Staying in an on-site or off-site lodge is likely one of the most vital selections you’ll make when reserving your journey to Disneyland. This weighs the professionals & cons, with an unbiased have a look at third occasion lodging, official resort perks, worth for cash, and different features of deciding the place to remain on your Southern California trip.
We stress the “unbiased” side as a result of it looks as if there’s a stigma round off-site motels for a lot of Disneyland followers. One of the promoting factors of the Disney model is security, and there’s the misperception that motels outdoors Disneyland Resort are unclean and even unsafe. While there are actually some sketchy spots in Anaheim, which we’ll cowl on this put up, motels alongside Harbor Boulevard and elsewhere in Southern California are sometimes good.
To that time, we’ve stayed in over 60 motels close to Disneyland (as lined in our very complete Disneyland/Anaheim Hotel Review & Rankings checklist) and have solely had a handful of very dangerous experiences. That’s to not say there aren’t extra dangerous choices, however they’re straightforward sufficient to keep away from with out paying an additional few hundred {dollars} per night time for a Disney-branded lodge. (Speaking of which, that checklist also needs to deal with whether or not we’re credible to weigh the professionals & cons of motels close to Disneyland. The two of us have in all probability stayed at extra motels in Anaheim than anybody!)
What this put up will do is pretty deal with the advantages and drawbacks to Disneyland on-site and off-site motels as a result of there are each upsides and drawbacks. Disneyland Resort motels have some advantages and are a compelling selection for a lot of friends, however there are dozens of native motels providing equally compelling causes as to why friends ought to keep off-site.
For many individuals contemplating the place to remain in Southern California, value would be the figuring out issue. It will all the time (ALWAYS!) be cheaper to do Disneyland on a tighter funds whereas staying off-site. Unlike Walt Disney World, there are not any Value Resorts at Disneyland, which means that the on-site motels all begin at over $300 per night time, and may simply eclipse $1,000 per night time. Even on the decrease finish of the spectrum, the most affordable Disney-owned lodge is at the very least double the price of a comparable off-site lodge.
With all of that out of the best way, let’s get right down to brass tacks and evaluate off-site and on-site motels at or close to Disneyland…
Benefits of Staying On-Site
Location & Entrances – The best amenity of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is undoubtedly its proximity to Disneyland and entrance straight into Grizzly Peak at Disney California Adventure, throughout from the long-lasting rafting bear, who at the moment ranks #4 on the Official Disney Parks Bears Power Rankings (simply behind Big Al, Pooh, and Duffy). This entrance makes it the closest lodge to any Disney theme park within the United States.
It’s additionally an extremely brief stroll to Disneyland (both by means of Disney California Adventure or Downtown Disney). This is a big profit, particularly when coupled with Early Entry, which is nice for quick entry to Avengers Campus or Pixar Pier.
It’s the same story with the recently-revived non-public entrance from Paradise Pier Hotel into Disney California Adventure. This one isn’t fairly as handy, with a protracted non-public hall main from the lodge into Paradise Pier. This is likewise nice for benefiting from Early Entry for quick entry to the Marvel or Pixar lands.
Then there’s Disneyland Hotel, which doesn’t have any theme park entrances however does abutt the again of Downtown Disney. This makes it a few 10 minute stroll to each Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, or a few-minute stroll to the monorail station that drops friends off in Tomorrowland.
The greatest upside to all of those entrances is that they provide continuity from the theme parks to the motels. While not each on-site lodge at Disneyland Resort is nearer to the parks than the closest off-site options, they’re the one 3 motels that preserve friends inside the Disney bubble, to the extent that there’s one in California.
This brief and easy commute can allow events to separate up extra simply or return to the lodge for a noon nap with out killing a big chunk of the day. This comfort could make the day extra environment friendly and allow your occasion to perform extra. This is primarily a profit if Disneyland Resort is the highest or sole precedence. With a lot to see and do in sunny Southern California, we don’t suggest this, however to every their very own.
