Worth staying on site for WDW veteran?

[hsmamainva]

We have visited WDW at least once a year for 12+ years & we are planning our first week long Disneyland trip!

At WDW, we are Value resort people (Pop, All Stars, Art of Animation etc).

It will be myself and my 2 daughters. My oldest is a grown adult; my youngest is an adult as well but on the autism spectrum. Mentally, she’s around 7-8 years old.

My youngest loves all things Disney & she loves Pixar so the renovations to Paradise Pier look awesome!

But the thought of paying $500 a night+ for a room is hard to stomach!

Is it worth being in the bubble, especially with a special needs young adult, or would we be fine across the street at the Tropicana / Best Western?

We are rope drop to fireworks WDW goers so we don’t spend a great deal of time in our room anyway, but my youngest likes to have a swim before bed each night.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Helene_C]

This is a highly YMMV topic, but i have a pretty similar profile to you - many WDW visits and have decided Pop (or the LM section of AoA) is perfect for our needs. In my DL trips I have stayed at the DLH once and off-site twice - once at the Courtyard on Harbor, once at the Cambria.

To ME, on site isn’t worth the price difference. Don’t get me wrong, the GCH looks gorgeous and the DLH was charmingly Disney with a great pool area. But we’re here for park time and I would much rather splurge on hoppers and Genie+ than the hotel. I do think a short walk is worth paying more for, and so this time we’ll be at the BW+ Anaheim Inn.

 

[Helene_C]

One more thought- since you’re planning a longer stay, consider 1-2 nights at on site at the end and the beginning off site. It will be a nice treat to look forward to and by then you’ll probably be ready for a resort pool day (or a rope drop, long afternoon pool break, park again day) rather than all-day park time, so you’ll really make the most of the Disney resort.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Off-site, though I cannot speak to those specific hotels. Do check what times/if their pools close to make sure it will work. As a Value WDW traveler you will most likely kick yourself for what $500/night gets you at PPH, at most I would do as a PP said and do like the last 2 nights there. You can go visit PPH so she gets to see the theming, maybe plan a meal there at the new restaurant opening later this year to guarantee you make it there.

Not to go OT but since your experience is WDW I want to make sure you know you can’t buy a week long ticket to DL. Disneyland doesn’t sell tickets for more than 5 days as 5 days is more than enough to take long mid-day breaks, do everything at a leisurely pace and repeat favorites . I cannot imagine 5 days of park open to close at DL.

 

[MillauFr]

It isn't worth the extra money. We stay at the Candy Cane.

 

[DizMe]

I absolutely think it's worth it to stay on site at DLH or GCH. HOWEVER, I would not stay on site for a whole week. There just isn't enough to do for a week at Disneyland Resort, IMO, to justify the cost. There are lots of cool things to see and do in the area besides DLR, so I would stay 3 nights on site and 3 nights somewhere else. Go to the beach, explore other things nearby.

 

[StormyCA]

Yes, I think staying onsite is worth it to me for the 'bubble', short walk (applicable only to the Grand), package delivery, and early entry (even if they have cut it down to 30 mins). Normally it would either be me solo or with BFF & her late-teens daughter, so for the security aspect, I feel safer on Disney property rather than walking down Harbor in the dark after park closing.

If you're a 'budget' person as you know there is no equivalent on-site at DLR, PPH is as 'budget' as they get and it's pretty much priced as a 'high moderate' in WDW terms. We drag our trailer to Ft W so I don't know about the amenities at a moderate vs PPH so I don't know if they're really comparable as far as facilities go.

 

[Pluto468]

I'd stay on site, especially if your DD likes Pixar. I'm not sure when your trip would be, but the renovations will supposedly be finished within a year. We've stayed at DLH a few times and loved it. We haven't stayed at PP but have gone there for a character meal once and to use the pool when the DLH pool was closed during one of our visits.

