Which Hotel?

[BrdwayBoy]

I'm planning a trip to celebrate my 40th Birthday later this year, and I'm having a bit of trouble deciding where to stay. I haven't been to DL since I was a child and have never stayed at any of the DL hotels (GC, DL Hotel or Pixar Place). At first I thought I wanted to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, but after watching several videos of each of the three, I'm not really impressed by any of them. Is there something about staying at any of these three that just doesn't translate to the tour vids?
If it helps, some of my favorite WDW hotels to stay at are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Port Orleans Riverside.

It will just be my BF and me for a long weekend, and we do love the "disney bubble" aspect of staying in a Disney Hotel, but would we miss much if we stayed at Good Neighbor hotel instead?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We think GC is one of the most amazing resorts anywhere. The look and feel of the place, along with direct entry to CA and the easy walk to DL - we really look forward to staying there..... Only you can answer whether or not it's worth the cost for you.....

 

[mom2rtk]

Now that early entry is only 30 minutes, I don't find it to be worth it. I'd rather spend that additional amount on a splurge. Maybe Premiere Pass for a day or two? And stay somewhere across on Harbor Blvd. Offsite is SO much closer at DLR than anything at WDW.

 

[DizMe]

This question comes up a lot and it's not an easy answer as it's a very individual decision. For me, it's absolutely worth staying on site. The off site options are generally older motel-model properties. Some are very nice, but you're on a busy street with traffic etc whereas at the Disney hotels you never have to leave the resort property unless you want to. DTD is at your doorstep and so are the parks, although it's a walk through DTD to get to them from the Disneyland Hotel unless you take the monorail. I loved the DLH when my kids were little but now that they're grown, my personal favorite is the Grand Californian. I love the more adult atmosphere and elegant styling, and of course the park proximity! Do remember that DLR is compact and in the middle of a city, so it doesn't translate to what WDW has to offer, but the bright side is that everything is very accessible and you can quickly get from your hotel to either park, DTD, etc.

It comes at a cost, but if you're celebrating a milestone birthday and may not be back for a while, I recommend GCH for your trip. Look for discounts if possible.

 

[gottalovepluto]

The only one with theming that will be as immersive as a WDW deluxe is GCH. You may not understand CA Art Deco theming but it has a homy warm feel like AKL/WL (I think it was the same architect). It is pretty amazing to walk from your hotel right into the park via the special entrance. The problem is GCH is in a 2yr remodel. If you are leaning GCH over DLH I would book it and a good neighbor hotel and check in on how construction is impacting trips a couple weeks before your trip and decide what you’re keeping.

DLH ends up relying heavily on nostalgia with a general Disneyland theme. It’s not as bubble removed as it appears because you walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks, and sometimes the monorail is running and you can take that into DL and get dropped right into Tomorrowland (very cool vs WDW).

I’ve never stayed PPH.

A good neighbor hotel will completely take you out of the bubble, but only you know what that’s worth. It’s not nearly as inconvenient as WDW since you can walk to the parks but when you leave Disney you know it.

 

[irlandaise]

As others have said, there are many factors in deciding whether the extra cost is personally worth it to you.

FYI, the Grand Californian Hotel was designed by Peter Dominick, who also did Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge.

https://www.4240architecture.com/hospitality#/disney-grand-californian-hotel/

It's a gorgeous hotel, and of course the convenience can't be beat. But it's definitely pricey!

 

[Pluto468]

I'd go with the Grand Californian. It's a wonderful hotel and the bubble is important if you're used to staying on property at World.

 

[LAS2AMS]

DL is not WDW. Real estate is at a premium in SoCal, room inventory is limited and demand is high. This means you get less hotel for your money (compared to WDW) -it’s not uncommon for the Grand Californians to be the priciest domestic Disney hotel. And you typically need to stay at least four nights to get a discount.

There are plenty of new build luxury hotels a short walk from the entrance - often selling at 1/3 the price. Reality is, DL is open later than WDW and most of your time will be spent in the parks.

Are the Disney hotels nice? Absolutely! Would I pay triple for them compared to a comparable resort? Absolutely not - and I can better afford it than most people. Spend a small portion of the cash you’ll save on a nice dinner at the GC instead.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I used to be happy to stay off-site. I'm now only interested in staying onsite, mostly because of how I do the park and meals and resort stuff.
My favorite meals are at the hotels. My favorite gift shop is the one at the Disneyland hotel. I like the spa at the Grand. When the parks are insanely busy (almost whenever I am there), it's nice to chill at the hotel with a snack.

I'm an early riser and when I have early access to DCA, I get all the headliners that I want within the first 2 hours. When I am exhausted after Oogie boogie bash or the world of color dessert party , I'm in my jammies in my room in just a few minutes.

