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[JiminyJim]

Hello all,
We are new to Disneyland. Have been to WDW several times, but am getting a little nervous about our first trip to DL.

First of what I am sure will be many questiosns about how it is diffent form WDW. The Hotels, people are telling me that unlike WDW, it really is OK to stay off property?

I have very mixed feelings about this, as whenever we have been to WDW we always stayed in a Disney resort.

My problem is there seems to be a huge price differance. I was comparing the Disneyland Hotel with a place called Delsol. From the map I saw, it looks closer to the main gate then the Disneyland Hotel does. Could this be right?

Is Delsol really walking distance to the parks? Would I be givning up anything major (other than the Magic), to stay there.

Any advise would be a great help.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[jimmymac]

A lot of the off site hotels are really close to the parks. Unlike WDW, it doesn't always make sense to stay on site - the advantages are not as great as they are at WDW

[DebiDebiDebi]

When Walt Disney bought the property for Disneyland, he really didn't buffer his parks with open space like he did with WDW (clearly he learned from his DLR experience!). So, subsequently Disneyland and California Adventure are surrounded by hotels. If you check on the Disneyland website, you will see a list of "Good Neighbor Hotels" which are unaffiliated hotels near the resort who have earned a nod of approval from the Disney company, resulting in a recommendation from the Disney company to stay at their facility while in the Disneyland area. We have never stayed in any of the 3 Disney hotels in the DLR area (ie: Grand Californian, Paradise Pier, and the Disneyland Hotel) because there are plenty of nice (and yes, lower cost) hotels right outside the gates of the DLR. While the 3 Disney hotels offer that special magic to your stay, you will find many wonderful hotels near that are fit for any budget. Keep in mind, the 3 Disney hotels would be comparable to a Deluxe resort on the WDW property, thus the high prices.

[HeatherD]

I stay off-site, at a hotel that is as close as DLH (Best Western Park Place Inn). I looked up Del Sol. From what Google shows me, Del Sol is by Tony Roma's, just down from the IHOP (the IHOP is right by my BW, at the crosswalk). Though Del Sol is not "closer" than DLH, it is close enough for an easy walk and not enough of a difference that it makes sense to pay that much more for DLH (if distance is a priority). However, I can't give any insight on the quality of the place.

Unless you are looking for deluxe accomodations or what a little extra Disney touch to your trip, there really isn't a compelling reason to stay on site. The resort itself if very intimate and all within walking distance. Most off-site properties offer shuttles, or they hook up with the Anaheim Coridor shuttle, if it's too far to walk after a tiring day.

Even hotels that are too far to comfortably walk are closer than some of the commutes from a WDW resort to a park. If you're nervous about it being a non-Disney hotel, you can do one or two things: stay at a good-neighbor, since Disney will hold them to a standard or sorts or stay at a name you trust - there's a HoJos, Holiday Inn and Marriott (Courtyard?) on Harbor just above the McDonald's. I think there's also a Westin nearby, but then you're probably getting closer to Disney property prices.

There are very few perks to staying "on-site" that you can't also get by staying at a good-neighbor hotel (early entry, discounted tickets, etc). I've never heard about package delivery to actual rooms (they will hold them at the front of the parks) or other traditional WDW perks.

[w-steele]

Staying on property at DL vs WDW----the only comparison I can point a finger at, after staying at both places is, your room key can be used to purchase items anywhere on property and have them charged to your room and with your room key you can take advantage of the early hours. I can not remember DL ever having late hours. Now, the distance between DLH and the maingate is roughly .5 miles and between Del Sol and the maingate is about .3 miles, give or take 100 steps or so. lol. If room rates pose a problem, I would say stay off property. The hotel/motel rates off property can be nearly 1/4 to 1/2 less than those of the DLR main hotels.

[JiminyJim]

I just wanted to Thank everybody who took the time to respond. It was a great help.

