Which hotel for first visit??

[Claireywalsh]

I am hoping to book a 5 night trip next September when the rates are released, which of the onsite hotels do you prefer and why???
We have visited WDW numerous times but never DL so any other tips, shares, loves etc are greatly appreciated!

Our trip cast would be made up of 2 families
myself,hubby and daughter (8)
best friend and her husband plus 3 kiddos (9,5,2)

 

[ADLFAN]

We loved the DLH! It has awesome pools/slides, a very cool bar with a quick service restaurant, plus Goofy's Kitchen, Steakhouse 55 and it's lounge, and beautiful landscaping all over. You do have to trudge through Downtown Disney to get to the gates, but it is a good opportunity to snag breakfast or Starbucks, and there is usually some live music at night. Have fun planning!

 

[planningjollyholiday]

The DLH is so very disney themed with hidden mickey everywhere, and the magical light up headboards. Lots of "classic" disney theming and an awesome pool. I think it is the perfect hotel for the kids ages.

 

[Jerryp49]

We have stayed at all three resort hotels and prefer the GCH. You can`t beat the location. With little ones at the end of the day,or a return to the room for short naps or change of clothes , you`ll really appreciate the short walk. Here`s an article comparing distances to the park. Click on the links in the article to bring up maps.

https://www.mouseplanet.com/7280/How_Far_Is_It

 

[gottalovepluto]

I vote GCH for convenience... And then just saw your BFF is a party of 5. GCH rooms are small, so while I love how convenient it is, if I were traveling with 3 little ones like that I'd want more space like you'll find at DLH.

 

[Jerryp49]

We had my daughter , husband , and 3 grandkids in one room with a king or queen bed and a bunk bed that had a trundle and me in a connecting room at the GCH. Works like a 2 bedroom apt. The kids loved the bunkbed

 

[justgrace]

We have stayed at all three resort hotels and prefer the GCH. You can`t beat the location. With little ones at the end of the day,or a return to the room for short naps or change of clothes , you`ll really appreciate the short walk. Here`s an article comparing distances to the park. Click on the links in the article to bring up maps.

https://www.mouseplanet.com/7280/How_Far_Is_It

THANK YOU for sharing that link!! I knew the Paradise Pier hotel was a longer walk than our hotel on Harbor. Some people didn't believe me, but I knew it!

 

[BriannaRuth]

Given the ages of your kids I'd do the DLH. I've stayed at all three DL hotels and the Hojo. The walk is a little longer from the DLH than from the GCH but the DLH is just more "Disney" for young kids. As an adult I love the GCH but my kids much prefer the DLH even with the added distance.

 

[Jerryp49]

If you get the Frontier wing of the DLH the walk is quite a bit farther. Everytime you walk past the GCH on the way you may be wishing you stayed there instead.

 

[Ndusmama]

GCH has the shortest walk and the white water cafe if good for breakfast. Also you can get rooms with bunk beds. Downside pool is okay but not great and any walk to room unless it's a pool view is going to be long (almost like walking to pp). Pp has pull out sofa couches in every room. Water slide is okay. The cafe downstairs does Mickey waffles. If you walk through gch it's not a far walk to get to DCA but still is for Disneyland.
Personally for first visit and with kids I'd do the Disneyland hotel. The water slides alone will thrill the kids. If you get the frontier tower you are closer to PP and just use the crosswalk there to get to DCA. You can also get a room with a fold down bed if you ask or put 5 people in a room.

 

[Supplanter]

The grand cal is nice for the gate into cal adv, but you probably wont spend much time in the room anyway.

 

[Claireywalsh]

Thanks for all your recommendations! I didn't realise the rooms were smaller in the GCH than the DLH. I really like the look of the GCH but I love all the Disney details I keep seeing in pictures of the DLH too!! I think I'm so used to having get a bus then boat/monorail etc to get to the Magic kingdom in WDW the distances to either of the hotels won't be a major for us
Eeeeeeek, exciting times ahead!!! Back to more daydreaming....ahem, I mean researching!

 

[ktlm]

Being WDW vets, we love the DLH. It is different than any of the WDW resorts. It is also very "Disney". To us, while GCH is beautiful, it is just a scaled down version of WL. We like a different experience at DLR. DLH has Trader Sams too which is nice. They let you take the drinks out and up to the room, so if someone stays with the kids you can take them a cocktail. We often come back from the parks at night and I get DD showered, and in bed, then I get in the shower, and when I get out of the shower, Dh has a nice Ka-Blue-ie! (rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and blue curacao) waiting for me.

