Worth the money to stay on property?

[ParkHopper1]

...and as other have said...if the choice was between more days in the park or less days and staying on site...off site hands down. In that case, it is NOT worth it in my opinion.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I like onsite because we only go once every 3 years or so and like the immersion. We will be there 9 days and it's nice to have the pool area and resort feel. I agree with PP as well that room service is amazing when you are bone tired.

 

[mmmears]

Will you be at the parks from opening until close? Or do you prefer to take it easy, return to your hotel and maybe enjoy the pools? If you are a "park commando" I don't think it's worth the money. We like to relax a bit and like the resort feel staying inside the Disney bubble, so we stay onsite. It's very nice to stroll through DTD to get to the hotel, but with the rising costs of those hotels it's hard to tell someone that it's "worth it." It really depends on what you are looking for and how much you are comfortable spending.

 

[jammyjam25]

We only stay on property when we are there to celebrate an event (Gay Days, Dapper Days, etc.) that offers amazing on-site rates. Otherwise, we stay off-site as we can't justify the cost.

Even when you stay off site you can take a break during the day to wander through the Grand lobby or stop for a cocktail at Trader Sam's, and still get a taste of the on-site resorts.

 

[tdhickey]

My feelings on this are the same as always, everyone should try it once and see if it's for them. For us, we spend almost all the time in the park, so the hotel doesn't get used much and therefore not really worth it. Typically, if you're thinking about whether the money is worth spending, it's probably not worth spending. It's more oriented towards people with money to burn...not exclusively, but targeted.

 

[BayouQueen]

You know...I really don't think it's worth it. But we do stay onsite most of the time now because I'm older, have had health problems, and with less stamina, I have to "soften things up" or I probably wouldn't make a trip to DLR at all.

We spent years and years staying in offsite hotels, and always had a wonderful time. There are lots of great options and transportation in the area is excellent. Easy peasy.

 

[Diszona]

If you want a "Resort" experience, and will take advantage of the pools and extra morning hour, and it is within your budget, then definitely stay on site.

If you care more about maximizing your time in the parks, and will use the hotel primarily to sleep, then stay offsite.

What kastfan said.

 

[Skiton]

It is for us, and I've done both. We stayed offsite once and had a fine time. But then we stayed onsite and always will again. I don't think it's a "value" because let's face it, the prices are absurd, but we pay them because:

-We use the EE every single morning. My kids are morning people and always up and ready to go, and we get more done in that hour than we do in the next three hours.

-We do not like the dining in the surrounding area. We enjoy the restaurants in DTD, the onsite hotels, and also Carthay Circle, and they're easier to access if you're staying onsite. (No security checkpoint unless you're going to Carthay.)

-We spend a lot of time at the pool, and the value hotels don't have pools nearly as nice as GCH or DLH. I'm sure Marriot or Hyatt does, but they're far enough away that you need to shuttle in.

-We love the walk through DTD at the end of the day. Everything stays clean and pretty all the way to our hotel.

-We take advantage of Pinocchio's Workshop one night so that DH and I can do chef's counter at Napa Rose. Wouldn't be able to do this staying offsite.

Like I said, when we stayed offsite we still had a lovely time but for us the experience is significantly better staying on property.

 

[MissErikaRae]

I think it is totally worth it. Since you haven't been since a child I really think it's worth it to enjoy the amenities and completely surround yourself in Disney. My favorite is the Disneyland Hotel but if cost is an issue the PPH is great too! Plus you'll get Extra Magic Hours in the park by staying on site.

 

[NJlauren]

-We do not like the dining in the surrounding area. We enjoy the restaurants in DTD, the onsite hotels, and also Carthay Circle, and they're easier to access if you're staying onsite. (No security checkpoint unless you're going to Carthay.)

Can you explain what you mean by no security check point? If your staying at DLH how do you get to DL or DCA and not do a security check point.... Sorry first time staying at DL and I've seen a few people mention it but don't quite understand it

 

[BethanyF]

If you are in the on-site hotels, you have to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks, where you will go through security.
Most off-site hotels are on the opposite side, so, unless you go all the way around the outskirts of the park, you have to go through security to get to DtD and again through security when you leave (to get across the Esplanade to the Harbor Blvd side)

 

[Skiton]

Can you explain what you mean by no security check point? If your staying at DLH how do you get to DL or DCA and not do a security check point.... Sorry first time staying at DL and I've seen a few people mention it but don't quite understand it

I said, "unless we're going to Carthay." Actually I guess I said "you" which might have confused things. I meant that WE enjoy the restaurants in DTD, the onsite hotels, and also Carthay Circle. Carthay is the only one which requires us to go back through security.

