HoJo vs. Park Vue Inn vs. Going Broke

HoJo is also our go to hotel although someday we hope to stay at Disneyland Hotel so we can play in their pools. I'm not sure if your kids are too big for the bunk beds but if so, see if any of the kids suites are available. It's 2 regular hotel rooms but the 2nd has a bunk bed and sofa. 2 bathrooms is such a luxury! And the price is still way less than one room on site anywhere else. If not, the 1 king + 1 bunk or 2 queens rooms are also very nice.

I heard the new Marriott next door is very nice but also much more expensive.

We love HoJos' for the same reason others mention - very friendly staff, nice grounds, great water playground for our daughter (although your older child may be too old for it), nice big pool and the walk is fine for us- just cross harbor right at the hotel and it's very quick.
 
We've stayed at both HOJO and Park Vue. Hojo in the kids suite which was nice because it was 2 rooms. Kids were 10/12. Park Vue we stayed in the Queen plus bunk bed room. Kids were 8/10.
I'd definately go back to Park Vue. The location is magnificent, and it was great to have breakfast. Location is key when you look out your door and can see the Disneyland sign
 
Should be interesting in a couple of years, when the new Disneyland Eastern Gateway is finished, and what is actually decided in relations to the new pedestrian bridge, it the new 4-star Hotel at the Anaheim Plaza gets built. (On hold due to a political play the Unite HERE Local 11 did).

What will be the closest, and the new projects being built next to the Pumbaa structure.
 
We're of the "going broke" variety.

We prefer staying onsite. It's such a huge deal for us to get there - flights, time off from school and work, a car service to and from the airport, putting aside TONS of money for too long - that we want the full monte, if you will. We like that everyone that works at the hotel is a Disney cast member. And we feel there is a bubble - a scaled down California version for sure, but still a bubble. Walking to and fro through Downtown Disney everyday to get to the parks is still exciting for us. Very immersive.

The last time we stayed at DLH in August, Goofy, Chip and Dale were all in the lobby. No handlers, just cruising around. Then we walked to our room, and Pluto was in front of the topiaries, posing for pictures. Later, Minnie was there. It all had a dreamlike quality to it. And the grounds are absolutely beautiful. Lush green and tropical, there's also an outdoor fireplace, an amazing pool, tiki torches everywhere and sometime's live Hawaiian bands will play on the porch outside Trader Sam's. It is way way way more than a motel room on Harbor, but we are willing to go broke for that resort experience.
 
See, I don't get the Resort vibe or the "bubble" in Anaheim.

But I am one of those that wants to go explore other places.

When I go to Orlando, I will spend the exact amount of nights need for my Disney portion, but then get off property and stay elsewhere while I enjoy the other nearby tourist attractions.

Maybe it is just me, and living in Southern California my entire life. (and yes, I have stayed on property at the DLR a few times, including all 3 Disney owned Hotels). Also many non-Disney owned Hotels in the greater Disneyland area.

To me there is the "Disney Tax", the Hotels don't offer what other nearby places can offer in room service and other options, such as a guarantee for the type of room I want, instead of just a "request". You are isolated, no shuttles are offered, and you have to eat at the more expensive restaurants.

Now, I understand why someone would want to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Garden Grove due to its wonderful water park that is exclusive to guests.

But give me a good limited service Hotel nearby, such as a Residence Inn, MUCH nicer rooms and lots of options in the area.
 
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We're of the "going broke" variety.

We prefer staying onsite. It's such a huge deal for us to get there - flights, time off from school and work, a car service to and from the airport, putting aside TONS of money for too long - that we want the full monte, if you will. We like that everyone that works at the hotel is a Disney cast member. And we feel there is a bubble - a scaled down California version for sure, but still a bubble. Walking to and fro through Downtown Disney everyday to get to the parks is still exciting for us. Very immersive.

