Disneyland hotel help

[hoffman32]

We are a family of 5 traveling to Disneyland for the first time this summer. YAY!! We have been to Disneyworld many times but all new to this park (what no magic bands). We will be doing a 2 day non park hopper and staying 3 nights. We will be purchasing max passes to maximize our time but is it worth it to spend $400/night to stay at Paradise Pier or at Best Western Park Place for the cost savings w/free breakfast at $225/night and not have the extra morning hour. Or would you choose a nicer hotel or home farther away and drive to park? At WDW we have stayed on site and off. Sometimes the space is worth the drive in other times we've stayed on just for the convenience of being able to walk back during the day and for magic hours which seem minimal at DL. We could just chose the opposite park without magic hours. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!
Marcia

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I would not spend $400 per night for the Paradise Pier. It is the furthest away of the Disney hotels. If I was going to spend the money to stay onsite, I would choose Disneyland Hotel for the theming and history or the Grand for proximity. That said, I think you would do best to stick with your plan for a motel on Harbor. The cost savings for me would be a huge factor. Also, the construction on the new hotel is likely to begin at the end of downtown Disney by summertime (and if not construction then at least the demolition of what's there will be continuing), so you're not likely to experience much of a Disney bubble by choosing to stay onsite.

I would offer two additional suggestions for your plans. Consider taking the money you are saving by not staying onsite and using it to at the least add hopping to your tickets. The front gates of the two parks are literally right across from each other. I would also recommend 3 days, not 2, because there is more than enough to fill up your time, especially if you are a family that enjoys taking an afternoon break each day. If you were only doing 2 days because your travel arrangements just won't allow for more, then I get it, but don't pick just 2 days based on the assumption that there's just not as much to do out here.

 

[Shanti]

We are a family of 5 traveling to Disneyland for the first time this summer. YAY!! We have been to Disneyworld many times but all new to this park (what no magic bands). We will be doing a 2 day non park hopper and staying 3 nights. We will be purchasing max passes to maximize our time but is it worth it to spend $400/night to stay at Paradise Pier or at Best Western Park Place for the cost savings w/free breakfast at $225/night and not have the extra morning hour. Or would you choose a nicer hotel or home farther away and drive to park? At WDW we have stayed on site and off. Sometimes the space is worth the drive in other times we've stayed on just for the convenience of being able to walk back during the day and for magic hours which seem minimal at DL. We could just chose the opposite park without magic hours. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!
Marcia

I personally would only stay onsite. We love the Disney resorts' theming (although imo the Disneyland Hotels aren't as imaginatively themed as WDW hotels), and when we went to Disneyland in November, we found the daily Extra Magic Hour to be invaluable. They aren't "limited" at all- they offer a good morning hour each day, which is more useful than what WDW now offers.

If you can readily afford to stay onsite, that's my recommendation. I also recommend getting MaxPass, if you can afford that, too. We walked onto ride after ride using that.

At least spring for one of those two, MaxPass or an onsite hotel, to help with touring. You'll only be in the parks for two days, and might not be able to achieve all of your park goals otherwise. There are only two parks at DLR, but both of those parks are crammed with attractions, more so than the parks at WDW.

And yes, you should definitely get park hopper tickets for a 2-day trip.

 

[MacMama0930]

Considering the time you’re going, early entry will probably be at 7am, maybe 8am. Having a 7am magic morning means being down at the gates by 6:30 (IMO). Are you going to want to get up that early? If not, don’t stay on site.

I’ve stayed at all the onsite hotels and while PPH was my least favorite, it’s still nice. And the rooms are quite large. I love using early entry hour so it’s a big plus for me. But if you’re going in the summer, the hours will probably be long, so I don’t think it’s AS important to get that extra hour.

I would also consider the pool situation if you’re going in the summer. Assuming you like pools...the Disneyland hotel is AWESOME.

 

[sherilaine]

I also recommend getting park hoppers as that is really how you can maximize the MaxPass feature - they really are close - we never go to just one park a day when we are there.

We have never stayed onsite - as we enjoy booking a larger room to spread out since we always go for at least a week - but we have considered staying onsite if we were to ever come for a shorter stay. The EMH is really the only benefit we see to being onsite though as many hotels are just as close or closer than PPH to the main gates (as now you cannot take the short cut from PPH through the Grand).

