 3 times. Each time at DLR we had stayed off property due to the extreme cost to us factoring in our exchange rates. At WDW we had stayed off property once and both of the other times we stayed on property at Grand Floridian. Staying on property at WDW made a huge difference and we felt was worth it. This year I decided to celebrate the year before I turn 50 with a stay at the Disneyland hotel. We spent 2 nights and I was really disappointed I felt the rooms were shabby, the place was understaffed which meant you couldn't really blame them for the lack of service or the lack of personality they were showing. We did like the bed head but felt for the amount of money we paid and the extremely poor internet actually most of the time not working at all we were really let down. I keep on making excuses for them such as the grand Floridian both times was such a magical experience ( we always stayed in the cheapest rooms) with brilliant staff, it's Disneyland the hotel was built a long time ago. The reality for us is that I have been there once will never spend that much money to stay at that hotel again. I would prefer to spend the money on a cheaper hotel which we ended up moving to and it was of a much better quality and spending the money on experiences at DLR that we wouldn't normally do.

 

[Zbugz]

I've stayed at the DLH once for $184 per night. It was worth that, and I enjoyed the view out my window and the pool. The sheets were amazing. But, I would not have enjoyed it if I had paid what they are charging these days. That is just my personality. Honestly all of my trips to DL in which I stayed off property have been just as fun/magical as that trip (except for the one time the whole family got sick, but that is another story). It's not essential, like it is at WDW, to stay on property to maximize your vacation. Basically if you think you are going to get $500USD/800CDN worth out of it, then go for it. Otherwise, use the saved funds to really upgrade the rest of your vacation or to apply to a future one.

 

[jjpet]

So, here is my advice from a fellow Canadian. (Hi from Vancouver Island!)

First off, the rates you are seeing are direct from the Disneyland website. Don't book there. Expedia or Orbitz will have a much better rate and you can sometimes luck out and get a discounted room from Disney plus stack a discount from Expedia or Orbitz for an amazing rate! Also, the cancellation policy is better on sites such as Expedia and Orbitz.

Second, and this tags on to my first point, you are checking too early. Expedia does not even have the DLR hotels available yet for March, I know because we are planning a trip for March 2017 for my birthday so I have been checking obsessively! I can't find any of the three Disney hotels on Expedia past the end of 2016. So you will have to be a bit patient and wait a bit longer! By being patient and checking the sites often, I managed to get 5 nights at the GCH last February for $239 USD/night!

We've now stayed at all three DLR hotels and while I love all three of them, DH and I both actually prefer PPH. We found the room at GCH was smaller and we were almost at the very end of the furthest hallway so the walk was seemingly endless! DLH is amazing, for full-on Disney immersion, it really cannot be beat but we all loved the relaxed feeling at PPH. The PPH room was really nice and large and even though others have mentioned issues with the elevators there, we didn't experience any problems at all.

My 45th birthday is next March and I keep telling myself that we will stay at the DLH because...well, it's the original one but I'm pretty sure that we will end up at PPH because we just like it better. Besides, with the money we can save by staying at PPH, we can go all out and do the Napa Rose chef's counter again!

Another fellow Canadian here (Alberta)! Please tell me where on the Expedia website do I obsessively check for this?? Only Harbor Blvd hotels come up.

 

[rentayenta]

We love love love to stay on site. What about a split stay; first half off property and the second half on property? We have done many split stays that way. Tip: end on site. Its a big bummer going the other way.

Our favorite is the GCH if we can get a villa. If not then the DLH. This year we are trying the PPH club level for a change. The price seems silly high, $540 for a theme park view room with club level per night but for the 5 of us (and we are those folks that will enjoy every last perk of club level like wine, beer, treats, appetizers, water, soda, and breakfast) it seems kind of worth it.

We love the pools and the lounges and the service at the Disneyland Resort Hotels. There is a total difference when staying off site. We take less breaks but the hotels are not all that enjoyable. But really, do what you can and enjoy. Each trip, whether on or off site, holds it's own kind of magic.

