DL hotel question

englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
sweetpee_1993 said:
The hubby and I have talked about going to DL forever. One of the big debates is spending the big bucks to stay at the Disneyland Hotel which is what we really, reeeeaally would like to do. One of the biggest arguements against off-site is the Magic Hour/Magic Mornings. But, I know us and if we stayed anywhere else we'd feel like we left something on the table we really wanted.

We've actually been tossing around many ideas for our 20th anniversary this year. Have you looked at hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco??? Holy crap! At this point we really are leaning more and more heavily towards DL & the DLH. :D
Click to expand...

I just got back from it, and it was fantastic (as I stated)...however, in retrospect, and mind you this is RETROSPECT, I wish I'd been right up the street here:

http://www.portofinoinnanaheim.com/

It's literally just a short walk away, and nearly half the price. The nightlife offerings at the DLR hotels are open to all, outside of the pool.

And the EM hours just aren't worth it, unless you plan to go in a VERY busy time.

Lets put this in perspective...overall, between flights, hotel, tix between me and the other adult who met me there for a 7 day stay, we could have done nearly 2 weeks WITH a Deluxe Dining Plan at WDW at a moderate, or a 7 day cruise on the fantasy in an oversized veranda suite (how do I know? I booked all those same trips this year...)

I will certainly be back to DLR, and it's well worth a trip. But, there is a reason Walt wanted size, and I think some of that is market capture!

Seriously, look around the area. There are plenty of hotels that are within walking distance if not closer to the parks than DLH.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
I should add, the nighttime vibe at DLH is awesome. Trader Joes, the fire pit, the pool...

That is really fantastic, and one of the highlights of my stay. Though, I won't be back anytime soon (to that venue)....
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
@sweetpee_1993 - I don't know you all that well, but I have read through a few of your trip reports (fantastic info for a first time cruiser like me)...but if you go out to DL, you and the hubby should certainly check out Trader Joes and the fire pit, even if you don't stay at the DLH hotel. My god, the vibe is amazing, and the people overwhelmingly friendly. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay (even if it was cut short)...Ya'll would fit right in I suspect!
 
T

thomas998

Well-Known Member
teacherlady19 said:
Actually, we haven't made the reservations yet, though I did inquire through Disney Travel about hotel availability, military rates, etc. I don't pretend to know everything about DL/DCA even though we do live 90 minutes away, though I wish I did. :) I am still balking at the price per night to stay at the DLH. Paradise Pier wasn't much cheaper. (We had a really NICE rate last year at WDW, at Pop Century.)

A friend of mine recommended Candy Cane Inn. We've never stayed there, so I'm also looking into that. We usually stay at the Best Western Stovall's, but they are higher than they've been *and* no shuttle service to the park. Plus they now charge per day for parking.


Donna
Click to expand...

DLH is expensive, there is nothing at Disneyland equivalent to a Pop Century, all the DL hotels are price as if they were deluxe hotels or deluxe plus.... As for what you would get in the DLH beyond a normal hotel in the area. The extra magic hour to either DL or CA, a room that has a nicer bed than you will find elsewhere, some cool decorations (the headboard is a bit like an old style light brite that also plays when you wish upon a star, and a very nice pool/water slide area... Oh and free parking that isn't really free as I recall the last time we were there they hit us with a parking fee because we had a car, so not really free parking.... You will have to decide if it is worth the extra money to stay or not. For some it is, for others it isn't.

If you do decide on it the Sierra tower (east tower) is the one closest to the monorail. Marina (north tower) is where you check in so it is closet to hotel services like gift shop, Bonita (south tower) is further away from everytheing but does have some of the better pool views if you get the pool side view... If you are really trying to get overdosed on Disney they do offer suites with what you might call over the top theme overload.

Hopefully that will help you decide more about whether the extra money is worth it or not. I've stayed in both on and off site and I really only do the DL if I'm going with the kids alone and no wife because it is easier that way because driving with kids in a place like Disney isn't good for my sanity, if my wife is along we usually do offsite because it is cheaper, we don't really use the bonus park time and she can keep the kids quiet while I drive.
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
sweetpee_1993 said:
The hubby and I have talked about going to DL forever. One of the big debates is spending the big bucks to stay at the Disneyland Hotel which is what we really, reeeeaally would like to do. One of the biggest arguements against off-site is the Magic Hour/Magic Mornings. But, I know us and if we stayed anywhere else we'd feel like we left something on the table we really wanted.