If we were going for two nights in the summer we would buy 3 day hoppers with MaxPass, stay onsite (as we would be at the gates at 6:30 for that EMH each day) and take a break mid day to escape from the heat. If you can swing that - then that would likely be your best experience. As others have said, if you know you won't be up and ready to enjoy that full extra hour each day, then it's likely not worth the cost and that extra $ could easily get used elsewhere.

 

[hoffman32]

Thank you for all the suggestions!! Being from the east coast we are taking in other sites like Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite and the Golden Gate bridge to name a few. We are finishing our trip at Disneyland and don't think we can fit in a 3rd day so if hoppers will help us see the most than we will add that on. For us I'm thinking staying offsite would be the way to go to help defray that cost plus I don't see us at rope drop at 6:30 for EMH. 7:30 is doable and will be necessary from the sounds of things. I would have assumed staying in one park would be the fastest way to see things but I'm still learning about max pass which we will definitely get. Does one park stay open later durning the summer than the other? Is that another benefit to the hopper passes?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Does one park stay open later durning the summer than the other? Is that another benefit to the hopper passes?

Yes, generally Disneyland will stay open at least an hour or two longer than DCA. Another benefit to park hopping is simply flexibility. For example, if a ride is temporarily down or a show is unexpectedly canceled or too crowded to attend, you can feel like you might have time for another chance. You already mentioned you are purchasing maxpass; you will get more bang for your buck out of that since you can book fastpasses for either park once you have entered one for the day.

 

[ParkHopper1]

I am the biggest proponent of staying on site...but for your case and $1200 more at just the PPH that money would be better spent with Parkhoppers, Maxpass, WOC Dessert Show and a Fantasmic Dining reservation IMO.

 

[22Tink]

While we do stay onsite in WDW, we never stay onsite at DLR, and BWPPI is one of our 'go to' places to stay due to the 5 minute walk, so that's my vote. We'd rather use that money to do some extras in the parks like the WOC Dessert Party! I agree with pp, definitely get MaxPass and hopper passes to maximize your time.

 

[HydroGuy]

We are a family of 5 traveling to Disneyland for the first time this summer. YAY!! We have been to Disneyworld many times but all new to this park (what no magic bands). We will be doing a 2 day non park hopper and staying 3 nights. We will be purchasing max passes to maximize our time but is it worth it to spend $400/night to stay at Paradise Pier or at Best Western Park Place for the cost savings w/free breakfast at $225/night and not have the extra morning hour. Or would you choose a nicer hotel or home farther away and drive to park? At WDW we have stayed on site and off. Sometimes the space is worth the drive in other times we've stayed on just for the convenience of being able to walk back during the day and for magic hours which seem minimal at DL. We could just chose the opposite park without magic hours. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!
Marcia

Whatever you do, do NOT drive to the parks!

Check this recent thread out: "Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You" www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

 

[chickapin parterre]

reasons not to do park hopper
* you will be exhausted so using early morning rope drop is not a consideration, hence, you are behind 2 hours once you enter a summer time park.
* you have no emotional attachment to Disneyland, so a one day visit will suffice as you will not be repetive in riding one attraction nor will you be inclined to wait hours for a traditional attraction (i.e. Peter Pan and Dumbo)
* you may very well like DCA and want to spend a whole day there, as it is a park with many indoor resting areas and easy to access eating venue and after visiting the Sierra Nevada , you may find yourself rafting over and over and over again in the summer heat and the shade the GRR provides.
*once DCA closes, you will be exhausted from the heat and folks, very tired to hop over to Disneyland......to do what???? with Shaboom and WOC and parade, you evening is full, maxpass gives you RSR to full enjoyment.
* you will have no concept that Disneyland is crowded.

 

[ktlm]

As a WDW vet, hoppers are a must for us. DL/CA is like one big park for us. We go back and forth between the parks sometimes multiple times a day. They are separated by a plaza the size of a football field and you don't go through security between parks. It takes 5 minutes to hop. Also, DL usually is open a couple of hours after CA closes in the summer so you can squeeze some extra time in hopping.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

In addition to HydroGuy's hotel thread link posted above, this thread will give you lots of helpful information: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[Shanti]

Considering the time you’re going, early entry will probably be at 7am, maybe 8am. Having a 7am magic morning means being down at the gates by 6:30 (IMO). Are you going to want to get up that early?

