Can't Decide on Hotel

[ClaraOswald]

For our last three trips, we stayed at the Desert Inn in a parlor suite. We are booked there for June as well. But now I'm contemplating the Candy Cane Inn (if they are reopened.)

At the Desert Inn, we really like the size of the parlor suite. Though we don't use the little "living room" area for hanging out, it's historically just where we put our suitcases (and stroller, though we won't have one this time.) We also like the short walk to the parks. It can seem longer at the end of the day though. And we always take a mid-day break, which makes for a hot walk back at 2pm or so in the Summer. Also, our son is autistic and this hotel would be pretty familiar for him. I'm not sure if a different hotel would bother him or not since we haven't traveled at all the last 2 years.

We started looking at the Candy Cane Inn the other day when I saw that they have a dedicated shuttle to the parks. While the walk from the DI isn't long at all. The idea of being dropped off right by security would be pretty nice. Another plus for the CCI would be that we wouldn't need to use an elevator. This probably sounds dumb but elevators have always freaked me out. And the one at DI is definitely not my favorite thing, but kind of necessary since the parlor suites are on the 4th floor.

From the looks of it, the breakfast options at both hotels seem fairly similar (correct me if I'm wrong on that.)

The CCI is doing major renovations right now and I am guessing the rooms while be fresh and nice when they finish. As far as I know, the Desert Inn will be about the same as our last trip in 2018.

The price different isn't too drastic so that's not really a factor for us.

Anyone know what the noise is like at the Candy Cane Inn?
At the Desert Inn, we have been able to hear neighbors next to us before. But being on the top floor helped with noise from above, obviously. However....we were able to hear thumping music from a hotel roof bar a few hotels down the road. I'm not sure if this can be heard at the CCI too or not. Thoughts on that??

So yeah....any opinions would be great. Sorry this was kind of long!

 

[duckboyone]

Personally, I hate relying on shuttles, and it doesn't get much closer than the Desert. That's probably the biggest deal for me, honestly. There are other factors, like having more restaurants nearby the Desert, and being able to see the fireworks from the hotel, if you are not in the park. I'm not sure if that's possible from the CC. I can't speak to the quality of CC, never stayed there, not sure how much renovations do to improve it.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Personally, I hate relying on shuttles, and it doesn't get much closer than the Desert. That's probably the biggest deal for me, honestly. There are other factors, like having more restaurants nearby the Desert, and being able to see the fireworks from the hotel, if you are not in the park. I'm not sure if that's possible from the CC. I can't speak to the quality of CC, never stayed there, not sure how much renovations do to improve it.

We've never stayed anywhere with a shuttle. They are unreliable?? Their info says they come every 30 minutes. I assumed it was fairly reliable (moreso than the buses at WDW, anyway) since they are so close to the parks.

 

[lvdis]

We've never stayed anywhere with a shuttle. They are unreliable?? Their info says they come every 30 minutes. I assumed it was fairly reliable (moreso than the buses at WDW, anyway) since they are so close to the parks.

Candy Cane Inn has a dedicated shuttle and when we stayed there in the past it was very reliable. If you didn't want to wait for the next one, it's really a pretty quick walk. The shuttles that I've heard can be unreliable are the ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation) shuttles used with hotels that are further away, but I've never used them.

 

[Pluto468]

The Candy Cane Inn shuttle was great when we stayed there. A few times over the course of the week it ran late because the driver was having a break, but then they brought out a van to drive everyone. I didn't mind, but at the time I thought that being even 10 minutes late could really mess up something like a dinner reservation. The walk isn't bad at all if you don't want to take the shuttle.

During the day we never had to wait for it to go from the parks back to Candy Cane, it was always right on time. Sometimes at the end of the day we would have to wait for it to come back around because there were so many people in line for it.

The driver was very friendly and and the ride is short. Less than 10 minutes, I think.

There are a few stores right down the road, like CVS and Walgreens, which was convenient.

We didn't have any noise issues at Candy Cane that I remember. We were on the first floor. The rooms were smaller than I expected, so it might seem even smaller to you if you're used to a suite.

I would have stayed at Candy Cane if they'd been open in time for our May trip. It's so nice and will be even better after the renovation. We like the premium room because it's bigger, breakfast is delivered to your room & check out is at 2:00 instead of 11.

 

[duckboyone]

We've never stayed anywhere with a shuttle. They are unreliable?? Their info says they come every 30 minutes. I assumed it was fairly reliable (moreso than the buses at WDW, anyway) since they are so close to the parks.

It's not that, it's just that if I miss a shuttle, I don't want to wait 20 or 30 minutes for the next one, I just want to get over there when I want to. Just a personal preference. That, plus running around getting fast passes for my kids, I usually lose 10-15 pounds every trip lol. Too bad it's all on the app now, there's goes my exercise...

 

[smartlabelprint]

It's not that, it's just that if I miss a shuttle, I don't want to wait 20 or 30 minutes for the next one, I just want to get over there when I want to. Just a personal preference. That, plus running around getting fast passes for my kids, I usually lose 10-15 pounds every trip lol. Too bad it's all on the app now, there's goes my exercise...

