BudgetTravel

_______________________

Thatcher, Ariz.: When deciding on a hotel for our Disneyland vacation, we're debating on whether we should stay at a Disneyland property or whether we should save the money and use a Good Neighbor Hotel. Are the benefits really that much greater by staying there at Disneyland?

Also, if we decided to stay at one of the Disneyland properties, would it be worth it to upgrade to Concierge at Paradise Pier or stay in a standard room at Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian? It seems that Paradise Pier is more out of the way than the other two hotels. Thanks for your help!!

Mary Waring: Some of the non-Disney hotels in Anaheim near Disneyland are quite nice and pretty similar in quality to Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. (Actually the Paradise Pier Hotel started its life as a non-Disney property anyway.) Unlike Disney World, where Disney's resort guests enjoy a host of special privileges, there aren't any particular benefits to staying at one of the Disney hotels at Disneyland.

Many of the off-site hotels on Harbor Boulevard are just as close to the theme parks as the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel. For instance, the Howard Johnson is exactly the same walking distance from the theme park entrance plaza as the Wonder Tower (formerly the Bonita Tower) building at the Disneyland Hotel.

The Paradise Pier Hotel is not really out of the way. It's actually closer to the entrance plaza than Wonder Tower at Disneyland Hotel. Paradise Pier is a quality hotel but not heavily "themed," which may or may not be a consideration for you.

In general I'm not an advocate of the concierge rooms at any of the Disney hotels. You don't get a nicer room. All you're buying is access to a lounge where you can eat a light Continental breakfast and snacks. To me that's usually not worth the substantial extra cost.

As an aside, I would not rely on the "Good Neighbor" designation as an indicator of quality. Disney merely sells that name to hotels as a marketing tool. The hotels in the "Good Neighbor" program are extremely inconsistent in terms of value, room quality and upkeep. You'll want to do your homework on any hotel you're considering.

_______________________

Vancouver Island, B.C.: We are planning to exchange a timeshare to a Disney resort in Orlando. Is there anyway that we can still get in the dining plan?

Mary Waring: No, unfortunately the Disney World Dining Plan is only available to people buying a vacation package (including hotel room and tickets) at a Disney owned and operated resort.

_______________________