Being used to WDW, nothing involves any sort of "distance" at DLR. From DLH, the walk to the parks is a very pleasant walk through DTD. We really enjoy that walk. Also, be sure and get hoppers. Hopping takes on a whole new meaning at DLR. The parks are separated by only a plaza and bag check is on the outside edge of the plaza, so you do not even have to go through bag check again to hop between parks. Hopping is a 5 minute experience (unlike WDW where it can be an hour experience) We have literally been from the back of DLR to the back of CA in 10 minutes. By WDW standards DL and CA are like one big park--- we typically go back and forth all day between where the lines are shorter (looking at the wait times app), what ride DD suddenly really wants to do again, and the fact that DH really wants to go to the Karl Strauss beer truck on the pier at CA. HA- I just realized that this post is starting to sound like we are heavy drinkers--- we really aren't!!! DH just likes his daily Karl Strauss beer at DLR because we don't have Karl Strauss at home, and I tend to like that wind down cocktail after getting rid of the Disney dirt!

 

[ashnjam]

Never fully understood the “walking” arguments? Sure we are all tired at the end of the day..but it’s disney you will be walking a lot. I guess that could be a factor in your decision especially with the little ones though. If you are used to how your legs feel after a day at WDW then you could walk to a hotel in L.A. and not feel it as much lol. Plus I would rather walk a little further at DLR than wait for busses/boats at WDW. Never stayed at GCH..it’s gorgeous! Living in the midwest the theming of the GCH isn’t our favorite so we go with DLH..screams disney! Ha! Can’t go wrong with either one, enjoy your trip!

 

[Jerryp49]

The GCH rooms have balconies, I believe they removed them from DLH .

 

[sherilaine]

If you are coming from WDW where you almost have to board a plane to get to the parks from your onsite hotel - I'd suggest looking into offsite hotels, many of which are just as close as onsite ones. If you have money you are mad with and want to get rid of though then onsite is for you. We are planning to stay onsite our next trip but are still second guessing that decision as it seems like stupid money for very average accommodations. Just want to add that onsite at DLR is not a necessity by any means.

 

[Watchtower]

Paradise Pier Hotel's getting no love here..... The DLH and GCH ARE beautiful; GCH has elegance, and the Disney theming in DLH is magical....but the price . Here's why I love Paradise Pier. The standard rooms are the largest in the resort, with GCH rooms being the smallest. The decor is light and beachy; a real breath of fresh air during a break from the parks. It has enough Disney touches to make you still feel like you're on a Disney vacation without being over the top. The distance to Downtown Disney and the parks isn't that far if you cut through the lobby of the Grand, which is right across the street. We got stuck in the Frontier tower of the DLH last December, and THAT walk was far. I know PPH is just a re-branded hotel built by someone else and purchased by Disney in the 90's, but the DLH wasn't originally built by Disney either....they bought it from the Wrather's in 1988. Also, I'm not made of money, and the PPH is almost always $75-$100 cheaper per night than the DLH, and still comes with all the perks of staying onsite.

 

[Aladora]

Paradise Pier Hotel's getting no love here..... The DLH and GCH ARE beautiful; GCH has elegance, and the Disney theming in DLH is magical....but the price . Here's why I love Paradise Pier. The standard rooms are the largest in the resort, with GCH rooms being the smallest. The decor is light and beachy; a real breath of fresh air during a break from the parks. It has enough Disney touches to make you still feel like you're on a Disney vacation without being over the top. The distance to Downtown Disney and the parks isn't that far if you cut through the lobby of the Grand, which is right across the street. We got stuck in the Frontier tower of the DLH last December, and THAT walk was far. I know PPH is just a re-branded hotel built by someone else and purchased by Disney in the 90's, but the DLH wasn't originally built by Disney either....they bought it from the Wrather's in 1988. Also, I'm not made of money, and the PPH is almost always $75-$100 cheaper per night than the DLH, and still comes with all the perks of staying onsite.

Out of the 3 DLR hotels, PPH is our favourite (for many of the reasons you posted) but for a first visit I would recommend DLH even with the higher price.