Why so many horrible reviews on trip planner for DLH?

[AskTheChief]

I mean trip advisor! I'm considering staying at DLH this June. I go back and forth (usually stay at HoJo's, which we love).

There are a lot of bad reviews on trip advisor, I was shocked. Of course, there are a lot of good ones, but for a Disney hotel, I wouldn't expect that many bad ones (not even sure I believe that bizzare review about the roach problem! ).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting luxury accomodations. I realize you're really paying Disney prices for close proximity to the park, DTD, etc., but I expected the reviews to be at least better than PPH.

I read a lot about worn sheets (some with holes), worn, dirty carpet, peeling wallpaper, "pixie dust wallpaper border not working", etc.

I don't want to stay there and then wish I had that extra $1300 or so back (two rooms for six nights) and walked a bit farther. I mean, I would like a new couch.

Has anyone here been very dissapointed with the DLH? Or are those people on TA just a bunch of whiners?

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I mean trip advisor! I'm considering staying at DLH this June. I go back and forth (usually stay at HoJo's, which we love).

There are a lot of bad reviews on trip advisor, I was shocked. Of course, there are a lot of good ones, but for a Disney hotel, I wouldn't expect that many bad ones (not even sure I believe that bizzare review about the roach problem! ).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting luxury accomodations. I realize you're really paying Disney prices for close proximity to the park, DTD, etc., but I expected the reviews to be at least better than PPH.

I read a lot about worn sheets (some with holes), worn, dirty carpet, peeling wallpaper, "pixie dust wallpaper border not working", etc.

I don't want to stay there and then wish I had that extra $1300 or so back (two rooms for six nights) and walked a bit farther. I mean, I would like a new couch.

Has anyone here been very dissapointed with the DLH? Or are those people on TA just a bunch of whiners?

dont listen to any of it....its just a bunch of nit pickers and sometimes it can be so rediculous...I posted just recently on TA about my stay at DLH but under a different sn because Ive had that sn for TA for ever!!! also I put pics on my trip report on here of my room in the marina tower...I was there from 11/27-12/1...so I have pictures to prove otherwise keep in mind, as with anything that glows in the dark (wallpaper border) it eventually goes out as most people know but the place is fabulous...I had no problems with dirty room or holes in the sheets or stains or anything like that and I never have...go enjoy and dont let those people deter you...theres nothing like it

 

[abby]

We have stayed at both DLH and HOJO, we stayed at DLH first. I love DLH, and while we greatly enjoyed HOJO we missed the magic of DLH and the fabulous grounds to wonder around in the evening. DLH offers so much more, in terms of food on site, a bar and the pools. I think people just expect too much from DLH, it is expensive and the first time we walked into our room, I did think, I'm paying for this basically standard hotel room? But the charm of the place grows on you......

 

[lulubelle]

I don't believe the horror stories posted there. Period.
We love all three on-site hotels and while they are usually over priced, you are paying for being on-site. Enough said.

 

[jemilah]

As a small business owner I know that most people do not talk about goodtimes to many people , but complain to any one who will listen to them!
Oh , and the wall paper pixie dust is like any other glow in the dark , it needs to be exposed to light first then slowly fades away.
I love DLH !

 

[disneegrl4eva]

We love all three on-site hotels and while they are usually over priced, you are paying for being on-site. Enough said.

tell it like it is gf

 

[PrincessSitka]

I stay on site each and everytime and never look back. Wonderful time

 

[honeymom]

Okay, here goes. We stayed at DLH in 2002 and did not care for it. We had been to a moderate at WDW the year before and way preferred it so I may have been comparing too much. While the DLH room was bigger (we had 2Qs and a daybed), the hotel just felt really plain/barely themed to us. The Neverland Pool was packed and freezing. And, other than the small Peter Pan slide/play area there wasn't anything special about it. My kids didn't even want to play in it because of the crowds and the temperature. The hotel felt flimsy (having lived in LA and having been through more earthquakes than I can count) which always concerned me in earthquake land.

What I did like at the DLH was the quiet pool and the pretty grounds near the Bonita Tower. That part was nice. But, I just do not think that DLH is worth the money IMHO. I do notice on these boards though, that people who have never been to WDW seem to prefer DLH to people who have been.

