Which would you choose???

[DisneyaholicRaquel]

We are planning our first DL trip for this December...don't know too much about DL! Any suggestions will be appreciated....

 

[godalejunior]

My vote is for the DL hotel, especially if you have children. We had our first family trip there in Feb. and it was fabulous. We had so much fun we are going back in five and a half weeks (since it is an unplanned vacation we are going to stay at a GN hotel due to cost).
I originally had booked our Feb. trip at HOJO's but I decided to spend the extra money and stay in the resort. We had a DTD view, the room was large and we could lay in bed and watch the fireworks. The monorail was literally three minutes from our room and with a five year old that is a lifesaver.
No matter what you choose you will have a great time.

 

[DangerMouse]

Feeling rich = GCH
Got some extra cash = DLH
Pinching Pennies = HoJo (yet, a very nice place to stay)

 

[DLR29]

Staying onsite at DLR doesn't matter much in regards to distance. You can find plenty of much cheaper hotels nearby with the same or shorter walking distance to the parks than the DL/PP hotels. I would recommend savign $ and staying at an offsite hotel.

 

[jnjusoioa]

I am curious to hear what everyone has to say, I am booked for the Paradise Pier and it seems no one has voted for that one a whole lot, but Disneyland Hotel seems to be taking off, so can someone please help and let me know the difference. Thanks.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I'm not going to vote. I think it depends on your budget and travel style.

For my family, we would rather stay an extra couple days then stay on site. We spend very little time at the hotel or in our room. There is NO point in us paying big money for things we wont use.

We stayed onsite, conc. level at PP in Oct. 05. It was nice, but again, so much of it went unused by us. The walk was a bit further then we realized it would be. When I booked that trip we had the choice between conc. at PP or a regular room at GC. We went with the conc. at PP to save money on breakfast costs.

Since then we've discovered the candy cane inn. It meets our needs nicely. Its clean, close, has a shuttle and breakfast. We use the room to sleep and shower. We might use the pool, but not for long, we can swim anywhere!

 

[jnjusoioa]

Just a quick question, if you were staying on DL property, in one of their 3 resorts and money wasn't an issue, which would you pick??

 

[rentayenta]

We love love love the Paradise Pier. The rooms are clean, the service is terrific, and we enjoy the Disney meets beach theme. There are little Disney touches throughout the rooms too.

Next favorite is the DLH. The pool is fantastic but the rooms are a bit worn for the price. There is Tinkerbell wall border in the rooms that glows which is uber cool!

The GCH is nice but not worth the price IMHO. We have 5 people and I have read that if you don't get a room with a bunkbed they will hand you a sleeping bag. I would flip if I paid $300+ a night and got handed a sleeping bag. The outdoors theme is one thing but if I wanted to sleep in a sleeping bag, I would go camping. I have stayed there once and would again if it were just DH and I. It's romantic but not very Disney.

We give the kids the option to choose and the PPH wins everytime!

Good luck with your choice.

 

[dizzyami]

I am curious to hear what everyone has to say, I am booked for the Paradise Pier and it seems no one has voted for that one a whole lot, but Disneyland Hotel seems to be taking off, so can someone please help and let me know the difference. Thanks.

I love the PP - we have stayed their twice - and I absolutely love the hotel. The reason I wouldn't vote for it here - is I wouldn't do the concierge there. For us it was too much to plan to get back and utilize the services. We did enjoy the concierge at the GCH because we would spend the afternoon in DCA - so it was a quick stop back at the concierge to load up on drinks and snacks.

Another note on that is the last few times we have been it has been non-peak in Oct or Nov - so we were at the parks all day. So, I guess it would be different in the hotter months with longer hours.

(I really just contradicted myself there - didn't I???)

 

[jnjusoioa]

Thank you for the comments, I went back through and was reading some older posts, I am thinking of maybe changing to the DLH, I don't really want to stay at GCH because it seems more upscale then I want but DLH seems to be a classic favorite, which it was an issue of I have been there before so I know, but I am kind of clueless, if anyone else has anything to offer, that would be great!!!!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Thank you for the comments, I went back through and was reading some older posts, I am thinking of maybe changing to the DLH, I don't really want to stay at GCH because it seems more upscale then I want but DLH seems to be a classic favorite, which it was an issue of I have been there before so I know, but I am kind of clueless, if anyone else has anything to offer, that would be great!!!!

I loved GC but truthfully, the corridors are looooooooong, and the rooms arent that big...DLH is the bomb...their rooms are huge and pool view is awesome...

 

[Amy&Dan]

I loved GC but truthfully, the corridors are looooooooong, and the rooms arent that big...DLH is the bomb...their rooms are huge and pool view is awesome...

That is exactly how I feel! GCH is awesome, the lobby in particular. But I love the larger, bright, Disney decorated rooms of the DLH. And I love that at the DLH you will either get a daybed or rollaway (for no add'l charge). The GCH has only a few daybed rooms, some bunkbed rooms (that my 12 year old son is almost too tall to fit into) and then if you don't get one of those, sleeping bags. For that price I don't feel like having my kids sleep on the floor. We have stayed at the DLH five times (and going for our sixth round this June) and its always been perfect for us. Very clean, lovely, oversized rooms, good room service options, good restaurants, great pool, wonderful cm's and that Disney magic that means a lot to us. I do like Paradise Pier and have had two great stays there but would not do concierge there. I also don't like their pool (great slide, boring pool with no food or drink options open at the pool for both of our stays). PP also has a daybeds in each room so that is a plus for us too.