We arrived 15 minutes before EMH on the weekend we stayed at DLH & were among the first in line. Showing up 5-10 minutes before EMH, or even right at the start of EMH, is fine. No need to be 30 minutes early, as it isn't crowded like regular rope drop.

 

[NannyBeBe]

We always go to DLR in the summer and I cannot imagine only going for two days. You are really going to have to plan your days to ensure that you see and do all that you want to. As a previous poster said, there is a lot to do in DLR.

 

[MacMama0930]

We arrived 15 minutes before EMH on the weekend we stayed at DLH & were among the first in line. Showing up 5-10 minutes before EMH, or even right at the start of EMH, is fine. No need to be 30 minutes early, as it isn't crowded like regular rope drop.

I think it must depend because I have seen EMH with very, very long lines. But I’ve also seen it with not super long lines. I always err on the side of caution and get down there about half hour before. That’s so I can easily walk on Peter Pan and/or Cars. But I know a lot of people don’t get there that early.

 

[Little E]

@hoffman32, it sounds like we have a very similar plan for summer of 2018! We are WDW vets, going to California for the first time this summer! We are flying in to San Fran, doing an RV trip to see national parks, and ending our trip at DL. Like you, we have three nights booked and two days in the parks, as it's all we can do before we fly back to the midwest. I'm so glad you posted this thread...I've been happy to read everyone's advice.

We are booked at the DL Hotel, and we have park hoppers, but I've been debating about Max Passes. It sounds like many folks here highly recommend them. I'm leaning towards doing this; if we choose to do that, can I call DL and add them to our package, or is this something we need to purchase when we arrive? If so, where do we purchase them? We'll check in to the DL Hotel probably in the afternoon after dropping off our RV, and we won't hit the parks til the next morning. If I have to buy them onsite rather than beforehand, can I buy them right after we check in, so we don't waste precious am park time? I know it's not exactly like FP+ at WDW, but I can't exactly understand how Max Pass works. I've read many threads, in particular the big thread on Max Passes on the Disboards, but it's so lengthy I didn't have the chance to read through the whole thing.

Any general light folks can shed would be amazing! OP, have a terrific trip...we are so excited for our California adventure!

 

[Shanti]

@hoffman32, it sounds like we have a very similar plan for summer of 2018! We are WDW vets, going to California for the first time this summer! We are flying in to San Fran, doing an RV trip to see national parks, and ending our trip at DL. Like you, we have three nights booked and two days in the parks, as it's all we can do before we fly back to the midwest. I'm so glad you posted this thread...I've been happy to read everyone's advice.

We are booked at the DL Hotel, and we have park hoppers, but I've been debating about Max Passes. It sounds like many folks here highly recommend them. I'm leaning towards doing this; if we choose to do that, can I call DL and add them to our package, or is this something we need to purchase when we arrive? If so, where do we purchase them? We'll check in to the DL Hotel probably in the afternoon after dropping off our RV, and we won't hit the parks til the next morning. If I have to buy them onsite rather than beforehand, can I buy them right after we check in, so we don't waste precious am park time? I know it's not exactly like FP+ at WDW, but I can't exactly understand how Max Pass works. I've read many threads, in particular the big thread on Max Passes on the Disboards, but it's so lengthy I didn't have the chance to read through the whole thing.

Any general light folks can shed would be amazing! OP, have a terrific trip...we are so excited for our California adventure!

You can easily add MaxPass to your park tickets online. You'll need to have the Disneyland app on your phone to do this. You can only add it once you've entered the park for the day, but it's easy & quick.

 

[Little E]

Thank you @Shanti! So, we don't buy Max Pass at guest services or at the front desk of our resort...it's purchased via the DL app? I haven't loaded the DL app yet...I'll be sure to do this well in advance of our trip. I've read that WiFi can be an issue at DL? So, purchasing MaxPass isn't tough, assuming phones aren't glitchy in the parks?

 

[MacMama0930]

Thank you @Shanti! So, we don't buy Max Pass at guest services or at the front desk of our resort...it's purchased via the DL app? I haven't loaded the DL app yet...I'll be sure to do this well in advance of our trip. I've read that WiFi can be an issue at DL? So, purchasing MaxPass isn't tough, assuming phones aren't glitchy in the parks?

Definitely add the app! And definitely do Max Pass. We’ve used it multiple times now love it. For the best overview, watch a YouTube video on how to use max Pass. Seeing the visual was much easier for me to understand vs just reading about it. And once you got it, you got it.