The last time we stayed at DLH in August, Goofy, Chip and Dale were all in the lobby. No handlers, just cruising around. Then we walked to our room, and Pluto was in front of the topiaries, posing for pictures. Later, Minnie was there. It all had a dreamlike quality to it. And the grounds are absolutely beautiful. Lush green and tropical, there's also an outdoor fireplace, an amazing pool, tiki torches everywhere and sometime's live Hawaiian bands will play on the porch outside Trader Sam's. It is way way way more than a motel room on Harbor, but we are willing to go broke for that resort experience.

Absolutely agree with the above.

We did stay offsite one time at the Hyatt Orange County in an Executive King which we loved. Their suites and Family Suites are spacious and much cheaper than DLH.

I would not vote for packing up and moving to DLH for only one night. That is a lot of work and wasted vacation time. I might consider it if your goal was to spend a lot of time at the pool. You could go there during the day wearing your suits and coverups and have them store your luggage until your room was ready and enjoy the pool until that happened.

Good luck and have fun!
 
Another HOJO-lover here!! We stayed here for the first time this past August 2016. Previous we have stayed at Best Western Anaheim Inn, Castle Inn, Carriage Inn, etc. HOJO is now going to be our go-to hotel for future Disneyland trips!
 
To me there is the "Disney Tax", the Hotels don't offer what other nearby places can offer in room service and other options, such as a guarantee for the type of room I want, instead of just a "request". You are isolated, no shuttles are offered, and you have to eat at the more expensive restaurants.

Now, I understand why someone would want to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Garden Grove due to its wonderful water park that is exclusive to guests.

But give me a good limited service Hotel nearby, such as a Residence Inn, MUCH nicer rooms and lots of options in the area.
I agree with all of this. Not only do you pay a lot more for the Disneyland brand hotels, everything else costs a lot more. A cheap breakfast costs a lot more, parking costs more, rooms are smaller. There is a nice convenience of staying at GCH, but I'd rather stay offsite to visit more often and to get things like a free breakfast, full kitchen, etc at a lower price. Then, I have more spending $ for the days at the park or wherever else we end up going.
 
Our family usually stays onsite, but last Thanksgiving we stayed at PVI. We loved it! We got the three bedroom suite which was ideal for our family of four. Our two daughters each got their own bed and this made for much more restful and peaceful nights after very full days in the park. It also made the couple of times we came back to the room for an afternoon rest much more pleasant when they each had a spot where they could spread out with all their stuff.

The other thing I really loved about staying at PVI was the walk (or lack thereof). As you know (and others have pointed out) it's super close. But what's really great is that feeling you get when you cross the street with a mass of people that all turn and have to continue trudging down the street when you just walk straight ahead to your room! At midnight after a long day in the parks? Priceless!

That said, I am looking at staying onsite for a mother/daughter trip next June. I do love that bubble feeling and access to early entry every day. But I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Park Vue again when I want to save money on the hotel.
 
We've stayed at the HoJo once or twice. It's a nice hotel. Right now I go for the absolute closest, because the kids are just out of the strollers. At the end of the day, that extra block seems to make a huge difference. The water park is fantastic though, and lots of fun for them.
 
Just spent a week there, super crowded and early mornings were the only way for us to fit everything in. For this reason we would always choose a Disney hotel.

Just wanted to add that coming from the other side of the world is expensive so making sure we make the most of our tickets is important as we can't easily come back to finish what we missed
 
I understand your dilemma. I just returned from a WDW stay at the POP and WDW Dolphin. Oh boy would I love to see DLR come up with a Value Resort option! But, considering things as they are. We do feel like there is a bubble when staying at DLH because you can use the monorail. When we have stayed at that hotel we leave our hotel and walk through DTD to the Monorail and take it straight into the park or we can opt to walk through DTD. We still feel like we are immersed in Disney! This hotel is our favorite, but yes, super pricey! So, it is a splurge for us and usually a split stay! If you can swing the price, go for it! If you would rather save on the budget, Hojo's would be my pick based on the aesthetic value and the "resort" feel with the various pools. If we plan on swim time during our trip (which you may opt to do in March) we go for Hojo's hands down. We love the staff, the grounds, and all of the things mentioned above. We walk back for pool/nap breaks every day of our stay and this walk is perfectly fine for us. The few extra steps is actually minimal to us compared to other hotels on Harbor. We also enjoy Fairfield Inn which is close to Hojo's. Very clean and close as well. We have considered Park Vue many times, however a friend stayed there last year and reported a bug problem. I have a bug phobia so that rules it out for me lol! Otherwise, I would have tried it. I hope you enjoy your stay!
 
