Planning a Possible Christmas Present

[EddieK76]

Here is a little background. We visit Florida 1-2 times a year and always stay on property. My children are 17,15 and 13 (at the time of the possible trip) but love Disney. We are trying to plan a Christmas trip for them.

Here is our possible options which would you choose and why?



Option 1.) Paradise Pier 4 day ticket and Max Pass 4875 or 3 day ticket and MaxPass is 4625



Option 2.) Best western Plus Inn and Suites 4 day ticket and MaxPass 3500



Option 3.) Courtyard by Marriot 4 day ticket and Max pass--$4050



Does the cost difference between staying on property provide that much more immersive experience or what are everyones thoughts? Again, we've never been to DL and my children have never stayed off property before on any of our trips to Florida

 

[Phroobar]

Here is a little background. We visit Florida 1-2 times a year and always stay on property. My children are 17,15 and 13 (at the time of the possible trip) but love Disney. We are trying to plan a Christmas trip for them.

Here is our possible options which would you choose and why?



Option 1.) Paradise Pier 4 day ticket and Max Pass 4875 or 3 day ticket and MaxPass is 4625



Option 2.) Best western Plus Inn and Suites 4 day ticket and MaxPass 3500



Option 3.) Courtyard by Marriot 4 day ticket and Max pass--$4050



Does the cost difference between staying on property provide that much more immersive experience or what are everyones thoughts? Again, we've never been to DL and my children have never stayed off property before on any of our trips to Florida

Frankly, you would be more immersed with option 2 or 3. You are actually closer to the parks with option 2 or 3 than with Paradise Pier. Paradise Pier is not that great. Save some money. Go with the cheapest option. If you really need to burn a thousand dollars, I'll send you my paypal address.

 

[Communicora]

People seem to love that Courtyard by Marriott. I would go with that option.

I stayed offsite twice in the past year and didn't feel I missed out by not staying at one of the official Disney hotels.

 

[Sailor310]

Get a meal and a dole whip at Tangaroa Terrace and the Grand Californian. Then you can enjoy some of the ambiance of the DL hotels without the price.

 

[Stevek]

Here is a little background. We visit Florida 1-2 times a year and always stay on property. My children are 17,15 and 13 (at the time of the possible trip) but love Disney. We are trying to plan a Christmas trip for them.

Here is our possible options which would you choose and why?



Option 1.) Paradise Pier 4 day ticket and Max Pass 4875 or 3 day ticket and MaxPass is 4625



Option 2.) Best western Plus Inn and Suites 4 day ticket and MaxPass 3500



Option 3.) Courtyard by Marriot 4 day ticket and Max pass--$4050



Does the cost difference between staying on property provide that much more immersive experience or what are everyones thoughts? Again, we've never been to DL and my children have never stayed off property before on any of our trips to Florida

Save the $500 and do option 2. I've had good experiences with a couple of BW+ hotels and this one has a great location. I'd never pay to stay at PP pier again when you can get better options for much less.

 

[cmwade77]

Honestly, I think in California, staying on site is overrated. I would go with one of the hotels on the other side of Harbor, they are closer to the parks and much cheaper.

Also, this year, I wouldn't try to make it a surprise, make sure you check that they are all ok with going given everything going on.

 

[smooch]

I also agree with going with option 2. I have only stayed at Paradise Pier once when I went with friends simply because the person who organized it had a sister who worked at Disney and somehow got us an amazing price like I'm talking each person paid like $60 total for a 3 night stay at Paradise Pier like ridiculously cheap, we stayed in 2 connected rooms and there were about 7 or 8 of us and when I got there I remember thinking how silly it was how freaking far away it is from the entrance of the parks compared to offsite hotels. I stayed at the Park Vue Inn the next trip I took with some other friends and it was so much closer of a walk. You won't get a "full immersive" experience with any of the hotels except really the Grand Californian because there are areas that connect the hotel straight to Downtown Disney and straight to DCA, so you can wake up and go straight from your room to the parks without ever leaving Disney property, but the prices there are absolutely ludicrous.

 

[smooch]

I've stayed onsite at WDW and DL. In WDW I feel staying onsite is part of the experience and has many upsides.

In Disneyland with the exception of "Magic Hour", I don't see any benefits. Grand is beautiful but 3x the price of other hotels nearby that are within the same exact distance.

Disneyland Hotel's theming is very light and is much farther than a lot of off property hotels. The outside grounds and wedding garden are nice (I even got married there). Rooms are small and don't feel "deluxe" in any way.

Paradise Pier is an off property hotel with an upcharge.

My advice is if you have extra time visit DL Hotel and the Grand for food and to explore. However, it is not worth it to stay at either.

