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kcjones
09-23-2005, 12:47 AM
Hello again,

I realy hope I am not being a "space hog" with this post as it may be just an extenison of my earlyer post. I got some awesome advice from many of you about the upcomming Disney christmas vacation I am starting to plan. I value the help as to when in december would be best to go.

What I would still love to hear from all of you about is if there is and advantage to staying say at a Disney hotel as opposed to a "good neighbor" hotel. i would love to hear any advantages to staying at eather option during any other time of the year as well as if you may know of anything special for the holidays.

I seem to have noticed that the Candy Cane inn seems to be popular and find it intresting as we plan to be there for christmas :D

What do you guys think?

I value your input and hope I am not being a bother

I am the closest my "Disney noobie" family has to a "Disney Vet" (with a whole whopping one childhood trip to Disneyland lol)

Thanks again.

Mark Mywords
09-23-2005, 12:59 AM
I'd say go for the "Full" experience and stay at the Disneyland Hotel. Especially if you have little ones in tow. For me, it's mainly that staying there means there's absolutely no break in the good Disney "Vibe" you get from being in the park. It's in the little things like having vintage Disney music greet you in the lobby as you wait to go up to your room or looking down onto the Peter Pan themed pool. If this is going to be your one and only trip for a while, I'd say definitely stay on property.

emmah
09-23-2005, 03:36 AM
On the other hand.... disney hotels are VERY expensive, and you might find it difficult to actually book a room at the resort this close to Christmas... I always start by looking at the resort hotels and end by deciding that I would rather spend my money other ways. There are plenty of great hotels just across the road (some of them actually closer than the disney hotels!) for a fraction of the price. If you are planning to spend lots of time in the parks, it's actually nice to go off property at the end of a long day. It is a vacation, so I don't advocate going downmarket - everyone likes a little luxury on holiday. But do you really want to pay $300 a night for it? Personally, Hojo's has pretty much everything I really want in a hotel, plus it's a 7 minute walk to the front gate, and I get to spend all that money I am saving on shopping and dining out - which I appreciate a lot more than I do pixie dust on the ceiling... If you read these boards, you'll see that its a totally individual decision; it just depends on your priorities (and your budget). Whatever you decide, you're going to have a great holiday! :D

Vegitabeta
09-23-2005, 03:56 AM
Disney is expensive! We always stay near, but off site.

disneyhound
09-23-2005, 04:44 AM
For the last five years in a row we have stayed off-property, typically right across the street. The walk is minimal. Someone posted distances from the Disney Hotels and from some of the Good Neighbor to the gate area; as I recall, the hotels across from the main entrance were closer in distance to the gates. We always look at a hotel as a place to shower and crash. By necessity, we save the money on hotels for airfare and spending in the park! :p

mariezp
09-23-2005, 05:34 AM
If money were no object I would consider staying onsite. However, we prefer to have the extra money saved to spend on souvineers, snacks, and dining. The only time we spend in our room is for an afternoon nap and to sleep at night so it doesn't seem hardly worth the added expense to stay onsite to us. The resorts do have a cool looking pool if you like swimming. If we are that close to Disneyland we would rather be at the park so that has never appealed to us. Never having stayed at one of the Disney hotels I can't really rave about them. However, this will be our 5th year staying offsite and we have always had a wonderful time even with a stay across the street. I agree that the walk is even closer and you miss having to stroll through the crowd at Downtown Disney after the park closes.

Darkbeer
09-23-2005, 05:47 AM
Another vote for off-property.

Places like HoJo's and Candy Cane are highly rated (HoJo's beat out the DLH to win the reader's choice here at MP last year, and they are both in the top 3 at TripAdvisor).

You more than likely are paying half the price, if not less to stay at these places. You also save money by being near some lower priced restaurants, and places to get some sodas and snacks, such as 7-11, and shops like Quizno's and Subway.

