Trip Report- HoJos on 9/23

[BayAreaMom]

We stayed one night at HoJos (9/23) and were at DL from 8:45-4 pm; 6:30-10 pm and then back on 9/24 from 8-10 am. (we had to leave for LA so hence the partial day sat).

The crowd level was medium on Friday am- lots of rides we waited <5 min. We did the Gadget Go Coaster 5 times in a row. We did tons of rides, and collected about 33 fast passes. BTMRR is disconnected- I was able to pick up FPs for Indy, then run over to BTMRR and get them right after. I did this twice and we ended up with 6 sets of FPS for each of them.

This was our first night at HoJos- in comparison we stayed in a Parlor Suite at Desert Inn & Suites in June for 3 nights, and the 2Q/sofabed suite at the Park Vue Inn for 2 nights in August. I MUCH preferred HoJos for several reasons:
1. Kids Water Park. The only downside to this is that it will exhaust your kid even more and they may want to be there instead of DL! We took a late afternoon break and spent an hour at the waterpark on Friday and then my DD-age5- passed out in the stroller around 9 pm when we went back to DL (w/o the waterpark she might have stayed up an hour more- meaning more rides for me). And on Saturday, we went to DL for just 2 hours, and she insisted on going back to the Waterpark. The water was COLD though- literally, she was shivering. And this was September. It was nice to have the hot tub there- I liked that a lot, but keep in mind there are kids around, so you aren't going to have a relaxing adult experience.

2. Garden setting. While it meant hauling our luggage much further than PVI, where we literally parked 2 feet from our room door, I liked the atmosphere created by the garden setting. I would not want to be in one of the low rise buildings- they seemed like they would be quite noisy since they either faced the pools (open until 10 pm, i think). The top floors of those buidlings would also not be ideal, as the skylights appeared to let in a ton of light.

3. Beds. Pillow top and quite nice to sleep on.

We are heading back in Nov and have the HoJo kids suite booked. I'm super excited to try it out.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Wow ~ you accomplished quite a bit! We too love HoJos *enjoy the kids suite. We'll be at Stovall's Best Western for our Nov visit.

 

[NewbieMouse]

How did you feel about the walk? We're mulling over Hojo vs. BWPPI and the walk may be the deal breaker for me. I'm not lazy, just super tired at the end of the day

 

[smiles33]

Great to hear another perspective on HoJo. I tried to convince DD5 to go check out the water park but she just wanted to head back into DLR every time I asked. We had to go back every afternoon of our 4 day/3 night trip because DD2 still naps (though DD5 napped as well that trip!). I'm another huge fan of the Kids Suite but I never got to see the other rooms so I like reading TRs. Thanks for sharing!

NewbieMouse: I will admit that GCH looked MUCH NICER when we walked by the entrance from DCA to GCH after WOC. I knew we still had a while to go to HoJo and remember thinking, "We'd be home already if we had stayed here!"

Ultimately, I think it comes down to budget. If I can't stay in a suite at GCH (and for under $400!), then I'll take the $99 HoJo Kids Suite. For that amount of savings, I'm ok with an additional 8 minutes' walk.

 

[BayAreaMom]

How did you feel about the walk? We're mulling over Hojo vs. BWPPI and the walk may be the deal breaker for me. I'm not lazy, just super tired at the end of the day

Yes, the walk was a bit long but managable for us since we wanted to get back to our nice room! It was maybe 7-8 minutes? We walked back-forth twice on Friday. Honestly, my issue mainly is the quality of the walk when you do it on the side of Harbor that is less busy (opposite the other hotels/restaurants). We found the "shortcut" that cuts through the shuttle area which saved time, but then we walked by a bus stop with some homeless people and then a narrow part that wasn't well lit at night. It should be a wide (10') sidewalk with nice lighting! I wouldn't walk on that side alone at night, and even with a group at night it didn't feel "safe".

Personally, the walk was worth staying in a nicer hotel to me. I am not a fan of the motor motel layout of most hotels along Harbor.

 

[smiles33]

Yes, the walk was a bit long but managable for us since we wanted to get back to our nice room! It was maybe 7-8 minutes? We walked back-forth twice on Friday. Honestly, my issue mainly is the quality of the walk when you do it on the side of Harbor that is less busy (opposite the other hotels/restaurants). We found the "shortcut" that cuts through the shuttle area which saved time, but then we walked by a bus stop with some homeless people and then a narrow part that wasn't well lit at night. It should be a wide (10') sidewalk with nice lighting! I wouldn't walk on that side alone at night, and even with a group at night it didn't feel "safe".

Personally, the walk was worth staying in a nicer hotel to me. I am not a fan of the motor motel layout of most hotels along Harbor.

Interesting how opinions differ. It depends on what you're used to, I guess. I went to Berkeley for law school and dealt with AGGRESSIVE homeless people there so the Anaheim folks were as harmless as kittens to me, in comparison.

I didn't have a problem with that route at all. I walked that path 14 times (7 round trips) because I walked DDs back to the hotel every afternoon since DH couldn't push them in the stroller from his ECV and then I single ridered E-ticket rides all afternoon before going back to pick them and DH up).

I always crossed at Manchester and walked in that narrow section by the bus stop and the shuttle bus shortcut. I felt perfectly safe every time. I did see at least 2 different homeless people sleeping on the bench but they never moved so much as an inch when I walked by. I heard that if you walked on the other side of Harbor, there were aggressive time-share salesmen hawking goods. Plus it was always crowded on that side and I could walk briskly on my side.

