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dalhar35
03-04-2005, 10:06 AM
We stayed at the Disneyland hotel this last week for six nights and enjoyed our stay. My problem is now that I spend some time and look at Hotels right outside the maingate I realize you can save quite a lot of money that could be spent inside the park. We got up each morning-showered, dressed and left for the day. We got mocha's at Compass Books and used Whitewater snacks for B'fast. We usually didn't return to the room until after the park closed. Then we pretty much went right to bed. We spent about 3 hours total in the pool, which was nice-especially the one of the smaller pools near the fitness center that was so warm and we were the only ones. We went to the Koi ponds and waterfall twice and it was very nice-especially at night. But with that said I will have a hard time returning to one of the Disney Hotels simply because of the price. I was checking HoJo's and they had rooms with a balcony and Disney view for $49 a night on mousesaver. Compare that to $250 or so for Disneyland Hotel and I would have saved over $1200 for our stay. Was it worth $1200 for the extra's and staying at the DLH? I would have to say it was this time just because it was the first time we had stayed at a Disney Hotel. But for future visits I can't see spending that much more for a room that we are seldom in other than for sleep. I have heard some decent reviews of HoJo's and other motels outside maingate and that will probably be were we stay for now on.
As far as finances, we can afford the extra cost so lack of money is not an issue-the issue is whether it is worth the extra $$$ for the Disney hotel experience. I would rather spend that money on art at World of Disney or on tours or being able to splurge on meals. An extra $1200 or more extra cash shopping would go a long way.
What does everyone else think? Is it really worth the prices??

Darkbeer
03-04-2005, 10:14 AM
I agree with you, dalhar...

What I am looking for is a nice clean room, with a bed and a shower, plus a pool and jacuzzi is a plus.

I use tools like travelaxe.com, Hotwire and Priceline, plus the HoJo's link at MouseSavers to check rates, and save a lot of money.

Many hotels offer shuttles and/or a free breakfast, things that Disney doesn't....

One of the things I recommend is having a meal at Goofy's Kitchen, that way you can enjoy the "magic", check out the grounds, and still save a lot of money....

bradk
03-04-2005, 10:16 AM
wow, deja vu.

i think you answered the question yourself. you pay for the ambience and experience. ironically, i might only consider it if i was staying longer, but for a few days where i know i'm going to virtually be living in the parks, i'd rather settle for less and pay accordingly.

i even just reserved carousel for $61 a night which is $10 more than I was going to pay at HoJo's but the proximity to the park can't be beat. of course i'm traveling alone, so i'd have a family to consider otherwise (in which case i probably wouldn't do carousel), but i can't see the need to enhance my experience by spending that much more for an on site hotel (which isn't even as close) when all it becomes is a place to sleep.

Cancer Norm
03-04-2005, 10:22 AM
...It's worth it if you want to experence the Disney theme the entire time.
It's overpriced if you don't go back a couple times a day or take advantage of the features on the property. You could say the same thing about Belliago,or The Vanitian(sp?) in Vegas. It's all about what you get out of it.

rentayenta
03-04-2005, 10:25 AM
I have never stayed off property at a hotel, we usually stayed with friends or family, and have only stayed at the Disneyland Hotel once. I thought the DLH was worth the money! Never having to leave the property enhanced the entire experience for us. In my opinion, it was $$ well spent. DH took the little kids back daily to swim and rest. We were in the Neverland pool at some point everyday. VP was a huge bonus for me; from buying me Disney Dollars to having balloons and pics for the kids ready upon our arrival. The Christmas Tree, although expensive, is the best souvenir ever! Yes, it is a lot of money but well worth it :)

yellowrosedtxn
03-04-2005, 10:26 AM
I agree, I think it is over priced. For me though, I have waited 25 years to go back to Disneyland; this time I am the mom and I am taking my kids with me, so I get to make the rules. hahahahah I think it is worth the price to have the magic all around us for our stay. Now if I made it a yearly trip, then I might stay at the HoJo or somewhere else, but who knows, it might be another 25 years before I get back there. For me, it is worth the price.

dalhar35
03-04-2005, 10:26 AM
Your right- Our walk back to the DLH was more than some of the walks to the off site motels. Of course its not through DTD but at night when your tired I was just looking to get back to the room and didn't really care about the shops-except Haagen Daaz for our nightly waffle cone. I saw a Classic Pooh painting of a winter time scene for $1700 and I could of bought that with the money I would have saved. But also -I can now say I stayed at DLH, but for me it will be off site for now on-unless Disney has some phenomenal discount.

