Booking a hotel for your visit to Disneyland Resort is a big and expensive decision, and we want to help you through the process. We have a list of five things that may seem important when making your hotel choice. But… we urge you to forget about those five and switch your focus to five more important factors. With a change of perspective, you can get the best value and experience from your Disneyland hotel booking. We say this because we have made some mistakes and learned a lot along the way. We hope this quick list will help you avoid some common Anaheim hotel pitfalls. Consider the following five “insteads” when making the best choice for your hotel near Disneyland Resort.
Don’t Consider Distance to Disneyland
If you have spent even a little time perusing options near Disneyland Resort, you have probably seen lots of hotels claiming to be just steps from Disneyland. While this may be technically true, those steps will often take you right into a fence. There are only a few access points to Disneyland Resort, and every guest must go through these access points. Being steps from the edge of Disneyland Resort can still mean a long walk around the perimeter to reach the security checkpoints.
Instead of distance from Disneyland, consider your potential route from your hotel to the parks. Will you be walking? Map the actual walking distance to Disneyland Resort’s security checkpoints from your hotel. And just as important: consider what streets you will need to cross to get there. Crossing a small bus access road is a lot easier and quicker than trying to get across the ramps for I-5.
Alternatively, you can also choose a hotel on the ART route and ride the bus. If you are considering a hotel that advertises a shuttle, do not take this at face value. Dig a little and find out if they are referring to the ART shuttle (a public bus), a paid shuttle or a free hotel shuttle. Be sure to ask when the shuttle runs and whether there is a cost involved. If you are going to drive to Disneyland, factor in the cost of parking your car at Disneyland or paying for a car ride.
In general, choosing a hotel further from Disneyland means lower rates or better amenities (or both). Just be sure to factor transportation costs and time into your evaluation.
Don’t Look at a Hotel’s Room Capacity
As you are shopping for hotels near Disneyland, the hotels’ websites will tell you the capacity for each room. Do not take this at face value. One area hotel has you piling five guests into a room with two double beds and the option of paying extra for a rollaway. For a nice discount, this may work for some families, but pause and consider whether this is the best choice for you.
Instead of focusing on the maximum number of guests accommodated by a hotel room near Disneyland, consider the number and quality of sleeping surfaces in each hotel room. Often, siblings or friends would rather not share a bed. Look for hotels rooms that give you options.
Fortunately, you do not need to pay luxury suite prices for a hotel room with three, four or five beds. A variety of hotel room types have sprung up around Disneyland resort in recent years, and you can find reasonably priced options featuring bunk beds, sofa sleepers, and even separate bedrooms. We recommend starting with the hotels on Harbor and Katella right around Disneyland Resort and seeing what works for you. Even the Disneyland Resort Hotels have options with fold-away beds and kitchenettes.
We have noticed an increasing number of Disneyland area hotel rooms adding convertible sleepers. These rooms include day beds, sofa beds and sleeper chairs alongside traditional king and double queen bed set-ups. We appreciate this! Convertible beds offer a compact and convenient third sleeping surface, and we have made use of them. We particularly liked the very easy-to-switch day bed in Pixar Place Hotel. If you are considering making use of these types of sleeping surfaces, take into account who will be using the convertible sleeper. While convertible sleepers are convenient, they are typically not as comfortable or spacious as conventional beds. They usually work better for smaller guests.
Don’t Pay a Premium for Hotels with Free Breakfast Near Disneyland
Once upon a time, many hotels in the immediate vicinity of Disneyland offered free breakfast to their guests. In the past five years, this has become more of a rarity. When you see “free hot breakfast” being offered at some hotels near Disneyland, you may be tempted to grab a reservation for a premium price. We encourage you to pause and get some perspective before booking that reservation.
Instead of placing a premium on free breakfast, consider how much that breakfast is actually worth to you. Remember, you will need to make time to go to the hotel dining location, prepare a plate (possibly waiting in line) and eat the food. If you are planning to make it to Disneyland at opening rope drop, will you want to get up extra early to access the free hotel breakfast? If you are waking-up in a more leisurely fashion, will you want to sacrifice (expensive) park time to this free breakfast?
Also remember that, in our present day, grocery pick-up and delivery are easy and viable options. Consider what you would realistically spend on a simple breakfast from the grocery store and put a number on it. Perhaps, you can stock your hotel refrigerator with yogurt or toss some protein bars in your park bag. On the other hand, you may require a hot breakfast to keep your energy high. Whatever the case, take the number you arrive at, and keep it in mind as you compare hotel options.
Additionally, if you have dietary restrictions or prefer healthier options, a hotel breakfast may not hold much value for you at all. Do not pay more for something that seems nice but gives you little value (that is going to be a theme here).
Don’t Book the Cheapest Hotel Room Near Disneyland
As with most things, you get what you pay for when it comes to location, amenities and comfort in Disneyland area hotels. A cheap hotel comes with trade-offs. You already know this, but we also caution you to pause before booking the cheapest room rate for the hotel you do choose. Often those cheap rates are either non-refundable or through a third-party booking site.
Instead, consider the risk that comes with booking that cheap hotel rate. Do you have young kids, an unpredictable work schedule or a medical condition? Having a hotel you can cancel without penalty may hold great value to you. Additionally, booking a refundable rate means that you can continue to shop around for a better hotel value as your trip approaches. We recommend booking a refundable hotel rate as soon as you know you will be visiting Disneyland. Then, monitor prices around the resort. If nightly rates decrease or special offers materialize, you can rebook for a lower rate or greater amenities. This is what we do.
We would also caution you to read all of the fine print when booking through a discount third party site. Check carefully for extra fees. Booking through a third party seller also gives you less flexibility. If there are any problems with your reservations or you need to make changes, you are often required to contact the third party broker instead of dealing directly with the hotel itself… even if you are on site! Go into this with your eyes open.
Also keep in mind that—even when these sites say something is refundable—there can be some surprise conditions. When you go to cancel your reservation the seller might point out that you did not opt into their insurance plan or that there is a fee for getting the refund. Just make sure to read all of the terms and conditions before purchasing through a third party!
Don’t Focus on the Hotel Pools Near Disneyland
Okay, we actually make great use of hotel pools, but this is not the case for many Disneyland visitors with limited time. So, do not book a Disneyland Resort area hotel based on the pool unless you really think you are going to use it. This also goes for fitness centers, hotel restaurants and other amenities. Do not pay a premium for something you will not realistically use.
Instead make an honest estimate of how you plan to spend your time during your Disneyland vacation. A Disney trip is a different kind of trip. It is likely that you will travel miles and miles just bouncing around the parks, so are you really going to use that hotel fitness center the next morning? Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park have world class attractions and entertainment; will you want to walk away from that to take a dip in your standard hotel pool? Disneyland Resort has a wide variety of fun themed food, so how important is that hotel restaurant really?
You know how you like to vacation and what amenities are important to you. Just keep in mind that, like we said, a Disney trip is a different kind of trip, so you may find you have different needs. As with the hotel breakfast, avoid paying a premium for something that seems nice at booking but is not truly valuable to you. We do use hotel pools, so we take those into account, but we find hotel restaurants hold little value for us. Consider your own Disney travel profile.
Thank you for reading this post on five things not to consider when booking a hotel near Disneyland Resort in California.
We hope you have found this information helpful. For lots more information on booking hotels near Disneyland Resort, see Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You. That page is part of our larger Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep, a free and comprehensive guide to planning your Disneyland visit. Finally, please consider subscribing to our newsletter (also free) below. Thanks again for reading!
