Courtyard Anaheim... or look elsewhere?

[OneThree]

First, I am totally biased since we have either lived in the area and just drove to DL or stayed at the DLH our last trips but the price of the on-sites have just gotten way too high.

We are looking at the Courtyard Anaheim for Spring Break 2020 but it is on the higher end in terms of cost for an offsite. We do tend to take a break mid day so the water park seems like a nice perk. Is it really a glorified splash pad?

Also looking at Springhill Suites. Thoughts on Courtyard, Springhill or others?

Thanks!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I haven’t stayed at either. We would stay at both. I think they’re great choices. They’re more expensive because they aren’t motels. It’s worth it to me. If it’s possible in your budget I definitely would choose one. I think Springhill includes breakfast and is a slightly longer walk.

 

[montreid]

Constricted to only Marriott?

Springhill is newer; has breakfast and 15-20min walk. Courtyard is a bit closer, but you consistently pay quite a bit more for that.
Element is opening about that time so keep an eye for that and probably distance same as Springhill.

Sheraton is consistently cheaper, 3minutes further than springhill and a little more dated, but if you have club, consider that option too.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

If you are sticking with Marriott, I have stayed at just about all the Marriott hotels in the area.

Courtyard is our go-to if we don’t stay at DLH. The pool has two big water slides, plus a few smaller ones attached to a play structure. There are also splash pad-like water features, a toddler wading pool, a larger pool (I believe max depth is 3’6”), and a hot tub. My daughter (12) can spend a few hours there and not be bored. It’s not a huge water park, but it’s definitely not a splash pad. Also, all the signs say there are no lifeguards on duty, but every time I’ve been there are two lifeguards on duty. The rooms are also much larger than any other Marriott in the area and each room has two showers, which I really appreciate even though we are only a family of three.We just stayed there last weekend and found the service to be impeccable. And the hotel was completely decked out for Halloween. It was incredibly well done, we were so impressed. The only downfall to this place is the restaurant/cafe. If you are getting anything other than a drink and something pre-made, prepare for wait a long time. The kitchen is extra slow, especially during peak hours. But it’s the closest walk to Disneyland.

The Springhill Suites at DLR/Convention Center is usually priced significantly cheaper than the Courtyard. Their rooms are fairly spacious but their pool is the size of a postage stamp and there is no hot tub. It’s not enjoyable for us, although our daughter will have fun in any pool. There are hardly any deck chairs inside the actual pool area, we often end up sitting outside the pool area where you can still see in but there is more seating. The hotel has a pretty good view of the fireworks from its rooftop deck, and some of the rooms do as well. I’ve also heard that they will let you use the Residence Inn pool next door, which is much larger and nicer.

I find the Residence Inn next door to the Springhill Suites to be much nicer. The rooms have full kitchens and the rooms just feels nicer to me for some reason. The pool at RI is twice the size as Springhill and there is a large hot tub. There is also a small splash pad play area and some cabanas. Some of the rooms have Disney views, but their rooftop pool does not. I’ve heard they will allow you to use Springhill’s rooftop deck to view the fireworks. RI is slightly further away that Springhill, but we’re talking an extra 60 seconds to your walk. Both are about a 10 minute further walk from Disneyland.

If I were to rank them:
1) Courtyard
2) Residence Inn
3) Springhill

 

[drloftis]

We are a Marriott family. If you want a pool, you cannot beat the Courtyard.

My goto is the Fairfield Inn next door. It is typically cheaper and I can usually get in on points (at a reasonable level). We are a family of 4 and our kids are college age. It is always clean and a little closer. The market they have on the 3rd floor is convenient and reasonable for a quick bit on the way out of the hotel in the morning. We are night owls, so we are in the parks from morning to close. We just want a place to sleep.

I do have status with Marriott and that gets you discounts, but there is no free breakfast here. The staff always puts us in a room up high and facing DL. We have watched the fireworks from the walkway several times.

If you want a pool or have smaller kids, this is not a good option. The pool is a postage stamp.

 

[SteveH]

I tend to stay at more Marriott properties, before that I was a regular at SPG properties. With the merger it's opened up some good options. Here are a couple tips...

IMHO the SpringHill suites by the convention center is a good location as is the Residence Inn & Sheraton if you are ok with a pretty straight forward walk. The SpringHill "Main Gate" is not great as far as walking to the park goes, better if you use the ART or Uber. Courtyard/Fairfield wins for walkers. My son stayed at the Fairfield and gave it good marks, though it's pretty basic. We stayed at the Sheraton and liked it, though heat of summer the A/C struggled to keep our room cool. I'd suggest a room not facing the park as it's a bit quieter with a pool view.