Most folks use the hotel room as a place to sleep and shower, so why spend all that extra money????

anniedg
09-23-2005, 08:26 AM
For us it all comes down to money. Trip before last we could splurge and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. We have four kids and got a suite, which was actually cheaper than two rooms. It was FANTASTIC! Last trip we just couldn't afford it and stayed at Hojo's following Darkbeer's advice to request a room through the manager. (Thank you Darkbeer!) We got the exact rooms we had requested for only $50/room a night,and really liked the hotel. The walk is not bad at all and when you're swimming in the pool you can watch the monorail go by. However, even though Hoho's was great and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again, it's not quite the same as staying at a Disney property if you're a Disney nut like me. The price difference, though, can be HUGE.

infinite
09-23-2005, 08:37 AM
We prefer onsite, but that is because we are vacationing “at” Disneyland, we don’t really go elsewhere or do anything offsite (okay, maybe visit the ER), so to us the hotel is part of the vacation experience. We are also the type of people who go back to the room a lot (3 or 4 times a day), and like to rest, change for meals, etc. If we were visiting LA, and Disneyland was just part of our trip, we would most definitely stay off-site.

Did that make any sense? I hope so.

kisroo
09-23-2005, 09:09 AM
The kisroos rank:

Our absolute #1 hotel is the Grand Cali~concierge. We did it once and can't see ourselves staying there any other way. If we're going to spend a fortune on staying there, we're going to go all the way.:p In fact, we're doing it this way on our upcoming trip.

Otherwise...if it's a non-splurge-just-have-to-get-down-to-DLR-trip we try for either the Candy Cane Inn (very sweet hotel~great people~absolutely FAB-U-LOUS breakfast~very close walk) or the Howard Johnson (nice rooms~great staff~just as close as Candy Cane--although the CCI doesn't require waiting to cross the street).

Pros of a DL hotel:
*Ambience. If it's important to you, pay for it. I personally find the walk back to the DL hotels "easier" since you are walking through DD and are still in the 'resort' feel. I loved that.
*Early Entry. I have heard rumor that the DL hotels are allowing guests to take advantage of Early Entry each morning it is offered. So if you stay through 2 Early Entry dates, you could possibly take advantage of it both times. Darkbeer has stated several times that this is subject to change, however.
*Charging and sending purchased items back to your room. I really liked finding our purchases waiting for us rather than having to go pick them up or carrying them while in the parks. It's a little thing, but I liked it.

Cons of a DL hotel:
*Price. Obviously. But, you *can* get some good deals in the fall/winter and off-season. Keep looking.

Hope that helps! Have a wonderful vacation!!!

~kisroo:)

TowerofTerror
09-23-2005, 09:12 AM
i say stay on property if you want the whole Disney experience if not stay off property. If you stay off the resorts property you save money

sierranevada
09-23-2005, 09:50 AM
My vote is for onsite - with DLH being my favorite! In my opinon, the advantages of staying onsite, especially with kids, really make the whole experience great! If you do stay at Disneyland Hotel, request a wake up call and have a child answer in the morning - it is Mickey calling! Also, the border at the top of the walls is Tinkerbell's Pixie dust - leave curtains open or lights on to "charge" and it glows in the dark. The pools at all three Resort Hotels are great - wonderful place to recharge during the afternoon - and yes, we have been able to swim during the day in December! Resort Hotel guests can enter California Adventure through the special entrance in the Grand Californian 30 minute before park opens and ride Soarin' - that will have a line all day. Resort Hotel guests also have a priority entrance to the monorail in Tomorrowland for boarding - especially helpful at night when lines are extremely long for the monorail. And currently, resort hotel guests can use Early Entry every day that it is offered (as stated in a previous post, that is subject to change).

mikemgmve
09-23-2005, 11:03 AM
The Candy Cane Inn was a quite LOVELY hotel. It was affordable too! Which is obviously the biggest bonus to an offsite hotel as opposed to one of the three.

It's closest to the park in regards to being on the same block, but there are others directly across the street as well from the entrance.

HydroGuy
09-23-2005, 11:14 AM
Different strokes for different folks.

We have stayed at the DLH, but now are settled on the Best Western PPI right across the street. If you have $XYZ, then you (usually) can get more days in DL at a good neighbor or less days at DL at a DLR hotel. Lately we have been choosing extra days at DL for a given $XYZ thru a good neighbor.

