When to book Good Neighbor Hotel?

[e_yerger]

We are looking to go to Disneyland in Feb 2020. How far in advance should be book our hotel?

Also, is it cheaper to book your hotel through Disney or somewhere else online? We were thinking about using Dreams again to book our DL trip, but I wasn't sure if we would find a better deal online by booking ourselves. What are your thoughts?

 

[SteveH]

IMHO booking early, ss long as you can cancel is never a bad idea. Probably more so through Disney so you can lock in prices. The agent can give you good advice. In my case I booked last December for Feb 2020 at WDW. Refundable deposit down then we converted to a package once the new rates came out. Since I'm coming in for a conference I needed a night in a nearby hotel (aka cheaper then Disney) so my wife can arrive the next morning. I checked my rate through my agent and they were able to beat the best prices I had, and their rate included taxes so it was about $30 cheaper. If you are booking a room with points or partial points then do it on your own.

For Disneyland I had booked rooms at the SpringHill Suites Maingate but week before rates at the Sheraton dropped so I switched, no penalty.

 

[pharmama]

Packages have little to no benefit at DLR (very different from WDW) unless you need to use the Disney payment plan. I would book your hotel directly or using various discount options rather than through an agent or a Disney package. The Good Neighbor distinction also is of little value at DLR- it basically means the hotel paid a fee to Disney to use the designation (not trying to be cynical here- just the truth). There are good hotel options near DLR that don't have the Good Neighbor distinction and ones that have it that I wouldn't bother with. So basically I would just ignore it and find the hotel that works best for your travelling party in terms of budget, space, amenities, proximity to the park etc. There are several great threads on here about picking the right DLR area hotel for you.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I booked Motel 6 Maingate in November 2018 for a June 2019 stay. Most likely I will do the same this year, book in November 2019 for June 2020.

I always book hotels direct through the hotel website, no matter what city or country I am staying at.

I was told by a hotel manager in Ireland a few years ago that hotels actually prefer you to book direct with them as they can manage the booking and make adjustments, refunds , discounts etc. She said its always a nightmare when guest book through 3rd party websites such as booking .com or expedia or similar websites.

 

[lalasmama]

I booked Motel 6 Maingate in November 2018 for a June 2019 stay. Most likely I will do the same this year, book in November 2019 for June 2020.

I always book hotels direct through the hotel website, no matter what city or country I am staying at.

I was told by a hotel manager in Ireland a few years ago that hotels actually prefer you to book direct with them as they can manage the booking and make adjustments, refunds , discounts etc. She said its always a nightmare when guest book through 3rd party websites such as booking .com or expedia or similar websites.

That's what I've been told as well re: 3rd party booking sites. I'm not sure if overbooking happens or is allowed any longer, but I was told that those with 3rd party reservations were the last to be saved a room--that is if 10 people book through the hotel, and 5 people book through a 3rd party vendor, and there's only 13 rooms, those booked directly are more likely to get a room in comparison to those through the 3rd party vendor. No idea if this still holds true, but it always gives me pause.

 

[Pamela M]

I recommend booking everything yourself and separately. I have AAA insurance so I usually get a decent discount of of normal price. I'd also look at the boards on where to stay - some hotels will say 1 block from DL but it could be a 15-30 minute walk depending on where 1 block from DL is. I think alot of people here ( me included) try and stay near the harbor entrance if staying off-site. Just note that these off site hotels are just that hotels and won't necessarily have the resort feeling of staying on-site.

I book my hotel as soon as I think I'm going. I'll continue to look to see if I can get a better deal. As other have said just make sure you can cancel the reservation.

 

[tarheelalum]

Book everything as early as possible with the option to cancel without penalty. Do not book a package. Its a rip off at Disneyland. The whole Good Neighbor designation does not mean a thing either. Just make sure your hotel is within easy walking distance. Ask here about the hotels and people will steer you in the right direction depending on your needs and price range.

 

[Elle23]

I saved several hundred dollars booking directly with the hotel and then purchasing tickets separately instead of booking a package through Disney. That is what I would recommend (unless Disney decides to offer some discounts).

 

[redleader74]

I do the same, booking direct that is. I do it for hotels and air tickets. For all the same reasons mentioned. I suppose I'm paying for the peace of mind. Once trip starts it's one less thing to deal with should things go south!

 

[LizzyS]

Book everything as early as possible with the option to cancel without penalty. Do not book a package. Its a rip off at Disneyland. The whole Good Neighbor designation does not mean a thing either. Just make sure your hotel is within easy walking distance. Ask here about the hotels and people will steer you in the right direction depending on your needs and price range.

This is good advice.

We are going in late February 2020 and I booked our hotel room about a month ago. I always book direct and try to use my AAA discount when possible.

 

[LizzyS]

I do the same, booking direct that is. I do it for hotels and air tickets. For all the same reasons mentioned. I suppose I'm paying for the peace of mind. Once trip starts it's one less thing to deal with should things go south!

I just can't do the 3rd party sites because I want as little trouble during vacation as possible if something goes wrong.

 

[disneychrista]

I try to book either as soon as I know I am going or as soon as the hotel opens booking, usually about 10 months in advance.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I book direct a cancellable rate from The hotel as soon as I have my airline dates. Which is usually 9-11 mos out.

 

[coldbeaver]

I booked Motel 6 Maingate in November 2018 for a June 2019 stay. Most likely I will do the same this year, book in November 2019 for June 2020.

I always book hotels direct through the hotel website, no matter what city or country I am staying at.

I was told by a hotel manager in Ireland a few years ago that hotels actually prefer you to book direct with them as they can manage the booking and make adjustments, refunds , discounts etc. She said its always a nightmare when guest book through 3rd party websites such as booking .com or expedia or similar websites.

I booked the motel 6 main gate for our September trip. How are the rooms? Did you just drive to DL and park?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I booked the motel 6 main gate for our September trip. How are the rooms? Did you just drive to DL and park?

There is no need to drive and park from the Motel 6 -- that just wastes a lot of time (sometimes a huge amount of time if there is traffic at the structure or a detour) and money (currently $25/day). You can either walk from the Motel 6 (it's not that far) or take the ART shuttle. Some people choose to use ride share.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I booked the motel 6 main gate for our September trip. How are the rooms? Did you just drive to DL and park?

I dont drive, I get supershuttle from LAX. I have there many times and for me it suits what I want. The rooms and beds are huge, and this year I had a fridge and coffee maker in the room. There is no carpet in the rooms, so bring flipflops. There are 2 blocks, connected on the upper levels with stairs. The back block only has stairs, the main block above the lobby has stairs and an elevator. There is no breakfast but they have vending machines and a microwave in the lobby. There is free coffee available in the lobby between 6am and 10am. There is also a small convenience store but it has strange hours.

There is an outdoor swimming pool which is located in the inner courtyard.

I use the ART bus to get to the parks but its a 15 minute walk if you feel like walking. Its 5 minutes walk from Anaheim Garden Walk restaurants and a 10 minute walk to the CVS at the crosswalk between Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

 

[mocame]

I booked our hotel in March 2019 for our May 2020 trip. The hotel's website calendar dates opened up earlier than the DLRs, 3rd party, and travel agent's websites for the same hotel.

 

[Karin1984]

I just booked my hotel (Castle Inn & Suites) for 3rd week of August 2020 via stayforlong.com. I got a better rate than directly at the hotel.
For plane tickets I prefer to book directly at the airline, for hotels I don't really care and usually book with a 3rd party site, unless directly at the hotel is cheaper.