Best offsite hotel in Disneyland area

[DisneyDadof5]

I'm thinking of taking the family (total of 7) out to California next year. I have no issues staying off property, but am wondering where is a good and reasonable place to stay with 5 children?

I saw some reviews on the Howard Johnson, but wanted others opinions on the area as I've never been there.

 

[worldfanatic]

As a very regular DLR visitor, I'd say the Howard Johnson offers the best combination of value, location, and quality.

There are several other good options, but HoJo is pretty much perfect for a family.

I wouldn't look any further if you they offer a room rate that works for you.

 

[DisneyDadof5]

I found their prices quite reasonable when looking online. I appreciate the information! :wave:

As a very regular DLR visitor, I'd say the Howard Johnson offers the best combination of value, location, and quality.

There are several other good options, but HoJo is pretty much perfect for a family.

I wouldn't look any further if you they offer a room rate that works for you.

 

[worldfanatic]

I think you'll like it.

Living so close, we stay there a couple times a year.

You can't beat sitting at the pool area and seeing the Monorail whiz by!

 

[DisneyDadof5]

Cool. Thanks for the information!

I think you'll like it.

Living so close, we stay there a couple times a year.

You can't beat sitting at the pool area and seeing the Monorail whiz by!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Alright so what would be better Howard Johnson in Anaheim or the Quality Inn? Just so you know, I would not be able to afford the on-site resorts at all. The prices are different than from WDW.

Howard Johnson seems to pride itself in pretty much being a Disneyesque hotel. I mean they sure market it as if the place is adjacent to Disney, and it really is.

But is Quality Inn better? More reasonable?

 

[Sosai X]

Don't stay at the Quality Inn, if you require any form of sleep. The rooms are miniscule in size compared to the rest of the hotels on the strip. Their beds are double size, not like queen, or king, like every other hotel on the strip. I stayed there during the D23 Expo, and it was a miserable experience. Even the Castle Inn down on Harbor is far superior to the Quality Inn!

 

[wdwmagic]

I stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Very close to the park (walkable), good quality room. I can vouch for it as a place to stay while primarily visiting the parks. It isn't a resort-type hotel where you would hang out at all day however.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxoc-fairfield-inn-anaheim-disneyland-resort/

 

[DisneyDadof5]

Thanks for the info Steve. I may give HoJo a try, since I'm bringing at least 4 kids along, but will keep that one in mind for a solo trip.

I stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Very close to the park (walkable), good quality room. I can vouch for it as a place to stay while primarily visiting the parks. It isn't a resort-type hotel where you would hang out at all day however.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxoc-fairfield-inn-anaheim-disneyland-resort/

 

[DryCreek]

I agree!

Just so you know, I would not be able to afford the on-site resorts at all. The prices are different than from WDW.

I found this to be very true myself. For what I am willing to pay for a moderate resort (i.e. POR) I can't find anything onsite that is comparable (value season comparison).

For our February 23 through 28 stay I booked us at the Best Western Plus - Park Place Inn. Since my wife has some type of travel rewards card with BW we got a great rate of $89.10 a night - and are right across the street to boot. Even the PPH was almost double that rate during the same time frame! As much as I'd like to stay on site, I'll gladly pay less to be closer!

I really wanted to book the Good Neighbor Hotel package through Disney's site, but I saved nearly $400 ($399.67 actually) booking the room myself and ordering the tickets through the Disneyland site. I could have gotten the 5 day Park Hoppers for the same price through the hotel, but I wanted to have a record of our visit logged in Disney's travel planning database in case they want to send PIN package or other discount rate offers in the future.

 

[DisneyDadof5]

Another question for you Disneyland frequent visitors, where is the best/cheapest place to get tickets? :shrug:

 

[TP2000]

Another question for you Disneyland frequent visitors, where is the best/cheapest place to get tickets? :shrug:

The best and cheapest place to get Disneyland tickets is not available to someone from Ohio with Ohio identifcation.

During certain times of the year the big supermarket chains in SoCal (Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons) sell SoCal Disneyland park hopper tickets at discounts to local residents of Southern California and the northern Mexican state of Baja California. If you have a zip code on your drivers license that is south of Santa Barbara, or north of Ensenada, Mexico on your Mexican ID license, then you are eligible to purchase the discounted tickets.

Local Costco's also sell discounted park-hopper tickets, but you have to be a member of Costco to get in. I'm not a Costco member, so not sure if those are seasonal offerings like the supermarkets, or not. Any local Costco shoppers here that can tell us?

Otherwise, for a non-local, the best thing is just to go to Disneyland.com or the ticket booths in the main entrance plaza and purchase the multi-day park hopper ticket that best suits your visit.

 

[nemofinder22]

I would say HoJos is a good choice it has the most "resort" feel. Anaheim Plaza Hotel is pretty cheap as well but its fairly old and dated.

As for tickets buy from Disney or an authorized seller, there have been a handful of ticket scams making there way around.

 

[DryCreek]

Tickets

I would buy them from Disneyland.com for many reasons. First off, they are always going to be legit, and once you are in their computer you may receive e-mailed offers for room discounts and other Disney travel. I get them all the time, although it slowed down quite a bit since our last big week onsite at WDW in 2009.

The crazy thing is I "saved" an offer for a Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel Package (as a teaser) and then went ahead and ordered our five day park hoppers online. Here is where it gets funny - I received an e-mail today thanking me for looking into booking a stay at WDW, and they offered me good rates for onsite lodging (really! value rooms for $89!). :shrug:
Sometimes you just gotta love how computers generate sales leads....

 

[DisneyDadof5]

Nice! I'll have to do that. Thanks for the Tip! :wave:

I would buy them from Disneyland.com for many reasons. First off, they are always going to be legit, and once you are in their computer you may receive e-mailed offers for room discounts and other Disney travel. I get them all the time, although it slowed down quite a bit since our last big week onsite at WDW in 2009.

The crazy thing is I "saved" an offer for a Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel Package (as a teaser) and then went ahead and ordered our five day park hoppers online. Here is where it gets funny - I received an e-mail today thanking me for looking into booking a stay at WDW, and they offered me good rates for onsite lodging (really! value rooms for $89!). :shrug:
Sometimes you just gotta love how computers generate sales leads....