Best Hotels Near Disneyland

By Tom Bricker Hotels 166 Comments

This guide to accommodations near Disneyland ranks the 10 best hotels within walking distance of the California parks, weighs pros & cons of staying off-site v. on-site, perks of choosing an official DLR hotel, which options are best at Anaheim Convention Center.

When Disneyland vacation planning, there are a ton of options: Good Neighbor Hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, Grand Californian Hotel, or one of the cheaper hotels on Harbor Boulevard? We regularly tour and stay in hotels near Disneyland, and update this post regularly with thoughts on the benefits and drawbacks of hotels around Disneyland.

In addition to this post, which focuses heavily on whether you should stay off-site or on-site, we have a much more comprehensive list that shares all of our Anaheim hotel experiences, including hotel room photos, pros & cons, and a numerical score for each hotel. For that, check out our Disneyland/Anaheim Hotel Review & Rankings list. It’s very long, but thorough!

Get Away Today already has some great package discounts, and more are likely on the way. Some hotels have ‘4th night free’ promos, and you can save an extra $10 by using code TOURIST at checkout (valid on 2-night and longer stays). Click here to check out the package discounts available.

If you’re booking at the last minute, we’d instead recommend using the Hotel Tonight app for maximum savings. Along those lines, Priceline Express Deals can offer better last-minute savings if you don’t mind using a ‘blind booking’ site. However, we’d caution against (voluntarily) booking at the last minute this year, as we anticipate rooms increasing in price in the coming weeks and months.

The reason for this is that the Anaheim Convention Center has a jam-packed schedule of events. This is unlike last year, when most events were cancelled or delayed (until this year!). The result then was atypically low prices for hotels near Disneyland. The result this year is likely going to be surging prices, driven by a mix of pent-up demand among tourists and convention-goers.

In spot-checking hotel prices and availability in Anaheim, we’re seeing this for summer in a big way, and those prices will only go up, not down. You should lock something in ASAP if you’re planning a trip to Disneyland between now and September 12, 2022, which is the 2022 D23 Expo. After that, prices should start coming down for the fall off-season…before spiking again during the holidays.

If you’re a longtime reader, you might note that this advice is the exact opposite of our recommendation last year. Again, that’s because of the Anaheim Convention Center schedule. When there’s an event in town, there’s a shortage of hotels around Disneyland, driving prices higher.

When there’s not an event in Anaheim, there’s a surplus of hotel rooms, and prices fall. We have consistently seen this play out year after year for almost the last decade. (The worst was back when runDisney races coincided with conventions!) This happens so consistently that it’s not as much a prediction as it is an inevitability. If you don’t believe us, hedge your bets by reserving something that’s refundable to see if prices fall later.

None of this is to scare you away from visiting Disneyland in 2022. To the contrary, we think it’s a great year to visit. The California parks have gotten back to normal at a faster pace than Walt Disney World and will be pretty close to 100% by April 22, 2022. Even though it’s Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, it’s arguably a better year for Disneyland.

We make the case for California in Disneyland v. Walt Disney World: Is West Best in 2022? Beyond more normalcy, there are a number of reasons for this recommendation, from a more laid back experience (Genie+ isn’t stressful at Disneyland) to lower prices for hotels. But in order for the last part of that to be true, you need to lock-in hotel reservations sooner rather than later!

With that out of the way, we will start off with our favorite hotels near Disneyland in a variety of categories, and then discuss the reasons to stay on-site versus the big advantage of staying off-site…

10 Best Hotels Near Disneyland

We’ve stayed at every on-site Disneyland hotel and most of the Good Neighbor Disneyland hotels and other off-site hotels within walking distance of the Disneyland Esplanade. Thus far, we’ve reviewed over 50 of these. One thing we really want to stress is that not all hotels near Disneyland are equal.

Many are relics from a different era when most of the hotels near Disneyland were shady motels that thrived simply due to their location and the fact that people would book them regardless. We’ve stayed at many of these, and have had some downright creepy experiences.

Other hotels near Disneyland are brand new, built during a huge construction boom that began post-Cars Land and continues to this day, and will likely for years to come now with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Avengers Campus (Marvel Land), and more being built. While these hotels tend to be a bit pricier, they also are considerably nicer. Along those same lines, many older motels have been renovated in the last several years, elevating their quality.

With that said, here are our favorite hotels near Disneyland, along with the strengths of each hotel. Since there are huge variances in pricing, we’ve broken this list down into great value for money options (most of which are around $150 per night) and excellent luxury options, which typically start at over $250 per night. Clicking the name of each hotel will open our full review in a new tab (which includes room photos and more), so click away!

