Originally Posted By Mr Snappy "That's like saying the difference between DL and Knott's is that the word "Disney" is plastered everywhere." Uh, no. You could eliminate the word "Disney" from DLR and still tell it is a far superior experience than Knott's. But the Hotels, if people were honest, is nothing more than a nice hotel within easy access to the parks. Interesting enough, I believe just the opposite is true for WDW. We don't ever stay off property in Orlando and we stay at one of the premium locations, usually Disney's Old Key West. I will say it again for those who did not read my post to the end. IT'S YOUR VACATION AND IT'S MORE THAN YOUR RIGHT TO DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Obviously if that's not high on your list, it may seem like an awfully expensive 3 hours.<< If it's not high on someone's list, there's something wrong with them. I mean...McCartney!! Sounds like a great way to spend $700 to me.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck I would ask how many can honestly say that status is not a factor when staying at a Disney hotel. I mean, why do people pay twice as much for a Mercedes as for a Toyota? There, I said it.
Originally Posted By Mr X Here's my take on the whole "magic" thing - I've stayed in Disney hotels a few times over the years, and I've seen some other rooms when friends were staying (so I've seen the top-notch "magic", is the main point). While I find the hotels themselves to be rather wonderful, I would say that by-and-large the rooms are not all that. Not really. A few Mickey amenities, which is okay I guess, but then that's about it. Other than that, it's a plain old ordinary hotel room - UNLESS, and this is a big caveat, unless you have a one-of-a-kind view, THAT adds a lot although in fairness many (most?) of the rooms don't really have much of a view so that's a bust for many (most). So, what I'm saying is, is that you can stay at the super 8 down the road and enjoy just as much magic as the sucker, er sorry CUSTOMER, wait...no, GUEST shelling out superbucks. Just visit the resorts and spend some time there, and you've gotten the same benefit for free.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "But Snappy is right, when you compare the Disney hotels and their cost to similar hotels (amenities, decor, service, overall opulence, cleanliness, space, etc.), odds are you are paying an extra $100-200 a night than for a comparable room." Yes, you are paying for "just a room" when you stay at the Little Boy Blue Motel, but when you stay at a Disney property you get more than "just a room". If cost is your primary concern, then fine. But if you want a vacation with all the bells and whistles then it's understandable that an on-site property would be a high priority. "But the Hotels, if people were honest, is nothing more than a nice hotel within easy access to the parks." If you can't tell the difference between the GCH and any other property in Anaheim then I don't know what to say.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I know what Mr. X. is saying about the DLH rooms, really - nice but not spectacular (I HAVE gotten some spectacular views, though.) The GCH rooms, though small for a family (but just fine for two) are extremely nice though. The Arts & Crafts touches are fantastic, especially if you love that style as much as I do. And although there are a minority of rooms there with an uninspiring view, the majority look out at either the very nice courtyard with the monorail passing right through, or DTD with its passing parade, or DCA itself with either the kinetic PP/WOC view or the GRR/TOT/Carsland view. Also, if you have a park view room, you can sit on your terrace early in the morning and watch the workers prepping the park, see everything "switch on," and essentially see the park "wake up," which is pretty dang sweet. You can't see that at the Super 8. Of course, a park view room at the GCH is as expensive as it gets, so I get why people choose the cheaper options; as I said, I've done that myself. Unlike WDW, you can stay cheap and still stay close - walking distance in fact - so I get it. It's all about what you value and how much you'll pay for it, and the right answer for person A may not be the right answer for person B.
Originally Posted By Mr Snappy "If you can't tell the difference between the GCH and any other property in Anaheim then I don't know what to say." That's because YOU can't tell us what the difference is. Han's, you certainly are certain you know what is best here, yet I fail to see you tell us what is so special about it other than being a nice hotel. Tell us, why is it worth an extra $1,500 a week over the Double-Tree or Hyatt?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I would ask how many can honestly say that status is not a factor when staying at a Disney hotel.>> Maybe the first couple of times. After that, not so much. Once you've witnessed some of the low life's who stay there and realize that any schmuck with a charge card can gain access, the status component quickly disappears. It's not like you are staying at a Four Seasons.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***I know what Mr. X. is saying about the DLH rooms, really - nice but not spectacular (I HAVE gotten some spectacular views, though.)*** Actually, I had WDW more in mind when I wrote that - I've not actually seen any of the DLR rooms personally. I have seen some of the top rooms in the Tokyo resort, though, and frankly they don't stack up (in fact, I've stayed in several nearby hotels that were MUCH more maxed out in terms of space, amenities, and features).
