Question about Disneyland hotel

[GabrielMom]

Hello,

I am planning a trip for my 5 year old son, husband and I to Disneyland at Christmas time. We will be going Dec 17 thru 24. We have normally stayed on Harbor blvd, we are really excited about trying Disneyland hotel this visit. DL is offering a discount on hotel room only thru the 20th, I can only get the discount if I book a reservation for Dec 17 thru 20 (discount doesn't appear to apply if reservation is made for Dec 17 - 24) and a separate reservation for Dec 20 - 24. Anyone with experience with this? How likely am I to be able to stay in same room? If I do the Dec 20 - 24 reservation through Orbitz, I will save $400 off the price of doing the entire stay through DL website.

Also, how many security lines are there from DL hotel to parks in the morning? We will be doing EMH. How are those lines compared to Harbor side? How early should we arrive for EMH?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Malcon10t]

Ask them to link the reservations. It can work, but not always. Especially if part of the reservations is booked thru a 3rd party.

Security lines are much lighter on the DLH side.

 

[TINA BAILEY]

You have one security line between DLH and the parks. I stayed there for the first time this summer thanks to a friend who is a DVC member. It's a beautiful hotel and the pools are incredible, but frankly the walk to the parks is loong. You can get a much shorter walk from some of the Harbor hotels.

 

[Malcon10t]

It is a 7 min walk from the hotel to the esplanade (unless you are shopping on the way.) But the time spent in bag check makes up for it.

 

[kappyfamily]

We just got back from a stay at DLH 2 days ago. Stayed in the Adventureland building and like this one the best. About 40 feet from the building to security. Lines were always super short. Longest we waited was 10 minutes. We took the monorail back when leaving the park, super convenient.

 

[PirateRedhead]

I'm doing something very similar at the Grand. I called and let them know about my two reservations. They linked them and said that because I booked the same room level for both parts of my stay, it was likely (though not guaranteed) that I'd be able to keep my room and avoid a check out/ check back in situation. The CM I spoke with also encouraged me to remind them of this when I check in.

 

[Whistlebee]

It is a 7 min walk from the hotel to the esplanade (unless you are shopping on the way.) But the time spent in bag check makes up for it.

Great point about the shorter security lines!

 

[cindyfan]

We just got back from a stay at DLH 2 days ago. Stayed in the Adventureland building and like this one the best. About 40 feet from the building to security. Lines were always super short. Longest we waited was 10 minutes. We took the monorail back when leaving the park, super convenient.

Are you saying the lines for security?
So if staying at a hotel on Harbor Blvd considering the walk plus the wait in security.... staying at DL Hotel is about the same?
Honestly.... I can handle a longer walk much easier than waiting in a line for security! I am the type that needs to keep moving!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I have stayed across Harbor and at the DLH. The walk is seriously just a few minutes longer coming from the Disneyland Hotel and security is usually a breeze. I have had some awfully long lines at Harbor security.

 

[emmybee]

I have never had an issue with the walk from either Disney or PPH. I love going through the downtown area! Additionally, the lines are super short compared to the Harbor side. At most there were 4 families ahead of us when we were last there in Aug/Sept. We rode the monorail into the park sometimes, and it was seriously trippy seeing the Harbor plaza filled with bodies trying to get through security.

 

[TINA BAILEY]

Time of day does make a difference at DHL. When we went in for magic mornings first week of August we got caught in about a 15 to 20 minute line at DHL security. Other than that the lines were never that bad. I haven't done the Harbor entrance in a few years so cant compare.

 

[Malcon10t]

Time of day does make a difference at DHL. When we went in for magic mornings first week of August we got caught in about a 15 to 20 minute line at DHL security. Other than that the lines were never that bad. I haven't done the Harbor entrance in a few years so cant compare.

The lines on Harbor side are frequently 20-30 mins, and have been noted to be 45 mins at opening. I've never had a wait longer than 10 mins on DLH side. And you can still move to the DTD entrance if you think it is shorter.

 

[kappyfamily]

Are you saying the lines for security?
So if staying at a hotel on Harbor Blvd considering the walk plus the wait in security.... staying at DL Hotel is about the same?
Honestly.... I can handle a longer walk much easier than waiting in a line for security! I am the type that needs to keep moving!

The walk from DLH is pretty easy, considering the mi,eagle you put in the park it’s not a big deal. 5 months ago we stayed offsite and the harbor security line was much longer than the DLH security lines. If you can swing it $ wise, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay onsite.

 

[tink89]

Are you saying the lines for security?
So if staying at a hotel on Harbor Blvd considering the walk plus the wait in security.... staying at DL Hotel is about the same?
Honestly.... I can handle a longer walk much easier than waiting in a line for security! I am the type that needs to keep moving!

I do not think they are the same at all and you will more than likely wait longer at harbor security plus the longer walk. When entering for EMH at DLH it took us about 10 minutes each day to leave the hotel go through security and pick up Starbucks and get in line. I do not think you can say the same for harbor lines.

Plus staying on site is much more than the security lines. Mostly EMH, the pool at DLH, the feel of being in the bubble. But some people

Last time we stayed off site and would leave and return to the parks we almost always had to wait another 10- 15 at least to go through security again while at DLH we almost always just walked right through security

 

[cindyfan]

Thanks for all the input!!! We are definitely looking to stay at DLH for our first visit to the "land"!!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I just timed my walk this morning from the DLH. From the time I walked out the door of the hotel until I was through the gates at DL was exactly 10 minutes. There was no line at the security point and no line at the gates. This was at 8 a.m. on a Saturday with an 8 a.m. opening (we didn’t make it for magic morning).

 

[GabrielMom]

Wow..that's sounds great. We went before christmas last year also and harbor lines were long, we would arrive 30 min before opening. Thanks for all your responses. We are very excited about this trip..was able to book a room even cheaper through getaway today. (Saw it mentioned in a thread here) and it is for one continous stay. Really looking forward to all the emh!