Just canceled - Bummed

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If you can manage to come at a time other than summer, go during Dapper Day. There is one in November and one in...March I think?...because the on site hotels are hugely discounted. But if you do that, be sure to dress up or get into the spirit and go to the Expo at the Disneyland Hotel. It's so much fun! The hotels are usually half price. Downside: you have to prepay one night's lodging and it's non-refundable. I believe Gay Days in early October also has discounted rooms available.

2020 Dapper Days is the weekend after Easter (Easter April 12, 2020, Dapper Days April 19, 2020). I know because the triplets and dh birthdays are in April.
 


Im flying from MA to Disneyland for my first trip ever this Sat. I'm shocked at how much more expensive it is than going to WDW and I'm still irritated they don't offer something beyond a 5 day park-hopper.

Don't get me wrong, I am BEYOND excited. But unfortunately I do not see another DLR trip in the near future.

You might be pleasantly surprised by the end of your trip when you start mentally planning another trip while you are walking down Main Street towards the exit.
 
Just so you know, there is a Courtyard Marriott across from Disneyland that has an AMAZING pool. It is a 5-10 min walk. It's a full on waterpark.

We are locals, but for awhile we weren't. We lived on the east coast for a few years and came back to DL on vacation. Really, 5 days is more than enough. There are plenty of other things to do in the area on the other 2 days if you need to fill a week. Beautiful beaches, other theme parks, (including Universal Hollywood) museums, hiking trails, whale watching tours, etc. There is also a Great Wolf Lodge about 3 miles down the road from DL and it's excellent. They sell day passes now to the waterpark, if that's your thing. I know you already cancelled your trip, but maybe in the future you will come back here and see some things outside the Disneyland bubble.

The Courtyard has a great looking little water park but the pool itself is very small.

We were at Universal Orlando this past weekend and I just got to thinking how nice it was walking back to the hotel with the beautiful landscaping, foliage and waterway. It really makes the trip so much nicer. And I kept thinking how I just would be disappointed walking down Harbour Blvd past a McDonald's. I know it seems silly. But I'm just so into escape and immersion. It's why I love Disney so much to begin with.
 


And I kept thinking how I just would be disappointed walking down Harbour Blvd past a McDonald's. I know it seems silly.

I don't think it seems silly at all. We all have different priorities, different things we value.

I far prefer the two- to five-minute walk (once you actually leave Disney property) past a few non-Disney businesses over waiting for and riding the monorail to a hotel at Disney World. But that doesn't mean you should feel the same about it as I do.

I prefer staying in a three star hotel for a quarter of the money of one of Disneyland's onsite hotels, and thus being able to take twice as many vacations a year as I would otherwise. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't value staying onsite less frequently (or spending a lot more).

Everything is a tradeoff -- comfort, convenience, price, "immersion." It's not silly to pick the whatever blend of those things is available that best suits you.
 
I'm staying at the Residence Inn on Katella for our arrival night in November and I've heard the pool area is really nice, but I haven't seen it myself. However, I have stayed at the Springhill Suites next door and we did walk past some of the more...colorful characters of Anaheim.
Everything's a tradeoff. It was nice being in the Disney bubble the one time I went to WDW, but my goodness I got tired of waiting for the bus all the time. I love being able to walk whereever and whenever I want at DLR. It is just no big deal to go to the parks, take a break, and go back again. I personally really like that when I'm on vacation.
 
You might be pleasantly surprised by the end of your trip when you start mentally planning another trip while you are walking down Main Street towards the exit.

Im an AP holder at WDW and this is my fourth Disney trip this year so I 100% get mentally planning the next trip. No doubt if I were a Southern Cali local I would have an AP to DLR but coming from the East coast its just not something I want to do that often
 
I don't think it seems silly at all. We all have different priorities, different things we value.

I far prefer the two- to five-minute walk (once you actually leave Disney property) past a few non-Disney businesses over waiting for and riding the monorail to a hotel at Disney World. But that doesn't mean you should feel the same about it as I do.