I've seen the standard rooms at PP for $450, it depends on the season. The premium park view rooms are around $550. There are resort hotel discounts a few times a year, too, so depending on when you go the price difference between on property and staying on Harbor may not be as much. For instance, for our last stay some of the hotels I checked on Harbor were between $400 and $600, so if PP is around $500 it's comparable. (Of course there are motels more in the $300 range, too.)

We've stayed on and off property multiple times, but ultimately love staying in the bubble and think it's worth the extra cost. The area right around the parks has a definite city feel.

You'll have a fantastic trip no matter which hotel you choose

 

[jordan13402]

"worth it" is a personal choice really. is it nice to stay onsite? yes, is it a value? not even close. dont get me wrong, I LOVE staying at the GCH but for $2800 for a 4 night stay...thats crazy. We're staying at the ALO which is 2 miles away and Ubering in for about $400!

 

[Rex1993]

It sounds like you're not going to get much from staying onsite. I've heard lots of good things about the Park Hyatt. I've also stayed at the Portofino twice and really liked it but that was years ago.

We absolutely love the GCH and that's why we have a good size VGC contract. However, we are not an open to close family. We like being able to go back to the room take a break/nap and then head back in. Sometimes we have one kid that will stay to close and the other will want to go back and swim or watch a movie.

 

[Aladora]

Echoing what everyone here has said. "Worth" is always subjective. For us, we prefer to stay at the Grand but as you can see from my signature we have stayed offsite a number of times.

We are not rope drop to close people but if we were, I think that we would stay at one of the super close motels on Harbor Blvd.

 

[jordan13402]

"worth it" is a personal choice really. is it nice to stay onsite? yes, is it a value? not even close. dont get me wrong, I LOVE staying at the GCH but for $2800 for a 4 night stay...thats crazy. We're staying at the ALO which is 2 miles away and Ubering in for about $400!

let me clarify...the room cost $400 for 4 nights, not the ubering!

 

[Chili327]

This is a highly YMMV topic, but i have a pretty similar profile to you

To ME, on site isn’t worth the price difference. Don’t get me wrong, the GCH looks gorgeous and the DLH was charmingly Disney with a great pool area. But we’re here for park time and I would much rather splurge on hoppers and Genie+ than the hotel. I do think a short walk is worth paying more for, and so this time we’ll be at the BW+ Anaheim Inn.

This.

One more thought- since you’re planning a longer stay, consider 1-2 nights at on site at the end and the beginning off site. It will be a nice treat to look forward to and by then you’ll probably be ready for a resort pool day (or a rope drop, long afternoon pool break, park again day) rather than all-day park time, so you’ll really make the most of the Disney resort.

And definitely this.!!
If you're staying 6 nights id consider doing 4/2 if not 3/3.

Not to go OT but since your experience is WDW I want to make sure you know you can’t buy a week long ticket to DL. Disneyland doesn’t sell tickets for more than 5 days as 5 days is more than enough to take long mid-day breaks, do everything at a leisurely pace and repeat favorites . I cannot imagine 5 days of park open to close at DL.

Yep, 5-day ticket is the most you can get (and save any money) Maybe check out Knotts or something in-between if not just a resort/pool day.

 

[Tinkaboo]

It isn't worth the extra money. We stay at the Candy Cane.

we do too! It’s quite nice and I would equate it to Port Orleans quality at WDW. I’m a 12 hour a day park girl and all I need is a nice soft bed, safe surroundings, and clean bathroom. CCI is so much more !

 

[Disneysince82]

I agree worth it is totally subjective. I am a DL girl and not WDW(I might try it some day) but the prices of their value hotels are very much a steal it seems -- and staying off site doesnt really seem like a real option. Personally, I wouldn't pay to stay at Pixar Pier till they are 100% done with the whole renovations. I love Pixar but they are really going to have to 'bring it' for me to consider them as an option. DLH and GCH I think have their own place and if this was your 1st visit I would consider doing it, BUT only if you can really afford it and it isn't going to take away fro other places of your trip. Courtyard & Best Western are right across the street and a very short walk. People seem to speak very highly of Park Vue, Tropican, and Candy Cane seems to have a huge cult following. If you want some more luxury The Westin is gorgeous & I don't think you can go wrong than being a little further of a walk.

