Why is DLR so much more expensive?

[Shere_Khan]

I have never been to DLR before, because we always want to go to WDW. But I was thinking that I would really like to experience it soon. I thought to myself, I bet it would not be too expensive. The park is smaller so you would not need as many days. A weekend trip would most likely be sufficient. So I went on their website and just put in some fake dates to get a quote.
If I wanted to stay on Disney property for 2 nights/3 days it was like over 1,200 for two people without flight. I am guessing I would want to stay on site so I don't have to worry about transportation issues. My trip to WDW that I am staying 7 nights/7 days is only going to be like 500 a person and I get a much longer vacation. Granted its at a value resort, but you would think DLR would make at least one value type resort. We are not all made of money.
Why is DLR so much more expensive?

 

[mouselvrmom]

I don't know why DLR is so much more expensive, but I can tell you that because of its smaller size, you can actually stay very cheaply off property and still be as close as some of the on property hotels.

That would make your hotel very inexpensive. The only expensive thing then would be the tickets. They are quite spendy probably because they don't have the kind of multi day deals that WDW has since so many people only spend a couple of days there. Or locals just buy an annual pass.

 

[Nicole220]

A few points to make:

1- Weekends are horrific at the DLR. If it's possible, I would suggest going during the week.
2- You do not need to stay on site at the DLR. Paradise Pier and the DL Hotel are nothing special and are not up to WDW's standards. The Grand Californian is the only one worth staying at. There are many hotels just outside of the resort that are much cheaper. All you have to do is walk across the street or take a trolly to get there. Actually, I think the ones outside of the resort are closer to the parks than PP and the DLH.
3- Why is it more expensive? Because Disneyland is simply amazing. :animwink:
Actually, I don't really know. Maybe it has something to do with being located in the expensive Orange County.

Disneyland is really something that should be experienced. The quality and charm it has is amazing!

 

[AmesIa]

My family is going to DL for a week after Thanksgiving and the whole thing is less than $1500. There are six of us. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express, which is about 1 1/2 blocks from the main entrance.

There are numerous hotels within easy walking distance to the park.

 

[JimboJones123]

The "Value" resorts are the "Good Neighbor" resorts at DL. Value are Motel like hotels at WDW. At DL you are getting what is equal to a Deluxe if you stay at any of the DL resort hotels. Why would DL make a Value resort when it would just be so sold out that nobody would be able to book there anyways. DL is very smart. They charge a HEAVY premium to stay on-site. And they are ALWAYS booked. If they did have a value option you would have to book 1-2 years early anyways. There are at least a dozen hotels even closer to DL than the DL resort hotels (except GC) that cost less than $100 a night.

If you run your 7 day WDW trip you will find that the trip would be 3x-4x as much. It is actaully a pretty good value going to DL, you just can't stay on site if you are hunting for value. My trip for four w/APs for 9 nights is $1400 staying off site. That also allows for another trip or two later in the next year.

 

[lilclerk]

I think it's because the 3 Disneyland resorts are deluxe-level? I honestly don't know. I stayed at the Anabella across the street. I read some bad reviews (after I booked I'm smart) but I actually really liked it there. Helpful staff, my room was always clean, and it was a quick walk to the park (through the Grand Californian hotel... which is beautiful, by the way.) It was more expensive than I'd usually spend, but I was traveling by myself so I thought I'd splurge that little bit, and was still less than the DLHotel.

Disneyland is great, but it's no WDW. I will say, though, that Pirates and Space Mountain were completely worth my trip across the country. You really only need a few days to do pretty much everything. And if you go during a non-peak time, make sure you're there for the night shows! I went Tues - Thurs the beginning of June and there were no fireworks or night parades =( Very sad. But I was exhausted by 7 due to the time difference anyway.

 

[Shere_Khan]

Thank you for all of the replies. I have never been there so I was not aware that all the off site hotels are really very close. I just did not want to have to rely on taxis to get there and pay big bucks for them. I am sure this trip won't happen for a good while but I want to make sure I know about it before I do.
Thanks again!

 

[PintoColvig]

Be prepared, the food is more expensive at DL, too. we averaged at least $5 more per meal at DL than at WDW. We stayed off property too and the whole trip (including three dyas in the parks) was as expensive as six days at WDW for us. Having said that, DLR resort rocks! Well, at least DL and DTD. DCA didn't impress much.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Staying off property at Disneyland is so much cheaper than on-site. We stayed at the Best Westeren Stovall's Inn and we only had a 5 minutes longer walk than the people at Disney's Paradise Pier, and we paid a lot less! Disneyland isn't like WDW in the sense that you have to rely on shuttles to get to and from the park. You walk everywhere. I also didn't think that the food at Disneyland was more expensive than WDW, it was similar in price. Of course at Disneyland there are a lot of cheaper places to eat right around the park, so it can be inexpensive that way.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I also didn't think that the food at Disneyland was more expensive than WDW, it was similar in price. Of course at Disneyland there are a lot of cheaper places to eat right around the park, so it can be inexpensive that way.

