My next disneyland question - Hotel offsight or on?

[karinothing]

We are looking at two main options

Disneyland Hotel: Pros: Official property, Disney bubble, water park (but it will be jan/feb so doubt this will be a big draw), souvenirs sent to hotel room, which seems nice. 10 minute walk to park. I am sure there are other Disney magic things I am forgetting.

Best Western Park Plus: Right across the street, 5 minute walk. Free continental breakfast. 1K cheaper than Disneyland hotel OR free if we use points.  I think I stayed at the best western a billion years ago.

So questions does a 5 vs. 10 minute walk matter? My kids are city kids so walking isn't that big of a deal. I think there bus stop is farther than either hotel is to the park (and we obviously do this every day and my kids city walk, so I imagine we could ).  Cost is not a huge concern because plane and rental car are free with points. But we could make the hotel free too, which is kind of cool. I might be pissed if magic mornings return and we didn't get a on sight hotel though (but then again I have never stayed on sight so who knows).  

Thanks for the help! Any other suggestions welcomed.

[gretchenindisguise]

If cost isn't a concern, I'd do the DLH.

We just stayed at the Best Western Park Plus in June and it was very very convenient - but cost was a concern for us.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 9:57:48 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

If cost isn't a concern, I'd do the DLH.

We just stayed at the Best Western Park Plus in June and it was very very convenient - but cost was a concern for us.

Do you think having the 5 minutes time difference in walking will make a difference to my enjoyability lol.

[quesyrah]

The Howard Johnson is also very popular, reasonably priced and has a small waterpark.

In my opinion the Disney hotels in CA aren’t worth it unless you’re planning some time to swim. If you’re just using your room as a place to sleep at night, stay elsewhere.

[Wines Not Whines]

I haven’t stayed at the Disneyland hotel, but I’ve stayed at the Grand Californian. I love it, and it’s so convenient. It’s a vacation, so my vote is to splurge if cost isn’t an issue.

[gretchenindisguise]

Sept 15, 2021 10:00:06 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 15, 2021 9:57:48 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

If cost isn't a concern, I'd do the DLH.

We just stayed at the Best Western Park Plus in June and it was very very convenient - but cost was a concern for us.

Do you think having the 5 minutes time difference in walking will make a difference to my enjoyability lol.

You get to walk through downtown disney so its a pleasant walk. If the monorail is running, you can enter the park there too - which is closer to the DLH.

If you’re able to splurge on Grand Californian, I would do that. They have direct access to California Adventure, short walks to DL and good pools.

[dearprudence]

We spent years staying offsite and just started staying at the onsite hotels (Disneyland or Grand Californian) within the past few years. It's definitely worth it. Not so much in the morning, but for midday breaks and most especially in the evenings. The extra 5 minutes, with crowds and tired kids? You feel it. We stayed at Grand Californian last time which was really nice when my 6 year old was hot and tired and wanted to go back to the room in the late afternoon. Also nice when I realized I'd left something in the room. And if they've reinstituted the sending of things back to your room? Amazing.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 13:13:38 GMT -5 dearprudence said:

We spent years staying offsite and just started staying at the onsite hotels (Disneyland or Grand Californian) within the past few years. It's definitely worth it. Not so much in the morning, but for midday breaks and most especially in the evenings. The extra 5 minutes, with crowds and tired kids? You feel it. We stayed at Grand Californian last time which was really nice when my 6 year old was hot and tired and wanted to go back to the room in the late afternoon. Also nice when I realized I'd left something in the room. And if they've reinstituted the sending of things back to your room? Amazing.

I think distance wise they are both the same (well the Best Western is actually closer than the Disneyland hotel). I am really struggling on whether 2K (basically the price of the hotel vs. using points for an off sight hotel) is worth the niceness of the hotel? Part of me says "no save money!" but then part of me says "you haven't had real vacation that doesn't deal with visiting families since 2000." If we stay at the best western its basically a place to stay and not a vacation, like there is nothing fun or special about staying there other than location. The Disneyland hotel will also be part of the vacation.

I think the frugal side of me is fighting the vacation/fun side of me.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 13:05:52 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Sept 15, 2021 10:00:06 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Do you think having the 5 minutes time difference in walking will make a difference to my enjoyability lol.

