| The perks may be similar to those at Disney World -- charging privileges, sending packages to your hotel, and access to Morning Madness hour if you buy a package. Frankly, though, the off-site hotels are so close to the parks (many are within walking distance) that if money is a concern, you could still have a great experience staying off-site and it wouldn't be difficult to meet up with people staying elsewhere. The prices at off-site hotels are much lower than at the 3 Disney-owned hotels, especially if you're willing to give up luxuries such as full-service restaurants.
Remember, all three Disney-owned hotels are comparable to Deluxe hotels at Disney World, so their rates reflect that level of amenities. The only reason we are planning on staying at the Grand Californian on our upcoming trip is that we're using Vacation Club points -- on previous visits, we've stayed at the Hyatt for considerably less than Disney charges, and that is more expensive than many other choices.
Any Disneyland guidebook (or even an Internet search for Good Neighbor hotels) should be able to give you an idea of what else is available.
Happy planning,
Melissa
__________________ | Planning a Disney Wonder 4-night cruise, January 2010 |
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