 

[Aladora]

Another fellow Canadian here (Alberta)! Please tell me where on the Expedia website do I obsessively check for this?? Only Harbor Blvd hotels come up.

I search then check the map and zoom in to where they are. If the DLR hotels don't come up then they are not available. Right now I can find them until Dec. 31 but not for anything as of Jan. 1, 2017 so I assume they are just not loaded into Expedia's system yet.

 

[jjpet]

I search then check the map and zoom in to where they are. If the DLR hotels don't come up then they are not available. Right now I can find them until Dec. 31 but not for anything as of Jan. 1, 2017 so I assume they are just not loaded into Expedia's system yet.

That is much more time efficient that what I was going to do. lol Thanks!!

 

[aliceindisneyland]

We only find value in the DLH when we are fairly assured of using the amazing pools, and we have squeaked by in late Feb a couple times, but March may be hit and miss for weather. My kids swim regardless of temp and pools are heated, but I don't love it if I have to sit poolside in a sweatshirt.
Everyone has their favorite feature that draws them to the DLH, and for me, I would not pay the prices you noted if I couldn't be sure of using the pools for several hours a day.

 

[Malcon10t]

So I guess what I am looking for is advice - perhaps reassurance, that our Disneyland dreams WILL come true staying here, and just suck it up and pay the money! It's only money right?! Just breathe....hahaha! I'd also love to hear some true Disney lovers experiences staying at the Disneyland Hotel and any tips or tricks to have just a positive attitude about staying there and not let the money thing get in the way, and perhaps also how it compares to some of the higher-end good neighbour hotels that are also fairly close-by the park. Thanks in advance for any advice, and for reading the long rant, as well!

My opinion - You are going to be focused on the money, and will find any little thing wrong will detract from it.

That said, we love the DIsneyland Hotel and stay often. I usually find a pretty good rate, but when I can't, I either suck it up, or head to the Hilton or Candy Cane. I have never had a major negative experience at the hotel. My granddaughter loves running into characters in the lobby, on the valet drive, and by the pool. I haven't noticed the rooms deteriorating. I love the Mickey carpeting and the head boards.

I think I have had 1 bellman who just kind of dropped off our stuff and ran, but most of the bellmen make sure we know where stuff is, make sure we have ice, etc... Housekeeping is always great. The room is always well kept, and all needs are met. (We've called for all sorts of items from extra pillows and blankets to a shower chair.)

BTW - We use the hotel as part of our vacation. We don't spend all the time in the park. We use the pool, we enjoy the room, we use the Steakhouse Lounge, we enoy the property.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

We generally stay across the street. I am toying with the idea of staying at the DLH this time, despite the price, when the sale prices for November and December come out (assuming they do the same sale as last year and the year before.)

I will say that I stayed once at PPH for my son's birthday, and it was disappointing. It was nice walking through Downtown Disney, but the showers were of varying temperatures, and it was pretty old. Not a horrible hotel, but horribly overpriced. The other issue I had was that there was no wifi. None. I got a room that had no signal. Unacceptable in general, but I'm a single mom and I am self-employed. All of my trips end up with me working after the kids go to bed, so I ended up having to buy data.

On the upside though, the service was spectacular. Our room wasn't ready when we came in the morning, which was to be expected. We left our bags there and they were going to text us. They never did. So when we came back that night, they ended up comping us our character breakfast we had booked the next day. When I emailed them later to complain about the lack of WiFi (and that I haven't stayed in a hotel without it in years), they refunded something like $100 to my credit card. So the service level is excellent and the staff is really well trained.

Another advantage - because I'm Canadian, the best exchange rate is if I bring cash with me. This is the only time I carry cash, it's not something I do at home. I ended up giving the vast majority of my spending cash to the front desk and then charging things back to the room (I kept some money with me for the food carts that don't take the room card. That was actually a great option, since I never worried about money falling out of my purse.

