Perks at Staying in a Disney Hotel

[Lizzie]

Besides location and themeing are there any perks you get for staying in a Disney hotel?

Like early entry, or package delivery to your room?

Any information would be great we are trying to decide if its worth the extra money.

[drevlo]

The quick answer is Yes and Yes.
When we stayed at the GCH last October, we had two days which we could do an early entry (although there are other ways to get this perk, it's not exclusive to Disney Hotel guests).
Package delivery is also available free of charge.
When the Monorail is running, you do have the option of taking it back to Downtown Disney after the park closes. I think that "non-Disney Hotel" folks cannot board the Monorail back to Downtown Disney after a certain hour...or something like that.
I know for us, being immersed in the Disney "theme" plays a big part. Parts of the surrounding Anaheim area can be a bit unsightly, and staying "on property" limits the amount of it that you have to see.
I'm sure that there are things that I am forgetting, but I have no doubt that fellow Intercot Westerners will be able to fill in the blanks.
Cheers!

[grego77]

I "politely" have to disagree with everything the above poster said, based on my trip last week.

I stayed off-property, and not only did I save over $400.00 on the hotel price, I also got every perk that everyone else gets...because I booked through disneyland.com via Magical Journeys. I was told I was getting everything an on property guest got. I received a one day early entry into Fantasyland. I also received an early entry into Toontown Fair. I also got a huge coupon book for Downtown Disney, and received a pin and lanyard set with a collectable Disneyland coin. I could also use the Monorail whenever I wanted to...including after the park closed.

At the Ramada-Inn Maingate hotel, I could get packages delievered to my room as well. The hotel was a 2 minute walk off property. I loved it because it added to all the walking I would put in each day (roughly 12miles a day). ALSO, I completely dissagree with the 'unsightly' bit about Anaheim...as the blocks around Disneyland are completely harmless and basically have Disney guests walking up and down them non-stop. In terms of the theming, you got me there. However, as a 23 yr old guy with his friend, the money I saved was much more important than a themed room. PLUS, I walked over to the DL hotels and quite honestly I was unimpressed with the majority of the theming, and in terms of walking, I know the Paradise Pier and DL Hotel is FARTHER of a walk from the parks than my hotel was...with or without the monorail. Also, all the surrounding hotels have disney periphenalia in their gift shops.

Enjoy your trip regardless, and have fun!

[nmbullrdr]

It all depends on your budget.

First visit with just the wife and I in 1987, we stayed at an off-site hotel. Nice hotel, good shuttle, no complaints, enjoyed ourselves and staying off-site was not a problem.

Our 2003 visit included our 3 year and 7 month old, stayed at Disneyland Hotel for the "total" disney experience. Enjoyed the hotel, the restuarants, and Downtown Disney. LOVED the pool and hot tub. We received a superb deal through Southwest that included air, hotel, and tickets. The hotel came out to about $95.00 a night, something within our budget.

Flash forward to 2007, I have been looking and haven't seen the Disneyland Hotel less than $240.00 a night and I am looking at the off-season. If budget is no concern, staying on-property is the way to go. If budget is a concern, staying off-site is something to consider. The difference you save on a hotel room will probably pay for your dining during your stay. Check out one of the hotels on Habor Blvd starting at Howard Johnson on one end and the Candy Cane Inn on the other. All are close enough to walk to Disnelyand and are reasonably priced.

We found a great deal on the Disneyland Hotel, so we stayed their, the best family vacation we ever took. Now, with high gas prices and all, unless we find another deal for an on-site property, our next visit will probably be at an off-site hotel. The cost difference between staying on-site and off-site on a five to seven night vacation is so huge (close to a thousand dollars or more) that it looks like a good neighbor hotel vacation this year.

[Lizzie]

We are going in December and I will have an AP since I am making a quick trip this summer. We were looking at Paradise Pier. We have only stayed at Disney Hotels in Florida.

My concern with having Early Entry is if I book us as a different Hotel from the Disney site, since I will be only buying a park ticket for my husband will he be the only one to get Early Entry passes?

[thrillme]

I am a little confused by the post

My FIRST thought was the poster was talking about hotels at DisneyWORLD...later posts they talked about seem to refer to DisneyLAND.

In DisneyWorld I really prefer ON-Site hotels. I've done both. The off-site the shuttles were few and far between. If you rented a car you had to pay for parking. I'm a NIGHT person so my favorite time to hit the parks is AFTER hours. That's not offered except by Disney Hotels (I actually PREFERRED when you paid for this...I hate that they opened it up free but it's still quite a deal). The room key is a sweet deal because you don't have to worry about carrying a "credit" card. If you lose your room key you can report it IMMEDIATELY and get a new one. Of course the package delivery is a plus.

None of those PERKS were available in the non-disney hotel and I found myself a little irritated with it.

NOW DisneyLAND is a different story. They really didn't have much in the hotel department that I remember. I believe we ended up staying in a suite (maybe Ramada) less than a mile from the park. It was an easy walk. I don't know if they made deliveries to the room but I seem to recall they did have something. They also had shuttles but it was almost easier to just walk. The pool was pretty lame but the room was OK. It was a 2 room suite. It had bunk beds in one room and either 2 queens or a king in the other. If I go back to DisneyLAND...that's where I'm likely to stay.

[tinkwest]

... When the Monorail is running, you do have the option of taking it back to Downtown Disney after the park closes. I think that "non-Disney Hotel" folks cannot board the Monorail back to Downtown Disney after a certain hour...or something like that. ...

Guests of a DLR Hotel are issued what amounts to a FastPass for return trips from Disneyland to DTD on the monorail. With the opening of Nemo Subs, which is in the same area as the monorail boarding, I'm not sure if this continues to be the case.

I am a little confused by the post

My FIRST thought was the poster was talking about hotels at DisneyWORLD...later posts they talked about seem to refer to DisneyLAND. ...

This is the Disneyland Resort Forum, therefore, the questions are about DLR Hotels.

[BrerGnat]

I can hopefully answer some questions.

First, anyone can use the DLR monorail from the park to Downtown Disney during NORMAL operation. There was a period of time where the monorail was only running on a limited capacity, and was only making one way trips from each station. Everyone had to get off at each stop. There was also a time recently when the monorail was only open to DLR hotel guests. That was all related to the Nemo ride construction. It is back to normal now, I think.

The monorail is listed as a Tomorrowland "attraction". It is a round trip ride from the DL station if you want it to be.

They have a separate line for DLR hotel guests inside the park in Tomorrowland. You must show a DLR hotel keycard to enter that line, and it essentially allows you to board the next monorail, rather than waiting in the line (for the "attraction"). I believe that after the park officially closes, you may need to show hotel ID to use the monorail as transport, since essentially, the "ride" is closed. However, I have not personally confirmed this. I think for at least a short time, the monorail offers transport out of the park to non-hotel guests. I assume they just make everyone exit at the DTD station...

Now, the Resorts also offer early entry on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Sat every week. If you stay off property, BUT you buy a park hopper pass (3 days or more), you get 1 early entry per pass. AP holders do NOT get early entry benefits, unless you are staying on property. So yes, YOU will not be able to get early entry if you buy an AP and your husband has a hopper pass.

There is no package delivery to the offsite hotels.

If you book a "Disney Good Neighbor" hotel, you will get some extras, but not all the early entry days and no package delivery.

The main draw of the DLR hotels is CONVENIENCE, although I will argue that the Paradise Pier is far removed enough to not really give you the feeling that you are "in" it all. For that, you really need to look at the Grand or the DLH, which are literally attached to Downtown Disney.