Our family usually stays onsite, but last Thanksgiving we stayed at PVI. We loved it! We got the three bedroom suite which was ideal for our family of four. Our two daughters each got their own bed and this made for much more restful and peaceful nights after very full days in the park. It also made the couple of times we came back to the room for an afternoon rest much more pleasant when they each had a spot where they could spread out with all their stuff.

The other thing I really loved about staying at PVI was the walk (or lack thereof). As you know (and others have pointed out) it's super close. But what's really great is that feeling you get when you cross the street with a mass of people that all turn and have to continue trudging down the street when you just walk straight ahead to your room! At midnight after a long day in the parks? Priceless!

That said, I am looking at staying onsite for a mother/daughter trip next June. I do love that bubble feeling and access to early entry every day. But I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Park Vue again when I want to save money on the hotel.
Really helpful. Thank you!
 
We're big fans of Park Vue for many reasons. Here's my basic thoughts about it:

(1) The walk is *awesome*. You literally can not get closer to the main entrance gates. You cross the street, and you're on DL property.

(2) Rooms are good sized, and recently renovated. There's many different types of rooms as well (2Q, 3Q, bunkbeds, and others). I've stayed in a 3Q suite, 2Q room, and a jacuzzi suite and have been impressed with each of them. We usually have 3 people in the 3Q suite, and there's more than enough room. The only "bummer" time is shower time; if you have several people needing to shower in the morning, 1 shower can be annoying... However, for us, either DD or DH will just shower at night when we get home from the parks, then only 2 people need to shower in the morning. There are several vanity and sink/mirror areas to do the basic morning grooming.

(3) I had only 1 minor issue with cleanliness--the jacuzzi room carpet didn't easily pass my "white sock test." My socks weren't "really" dirty, but the carpet needed a shampoo. However, within weeks of us staying there, the carpet was replaced when the room was renovated. DH and I agreed that it is probably a room that doesn't get cleaned much because it isn't used much, and people may well be getting in the jacuzzi when they are dirty, and then they get out and get the floor wet, and then walk on the wet floor with dirty shoes, just grinding the dirt farther in, making it more difficult to clean with just the vacuum.

(4) The beds. Oh my goodness. Just the perfect blend of firm under a pillow top. Feather pillows, too, so they could be made as fluffy as I wanted them, or as flat as DH prefers.

(5) Linens.... Their bed linens are wonderfully soft and comfy. No cheap white crunchy sheets. And their towels--they fit around my plus-sized booty, which is rare in hotel towels! They are also very fluffy and not stiff or scratchy at all!

(6) Free breakfast! The free breakfast is a good one, not just a cheap pastry and maybe a fruit and some coffee. On various days/trips, we've had: biscuits and gravy, hash browns, fried potatoes, waffles, pancakes, toast, fruit salad, fruits, yogurt, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos, sausage, bacon, bagels, breads, cereal, oatmeal, juice, hot cocoa, coffee, milk. I'm sure I have forgotten things! At any rate, for our family of 3, it saves us $20-30/day compared to IHOP, Denny's, or Starbucks. Oh, and travel cups so DH and the kids can take their coffee/juice/cocoa with them down to the parks.