I prefer staying in a three star hotel for a quarter of the money of one of Disneyland's onsite hotels, and thus being able to take twice as many vacations a year as I would otherwise. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't value staying onsite less frequently (or spending a lot more).

Everything is a tradeoff -- comfort, convenience, price, "immersion." It's not silly to pick the whatever blend of those things is available that best suits you.
You sound like me lol!!!
 
FWIW, Candy Cane Inn is a nice little hotel with a pleasant pool. It’s walking distance from the park but they also have a shuttle. I suspect it’s about half the price of staying at a Disney hotel and possibly even less. It might make your trip worthwhile. The last time we stayed there they offered a free breakfast. It wasn’t huge but it was quick and sufficient. We once stayed at GCH and it was quite nice but definitely not worth more than twice the price of CCI. Hope this helps.
 
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FWIW, Candy Cane Inn is a nice little hotel with a pleasant pool. It’s walking distance from the park but they also have a shuttle. I suspect it’s about half the price of staying at a Disney hotel and possibly even less. It might make your trip worthwhile. The last time we stayed there they offered a free breakfast. It wasn’t huge but it was quick and sufficient. We once stayed at DGC and it was quite nice but definitely not worth more than twice the price of CCI. Hope this helps.
We stay there and love the Premium rooms. They bring you breakfast in the morning, have a small snack basket in the room, and rooms are quite nice. My favorite off site. But it is a motel layout.
 
We stay there and love the Premium rooms. They bring you breakfast in the morning, have a small snack basket in the room, and rooms are quite nice. My favorite off site. But it is a motel layout.
Totally agree! And with 2 connecting Premium rooms, it gives us a sort of suite (with 2 bathrooms!) -- and saved us $600/night over the GCH the last time we did this. I can think of lots of ways to spend an extra $600 in the parks every day. Customer service at the CCI was great -- the staff helped my parents with everything, even getting in and out of the shuttle every time. But I can see the OP's point, too -- for someone set on staying on site, nothing else is quite the same.
 
It is one thing that has always upset me about Disneyland. It is pure and simply a locals destination. They give no thought to tourists coming from a distance.

Sure they give thought to tourists - most of us just choose not to stay at their hotels. I prefer it 100% over WDW who treats people not staying on their overpriced properties like crap (IMO).
 
They do offer longer tickets for Australians for sure. Not sure about other countries.

Maybe it would help OP to re-frame their expectations of a DLR vacation to be less like an Orlando resort vacation. Spend fewer days at the parks (really 5 days should be more than enough for two parks) and then visit a more "resort" hotel destination somewhere else in California to fufill the hang at the pool part. Or even better- head on to Aulani for a few days (I know, that's hardly a budget option but...)
Great advice. Maybe head to San Diego they have some great resorts down there and the Zoo is amazing.
 
We usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn when we go. However, twice we have stayed at DLH. While we really enjoyed it and would love to do it more, it just isn't worth the extra cost. Yes, DLH made some things extra special and nice, but, we also have a magical trip staying at the Candy Cane. This December, I presented my DD with a reasonable budget (knowing how much park tickets, flights, food and hotel costs were). I showed her that we can stay more days for the same cost as staying a couple of days at DLR. The decision was up to her. She opted for the more days.

I think it is just a matter of personal preference and neither way is wrong or right. Just depends on where you want to travel and how you want to do it.
 
We usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn when we go. However, twice we have stayed at DLH. While we really enjoyed it and would love to do it more, it just isn't worth the extra cost. Yes, DLH made some things extra special and nice, but, we also have a magical trip staying at the Candy Cane. This December, I presented my DD with a reasonable budget (knowing how much park tickets, flights, food and hotel costs were). I showed her that we can stay more days for the same cost as staying a couple of days at DLR. The decision was up to her. She opted for the more days.

I think it is just a matter of personal preference and neither way is wrong or right. Just depends on where you want to travel and how you want to do it.

Smart kid.
 
Lots of great suggestions. I read great things about Candy Cane Inn. The rooms at the Courtyard look awesome. There are specific rooms at Howard Johnson that I really like as well. And their pool is at least big enough to move around in.
 
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