We've actually been tossing around many ideas for our 20th anniversary this year. Have you looked at hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco??? Holy crap! At this point we really are leaning more and more heavily towards DL & the DLH. :D
Click to expand...
I think one of the biggest plusses to the Magic Hour would be hitting a lot of the Fantasyland rides that don't have Fastpass. Since you guys don't have any real little kids, I don't think it would be a huge deal. But... do Disneyland "right" and then worry about saving money next time. ;)
 
teacherlady19

teacherlady19

Active Member
Original Poster
Update: We just made reservations at the Candy Cane Inn, on Harbor Blvd. A friend of mine from work highly recommended it, saying that she and her family never stay anywhere else when going to DL/DCA. The price was half that of DLH, for one room. Since we're taking family members, we need two rooms, so getting two rooms for the price of one DLH clinched it.

Now on to other planning things...

Thanks for the input!


Donna
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
I think one of the biggest plusses to the Magic Hour would be hitting a lot of the Fantasyland rides that don't have Fastpass. Since you guys don't have any real little kids, I don't think it would be a huge deal. But... do Disneyland "right" and then worry about saving money next time. ;)
Click to expand...
Yep! And, 20th anniversary. No kids. Do it up right. ;)
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Ok, not my best video, but I uploaded it for ya'll to see.

This is the room I stayed in (2nd floor, pool view from Adventure Tower) and my partner in crime had a park view (7th floor, I think, but don't quote me on that). The room layouts are a bit different each room, for example, her bed faced the windows and you could see the Parks / DTD while laying in bed with the curtains pulled.

Mine, on the other hand, faced the TV. Probably because my view wasn't quite as spectacular. However, I could imagine being higher up the tower, you could get a really neat view of the pool / Trader Sam's area.

Anyhow, here's the vid...

 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
sweetpee_1993 said:
@Cosmic Commando, it'd be just the 2 of us, whatever Trader-ish person is fixin' drinky-drinks, and any local WDWMagic-ers who want to come play. :D

@englanddg, love love LOVE that video! I'm sooooo sold! As that a king bed???
Click to expand...

Yes, and it was very comfortable! Probably the best Disney bed I've ever slept in. I had some gripes about the hotel too (which I've already voiced most of them), and the reason I was so adamant about wired internet was that I can't go a week without something at work "blowing up", and when I took this trip (was supposed to be a week, I had to cut it short, long story) the guy I hired to help me (2 man IT department for a mid sized company) had only been on staff for a week prior...and the 3 months before that it had just been me covering things, so he was still in training.

Anyhow, point is, working IT, I can work pretty much from anywhere, but I NEED good internet to do so. The Wifi at WDW is disappointingly bad in that respect, but I've never had issues with their ethernet (wired) service, and am completely willing to pay for it for ease of mind. Nothing stinks more than having to try and talk someone through what would take 10 minutes if I could just remote in.

So, I was very pleased to see that. However, I left one important item out of my packing by mistake...my charger for my laptop! So I was iPad bound (not a big deal, I can remote in from that too) for my few days stay. I did order a charger for my laptop from Amazon and had it shipped to the hotel, but it got there the day after I had to leave (as work was blowing up...which sucks)...
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
As a side note, when my charger arrived at the Disneyland Hotel, they called me, and shipped it to me at their expense. Very nice touch!
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
I'd also add (yeah, I'm not gonna edit previous posts, just spam the thread!...<grin>)

Anyhow, I'd also add that if you stay there, comparing my partner's Park View room to mine, it's worth paying the extra for the Park View, if you are already going to pay the premium to stay at this hotel.

Her room felt more spacious and open, and the view was amazing! Otherwise, it was exactly the same in terms of furnishings.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Also, if you go, (even if you don't stay there) the mural in the main lobby is "interactive", and worth checking out, as is the conceptual model of Big Thunder Mountain in the Frontier building lobby.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom