carousel or hojos?? 4 days with 6 yr old

[liska67]

Hi there, we are flying from the land of Oz to Disney in May. I can stay either at Hojo's with no breakfast and further from the hotel but cheaper and nice looking rooms or upgrade and stay at the Carousel (which is being refurbished/renovated at present) with breakky included==continental style. Where have you stayed? it's for 4 days, HELLPPPPPP!! can't make a decisions
Lisa

 

[bumbershoot]

I have stayed at both, and I'd go with HoJo. It's *maybe* 5 minutes extra compared to Carousel, and that's if you walk on the hotel-side of the street (with driveways with cars/trucks/delivery vehicles wanting to get in and out of them). If you walk on the park-side of the street, it's less time.

And Carousel's b'fast might have changed, but when I was there it was NASTY donuts, awful looking fruit, the tiniest cups for coffee you have ever seen...and it wasn't open in time for me to sit and eat and get to the gates at a time I wanted to get to the gates. Seriously not worth it, unless the simple fact that a food has calories makes it worth it!

 

[SeattleTink]

I have stayed at both within the past year, and it is a toss up.

HoJo's is farther away, but has a really great water play area that your 6 yo will love. The rooms are very nice, good beds, nice surroundings. Parking is plentiful.

The Carousel is closer, but is probably a little more outdated that HoJos. Although I like the room and the beds a lot. Parking is tighter.

The breakfast at the Carousel is not fancy...but for us it got us off an running. They have 4 kinds of cereal (3 cold, and oatmeal), white and wheat bread to toast with butter and jelly, pastries and donuts (not fancy...more the supermarket variety), oranges and apples. There was coffee, tea, apple and orange juice and milk to drink. It is very basic...but again, when I am at home all I need is a small bowl of cereal and a piece of toast and I am good to go. They do sell breakfast burritos from Quiznos - they cost $2.00.

I think either choice is a good one...I would go with the cheaper choice...just my opinion.

Good luck deciding and have a great trip.

 

[GrandBob]

I also have stayed at both in the last year, and I'd go with HoJo's, hands down. The breakfast at Carousel was worthless -- in the 5 days we were there, they only had donuts and juice a couple of days. Hojo's rooms are light years nicer, and the kids' water play area makes it a definite winner for your 6 year-old.

-Bob

 

[christineka]

We stayed at HoJo's. The kids had a blast at the waterpark. (In February- it was 70 degrees!) The beds and pillows were cushy. I normally don't sleep away from home, but I did there. Dh went to Food Maxx or whatever it is called. He bought us bakery stuff, fruit, milk, and OJ. We brought along oatmeal, paper bowls, plastic spoons, disposable cups, and hot chocolate. We breakfasted fine in our rooms in our pjs and headed for the park early. (We had a bit of a time change that helped us be early.) For us, cheaper was better.

 

[Halo]

A big attraction of staying at HoJo's for us was breakfasting in the Mimi's opposite - that really was a first class way to start the day.

 

[samkj]

We've also done both. I loved how close Carousell was, but didn't care for the breakfast and the rooms were so-so.

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HoJo! The world's best customer service(I work as a travel agent and have talked to many hotels, no one else even comes close!) We will be staying there at least three times this year!

 

[bo_dave]

We are big fans of Millie's for breakfast next to Mimi's and it is a good price of you have a best guest club coupon. We go to which ever one has the least wait.

there is also a Mc Donalds on the way from the Ho Jo's to the park that is good for take away on your way to magic morning. We eat it when we are on queue and waiting to get in the park.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Since you said you have a six-year-old, I highly recommend the Hojos. The Carousel has a rooftop pool, and the parking is very narrow. They have a wonderful view of the parks from their breakfast room, but really, how much time are you going to spend there?

The Hojo has a wonderful water play area that your 6-year is sure to love, and from there you'll be able to see the fireworks on those days he/she might be too tired to hang around the parks.

When we went on our vacation to WDW when my kids were 10 & 11, we took cereal & snack bars for breakfast and ate in our rooms before heading out. We took a cooler (on the airplane) and kept milk, yogurt, etc., in there. But there were no fridges at the hotels when we went. You can pack your own breakfast, or go to Mimi's (cut above Dennys -really good), or Millies (diner style). Both are on the way to the parks.

If it were me with my kids, I would pick the Howard Johnson.

 

[Judy from Boise]

or to make it even harder you could stay at Candy Cane Inn and get a nice breakfast and a dedicated shuttle( but a fairly plain pool).

 

[BELLEDOZER]

Another big vote for HOJO's. Stayed there for 7 days last year, and loved it. Am planning on staying there next year for 2 trips to the mouse, and have gotten so spoiled with the high quality of service there that the kids don't want to stay anywhere else. They still talk about how much fun that they had in the Pirate water play area there, and can't wait to go back. Their gift shop is small, but well stocked with breakfast items, so I would head down in the morning to get cereal, milk and danishes for the family before heading to the parks for the day. Hope that this helps you with your decision. Have a great day!