Wish I could justify a DL resort hotel!

[CrystalS]

I Soooo SOoo soooOOo want to stay at a DL resort hotel for our Sept trip but can't justify it when I can get a room at the Carousel Inn for under $400 for 5 nights (travel agent rate)!
We are taking the Disney cruise down to LA and so we can't afford to splurge on the hotel, but I really wish the DL hotels were more affordable

Just needed to share my woes, lol.

 

[OregonMickeyLover]

Crystal, I am right there with you! I really would love to stay on-site at least once in my life, but I also would rather spend the money saved by staying off-site, on souvenirs, tours, and character meals. If we stayed on-site, those things, with our budget, couldn't happen. I guess I need to hit the lottery, but I don't play My other thought is, we are only in the hotel to sleep and shower, especially now that DD is 9, so we don't take nap breaks, etc. If we were then maybe I could justify it, but otherwise I just can't.

Traci

 

[Caryn H]

Crystal, I am right there with you! I really would love to stay on-site at least once in my life, but I also would rather spend the money saved by staying off-site, on souvenirs, tours, and character meals. If we stayed on-site, those things, with our budget, couldn't happen. I guess I need to hit the lottery, but I don't play My other thought is, we are only in the hotel to sleep and shower, especially now that DD is 9, so we don't take nap breaks, etc. If we were then maybe I could justify it, but otherwise I just can't.

Traci

I'm with you OregonMickeyLover! We spend so little time at the hotel I could never see spending that much on the room (although I would book one in a hot second if I could afford too ).

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

The only time I could justify spending the money to stay on-site was when they had PPH on sale for $100 a night in 2009. It was only $25 more per night than the hotel we were going to stay in so I jumped on it.

Sadly, I think that will probably be our only time staying on-site at DLR unless I start making a lot more money than I do now.

 

[RuthieT]

I agree with everyone.. I would LOVE to spend our vacation on property but not with the nighly cost.. We are only at the hotel like most people just to sleep and maybe naps..

 

[SailorJen]

Been to Disneyland 50+ time in my life, but never got the chance to stay in one of the resort. I'm so glad i decided to join DVC!!! Will be staying in DLH for the first time in August...can't wait!

 

[KCmike]

Totally disagree with everyone so far. We have stayed at HOJO, FFI, and BWPPI and none of them compare to DLH or Grand Californian. To me if its a vacation once a year then spend the extra money and stay where you want. We tend to spend more time at the pools, slides, hot tubs and places to eat around the hotel when we do the resort hotels. There really is such a big difference. I understand to each their own though. I just don't like the busy Harbor Blvd, buses, traffic, McDonalds and all the outside commotion. When I'm on vacation I want to be away from all that. Downtown Disney is so much more relaxing to walk through.

Now If I could go more than once a year I would stay just about anywhere. Still trying to come up with the funds to go this Christmas.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Totally disagree with everyone so far. We have stayed at HOJO, FFI, and BWPPI and none of them compare to DLH or Grand Californian. To me if its a vacation once a year then spend the extra money and stay where you want. We tend to spend more time at the pools, slides, hot tubs and places to eat around the hotel when we do the resort hotels. There really is such a big difference. I understand to each their own though. I just don't like the busy Harbor Blvd, buses, traffic, McDonalds and all the outside commotion. When I'm on vacation I want to be away from all that. Downtown Disney is so much more relaxing to walk through.

Now If I could go more than once a year I would stay just about anywhere. Still trying to come up with the funds to go this Christmas.

I agree with Mike, we do not do the pools since no one seems to care.

Jack

 

[starshine514]

I always wanted to stay onsite, too. Then, I got sent to a conference last year for work at WDW and stayed at the Coronado Springs.(A moderate) resort onsite. I totally wasn't wow-ed. It was like staying at a subpar 2 to 3-star hotel, but with Mickey's face on the bar of soap. The bathroom wasn't well-kept and the walls were paper thin.I know it's on the other coast and all (not saying anything bad about the Disneyland hotels), but it certainly talked me out of spending $200+ a night to stay onsite. I'd rather just skimp on the hotel and hopefully get to come back again sooner!

 

[jenpace]

I Soooo SOoo soooOOo want to stay at a DL resort hotel for our Sept trip but can't justify it when I can get a room at the Carousel Inn for under $400 for 5 nights (travel agent rate)!

I know that the DLR hotels offer special travel agent rates during specific times. Maybe check on that and see if your travel dates fall during one of those times.

 

[jenpace]

I'm also going to agree with KCmike and blackjackdelta. Staying onsite is part of the magic for my family. We recently stayed on Harbor to save $$ and had some really negative things happen on the walk to and from the hotel from the parks. Walking to your room through Downtown Disney vs walking on Harbor Blvd really makes a huge difference in how enjoyable our vacation is. The extra $$ is more than worth it for us.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Totally disagree with everyone so far. We have stayed at HOJO, FFI, and BWPPI and none of them compare to DLH or Grand Californian. To me if its a vacation once a year then spend the extra money and stay where you want. We tend to spend more time at the pools, slides, hot tubs and places to eat around the hotel when we do the resort hotels. There really is such a big difference. I understand to each their own though. I just don't like the busy Harbor Blvd, buses, traffic, McDonalds and all the outside commotion. When I'm on vacation I want to be away from all that. Downtown Disney is so much more relaxing to walk through.