Now I want to close this by saying that staying offsite at one of the motels on Harbor is a great option too. Lots of nice clean places, many closer than the DLH or PP with great rates. But it sounds to me like budget is not a consideration for you so I definitely think the DLH will bea great choice. Have a great trip!

Oh I forgot to add that the preferred view room makes this an even better choice. I love either the pool or DTD views at the DLH and pay extra now to get those. Well worth it for me even though I guess in the end I spend little time looking out the window! But its nice to wake up with a nice view to get your day off to a nice, Disney start. I also love the beautiful landscaping of the DLH. There are beautiful Koi ponds and waterfalls as well as lovely, lush landscaping. The other two onsite resorts don't have that, PP in particular. GCH does have a pretty courtyard however. Another nice thing about the DLH is how close you are to the monorail stop which can save some steps. It also has the widest range of dining options of the three onsite hotels. I hope you like it as much as I do!

 

[MATTERHORN]

Vote for the Grand here! We will have our third trip there this month and it is fabulous especially at Christmas with that homelike cozy feeling when it's colder out!!

I like the DLH but I want to feel like I am at a resort and the Grand does that for me. Plus the shorter walk never hurts with little ones.

However, if you don't want to spend that much, offsite can be jsut as enjoyable and close!

Andrea

 

[minniefaye]

We stayed at the DLH in October and thoroughly enjoyed it! The pool is great, my kids LOVED it! The staff was so nice and our room was huge. We are going back again in Oct and have chosen to stay at the DLH again instead of the GCF, the reason was money. We decided that although the hotel looks fabulous, we just didn't want to spend $350 a night with no perks. What I mean by that is at other non disney hotels you usually get a breakfast for your money, but not at Disney. So, we love to stay on resort property, but go mid price to get a nice view and still try to "save" some money.

One other comment about the DLH. When we booked our ressies last year we mentioned we would be celebrating our daughter's birthday during our stay. They asked me who my daughter's favorite character was and I told them Minnie Mouse. When we checked in, they presented my daughter with a photo of Minnie Mouse who had signed it wishing my daughter a happy birthday! My daughter was elated. Also, all three of my kids were given coloring books and Disney tatoos upon checkin.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

Right now (gosh I change my mind every 10 minutes it seems) we have reservations for BWPPI. Price is good, and very close to the parks. But I'm wavering back and forth from that and GCH. Money is the object for this trip in October. It's a $1000 difference as of right now between staying off site and at GCH. As nice as it is, that's for a standard room, and sometimes I find it hard to justify spending $1000 more just for the room.

So right now I'm keeping my reservations at BWPPI, and if for some reason I'm able to save enough, and maybe catch a 4th night free at GCH we'll do it. Were really needing close, so I worry about even staying there and getting a room far in the back making it a good walk also.

Oh we also LOVE DLH. We've stayed there many times. We would stay there this time but my Mom thinks the walk is a bit much, with pushing a wheel chair. With tired feet that's probably true. But I'm still open to that option as well.

Oh yeah I voted GCH standard.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I agree with Linda, I think it really depends on who's going and what kind of budget you have. My thoughts:

1. The GCH is incredibly beautiful! I would love to stay there someday, and they have a wonderful kids area (basically a babysitting & activities room) for children 5 and up, I believe it is.

2. The DLH has fantastic theming, and the pool area is a big draw for families with little ones! It has a fun slide for kids who can swim, plus the water depth is only 4 ft. There is also a small, gentle slide for toddlers and preschoolers. Love it!

3. I don't know much about the PPH, but I honestly have heard few complaints. If you want to stay onsite but don't have the budget for the other two, I would definitely stay there. I think they have a pretty cool slide as well, though it looked pretty high, and maybe the pool area is geared toward older kids?

My kids love the pool, so if we couldnt' stay onsite, I'd pick the hotel within walking distance that had the best pool. I have no idea which offsite hotel that would be.

 

[Amy&Dan]

My kids love the pool, so if we couldnt' stay onsite, I'd pick the hotel within walking distance that had the best pool. I have no idea which offsite hotel that would be.

Definitely the Howard Johnson's on Harbor! A main pool that has a baby pool and kiddie spray jet area. Plus a very nice quiet pool as well. Wonderful pool area and the only one I know near DL with that much to offer in that department.

 

[mikayla73]

I agree with others, it depends on your needs/wants and money situations. If you are going to use the ammenities that you would get staying concierge and can afford it then go for it! If you'll spend more time in the parks, then save some cash for spending on other stuff and go for the less expensive room. It really depends on your vacationing style. You could always do a split stay, depending on how much stuff you take on vacation with you and how many people there are. to drag from hotel to hotel. We are staying 2 nights in a Good Neighbor hotel, then moving to the GC for 6 nights. I am sooooo excited!! We haven't stayed onsite yet and this will be the first time, we usually always stay in a GNH.

 

[mystic_path]

Not to say that the DLR hotels arent fantastic, but I like offsite hotels cause most are cheaper then the DLR hotels, they are close to eateries and the main gate, and I dont have to wait for a monorail or walk my way through the crowded streets of DTD

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

If money isn't an issue I would probably do Grand CA. If it is I would stay at a good neighbor hotel. Keep in mind there are several hotels right across the street (within walking distance) that are not considered good neighbor hotels because they do not work with disney.