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<That's because YOU can't tell us what the difference is.>> I'm sure he can, and so can I. Of the various Disney properties, the GCH is the ONLY hotel designed from the start to be a Disney property. Both the DLH and the Paradise Pier were originally owned by others. Since acquiring them Disney has done it's best to put lipstick on a pig, but they still were born as a pigs. The DLH is especially nice after it's latest remodel, but at it's core is still quite similar to a very nice non-Disney Anaheim hotel. The GCH WAS designed to be a Disney hotel, and the attention to detail throughout the property is absolutely amazing. I'm talking much more than "nicely finished and furnished". I'm talking about choosing a theme and designing virtually every aspect of the property to be consistent with that theme in lavish, almost obsessive, detail. You just don't see that in a non-Disney Anaheim property.
Originally Posted By Mr Snappy Ok, I think it helps to have real numbers. I just put in a week's stay in October into a search engine. Oct 12-19. Hyatt (4.2 Stars) $1,183 Total GCH (4.3 Stars) $4,695 (best, most magic room!) GCH (4.3 Stars) $3,811 (Least magical room) So...tell me...what "Magic" other than watching the Disney Janitors change the trash liners out of the parks waste cans, is worth a 400% markup over the Hyatt ! That's a massive $3,500 charge ABOVE a hotel with the exact same rating. P.T. Barnum was right....There is a sucker born every minute!
Originally Posted By Mr X In all fairness, I've stayed at that Anaheim Hyatt (I assume it's the same one, very close to Disney) - it's a very nice place to be sure, but still just a generic Hyatt (and not even the nicest Hyatt I've stayed at, that would be to the one in Guam with an outrageously maxed out pool that was practically a waterpark)...if the GCH is even close on the inside to what it represents on the outside, a significant markup is certainly warranted. So I disagree with the 'sucker' statement - even though I went there myself. I was thinking more along the lines of the WDW *MOTELS* that they market as "moderate" and charge an arm and a leg for.
Originally Posted By Mr X <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/HyattGuamPool">http://bit.ly/HyattGuamPool</a>
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Ok, I think it helps to have real numbers. I just put in a week's stay in October into a search engine. Oct 12-19. Hyatt (4.2 Stars) $1,183 Total GCH (4.3 Stars) $4,695 (best, most magic room!) GCH (4.3 Stars) $3,811 (Least magical room) So...tell me...what "Magic" other than watching the Disney Janitors change the trash liners out of the parks waste cans, is worth a 400% markup over the Hyatt ! That's a massive $3,500 charge ABOVE a hotel with the exact same rating.>> Well to start with, Hyatt DOES NOT HAVE a hotel in Anaheim. The closest one is in Garden Grove, several miles away. Not exactly walking distance. NEXT??
Originally Posted By berol The walk is the same distance, maybe even less, if you throw in a bus, shuttle or ART. It's not like there is anything to get defensive about with this or anyone should feel they have something to prove. If you have it and want to spend it, go ahead, no skin off anyone else's nose. If you don't want to, don't.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^^ But that is the BEAUTY of Disneyland and one of the reasons I enjoy visiting there... it IS a place that is easily walkable without having to drive, take buses, or shuttles. To me that puts the Hyatt at a huge disadvantage and goes a long way towards explaining the price differential. I've never stayed at the Orange County Hyatt, or even seen it. But I did spend a week in the Monterrey CA Hyatt and was TOTALLY unimpressed. It just wasn't that good a hotel.
Originally Posted By berol I stayed there. It was no big deal, but I don't think much any hotel is a big deal. Just give me a clean bed and shower and let me sleep 8 hours.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck While I can certainly understand staying at the Disney hotels when money is no object, I have a hard time understanding why people who really do have to save up and scrimp could justify it. Even when money was no real problem for me, I could not bring myself to do it. Thanks to the recession, and some of my investments going south, it is out of the question.
Originally Posted By 2001DLFan "That's like saying the difference between DL and Knott's is that the word "Disney" is plastered everywhere." Getting to be that way.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I certainly understand that. Everyone has things they are willing to spend on and things they are not. I know many people who will spend a great deal having the latest and greatest large screen HDTV. I have a 10-year-old JVC tube style 32" TV (weighing 160 lbs) that was "state of the art" when I bought it, paying close to $1,000 for it at the time. It still works perfectly and I refuse to replace it until it quits. My car is an eight-year-old Dodge Charger that has only 50,000 miles on it. In retirement I only put 4-5K miles on it per year, so it should last me the rest of my life. Yes, a new car would be nice, but I just don't value it that much. At my age I've accumulated a lot of "stuff" and value memories more than additional stuff. I'm willing to spend what it takes to make those memories the best possible. I also admit that DVC (long paid for) makes staying at the DL resorts easy. I can pay for ANY of the DL resorts (not just the GCH Villas) using my points, so staying there costs me nothing. The DL resorts cost a lot more in points than the WDW DVC resorts, but I feel they are worth it.