Top 5 Budget Hotels Near Disneyland

1. Best Western Plus Park Place

2. Residence Inn Anaheim Resort

3. Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn

4. Springhill Suites Anaheim Resort

5. Hyatt House Anaheim

Top 5 Luxury Hotels Near Disneyland

1. JW Marriott Anaheim Resort

2. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

3. Westin Anaheim Resort

4. Disneyland Hotel

5. Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

Many of our favorite hotels near Disneyland can be booked via Get Away Today at a discount. If you bundle tickets into your hotel stay, you’ll get an even better deal. You can check package prices here.

Hope this list of the best hotels near Disneyland helps narrow down your decision! If you’re still debating whether to stay off-site or on-site, here are the pros and cons of each…

Reasons to Stay On-Site

Environment – For us, the most compelling reason for staying on-site is that staying in a Disney-owned hotel keeps you fully immersed in that “magical” Disney environment. Many people discuss liking to be inside the “Disney Bubble” when on vacation, and at Disneyland, that’s only possible at the Disney-owned hotels.

They each have their own restaurants, Disney details, and can generally be accessed without seeing the rest of the “real” world. You won’t see Denny’s or Coldstone Ice Cream as you head directly from the Grand Californian Hotel right into its theme park entrance. You won’t find theming to a lavishly-designed arts & crafts style lodge or a monorail pool at the off-site hotels, either.

For some people, this is a big deal. For others, it’s not. If this does not matter to you, there’s honestly zero reason to pay a significant premium for a Disney hotel. They’re significantly more expensive, and don’t offer an advantage in terms of perks or proximity to the parks. If this does matter to you, strongly consider a Disney hotel.

While we tend to side with those who want to be immersed in the Disney Bubble as much as possible, that is not practical for us. Due to the high cost of the three official Disneyland hotels, we usually stay off-site at Disneyland in the hotels right across from Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard.

If there was less of a price gap or Disney hotels offered more perks, that might tip the scales for us, but it’s so hard to justify paying an extra $300+ per night to stay in a Disney hotel just for the bubble. Your mileage may vary on that, though.

Perks – Currently (as of April 3, 2022), there are no perks of staying at Disney-owned hotels beyond the themed design and proximity to the parks (although as discussed below, the latter is not always an advantage). Normally, the biggest on-site perk is the Extra Magic Hour benefit. However, this early entry has been suspended with no timeframe for its return. We will update accordingly if/when Disneyland brings it back.

The Extra Magic Hour perk is a nice way to experience some attractions in the morning one hour before the park opens to regular guests. The current Extra Magic Hour schedule is as follows:

  • Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
  • Disney California Adventure: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays

As far as on-site perks go, that’s it. Even the Extra Magic Hour is not all that magical. On many mornings, it’s not necessary, or doesn’t offer much of an advantage over sleeping in and rope-dropping the park that does not have the Extra Magic Hour.

There are no evening Extra Magic Hours at Disneyland, and during the Extra Magic Hour only select attractions are open. If you’re staying off-site, you can have just as much of an advantage by rope-dropping the park that is not offering Extra Magic Hours.

The only scenario in which Extra Magic Hour really makes an actual difference is with Cars Land. It can help minimize waits for Radiator Springs Racers, and also make it easier to experience other popular draws like Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

However, as we discuss below, rope dropping Disney California Adventure on a non-Extra Magic Hour morning offers pretty much the exact same opportunity…

Reasons to Stay Off-Site

Cost – What’s the saying? “Money talks.” Disneyland doesn’t have Value Resorts. Rack rates start at around $300 per night for both Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and can exceed $600/night. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is crazy-expensive (think of it as the sister resort of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa), exceeding $800/night during many times of the year.

During the busiest times of the year at Disneyland, rooms in these hotels can cost much more. Just check out the rates for a summer weekend in the graphic above. Those are starting rates for a standard room. If you want a suite or something special, you’re paying even more! Unfortunately, Disneyland has a serious shortage of on-site hotel rooms, so prices are often in exorbitant territory.

By contrast, off-site hotel rooms near Disneyland, are not nearly as expensive–and many of them are actually closer you the parks! These hotels can be a ~10 minute walk to the parks and priced around $150/night, making them ‘value’ options, of sorts.

Note that off-site hotels can creep up in price, too. The hotel shortage in the area even impacts off-site prices during tourist seasons (think any time school is out of session), as well as when there is an event at the Anaheim Convention Center. For this reason, we recommend booking a hotel near Disneyland far in advance most of the time. (Exceptions to this are the off-season, such as late August through early October and January through early March–last minute bargains can be found then.)

