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 social gathering lodging, official resort perks, worth for cash, and different elements of deciding the place to remain to your Southern California trip.
We stress the “unbiased” facet as a result of it looks as if there’s a stigma round off-site accommodations for a lot of Disneyland followers. One of the promoting factors of the Disney model is security, and there’s the misunderstanding that accommodations outdoors Disneyland Resort are unclean and even unsafe. While there are definitely some sketchy spots in Anaheim, which we’ll cowl on this submit, accommodations alongside Harbor Boulevard and elsewhere in Southern California are usually good.
To that time, we’ve stayed in over 60 accommodations close to Disneyland (as lined in our very complete Disneyland/Anaheim Hotel Review & Rankings record) 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 record also needs to tackle whether or not we’re credible to weigh the professionals & cons of accommodations close to Disneyland. The two of us have most likely stayed at extra accommodations in Anaheim than anybody!)
What this submit will do is pretty tackle the advantages and drawbacks to Disneyland on-site and off-site accommodations as a result of there are each upsides and drawbacks. Disneyland Resort accommodations have some advantages and are a compelling alternative for a lot of visitors, however there are dozens of native accommodations providing equally compelling causes as to why visitors 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 at all times (ALWAYS!) be cheaper to do Disneyland on a tighter finances whereas staying off-site. Unlike Walt Disney World, there are not any Value Resorts at Disneyland, which means that the on-site accommodations all begin at over $300 per night time, and might simply eclipse $1,000 per night time. Even on the decrease finish of the spectrum, the most cost effective Disney-owned lodge is at the least double the price of a comparable off-site lodge.
With all of that out of the way in which, let’s get all the way down to brass tacks and evaluate off-site and on-site accommodations 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 enduring 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 quick stroll to Disneyland (both by way of Disney California Adventure or Downtown Disney). This is a large 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 personal entrance from Paradise Pier Hotel into Disney California Adventure. This one isn’t fairly as handy, with a protracted personal hall main from the lodge into Paradise Pier. This is likewise nice for profiting 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 visitors off in Tomorrowland.
The largest upside to all of those entrances is that they provide continuity from the theme parks to the accommodations. While not each on-site lodge at Disneyland Resort is nearer to the parks than the closest off-site alternate options, they’re the one 3 accommodations that hold visitors inside the Disney bubble, to the extent that there’s one in California.
This quick 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 social gathering 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 advocate this, however to every their very own.
Early Theme Park Entry – This replaces morning Extra Magic Hours and Magic Mornings, or reasonably, is a religious successor to that visitor profit. Whereas two confusingly named perks have been supplied 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 visitors who wish to rope drop the parks.
The different massive 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 throughout the half-hour and thereafter for rope drop. See our Guide to Early Entry at Disneyland for what you want to learn about this pre-park opening entry to Disneyland and DCA.
Resort Fees – Hidden charges have proliferated lately at off-site Anaheim accommodations and elsewhere in Southern California. We can not stand these resort charges and advocate you struggle again towards the extremely consumer-unfriendly observe. Not all Anaheim accommodations cost resort charges. Thankfully, most don’t. Nevertheless, we wish to name reader consideration to the observe at any time when doable as these hidden charges can tip the scales.
Some are identified 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 think about all charges when comparability buying lodge pricing, as that “great deal” may not be practically pretty much as good of an choice when you tack on all of these non-optional charges.
Safety – Up prime, 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 true 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 doubtless 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 not like LA. Nevertheless, there may be 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 least from a security perspective. (California’s homelessness disaster is heartbreaking and unsettling, so it does “bother” us in that regard.) However, for those who’re from a small or suburban city, you could 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 reasonably 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 at all times scream “Disney” with characters, however the on-site Hotels of Disneyland Resort really feel similar to the parks.
For probably the most half, they don’t really feel like odd accommodations any greater than the Disney theme parks really feel like odd amusement parks. They have an extra layer of element and storytelling to “transport” visitors to a unique time and place. In easy phrases of luxurious, Disney accommodations don’t at all times surpass their actual world counterparts, however they virtually at all times have higher theme.
Along those self same traces, every of the Disney-owned accommodations can typically be accessed with out stepping foot within the “real” world. While there’s undoubtedly not a “bubble” like Walt Disney World, there may be nonetheless a way of removing from Anaheim. You received’t discover theming to a lavishly-designed arts & crafts type lodge or a monorail pool on the off-site accommodations, both.
You additionally received’t see Panera or McDonald’s as you head straight from the Grand Californian Hotel proper into the Disney California Adventure entrance. (Is this presupposed 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 accommodations.)
Of course, there are some intrusions, however for probably the most half, it’s an escape from actuality to a fantasyland of kinds. Lots of people received’t perceive this or just received’t look after it, and there’s nothing improper with that. If you fall in that class, an off-site lodge is extra more likely to enchantment to you. You merely can not get this expertise whereas staying at an off-site lodge.
While we are likely to aspect with those that wish 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 accommodations, we normally keep off-site at Disneyland within the accommodations proper throughout from Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard.