We are staying on site this time because this is a very special trip holiday trip & and are doing a family suite. A big factor in that is I don't really plan on 'leaving' the Disney bubble for most of the time we are there. I plan to really take advantage of afternoon breaks in at the hotel & enjoy the resort.

 

[chezcurrie]

As a WDW vet I am going to be the naysayer and say you will be disappointed not being onsite. I am WDW get, now DL semi local and even I am disappointed when I am on harbor for a night. I even re-booked our OBB hotel to the DL hotel.

I have not stayed at Pixar pier, but I can tell ya that when we stayed at AoA in 2017 it was $415/night. So $500 to stay on-site I would do in a heartbeat. Obviously every trip and budget is different, but I personally dislike the harbour trudge and as soon as the music stops once you exit security the magic starts to melt a bit.

I think a split stay would be ideal given all you described. Definitely end onsite for the magic.

 

[SpaceMan5]

For me it's all about the Benjamin's $$$ and what I consider a good value.. I can afford the on-site hotels but really have a hard time justifying it. But this is just a personal preference and everyone is their own person when it comes to these kind of decisions. We did stay at DLR when the kids were really little and had a great time. After that it was off-site because after about a 1-2 minute walk were were immersed in the Disney music being piped in as we headed toward security. (This pertains to our BWPPI stays) Go with your gut feeling and if its not what you expected then it gives you an excuse to plan a future trip. Have fun!

 

[Huskerpaul]

Yep, 5-day ticket is the most you can get (and save any money) Maybe check out Knotts or something in-between if not just a resort/pool day.

Another vote for Knott's Berry Farm. It is so close it is like a third gate. Our trip last summer was the same length. 5 Days DLR - 1 Day Knott's. I was able to use my new resale DVC points for three nights at VGC, and the other three were at BW Park Place. I would suggest off-site like Best Western (closest bed to the front gate and free breakfast too). There is a Fairfield if you have Marriott points. I would not have paid cash to stay at the Grand even though we had a great time. Even using points, VGC cost me almost $400 a night.

 

[disney-inspired]

I don't think onsite is worth it. The DLR hotels prices are so outrageous for minimal perks.

 

[NVDISFamily]

I'm biased towards fancy hotels and I love staying at the higher end Disney resorts. The experience of Disneyland vs WDW is quite different, and I would argue that a stay at the Grand Cal for a few nights and park hoppers for the two Disneyland parks is a far better experience than anything you can get at WDW over the same (short) timeframe. I'm not saying that Disneyland is better than WDW, it's better for quick trips of a few nights because it's so intimate and there is a lot to do in the two parks (to me they kind of are just one big park). WDW on the other hand, is where I like to go for 10+ nights. It's great because of the variety of the different resorts and parks. We are also split the day up and relax in the room/pool types so the close proximity of the Grand Cal (and to a lesser degree DH) is a huge win for us. With that said, we often do stay at close hotels when we are out of DVC points or are looking for a deal. Another great option is to stay near the Toy Story lot and use those busses to get you into the park, we are doing that for an upcoming trip.

Here is my random thought proposal to have a magical trip... do a few nights at DH or Grand Cal (a splurge for sure) and then see if you can ninja a cheap room at the Knotts hotel and do Knott's Berry Farm for a few days. Knotts is awesome and I've been able to get rooms at that hotel for like 120 bucks a night. It's not as fancy as Disney, but it's still fun and it's nice to have a .4 mile walk into that park/water park. If you do make a detour to Knott's, the chicken dinner is worth the wait....