You get to walk through downtown disney so its a pleasant walk. If the monorail is running, you can enter the park there too - which is closer to the DLH.

If you’re able to splurge on Grand Californian, I would do that. They have direct access to California Adventure, short walks to DL and good pools.

I was trying to compare the pools and the water slides look more fun at the Disneyland Hotel, but again I will not be swimming in Feb. I am sure my kids will like whatever.

[jewel]

We used to go often, and will hopefully resume soon…

We switch off between a cheap hotel near the crossing on S Harbor and the Grand Californian. I’m not sure if they’re still allowing it with covid, but they used to allow any onsite guests to use any of the pools. But, between your time in the park and the fact that it’ll be the middle of winter, I’m not sure that you’ll even use the pools 😊

For a short, splurge trip, I’d probably just go with the Grand, and hope that magic mornings and direct park access to DCA open up before then.

[Wines Not Whines]

Sept 15, 2021 13:36:10 GMT -5 jewel said:

We used to go often, and will hopefully resume soon…

We switch off between a cheap hotel near the crossing on S Harbor and the Grand Californian. I’m not sure if they’re still allowing it with covid, but they used to allow any onsite guests to use any of the pools. But, between your time in the park and the fact that it’ll be the middle of winter, I’m not sure that you’ll even use the pools 😊

For a short, splurge trip, I’d probably just go with the Grand, and hope that magic mornings and direct park access to DCA open up before then.

They were doing direct access to DCA during our stay in August. No magic mornings though. Hopefully they’ll bring those back.

[gretchenindisguise]

Remind me again how old your kids are. We’ve not stayed at DLH, but the pool at GC was more than sufficient for my kids when they were under 10 and I think my 12 would still enjoy it.

The small waterpark at the HoJo down the street is best for the under 7 crew and the regular pools are in a separate spot so you can’t really bounce between them. I think my 12 would have fun with their brother, but not solo and would generally just get bored.

The pool at the Best Western is literally a concrete rectangle between buildings. My kids would have gone it, but it really wasn’t enticing and I didn’t make an effort to get them there.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 13:57:59 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Sept 15, 2021 13:36:10 GMT -5 jewel said:

We used to go often, and will hopefully resume soon…

We switch off between a cheap hotel near the crossing on S Harbor and the Grand Californian. I’m not sure if they’re still allowing it with covid, but they used to allow any onsite guests to use any of the pools. But, between your time in the park and the fact that it’ll be the middle of winter, I’m not sure that you’ll even use the pools 😊

For a short, splurge trip, I’d probably just go with the Grand, and hope that magic mornings and direct park access to DCA open up before then.

They were doing direct access to DCA during our stay in August. No magic mornings though. Hopefully they’ll bring those back.

I saw they were bringing back early entry a DW in October so maybe they will bring it back to DL by January/Feb

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 14:02:01 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Remind me again how old your kids are. We’ve not stayed at DLH, but the pool at GC was more than sufficient for my kids when they were under 10 and I think my 12 would still enjoy it.

The small waterpark at the HoJo down the street is best for the under 7 crew and the regular pools are in a separate spot so you can’t really bounce between them. I think my 12 would have fun with their brother, but not solo and would generally just get bored.

The pool at the Best Western is literally a concrete rectangle between buildings. My kids would have gone it, but it really wasn’t enticing and I didn’t make an effort to get them there.

6 and 10. Yes, we would not bother to swim at BW and would probably just go to huntington beach on check in day. 

Do you go to DL a lot? I am trying to decide between the end of Jan or the beginning of February? (we are looking at weeks starting on Jan 24, 31 or Feb 7 and trying to decide what would be best crowd wise. I went once in February but it had to be 2002 and it was a ghost town. But I feel like things have changed! I also heard that sometimes rides can be shut down in January due to the holiday removal. 

[jewel]

Sept 15, 2021 13:57:59 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Sept 15, 2021 13:36:10 GMT -5 jewel said:

We used to go often, and will hopefully resume soon…

We switch off between a cheap hotel near the crossing on S Harbor and the Grand Californian. I’m not sure if they’re still allowing it with covid, but they used to allow any onsite guests to use any of the pools. But, between your time in the park and the fact that it’ll be the middle of winter, I’m not sure that you’ll even use the pools 😊

For a short, splurge trip, I’d probably just go with the Grand, and hope that magic mornings and direct park access to DCA open up before then.