If there was much less of a value hole or Disney accommodations supplied extra perks, that may tip the scales for us, nevertheless it’s so onerous to justify paying an additional $300+ per night time to remain in a Disney lodge only for the bubble. Your mileage could differ on that, although.
Benefits of Staying Off-Site
Cost – Disneyland doesn’t have Value Resorts and it exhibits…in value factors. Rack charges begin at round $300 per night time for each Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel and might exceed $600/night time. Then there’s the flagship Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is crazy-expensive, exceeding $800/night time throughout many instances of the yr.
During the busiest instances of the yr at Disneyland, rooms in these accommodations can price rather 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 accommodations, 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, usually are not practically as costly–largely as a result of there’s a surplus of lodge stock when there usually are 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 could 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 (assume any time faculty is out of session) or there’s a serious 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 cause, we advocate reserving a lodge close to Disneyland far prematurely more often than not. (Exceptions to this are the low season, corresponding to late August by way of early October and January by way of early March–final minute bargains could be discovered then.)
Distance to the Parks – The most compelling cause is you could usually 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 accommodations 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 for those who’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 probability your lodge might be inside strolling distance. You can–and will–simply be capable to guide a lodge inside strolling distance from Disneyland. Even if for some cause you guide a lodge that isn’t inside strolling distance, chances are high you may cheaply get to it through a lodge shuttle that it provides, or the Anaheim Resort Transit.
Since Disneyland can’t meet the entire wants of visitors with its three accommodations, 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 contemplate the off-site accommodations competitors–most individuals usually are not selecting between a $800/night time room on the Grand Californian and a $125/night time room at Candy Cane Inn!
This is not like the Value Resorts at Walt Disney World, that are direct competitors to the off-site accommodations in Florida. Because of this, Disneyland tries to work with off-site accommodations as a substitute of competing with them.
Loyalty Rewards – Due to work or different journey, you may need loyalty to a particular chain of accommodations. If you’ve gotten standing or factors at a type of chains and wish to reap the benefits of it, you’ve gotten an apparent benefit in staying at these accommodations.
We are Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum members, entitling us to a wide range of perks there, so at any time when we journey to non-Disney areas, we attempt to keep at a Hyatt. For lots of people, the familiarity and identified high quality of a serious chain like that is very interesting, even when they haven’t any factors to make use of.
Breakfast & Other Amenities – Many off-site accommodations 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 differ by lodge, with the largest being breakfast. The newer ‘big box’ household suites and prolonged keep accommodations which have develop 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, doubtlessly saving some huge cash on sky-high meals prices within the parks. (At the very least, you may seize a free espresso in your method 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 loads of outrage in regards to the paid Genie+ line-skipping service, which is Disneyland’s alternative totally free FastPass and paid digital MaxPass. (See our Guide to Genie+ at Disneyland & Lightning Lane FAQ for all the pieces you want to know.)
Unlike the Florida parks, there isn’t any on-site benefit for reserving Lightning Lanes. There, on-site visitors have a head begin on the a la carte model of these. In California, everybody can guide upon coming into the park. (In principle, this offers visitors staying on-site a jumpstart throughout Early Entry, however that doesn’t make any sensible distinction.)
Parking Fees – One method Disney used to distinguish its accommodations from actual world alternate options was by not charging parking or resort charges. Thankfully, Disney hasn’t embraced the consumer-unfriendly and deceiving observe of charging resort charges, nevertheless it does now cost for parking at its accommodations.
With that mentioned, Disneyland Resort’s on-site accommodations typically cost greater than off-site accommodations 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. (Just a few 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 supplied there to on-site visitors, don’t anticipate something comparable at Disneyland. There’s additionally no precedence reserving window for eating places (but) and the Disney Dining Plan is just not a factor in California (it’s quickly suspended at Walt Disney World, however will return sooner or later).
The upside to the shortage of perks for on-site accommodations at Disneyland Resort is that they aren’t actually wanted within the first place. The complete Anaheim Resort District (which incorporates Disneyland Resort and the off-site accommodations) is much extra compact than Walt Disney World, and is pretty straightforward to navigate solely by foot. Moreover, Disneyland has that laid again “Californian” ambiance, and requires far much less planning, usually.
Ultimately, there’s lots to contemplate when figuring out whether or not you wish to keep off-site or on-site when visiting Disneyland Resort. There’s really nobody dimension suits all reply as to which is “better” because it actually varies primarily based 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 at all times going to be the overriding ones, and financial savings that appear to make staying off-site a no brainer slam dunk for some visitors 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 desire, however hopefully this submit introduced goal concerns and a few wildcards so that you can weigh and make the choice for your self. Personally, I’d at all times keep at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel if cash have been no challenge…however I’m fairly shortly disabused of that notion (more often than not) as soon as I value out lodge choices. Your mileage could differ, 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 accommodations 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 typically keep on-site or off-site? Why? What are your key concerns when figuring out the place you keep? Thoughts on the perfect & worst lodge choices in Southern California? Any particular off-site or third social gathering lodge in or round Anaheim that you simply advocate? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!