Jim

[disney777]

I would choose Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites over Del Sol. I've stayed at both, and Desert Inn is a tad closer to DLR, and my preference. The room is nicer, not as run down as Del Sol felt to me. Both of these hotels are closer than DLH, plus you don't have to walk through Downtown Disney to get back to your hotel. Any hotel 1500-1700 S. Harbor Blvd is within walking distance to DLR. Desert Inn is 1600. (And there are way more hotels a little bit further.) A lot of hotels have shuttles, but I don't like waiting for them. I'd rather just walk and have control over my time. I love being able to take a quick walk back to my room to get a jacket or drop off a package. I'm a local, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on the hotel. (I have 3 reservations so far for long weekends at Desert Inn.) If money were no object, I'd be staying at the GC. but I can stay 3 nights at DI for the price of 1 night at GC. I'd rate a Value resort at WDW over the hotels on Harbor Blvd, but it's nice to have a fridge and microwave without paying for it.
This location is handy also because there is a McDonalds, Subway, Denny's, Coldstone Creamery, plus other sit down and fast food restaurants within walking distance. You aren't totally trapped into eating Disney only food.

[DyanKJ130]

We stayed off-site last year without a problem. We weren't in one of the closest resorts to the parks, but within a 5 minute drive. We drove to DLR on our park days and enjoyed using the parking garage - much better than the humungous lots at WDW. Everyday we did see lot of non-resort guests walking to and from the parks.

Hope this helps!

[Disney918]

Stay on property if you can! As someone mentioned before the area surrounding DL was quickly bought up by outside entities once DL took off. Therefore it hotel and restaurant chains quickly sprung up around DL. In the past the area surrounding DL was dilapidated and depressing. However, the City of Anaheim has done a fabulous job of sprucing the place up and there are now some really nice hotels and restaurants surrounding Disney property. Some are within walking distance. Some have shuttles.
We have AP's to DL and go at least twice a year or more. I really prefer to stay on property just because I love the feeling of constantly being "in the magic." The Disney hotels are really close to both parks and all have their individual charm. Plus, they are all an easy walk to the Downtown Disney area with all the restaurants and such.
If you can swing it, the Grand Californian hotel is great. We stay there using our DVC points and always feel spoiled having the opportunity to stay there. We love the private entrance to DCA and being able to skip back to the resort for a rest or to change into dry clothes after riding Grizzly river rapids. The private entrance to DCA is within a stones throw of Soarin' so we are able to hit that first thing and then make a bee line for Toy Story mania.
Anyway you slice it you will love to see Disneyland after so long and will be absolutely blown away by all the changes to the parks and the surrounding areas.
Have a great time!!!!

[Carousel96]

We've always stayed onsite at WDW but we stayed at Value resorts, so the DLR hotels were out of our price range.
So at DLR we did a good neighbor hotel -- 4 nights at the Camelot Inn because we could get the "buy 3 nights get 1 free" package.
Room was fine -- good beds, good shower, which is really all we need on a Disney trip. Easy walk to the parks, and when the 9 year old was tired heading home, the sight of the clock tower was reasurrance that we were almost there. There was something about walking out the door of our room and seeing the Matterhorn and Monorail track that was as good as being onsite at WDW.

[Dlandmom2]

There are definitely lots of choices for hotels surrounding the DLR, and they come in all price ranges, from Hilton to HoJo. Most of them are a 5-10 minute walk. Let's put it this way, there are hotels immediately surrounding DLR that are probably 100-200 feet from a DLR ride, as the crow flies.

I just wanted to add that if you choose to go offsite, there are plenty of Passporters who've tried these hotels and give you their reviews, as you can see from the other posters. That way you'll have a better idea of the type and quality of offiste hotel you're considering. Good luck!

[bradbeckyk]

JiminyJim,

Hi, We always went to WDW a lot also. The first time we went to DL it was a surprise, because of how small everything is. Anaheim prohibited any great expansion so much so California Adventure is built on some of the old parking lots. It is still Disney and we love it but in a smaller scale. We are staying on property at the Grand California this March when we go to view a college our oldest son plans to attend. We had bonus points available that is why we are staying on property. However, area hotels are just as close.

Brad