Originally Posted By tashajilek I don't think Han's was actually drunk. He's just too embarrassed to admit he had to have his picture taken with Duffy!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "Would you be able to live with yourself sober, if you were Duffy?" LOL!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I know I'm late to this thread, but I'd just like to say that I love the idea of having enough money to buy a Kardashian! : ) I just got back from spending Labor Day weekend at DL, and I stayed at the Hilton by the convention center (very nice hotel, though rather generic). It cost only $110 a night, and included a $10 Disney gift card for each night. It was about a 20 minute walk to the parks, or a quick ride on the ART shuttle, which never had much of a wait. In comparison, a stay at a Disney hotel would have cost 3-5 times as much, and would have required booking 4-5 months earlier. We booked our room about a month ago. No, it wasn't a 'magical' hotel, but it was very nice, and more than met our needs; I would not hesitate to stay there again in the future, especially for the price
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Which is why, when I go to Colonial Williamsburg, stay someplace fairly inexpensive, like the Woodlands, or even the Governor's Inn...<< I stayed at the Woodlands earlier this summer, and really enjoyed it. It seemed to be somewhere between the level of a WDW Value and Moderate, but with a more subdued theme (generic modern hotel with some colonial touches to the decor). It's right next door to the visitors center, and has free shuttles to the historic district, making it roughly as convenient as a WDW hotel. It also had some on-site activities like ping pong, mini golf, and volleyball. And the price was only about $10 more than a motel down the street, which didn't even appear to be as nice. And staying at the motel, you'd have to drive to the visitor's center (next to the Woodlands) and catch the shuttle from there anyway. For me, when you consider the quality, convenience, and comparisons to other local options, it was an incredibly good value and was hard to come up with a reason not to stay there. I think we paid about $85/night for the weekend after Memorial Day, which seems like a great deal. I'm fine with paying a little more for the convenience, but Disney's prices tend to be borderline absurd
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Would you be able to live with yourself sober, if you were Duffy?" That has to be a low point on the totem pole for rubberhead characters workers, right? "He's just too embarrassed to admit he had to have his picture taken with Duffy!" You are much too young to know the real reason Duffy and I were embracing in that picture.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "That has to be a low point on the totem pole for rubberhead characters workers, right?" Yeah, I can't imagine too many people are clamoring to play the part of Mickey Mouse's teddy bear. Ick! Could it get anymore sickeningly sweet!?
Originally Posted By mawnck >>That has to be a low point on the totem pole for rubberhead characters workers, right?<< I'd think it would be a very desirable gig. You pretty much get left alone.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck "but Disney's prices tend to be borderline absurd." Thank you. I could understand a premium for the Disney hotels experience, perhaps 50 to 100 dollars a night over comparable hotels could be considered reasonable. However, that is not the case. 200 to 500 per night is the markup. No amount of "magic" justifies submission to such a fleecing.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>No amount of "magic" justifies submission to such a fleecing.<< The only point any of us have tried to make is that concepts like "magic," "rip-off," "fleecing," are value judgments. Arguing over it beyond just pointing out how one personally feels seems like trying to tell someone why pepperoni pizza is superior to Hawaiian pizza. "No, maybe you didn't hear me the first time...they put PINEAPPLE on the pizza! Who would like that! Fruit doesn't belong on a pizza!!" And after people say that, well, actually, they do like pineapple on their pizza, growing increasingly disgusted and insisting that people who like Hawaiian are only in it for the status.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "However, that is not the case. 200 to 500 per night is the markup. No amount of "magic" justifies submission to such a fleecing." Are we still beating this dead horse? One could easily say the same thing about park admission and the cost of food and souvenirs. If I'm being fleeced by Disney when I stay in one of their hotels then everyone is when they pay to visit one of their parks. Disney destinations are not necessities; it's all frivolous fun and nonsense - from the parks to the hotels and everything in between - designed to entertain. Quit judging.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Actually, I prefer a Hot Hawaiian. Canadian Bacon, Pineapple and Jalapeno.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Actually, I prefer a Hot Hawaiian. Canadian Bacon, Pineapple and Jalapeno." The prices for those are borderline absurd. No amount of "magic" justifies submission to such a fleecing.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Arguing over it beyond just pointing out how one personally feels seems like trying to tell someone why pepperoni pizza is superior to Hawaiian pizza. "No, maybe you didn't hear me the first time...they put PINEAPPLE on the pizza! Who would like that! Fruit doesn't belong on a pizza!!"<< Worst. Possible. Example. Pineapple on a pizza is just SICK. Some people will do ANYTHING for attention. ;-)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I suppose this would be a bad time to point out that tomatoes are fruits...