Early Theme Park Entry – This replaces morning Extra Magic Hours and Magic Mornings, or quite, is a non secular successor to that visitor profit. Whereas two confusingly named perks had been provided on choose days and at choose parks, Early Entry is obtainable at each theme parks each single day. That makes it unavoidable for off-site friends who prefer to rope drop the parks.
The different large distinction is that Early Entry is 30-minute entry, and has a unique slate of points of interest which might be eligible. We’ve taken benefit of Early Entry at each parks and located it to be extremely advantageous. See our Early Entry at Disneyland Photo Report and Early Entry at California Adventure Photo Report: Sarah’s Slingin’ Strategy for a step-by-step have a look at what we completed in the course of the half-hour and thereafter for rope drop. See our Guide to Early Entry at Disneyland for what it is advisable learn about this pre-park opening entry to Disneyland and DCA.
Resort Fees – Hidden charges have proliferated in recent times at off-site Anaheim motels and elsewhere in Southern California. We can not stand these resort charges and suggest you struggle again in opposition to the extremely consumer-unfriendly follow. Not all Anaheim motels cost resort charges. Thankfully, most don’t. Nevertheless, we prefer to name reader consideration to the follow every time doable as these hidden charges can tip the scales.
Some are recognized to cost non-optional resort charges for “wellness packages” (their time period, not ours) together with issues like web, newspaper, and bottled water. It’s vital to consider all charges when comparability purchasing lodge pricing, as that “great deal” won’t be practically nearly as good of an possibility when you tack on all of these non-optional charges.
Safety – Up high, we indicated that the notion of security is a part of the Disney model. Many Americans go to the Disney theme parks as a result of they’re insulated from the actual world and supply a veil of fantasy and escapism. The parks are predictable, clear, and secure in ways in which differ from most different trip locations. This is one thing that sociologists and psychologists little doubt examine.
Many Americans have additionally seemingly seen caricatures of California as a dystopian wasteland of lawlessness and crime. That’s hyperbole at greatest and deliberate disingenuousness at worst. Nevertheless, Anaheim is the biggest metropolis in Orange County, and it’s a part of the Los Angeles metropolitan space.
Although a part of the Los Angeles metro space, Anaheim is completely in contrast to LA. Nevertheless, there’s each crime and homelessness in Anaheim, and you’ll completely see the latter if staying in an off-site lodge and strolling to the parks. Depending upon the place you keep, you additionally may need to cross interstate on/off ramps.
None of this bothers us, at the very least from a security perspective. (California’s homelessness disaster is heartbreaking and unsettling, so it does “bother” us in that regard.) However, in case you’re from a small or suburban city, it’s possible you’ll discover the town streets jarring and expertise a little bit of tradition shock. (If that describes you, the perfect factor you are able to do is fly into SNA quite than LAX. Not as a result of LAX is unsafe, however as a result of it’s completely chaotic and nothing like your own home airport.)
Disneyfied Setting – Another advantage of staying on-site is that your lodge is an extension of the theme park expertise at Disneyland Resort. Each lodge has its personal distinct design and will not all the time scream “Disney” with characters, however the on-site Hotels of Disneyland Resort really feel similar to the parks.
For essentially the most half, they don’t really feel like peculiar motels any greater than the Disney theme parks really feel like peculiar amusement parks. They have a further layer of element and storytelling to “transport” friends to a unique time and place. In easy phrases of luxurious, Disney motels don’t all the time surpass their actual world counterparts, however they virtually all the time have higher theme.
Along those self same traces, every of the Disney-owned motels can usually be accessed with out stepping foot within the “real” world. While there’s undoubtedly not a “bubble” like Walt Disney World, there’s nonetheless a way of elimination from Anaheim. You gained’t discover theming to a lavishly-designed arts & crafts model lodge or a monorail pool on the off-site motels, both.
You additionally gained’t see Panera or McDonald’s as you head straight from the Grand Californian Hotel proper into the Disney California Adventure entrance. (Is this speculated to be a professional or con?! Joking apart, it may be each–cheap quick meals, groceries, and sundries are undoubtedly a promoting level for the Harbor motels.)