In addition, when we are at DLR we are either sleeping or in the park. It seems a bit of a waste to spend extra money for a hotel where we are almost never there.

We have stayed at HoJo's in the past, but with younger kids the extra walking up Harbor was not worth it.

going2disneyAZ
09-23-2005, 11:26 AM
We went through the debate in our family a month ago. We are going at Thanksgiving (also a very busy time).

We chose to stay onsite for two reasons.

1. We have AAA and get the enhanced FastPass so it will help get on some of the rides that would normally have huge lines. (if aren't a AAA member consider it if you stay onsite.)

2. We are traveling with a 1 YO, 2.5 YO and an 8 MO so being close to the Parks was very important to us as you never know when one will have a breakdown. (I think your other thread said you had some young children)

{a third reason is that both my wife and her sister are particular about hotel rooms so we needed to make sure we had nice accomadations ........ or else it wouldn't be pretty}

Darkbeer
09-23-2005, 11:34 AM
Thanks to Alex Stroup, we now have the different distances the hotels (on and off) are to the center of the Main Entry Plaza.

http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=46907

Many of the hotels on Harbor are closer than the DLH.

lauramaynot
09-23-2005, 12:22 PM
I also vote onsite if you can afford it. Some here have mentioned staying one night at an onsite hotel and then moving to an offsite hotel for the remainder of the stay so that they can get the perks, I have never done this since it would take away from my time at the park but if you really want to have the experiance and it is all you can afford you could try it. We do some onsite and some offsite (onsite when there are AP nights available) I have stayed in a few of the hotels around DL and they were all nice. no complaints. But staying at the DL Hotel and looking out over the park at midnight with my husband by my side and kids sleeping soundly is my idea of pure heaven :D

ghoofie
09-23-2005, 12:38 PM
Having been to DisneyLAND a zillion times we had never stayed at DisneyHOTEL until Christmas last year. We had two rooms, 7 people.
Here's a few observations:

1) I am a big PRO Candy Cane person. They have a really decent included cont. breakfast. I usually am the first person up. Go have coffee and the bkfst area..everyone else gradually gets down there. We didn't find that convenience at the Disney hotel. I sure I got coffee at the little coffee shop downstairs, $$. It's nicer, quant, relaxing at the Cane.

2) Walking from the park to the hotel is not really much closer than walking to the Cane. The Cane has a private shuttle, very convenient. We like to enter DL through mainstreet, so we didn't care about riding the monorail in. And we usually stay in the park past the last monorail trip back to the hotel, so that didn't matter either.

3) Disney hotels are expensive, even with AP deals. Just not worth it. And I found no real "disney experience" by staying there. I'm not knocking the Disney hotels in anyway at all. Everyone should try it at least once.

4) I will say that the staff at the Disney hotel were all quite friendly No problems there at all. And it was convenient shopping at either DL or DCA and having the packages sent to the valet area at the hotel. Nice touch. But we usually save shopping for near exit times so not a biggy.

We will likely stay at the GCH sometime, as funds allow. But the Candy Cane is our home away from home. I stay there for business trips too now. They even know me when I arrive (I know , big deal).

infinite
09-23-2005, 12:44 PM
the Candy Cane is our home away from home. I stay there for business trips too now. They even know me when I arrive (I know , big deal).

That IS a big deal, it makes you feel like they enjoy you being there. We frequent a restaurant like that, and I like they way they all say hello and goodbye (even If they aren’t assigned out table), and the way they smile at us when we leave, even if they are busy.

If you find a hotel like that, I say that is where you should stay! That is really nice!

Daveylegs
09-23-2005, 01:56 PM
I vote for onsite and here's why: the pool. Yes, most hotels have a pool but the Neverland pool at DLH is magical. We spent every afternoon at the pool the last time we went. We have young children and I think they enjoyed the pool even more than Disneyland! The cost is more but for us it's worth it.

