Disneyland Good neighbor hotel help

[ali92579]

Hi there!! I am a Disney World veteran, but I have only been to Disneyland once and it was for one day.
I want to plan for Oct 2023 (yes, it is a ways away, but I am a planner) and I am so lost.

Is it worth the $$$ to stay on property? Are the good neighbor hotels better? Any guidance would be great. Our group will consist of 2 adults, a 15-year-old daughter, and an 8 year old son. If good neighbor, I want to be as close to the park as possible and preferably a mini-suite with a kitchen. Thank you in advance.

 

[nicolispicoli]

I would say that on site is worth it, especially for your first extended trip. I've stayed on site more than I've stayed at good neighbors because I like a nice room, convenience and value. I won't pay insane amounts for on site, so if it's reasonable, I'll splurge. That said, the closest, most convenient good neighbor hotels aren't the nicest. A lot of them are motel style and while clean, safe and close, they aren't super nice. They're totally adequate and nice enough though. If you want something nicer and comparable to the on site hotels (and large rooms), you'll have to walk a little farther and even though you don't have small kids, it's still something to consider. One of my favorite off site hotels is the Marriott Residence Inn Convention Center. They have a fantastic large family suite with a kitchenette and a good hot breakfast. It's a longer walk for sure, but it's a great value for my usual group of 7.

 

[Epicnemesis]

You are going to get mixed responses, some love staying on property, others not so much.

The only on property I’ve stayed at was grand Californian and found it to be very much not worth it (and did that twice, so shame on me I guess.) It’s a nice enough hotel, but if I look objectively it’s about a $250 a night hotel with a (back then at least)500-600 a night price tag. The Disney bubble isn’t worth that premium for us.

We have never stayed at a harbor hotel/motel because they all look a look cheap, although I hear good things about several so maybe we’ll give one a shot. When we decide to spend the night we usually stay in the Hilton convention center but that’s a bit of a walk. The JW looks really nice and might be our next overnight trip, but again, a bit of a walk.

Really your options are on site premiums, nearby budget style, or long walk business vibe.

 

[ali92579]

I would say that on site is worth it, especially for your first extended trip. I've stayed on site more than I've stayed at good neighbors because I like a nice room, convenience and value. I won't pay insane amounts for on site, so if it's reasonable, I'll splurge. That said, the closest, most convenient good neighbor hotels aren't the nicest. A lot of them are motel style and while clean, safe and close, they aren't super nice. They're totally adequate and nice enough though. If you want something nicer and comparable to the on site hotels (and large rooms), you'll have to walk a little farther and even though you don't have small kids, it's still something to consider. One of my favorite off site hotels is the Marriott Residence Inn Convention Center. They have a fantastic large family suite with a kitchenette and a good hot breakfast. It's a longer walk for sure, but it's a great value for my usual group of 7.

Do you walk from this hotel?

 

[ali92579]

You are going to get mixed responses, some love staying on property, others not so much.

The only on property I’ve stayed at was grand Californian and found it to be very much not worth it (and did that twice, so shame on me I guess.) It’s a nice enough hotel, but if I look objectively it’s about a $250 a night hotel with a (back then at least)500-600 a night price tag. The Disney bubble isn’t worth that premium for us.

We have never stayed at a harbor hotel/motel because they all look a look cheap, although I hear good things about several so maybe we’ll give one a shot. When we decide to spend the night we usually stay in the Hilton convention center but that’s a bit of a walk. The JW looks really nice and might be our next overnight trip, but again, a bit of a walk.

Really your options are on site premiums, nearby budget style, or long walk business vibe.

What is the JW?

 

[lilsonicfan]

I have never stayed on property. For our trip, Grand Californian was coming in at almost $700/night, Disneyland and Paradise Pier around $400-500/night. Pretty crazy pricing, IMHO. We are going to try out the Best Western Park Place Inn on Harbor; it's literally across the street so one of the shortest walks we could ask for. Many of those hotels on that stretch of Harbor (north end - Howard Johnson; south end - Katella Ave) are motel-style so you are still definitely paying an upcharge for location. For example the Courtyard by Marriott, that many people like, is over $400/night for our stay in March. It isn't *that* nice a hotel, lol!

The Hojo is great for kids b/c of their waterpark area. It is probably the longest walk though, a solid 10-15 min walk, and can be tough on little ones at the end of a day.

We have also stayed in the Park Vue Inn, also right across the street. I'm fine with a budget-style room if it's right across the street.