Of course, there are some intrusions, however for essentially the most half, it’s an escape from actuality to a fantasyland of kinds. Lots of people gained’t perceive this or just gained’t look after it, and there’s nothing improper with that. If you fall in that class, an off-site lodge is extra prone to attraction to you. You merely can not get this expertise whereas staying at an off-site lodge.
While we are likely to facet with those that need to be immersed within the Disney Bubble as a lot as doable, that’s not sensible for us. Due to the excessive price of the three official Disneyland motels, we normally keep off-site at Disneyland within the motels proper throughout from Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard.
If there was much less of a value hole or Disney motels provided extra perks, that may tip the scales for us, however it’s so exhausting to justify paying an additional $300+ per night time to remain in a Disney lodge only for the bubble. Your mileage might fluctuate on that, although.
Benefits of Staying Off-Site
Cost – Disneyland doesn’t have Value Resorts and it reveals…in value factors. Rack charges begin at round $300 per night time for each Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel and may exceed $600/night time. Then there’s the flagship Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is crazy-expensive, exceeding $800/night time throughout many occasions of the yr.
During the busiest occasions of the yr at Disneyland, rooms in these motels can price way more. Just take a look at the charges for a summer season weekend. Those are beginning charges for the standard room. If you desire a suite or one thing particular, you’re paying much more! With solely 3 official motels, Disneyland has a critical scarcity of on-site lodge rooms throughout peak vacationer seasons, so costs are sometimes in exorbitant territory.
By distinction, off-site lodge rooms close to Disneyland, should not practically as costly–largely as a result of there’s a surplus of lodge stock when there should not occasions on the Anaheim Convention Center. (The metropolis went from having a scarcity of lodge rooms to arguably overbuilding within the span of ~5 years.) Hotels within the Anaheim Resort District may be priced at or round $150/night time, making them ‘value’ choices, of kinds.
Note that off-site lodge pricing is very variable. Whether there’s a lodge room scarcity or surplus is really date-dependent. If it’s vacationer seasons (suppose any time faculty is out of session) or there’s a significant occasion on the Anaheim Convention Center, there nonetheless aren’t sufficient rooms to fulfill demand. By distinction, if faculty is in session or there are not any occasions on the town, costs plummet.
For this motive, we suggest reserving a lodge close to Disneyland far upfront more often than not. (Exceptions to this are the low season, akin to late August by means of early October and January by means of early March–final minute bargains may be discovered then.)
Distance to the Parks – The most compelling motive is you could sometimes discover an off-site lodge that’s nearer to Disneyland Resort than an on-site lodge. Sort of makes the phrases off-site and on-site misnomers, proper? Although Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the closest lodge to Disneyland Resort, there are a number of motels straight throughout the road from Disneyland Resort’s Esplanade (the open space between the 2 parks) which might be a 5 minute stroll to the turnstiles.
Even in case you’re lodge does occur to be farther from the Esplanade than Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier Hotel (that are each round 10-Quarter-hour away), there’s nonetheless a very good likelihood your lodge might be inside strolling distance. You can–and may–simply be capable to e-book a lodge inside strolling distance from Disneyland. Even if for some motive you e-book a lodge that isn’t inside strolling distance, chances are high you may cheaply get to it by way of a lodge shuttle that it provides, or the Anaheim Resort Transit.
Since Disneyland can’t meet the entire wants of friends with its three motels, Disneyland has a greater working relationship with many “Good Neighbor Hotels” within the space. Due to the distinction in pricing, Disneyland Resort doesn’t even think about the off-site motels competitors–most individuals should not selecting between a $800/night time room on the Grand Californian and a $125/night time room at Candy Cane Inn!
This is in contrast to the Value Resorts at Walt Disney World, that are direct competitors to the off-site motels in Florida. Because of this, Disneyland tries to work with off-site motels as a substitute of competing with them.
Loyalty Rewards – Due to work or different journey, you may need loyalty to a particular chain of motels. If you’ve standing or factors at a type of chains and need to benefit from it, you’ve an apparent benefit in staying at these motels.