I agree with the exploring the hotels part, the Grand Californian is absolutely beautiful. I love the stained glass sliding front doors and the lobby is absolutely beautiful, especially during Christmas when they have the huge Christmas tree and all the other decorations set up.

 

[TP2000]

Here is a little background. We visit Florida 1-2 times a year and always stay on property. My children are 17,15 and 13 (at the time of the possible trip) but love Disney. We are trying to plan a Christmas trip for them.

Here is our possible options which would you choose and why?



Option 1.) Paradise Pier 4 day ticket and Max Pass 4875 or 3 day ticket and MaxPass is 4625



Option 2.) Best western Plus Inn and Suites 4 day ticket and MaxPass 3500



Option 3.) Courtyard by Marriot 4 day ticket and Max pass--$4050



Does the cost difference between staying on property provide that much more immersive experience or what are everyones thoughts? Again, we've never been to DL and my children have never stayed off property before on any of our trips to Florida

I would go with Option 3. You aren't actually staying "on site" at the Paradise Pier Hotel. I guess technically you are, but you are only attached to any sort of Disney experience by the thinnest of threads stretched across a surface parking lot that leads to a movie theater and ESPN Zone that closed two years ago and are still abandoned. Magical!

Probably the best thing to do is check out Google Earth and streetview to see what it's like to walk from the Paradise Pier Hotel to Downtown Disney and then on to the parks. They won't let you cut through the Grand Californian because Disney thinks anyone staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel is trash just like the losers staying three blocks away at the Best Western. Keep moving, peasant, your room key means nothing here.

The walk from the Paradise Pier Hotel to Disneyland or DCA main entrance is longer than the walk from the Courtyard on Harbor Blvd.

Also, whatever you do, don't put down a non-refundable deposit. There is no guarantee Disneyland will even be open this Christmas. California is very, very different from Florida, especially in these times.

 

[bcalltimandanna]

just a little butt in here. Absolutely agree that the off site hotels near DL are a better value/closer/fun. Butttttt I would add that I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel last summer for one night and it felt very much like a 70s WDW experience. Almost like a combo of the Polynesian/Contemporary. We didn’t even go to the park and that was one of the most disney days I have had in a while. But soooooooo expensive

 

[TP2000]

Definitely agree with this. I one day do want to stay at the grand as a bucket list type thing. Even though I can afford it, I can never find a way to justify it in my mind. I once visited a friend's room who was staying there and was disapointed by the size and quality of the rooms.

My out of town family gave the Grand Californian several tries over the years during the 2000's and early 10's.

It's just so disappointing once you look at the bill. The remodel they did to the rooms a few years ago improved the aesthetics a bit, but did absolutely nothing to improve the quality level and refinement (or lack thereof) in the rooms.

The service from Grand Californian CM's remains at its usual middling level. It's so painfully obvious the CM's haven't been trained well, there's clearly ineffective leadership focus on details and proactive service, and the CM's have supervisors who have absolutely no idea what top notch luxury service is even supposed to be so how on earth could they hold up any standards that even approach it?

For the same money you could stay at the Montage in Laguna Beach and Uber into the park each day, and have a dramatically better service experience, amenities, dining and noticeable luxury.

 

[bcalltimandanna]

I want to clarify that when I stayed at DLH my brother paid for it. So it was a perfect value for me

 

[smooch]

Definitely agree with this. I one day do want to stay at the grand as a bucket list type thing. Even though I can afford it, I can never find a way to justify it in my mind. I once visited a friend's room who was staying there and was disapointed by the size and quality of the rooms.

See, like I said I only ever stayed when I was young so I never thought about the cost really, like I think I was 10 or 12 at the very oldest on our last stay at the Grand Californian, and I am definitely very glad we were able to stay there. I think my parents wanted to stay because they really liked the fact that it was the only direct connected hotel to the resort and especially because my brothers and I would want to stay til closing and really wore our parents out so they appreciated the extremely short walk to the hotel. I think they also just really liked the aesthetic of the whole hotel, my mom loved everything about the whole vibe the hotel gives off.

That all being said, would I see myself paying the price to stay? Probably not, unless it was a very special occasion but honestly I don't know any situation where I would be in that I would spend that much money to celebrate something and go to Disneyland rather than another trip to somewhere that isn't Disney. Like don't get me wrong I love the parks and love going for my birthday and any chance I can get, but like you said I can not see a situation where I would spend the money for the rooms, my family is pretty well off but we live pretty modest / average middle class but my dad likes to splurge when it comes to a few things including hotel rooms, I guess he just really likes having a very nice room to relax in when traveling because it can be stressful. But, like @TP2000 said, the rooms aren't even that special for such a high price in my opinion.

