Howard Johnsons in Anaheim

[scoopr]

Hey there! I am new to the board and was just curious if anyone has recently stayed at the Howard Johnson's in Anaheim. DH and I are taking the DS (6) and DD (3) to Disneyland for 3 days on 1/23-1/25. I already bought 3 day hopper passes for us and made reservations at HoJos. I've been reading the Unofficial Guide which seems to have great tips but if anyone else has any advice, that would be great. I looked at the Disneyland site and it said the hours on those 3 days are 10-8pm. Does that mean no fireworks or parades? Thanks for the help!

 

[Rivergallery]

The site will have the times of most shows also.. just hunt around a bit..
Learn about Fast Passes (FP)
get to the gate at least 15min before opening, allow 30min if renting a stroller.. if you rent a stroller it is free with the DisneyVisa, if you leave during the day keep your name plate and ticket and you can get another stroller and a green paper to enter thru the side gate.. where no one else can .
I would write down what you want to do when, and take advantage of EE and child swap and of course FP so if you or DH both want to ride a bigger ride that you can. Take some water and some food with you, I used Energy Bars, but you can read the post on it.. It was still on the front page when I last looked.
Many people here have stayed at HoJos.. might want to do a search for that .

 

[carinv]

We stayed at HJ's in November and loved it.
Our family of 5 had plenty of room and the beds were really comfy.
We went into the parks for 4 1/2 days and took our trusty UnofficialGuide with us. We followed their guides for 2 days, improvising when we needed to. It was a good help.
The best tip by far is to learn how to work the fast pass system!
(Search for Darkbeer's and Hydroguy's threads on Fastpass)
That little fact really made our vacation!!!!

 

[LucyKate]

We stayed in HoJos in December 2004 and loved it.

Rooms were big and clean, service was superb, and it was only 10 minutes walk to the front gates of DL.

Rooms had two big beds (fine for two adults and two kids) - bathrooms were small but very clean. We asked for extra pilows and they turned up within 5 minutes.

The pool is heated and very warm - great even on a cold night.

There's a great little shop on site that sells you sodas, juice, milk, souvenirs, sunscreen, ponchos etc - in other words everything you need.

Across the road is Mimi's for great food in huge servings at good prices, but close by there is also a Milli's and and Mcdonalds.

HoJo is NOT 5 star - but is a superb, clean well run hotel and great value for what you get and its location.

 

[scoopr]

Thanks so much for the feedback and advice. It's nice to hear the pool is warm considering it won't be warmer than 65 outside!! Although today it's 89 there!! Only 15 days!

 

[stampinshauna]

We stayed there in September. I thought it was okay, not bad, but not my favorite. My sister thought it was great (she has a 5 year old & 2-1/2 year old). The kids splash pool was a lot of fun for the kids.

My travel agent said it is her favorite non-disney hotel in Anaheim. Have a great trip!

 

[spazzyjazzy]

We love the HoJO we stay there every year. We will not stay anywhere else. We love it!!!

 

[Tink]

I am glad to hear that HJ is pretty good. Our family will be there next month. Now that the holidays are over, and my daugter's birthday has passed, I can concentrate on planning.

I'll let everyone know what I thought of the hotel after our trip.

 

[munchkinsmom]

We always stay at the HOJO's whenever we do multiple days at the DLR. It's not a four-star hotel, but it's wonderful for the price you pay! The grounds are nice, the pool is fun, and the rooms are clean. The staff is also very nice. We've stayed at a few other off-site hotels around the DLR and the HOJO is our favorite.

Have a great time.