I wouldn't call myself a DLR expert, but I also don't mind sharing my thoughts, good and bad.
We actually really like the Hilton Anaheim! It's a convention hotel, right next to the Anaheim Convention Center, so the decor is very contemporary with no Disney theming despite being so close to
Disneyland.
The rooms are always clean. We love the beds and pillows; super comfortable. But the carpeting and upholstery in some rooms and common areas look like they could use a refresh. We've stayed in some rooms where the floor felt a little uneven. The rooms have floor to ceiling windows! Since we're Hilton Gold members, we always get upgraded to a high floor and occasionally we'll get a Disneyland view. If you get a Disneyland view, you're looking at DCA in the foreground, with the back of Radiator Springs and (the now retired) Paradise Pier closest to you. You'll get a view of Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout to the right and should be able to see the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty Castle. And catch the fireworks from your room! However, the park does look like it's far away and you'd probably need a telephoto lens to get a good shot from this distance. (We've also gotten views of the pool and the next door Marriott.)
Hilton Gold members also get a complimentary breakfast, but we always decline at check-in and are offered HH points because we'd rather open up Disneyland and eat in the parks or in DTD. There's a full service Starbucks in the lobby, which is really popular and gets backed up as the morning progresses. However, there's a special line for Hilton Gold and Diamond members. I believe the Starbucks in the lobby is a franchise location owned by Hilton, so you can use Starbucks gift cards, the Starbucks app to earn stars, but you can't redeem stars for food or drinks, or order ahead on the app. I always wake up really early, get down there around 6-6:30 a.m., and there's no line; I'll grab coffee for my wife and me and get ready to head out to make rope drop.
The pool area is fairly decent. There's a large rectangular pool, hot tub, and a splash area for kids. DD4 really enjoys the splash area, but if you're looking for pool time for the kids, then the Howard Johnson Anaheim, the Courtyard Marriott, and the Disneyland Hotel all have more awesome pool amenities.
The Hilton is HUGE! I believe it's the biggest hotel in all of OC. We've been put in rooms that were like a 5 minute walk to the elevators. Never again, so we always request in our reservation notes a room near, but not next to the elevators. If you stay there during a convention, some kind of tournament, or holiday weekend, the elevators do get packed and there can be a wait.
We find the Hilton almost always has a better price, in cash or points, than the nearby Marriott or Sheraton, which have similar amenities. We don't think the Hilton Anaheim is necessarily the best use of HH points, though, as standard rooms go for something like 30k HH points/night. However, Amex often has an Amex Offer for Hilton that gives a statement credit off room charges of $250, $300, or whatever other minimum amount. If you have the Amex Offer on several cards, ask the front desk to do a split tender and try to maximize the credits. Hilton points may be wildly inflated, but they're also easy to earn with a cash stay and all the promotions going on at any given time. I think we usually sign up for 2 or 3 different promotions that earn bonus HH points for every stay. Self parking is $16/night. There are pretty hefty resort fees and taxes. That's pretty typical of the chain hotels.
My wife and I have been going to Disneyland pretty regularly since 2009 and stayed at the Hilton a lot. During that time, we've racked our brains and tried various ways to shorten our trip from the hotel to the parks and back again. I think the fastest way is just to walk it. Like I mentioned before, there's a side service street along the front of the hotel garage that connects to Katella, make a right on Katella, then cross the street at Harbor, all the way to DLR's eastern gateway. This takes about 10 minutes, and maybe another 10 minutes at bag check. Harbor in the morning is a nice walk along tree-lined streets. At night, it can get a little sketchier with people hawking wares, begging for change, or passed out drunk at bus stops. We've never felt like we were in any danger. We've also tried taking our car and parking at Mickey & Friends since we have Signature APs with included parking, but it's about 5 minutes to the car and out the garage, another 5 minutes or more to the theme park parking lot, then you have to find parking, then down the escalator to the bag check, another 5-10 minutes, then a 5-10 minute wait for the tram to take you to DTD. This all could easily take up to 30 minutes or more. Another alternative is to walk across the street on Harbor into the Toy Story parking lot, which takes about 5 minutes, line up and take a shuttle bus to the bus drop-off at the eastern gateway near bag check. But the walking and waiting for shuttles adds up, and I don't think you're saving much time if any over just walking to DLR.
Selling locally, online, rental income, etc. I have 4 kids also and I am guessing you are like me in that I am always throwing some outgrown baby or kid item on CL or ebay. That qualifies as a business! The CIP has 80k UR bonus with 5k spend in 90 days. Seems like with that ortho bill, you could easily meet that.
). Appreciate you bringing up the Amex offers. If we do decide to stay for a night or two, I would have forgotten about those, especially if cash is the better option.