 

[MyOwnMagic]

Take with a grain of salt because prior to this last trip in June we hadn't been to Disneyland in 10 years BUT we think it's worth it. We stayed 2 days at the Hyatt near the convention center before heading to the Disneyland Hotel. While the Hyatt was infinitely cheaper (and definitely nice as my DH used points to stay for less and upgrade) it wasn't what we thought it would be. Day 1 we walked to Downtown Disney and the real world was all around us. We got asked multiple times for money and while it didn't feel unsafe we certainly weren't thrilled walking back after dinner with 2 young children and being asked constantly for bus fare or a dollar etc.

We're probably opposite of everyone on here but we would rather just save the money and stay on property. We did 5 nights and 5 days of park hopping and it was SO nice to walk back to the hotel via downtown Disney. Everyone loved the service, meeting characters in the Lobby, Goofy's kitchen, and being totally immersed in Disney. No outside world - we went from the hotel to the parks, took the monorail back whenever we needed a break, and the walk was short (maybe 7 minutes?) when we ended our nights and came back to the hotel.

My DH made it clear that when we left the resort for home that he would be willing to do many more trips but ONLY if we stayed on site. He felt like the Hyatt was staying at every other hotel he stays at for work but Disneyland Hotel felt like a real vacation from our hectic life.

 

[NJlauren]

I said, "unless we're going to Carthay." Actually I guess I said "you" which might have confused things. I meant that WE enjoy the restaurants in DTD, the onsite hotels, and also Carthay Circle. Carthay is the only one which requires us to go back through security.

Sorry, I think I'm just not used to the DLR set up or understanding as I haven't been in 17 years and never stayed over. Just trying to get an understanding of the onsite set up. Thanks!

 

[Skiton]

Sorry, I think I'm just not used to the DLR set up or understanding as I haven't been in 17 years and never stayed over. Just trying to get an understanding of the onsite set up. Thanks!

Not at all! Like I said, I think I worded it oddly. I should clarify that I'm talking about dinners (because for the other meals we were generally in the parks already), and Carthay is really the only in-park restaurant that we like to frequent. Of course if you plan to leave your hotel and eat at Blue Bayou or any other place inside the parks, you will have to go back through security. But for any restaurant in DTD or in one of the onsite hotels, you don't and it's generally a very short stroll.

 

[NJlauren]

Not at all! Like I said, I think I worded it oddly. I should clarify that I'm talking about dinners (because for the other meals we were generally in the parks already), and Carthay is really the only in-park restaurant that we like to frequent. Of course if you plan to leave your hotel and eat at Blue Bayou or any other place inside the parks, you will have to go back through security. But for any restaurant in DTD or in one of the onsite hotels, you don't and it's generally a very short stroll.

So if your offsite you need to go through security to get to DTD?

 

[azdisneylover]

We prefer to stay on site. If we can't fit it into our budget, we will stay as close to the entrance on Harbor as possible. If you can fit it in your budget, try it and judge for yourself. Everyone is different. I like when I am in the park, I can have a purchase sent to the hotel instead of us having to lug it back to the hotel ourselves right then, or have to wait until we are going back to our hotel and try to remember to purchase the item. Love the early hour in the morning each day in the parks. Cool weather and very low crowds. The access to DTD is great from the GH because you enter in the middle of DTD so if you want to go to the movies, you go left, if you want to go in the parks, you go right. The toiletries are nice, sitting on the balcony while having a snack during an afternoon break is very relaxing. Knowing room service is an option is a plus. Lots of little things add up to make the stay on site a great vacation for US. It is different for each family. The walk to the parks from any of the hotels/motels feel to be in walking distance when it is the morning and you are excited to get TO the parks. It is a different story when it is time to go back to your room. Your feet, especially after a long day in the parks feel it. Your children, spouse and anyone else in your party most likely comment on how far the walk back is.

 

[Sagginit]

So if your offsite you need to go through security to get to DTD?

Yes, it is different than WDW as it is a more compact area so they have one secured area to enter both parks. So if you are staying offsite you come in off the main road by either walking or busses. From there you go through security to enter the walkway area in front of the park entrance and turn styles where your ticket is checked. This makes parking hopping easy but to get to DTD you would go through this area first, so enter security to walk through the walkway, courtyard type area, and then immediately exit to continue on the walkway. If you look at the map it notes it, those little green roofs in front of the park entrance are the security tables.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/

 

[NJlauren]

Yes, it is different than WDW as it is a more compact area so they have one secured area to enter both parks. So if you are staying offsite you come in off the main road by either walking or busses. From there you go through security to enter the walkway area in front of the park entrance and turn styles where your ticket is checked. This makes parking hopping easy but to get to DTD you would go through this area first, so enter security to walk through the walkway, courtyard type area, and then immediately exit to continue on the walkway. If you look at the map it notes it, those little green roofs in front of the park entrance are the security tables.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/

Thank you! Tying to at least get my bearings a little before our trip!

 

[DisneylandDarling]

Oops! Wrong post.