 

[GoBears 1980]

The cheapest price for a basic, no view, 2 bed room (for 4 people) is $512 + tax + exchange rate (for us Canadians) - which works out to be about $800CAD a night. Like, that makes me want to vomit. We love Disneyland, but I just don't know if I can spend that money - and if the "magic" will be ruined by the knowledge that we're being ripped off.

Why would you call it a rip off? It is one of the most basic economic principles of all time, supply and demand. Disney's charges what the market will bear, just like any responsible public company should do.

I like the GCH better, but the DLH is okay, but I'd never pay $512 because I don't see the value. I only stay when I get great offers from being an annual pass holder or if I can find a good rate online. The pools don't matter usually because I seldom spend more than one night because we go so often.

I'd say skip it.

No hotel room is worth that much.

Actually there are quite a few hotel rooms worth that and a good deal more.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'd stay off site on your shoes. Keep checking sites if a deal comes up (that was a CRAZY good price your fellow Canadian got at GCH btw) but plan to stay offsite. IMHO you are setting up for disappointment. You are ALREADY feeling insulted by the hotel and you haven't set foot in the door yet. There's nothing wrong with your feeling here btw! I know I'm latching onto one word here but I think that conveys some strong and honest feelings on your part. Save you being upgraded to the most premium suite at the hotel, there isn't enough pixie dust at DLH to get over that feeling.

Requests are not guaranteed. Here I can't fault DLH. Unless you pay for it (i.e. book a "King room" get a "King room") no hotel that I have come across guarantees "requests". They say they'll do their best to accommodate but that's it. DLH does not have a ton of bookable categories (King room, select your tower, etc) and therefore if you want those rooms all you can do is request. And you need to be 100% ok with 0 requests being filled at the price you're paying or you'll start you're trip off angry.

Kinda harsh look at it all I know. But a hotel can make or break a trip imho, especially if you could have used the money for other things. Have you looked at upgrading your park experience instead? Tours, packages, dining. It's quite possible you will feel like you're getting more for your money staying off site and doing special things in the parks. Totally keep checking for deals at DLH since you would like to experience it, but maybe start seeing if any off site hotels catch your fancy. (And remember there is a 17% room tax onsite. Yes room tax is crazy everywhere around DL but 17% on the $200 offsite room is $34 while 17% on the $500 onsite room is $85 thereby adding about $50 more per night to the onsite cost.)

 

[5forMickey]

Why would you call it a rip off? It is one of the most basic economic principles of all time, supply and demand. Disney's charges what the market will bear, just like any responsible public company should do.

You are ALREADY feeling insulted by the hotel and you haven't set foot in the door yet.

Two great points. I never understand why people get "insulted" because people can and will pay the rate Disney charges. I also don't get the "justifying" thing either. I learned years ago that I didn't need to justify anything to anyone. We all have different needs, thoughts and wants. And that is why there are so many choices. Doesn't make one good or bad, it's just simple choices.

But this one is my favorite:

But a hotel can make or break a trip imho

This is exactly why I stay at the DLH. It makes my trip! You most likely will not feel that way.

 

[GeneralTso]

Many good, solid points made on this thread. I agree with the posters who think OP would be better off and happier NOT staying at DLH. I don't think the value will meet her expectations.
I'm in the camp of it's worth every penny. I've stayed on and off site and prefer on site SO much more. I really dislike Harbor and it is like The Strip on Vegas. It's just kinda gross, dirty and the opposite of Disney magical. That "bubble" is important to me. For many others, it isn't. They are just looking for some sleep and a shower so that works.

It truly depends on what you value and what's going to make you happy. It's no fun to spend wads of money you don't think is worth it. That's a miserable feeling actually. Go with what you are comfortable with and won't worry about. Then and only then will you relax and have a great time.

