Which Marriott Hotel??? DATES?? Planning 1st trip to DL

[IBLarsen]

Hi, I'm new to this board and trying to plan my familys 1st trip to DL. There is myself, DH, DS will be 5 and DD will be 3. We have enough Marriott rewards points to cover our hotel stay at DL. SO now, which of the Marriotts would be better to stay at? We have these choices: Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Anaheim Marriott Suites. It looks like the Fairfield Inn is the only one within walking distance, but that is generally Marriotts lower end brand of hotel. SO does anybody have experience at any of these? Walking would be nice. The others use the ART shuttle. Is the Fairfield decent? or would it be better to stay at one of the others and shuttle in? We do have 2 little ones. We are thinking of planning our trip for the 1st week of October this year, is this a decent time to come? Our other option is August, but I am thinking it would be too hot for little ones? And too crowded? We are only going to be there for 3 days. ANY advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[VegasMike21]

out of those 3 i would say marriott suites, gonna be staying there for 2 nights in may then moving onto the residence inn for the next 7 where the entire week is covered with rewards points. fairfield had bed bug problems there last year. don't know nothing about courtyard though.

 

[HydroGuy]

Folks are particular about their hotel choices. Some people prefer the nicer hotels and are willing to be further away from DLR. Me personally, I like nicer hotels too but when I am at DLR we are almost never at our hotel except for sleeping. So a nicer hotel is wasted on us. So we lean towards convenience over luxury, and that mean walking distance hotels. With that as a background I would choose Fairfield among your three.

Whether or not October is a decent time or not depends on what you are looking to do and your priorities. October is getting into Halloween season which many people like, but it is also off season and you will likely have several rides down for refurb including the Matterhorn. For more info on this see "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

August will be hotter and more crowded, but also have longer park hours with everything open and entertainment maxed out. IMO it is not nearly as bad as some people make out, and usually the ones who say it is bad use poor touring strategies. For information on how to do a summer visit see "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

If you decide to go in August then go on weekdays. If you decide October, then I would choose Thursday-Saturday to have more entertainment options.

 

[pumpkin5156]

I work at a Courtyard by Marriott a little south of DL. I have a toddler as well, and being near the park was the biggest issue for us. The Fairfield is the "lowest" grade hotel in my opinion, but it is the closest. We stayed there for 2 nights just this past December and it was clean and cheap (actually free for me).

It was about an 8 minute walk to the security check point at DL and was well worth it. We had to come back to the room for naps/breaks and such, so we loved the quickness of it all. Obviously the suites are much nicer, the Residence Inn is a home away from Home and the Courtyard is more like a business hotel.
Anyways, weigh what is more important to you and then check Trip Advisor for hotel review
Have fun!

 

[IBLarsen]

Thanks for the input so far....The Fairfield sounds appealing because of the walking distance. We will need to probably take breaks with our little ones. It's tough to choose a lower end hotel vs a nicer hotel when it is costing us the same amount of Marriott points either way we go. I'm fine with the Fairfield as long as I know it is at least decent place to stay. However if it really is a dive, then I would go ahead and book a little further away to upgrade. It sounds like the Fairfield may be the way to go with small children. The bed bugs posting was a little disturbing though! If anybody else has had experiences with the Fairfield good/bad, please let me know. Thanks again for your help!

 

[VegasMike21]

Thanks for the input so far....The Fairfield sounds appealing because of the walking distance. We will need to probably take breaks with our little ones. It's tough to choose a lower end hotel vs a nicer hotel when it is costing us the same amount of Marriott points either way we go. I'm fine with the Fairfield as long as I know it is at least decent place to stay. However if it really is a dive, then I would go ahead and book a little further away to upgrade. It sounds like the Fairfield may be the way to go with small children. The bed bugs posting was a little disturbing though! If anybody else has had experiences with the Fairfield good/bad, please let me know. Thanks again for your help!

don't let the bed bug thing turn you off, just heard last week about disneyland hotel having an incident with bed bugs. the fairfield looks like a decent place to stay i just dont like the exterior corridors of hotels, rather have them interior.

 

[IBLarsen]

OK, So since I'm so indecisive on where to stay, and weighing my pros and cons of these choices. I like the Fairfield for the location....but IF we were to stay at the Marriott Suites, how difficult is it to get to DL? Is it within walking distance with 2 small kids? Or is the ART shuttle the way to go with that hotel? And if the ART shuttle is the way to go, then how convenient is it to take it? I have read about people waiting quite some time to board. How often does it run? And is it generally a problem to shuttle back and forth middle of the day for rest time?

