Wondering what the biggest differences between Good Neighbor Hotels and Disneyland Resort Hotels are for your upcoming Disneyland Resort vacation? We’re gonna walk you through the key differences between them!

1. Location

The three Disneyland Resort Hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa) are all located within the Disneyland Resort, making it much easier (and quicker) to get to the parks. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa even has its own direct entrance to Disney California Adventure Park.

The Good Neighbor Hotels, on the other hand, are anywhere from half a mile to five miles away from the Disneyland Resort, outside of walking distance. While four of the Good Neighbor Hotels provide free transportation to and from the parks, most offer Anaheim Resort Transportation to the parks for an additional fee.

2. Price

This is not a secret, but it’s still worth mentioning. Disneyland Resort Hotel accommodations are (generally speaking) going to be more expensive than Good Neighbor Hotel options. Of course, there are a few Good Neighbor ‘superior’ hotel choices that can rival the prices of the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, just as Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is more affordable in line with ‘moderate’ Good Neighbor Hotels.

3. Extra Magic Hours

If you’re staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels, you get to take advantage of an Extra Magic Hour for each day of your stay. This allows you to experience select attractions within both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, outside of normal operation hours, before the public. If you’re staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel, you don’t get this special perk.

4. Merchandise Delivery

All Disneyland Resort Hotels offer complimentary merchandise delivery, directly to your room. This means you don’t have to lug bags of souvenirs around the park or haul them back to your room. Good Neighbor Hotels don’t offer this service. And while it might not seem like a deal breaker, once you try this service, you’ll never want to go without it again.

5. Dining

While both Disneyland Resort Hotels and Good Neighbor Hotels provide a variety of dining options, from quick-service to table-service, only Disneyland Resort Hotels offer exclusive character dining.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa offers Chip’n’Dale Critter Breakfast at Storyteller’s Cafe, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel offers Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends at Disney’s PCH Grill, and lastly, there’s Goofy’s Kitchen located at the Disneyland Hotel. (You can read more about Disneyland character dining here.)

6. Disney Magic

The final and biggest difference between the Good Neighbor Hotels and the Disneyland Resort Hotels is the design and theming. Like their rides and attractions, Disney has their imagineers develop elaborate backstories for their hotels. Every square foot of the hotel is designed to immerse its guests in a world of fantasy and imagination.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, for example, is themed to the 1920’s Californian craftsman style, with elaborate wood work and intricate cravings prominent throughout the massive ‘mountain-lodge’ resort hotel. And at the Disneyland Hotel, rooms include special, classic Disney touches like Sleeping Beauty Castle light-up headboards.