Now If I could go more than once a year I would stay just about anywhere. Still trying to come up with the funds to go this Christmas.

It isn't even a once a year vacation for us, more like once every two years. If I had to wait until I could afford a Disney hotel it would be once every four or five years. I would rather stay offsite than wait that long.

 

[rentayenta]

I have three letter: D V C I priced out our upcoming trip and it would cost almost $1,500 for 3 nights at the GCH (standard room, not even a Villa) with a theme park view. I could never get DH to agree to that. At the rate we are going, we will break even with DVC in October 2012; 4 years after purchasing.


We stayed at the DLH in 2005 and got a great AP rate. Same with the PPH though I wouldn't stay there again. I would stay at the HoJo anyday over the PPH.

There isn't a hotel in the DLR area that compares to the GCH.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I have three letter: D V C I priced out our upcoming trip and it would cost almost $1,500 for 3 nights at the GCH (standard room, not even a Villa) with a theme park view. I could never get DH to agree to that. At the rate we are going, we will break even with DVC in October 2012; 4 years after purchasing.


We stayed at the DLH in 2005 and got a great AP rate. Same with the PPH though I wouldn't stay there again. I would stay at the HoJo anyday over the PPH.

There isn't a hotel in the DLR area that compares to the GCH.

It would be nice to have a more upscale hotel on Harbor opposed to the current offerings but I think the rates still would be really high.

Jack

 

[rentayenta]

It would be nice to have a more upscale hotel on Harbor opposed to the current offerings but I think the rates still would be really high.

Jack

I totally agree. With a captive audience they can basically charge what the market will pay.

I just love the feeling on property. So enjoy strolling through DTD on the way to the parks in the morning; sometimes we take the Monorail out though I prefer to enter and leave through the gates. Tears streaming down my face after the last stroll down Main St, walking slowly through DTD, stopping at the World of Disney for some final shopping, then entering the beautiful GCV for a final evening and enjoying a glass of wine on the balcony.

I wake up far earlier than the rest of my family. I love to sit by the fire place in the lobby and sip my coffee. Ahhh.......

 

[Sherry E]

This subject comes up a lot on the DIS. Staying onsite is definitely not worth it for everyone, and that is totally understandable. I've got friends who will not stay onsite under any circumstances because of the prices, and I've got other friends who will not stay anywhere BUT onsite because they want to be in the Disney bubble the whole time!

I'm in the 'prefer to stay onsite because it enhances my overall experience' camp (and that includes all 3 DLR hotels - I actually love the PPH too, unlike rentayenta!!).

The regular rack rates for the 3 hotels are just crazy - and even though I love the PPH too, I don't feel that Disney should charge as much as they do for it because there's not as much to the PPH as there is to the DLH or the GCH. It just doesn't make much sense that the PPH is so costly as well. The DLH and GCH are simply larger hotels and feel more Resort-ish to most people, so I can understand higher prices for those to an extent, but not for the PPH so much.

I don't think I've booked any of the 3 hotels without some sort of a discount (whether it's a PIN code, an AP, a package or some other special offer) since the '80s. My room rates are always well under $200 per night - sometimes they might be $139, sometimes they might be $179, or anywhere in between. For those prices, I feel it's very worthwhile for me to stay onsite for what I get out of the whole experience. Like Mike mentioned earlier, I will spend more time at the hotel because it's a Disney hotel. Last December I probably spent more time than usual in the room because I was fixated on the park view I had. But if I had to pay rack rates, I'm not sure I would feel the same way.

If I know I won't be able to afford an onsite stay for a particular trip, I will just go home at the end of the night. And I'm sure I will eventually end up at HoJo's. But I really, really, really try to stay onsite every chance I get because it just makes my trip so much more fun and special. For the last few stays, I've been at the PPH because the rates were the lowest. In the old days I was all about the DLH. And my GCH stays have been sprinkled in between here and there.

I guess a comment that a friend of mine made kind of sums it up. This friend lives IN Anaheim, just about 5 minutes away from DLR, but she really only goes there once or twice a year. She usually stays with me at whichever DLR hotel I've booked.

One night this Anaheim friend and I were standing in the line for POTC and a nice, excited, happy couple behind us struck up a conversation with us. When they found out where my friend lives and where I live (which is in L.A., about 45 minutes away from DLR), they were mystified as to why we were staying onsite...and that year I think it was the GCH we were staying at.

My Anaheim friend actually answered before I could even respond (and she is not as big of a Disney freak as I am). She said, "Because it just makes it feel more like a vacation when we stay in one of the Disney hotels."

I concur!