Originally Posted By mawnck Reminds me of a line from "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". But it would never get by Admin ...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I don't know where you get a $500 per night premium unless you are talking about a peak time like between Christmas and New Years. I just checked the official site for October 7-11 at the Disneyland Hotel and was quoted a price of $333 per night. I think a comparable hotel that was recently completely renovated and with a magnificent pool area like the DLH (if one even exists) would run $200+ per night. So you are paying a premium of $133 per night to stay on-site. To me the convenience, early entry, being able to charge park purchases back to your room, and "the magic" of the DLH make it worth it. Your mileage may vary. If it's not worth it to you, don't stay there.
Originally Posted By hbquikcomjamesl Hmm. My Hawaii hotels of choice depend on the island: Oahu: Both trips, I stayed at the Ohana West: it's on the canal side of Waikiki, which is fine with me, since I don't swim, and have exactly zero interest in lying around on a beach like some stranded cetacean. Of more interest to me is that it's affordable, and has good public transportation access. Maui: Both trips, I stayed at a place called the Maui Beach Hotel, in Kahului. I understand that it actually IS on a beach, but I never noticed, since I was more interested in catching the Maui Bus over at the Queen Ka'ahumanu shopping mall (it's the geographically closest hotel to the bus hub, and it was the Maui County Transit Authority that originally recommended it to me), to get to the places that interested me. It seems rather less touristy, catering mainly to interisland and flight crew business, which is fine with me. On the Big Island, since my primary destination is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, my first choice would be the Volcano House; on the second trip, it was closed for renovation, and since I have no real choice but to rent a car there, I just had my travel agent find me something affordable and convenient to the airport I was using that trip. On Kauai, I ended up in a combination hotel/timeshare operation that turned out to be very affordable, but less convenient than I'd hoped. In San Francisco, I first discovered the Columbus because I was looking for an affordable 3-diamond that was within easy walking distance of a cable car stop. In Sacramento, I was first turned on to the Vagabond when I overheard a train crew member suggesting it to one of my fellow passengers, and tried it when the Holiday Inn across the street failed to return my call in a timely manner. "FerretAfros": I agree with your assessment of the Woodlands. All CWF hotels have CW transportation (which is free to anybody with an admission badge, hotel guest or not); Governor's (which is about like a Vagabond or a La Quinta, which is to say about a half-step down from the All Stars) has its own courtesy van, because the CW buses are too big to easily negotiate the tight turns in its parking lot. I will say that the All Stars at WDW are quite a distance from MK, Epcot, Studios, and DTD, but if you're taking the bus (or a cab, if you need to get to MK for the Steam Trains Tour, or you need to get to TTC to catch Lynx into Orlando), YOU'RE NOT THE ONE DRIVING IT. And to drag this back on-topic, I will reiterate that since DL has Walt's fingerprints all over it, it's unlikely to ever completely lose its magic.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I just checked the official site for October 7-11 at the Disneyland Hotel and was quoted a price of $333 per night. I think a comparable hotel that was recently completely renovated and with a magnificent pool area like the DLH (if one even exists) would run $200+ per night." Coincidentally I just checked the Fairmont San Francisco for a friend and the best available rate at the end of October is $399. Yes, Disney's rates are high, but they aren't abnormal for the quality of the property and available perks.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt :My Hawaii hotels of choice depend on the island:" Lanai only has two hotels and both of them are Four Seasons. One is at the foot of a mountain and the other is on the coast. I stayed at the beach side property on someone else's dime once. Talk about magical.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Coincidentally I just checked the Fairmont San Francisco for a friend and the best available rate at the end of October is $399. Yes, Disney's rates are high, but they aren't abnormal for the quality of the property and available perks.>> Heck, I've paid $200-$300 per night to stay in freaking Branson, MO. The Hilton at Branson Landing was $200 per night and a room in the Falls Lodge at Big Cedar Resort was $285. In both cases the rooms are extremely nice, but not spectacular. You are paying for location. The Hilton is the only hotel at Branson Landing, a "Downtown Disneyesque" shopping, dining and entertainment area on the shore of Lake Taneycomo. Big Cedar Resort is a gorgeous property with unparalleled views of Table Rock Lake. And while I enjoy Branson, it sure ain't no Disneyland!!