 

[Hound 109]

Thanks for the input so far....The Fairfield sounds appealing because of the walking distance. We will need to probably take breaks with our little ones. It's tough to choose a lower end hotel vs a nicer hotel when it is costing us the same amount of Marriott points either way we go. I'm fine with the Fairfield as long as I know it is at least decent place to stay. However if it really is a dive, then I would go ahead and book a little further away to upgrade. It sounds like the Fairfield may be the way to go with small children. The bed bugs posting was a little disturbing though! If anybody else has had experiences with the Fairfield good/bad, please let me know. Thanks again for your help!

I stayed there last year (on rewards points) & it was a typical Fairfield with a few Disney touches. Clean & non descript. I checked the Marriot Website again for a Dec. trip & was surprised that they had bumped it 2 "classes".

If it was me, i'd stay at the Farifield over the hotels that require the bus ride. But I'm the type of person who arrives at the gate 20 min. early & has the family take a rest each afternoon. I hate the idea of waiting for busses & missing rope drops or waiting in lines at night. If you're that type of person, you might prefer the Fairfield as well. A few other thoughts:

- 7-8 min. walk to the DL gate (depending on the light).
- McDs in the parking lot. (great for happy meals & cheap ice cream, also for mcBreakfast sandwiches to eat while standing in line waiting for DL opening.)
- A non-descript pool that we used each day. (Even used the changing room the last day to change into "Airplane clothes".
- No free breakfast. (the only Fairfield that i've stayed at that didn't have it).
- But vending machine bfasts are available. (but we grabbed McDs.)
- Two Queen Beds & a fold out chair that a 5-7 y/o will want to sleep on.

No complaints. Would do it again.

 

[pumpkin5156]

Like I said before, it was very clean and the service and employees were fast and friendly. I personally would pay for somewhere with continental b-fast, but since you're staying on points, I stick with the Fairfield. The have a coffee/pizza place on the 3rd floor that I heard was good (didn't go there myself). They have a video arcade and a decent pool/spa area. It is not a dive by any means and we found it perfect for our family with a toddler.

Proximity to the parks sounds like it's a big issue with you, so I'd stick with this one.

 

[MouseFan Down Under]

I have stayed at the Fairfield on all but 2 of my trips to DLR. (So this includes when it was the Ramada).

It has always been clean, the bed has always been comfortable and I have never had any issues at all.

I have always encouraged others to stay there. It is not going to be the best hotel you stay in, but as far as I am concerned I am only there to sleep and shower. The reason for my trip is to go to Disneyland.

Also, with two little ones, you will get a good deal on food at Millies restaurant out the front of the hotel.

It is close to the parks, it is close to the bus stop which can take you to numerous shopping outlets, and you can walk to many restaurants.

All in all a good choice!

Good Luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[Avery's mom]

I had the same dilemma for my last visit to DL. I had points to spend and the categories for Fairfield and the Suites were the same!! I really didn't want to be at the Fairfield, but because of the ability to walk, we ended up going there. Now, when I am going again in May, it is where I am going to stay. Here's why:
1. Easy to walk to - 8 minutes to the security gate.
2. Comfortable beds + the sleeper chair (sleeping capacity for 5)
3. We really enjoyed Millie's. (Kid meals were .99 with an adult meal)
4. The pool was not crowded at any time.
5. Gift shop in the lobby was convenient for last minute items.
6. Employees were helpful and friendly.
7. McDonald's breakfast was convenient on the way to the parks.
8. In May, when I have to pay for the stay, it's the cheapest!!!

I did look at the BWPPI, Carousel and others when booking for the May trip, but in the end, the Fairfield was a solid choice that worked really well for my family. I will be happy to stay there again.

 

[jennib5426]

My mom and I stayed at the Fairfield 2 years ago and it was fine.
We ate at McD's and Millies for breakfast in the morning and orderd Pizza Hut one night, all very convienant. The room was typical Fairfield and the rooms seemed large to me for a motel room.
Free internet and parking made up for the lack of free breakfast.

I would say the walk is more like 10 - 15 minutes but I alway just missed the crosswalk light to DL.

We are going in June and have booked Fairfield again with Marriott points.

 

[DisnyMama]

My DS and I got FairField through Priceline a couple years ago and really enjoyed our stay. Room was clean, Disneyland view, staff very friendly, most convenient to the main gates and since we can't afford to stay in one of the Disney hotels they had enough touches in the rooms and the lobby to make you feel like you were still at Disney which we love.

I always use Priceline when staying in the Disneyland area and always hope I will get Fairfield but the last time I got DoubleTree Hotel (not Suites) that is South of the Crystal Cathedral. Very nice, upscale but not directly around Disneyland and no Disney touches so kind of a bummer because when we returned to our room - no Disney at all. Pooh!!! But that's the chance you take when you want to save some $$$.