I officially have my Disney Merriest Night ticket and I’m trying to decide where to stay. My thoughts are the Courtyard Marriot Anaheim Theme Park Entrance (I am solo adult and it looks very geared to families with the bunk beds) but it’s a few hundred dollars cheaper for the three nights I’m staying than a Disney hotel and higher rated both by UG and #1 on TripAdvisor. But I’m also worried about being solo and walking back to the room after midnight alone after the party down Harbor Blvd. I would much prefer to walk back through Downtown Disney and on Disney grounds for my safety even if its a further walk. I have never stayed outside of the bubble so I’m not sure I should be concerned. I think @TarHeelTiff stayed further away recently and was solo? Did you feel safe outside of Disney alone?
I also think Paradise Pier actually looks very nice inside the room and I would be in the bubble which I love. There would be lobby holiday decorations. I know there are no restaurants right now there which is a bummer and I don’t much like Keurig coffee. I am flying SWA so I could buy a mini coffee pot (one of those 2 cups machines) that makes real drip coffee and bring it with me since I get a checked bag though and do the mobile order delivery from Disney Springs for lunch. I will be working during the day before going to the party on Thursday and before hitting DCA on Friday so a comfortable desk setup for my laptop will be nice.
I also considered for the great rate Best Western Stovall’s Inn as it’s really not much further than PP and that walk is pretty much all on Disney property.
Some of these hotels scare me with bed bugs reports which I am utterly terrified of. The Anaheim Hotel and one other I saw on tripadvisor reviews had me saying straight up NOPE not worth the risk. I get serious anxiety about bed bugs. I always check mattresses when I stay places after an incident in New York City in an Intercontinental in Time Square. I woke up for 6 months after that worried about being bitten once back home and left all my suitcases in the car for the entire summer in Texas where inside car temps reach 140 and I washed everything in hot water or dry cleaned it once I finally pulled it out of the car trunk. I just can’t do it for sanity sake. If there is any kind of report ever anywhere for a hotel I won’t stay there LOL.
I know @Wahoohokie likes Grand Legacy but it gets 2.5* in the book. Anyone else stay there or have any other favorites? (post-covid ideally because it sounds like once good hotels UG liked are not doing so well post-covid).
Great questions.
I stayed at the Anaheim Marriott which was past Katella. I would not have made the walk solo in the dark. Would I have probably been fine? Yes. Would it have caused me stress the whole walk? Yes. I took advantage of the ART at night to avoid this (plus one night using Uber after a late Trader Sam’s reservation. Walking during the day (and early morning) was no problem and didnt cause me any safety concerns.
I would have personally felt comfortable with the hotels right across Harbor (anywhere from that Courtyard to the north to the Best Western to the south). There were tons of people around those portions and its all well lit and you are really just crossing the crosswalk from the Disney gate. In general, I found a lot of the non-chain hotels to have a bit of a sketchier vibe than I would personally prefer (again as a solo female traveller who has done a lot of business travel). I avoid outdoor hallways whenever possible. I’m sure they are actually fine, but I’m not trying to even feel close to uncomfortable while on vacation.
BW Stovall Inn is a long walk, and a lot fewer people walking than you’d have on Harbor. If I was solo, I wouldn’t stay there. When I am solo I always stay on Harbor at one of the hotels close to the entrance and have felt safe walking back to my room after the park closes. I would assume there will be a lot of people staying at those hotels for the party & would be walking back at the same time.
So I think the Luxury Rooms at Grand Legacy at the Park look nicer and have a view of the park for only $15/night more. Maybe they have bigger bathrooms. This is half what price of PP so I might do this afterall since everyone thinks that short walk feels very well lit and safe.
I love that Theme Park Courtyard and would absolutely stay there solo (just for the Starbucks in the lobby alone). Very clean, mostly quiet. Nice workout room and I’ve never had a bad experience with any customer service encounter since they opened.
Disney has done an AMAZING experience in making guests feel safe in the bubble, that stretch on Harbor from the freeway to the convention center included. Anywhere else, I’d advise you to Uber/bus. (Hear that @OBNurseNH …no running around Anaheim alone, please!)
I’m gonna need one too on Thursday morning; let me make sure Grand Legacy has a treadmill. I’ll wait to do my 7 miler till I get home Saturday afternoon since its Dec.
I’ve stayed at the Lulu when it was the Red Lion. Nice hotel and nice pool area too. A bit farther down on Harbor Blvd. but not that far. I liked having the CVS store near by.
Fabulous!! My TA made the change. It’s pretty much across from the Portofino where my sister, friends and I stayed during my one trip 10 years ago, and I didn’t mind the walk. Looks a smidge closer than the Marriott.
Post Covid we have stayed Castle Inn and Suites & Del Sol Inn but both of those were never ones we’d managed to stay at pre-Covid so no comparison to offer. The state of The Anaheim seems to have gone totally down the drain and that was always my favorite of the cheaper ones because they actually have grounds and a nice lobby and I am huge Pizza Press fan, so now I’m sad (but glad I am informed and glad we’ve chosen other places over it both times we’ve gone post-Covid).
For a brighter airy room that you can work in until you head to parks and would be a safe walk and would not cost an arm & a leg The Grand Legacy is probably your best bet. The Fairfield Inn is also a good option. I would definitely avoid The Anaheim with the TripAdvisor reviews I just read. I would also avoid Desert Inn & Suites and Del Sol (it was fine to sleep in and a good location and the bathroom fixtures were all new and updated but the WiFi was SOOOOOOOO bad, so not great if you are planning to work from the hotel and definitely impacted our BG ability by miles so we will probably not ever stay there again just for that LOL).
I went rogue and booked a vrbo condo on a cliff overlooking the beach in Orange County. Ha ha ha. My aunt lives in Laguna Niguel so I plan to spend a little time over there anyway now I’m staying four days (I may even just do one full day with a morning/afternoon in DCA and the party in Disneyland). And a friend wants to maybe join me on the beach plus I can run there. It was still cheaper than PP so still winning financially.
Tropicana was our first go-to when we got APs in 2014. I don’t think we even looked another hotel until 2016 and we were going about once every 30-40 days during that stretch It’s been awhile since we stayed there though cuz they remodeled in 2018 I think and we haven’t ever had their availability/price work out for any of our trips since before that remodel. But we felt they were very perfect for a location and clean. Their price used to be so much better, but they’re still fairly competitive, especially if you book in advance.
Why would anyone would pay DLR hotel prices when you can pay less and look at this? I went with my none of these hotels on Harbor excite me. They’re all okay and I don’t want to pay $400-$750/night for what you get in Disney especially right now with less dining, etc. This place made me WANT to go there so I went with it.
Looks a smidge closer than the Marriott.
It’s been awhile since we stayed there though cuz they remodeled in 2018 I think and we haven’t ever had their availability/price work out for any of our trips since before that remodel. But we felt they were very perfect for a location and clean. Their price used to be so much better, but they’re still fairly competitive, especially if you book in advance.