Last tip is no matter where you book keep checking prices within the Marriott owned hotels, we got a great deal just a week or so before our trip. Got the Sheraton for our entire stay vs SpringHill Main Gate for part of the trip. In fact the price at the Sheraton was lower then the SpringHill. Yeah no free breakfast but that's fine with me.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread has good information on choosing hotels in the DLR area: Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You.

 

[lovethesun12]

If you are sticking with Marriott, I have stayed at just about all the Marriott hotels in the area.

Courtyard is our go-to if we don’t stay at DLH. The pool has two big water slides, plus a few smaller ones attached to a play structure. There are also splash pad-like water features, a toddler wading pool, a larger pool (I believe max depth is 3’6”), and a hot tub. My daughter (12) can spend a few hours there and not be bored. It’s not a huge water park, but it’s definitely not a splash pad. Also, all the signs say there are no lifeguards on duty, but every time I’ve been there are two lifeguards on duty. The rooms are also much larger than any other Marriott in the area and each room has two showers, which I really appreciate even though we are only a family of three.We just stayed there last weekend and found the service to be impeccable. And the hotel was completely decked out for Halloween. It was incredibly well done, we were so impressed. The only downfall to this place is the restaurant/cafe. If you are getting anything other than a drink and something pre-made, prepare for wait a long time. The kitchen is extra slow, especially during peak hours. But it’s the closest walk to Disneyland.

The Springhill Suites at DLR/Convention Center is usually priced significantly cheaper than the Courtyard. Their rooms are fairly spacious but their pool is the size of a postage stamp and there is no hot tub. It’s not enjoyable for us, although our daughter will have fun in any pool. There are hardly any deck chairs inside the actual pool area, we often end up sitting outside the pool area where you can still see in but there is more seating. The hotel has a pretty good view of the fireworks from its rooftop deck, and some of the rooms do as well. I’ve also heard that they will let you use the Residence Inn pool next door, which is much larger and nicer.

I find the Residence Inn next door to the Springhill Suites to be much nicer. The rooms have full kitchens and the rooms just feels nicer to me for some reason. The pool at RI is twice the size as Springhill and there is a large hot tub. There is also a small splash pad play area and some cabanas. Some of the rooms have Disney views, but their rooftop pool does not. I’ve heard they will allow you to use Springhill’s rooftop deck to view the fireworks. RI is slightly further away that Springhill, but we’re talking an extra 60 seconds to your walk. Both are about a 10 minute further walk from Disneyland.

If I were to rank them:
1) Courtyard
2) Residence Inn
3) Springhill

You seem to be very knowledgeable on the hotels we are interested in. I'm hoping it will be o.k. to ask you a question?

We are really torn between the DLH (proximity/bubble), the courtyard, and a three room suite at Grand Legacy (really close walk and large room). We are going for 10 nights so the DLH would cost $4000 more (!!!) than the Courtyard . We could afford it, but there are so so many things I'd have more fun doing with that $4000 if the benefit isn't that great, lol.

It's our first time....would you say if it's in the budget go for the DLH? Or save the cash and take another vacation (lol).

TIA!

 

[kristensideaoffun]

You seem to be very knowledgeable on the hotels we are interested in. I'm hoping it will be o.k. to ask you a question?

We are really torn between the DLH (proximity/bubble), the courtyard, and a three room suite at Grand Legacy (really close walk and large room). We are going for 10 nights so the DLH would cost $4000 more (!!!) than the Courtyard . We could afford it, but there are so so many things I'd have more fun doing with that $4000 if the benefit isn't that great, lol.

It's our first time....would you say if it's in the budget go for the DLH? Or save the cash and take another vacation (lol).

TIA!

Two years ago: If it’s in the budget, I always go for DLH. We live in San Diego, so going up to DL for one day is rough with driving through OC traffic, so we usually stay at least one night, usually two. We go at least once a month, so we would stay at the DLH between 15-20 times a years. If we went more than once a month, we’d stay at an off-site Marriott. That’s a lot of $$$$$$.

Last year: We took a year off from having annual passes last year. In the year off, we were able to take a 10-day trip to Hawaii, rent a house on Catalina Island for a week, take a trip to Disney World, send our kid to an incredibly expensive week long surf camp, and visit my family in Austria with all the money we “saved”. We would normally only be able to do 1-2 of these things in addition to Disneyland.

Now: I think about all the things I COULD be doing with the extra money, so we now choose to only stay at DLH for special occasions. If you want to take another vacation and feel like you will be sacrificing that to stay at DLH, then stay at the Courtyard. I have been so incredibly impressed with their service and theming. While you have to walk outside the bubble to get there, I always feel re-immersed once I get there. Especially if you stay in a room with a Disney view. I personally wouldn’t bother with Grand Legacy, I have stayed there in both suites and non-suites. It’s a great budget option, but it’s still just an upgraded motel. The suites are right underneath the rooftop bar and the sound was pretty bothersome for me, and I’m not usually that sensitive to sound. Also, the pool is in the middle of the parking lot. The rooms at the Courtyard are very spacious. We’re only a family a three but we appreciate our space. I hate climbing over everyone’s luggage in a small room or pounding on the bathroom door telling my husband or daughter to hurry up in the shower. That definitely doesn’t happen when we stay at the Courtyard.