I was just as comfortable staying at the Park Vue Inn across the street which, while definitely not as nice as the Grand Californian, served its purpose for my friends and I: we woke up in the morning and got ready and went to the parks, we were able to come back in the middle of the day and relax / nap / recharge, and we had somewhere to sleep where we felt comfortable and the rooms were clean. Sure you lose the convenience of being on property and you lose the beautiful lobby but the up-charge is nowhere near worth it in my opinion.

 

[TP2000]

I want to clarify that when I stayed at DLH my brother paid for it. So it was a perfect value for me

Well, that certainly helps.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Disney's an entertainment company- not a hospitality company. They view their hotels solely as a means to give their multi day park visitors someplace to sleep and spend more money.

Of course, Disney's complete and utter lack of hospitality focus has also been to the detriment of the in park experience. I've had many interesting conversations with my general manager who's been in the hospitality industry for about 30 years, and is a huge Disneyland fan discussing our observations of the modern Disney Cast Member. Talking about how many unenthusiastic Cast Members there are who are quite obviously just going through the motions and getting away with behavior that should never be allowed in front of guests is really disheartening.

Honestly, I think Disney would be better served to drop some of the 'Make magical moments!' or 'Treat every guest as a VIP- Very Individual Person' talking points found in their modern 'Traditions' program and instead focus on training them to provide exceptional service with an incredible focus on treating park visitors as 'guests'. Using 'Disney Magic' as a selling point for your employees only works for the employees who love Disney- it does nothing for everyone else. Let the attractions and entertainment create the 'magic' and have the Cast Members provide the best dang service they can.

Of course, Galaxy's Edge is the perfect example of Disney's complete lack of focus on providing great service by specifically training their CM's to not provide service if it will break the 'story'.

 

[Phroobar]

This is definitely very true. It’s interesting how they use these “flashy” things for Magic such as headboards in the hotel, “snow” during fireworks, or “Magic Shots” for photography. Yet, what really is memorable and sticks in people’s heads is good customer service.

Customer service feels individual and special vs “magical touches” Disney tries to do.

If Disney’s stance is to treat every guest as a VIP, they aren’t doing a great job. Unless having CM’s talk in a high pitched voice like you are a kindergartener counts as making guests VIPs.

Disney also doesn’t understand this class of service when it comes to fine dining, with Napa Rose being the exception. The idea with a high priced hotel or restaurant is you are paying for the hospitality.

What’s weird is the grand has such a beautiful exterior and lobby, yet the rooms are so small and average. You would think they would be spacious and carry the same wooden theme.

They spent their money on a first impression lobby and expensive restaurant but packed the rooms in to the hotel. It's like Presler ran out of money. I remember the gym and spa wasn't that great. The pool could be better. The DTD side of the GCH is very loud.

 

[mickEblu]

The OP hasn’t reacted to one comment or responded at all. This is one of the reasons I stopped responding to posts like these from new members. Repetitive questions and half of the time the OP doesn’t even appreciate the input. Nothing like writing a long, well thought out post full of advice to get a “like” or no response at all.

Is he even a real person? Is this a Disney survey? Eh, whatever. I guess we re all bored anyway.

 

[SuddenStorm]

The OP hasn’t reacted to one comment or responded at all. This is one of the reasons I stopped responding to posts like these from new members. Repetitive questions and half of the time the OP doesn’t even appreciate the input. Nothing like writing a long, well thought out post full of advice to get a “like” or no response at all.

Is he even a real person? Is this a Disney survey? Eh, whatever. I guess we re all bored anyway.

There's something exciting about signing onto this site after a day of posting and seeing a bunch of notifications that people responded and/or liked your posts.

It's when I go some time without posting and there's no notifications that I get a bit let down.

 

[Communicora]

The OP hasn’t reacted to one comment or responded at all. This is one of the reasons I stopped responding to posts like these from new members. Repetitive questions and half of the time the OP doesn’t even appreciate the input. Nothing like writing a long, well thought out post full of advice to get a “like” or no response at all.

Is he even a real person? Is this a Disney survey? Eh, whatever. I guess we re all bored anyway.

Meh, I just assume they forgot their password and had trouble logging back in. Threads like this are good for people who search later anyway.

 

[mickEblu]

Meh, I just assume they forgot their password and had trouble logging back in. Threads like this are good for people who search later anyway.

As I’ve said, I noticed it happens about half the time. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say you are correct. It takes less time to reset their password than it probably does for us to write our response to their question. So it just comes down to most people getting their information without really appreciating the people who took the time to respond. I just think it’s good etiquette to thank someone who takes the time to help you. It’s just funny seeing a thread with 20 responses with all the older members responding and chatting amongst themselves when the OP hasn’t chimed in once. Lol. But whatever, we re all bored and like to share our Disney knowledge, even if it’s stuff we ve shared with each other 1000 times before.