They were doing direct access to DCA during our stay in August. No magic mornings though. Hopefully they’ll bring those back.

oh awesome! I didn’t realize they’d started that again. It’s my favorite part of staying at the Grand, lol.

[gretchenindisguise]

Sept 15, 2021 14:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 15, 2021 14:02:01 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Remind me again how old your kids are. We’ve not stayed at DLH, but the pool at GC was more than sufficient for my kids when they were under 10 and I think my 12 would still enjoy it.

The small waterpark at the HoJo down the street is best for the under 7 crew and the regular pools are in a separate spot so you can’t really bounce between them. I think my 12 would have fun with their brother, but not solo and would generally just get bored.

The pool at the Best Western is literally a concrete rectangle between buildings. My kids would have gone it, but it really wasn’t enticing and I didn’t make an effort to get them there.

6 and 10. Yes, we would not bother to swim at BW and would probably just go to huntington beach on check in day. 

Do you go to DL a lot? I am trying to decide between the end of Jan or the beginning of February? (we are looking at weeks starting on Jan 24, 31 or Feb 7 and trying to decide what would be best crowd wise. I went once in February but it had to be 2002 and it was a ghost town. But I feel like things have changed! I also heard that sometimes rides can be shut down in January due to the holiday removal. 

We do - we had season passes before covid, but because of that we aren't great at looking at crowd calendars - we just go when we’re able and do what we’re able. I think any of those weeks are good because your missing “ski weeks” that sometimes get tagged onto school holidays around presidents day or MLK day.

I think holiday stuff is down at the beginning of January , so the 2nd or 3rd week you identified will be safest.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 14:46:23 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Sept 15, 2021 14:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

6 and 10. Yes, we would not bother to swim at BW and would probably just go to huntington beach on check in day. 

Do you go to DL a lot? I am trying to decide between the end of Jan or the beginning of February? (we are looking at weeks starting on Jan 24, 31 or Feb 7 and trying to decide what would be best crowd wise. I went once in February but it had to be 2002 and it was a ghost town. But I feel like things have changed! I also heard that sometimes rides can be shut down in January due to the holiday removal. 

We do - we had season passes before covid, but because of that we aren't great at looking at crowd calendars - we just go when we’re able and do what we’re able. I think any of those weeks are good because your missing “ski weeks” that sometimes get tagged onto school holidays around presidents day or MLK day.

I think holiday stuff is down at the beginning of January , so the 2nd or 3rd week you identified will be safest.

Thanks! I am leaning towards the week of the 31st. Plus the kid have that day off so i won't feel as bad for pulling them from school lol. 

[sonrisa]

We love Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel

Our first Disneyland visit with kids, we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel and found it overrun with people who weren't staying there but wanted a Disney adjacent experience. Getting any little thing was a hassle, and feeding the kids had the cattle call crowds of Disney. Not what we wanted with a preschooler and a toddler.

We then stayed at the Anaheim Majestic Garden hotel. After one visit it became our go to. I'm never staying at an official Disneyland hotel again.

We get a castle bunk room which the kids love. The hotel is so much calmer so we feel rested during our down time. If we want a meal, we head to the restaurant and eat. We don't have to wait an hour to get stuck in a long line at a cafeteria. There are fairytales written on the hall walls and pretty gardens to wander. Their buses are fantastic, efficient and easy. Personally, I found it more painless than dragging the kids across downtown Disney before and after a long day at the park. We usually drive over to the Disneyland hotel for one dinner with Goofy on a non-park day. For us, it's not about cost - it's about having a better overall experience (although the cost is also lower). 

www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g29092-d225014-Reviews-Anaheim_Majestic_Garden_Hotel-Anaheim_California.html

[sonrisa]

Sept 15, 2021 14:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 15, 2021 14:02:01 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Remind me again how old your kids are. We’ve not stayed at DLH, but the pool at GC was more than sufficient for my kids when they were under 10 and I think my 12 would still enjoy it.