Are you going to be at Disneyland all 10 days? The other option is to bookend your stay with another hotel if you don’t plan to be in the parks the whole time. If your family likes water parks, Great Wolf Lodge is a great option and you can get significantly discounted rooms if you watch for specials and purchase in advance.

But the bottom line is - if you don’t feel like you are sacrificing anything to stay at DLH and it’s in your budget, go for it. DLH will always be my number one.

 

[lovethesun12]

Two years ago: If it’s in the budget, I always go for DLH. We live in San Diego, so going up to DL for one day is rough with driving through OC traffic, so we usually stay at least one night, usually two. We go at least once a month, so we would stay at the DLH between 15-20 times a years. If we went more than once a month, we’d stay at an off-site Marriott. That’s a lot of $$$$$$.

Last year: We took a year off from having annual passes last year. In the year off, we were able to take a 10-day trip to Hawaii, rent a house on Catalina Island for a week, take a trip to Disney World, send our kid to an incredibly expensive week long surf camp, and visit my family in Austria with all the money we “saved”. We would normally only be able to do 1-2 of these things in addition to Disneyland.

Now: I think about all the things I COULD be doing with the extra money, so we now choose to only stay at DLH for special occasions. If you want to take another vacation and feel like you will be sacrificing that to stay at DLH, then stay at the Courtyard. I have been so incredibly impressed with their service and theming. While you have to walk outside the bubble to get there, I always feel re-immersed once I get there. Especially if you stay in a room with a Disney view. I personally wouldn’t bother with Grand Legacy, I have stayed there in both suites and non-suites. It’s a great budget option, but it’s still just an upgraded motel. The suites are right underneath the rooftop bar and the sound was pretty bothersome for me, and I’m not usually that sensitive to sound. Also, the pool is in the middle of the parking lot. The rooms at the Courtyard are very spacious. We’re only a family a three but we appreciate our space. I hate climbing over everyone’s luggage in a small room or pounding on the bathroom door telling my husband or daughter to hurry up in the shower. That definitely doesn’t happen when we stay at the Courtyard.

Are you going to be at Disneyland all 10 days? The other option is to bookend your stay with another hotel if you don’t plan to be in the parks the whole time. If your family likes water parks, Great Wolf Lodge is a great option and you can get significantly discounted rooms if you watch for specials and purchase in advance.

But the bottom line is - if you don’t feel like you are sacrificing anything to stay at DLH and it’s in your budget, go for it. DLH will always be my number one.

Thanks so much for your response! It helped a lot - I think we will pass on DLH. Since we have never been, we are planning on staying there for 10 days but taking a few days to do maybe universal, some shopping, etc. We live in a VERY cold region and my kids rarely get to swim other than 1-2 months a year so we are planning to take advantage of the pool.

I did consider just spending a few nights at DLH but we've done split stays at WDW and didn't enjoy moving, lol. Our last stay at Beach Club in WDW was amazing but what we loved the most was the proximity to the park which I feel we will have with the courtyard anyway. Plus we will have enough left in our budget for dessert parties, a few dining packages, BBB, and a trip to NYC in the fall or winter. Hard to say no to all that

 

[Aurora0427]

Thanks so much for your response! It helped a lot - I think we will pass on DLH. Since we have never been, we are planning on staying there for 10 days but taking a few days to do maybe universal, some shopping, etc. We live in a VERY cold region and my kids rarely get to swim other than 1-2 months a year so we are planning to take advantage of the pool.

I did consider just spending a few nights at DLH but we've done split stays at WDW and didn't enjoy moving, lol. Our last stay at Beach Club in WDW was amazing but what we loved the most was the proximity to the park which I feel we will have with the courtyard anyway. Plus we will have enough left in our budget for dessert parties, a few dining packages, BBB, and a trip to NYC in the fall or winter. Hard to say no to all that

Definitely take a day a drive to Newport Beach. We are newbies to Southern California, so I don’t have specific recommendations, but everyone keeps telling us how great Newport Beach is, and we live in coastal San Diego which is pretty spectacular. I think NB also has a really nice outdoor mall..... can’t remember the name but I know it’s been listed on here so perhaps someone can chime in if you’re interested.

We are hotel snobs and when we go to WDW I feel like I’m slumming it if we stay at the Polynesian over the Grand Floridian, but we don’t stay at the DLH or the GCH unless it’s a special occasion. $4000 is a lot of money and that pays for a really nice special second vacation. I think you’ll be happy at the Courtyard Marriott!!!!!