(7) Did I mention the walk at the end of a long Disney day (or when you get soaked on a wet ride, and the thigh chafing starts, so you have to go back to the room to change clothes)... Park Vue means you go out the pedestrian walkway, cross one street at a cross walk, and you are at your room. If you stay at HoJo, you have to go out the pedestrian walkway, cross the street, pass Best Western Park Place Inn, Tropicana, Carousel, Camelot, McDonald's, Panera, Marriott Fairfield, Courtyard, and Mimi's... then you are on the HoJo property... and still possibly have a hike to get to your building/room. Likewise, staying at DLH, you'll be passing 15-20 storefronts--essentially the same walk to DLH as to HoJo for double (sometimes triple!) the price of PVI.

(8) The pool. Honestly, this barely factors into our decision for a few reasons. First, while we always plan on using the pools, we rarely do, other than maybe the first night we are there, the day before we do the parks. Park Vue has a nice sized, basic, crystal clear pool and hot tub. Personally, I appreciate that there aren't tons of kids running and playing in the pool area; a little more relaxing for me.

(9) Price. At least for the rooms we've looked at, HoJo seems a little more expensive ($50+) for a longer walk. They do (or did?) offer a Disboards discount when you call and book directly.

(10) Customer service. We've had some great customer service from them--calling nightly to make sure we don't need anything, snacks in the lobby, weird billing issues that they fixed quickly and easily (dad was trying to pay for a night at the hotel for us, but wasn't able to get the lady to understand he wasn't trying to add on a day, he was trying to pay for a night and have us refunded what we already paid for it), they found my engagement ring that I lost (after we had already checked out), they call a reasonably-priced taxi for us back to the airport. We've always felt welcomed by them.
 
We're big fans of Park Vue for many reasons. Here's my basic thoughts about it:

(1) The walk is *awesome*. You literally can not get closer to the main entrance gates. You cross the street, and you're on DL property.

(2) Rooms are good sized, and recently renovated. There's many different types of rooms as well (2Q, 3Q, bunkbeds, and others). I've stayed in a 3Q suite, 2Q room, and a jacuzzi suite and have been impressed with each of them. We usually have 3 people in the 3Q suite, and there's more than enough room. The only "bummer" time is shower time; if you have several people needing to shower in the morning, 1 shower can be annoying... However, for us, either DD or DH will just shower at night when we get home from the parks, then only 2 people need to shower in the morning. There are several vanity and sink/mirror areas to do the basic morning grooming.

(3) I had only 1 minor issue with cleanliness--the jacuzzi room carpet didn't easily pass my "white sock test." My socks weren't "really" dirty, but the carpet needed a shampoo. However, within weeks of us staying there, the carpet was replaced when the room was renovated. DH and I agreed that it is probably a room that doesn't get cleaned much because it isn't used much, and people may well be getting in the jacuzzi when they are dirty, and then they get out and get the floor wet, and then walk on the wet floor with dirty shoes, just grinding the dirt farther in, making it more difficult to clean with just the vacuum.

(4) The beds. Oh my goodness. Just the perfect blend of firm under a pillow top. Feather pillows, too, so they could be made as fluffy as I wanted them, or as flat as DH prefers.

(5) Linens.... Their bed linens are wonderfully soft and comfy. No cheap white crunchy sheets. And their towels--they fit around my plus-sized booty, which is rare in hotel towels! They are also very fluffy and not stiff or scratchy at all!

(6) Free breakfast! The free breakfast is a good one, not just a cheap pastry and maybe a fruit and some coffee. On various days/trips, we've had: biscuits and gravy, hash browns, fried potatoes, waffles, pancakes, toast, fruit salad, fruits, yogurt, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos, sausage, bacon, bagels, breads, cereal, oatmeal, juice, hot cocoa, coffee, milk. I'm sure I have forgotten things! At any rate, for our family of 3, it saves us $20-30/day compared to IHOP, Denny's, or Starbucks. Oh, and travel cups so DH and the kids can take their coffee/juice/cocoa with them down to the parks.

