How did you cope with not having a Mickey Mouse lampshade in your room? :lol:
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disneyland-to staty or not to stayoff property
- Thread starter marko
- Start date
How did you cope with not having a Mickey Mouse lampshade in your room? :lol:
devoy1701
Well-Known Member
no. There is not enough land for development like that. 2 of the Hotels that Disney owns there were not even originally built by Disney but bought from other companies during the Eisner years (good call on his part)
The levels of Value and Moderate resorts over at the DL complex has been met and then some by the other hotel chains and private hotels along Harbor Blvd...so besides there not being the room for Disney to do so...the demand isnt there because there are already so many hotels.
There is a chance though of them buying some of the other hotels...though I don't find it all that likely...
KingdomHeart
New Member
By spending $3 on a pickle, as opposed to the $1 in WDW. Giving them the extra money made the tears dry. Thank you for asking to see how I could deal. It was hard, but I think I'm stronger for it. :ROFLOL:
-Nicholas, who forgot to mention his stay there was like 2 weeks ago.
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
Best Western Park Place Inn is almost directly across the street. If you look at the map below, it's number 21. It and the ones right next to it would be the closest.
The Hojo (Number 11) is an easy walk. When you go south Ramada Inn Maingate (Number 7) is also an easy walk.
As you get further south, past the Candy Cane Inn, the walks get a little longer. Not terribly far, but a little long for pushing strollers after a long day in the park. The good news if you're feeling too tired for that walk, the shuttle is great.
http://www.ineedavacation.com/disneyland/AnaheimHotelMap.html
Sassagoula-Rvr
Well-Known Member
We stayed at the Grand Californian and that was AMAZING!!! literally steps away from the park and walking through downtown disney was REALLY cool every morning.
No doubt the price you paid was "AMAZING-ly high" too! :lol: The Grand Californian (for reasons I and others have stated earlier in this thread) is the only one of the three Disney-owned hotels that I'd recommend at DLR. It may be a little overpriced, but at least you're getting the true Disney experience (as well as the aforementioned proximity to the parks and Downtown Disney). The other two are nothing more than glorified non-Disney hotels with a bunch of Disney decor. Not worth the price.
Sassagoula-Rvr
Well-Known Member
Yeah it was, actually it was funny because we were going to stay at the Disneyland Hotel and when we went online to book it said there were no openings left. We had just checked it and found it like 5 minutes earlier and so then we decided to just go with the Grand Californian. Expensive but it was really cool. We liked it so much that we are thinking of leaving "our" resort POFQ for the Poly or Wilderness Lodge at WDW. But POFQ has it all especially good bus service. And the theming is nice with the French Quarter. I don't know we'll see I guess.
I stayed at the Disneyland hotel in September for the Earmarked conference and I thought it was a nice hotel. It was comfortable and I really enjoyed my stay there.
I do like the decor of the Grand Californian better and would like to stay there on my next trip.
I have booked many clients at the Candy Cane and they really liked it. I have not stayed there personally.
Pam
I do like the decor of the Grand Californian better and would like to stay there on my next trip.
I have booked many clients at the Candy Cane and they really liked it. I have not stayed there personally.
Pam
We just came back from a stay at Paradise Pier and loved every minute. The upgrade didn't hurt :lookaroun (top floor park view suite) nor did the balloons and photo for our daughter, open FPs, and First Timer buttons we received at the front desk.
The character breakfast was one of the best we've done. The characters interacted with the kids much more than at any other breakfast we've done, including a game they all played together. Of course you don't need to be a guest at the hotel to do that
Getting to the parks was a breeze through the Grand Californian right outside our door.
Next time we'll probably stay off site to save money, but for a first trip to DL, we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
The character breakfast was one of the best we've done. The characters interacted with the kids much more than at any other breakfast we've done, including a game they all played together. Of course you don't need to be a guest at the hotel to do that
Getting to the parks was a breeze through the Grand Californian right outside our door.
Next time we'll probably stay off site to save money, but for a first trip to DL, we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
We just came back from a stay at Paradise Pier and loved every minute. The upgrade didn't hurt :lookaroun (top floor park view suite) nor did the balloons and photo for our daughter, open FPs, and First Timer buttons we received at the front desk.
The character breakfast was one of the best we've done. The characters interacted with the kids much more than at any other breakfast we've done, including a game they all played together. Of course you don't need to be a guest at the hotel to do that
Getting to the parks was a breeze through the Grand Californian right outside our door.
Next time we'll probably stay off site to save money, but for a first trip to DL, we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Marie and I did the character breakfast there and we Loved it!!! Maire was up dancing with Pluto...yes I have it on video and no it's not on utube.....YET!:lol:
I agree it was a great meal and the characters were wonderful! We also ate at the Blue Bayou and Napa rose. I give both high marks to anyone who wants to know good places to eat while there.
Pam
:lol: That is hilarious :lol:
I was really impressed with how available the characters made themselves and how they encouraged the kids to get up and play. So different from the table stops you usually get. And the food was good too. :slurp:
No matter where we stay next time, a return breakfast visit will probably be somewhere on the agenda.
Pongo
New Member
As stated many times, on-site at WDW and on-site at DLR are two completely different concepts.
When I went this past summer, I stayed in the Carousel Inn and Suites which was a 5 minute walk from the front gates (probably less, in fact... I never actually timed it). It was actually closer to the gates than the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel, both of which are on property.
Staying off-site, you don't necessarily get the luxury of having in-hotel restaurants or ornately themed pools, or even spectacular views (in many off-site hotels, you can get a park view), but it is a LOT cheaper. The Carousel had a free continental breakfast and incredibly friends staff, and being right across the street was also very convenient.
I would suggest staying off-site. I enjoyed it very much, and to be honest, it was nice to get off-site each night just to be outside of the Disney sphere in order to recharge for the next day. If you just plan on sleeping in your hotel (as we did), it also makes more sense to stay off-site.
As another suggestion, the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland saved me a TON of money on my vacation, mostly in regards to the hotel aspect. I recommend it to anyone going to DLR for a vacation.
When I went this past summer, I stayed in the Carousel Inn and Suites which was a 5 minute walk from the front gates (probably less, in fact... I never actually timed it). It was actually closer to the gates than the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel, both of which are on property.
Staying off-site, you don't necessarily get the luxury of having in-hotel restaurants or ornately themed pools, or even spectacular views (in many off-site hotels, you can get a park view), but it is a LOT cheaper. The Carousel had a free continental breakfast and incredibly friends staff, and being right across the street was also very convenient.
I would suggest staying off-site. I enjoyed it very much, and to be honest, it was nice to get off-site each night just to be outside of the Disney sphere in order to recharge for the next day. If you just plan on sleeping in your hotel (as we did), it also makes more sense to stay off-site.
As another suggestion, the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland saved me a TON of money on my vacation, mostly in regards to the hotel aspect. I recommend it to anyone going to DLR for a vacation.
The last time we were at DLR we stayed at the Tropicana across the street. We could actually watch the fireworks from the walkway of our rooms. Nice pool, nice staff and A LOT CHEAPER than the Disney hotels. our walk from the center plaza to our door was 4 1/2 minutes. The longer part of that was across the shuttle loop.
Well I think the jury is pretty much in: Staying in one of the Disney hotels just so you can get a Mickey Mouse lampshade or Goofy soap dish or whatever, just doesn't come close to justifying the extra money you have to spend. Pongo stated it best: Staying on property at DLR versus staying on property at WDW are two totally different concepts. At WDW, it's a completely different story and I wholeheartedly recommend staying on property. I feel sorry for anyone spending the extra money at DLR and expecting the same unique experience.