We just stayed at the GCH for the first time. Now that is a really pricey hotel and the rooms are small. But, the service was impeccable, it was well themed, not flimsy feeling (actually I noticed a lot of hidden earthquake safe design built in that most people wouldn't be aware of), and the location is great. If it is in your budget, I would suggest it.

We had a lot of disney visa dollars making the GCH affordable this trip. But, we have discussed that if we couldn't afford to stay there, we will stay offsite at either the Candy Cane, the Doubletree, or the Residence Inn Maingate.

 

[tracer]

I wonder the same thing about the DLH...why the bad reviews? We are trying to decide if we should stay here or a GN in Dec.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think many people who post on tripadvisor are deal hounds. They are looking for the best deal for the money. That might be the problem since the DLH is very expensive, more along the lines of what you would pay for a higher star ranked hotel. The expectations are as high as the price sometimes and that is going to make for a hard sell for the DLH. Also if you have previously stayed off site and had a good experience then you may not find the extra money worth it and resent the fact you paid that much. And as Honeymom experienced, if you have stayed onsite at WDW that can set a standard that DLR hotels cannot match. I have stayed there five times, and had clean, great rooms, great service, enjoyed the pool, and had great dining experiences each and every time. Also, it was the first place we ever stayed on or offsite for any Disney vacation so its very special and sentimental for my family. Obviously if I am going to chuck over half of my yearly allotment of DVC points for my June stay I like the place. I have also stayed at the GCH and PP as well as many WDW resorts of all levels. Its really somewhat unfair to compare the onsite hotels of WDW to the onsite hotels of the DLR. But its hard not to do. Still, I don't think the DLH, GCH or PP have to take a backseat to any WDW properties. JMHO. And Honeymom, I know you had a lousy experience but you might find a whole different one if you returned although a bad experience does not usually cause a return to the scene of the crime! The DLH or any of the other DLR hotels do not pool share anymore. Once they added the big slide at PP they didn't have to offer that perk to PP guests underwhelmed by its small, boring pool. If any of the hotels are rennovating a pool area that is the only time they will share since one pool is closed. Also the DLH has passed the standards for earthquake safety. But I do agree its not as themed as the WDW resorts. It was not built by Disney (nor was PP) so they had to work with what they had. Its not for everyone and since staying offsite saves the big bucks, its certainly understandable why you and many others prefer to do that.

And one other note, I have checked tripadvisor before each of my stays at WDW resorts and they all get slammed too. I remember before we stayed at Boardwalk reading a review by someone who said it should be blown up! And Saratoga Springs (my favorite and home resort at WDW) was once found lacking compared to All Star Movies which made me laugh. Disney is such a well known name and their hotels are priced high so they all get a lot of the way in lackluster reviews. I mostly read them as a curiosity factor. I do take them more to heart for offsiste stays which for some reason seem to be more even toned and based on facts not just a miffed off thing about not getting enough bells and whistles for the money. And I think the roach story is suspect, I have seen that same story more than once which makes me wonder.

 

[amw]

I think when peolpe come back from a trip and enjoyed their stay they leave it at that. When people come home and they have a gripe, they feel they need to tell everyone -- that they're getting back at the hotel for a less than perfect stay.

I take all trip adivsor reports with a grain of salt.

 

[nun69]

I will be staying from 3/29-4/6, so I will gladly come back and post my thoughts (good or bad) when we get home...are you polanning on going before then?

 

[DangerMouse]

I agree with the other posters about tripadvisor. Definitely people post there to gripe.

I stayed at the DLH with my ds for his birthday trip last February. We got a Disney Visa special for $129 a night and were upgraded to the Sierra Tower, 7th floor, DTD view. I LOVED that room! It was absolutely gorgeous with the floor to ceiling sliding glass windows looking out towards the parks. I loved the theming of the armoire with the DL map, the Mickey hands in the bathroom. I wanted to move in! My ds loved the wake-up call from Mickey and the fact that Winnie the Pooh delivered birthday balloons and a photo to our room while we were at DL. The only complaint (and it's not really even a complaint), was that our pixie dust didn't work. I left the windows open all day, and lights on in the room to power it up, but it never sparkled for us.
Oh well, who cares, every other little detail was pure magic!

