Reader seeking hotel advice near Disneyland:
Okay, this email was actually sent to my sister-in-law who sent it on to me to answer, since I’m more of a traveler. I edited it a bit for brevity.
I am planning a holiday to the USA with my husband and three children (daughter aged 11, son aged 9 and daughter aged 6).
We are planning to go to Disneyland (Anaheim) and I wonder if you have any recommendations regarding accommodation. I like the idea of staying onsite so that we can come and go as we please or as to the children’s need for rest. (As well as the fact my husband gets sick on any ride that spins!!)
I look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Julie
And here is my response:
I am so excited for your trip! California is BEAUTIFUL and your kids are great ages for traveling, so you are bound to have a fantastic time!
When we visited Disneyland last March, we went with a friend who had been several times and we stayed off property at this Sheraton.
The hotel offered a free shuttle service to the park, as most hotels do. The rooms were on the larger size and the ride to the park was quick. Check in was easy and although our rooms weren’t ready when we arrived (at 11 am– too early to expect them to be ready) we were in the park within 30 minutes of arriving at the hotel, thanks to how close it is and how efficient the staff was there.
If you want to stay onsite, though, my friend whom I traveled with, and who has been to Disneyland many, many times, highly recommends staying at the Grand Californian.
Out of the three options onsite, this one is the most luxurious and has an entrance right from the hotel into the park. Plus, staying onsite has a host of other benefits like extra Magic Morning Early Entry (when resort guests get into the park before the general public!) and amazing details and magic that Disney never overlooks. Plus, staying onsite means you can slip back to the room for a nap, or after your husband has been spinning on the Mad Tea Party a bit too much.
I’m not sure what your travel budget will allow, but we have found that paying the extra fee for Concierge Level at Disney properties has been well worth it. My friend who has stayed at this hotel agreed that the Concierge Level at the Grand Californian has a lot to offer. The lounge there offers breakfast, snacks, and light fare and drinks at dinnertime. (The food offered is plenty for breakfast and quite generous at other times, too.) Plus, she said you can watch the fireworks right from the Concierge Lounge (while munching or sipping drinks including wine.)
I hope this helps!
If you have any family travel questions, please feel free to email me anytime and I’ll see what I can do to help.
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