I just got back from Disneyland and figured I'd give my opinion on some of the "is it worth it?" types of questions I had for myself before this trip.
Background: I've been to DL many times; it was 3rd trip for my husband and kids. There were 4 adults and 4 kids total in our party.
1. Club/Concierge level-We booked e-ticket level and it was worth it a million worth its! So convenient (no waiting at checkin!) and the service was truly exceptional. The breakfast was good, snacks were ok, staff were sweethearts about keeping the wine coming in the evening, lol. Some caveats: we were traveling with kids aged 12, 7, 6, and 3. So considering all the wine and uncrustables, the extra cost for club level was probably negligible. The surprise hit was the book of coloring pages staff had available. I liked having a quiet private place for the adults to chat each night. It was in a different tower from our room, but this was no big deal. The towers are very close to one another.
2. Disneyland Hotel- Worth it, but I like GCH better. I've stayed at Grand California, HoJo, a Fairfield(?), and my brother who was with us usually stays at a Hyatt. I originally made my reservation for GCH but we switched to DLH due to construction/pool, although we didn't end up swimming because half the trip was too cold and the monorail slides were broken.
Anyway, next time we will stay at GCH. DLH wasn't bad, and as I said, the staff was fantastic, but I prefer the feel of GCH. The beds at DLH were very hard and uncomfortable, but the suite was nice-sized. I'd say the walk to DLH was about the same as the walk to HoJo, but it's a much *nicer* walk to DLH--no traffic, live music along a clean pleasant walkway, still feels "in the bubble."
I really like the early entry to save time on rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan, plus ability to line up early for RSR passes. I'll be glad when they move to a mobile-based system.
3. Crowds- I have never seen Disneyland so packed during weekdays in the off-season. Absolutely PACKED! I went in Oct 2012 and both parks had low-ish volume and minimal wait times. I went in early Dec 2014 and it was packed; I figured it was due to xmas season--nope, it's just always that busy now. That said, the ride waits weren't bad this week (30 min generally except for the big rides, no problem getting fastpasses), it's just that the walkways were so congested you couldn't hardly move in tomorrowland and adventure land. DCA was less congested aside from Cars land.
4. Closures- This was a bit frustrating. Considering how busy it was, I wonder if it might make more sense to go during a "busy" time but have the advantage of extended hours, fireworks, more rides, etc. It felt like many rides were closed. Indy, Splash and Haunted kept going down--and this combined with the closures for Star Wars construction really contributed to the walkway congestion.
5. MSEP dining package- Still deciding if this was worth it or not, leaning toward probably not. We did the BB package to celebrate Mardi Gras. The food was good and service was solid, but I'm not sure it was worth $200 for 2 adults/2 kids. I'm sure this is heresy to say, but I think BB is a wee bit overrated. The restaurant ambiance was very lovely if a bit cramped and harried-feeling.
Still, we finished dinner at 6:30 and immediately walked to the flagpole for our reserved viewing area for the 6:45 parade. No waiting for hours to save a spot. Curb seats were taken, but we sat right behind a group of ladies on the curb and my kids could see just fine. We were maybe 4 feet from the performers.
The parade was longer than expected and the performers were, of course, excellent. Not as cool as Fantasmic imho, but my kids LOVED it. However, my sister-in-law happened to be getting off It's a Small World right when parade started, and she was able to easily see the whole shebang without any sort of dining package. So I think I'll give this one a pass in the future.
6. Touring Plans- Park was busier than indicated, but for a pretty cheap price I think this was worth it in helping to make a rough itinerary for the day without forgetting anything or wasting time aimlessly.
Worst thing about the trip was the rain, but even Disney can't control the weather, unfortunately!
Background: I've been to DL many times; it was 3rd trip for my husband and kids. There were 4 adults and 4 kids total in our party.
1. Club/Concierge level-We booked e-ticket level and it was worth it a million worth its! So convenient (no waiting at checkin!) and the service was truly exceptional. The breakfast was good, snacks were ok, staff were sweethearts about keeping the wine coming in the evening, lol. Some caveats: we were traveling with kids aged 12, 7, 6, and 3. So considering all the wine and uncrustables, the extra cost for club level was probably negligible. The surprise hit was the book of coloring pages staff had available. I liked having a quiet private place for the adults to chat each night. It was in a different tower from our room, but this was no big deal. The towers are very close to one another.
2. Disneyland Hotel- Worth it, but I like GCH better. I've stayed at Grand California, HoJo, a Fairfield(?), and my brother who was with us usually stays at a Hyatt. I originally made my reservation for GCH but we switched to DLH due to construction/pool, although we didn't end up swimming because half the trip was too cold and the monorail slides were broken.
Anyway, next time we will stay at GCH. DLH wasn't bad, and as I said, the staff was fantastic, but I prefer the feel of GCH. The beds at DLH were very hard and uncomfortable, but the suite was nice-sized. I'd say the walk to DLH was about the same as the walk to HoJo, but it's a much *nicer* walk to DLH--no traffic, live music along a clean pleasant walkway, still feels "in the bubble."
I really like the early entry to save time on rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan, plus ability to line up early for RSR passes. I'll be glad when they move to a mobile-based system.
3. Crowds- I have never seen Disneyland so packed during weekdays in the off-season. Absolutely PACKED! I went in Oct 2012 and both parks had low-ish volume and minimal wait times. I went in early Dec 2014 and it was packed; I figured it was due to xmas season--nope, it's just always that busy now. That said, the ride waits weren't bad this week (30 min generally except for the big rides, no problem getting fastpasses), it's just that the walkways were so congested you couldn't hardly move in tomorrowland and adventure land. DCA was less congested aside from Cars land.
4. Closures- This was a bit frustrating. Considering how busy it was, I wonder if it might make more sense to go during a "busy" time but have the advantage of extended hours, fireworks, more rides, etc. It felt like many rides were closed. Indy, Splash and Haunted kept going down--and this combined with the closures for Star Wars construction really contributed to the walkway congestion.
5. MSEP dining package- Still deciding if this was worth it or not, leaning toward probably not. We did the BB package to celebrate Mardi Gras. The food was good and service was solid, but I'm not sure it was worth $200 for 2 adults/2 kids. I'm sure this is heresy to say, but I think BB is a wee bit overrated. The restaurant ambiance was very lovely if a bit cramped and harried-feeling.
Still, we finished dinner at 6:30 and immediately walked to the flagpole for our reserved viewing area for the 6:45 parade. No waiting for hours to save a spot. Curb seats were taken, but we sat right behind a group of ladies on the curb and my kids could see just fine. We were maybe 4 feet from the performers.
The parade was longer than expected and the performers were, of course, excellent. Not as cool as Fantasmic imho, but my kids LOVED it. However, my sister-in-law happened to be getting off It's a Small World right when parade started, and she was able to easily see the whole shebang without any sort of dining package. So I think I'll give this one a pass in the future.
6. Touring Plans- Park was busier than indicated, but for a pretty cheap price I think this was worth it in helping to make a rough itinerary for the day without forgetting anything or wasting time aimlessly.
Worst thing about the trip was the rain, but even Disney can't control the weather, unfortunately!
. We agree with your comments about the DLHs
. We stay at the DLH or the Grand every trip now
. We like being close to the parks, inside the bubble so to speak
. The Staff/Cast members of the Disney hotels are the absolute best, with Hyatt being second
. That comes from people that travel a lot and stay in a lot of hotels
. The parks are crowded year round now but, Disney knows how to keep things moving 
. Congratulations again!