Terri
03-04-2005, 11:09 AM
I agree -
We always stay at a hotel on Harbor within walking distance - my favorite is HoJo's.
However...this time we are staying at DLH for a few reasons. 1. total immersion into the Disney atmosphere; 2. We are there for 7 days/6 nights and will only spend 3 days in the park so we will be fully utilizing the hotel and all she has to offer; 3. IT'S THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!!! Is there any other reason?!? :cool:

CrazyTrain
03-04-2005, 11:17 AM
I think it just depends... if you have kids and want/need to go back to the hotel and rest/relax/wind down and do calmer activities, then it's great.

But if you're basically just using the hotel to sleep in, I think there are plenty of convienient choices for a better price.

disneyperson
03-04-2005, 11:24 AM
It all depends on how much you have to spend, how much you use the hotel, and your own priorites. For me, the DLR hotels are so expensive, it's not even a possibility. We find that the hotels on Harbor are just fine for us. Easy walking, free parking, and usually breakfast thrown in too. It saves enough money to spend an extra day at the parks.
If I had the money, however, I wouldn't hesitate to spend it at least once on a stay in a luxury room on property.

TOTFan
03-04-2005, 11:58 AM
For me I have to stay at the DLH or GCH, I enjoy the theming, pools, restaurants, and service. But alas I don't worry about the cost of it. I guess if thats a factor then...I guess.

Faith Trust & Pixie Dust
03-04-2005, 12:00 PM
We stayed at the GCH at AP rates in January, and for us it was totally worth it. I do have young children and needed to take a break in the middle of the day. Also, since it rained for part of our stay it was nice to have a beautiful room (and lobby) to stay in. Once the girls are older and we're not in our room except to sleep, I may consider switching to an off-site hotel. I have friends who refuse to stay off-site, because for them they're paying for the experience and aren't into souveniers. For them, it would totally detract from their experience to stay anywhere other than GCH. That seems to be contrary to most people, who only use the room for shut-eye.

tod
03-04-2005, 01:01 PM
We're local, and all we really need is a place to crash. Many of the amenities at the Dianeyland hotels are just wasted on us, and frankly we find more "magic" in finding a room with two queen beds for $50 or so than in a room with a crown molding of wallpaper with Tinker Bell dropping pixie dust.

I suppose the farther you travel, the more worth-it it is...

--t

Raven
03-04-2005, 01:25 PM
I gotta say, there is something about staying on property. Just the whole Disney experience, 24 hours a day!

Pascomom
03-04-2005, 01:35 PM
37 days and counting till we pull into GCH. Like most of the opinions on the thread, I do agree you have many things to weigh before you decide on whether to stay on property or not. In the past, we have stayed at the off property hotels and have had a very enjoyable experience. And every year we would stroll down DTD and say "Next time, we are staying here," pointing at the rooms at the GCH. And, many times, during our planning, seeing the price difference, we couldn't bring ourselves to fork over that kind of dough when we knew the HoJo's or Coast was fine. On the other hand, I am very happy and excited that we have booked our vacation for April at the GCH and hoping the experience won't leave us with regret. I am determined, though, to go with a positive attitude and read these boards as much as possible as there is so much valuable information here. Oh, we also have kids (2,6,10) and will be "trekking" back to the room during the day for naps and such. :cool:

dalhar35
03-04-2005, 02:43 PM
With a two year old I can see where GCH would be nice since its right there-especially from DCA. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

scaeagles
03-04-2005, 02:52 PM
We come from Phoenix and stay at the GCH. We have an 11, 5, and 3 year old now and the proximity of the GCH makes it completely worth it for us. The DLH is just as far away as the stuff nearby on Harbor, so I don't see any advantage to it.

