Tell me it is ok to splurge on a on a Disneyland Hotel

[Shanti]

I had totally planned to stay onsite for the first time until I discovered that for $700 to $800 per night I cannot choose the room I want. Totally unacceptable to me.

Do you mean which exact room? Hotels never let you choose that in advance.

 

[CateinPhoenix]

Do you mean which exact room? Hotels never let you choose that in advance.

Actually Hilton and Marriott apps both allow early check-in where you can pick your exact room prior to arriving.

 

[Malcon10t]

Yes Hilton allows you to choose a room 24 hours ahead, but let’s say you want a room on the 14th floor, you may or may not be able to get one based on availability. You may only be able to get 10th floor.

 

[mpadilla89]

Actually Hilton and Marriott apps both allow early check-in where you can pick your exact room prior to arriving.

An exact room meaning category type of room? I have stayed at both Hilton and Marriott and have never been able to say I want this room please on this floor. Just can you please make sure it has two beds. If you pay for a balcony view, pool view, etc room. yes you will get those but I am confused on how exactly you choose an exact room.

 

[Malcon10t]

An exact room meaning category type of room? I have stayed at both Hilton and Marriott and have never been able to say I want this room please on this floor. Just can you please make sure it has two beds. If you pay for a balcony view, pool view, etc room. yes you will get those but I am confused on how exactly you choose an exact room.

On Hilton's app and website, I can check in the day before arrival at 6a. At that time, I can bring up a layout of each floor and choose a specific room. I have had it overrode (over ridden?) once. But I can select a specific room, it will text me when the room is ready and I can use my phone to go directly to the room avoiding the check in desk. Works well. That said, I don't see it working well at the resort hotels.

 

[taaren]

BOOKED!!!! Now the hard part will be keeping it a secret.

So excited!!!

You are going to love it. We do some stays on-site, and some stays off-site because we can only afford a few on-site. Disneyland Hotel is my favorite; the few times I've stayed at Paradise Pier it just wasn't as magical, didn't feel Disney enough. The Grand is where we stay most of the time since we own DVC, and its an amazingly luxurious hotel but I prefer the feel of DLH and the pools and would buy points in a villa there in a heartbeat.
When we stay off-site, I usually plan on a full park day without a break, or we linger over long lunches in the park. When we stay on site, we do EMH, stay in the park for a few rides, maybe grab a few E-ticket fastpasses for the evening/tickets for evening shows, then head back for pool/snack/naptime (for adults - our tween kids usually watch TV now) then return to the parks in the late afternoon to enjoy the feel of them in the evening well-rested. Staying onsite means vacationing at a different pace where you can savor the time in a different way, so absorb and enjoy, and don't forget to order a cocktail (or even mock-tail if you don't drink, some of them are also fabulous) by the pool and take a picture of yourself doing so! Those are some of my favorite memories with dear friends, just relaxing and watching the kids enjoy the pool after we've finished with the slides they will keep on splashing. Its worth every penny if you can afford it and can savor the experience. Nothing is perfect, but the Disney resorts excel at creating pixie dust moments that we've had on most stays, even if its just cast members joking around with the kids or the CMs doing something small to make sure your stay feels special. Get buttons that say you are celebrating birthdays since you have upcoming birthdays and it is a celebration of that.

 

[NannyBeBe]

Do you mean which exact room? Hotels never let you choose that in advance.

I have a favorite room at the HoJo which I always request and always get.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Right now I'm in our lovely room in the Fantasy Tower at DL Hotel. Taking into account the CAD/USD exchange rate, staying here is a pricey proposition. Last time we were at Disneyland was 25 years ago during our honeymoon - off property. (Boy what a change DL is now - lol). Meanwhile we've been to WDW a number of times and stayed off-property once. I have to say, staying on-site at DL or WDW is worth-it. The Disney magic ... being able to walk right out of Fantasy Tower and right into Downtown Disney and then right to the Parks ... if I can't enjoy a splurge now when will I in the future ... anyways I don't mind eating Mac and Cheese later when we return - LOL ... but any way to enjoy a day at Disney is better than not enjoying it at all so prob next time it may be off-site for us ... maybe ...

 

[LTiffany]

Actually Hilton and Marriott apps both allow early check-in where you can pick your exact room prior to arriving.

Lots of places do this but that's different than choosing your room when you book. I haven't been able to do that with Hilton or Marriott at booking.

 

[Catvondita]

I'm with you in that I would be conflicted also. Disney World I can justify staying on property because it seems like WDW has more perks and they also have more options for different price points. I would love to be able to stay at Disneland Hotel one day but unless I come into some serious cash I don't know if I could ever convince myself to send that much on a place to just sleep and shower. I would think if you are uncomfortable with it, don't do it and hold off until a really special occasion or maybe stay at an offsite but one night on property. Good luck OP.

 

[blue888]

I think it totally depends what kind of park goer you are. We like to do the extra hour first thing, spend the morning in the parks. Then spend the afternoon at the hotel relaxing, go to the pool, etc. Then we go back in the park. So we use a lot of the hotel perks. If you like to spend the entire day at Disney, then you may not use the perks. We stayed onsite 4 years ago and now we can't imagine staying off site again. I just love the Disney atmosphere of the hotel!

 

[madame_jedi]

My mom, sister and I just returned from one night at Candy Cane Inn and 3 nights at The Grand California. We had originally planned just to stay at the CCI but changed to the Grand very last minute because of the heat wave. We thought we would enjoy our time more if we spent the hottest part of the day in a beautiful hotel rather than a cramped little room. We had a wonderful time and under normal circumstances I would definitely stay at the CCI again. I’m not so sure about the Grand. While it is undoubtedly a beautiful resort, I do not think it was luxurious enough to justify the price. We had a refurbished room with two queens and a day bed. The room was excellent. My only complaint is that there were no hooks in the bathroom. Having to set your clothes on the toilet when you shower is not cool. The pools were nice but not spectacular and I found the tile around the pools extremely slippery. We also did not get everything in our room replenished by mousekeeping. It took two days for the coffee to be refilled and we used a shower cap on the first night that was never replaced. My only other experience with disney hotels are at WDW. We have stayed at Pop many times and Coronado Springs once. Coronado seemed nearly as luxurious to me and less than half the price. The major plus to the Grand for me was the private entrance to CA and DTD. I’m glad we went with the Grand this time but I doubt we would go back. It’s a lovely hotel but just not worth the price.

 

[3MFamily]

We are heading back to DLR after 3 trips to WDW and I am finding it hard to look at the prices to stay in the bubble. Coronado refurbished rooms are beautiful and we found rates 1/4 of the DLH (all AP summer rates). Even our AKL stay got us much more room (2 bathrooms, laundry, full kitchen) for the same price as a hotel room on property at DLR. That being said, it is time for us to go HOME (we consider DLR our park). Our compromise will likely be a split stay with off property going first, DLH for the last few days.

To the OP, any stay on property during the holidays is magical.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you're ever going to splurge on DLH, I would say now is the time. Once construction begins on the new hotel, it's going to lose some charm for a while.