(7) Did I mention the walk at the end of a long Disney day (or when you get soaked on a wet ride, and the thigh chafing starts, so you have to go back to the room to change clothes)... Park Vue means you go out the pedestrian walkway, cross one street at a cross walk, and you are at your room. If you stay at HoJo, you have to go out the pedestrian walkway, cross the street, pass Best Western Park Place Inn, Tropicana, Carousel, Camelot, McDonald's, Panera, Marriott Fairfield, Courtyard, and Mimi's... then you are on the HoJo property... and still possibly have a hike to get to your building/room. Likewise, staying at DLH, you'll be passing 15-20 storefronts--essentially the same walk to DLH as to HoJo for double (sometimes triple!) the price of PVI.
You make a great case! Very helpful!

(8) The pool. Honestly, this barely factors into our decision for a few reasons. First, while we always plan on using the pools, we rarely do, other than maybe the first night we are there, the day before we do the parks. Park Vue has a nice sized, basic, crystal clear pool and hot tub. Personally, I appreciate that there aren't tons of kids running and playing in the pool area; a little more relaxing for me.

(9) Price. At least for the rooms we've looked at, HoJo seems a little more expensive ($50+) for a longer walk. They do (or did?) offer a Disboards discount when you call and book directly.

(10) Customer service. We've had some great customer service from them--calling nightly to make sure we don't need anything, snacks in the lobby, weird billing issues that they fixed quickly and easily (dad was trying to pay for a night at the hotel for us, but wasn't able to get the lady to understand he wasn't trying to add on a day, he was trying to pay for a night and have us refunded what we already paid for it), they found my engagement ring that I lost (after we had already checked out), they call a reasonably-priced taxi for us back to the airport. We've always felt welcomed by them.
 
I just wanted to chime in that your 14 y/o may not care so much for the HOJO water play area. Not that he couldn't play there too, but it is geared towards little kids. So I wouldn't make the water park the deciding reason to stay at HOJO.
 
We have stayed twice at the Residence Inn maingate, and once at the Fairfield Inn across the street. Admitted bias, we have marriott associate rates so there is zero point in forking out money for an onsite hotel, but I don't think it's SO convenient and necessary to the experience like it is at DW. In fact I think our walk from the Fairfield is a lot shorter than from DLH. Anyway, not sure what rates the hotels you mentioned have, but the Fairfield is pretty basic and close, you can see the fireworks from the balconies. Residence Inn has a kitchen and is bigger, with extra sofa beds, etc, even in studio apartments, with an awesome breakfast in the morning. The new Residence Inn they just built has bunk bed suites also. Rates fluctuate every single day, and for our trip in November I have been stalking prices daily since May. Finally got what I wanted a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, these two hotels have worked out well - for now we will probably always choose FI over RI only because we have 3 kids under 5 that need naps.
 
We're WDW vets ourselves and are making our first DLR trip next summer. We've always done the value resorts at WDW, manly because when we're there and we're awake, we're out at the parks or in DTD. We're at the resort to sleep, eat breakfast and occasionally in the summer for a mid day dip in the pool, then nap, then back to the parks. I assume we'll do the same at DLR.

Like you, I really struggled with whether to splurge on the DLH or stay off-site. We're from the east coast so this could be the one time we do DLR, so I eyed staying on-site. For us, though, it just came too close to breaking the bank to consider DLH. Everyone's finances are different, so I don't judge anyone's decision to do what they want, but for us having the flexibility to help our kids have a good time was a priority. We'll be travelling as 5 adults. Two of those are our adult kids who are both enlisted in the military. They both do well managing their money, but I know things are tight for them, so I try to help where I can. If we stayed at the DLH, it would probably mean eating beenie weenies for the week. :)

For us staying at the Best Western across the street allows us to get one room to share (I know it may be a little tight, but we'll make it work). The free breakfast is a big deal and will save everyone a little. We're driving out, so parking is another consideration ($10 per night versus $100+). Toss in Hydroguy's WDW thread, his knowledge of both WDW and DLR and his thoughts on staying off site and I thought staying offsite made the most sense for us. This will allow me to pick up the tab for a couple of nice meals and really enjoy ourselves without worry.

Good luck with your decision.
 

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