 

[DizneeRailFan62]

There is a lot to be said for staying on property...IF you use the amenities at the hotel (ie., restaurant, pools, spa, etc). You could alter your stay from DLH to PPH and save about $150 per night, but I found it prohibitive this year, and I've stayed there every year since 1996! I like the package delivery to your hotel, so you don't have to lug things around, or get lockers, etc. I don't mind the walk back through DTD, as it is immersive in the Disney culture, and even enjoy it. I have not met a cast member in the hotel who didn't exhibit the best of Disney manners and enthusiasm, but you get what you project. I love my stays at PPH, particularly at Christmas, and will certainly miss that this year, but high prices and cutbacks on service (no turndown service, etc.) made me look elsewhere. We'll save half by staying off property, and I'll be decorating our hotel room with some Disney theme anyway. You have some tough choices to make, and it depends on how much the budget for your vacation will rest on your mind. Good luck, and I hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[prprincess]

It's been a dream of mind to stay at the DLH, but sadly, like most are saying it is quite expensive. After reading several online reviews and suggestions from people on another board, we booked at the Candy Cane Inn during our last stay. Yeah, it's on Harbor, but it is literally right next door to DL, so I didn't feel like we were staying in the hustle and bustle of Anaheim. Also, the decor of the inn and the way the grounds/buildings look reminded me of New Orleans Square. Mind you, it is a smaller and older property, but it's just a super short walk to DL (shorter than the complementary shuttle they offer) and you get a really good free breakfast. All in all, staying there didn't make us feel that far removed from the whole DL experience.

 

[bumbershoot]

The cheapest price for a basic, no view, 2 bed room (for 4 people) is $512 + tax + exchange rate (for us Canadians) - which works out to be about $800CAD a night.

Nope. Would not do it. Maybe if it's that cost in 30 years, sure.

It's NOT worth that much.

Do you really think the other motels would be able to charge what they do if they weren't right next door to Disney.

What do you think the other hotels in the area charge??? I've only seen Courtyard and Hojo getting ridiculous with room rates. But I can easiy find motels and hotels for much much lower.

I've stayed at PPH, where there really is no magic.

Gonna have to disagree with that. YOU might not have felt magic, but as must as I can feel magic, I feel it there. Service is terrific, rooms are big and bright, and as far as I can recall we have been upgraded by view or to a suite with every single visit.

As far as the Disney Bubble feeling, I may be unique in that I got tired of walking through the sprawl of DTD everyday.

YES, absolutely. You're not unique.

There are no straight lines in DTD and there are people people PEOPLE everywhere, stopping, turning, doing weird things in front of me...augh. I don't like malls, and DTD is a mall. Bleah.

I've stayed at the DLH once for $184 per night. It was worth that, and I enjoyed the view out my window and the pool.

Yep!

Last time we stayed there was 2012 at Gay Days rate and it was $179 base. It was worth that, absolutely.

Actually there are quite a few hotel rooms worth that and a good deal more.

Not in my world. I cannot imagine a country or a hotel where I would feel there was anywhere near that value in the room. OK unless they are giving me gold bars to keep. Are they giving me gold bars?

 

[GatorChris]

Gonna have to disagree with that. YOU might not have felt magic, but as must as I can feel magic, I feel it there. Service is terrific, rooms are big and bright, and as far as I can recall we have been upgraded by view or to a suite with every single visit.

I suppose if I had been upgraded, yes, I would've felt the magic. But considering that I've stayed at 9 different Disney hotels and never been upgraded, that's not a litmus test for me. That said, PPH definitely could've used the upgrade since we had a view of the residential neighborhood and parking lot - park view or any view would've been better. But add that to waiting on the elevators forever each day aaaand the hot water having to be fixed 3 times on a 4 day trip, the magic just didn't appear. And that's why we've done park view at HoJo ever since. Half the price of a regular PPH room with a view of the Matterhorn and running hot water. Magical. But that's just my opinion based on my experience.