 

[RanStak65]

Hello all. I haven't posted in ages, but I wanted to give my two cents on this one. We stayed at the DLH during spring break last year and loved every minute of it. As others have stated, we knew we were paying for the name and the convenience, but it was well worth it. Actually, its ruined us. I'm not sure Disneyland would be the same for us without staying there! We are returning on 3/30-4/3 and we can hardly wait. I even have two teenagers who loved the experience. It was so nice to return to the hotel from the monorail station and rest or swim, and then head back to the park. DTD was also very convenient. Overall, it just made the experience more meaningful and memorable.
As far as trip advisor is concerned, do you ever read those posts and think "I'm so glad I don't travel with someone like you!!"
We are always so excited to be there and be on vacation that such minor problems could never tarnish our stay! I work with someone who goes on grand vacations every year, but all you hear about on her return is all that went wrong. I always have her in mind when I read the negative posts on trip advisor!
Whatever you decide to do, have a great time!

 

[AskTheChief]

I did have a scratching my head moment when reading a bad review from a guy who took his family to the DLH for several days and DIDN'T GO TO DISNEYLAND.

He went there to "relax at a resort". Who goes to the DLH for vacation and never enters the park!?

 

[Ksquared]

I've never been to the DLH before but have been to WDW many times and have stayed both onsite and offsite while there. I went back and forth too with where to stay on our upcoming April trip. After much debate, I've decided that what I really want to do is stay at the DLH, even if it costs us more. For me, it comes down to the overall experience that I want to have while at DL. Plus, this will be the first time my kids will stay at an onsite property although they are 4 and 2 and really wouldn't care either way. I've looked at the TripAdvisor reports but I agree that people tend to post more about the bad than the good. When I post a review of a hotel, if I'm going to say something negative, I always precede it with something positive first...keeps it more honest that way. For all of the negative posters, there had to be something about their trip they loved, they just didn't want to talk about it. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong staying on the property.

 

[honeymom]

The posters are correct about the tripadvisor site. Very budget conscious posters on that site and more complainers than people with positives.

We had so wanted to like the DLH when we stayed there. Years ago, before they ripped down the old section, my DH and I had taken the monorail over and walked around the grounds. It had always been our dream to stay there following that visit.

But, the magic just wasn't there for us when we did stay. I do think that the pool sharing with PP at the time was a huge factor. Now that the pool is less crowded it is probably more enjoyable.

Maybe we will try it again. Re: earthquake safety though, I do remember hearing that there was some damage to the hotel following the Northridge quake when I lived in LA. I vaguely remember there being retrofitting to the hotel following that. While retrofitting does bring older properties up to the higher, modern standard, there are still questions about how well those properties will fare in a large quake. Northridge was a fairly large quake (though not on the magnitude of the expected big one) and its epicenter was a good distance from anaheim. I shudder to think what will happen in a large quake on the Newport/Inglewood fault, or when the San Andreas finally goes. GCH has steel support beams that were disguised as craftsman wood. Also, each door lintel at GCH was made out of steel. There were other steel supports that were integrated into the design. I was so impressed - it made me realize that they probably used the craftsman theme because it was so easy to integrate the structural support to make the hotel earthquake safe.

 

[suzannen]

We stayed at the DLH about 3 years ago and had a great experience. The only complaint we had at all was that the pool was always so crowded. I've heard that this has gotten better since then. We loved walking through DTD every morning and night and being right there. The first time I went to DL, we stayed offsite, and I'd never do that again, it didn't feel magical at all. We're going back this summer and since DD is older, we're doing GCH and I can't wait!

 

[familyoffiveAZ]

If you read through all the reviews, you'll get a better idea of what the chronic problem areas are. Quite a few of those who rated DLH as excellent and gave it high marks also offered some valid constructive criticism, much of which was consistant with what the naysayers had to say.

If both the good-rating and bad-rating posters have the same complaints, there might be something to that complaint. Then -- you be the judge as to how picky you are about {whatever it is they're complaining about}.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

We stayed at the DLH on our first trip to DL last fall, and just loved it. I did not feel I was staying at a luxurious resort by any means, but it was not dirty or decrepit, either.

It is a nice hotel with cute Disney theming in everything from the fixtures, furniture and even wallpaper, and is close to the parks. The DLH also has Goofy's Kitchen, Hook's Pointe, Granville's Steakhouse, a large gorgeous (and themed) pool area and other great amenities.

I also want to point out that DH has several family members who have been in the hotel business over 50 years, so he's a bit picky about hotels. And HE wants to stay at the DLH again the next time we go!