We are Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum members, entitling us to quite a lot of perks there, so every time we journey to non-Disney places, we attempt to keep at a Hyatt. For lots of people, the familiarity and recognized high quality of a significant chain like that is very interesting, even when they haven’t any factors to make use of.
Breakfast & Other Amenities – Many off-site motels supply free continental breakfast. Some are pet pleasant with minimal charges for that. Others have swimming pools which might be like mini water parks (though that is far much less frequent in Anaheim, the place most swimming pools are minimalist).
The specifics clearly fluctuate by lodge, with the most important being breakfast. The newer ‘big box’ household suites and prolonged keep motels which have turn into ubiquitous in Anaheim do that exceedingly properly, with high quality meals that may energy you thru the morning and permit for a late lunch, probably saving some huge cash on sky-high meals prices within the parks. (At the very least, you may seize a free espresso in your approach out the door and keep away from ready in line at Starbucks on Main or Buena Vista Streets.)
Off-Site v. On-Site Non-Issues
Lightning Lane (Paid FastPass) Booking Windows – There has been a whole lot of outrage concerning the paid Genie+ line-skipping service, which is Disneyland’s substitute free of charge FastPass and paid digital MaxPass. (See our Guide to Genie+ at Disneyland & Lightning Lane FAQ for all the things it is advisable know.)
Unlike the Florida parks, there isn’t a on-site benefit for reserving Lightning Lanes. There, on-site friends have a head begin on the a la carte model of these. In California, everybody can e-book upon getting into the park. (In concept, this offers friends staying on-site a jumpstart throughout Early Entry, however that doesn’t make any sensible distinction.)
Parking Fees – One approach Disney used to distinguish its motels from actual world options was by not charging parking or resort charges. Thankfully, Disney hasn’t embraced the consumer-unfriendly and deceiving follow of charging resort charges, however it does now cost for parking at its motels.
With that stated, Disneyland Resort’s on-site motels usually cost greater than off-site motels for parking. Self-parking is $35 and valet is $65 per night time, whereas loads of their off-site counterparts cost round $20 per night time. (A couple of nonetheless even supply free parking, which does make this a distinction.)
If you’re a Walt Disney World common who stays on website there for the perks provided there to on-site friends, don’t anticipate something comparable at Disneyland. There’s additionally no precedence reserving window for eating places (but) and the Disney Dining Plan shouldn’t be a factor in California (it’s briefly suspended at Walt Disney World, however will return in some unspecified time in the future).
The upside to the dearth of perks for on-site motels at Disneyland Resort is that they aren’t actually wanted within the first place. The whole Anaheim Resort District (which incorporates Disneyland Resort and the off-site motels) is much extra compact than Walt Disney World, and is pretty straightforward to navigate completely by foot. Moreover, Disneyland has that laid again “Californian” ambiance, and requires far much less planning, on the whole.
Ultimately, there’s loads to think about when figuring out whether or not you need to keep off-site or on-site when visiting Disneyland Resort. There’s really nobody measurement suits all reply as to which is “better” because it actually varies based mostly on what issues most to your loved ones. There’s actually no proper or improper method, it’s extra what you need out of your trip and the way you weigh the professionals and cons.
The subjective elements are virtually all the time going to be the overriding ones, and financial savings that appear to make staying off-site a no brainer slam dunk for some friends could also be inadequate to lure others off-site. Whether the on-site premium is “worth it” to you is essentially a matter of non-public choice, however hopefully this put up offered goal issues and a few wildcards so that you can weigh and make the choice for your self. Personally, I’d all the time keep at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel if cash had been no subject…however I’m fairly shortly disabused of that notion (more often than not) as soon as I value out lodge choices. Your mileage might fluctuate, although!
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site motels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For the place to eat, take a look at our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of different locations!
Your Thoughts
Do you usually keep on-site or off-site? Why? What are your key issues when figuring out the place you keep? Thoughts on the perfect & worst lodge choices in Southern California? Any particular off-site or third occasion lodge in or round Anaheim that you simply suggest? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!