 

[pharmama]

Do you walk from this hotel?

Yes, people most people would walk from the Residence Inn mentioned.

What is the JW?

The JWMarriott. This is a newer, upscale hotel in the area.

One piece I want to clarify- "Good Neighbor Hotel" status for DLR is literally meaningless. It just means the hotel paid to be included in the GNH listings and can be booked as part of a package through Disney directly. However, there is NO reason to book a GNH package through Disney as you can pretty much always get a better rate on hotels by booking directly or through other sites and buying tickets separately.

 

[Foustketeer]

Currently, there is no benefit to staying at a Disney hotel, unless you want to sort of stay in the Disney bubble. Seeing a you are planning that far out, if the extra magic hours were to return, you would get in early every day to one park, which is a nice perk.

Last time we stayed at GCH, our walk to Disneyland was longer than when I have stayed at BW Park Place Inn. The closest hotel I can think of that has a kitchen would be the Home2 Suites on Manchester Ave (someone please offer other information, if this isn't quite correct.)

 

[Chickinvic]

I've never bothered staying on site at DL. There are so many places to stay that are an easy walk to DL. The extra money just isn't worth it to me.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I've never bothered staying on site at DL. There are so many places to stay that are an easy walk to DL. The extra money just isn't worth it to me.

This is exactly what I was going to say. There are plenty of affordable and decent hotels in the area that are walkable (if that's your thing) or a quick uber ride (that's my thing). I just can't justify the extra cost to be on-site. I'd rather spend that money on shopping/food.

 

[Donathius]

Never stayed on property. We ALWAYS stay at the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - I think it'll be our 8th stay there next month. It's not "fancy" but we've always found it to be clean and comfortable and it's pretty tough to beat that walk. Not counting lines through security and the ticket turnstiles it's a 5ish minute walk. They're right at the crosswalk on Harbor Blvd that takes you straight into the hotel shuttle drop off area.

 

[tink89]

Like a previous poster mention you will get a varied response. I think it all depends on how you vacation and what you need and expect. We stay on site at DLH because DD loves the pool and we do actually go back to the hotel to rest and lounge, go to DTD or the shops in the hotel. The biggest perk we liked was EMH which they do not have now.

If we do not stay onsite we stay at the Hilton Convention. Nice pool, shops, Starbucks, and a few food options. Next time we stay offsite we will try Westin and JW. We have stayed at a couple other harbor hotels a few years ago but for us they were just too noisy and I felt like I was not at Disneyland anymore and just felt stuck in the room.

 

[gelatoni fan]

The Grand Californian has an entrance into California Adventure. The Disneyland Hotel has extreme Disney theming. You are paying a huge premium for basically, these two things. I personally don't think it's worth it but some people do.

For luxury, the JW Marriott and Westin are arguably nicer than the Grand Californian at a much lower price. There are some bad hotels in the area but you can get many decent ones that are nicer than the Disneyland Hotel for a lower price. If you have one in mind, people who have stayed there may be able to give you more perspective. I'd definitely prefer the convention center Hilton or Marriott to the Disneyland hotel if I didn't mind it being a little bit further.

 

[nicolispicoli]

Do you walk from this hotel?

Yes, we walk from there. If I recall, it's about a 15-20 minute walk, but it's not bad at all. If I can get the Disneyland Hotel at 300-ish a night, I'll usually take it for a 3-4 day trip. I won't pay over $400-450 for the Grand and even that is too much IMO, but usually the cheapest rate I've seen. The only great thing (for me) about the grand is the convenience to DTD and DCA. DLH is cheaper, has larger rooms, beautiful pool and great on-site dining options (we love Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam's), and it's a close walk to the monorail. Honestly the best walk I've had for a good neighbor is the Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites, which is as basic as they come but clean, super cheap and an extremely short walk. For our March trip coming up, I initially found the DLH on offer for about $320-350 a night, which I decided to skip for a larger/cheaper room at the SpringHill Suites Convention Center, which accommodates my group of 7 (close to the Radisson I mentioned before) for about $220 a night. The Grand on offer was about $450-ish, but today when I checked it was $730/night for my March dates- NOPE. Sometimes mama just likes to spend all her money at the food/wine and skip the convenience.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Home2suites 13 min walk
Residence inn convention center
Homewood suites 20 min walk - we stay here

We always stay in a hotel with kitchenette due to kids allergies.