The rooms are a bit small at the GCH, but to me worth every penny when the kids are tired and want a nap or we simply need a change of clothes.

We were the in December - 26th-30th - and there was a lot of rain. Wasn't too bad coming to the hotel to change into dry clothes.

CoasterChickie
03-04-2005, 03:15 PM
Having stayed at all three DLR hotels now, I would have to say that the DLH and PPH are totally worth it but the GCH isn't. I would stay at the Anaheim Sheraton over the GCH any day.


With the DLH and PPH it feels like you've never left the magic of Disneyland and the Sheraton is just like staying in a beautiful castle with beautiful room and beautiful grounds!!

tink360
03-04-2005, 03:24 PM
We've only stayed onsite once, at the DL hotel. Had booked a stay at candy cane inn for the vacation only the saturday night (first day of our trip) CCI was already full - so our first night was at DL hotel. I thought it was nice but not worth the price. Even when my son was very young, it was no problem for us to head back to the hotel for a rest during the day using the shuttles. We've only stayed in CCI, HoJo and what used to be called the ramada maingate (right across from the maingate entrance) now it is owned by a different chain.

Marox3
03-04-2005, 06:17 PM
We've been staying at the resort for over 20 years. We've experienced several hotels outside, plus camping, and discovered the extra $$ spent at the Resort is worth it for us.

I agree with CC about PPH, however, we love GCH. DLH was best years ago, when they had garden suites with large rooms and balconys.

Our visit in January at DLH will be our last. It was horrible and was only saved by our relationships we've developed with the other Managers at DLR. The hotel needs a lot of work and TLC.

It's like the other posts say. If an AP, wait for the rates (they will come), use Expedia and other travel sites for rates, then call Reservation to have them match it (I've done this several times). We've also found the more we stay, the perks get a little better. Not so much in rates, but better rooms and locations.

I think Renta pointed out in several posts ago, what a wonderful, full experience she and her family had staying at the Resort. It's True! :)

pisces
03-08-2005, 03:41 PM
I totally understand what the original poster is saying.

It's not about not having the money.......it's about how to get the most value out of your money.

I don't think Disney Property hotels are a good value for the money. It's hard for me to justify the outrageous amount of money I'm spending this next trip, given that I've already spent 7 days at the GC this last time.

I splurged once in 25 years for this last trip.

I really really shouldn't do it again, one year later.

I've had my extravagance.

However, I simply like a nice room, and a plush hotel, whether I'm going to spend time there or not, whether I'm getting full value or not.

Knowing that I'm not getting good value, doesn't seem to matter to me (thump). I simply do it because I wanna.

I'm realistic. I don't con myself into thinking I'm getting something I'm not. Although GCH is the closest to the Maingate.

There are worse things to fritter away money on.

It's good for the economy????

3894
03-08-2005, 03:59 PM
It's an individual question.

For my girls and me last October, the GCH was just exactly what we needed in every single way. Was it a bargain? Nope. But this was a the-planets-are-alligned-just-right thing for us that may never, ever come again.

kohl
03-08-2005, 04:16 PM
For our family, we have been lucky every time to get AP rates. We just love to stay on property. When we haven't, we still have fun, but it just doesn't feel the same.

Monte Cristo
03-08-2005, 08:27 PM
For me, it's really simple:

If you are willing to pay for proximity, GCH and DLH are the way to go.

If you are interested in a full service hotel first, proximity second, then GCH and DLH are not the way to go.

I've stayed at both GCH and DLH a couple of times and I've never been impressed over value vs. cost.

disney jones
03-08-2005, 09:09 PM
DLH or GCH is a nice splurge. they need to be done every once in a while for the 'experience', but no more than once a year or so.