The small waterpark at the HoJo down the street is best for the under 7 crew and the regular pools are in a separate spot so you can’t really bounce between them. I think my 12 would have fun with their brother, but not solo and would generally just get bored.

The pool at the Best Western is literally a concrete rectangle between buildings. My kids would have gone it, but it really wasn’t enticing and I didn’t make an effort to get them there.

6 and 10. Yes, we would not bother to swim at BW and would probably just go to huntington beach on check in day. 

Do you go to DL a lot? I am trying to decide between the end of Jan or the beginning of February? (we are looking at weeks starting on Jan 24, 31 or Feb 7 and trying to decide what would be best crowd wise. I went once in February but it had to be 2002 and it was a ghost town. But I feel like things have changed! I also heard that sometimes rides can be shut down in January due to the holiday removal. 

I've use two different crowd calendars and find them helpful. 
www.isitpacked.com/disneyland-crowd-forecast-predictor-calendar/
touringplans.com/disneyland-resort/crowd-calendar

Check which day is dapper dan day (or something like that). We went once around that time of year and happened to overlap with that. It draws big crowds.

Also - be sure that you visit on a black out day for any pass holders. Passholders make even the supposedly "least crowded" days unmanageable by afternoon. I made that mistake once. The midsummer weekend blockout day crowds were nothing compared to a rainy Jan/Feb weekday afternoon open to pass holders. 

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 20:00:52 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Sept 15, 2021 14:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

6 and 10. Yes, we would not bother to swim at BW and would probably just go to huntington beach on check in day. 

Do you go to DL a lot? I am trying to decide between the end of Jan or the beginning of February? (we are looking at weeks starting on Jan 24, 31 or Feb 7 and trying to decide what would be best crowd wise. I went once in February but it had to be 2002 and it was a ghost town. But I feel like things have changed! I also heard that sometimes rides can be shut down in January due to the holiday removal. 

I've use two different crowd calendars and find them helpful. 
www.isitpacked.com/disneyland-crowd-forecast-predictor-calendar/
touringplans.com/disneyland-resort/crowd-calendar

Check which day is dapper dan day (or something like that). We went once around that time of year and happened to overlap with that. It draws big crowds.

Also - be sure that you visit on a black out day for any pass holders. Passholders make even the supposedly "least crowded" days unmanageable by afternoon. I made that mistake once. The midsummer weekend blackout day crowds were nothing compared to a rainy Jan/Feb weekday afternoon open to pass holders. 

Huh, how interesting. I checked and it was in April and Nov 2021 (the website says it is in Spring and Fall) so hopefully we are okay there. I looked on the both those crowd calendars and the dates we picked look good. I am just really struggling with the hotel decision. I am not sure if we will return to DL (we live in VA so it makes more sense to go to DW) so part of me thinks we should go big. But I hear what you are saying about the problems with staying at the hotels. 

I don't think we will be eating in any restaurants because of covid, so I assume in the park we will do a lot of counter service and hopefully room service at the hotel, assuming it exists. 

[sonrisa]

Sept 15, 2021 20:31:49 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 15, 2021 20:00:52 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

I've use two different crowd calendars and find them helpful. 
www.isitpacked.com/disneyland-crowd-forecast-predictor-calendar/
touringplans.com/disneyland-resort/crowd-calendar

Check which day is dapper dan day (or something like that). We went once around that time of year and happened to overlap with that. It draws big crowds.

Also - be sure that you visit on a black out day for any pass holders. Passholders make even the supposedly "least crowded" days unmanageable by afternoon. I made that mistake once. The midsummer weekend blackout day crowds were nothing compared to a rainy Jan/Feb weekday afternoon open to pass holders. 

Huh, how interesting. I checked and it was in April and Nov 2021 (the website says it is in Spring and Fall) so hopefully we are okay there. I looked on the both those crowd calendars and the dates we picked look good. I am just really struggling with the hotel decision. I am not sure if we will return to DL (we live in VA so it makes more sense to go to DW) so part of me thinks we should go big. But I hear what you are saying about the problems with staying at the hotels. 

I don't think we will be eating in any restaurants because of covid, so I assume in the park we will do a lot of counter service and hopefully room service at the hotel, assuming it exists. 

true. A good bus and mellow restaurant during normal times might not be what you want during covid. Good luck! 