Plus if you're a AAA member or a Disney Visa Card holder, you can get 10% off at several restaurants on property. That always comes in handy for me.

Of course, if you have an AP, you get 10% (sometimes more) off at virtually every restaurant on property.

 

[Shere_Khan]

I see, I guess I was assuming that it would be spread out like in WDW where you can't really walk from offsite because it's all freeways and long distances.
I would love to go to DL for a weekend trip. I will have to do some more research in the offsite hotels then!
Thanks again.

 

[Master Yoda]

I see, I guess I was assuming that it would be spread out like in WDW where you can't really walk from offsite because it's all freeways and long distances.
I would love to go to DL for a weekend trip. I will have to do some more research in the offsite hotels then!
Thanks again.

It is quite the opposite. The original plot of land used for the entire Disneyland resort was only 160 acres. By comparison MK is 107 acres (not including parking) and AK is over 500 acres.

 

[CSUFSteve]

Shere Khan,

Yeah, DLR hotels are definitely more expensive than their WDW counterparts. But, as others have hinted, you gotta remember that we do not have 47 square miles. Disney has a total of THREE hotels. Obviously that's nothing compared to WDW's, what is it now, 22 resort hotels?? As a result, DLR hotels have VERY high occupancy rates. And you may have read that Disney is VERY eager to build more hotel rooms and get DVC started here.

Also, SoCal is not Florida - things are definitely more densely packed here and prices more expensive. If you have never been out here and are only used to WDW, you will probably be shocked at how hemmed in Disneyland is on all sides. Just remember two things: 1) that was one of the main reasons Walt built WDW in the 1st place, and 2) things are a LOT better now around Disneyland as a result of the expansion. If you had come pre-DCA, you might have been disgusted.

I do recommend that, if you can, you stay at a Disney hotel. As others have said, yes, there are hotels that are literally right across the street from Disneyland on all sides. But IMO, the benefit of staying within DLR is that it really is very pedestrian friendly and you buffered at least somewhat from the rest of Anaheim. I'm sure Anaheim wouldn't want us telling people that, but there's really nothing special about Anaheim. As someone said, Grand Californian is the most equivalent to a WDW resort hotel you'll get out here. Even though it's our "Deluxe" category, and it charges "Deluxe" prices, it won't be the sprawling resort you'd be used to from a Wilderness Lodge or Grand Floridian. We just don't have the space. That said, no WDW resort has a view like a Theme Park view at Grand Californian.

Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier are fine, but you have to remember that Disney had nothing to do with the design of those hotels - we bought them from someone else and Disneyified (or tried to) what was already there. Disneyland Hotel is considered a moderate category and Paradise Pier would be considered our ghetto category. But you definitely won't find "Value" pricing here, and even "Moderate" is more likely to be $229/nt+. Tack on taxes and a $10/night "Resort fee" and it does add up.

Grand Californian rarely has discounts b/c it is nearly always booked on weekends. As someone suggested, you may have better luck during the week and/or in the off-season.

 

[CSUFSteve]

Oh, BTW, don't kid yourself about how long it takes to Disneyland.

If you LOVE Disney and appreciate all the nuances and differences and are really curious about that, you should spend no less than 3 days at the Resort. Give yourself at LEAST two full days at Disneyland (although I'd recommend a 3rd in an ideal world), and a full day at DCA / Downtown Disney.

While MK is about 15 acres bigger than Disneyland, Disneyland has far more attractions than MK. If you were to take in all shows, parades, entertainment, etc, you could NOT do Disneyland in one day at any sort of leisurely pace.

If you are only interested in seeing what we have that MK doesn't have, I suggest you re-consider that strategy. Even attractions that we both have are generally fairly different than MK, enough so to make it interesting. And you simply must see our Pirates. MK's is a pathetic excuse for a Pirates.

Point is, you should allow yourself enough to leisurely stroll Disneyland, soak in Walt's original. We have a gorgeous Park with so many little nooks and crannies b/c we've had to use our space wisely. B/c Walt built us in '55, you won't find the expansive, wide walkways at MK, Epcot, etc. Our walkways are narrow and sometimes very crowded. Whereas at MK you can have a 120k day and it feel like about a 65k day at Disneyland, at Disneyland, you will definitely feel when the Park is crowded. DCA benefits from much wider walkways and also lower attendance.