 

[BayAreaMom]

Great to hear another perspective on HoJo. I tried to convince DD5 to go check out the water park but she just wanted to head back into DLR every time I asked. We had to go back every afternoon of our 4 day/3 night trip because DD2 still naps (though DD5 napped as well that trip!). I'm another huge fan of the Kids Suite but I never got to see the other rooms so I like reading TRs. Thanks for sharing!

NewbieMouse: I will admit that GCH looked MUCH NICER when we walked by the entrance from DCA to GCH after WOC. I knew we still had a while to go to HoJo and remember thinking, "We'd be home already if we had stayed here!"

Ultimately, I think it comes down to budget. If I can't stay in a suite at GCH (and for under $400!), then I'll take the $99 HoJo Kids Suite. For that amount of savings, I'm ok with an additional 8 minutes' walk.

I hope your DD5 gets a chance to enjoy the water park! Mine loved it, and I did like the hot tub. Maybe when you go with both kids then the oldest (when she stops napping) can enjoy the water park and the youngest can nap? That's what we'll do in the future - this trip was just my DD-5 and my 2 sisters.


We are paying between $130-150/night for the kids suite in our future trips- not bad, but the 2D or 2Q rooms are often closer to $100. We usually prefer suites because our kids go to bed really early (think 7 pm), but if one parent can take one child to the waterpark or back to DL while the other sleeps, a standard room may work out.

 

[BayAreaMom]

Interesting how opinions differ. It depends on what you're used to, I guess. I went to Berkeley for law school and dealt with AGGRESSIVE homeless people there so the Anaheim folks were as harmless as kittens to me, in comparison.

I didn't have a problem with that route at all. I walked that path 14 times (7 round trips) because I walked DDs back to the hotel every afternoon since DH couldn't push them in the stroller from his ECV and then I single ridered E-ticket rides all afternoon before going back to pick them and DH up).

I always crossed at Manchester and walked in that narrow section by the bus stop and the shuttle bus shortcut. I felt perfectly safe every time. I did see at least 2 different homeless people sleeping on the bench but they never moved so much as an inch when I walked by. I heard that if you walked on the other side of Harbor, there were aggressive time-share salesmen hawking goods. Plus it was always crowded on that side and I could walk briskly on my side.

I think I only felt unsafe because it was so dark. Some lighting would really help. BUT it was faster on that side- because of the shortcut through the shuttles and the lack of crowds.

I can attest to preferring HoJos over PVI- its worth it to me to have a nicer setting and pool. I also hated the PVI food- so HoJos is fine w/o food onsite.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I think it might be better to walk back on the lighted side of the street at night when walking to those hotels on Harbor. My friend's aunt was mugged on her way back to the Fairfield Inn (after fireworks), and the police told her that it is a chronic problem on the dark side of the street.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Wow ~ you accomplished quite a bit! We too love HoJos *enjoy the kids suite. We'll be at Stovall's Best Western for our Nov visit.

Stovall's was pretty nice. We stayed there a couple of years ago. Are you planning on taking the tram or parking?

 

[smiles33]

I think it might be better to walk back on the lighted side of the street at night when walking to those hotels on Harbor. My friend's aunt was mugged on her way back to the Fairfield Inn (after fireworks), and the police told her that it is a chronic problem on the dark side of the street.

How terrible! I'm so sorry to hear that. We always returned by 9 or earlier because of the kids, so maybe we got lucky.

 

[BayAreaMom]

How terrible! I'm so sorry to hear that. We always returned by 9 or earlier because of the kids, so maybe we got lucky.

Yeah- I'd say later in the night, its a bit more questionable. We walked back after 10 pm, it was pitch dark. But to be honest, I just wanted to get back asap. It is slightly shorter walking on the dark side of the street.

 

[NewbieMouse]

Thanks for the replies about the walk. I will mull it over still. They have the ent rate the 4 days I am there but the walk is concerning to me, and I don't mind crappy food as I just want something to keep me from starving (we usually do early lunches and early dinners). Decisions, decisions.....

 

[Malcon10t]

Thanks for the replies about the walk. I will mull it over still. They have the ent rate the 4 days I am there but the walk is concerning to me, and I don't mind crappy food as I just want something to keep me from starving (we usually do early lunches and early dinners). Decisions, decisions.....

We have never felt the walk is that bad, and ART does go there.

 

[Mabel67]

Thanks for the replies about the walk. I will mull it over still. They have the ent rate the 4 days I am there but the walk is concerning to me, and I don't mind crappy food as I just want something to keep me from starving (we usually do early lunches and early dinners). Decisions, decisions.....

We have stayed at HOJO numerous times. The walk is not far...perfectly manageable, including several trips back and forth daily. It always amazes me that people will walk from Small World to Toy Story without a complaint, but find the distance back to the hotel unbearable...

As far as the safety, we have NEVER had a problem, including crossing on the 'dark' side of the street after midnight. In fact, we didn't even find it to be too dark...
Sure we have seen a few homeless people, but they have never bothered us, or even acknowledged us...but then, I tend to have a different attitude towards the homeless than it seems a lot of other people might. I find the aggressive time-share people on the busy side of the street more of an annoyance...

At any rate, call me a HOJO lover, but there is nothing, short of a free stay at the GCH that would entice me to stay anywhere else. FWIW we also love the skylights!

 

[mabdallah]

ok hojo lovers.... last time I went to disneyland my husband & I stayed on the non disney view side,and were not too bothered by the freeway noise and what hooked me were the beds. This next summer we are planning a trip an want to book a disney view room for us and our daughter age 3. This will be her first trip to Disneyland. Ok so what I am getting at is how early do I need to book the hotel our dates are July 28 - Aug 4. I know that the park is going to be super busy summer 2012! How far in advance do u book your hotel ressie.