This fall we're staying at the GCH. I'm hoping the weather is warm enough (November) to get to try out the pool there. We're looking forward to story time at night, our character breakfast at Storytellers, and our early entry to Fantasyland.

disneyhound
09-23-2005, 03:06 PM
Thanks to Alex Stroup, we now have the different distances the hotels (on and off) are to the center of the Main Entry Plaza...
Thanks Darkbeer, that is the post I was referring to earlier. If you are staying on-site, because of the convience of being close, you had better select carefully...

Minnie66
09-23-2005, 03:20 PM
My vote would be for onsite for the reason ssierranevada gave you (great detail). Also, even though the distance from the DLH to the maingate is quoted as being a longer walk, it isn't if you use the monorail, and even though the miles are stated as being less at the offsite hotels, for some reason it seems like further away to me. But then again, I don't like to leave the park when we are there, I love the "resorts" versus "hotels". Look for the discount codes though, we have never paid rack rates.

Susan L
09-23-2005, 03:21 PM
We have stayed at both the DLH and PPH so far. Our next trip we are planning on staying at the GCH.

The DLH wasn't what we expected but, we have teenagers. As someone else has said if you have little ones this is the one to stay at.

PPH we like very much, the rooms are large and we have always had the best of service there.

This next trip we are splitting up our time at the HoJo and the GCH. This may be an option if you can't afford to stay on property the entire time but, want to experience being on property.

All in all I perfer staying on property. Its like leaving the real world behind for the time that you are there, which is what I want out of our Disney vacations.

rentayenta
09-23-2005, 03:49 PM
You cannot beat staying on property when at Disneyland. We used to stay with family until last year when we discovered the magic that is the DLH. We were there from Dec.19-26 and it was amazing. Their Vacation Planning service was terrific. I ordered a Christmas tree to be in our roon upon arrival. It was there along with a balloon bouquet for each child with two autographed 8x10 glossy photos of each childs' favorite character (free I might add). Utah closed all of their Disney Stores but I wanted to have Disney Dollars waiting in the room for each child. John at VP got them for me, with my cc number of course. The tree was pricey but worth every penny. The kids were in awe when they entered the room. Guest services held the kids' gifts until Christmas Eve and then brought them up so they could be under the tree for Christmas morning.

The pixie dust wall border was so cool for the girls and the Mickey touches throughout the room were sweet.

Running into Goofy all decked out in his Christmas attire on Christmas Day in the lobby was so fanatstic for the kids. The decor around the hotel is beautiful and there are touches of Disney and Christmas around every corner.

My vote is to stay on property because it is the holidays.

This holiday season we are staying at the PPH for the first time. :)

ILovePoker
09-23-2005, 05:36 PM
I'd say go for the "Full" experience and stay at the Disneyland Hotel. Especially if you have little ones in tow. For me, it's mainly that staying there means there's absolutely no break in the good Disney "Vibe" you get from being in the park. It's in the little things like having vintage Disney music greet you in the lobby as you wait to go up to your room or looking down onto the Peter Pan themed pool. If this is going to be your one and only trip for a while, I'd say definitely stay on property.

I'm sorry but I disagree that you must pay outrageous prices to get a Disney feel. As long as I'm in the park, that's good enough for me.

Anyways, to the thread maker. I would suggest staying off site, when you are off site, you save a lot of cash which can go elsewhere besides accomodation. Chances are, you won't be in your room that often when you're at Disneyland. Also, one thing I find with the resort rooms is that they offer very little for alot. It's just an average room with a little Disney touch. The Grand Californian doesn't even have refrigerators which I find amazingly wierd.

I would advise maybe a suites hotel, during off season, some can be around 100-200 dollars which is considerably less than a Disney Resort Hotel. I stayed at the Homewood last time, which has a kitchenette, a fridge, microwave and stove, 2 queen beds, with a fold out couch, 2 cable TV's and a large bathroom for only 93.00 dollars a night in February. You certainly cannot walk to Disneyland but I believe that when you're in California, you certainly need a car to get around because there are many other things to experience besides Disneyland.

So bottom line, save some $$$ and stay off-site, you get the same experience. :D