Just go knowing it will definitely be different than what you're used to and you'll no doubt finds things you like and things you don't. Just remember, without us, there'd have been no WDW, Tokyo, Euro, or Hong Kong!!

 

[Nicole220]

Well said CSUFSteve!!

 

[IROC it]

Well said CSUFSteve!!

I concur!

I much enjoyed our trip to DL & CA! I love WDW, but I think my current fave is the original.

Pirates is stinkin' genius... much longer at the front, and more in the middle and ending.

We went on a 2-Day park hop, hit 18 things on day one at DL, and about 5 at CA, then hit the "rest" on day two of both... and had time for some re-riding... but we were there for the entire day open to after close...

I have a review of it somewhere here/// search "11th Anniversary" and you'll find it in this forum.

We have a time share in Orlando, but just might trade off time to be in Cali' for at least another trip within the next year.

 

[CSUFSteve]

I concur!

I much enjoyed our trip to DL & CA! I love WDW, but I think my current fave is the original.

Pirates is stinkin' genius... much longer at the front, and more in the middle and ending.

We went on a 2-Day park hop, hit 18 things on day one at DL, and about 5 at CA, then hit the "rest" on day two of both... and had time for some re-riding... but we were there for the entire day open to after close...

I have a review of it somewhere here/// search "11th Anniversary" and you'll find it in this forum.

We have a time share in Orlando, but just might trade off time to be in Cali' for at least another trip within the next year.

It is so great to hear you enjoyed DL so much. A lot of folks used to WDW have a hard time seeing Disneyland in its proper context. I'll admit, it took me several trips to MK before I was able to be fully objective. I personally find it endlessly fascinating to see how other Parks do things differently, to see the evolution of an idea over time.

And, yeah, our Pirates is definitely awesome. Florida's is better now with the Sparrow overlay, and the Animatronics are not so stiff anymore, but still, there just is no comparing the Bayou scene that transitions you to the world of Pirates, and the waterfall up to transition you back to the real world. Walt explained that concept best on the TV show. It always is shocking to me to get on the MK version and all of a sudden be in the grotto as soon as you get away from the load dock. Weird.

Tokyo's is precisely identical to our pre-Sparrow version (and the entrance is exactly like our was before the Splash bridge!! - weird!!) so I have no problems with it. The only other Pirates that comes very very close to ours, IMO, is Paris'. And the only reason I don't like it better is b/c they don't have the Bayou sequence either. They have something else - it's not as much of a rude awakening as Florida - but it's just not the Bayou scene.

I'll have to check out your review. I only had time to skim. But FYI, BTMR is *EXACTLY* the same track as Florida, but inversed.

 

[Shere_Khan]

Thank you for the great comments and explanations CSUFSteve, I want to go so badly now.
When I was at my parents house this past weekend, I was looking through some of my old stuff from my old room and found a map of Disneyland in one of my drawers. Not sure where I got the map or how long ago it was, but just looking at it, there seemed to be so much more stuff then in MK. I got really excited about it at that point. Hopefully I can plan a trip there soon. I would love to see it for myself.
Although I love WDW and can't think of anywhere I would rather be, I am not a WDW snob and love to try new things, I am sure I would love DLR just as much.

 

[OneLuckyMom]

Thank you for all of the replies. I have never been there so I was not aware that all the off site hotels are really very close. I just did not want to have to rely on taxis to get there and pay big bucks for them.

There is a special bus service called ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) that runs from many of the offsite hotels to DL, just like the WDW bus system (ok - it's a bit different, but it's close). It's only $3/person a day. Check out: http://www.rideart.org/


The trick is to pick a hotel that has an ART stop at it. (Some hotels will advertise a "shuttle service" but it's really ART at two hotels down...) Check out hotel reviews on websites such as travelocity or expedia to help you pick one. Also, many of the offsite hotels advertise themselves as "1 block from DL". Hah! Don't believe it - while a FEW of them truly are within walking distance, many aren't especially if you have kids in tow. Be sure to get a hotel that has ART if the reviews say it is more than a few minutes walk.

 

[CSUFSteve]

If I stay at a non-Disney hotel, it's the Sheraton Anaheim (note that b/c there is more than one Sheraton in the area). They offer AAA discounts, they are on the other side of Ball Rd from Disneyland (i.e. you theoretically have a view of backstage and the fireworks launch area, although you can't really see much from the hotel), they have good prices, and they really do have their own shuttle if you don't care for the nice walk from the hotel to the Park.