Which hotel post cruise in Disneyland

[uktog]

I have tried various tripadvisor sites for advice with no luck and am now posting this on the old trusty CC site where I should have come in the first place!

 

After our Summit trip to Hawaii in Oct/Nov we have decided to spend 3 days at Disneyland before going home (we will have done the Holywood stuff on the way out). I loved my last (and only) Disney trip to Orlando a few years back so the little kid in me is excited.

My question - we want to stay in a Disney hotel and have a reasonable budget. Would you stay in the Disney Californian in a non view room or the Disneyland in a view room.

 

Also can anyone recommend what is the best way to get from San Pedro to Anaheim - should we pre arrange a transfer or given the unpredicability of dismembarkation times - line up for a taxi (we are not hiring a car on this trip) and what should we expect to pay

 

Advice as ever will be very welcome:)

[MaryPoppinz]

I actually prefer the Disneyland Hotel, though I'm probably in the minority. The Grand Californian is a little closer, newer and nicer.

 

But, it is important to remember that even park view rooms at the DH will have virtually no view of Disneyland. Maybe a little glimpse of the top of Space Mountain, but most of the park is intentionally obscured from view. You have a nice view, but the "park" you'll see the most of is California Adventure, not Disneyland. If you're on the Concierge floor in the Sierra Tower or even on one of the upper floors in a park view room that tower, you'll be able to watch the fireworks. :)

 

Enjoy!

[Splinter]

None of the hotels are inside the park. There are TONS of hotels all around the park. I would recommend looking for a deal on Expedia or something like that unless money is no object. The Disneyland Hotel is special only because the monorail stops there and you can ride it directly into the park if you want too...otherwise it is just a big hotel like any other. Most of the "views" are of parking lots.

 

Either rent a car or take http://www.supershuttle.com from the cruise port to the Disneyland Hotel. This will be cheaper than a cab, and they can carry your whole party and all your luggage (unlike a cab unless you pack very light). You can get a confirmed price on their site too (unlike a cab). You can use the same to go from the hotel to the airport.

[uktog]

Thanks I knew I could rely on cc for good advice. Must admit I liked the idea of the monorail at the hotel - that sounds good. Noted about the view and I will I think look at Supershuttle for all our transfers - I will also need LAX to Westin Bonaventure and from Westin to San Pedro

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I'm also voting for Disneyland Hotel.

It still feels like "Disney" there, as opposed to the others.

And if you get a view room, they are great fun views if you request one facing the grounds inside.

If you want kind of whimsical fun (for kids) ask for one facing the main pool that has a pirate ship.

If you want quieter, ask for one in the back near the garden place where you walk under the waterfall.

Don't get one facing towards Downtown Disney.

It can get really noisy with all of the activity going on out there.

Hope that helps.

CJW

[Happy ks]

I've stayed at all 3, Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier. All of them are great, you can't really go wrong. The only thing about Paradise Pier is that is a bit further away from the parks, but they do have a tram going to the front gate.

 

If I had to choose between the first 2 choices, I think it would have to be the Grand Californian. Primarily because it is right next to the parks, plus Downtown Disney is right there.

 

With such a short stay, I'd not bother with an off-property hotel, it's so much nicer having a whole Disney experience. We've stayed off-property before and even with the shuttles, it's so time consuming to get there. After walking all day, you just want to be back in your room, plus you can easily go for an afternoon nap if you're on-property

 

BTW, I'm about 25 minutes south of Disneyland and have had annual passports for years now. My kids won't go there anymore, I've OD'd them on Disneyland :) . It's too much for some, I can't get enough.

[cruiserjanet]

I would choose the Grand Californian too. It's a beautiful hotel and the colors are more subdued and not as flashy. As Happy ks said, it's more centrally located to Downtown Disney and to the parks. Also, if you go to California Adventure, the Grand Californian has its own entrance to California Adventure. I believe the Disney website has pictures of the hotels so you can get an idea of what they look like both inside and out. If you decide you want to go to California Adventure as well as Disneyland, I would suggest getting a park hopper ticket so you can visit both parks at a cheaper rate. Cheap is a word that's not used around Disney. :rolleyes: However, if you can't decide which park to go to and can only go to one, I would suggest Disneyland because I feel you get more for your money. If they dropped the price at California Adventure about $15 to $20, then it would be worth it. Okay, I guess I was venting a bit too. ;)

[runnerandme]

Just my two cents. It depends on what you want to do while at Disneyland. If you are going to spend all three days in the parks and not go to the room much, Paradise Pier is the least expensive. It has a beach theme atmosphere and the view rooms over look California Adventure park and we did enjoy it there. we got a special of 89 a night and another time we paid 130.

Grand California is very nice and upscale. We paid 230 a night for two queens and 240 for a connecting king room . Kinda pricey but had a great time. Good view of Downtown disney with a balcony. Did not mind the noise at all . Good use of room because we went back during the day alot.(10 month old granddaughter.It has an entrance into California Adventure but than is closed after that park closes. Disneyland is open later.

Last time we stayed at Disneyland Hotel. The pool is great. Kept my grandson busy the whole downtime away from the parks. Paid 189 a night.

You can get discounts at off season times though. Super Shuttle had a 12 dollar rate from lax to hotel last year. Sorry this was so long..