(The dapper day overlap was about five or six years ago so I may have misremembered the month

[Wines Not Whines]

I think crowded restaurants are less of an issue now, between mobile orders and limitations on the number of people who can be inside a restaurant. We didn’t have any problems, and we were there during a busy summer week. We made some dining reservations for outdoor seating, and also did some counter service. The Grand Californian has a new restaurant that’s completely outdoors, near the pool. We ate there twice. The food and drinks were good. We didn’t venture over to the DL Hotel. There are also a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating in downtown Disney.

[karinothing]

Sept 16, 2021 9:39:33 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

I think crowded restaurants are less of an issue now, between mobile orders and limitations on the number of people who can be inside a restaurant. We didn’t have any problems, and we were there during a busy summer week. We made some dining reservations for outdoor seating, and also did some counter service. The Grand Californian has a new restaurant that’s completely outdoors, near the pool. We ate there twice. The food and drinks were good. We didn’t venture over to the DL Hotel. There are also a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating in downtown Disney.

I watched some walk through of downtown Disney today and realized there is a taco stand. So I don't see a need to eat anything else

I do wish they were doing in-room service. It be nice to just have breakfast at my door at 7am or whatever.

[karinothing]

Sept 15, 2021 19:20:56 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

We love Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel

Our first Disneyland visit with kids, we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel and found it overrun with people who weren't staying there but wanted a Disney adjacent experience. Getting any little thing was a hassle, and feeding the kids had the cattle call crowds of Disney. Not what we wanted with a preschooler and a toddler.

We then stayed at the Anaheim Majestic Garden hotel. After one visit it became our go to. I'm never staying at an official Disneyland hotel again.

We get a castle bunk room which the kids love. The hotel is so much calmer so we feel rested during our down time. If we want a meal, we head to the restaurant and eat. We don't have to wait an hour to get stuck in a long line at a cafeteria. There are fairytales written on the hall walls and pretty gardens to wander. Their buses are fantastic, efficient and easy. Personally, I found it more painless than dragging the kids across downtown Disney before and after a long day at the park. We usually drive over to the Disneyland hotel for one dinner with Goofy on a non-park day. For us, it's not about cost - it's about having a better overall experience (although the cost is also lower). 

www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g29092-d225014-Reviews-Anaheim_Majestic_Garden_Hotel-Anaheim_California.html

Reading things it sounds like you can't enter hotels without a reservation now. Probably due to covid restrictions

[dearprudence]

Sept 16, 2021 13:06:10 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 16, 2021 9:39:33 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

I think crowded restaurants are less of an issue now, between mobile orders and limitations on the number of people who can be inside a restaurant. We didn’t have any problems, and we were there during a busy summer week. We made some dining reservations for outdoor seating, and also did some counter service. The Grand Californian has a new restaurant that’s completely outdoors, near the pool. We ate there twice. The food and drinks were good. We didn’t venture over to the DL Hotel. There are also a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating in downtown Disney.

I watched some walk through of downtown Disney today and realized there is a taco stand. So I don't see a need to eat anything else

I do wish they were doing in-room service. It be nice to just have breakfast at my door at 7am or whatever.

When we stayed at the Grand Californian this summer we mobile ordered from the hotel restaurant, then DH went down and grabbed it and we ate in the room. It was really easy. You also couldn't enter the hotel without a room key, so we didn't deal with crowds of people not staying there.

[quesyrah]

You can enter the hotels without a reservation now. I was in downtown Disney over the weekend and entered both Disneyland and the Grand for shopping and dining.

[ksun]

We walked thru Grand Californian last weekend no problem.

I've stayed at PP and DLH and while it was nice, it's absolutely not worth the money. If I am paying $500 a night at DLH and can hear the baby crying all night next door, I might as well pay $150 a night at one of the hotels across Harbor. We've stayed at HoJo and at Tropicana and have liked them both. HoJo is a longer walk, but still not bad.

[quesyrah]

I stayed at the Cambria recently and it was great. Reasonably priced, nice rooms, really great breakfast buffet. There are 2 water slides and a pretty big pool and hot tub. Also two little splash pads and a baby pool. Not really walking distance though and I don’t think they have a shuttle.