Carousel Inn vs. Paradise Pier

[disneyfreak75]

It has been about 10 years since I stayed at the Carossel Inn but i loved it. The room was more than decent, it was close and convenient and the price was excellent. We stayed at the PP 2 years ago and i have to say it was a disappointment. The room was very big and the service was great but the there was a party at CaliforniaLand and we could hear the loud music as if it was a radio in our room. We could also hear people walking by our room. The elevator was VERY VERY slow.

The benefit of the PP is that you can get your purchased items delivered to your room but that was a bit of a pain as not all of the stores in DL offer thi service, you had to fill out a special form and it took a long time to get to us....unlike in WDW where it is super easy and quick. It is nice to be able to charge your room however.

If it is only $75 for the total stay I'd say it is not a bad but if it is $75 per night I would stay at the the Carossel Inn personally.

 

[tinkcollector]

WOW I am so very glad that my expierence with both of these hotels have been good ones. Okay with that said here are my opinions.
Carousel:
Very Nice Room, recently renovated and clean, nice toiletries. On the down side continental breakfast was way to basic, you had to pay extra for phone, internet and parking. We felt that the staff were very nice, and it was not thier fault when you asked for anything it came with an extra charge. There was no a frig in our room. As far a noise, yes you could hear guest in ajoining rooms as well as walking by your door.
Paradise Pier:
Very nice room, clean (not newly renovated but kept very well.), nice toiletries. We loved the Disney feel. Down side, no continental breakfast, charge for parking. We felt that the staff were all very nice and so very eager to please us. There was not a coffee maker in the room, and housekeeping brought one right over at no extra charge. We were out in the park so they did not even get a tip. As far as noise, with the window open you could hear DCA, but did not notice noise when the window was closed until a fire engine drove by with sirens on. Also, we could hear people walking by our door.
eeyore.3847 used the abbreviation of Smas, could someone please tell me what that means? Thank you inadvance.

 

[disneyfreak75]

Oh I should add that the PP charges you automatically for parking, internet and a paper, even if you don't use any of them so be aware of this extra charge. We didn't need parking and didn't really want the paper but we did have our laptop so that was okay.

 

[dizbug]

Have stayed at most of the motels on S. Harbor and don't care for any of them. HoJo's is best (not sure what they've done to their pool area - it was completely dug up in March) but slightly further away. Carousel had a better continental breakfast than most but the room was far too noisy. I'm not usually noise sensitive but I know my husband would be miserable there - heard everything above and below us. They also tried to implement a parking charge that wasn't disclosed on the site - we fought it (successfully) as did the couple behind me but it left a bad taste in my mouth. We're AP holders from WA and stay in the area frequently - they shouldn't try to charge for parking when no one else does. We stayed there Jan '08. I would definitely do PP instead - nice not to leave the Disney theming - once you step onto South Harbor, the vacation's over as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Denton]

I stayed at the Carousel last November.

Pros:

Great location, cheap price, free breakfast, close to Quiznos & McDonalds

Cons:

Uncomfortable bed. Way too soft.
Parking is a bit tight
Our room felt stuffy. We had to run the A/C all night long.


Overall, it was an OK experience. I can't say I was expecting much, since it is just a motel, not a hotel or resort. I've read reviews from some people extolling the virtues of the Carousel's beds, but they were too soft for us.

 

[hungrybunnies]

Thanks for all the replies! I wasn't expecting to get so many. We are going to be arriving to DLR on Tuesday and leaving on Friday so the MM wouldn't have played a factor for choosing a hotel. I had been checking out reviews TripAdvisor and hotels.com as well. Many good and bad reviews for both places there as well.

However, now it doesn't look like we going to stay at either PP or Carousel. I was talking to DH the other night and he had in mind a less expensive place to stay at DLR. So it might HoJo's or CCI for us instead.

 

[PrincessIM]

We stayed at PP last May and again just last week. We enjoyed our stay both times. The room was very clean. We had a view of the park which the kids loved pulling a chair up to and just watched the going ons of the park. Housekeeping forgot to leave a bath mat one morning but not a big deal, I got it right away when I asked for it. The 3 MM alone made it worth it for us. Also, you can charge items to your room and have them delivered to the hotel so you don't have to carry your purchases around with you. As for the walk, it's not far at all. DS 3 was able to walk it no problem. Just cut across to the GCH and follow the signs to DTD or use the private entrance into DCA.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I would do PP , especially if you plan on swimming at all. Carousel still has a "motel" vibe as compared to the PP high rise resort.

 

[mrs.ariel]

We just returned from a stay at the Carousel...we stayed in the View Suite, and also had 2 other standard rooms for family. The beds were VERY comfortable!
My only complaint in the suite was the noise from the street-I had to wear earplugs, and it still sounded like a Semi was parking in the living room!

The staff was wonderful-we did have a slight plumbing issue, but it was resolved promptly, and we were given a 3pm checkout, because the suite was not booked for that evening!
The location is PERFECT-just across the street from the entrances!
I would stay there again, just bring the earplugs!!!