 

[rentayenta]

This subject comes up a lot on the DIS. Staying onsite is definitely not worth it for everyone, and that is totally understandable. I've got friends who will not stay onsite under any circumstances because of the prices, and I've got other friends who will not stay anywhere BUT onsite because they want to be in the Disney bubble the whole time!

I'm in the 'prefer to stay onsite camp because it enhances my overall experience' camp (and that includes all 3 DLR hotels - I actually love the PPH too, unlike rentayenta!!).

The regular rack rates for the 3 hotels are just crazy - and even though I love the PPH too, I don't feel that Disney should charge as much as they do for it because there's not as much to the PPH as there is to the DLH or the GCH. It just doesn't make much sense that the PPH is so costly as well. The DLH and GCH are simply larger hotels and feel more Resort-ish to most people, so I can understand higher prices for those to an extent, but not for the PPH so much.

I don't think I've booked any of the 3 hotels without some sort of a discount (whether it's a PIN code, an AP, a package or some other special offer) since the '80s. My room rates are always well under $200 per night - sometimes they might be $139, sometimes they might be $179, or anywhere in between. For those prices, I feel it's very worthwhile for me to stay onsite for what I get out of the whole experience. Like Mike mentioned earlier, I will spend more time at the hotel because it's a Disney hotel. Last December I probably spent more time than usual in the room because I was fixated on the park view I had. But if I had to pay rack rates, I'm not sure I would feel the same way.

If I know I won't be able to afford an onsite stay for a particular trip, I will just go home at the end of the night. And I'm sure I will eventually end up at HoJo's. But I really, really, really try to stay onsite every chance I get because it just makes my trip so much more fun and special. For the last few stays, I've been at the PPH because the rates were the lowest. In the old days I was all about the DLH. And my GCH stays have been sprinkled in between here and there.

I guess a comment that a friend of mine made kind of sums it up. This friend lives IN Anaheim, just about 5 minutes away from DLR, but she really only goes there once or twice a year. She usually stays with me at whichever DLR hotel I've booked.

One night this Anaheim friend and I were standing in the line for POTC and a nice, excited, happy couple behind us struck up a conversation with us. When they found out where my friend lives and where I live (which is in L.A., about 45 minutes away from DLR), they were mystified as to why we were staying onsite...and that year I think it was the GCH we were staying at.

My Anaheim friend actually answered before I could even respond (and she is not as big of a Disney freak as I am). She said, "Because it just makes it feel more like a vacation when we stay in one of the Disney hotels."

I concur!

I used to love the PPH; it was my favorite. We decided to add on a night during our trip last June and so I chose the PPH. I was super excited. I'm not sure if we just had bad luck or if they had an off day (all businesses do) but I was very disappointed. I love the Mickey meets beach theme as both are things I so much. Everything from check in to the state of the room to the pool towels were not up to par.

I also spend more time at the hotel if it's a Disney hotel. Last trip we grilled at the GCV and it was so fun! We also had a pool afternoon which was a blast.

 

[Sherry E]

I used to love the PPH; it was my favorite. We decided to add on a night during our trip last June and so I chose the PPH. I was super excited. I'm not sure if we just had bad luck or if they had an off day (all businesses do) but I was very disappointed. I love the Mickey meets beach theme as both are things I so much. Everything from check in to the state of the room to the pool towels were not up to par.

I also spend more time at the hotel if it's a Disney hotel. Last trip we grilled at the GCV and it was so fun! We also had a pool afternoon which was a blast.

I had an 'off' stay at the PPH too, back in 2008 - that was the time when our faucet water smelled like poo for the whole trip (and never got better), and a haunted drawer in the armoire kept jutting out on its own, leaving my friend to inevitably bang into it. I did have another stay there where the CM who checked me in was not friendly at all.

Yes, I think staying onsite - no matter which part of 'onsite' it is - somehow encourages us all to spend more time there. We don't feel like we are missing out on the Disney fun so much if we are staying in the bubble, I suppose. We may not be in the parks, but we are still in Disney to some degree.

 

[rentayenta]

I had an 'off' stay at the PPH too, back in 2008 - that was the time when our faucet water smelled like poo for the whole trip (and never got better), and a haunted drawer in the armoire kept jutting out on its own, leaving my friend to inevitably bang into it. I did have another stay there where the CM who checked me in was not friendly at all.

Yes, I think staying onsite - no matter which part of 'onsite' it is - somehow encourages us all to spend more time there. We don't feel like we are missing out on the Disney fun so much if we are staying in the bubble, I suppose. We may not be in the parks, but we are still in Disney to some degree.

ITA. Staying onsite keeps me in that bubble. That's a perfect way to describe it.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We really love staying on property, and it does make a huge difference to us. I am not the type to spend a lot of money on souveniors, though.

We leave tomorrow for our trip to Grand Californian! We are there till Friday.

We got 30 percent off by booking with the the spring savings offer, which was a pretty good deal. We went in April and got 40% off the Disneyland Hotel booking through Orbitz. So I will never pay full price, but there are deals to be had if you really want to stay at one of the resort hotels.