DH and I stayed at DLH late 2019. It wasn’t worth it. Google maps says 9 min walk from the gates. But it felt longer, trying to squeeze through, around and dodging crowds.

 

[deedubb]

I think it depends on what you want and what your trip will be like. Are you rope drop to park close people? If so, it is definitely not worth the price tag. Will you be doing pool days etc? If so, it might be worth it, but only you can make that call. Our first trip we stayed at Camelot. It was decent. Very close, McD's next door for a quick breakfast/late night snack. Kitchenette, 2 mini fridges, 2 queens and a pull out sofa for the 4 of us. Since then, we have only stayed at the Grand Californian. We love the pool and the separate entrance into Downtown Disney and DCA. However, we are DVC, so we also get a full kitchen, 2 bathrooms and in-suite laundry. That is huge, and you wouldn't get that with a regular room at the Grand. I looked at rack rate pricing for our July trip for the Grand. At $800/night, we would be staying off-site.

I would consider renting DVC points if you can. Maybe do a split stay with a few days at the Grand on rented points, and a few days off-site.

 

[DontSpamMe]

I have been on a mission to find the "perfect" place to stay for a Disneyland trip. I have stayed at several different hotels in the area including the 3 on-site hotels, some off harbor and some off katella. Let's just say there is NO perfect place. All of them provide their own positives and negatives which results in no clear winner.

If money is not an option, I say Disneyland hotel all day. It is the quintessential Disneyland bubble experience. It's clean quiet and doesn't feel crowded. The grounds with the music make it a great experience. If you are no-frills then the BW Park Place or Annaheim Inn would be my choice because the short walk after a 12 hour day can not be beaten. If you want a kitchen then the only 2 places I've stayed is the Marriott Residence Inn on Katela and the Hyatt House on Harbor/Katella and I thought their locations made for a longer walk than I was looking for.

 

[Wilcojoe]

My two cents. A LOT of the posters on here go to DL several times a year, so I totally get why staying onsite does not seem worth the money for them. We only go to Disney (world or land) about once every 5 years, so for us staying on property is a no-brainer. Since you have been to DL only once I would highly recommend staying at either the GCH or DLH but not the PPH. While both hotels are not quite (close but not quite) in the same league as the Top 3 resorts at DW, the proximity to the parks does give them an advantage over any of the DW properties.
To me the offsite properties are a great option for any regular Disneyland fan, but would be a significant disappointment for someone who doesn’t do DL often.

 

[nicolispicoli]

My two cents. A LOT of the posters on here go to DL several times a year, so I totally get why staying onsite does not seem worth the money for them. We only go to Disney (world or land) about once every 5 years, so for us staying on property is a no-brainer. Since you have been to DL only once I would highly recommend staying at either the GCH or DLH but not the PPH. While both hotels are not quite (close but not quite) in the same league as the Top 3 resorts at DW, the proximity to the parks does give them an advantage over any of the DW properties.
To me the offsite properties are a great option for any regular Disneyland fan, but would be a significant disappointment for someone who doesn’t do DL often.

I completely agree with this. If this is a rare trip, I personally would pay the premium for onsite. I know i gave ideas for better value offsite spots, but my preference is always onsite. The only reason I skip it is if my group is too large or the price is too much (for me and I what I consider too much). It’s hard to pay $700-800 a night for the grand when I’ve paid $300 in the past. You won’t regret having done it, but you might regret if you don’t.

 

[gelatoni fan]

My two cents. A LOT of the posters on here go to DL several times a year, so I totally get why staying onsite does not seem worth the money for them. We only go to Disney (world or land) about once every 5 years, so for us staying on property is a no-brainer. Since you have been to DL only once I would highly recommend staying at either the GCH or DLH but not the PPH. While both hotels are not quite (close but not quite) in the same league as the Top 3 resorts at DW, the proximity to the parks does give them an advantage over any of the DW properties.
To me the offsite properties are a great option for any regular Disneyland fan, but would be a significant disappointment for someone who doesn’t do DL often.

Historically, offsite hotels in the DL area were not that good but now that Disney has cut back and the JW Marriott + Westin have opened, I don't think that offsite hotels would be a significant disappointment. If anything, the Disney hotels may be disappointments right now given the price tag and the cutbacks.

But if you are looking for Disney theming and a fun pool, the Disneyland Hotel is great. If you are willing to pay a premium for proximity, then the Grand Californian makes sense even though from a pure hotel quality perspective, I don't think it's better than the JW Marriott or Westin.