Distance to the Parks – The most compelling reason is that you can typically find an off-site hotel that is closer to Disneyland Resort than an on-site hotel. Sort of makes the terms off-site and on-site misnomers, right? Although Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the closest hotel to Disneyland Resort, there are several hotels directly across the street from Disneyland Resort’s Esplanade (the open area between the two parks) that are a five minute walk to the turnstiles.

Even if you’re hotel does happen to be further from the Esplanade than Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier Hotel (which are both around 10-15 minutes away), there’s still a good chance your hotel will be within walking distance. You can–and should–easily be able to book a hotel within walking distance from Disneyland. Even if for some reason you book a hotel that isn’t within walking distance, chances are you can cheaply get to it via a hotel shuttle that it offers, or the Anaheim Resort Transit.

Since Disneyland can’t meet all of the needs of guests with its three hotels, Disneyland has a better working relationship with many “Good Neighbor Hotels” in the area. Due to the difference in pricing, Disneyland Resort does not even consider the off-site hotels competition (most people are not choosing between a $600/night room at the Grand Californian and a $125/night room at Alpine Inn!); this is unlike the Value Resorts at Walt Disney World, which are direct competition to the off-site hotels in Florida. Because of this, Disneyland tries to work with off-site hotels instead of competing with them.

Few On-Site Benefits – If you’re a Walt Disney World regular who stays on site there for the perks offered there to on-site guests, don’t expect anything comparable at Disneyland. There are no extended hours or priority booking window for Individual Lightning Lanes. Walking is the best way to get to Disneyland, so the transportation system at Disneyland isn’t as important.

We already covered the Extra Magic Hour above, but there’s another, similar perk for off-site guests. The (sorta?) good news is that even if you don’t stay on-site, you can be eligible for Magic Mornings. As with the Extra Magic Hour, we aren’t huge fans of Magic Mornings, as they tend to offer little actual advantage over skipping the perk and simply doing regular rope drop.

Magic Mornings function similarly to the Extra Magic Hour, except are open to anyone with a qualifying 3+ day ticket. Currently, Magic Mornings occur only at Disneyland on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. You might notice these are exactly the same days as Extra Magic Hours. On these days, you have a lot of people getting up early to go to Disneyland to take “advantage” of what they think is a special perk.

It’s to the point where you’re actually better off skipping this perk and rope-dropping Disney California Adventure on these mornings. With so many people heading to Disneyland for this special access, DCA is actually very quiet on those days. In other words, the Extra Magic Hour and Magic Mornings are pretty much a perk in name only. The actual advantage they offer is illusory.

The upside to the lack of perks for on-site hotels at Disneyland Resort is that they are not really needed in the first place. The entire Anaheim Resort District (which includes Disneyland Resort and the off-site hotels) is far more compact than Walt Disney World, and is fairly easy to navigate entirely by foot. Moreover, Disneyland has that laid back “Californian” atmosphere, and requires far less planning, in general.

Conclusion

Off-site hotels are cheaper, can be just as close to the parks, and offer most of the same perks as on-site Disney-owned hotels with the very big exception of early access. The actual biggest reason to stay in a Disney-owned hotel at Disneyland is if you want the Disney theming and environment.

For some, myself included, this is a big part of the experience of visiting the Disney theme parks. However, when that aspect of the experience is so costly, we’ll usually stay off-site. The cost difference and lack of on-site perks is just too much to overlook. While we always stay on-site at Walt Disney World, the off-site accessibility to Disneyland and the comparative lack of perks for staying on-site makes staying on-site at Disneyland less appealing to us.

If you’re still unsure of where to stay, we’d encourage you to read our full post that Ranks & Reviews Hotels Near Disneyland. In these reviews, you can see photos of the rooms and the premises, plus our analysis of whether each hotel is worth staying at, to whom it will appeal, and what our ideal nightly price point is for each hotel. We think these reviews will be really helpful if you’re thinking of booking a hotel near Disneyland.

Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!

Your Thoughts…

Do you normally stay on-site or in a nearby off-site hotel at Disneyland Resort? Which hotel in Anaheim is your favorite? Any hotels you don’t recommend? Has your opinion on off-site v. on-site changed since Cars Land opened in Disney California Adventure? Any questions? Hearing from readers is both helpful and interesting, so please share your thoughts in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

166 Responses to “Best Hotels Near Disneyland”
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  1. Cindy August 30, 2022

    Hey, just wanted to note that staying “on site” at the Disney properties now includes an extra half hour early entry.

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