In this case candy cane is so close you can easily walk if you miss the shuffle

 

[duckboyone]

In this case candy cane is so close you can easily walk if you miss the shuffle

Right, I'm just saying, in comparison to the Desert Inn, which is about a short as walk as you can get, I'd rather just stay there and walk across the street.

 

[ClaraOswald]

And now we're also considering the Park Vue Inn, just for something different. It would be a 1 queen, 1 bunk bed room so pretty small. But the top bunk could be a good place to put suit cases. And it's still a LOT bigger than our camper. Ha!

 

[zemmer]

And now we're also considering the Park Vue Inn, just for something different. It would be a 1 queen, 1 bunk bed room so pretty small. But the top bunk could be a good place to put suit cases. And it's still a LOT bigger than our camper. Ha!

The beds are Park Vue are comfortable! We’ve stayed there 3 times. Trying Desert Inn next week because they have the big suites (we have extended family joining us) but have read numerous reviews that the beds are awful.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I thought you had already booked in a low rate at desert inn & suites. Since you’ve stayed there before I’d stick to that. You know what you’re getting.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Between DI&S and PVI, I'd pick PVI every time. Better pool, better parking (I don't like valet), better breakfast, better beds, friendlier staff. As long as you have no accessibility issues in your party (there is no elevator) ask for second floor toward the back, it's quieter.

I'm always torn between trying Candy Cane, and staying closer. I'm a gardener at heart, so their beautiful grounds impress me. But so far, I've always picked something closer.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Sadly, Park Vue doesn't have breakfast anymore. Though Desert Inn's breakfast isn't much and other than an occasional pastry, we mostly eat breakfast in our room (cereal, toast, bacon, etc.) That's one of the reasons we were liking the idea of the Candy Cane Inn.

We do like the idea of a guaranteed parking spot. At Desert Inn we always had to valet and it was kind of a pain.

The lack of elevator is a plus for us, actually, and one of the reason we are even considering park vue. I hate elevators and my son isn't a fan of small spaces. Also the idea of just stepping out the door and maybe going down just one flight of stairs sounds nice. Thanks for the tip about asking for the back. Quiet is always better. I wonder if we'd be able to hear the roof top bar from down the street or if the taller Desert Inn building would block it.

I agree that the Candy Cane grounds look great. It has more of a "magical" look to it than the other places.

We did get a good rate for the parlor suite at the Desert Inn but I am still just on the fence about it. And if a suite was available at Park Vue we would probably change it to that, no question. But those are all booked.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Sadly, Park Vue doesn't have breakfast anymore.

Not at all? I knew they didn't serve hot items anymore, but I didn't realize they eliminated it entirely. That's too bad.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Not at all? I knew they didn't serve hot items anymore, but I didn't realize they eliminated it entirely. That's too bad.

Not at all. I emailed to ask if they would be bringing it back and they basically just said "Sorry, we don't have breakfast" so I'm guessing that means it won't come back. Apparently their laundry room is also closed so that's kind of a bummer and might effect my decision if it doesn't reopen.

 

[crystal1313]

We stayed at the Park Vue in the queen room with bunk beds and loved it!! It was really quiet too and we were right next to the stairs on the 1st floor. Cannot beat the walk!! Plus I believe they have free parking. Would totally stay there again! And since the room has a microwave and mini fridge, we just brought breakfast sandwiches from home.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We stayed at the Park Vue in the queen room with bunk beds and loved it!! It was really quiet too and we were right next to the stairs on the 1st floor. Cannot beat the walk!! Plus I believe they have free parking. Would totally stay there again! And since the room has a microwave and mini fridge, we just brought breakfast sandwiches from home.

Do you by change remember how big the closet was? Weird question, probably. But trying to figure out if we'd be able to fit our hanging clothes plus one of those hanging closet organizer that has shelves.

 

[crystal1313]

Do you by change remember how big the closet was? Weird question, probably. But trying to figure out if we'd be able to fit our hanging clothes plus one of those hanging closet organizer that has shelves.

So the closet was not very big, but it was all open, meaning there was no door to the closet. It was right next to the microwave and refrigerator in the area. I think you might be able to fit all of those things in the closet (depending on how many hanging items you have) we all used the hangers to hang up our hoodies and I also used them to hang out clothes for the next day to get wrinkles out. We have a video on this hotel but for some reason we don’t show the closet area!

 

[ClaraOswald]

That's your video? Awesome! I just watched it yesterday and it made me really like the room even if it is on the small side.

I was thinking of hanging one of these plus some shirts in the closet. It's about 1 foot wide. We want to use it to put our shorts on and maybe snacks or other odds and ends we can't find room for.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/6193b37KWPL._AC_SX679_.jpg

Another question - are there towels available by the pool or do we need to bring some down?

 

[Malcon10t]

Right, I'm just saying, in comparison to the Desert Inn, which is about a short as walk as you can get, I'd rather just stay there and walk across the street.

I've gotten too old to be comfortable there. Beds and pillows are just too uncomfortable.

Candy Cane is close and you know the shuttle times so you can plan to be there in time. Previously, it left the motel at the hour and the half, if you got there at 1:05, you know you missed it. The return was the 15 and 45. You get to the stop at 1250, bus won't be back til 115. You can walk it in 10. And you won't be running around to get FP anymore, so don't worry about that.