Which Disney hotel best for children

[kati71]

Hi. We are taking our four girls to Disneyland the end of February. They are ages 2,3,4, & 14. Which Disney hotel is bette with children? We are leaning towards the GC due to location, but really want the girls to know we are at Disney. Thanks so much.
It is also my birthday and I have always wanted to go to Disneyland. So, this is very exciting for me and I want it to be awesome!

 

[year2late]

You are right. The location is the best. The rooms are the smallest, though.

DLH is less expensive, but farther away, You have to walk through DD to get there. One tower - Bonita is about as far away as Paradise Pier Hotel. DLH has the best pool. Large and themed to Peter Pan.

Check expedia for either, they have great rates, especially as you get closer to leaving.

 

[year2late]

By the way, close trumps compact quarters in my book when travelling with wee ones.

 

[klh999]

I stayed at DLH because it was a little less expensive (I paid $290 a night in June at DLH), and thought I wouldnt like it. But I loved it. Goofys Kitchen is right there. The monrail is a nice walk. I loved it. The best the kids loved loved the pool with 2 waterslides, they couldnt go on the big one but they could go on the little waterslide. I loved DLH.

 

[DW mouser]

We had this same choice to make so I let my grandkids decide. After looking at a Birnbaum's book and viewing the Disneyland free video, they picked DLH. It is themed Disney and GC isn't. I think the pool ws one of the main reasons for them picking DLH. Also, Goofy's kitchen sounds alot like Chef Mickey's at DW which they love. The Napa Rose at GC is not down their alley! I think the character breakfast at GC has only Chip and Dale while the other 2 hotels have more characters. I got the feeling that GC was for more mature guests.

 

[westjones]

We are going through the same decision right now for our April trip. The kids want the Disneyland Hotel, so we will probably do that. It just sounds like the other two are closer, but then we are use to WDW, and I have a feeling that the DLH will seem very close once we get there!

Does anyone know if the DLH has a fridge in the room that we can use (or do they just have the mini bar type of fridge full of things we would never buy for the price they list)?

Thanks!
DJ

 

[daannzzz]

I have stayed at all 3 of the Disneyland hotels and the Grand Californian is the closest and more themed of the three. It is very pretty and the rooms are nicely decorated but not with nearly as many Disney or Disneyland references as the other two hotels. There is a small referece to Bambi in the room and that is it. At the Disneyland hotel the rooms are, in general, larger and while they appear fairly fancy and upsclae there are many, many more Disney references in the room, from the lamps and beadspreads, to the border paper and wall paper in the bathroom. The buildings on the exterior are more plain than the Grand Californian though. The Neverland Pool is more fun for kids than the Redwood Pool at the Grand Californian which might appeal a bit more to early teens. The difference in the walk from the GC and DLH to the parks is about 5-7 minutes.

 

[DW mouser]

Yes, you can get a frig. at the DLH if you request one when you make reservations. I don't know the size but I would imagine it would be about like the stocked bar frig's.
The main thing about GC vs. DLH is the price. I just couldn't justify the difference when I knew our grandkids would probably like DLH best anyway. I can feed us all for the 6 days instead!!

 

[Snurk71]

DLH seemed to be the most Disney-themed to us - the rooms, the "main building", the pool, the restaurants. Based on the theming, that is why we choose DLH.

Distance-wise, we didn't find DLH to be an issue. It was a 5-7 minute walk for us. And we didn't mind the walk, because the DTD area is so neat at DL.

We've had a mini fridge in the armoire on both of our stays for no charge. It was nice having the dridge "hidden" in the armoire. There is also a cash fridge with goodies that sits next to the armoire.

I think the fridge was there when we got to the room. I don't recall if we requested it on the reservation or not.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>In my opinion, the Grand Californian has a more luxurious feel to it and the Disneyland Hotel has a more charming feel to it. My son prefers the GC (he has richer tastes), and my daughter prefers the DLH (he was 15 & she was 14 last time we stayed).

I know guests who stay at the Grand Californian also swim at the Neverland Pool at the DL hotel. The Grand Californian has a balcony that you can sit out on, while the DL hotel has a railed ledge that you can step out on, but not much more. However, it's nice when you're looking out on the grounds or out at Downtown Disney.

I like both hotels, but I was really pleased with our room at the Bonita Towers at the DL Hotel. It seemed really spacious. The DL Hotel rooms have a mini fridge in them that's housed in the same armoire as the television. You can order the minibar if you'd like. The Grand Caliornian has a mini bar with a small space at the top big enough for a couple of cans/bottles of cokes.

Here's a thread I did when we stayed at the DL Hotel:


Our Stay at the DLH in Feb 2003