so help me out finally...

[alexan33]

okay narrowed it down--me, wife, 2 kids (8 and 6mos), she doesn't want to walk that far from hojos--napper in the day--darn with great rates, so out of desert inn parlor suite 2 queens and little living room, or carousel with just 2 queens, or park vue with just 2 queens--which one do you all think--i'm horrible at pulling the trigger and would like a vote from as many of you as possible. thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[alexan33]

oops also tropicana 2 queens, pool is closed though

 

[ctamama]

Trip advisor always helps me "pull the trigger" so to speak, once I have narrowed down a couple of choices. They rank Park Vue as most popular. All four are ranked at a firm 3.5 stars out of 5. Looking at the last 10 comments on each hotel, Park Vue and Tropicana reviews look the most positive. I am sure many who have stayed at each will also comment and tell you their experiences!!
Good Luck!!

 

[kiwitravel]

Not a great fan of Trip Advisor, too many hotels writing their own reviews. TA is trying to adopt new procedures to stamp it out, but if looking at reviews be wary of reviews that are from members who have joined the same day as their post.

My pick from the ones you have mentioned would be Carousel, however it was over 18 months ago we stayed there but at that time it was excellent. Park Vue gets quite mixed reviews on TA, people either think its the best hotel in Anaheim or the worst.... It has had mixed reviews here also, but I would consider it if the price was right.

Have stayed at Tropicanna too and would stay there again.

 

[Harvestdj]

If the kids need a nap in the afternoon I would vote for the Park Vue Inn. It is the closest of all the hotels. It is an older motel but is clean with a friendly staff. The Tropicanna or the Carrosel are the next best and also very close the the DL entrance

 

[J. Galt]

I haven't stayed at any of the hotels listed, as this will be my first trip to DL. However, I just wanted to play devil's advocate here (not sure why... must do it ). At the age of you kids, you might want to consider what my family calls the "rolling nap". We usually go to WDW. In the early days, we used to take a nap break at the hotel. We usually found that the kids passed out on the way to the hotel and then there was no amount of coaxing or bribing that would get them to nap once we were there. We have since adopted the "rolling nap" which involves a double stroller (yes, our older one sometimes passes out in there too). Usually mid afternoon, we just start strolling around, not doing anything in particular, not pointing anything neat out, or shopping or anything, just walking. At this point, the kids pass out. Then we either find a shady spot to park and people watch for a while, or we wheel back to the hotel if we are planning to swim that afternoon. The kids usually get at least an hour this way (which is the best to be expected on vacation, in our minds). Then we usually call it an early night (home between 8 and 9). This works for us, however, because we are usually traveling in the low season and the parks close early, so going home early isn't a big deal. If you are going during a time when you want to be in the parks real late, then I would recommend a several hour break back at the hotel.

Just my two cents.

p.s. For our upcoming trip we are staying at the HoJo, but again... since we are used to WDW then walk doesn't scare us.

 

[alexan33]

so does everyone think carousel will be best for some not too picky, wife, 8 y/o, and 6 mo old--so we can get back for a nap and head back in

 

[Disneyluvr2]

I vote for Park Vue Inn! We've been staying there 3-4 times a year for the last 7 years and love it! You can't beat the location!!! It's directly across the street from the entrance. I stayed at the Carousel for one night in Oct but I liked Park Vue much better. The Carousel had a horrible breakfast compared to Park Vue! I don't think you'll be sorry if you stay at Park Vue Inn!

 

[pixiewings71]

My vote goes to Tropicana. If it wasn't for the HoJo's awesome Ent Rate we would be there soon. lol But I can't see spending the extra $$ to stay at the Tropicana so it's the HoJo for us this trip.

 

[mystic_path]

My vote is the Tropicana! Clean, close, friendly staff, decent free breakfast and nice pool.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

I can't recommend any hotel over another, since I've never stayed at any of 'em! I will, however, play devil's advocate on another issue. Have you ever hoteled it with your baby before? Does baby still wake up in the night? If so, you may want to consider a 'suite' type of arrangement, where there is a separate room for mommy and baby to be during those middle of the night cuddle/feeding sessions. Stayed in a hotel at Christmas with dh, my 1 yr old, 2 yr old and 5 yr old in one room. 1 yr old came down with stomach flu, and kept everyone except dh up all night crying and being sick. If we had a separate space, her and I could have hunkered down for the night there and let everyone else sleep. It was really hard to manage. We also did a Christmas trip when she was 4 months old, and when she would wake in the night to eat, she'd wake all the kids. Made for very long nights and days with cranky kids....

The DI has a 'suite' type set up, where your sitting room is separate from the sleeping space. You and dw would also have a place to be if you don't want to be asleep at the same time as the kids. Not sure which other hotels offer these types of rooms (Camelot - where we will stay in April, does too, but I noticed it didn't make your short list). Just something that may help tip the scales in favor of one hotel or another....