Best way to book a hotel?

[Thalia16]

Hi friends!

I am going to Disneyland for the first time next year. I know that I'm going to be staying at one of the near by hotels off property, but I have a few questions. What is the best way to book those hotels? Do you save money booking through the Disneyland website and bundling tickets? Or is it best to book the hotel and buy tickets separately? Also, are there any Moderate or Economy hotels that anyone would recommend? We are wanting to stay within about a mile of the parks for sure.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I have found it is best to book directly with the hotel. There are many places within a mile. Since you are willing to stay up to a mile away, you may want to look at the hotels in Garden Grove. For example, there are several hotels of the Hilton brand that have a full hot breakfast with your stay, which is nice. If that isn't worthwhile to you, you can easily stay within a couple blocks of the resort on Harbor Blvd.

As far as I know, you only save money bundling tickets and hotel if you stay in a Disney owned hotel. Even then, I am not sure if there is a savings.

 

[goooof1]

Take a look at this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-dlr-area-hotel-for-you.3656512/

 

[Geemo]

Hi friends!

I am going to Disneyland for the first time next year. I know that I'm going to be staying at one of the near by hotels off property, but I have a few questions. What is the best way to book those hotels? Do you save money booking through the Disneyland website and bundling tickets? Or is it best to book the hotel and buy tickets separately? Also, are there any Moderate or Economy hotels that anyone would recommend? We are wanting to stay within about a mile of the parks for sure.

Thank you in advance for your help!

I have found booking myself saves money.

If you book NOW through the hotel's website you'll most likely get the lowest rate. I book online and I book as early as I know I might have a trip. My "Go-To" places on Harbor are right at the crosswalk. For the lowest rate, it's usually Desert Inn & Suites (DI&S) or Tropicana. While they're not fancy, we have found them to be clean and comfortable. If you plan to use the pool go with Tropicana. The DI&S indoor pool isn't for us.
Both of these hotels do not require a deposit to hold a reservation, only a credit card. The reservation window for DI&S is open through January 2018. Tropicana's window appears to go through mid February 2019. If you find the rate go down before your trip, you can call and ask for a rate adjustment.

It's nice to be within walking distance and not have to have the chaos of driving and parking.

Geemo

 

[sherilaine]

When you book a package then someone is doing the work for you - so the odds are it's not going to save you money. They might throw in a perk here or there - a luggage tag for example - big whoop!

I book everything myself - I book directly with the hotel, buy my tickets separately (last trip didn't even buy through Disney), book my rental care through Costco, buy my flight directly from the airline.

I also find booking separately allows for easier cancellation if something goes wrong rather than having everything tied up in the same package. I also find room selection through packages is often limited - you get a limited selection of room categories or configurations so booking directly with the hotel opens up your options.

Now, that being said it's more work to do all of this yourself - but with the internet as easy as it is, I don't see it as being much effort at all.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I always book my hotel directly with the hotel, where I can talk to a human being and make sure everything is correct. And then I ask them to send me an email confirming my stay.

 

[tarheelalum]

Book yourself directly with the hotel through their website and buy you tickets through disneyland. Don't buy any sort of package from anybody. They always end up costing more when you are going to Disneyland. Sometimes Costco is a bit of a deal considering on what you are looking for but in general packages just don't save you money at Disneyland and can complicate things if you have issues with any part of the package.

 

[tzeitel]

I do the same as @Geemo. Book super early and directly with the hotel. I also like DI&S. They have the best prices around, friendly staff, clean rooms, right across from the DLR entrance. I keep checking rates and cancel and rebook if needed. For our trip in May I have had to rebook 3 times now since they keep coming out with promos. We are down to $87 a night from $119.

We have also stayed at HoJo, and Tropicana. Both were very good.

For tickets look at lmtclub. Unless something changes between now and your trip they have the best prices around and many ppl here use them.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I book directly with the hotel using the hotel's website, then call the hotel front desk (not the toll free number) to confirm and to see if they have a better rate available for my dates. Check Mousesavers.com to see if there are any good deals for hotels, car rentals, and tickets for your dates.

 

[darph nader]

Same here,,I call the hotel direct. Tend to get a better price that way.

 

[Thalia16]

Thank you all so much! This is really helping!

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yup...as someone with spends almost as much time in hotels as I do my own bed, I ALWAYS ALWAY ALWAYS book direct with the hotel unless there is a VERY compelling reason. There are too many gotchas, restrictions and issues with third party bookings in my experience...especially if you need to make changes. Direct almost always has the most liberal terms and conditions.