 

[DizMe]

I'm an early riser and when I have early access to DCA, I get all the headliners that I want within the first 2 hours.

I was going to say this as well but forgot! Even though early entry is only 1/2 hour, I found that I got much more time than that to keep going before the crowds filled the ride lines--but that was mid-January.

 

[irlandaise]

I'm an early riser and when I have early access to DCA, I get all the headliners that I want within the first 2 hours. When I am exhausted after Oogie boogie bash or the world of color dessert party , I'm in my jammies in my room in just a few minutes.

Having the GCH so close is also great if you get too wet on Grizzly River Run and want to scoot back to your room to change into dry clothes!

 

[LAS2AMS]

At WDW, you can stay at the Yacht/ Beach Club. Gorgeous, sprawling resorts with tons of amenities including a mini-water park. Walk or take a boat to Epcot/ DHS, enjoy some really good food and entertainment along the boardwalk and immerse yourself in the magical WDW.

At DL, for the same price, you can stay in the Flh a an above average hotel with some Disney charm, an above average pool (not the best in the area), and beautiful views of Anaheim and its surrounding apartment complexes.

Staying offsite at DL isn’t as big of a deal as at WDW. You’ll spend most of your time at the parks - does paying &1k a night for a place to sleep and slower make sense?

The hocus pocus over “it’s so worth paying an extra $700 to stay at the GCH to save a whopping 5-10 minutes of waking.” At that point, you’re largely trying to convince yourself.

 

[DizMe]

At WDW, you can stay at the Yacht/ Beach Club. Gorgeous, sprawling resorts with tons of amenities including a mini-water park. Walk or take a boat to Epcot/ DHS, enjoy some really good food and entertainment along the boardwalk and immerse yourself in the magical WDW.

At DL, for the same price, you can stay in the Flh a an above average hotel with some Disney charm, an above average pool (not the best in the area), and beautiful views of Anaheim and its surrounding apartment complexes.

Staying offsite at DL isn’t as big of a deal as at WDW. You’ll spend most of your time at the parks - does paying &1k a night for a place to sleep and slower make sense?

The hocus pocus over “it’s so worth paying an extra $700 to stay at the GCH to save a whopping 5-10 minutes of waking.” At that point, you’re largely trying to convince yourself.

This is probably true for you. It definitely is not true for me. Now, I agree that there's a chunk of money you could save by staying off site, but I disagree that the experience is a negligible difference and not worth the cost to anyone. There is a reason why the on-site hotels cost a lot more. Since this is possibly a one-time trip and it's celebrating a big birthday milestone, I think it's well worth staying on site and enjoying all of the amenities. There isn't anything off site that offers an equal experience.

 

[emmybee]

Places I will stay nowadays: GCH, DLH or the Westin.

 

[MonocularVision]

The hocus pocus over “it’s so worth paying an extra $700 to stay at the GCH to save a whopping 5-10 minutes of waking.” At that point, you’re largely trying to convince yourself.

I basically agree with you that it isn’t worth the extra cost but I also know different people value different things. No need to convince people they are wrong about what they value.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Grand Californian all the way but only if all the construction is done by your trip, if it's not I would pass. Next I would chose Pixar Place. Honestly if you want special nice ambiance feeling chose GCH. If you love Disney theming Pixar.
Edit to add I am a person who only stays on Disney property so take my recommendations with that in mind.

 

[Mrjoshua]

My family has enjoyed both Pixar Place and GCH. My opinion is to go with PP: cheaper, back entrance into California Adventure, Great Maple restaurant, characters in the hotel

 

[VGCgroupie]

My family has enjoyed both Pixar Place and GCH. My opinion is to go with PP: cheaper, back entrance into California Adventure, Great Maple restaurant, characters in the hotel

The new entrance paired with the refurb into Pixar has really made this hotel much more special

 

[Jawwdoc]

The newest, nicest and walkable off site hotel is the Westin. I think the Marriott Courtyard on Harbor Blvd is closer, but not as nice as the Westin. The Hilton(s) and the Fairfield are nice enough and walkable. The older motel style places are the absolute closest to the park but can be dated, noisy, cramped although some have been upgraded.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I've stayed at all 3 multiple times and love them ALL. They each have their unique charms and would be happy to stay at any of them on a trip to DLR.

My favorite right now might actually be DLH. I love the walk through Downtown Disney, the ability to leave or arrive back via monorail, the new rooms in the DVC tower, the classic Disney touches, etc. I recommend watching the Behind The Attraction episode on Disney+ about it if you want to learn about its history.