Distance vs comfort: WWYD?

[Tanooki]

Hi!
We’re WDW vets planning our first ever trip to DL this summer. Since we’re a family of 6, we need to find a hotel/motel that can fit us somewhat comfortably for a 9 night stay.

We have 5-day park hopper tickets bought with the Canadian discount and we also want to do/see things around but we won’t get a car if possible.

We have a reservation at the Homewood Suites Convention Center for suite with a king bed, bunk beds with a trundle and a sofa bed so everyone gets a separate bed, plus there’s a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator. Breakfast is also included (from what I read, it’s a great buffet) and there’s a Manager reception Mon-Thur evening with food and drinks. It appears to be “walkable” to DL in about 20 minutes but it’s also next to the Toy Story bus.

I also found availability (and also made a reservation) at the Park Vue Inn for a suite with 2 queen beds and bunk beds (so 2 kids need to share a queen). There is also a small kitchenette area, but with a compact refrigerator. Breakfast is also included, although not as great but ok according to the reviews I read. This is, however, right across the street from the parks.

PVI is about 300$ less for our whole stay.
What would you do?
The Homewood Suite seems more comfortable but farther away.
Both hotels get rave reviews but location, location, location, right?

Our youngest is 10yo so no more strollers and baby stuff to log around.

Let me know what you think!

 

[figment_jii]

Personally, I would go with location. Location saves you time; you're not dependent on the bus and/or you won't have long of a walk to/from the hotel. By the end of the day, a 20 minute walk can feel like miles (okay that's an exaggeration, but it feels so far away).

That being said, I'm not inclined to do any cooking when I'm on vacation (so the standard microwave and mini-fridge is usually enough) and I'm not a big breakfast person (there are so many yummier things to eat in the parks!).

 

[Niltiac]

Would you be going back to the hotel mid-day for breaks/naps? Would you allow your older kids to come and go from the hotel on their own (say, if they want to sleep in)? If not, I would probably go with the more comfortable accommodations unless you're worried about spending the extra money.

If you're literally just walking to and from the parks once per day together as a family, the distance from the Toy Story Lot area really isn't bad. I don't even think it's a 20 minute walk. I think the real advantage to being right across the street is being able to come and go on a whim, but depending on your touring style you might not end up taking advantage of that.

 

[smartlabelprint]

With your ages id stay at HomeWood. We just got back from there. The staff is amazing.

If you’re there mon-thurs they have wonderful dinners. We were even able to find a few things our gluten free kids could eat on the dinners. If you’re not there to take advantage of any dinners I’d probably switch. Each one is probably $75 eating out with 6 adults. So take that into consideration with the $300.

We don’t plan on taking our toddlers for awhile. I’m not sure we’d stay thereif *we* were going back next year. The double stroller is just too much work on the bus and the walk was too much 4x a day.

Just take the toy story bus!

ETA: I walked to the park by myself one day to time it. I’m a bit overweight but I walk pretty fast and time the stop lights. It took me exactly 20 min to get to security.

I am staying at best western park place in on a trip with just me and my sis in December! Since we don’t need spacious accommodations I can’t do that walk!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

For the number of nights you're going to be there I would recommend Homewood Suites. Park Vue Inn is pretty basic.

 

[Butterfly123]

Are you breaking up your park days with day trips, or are you doing your park days in row? If it’s the latter I would stay at PVI for that part of your trip, and then move to homewood for your other days. If you are breaking up your park days with day trips I would stay at PVI if you tour like us...start early, midday break, stay late. If you don’t plan on taking a midday rest on your park days then I would choose Homewood.

 

[deedubb]

You know your family best. For us, I would usually go with comfort, which means, more space, more beds, more bathrooms. However, at DLR, it is so nice to have a short walk to the parks, especially at night when the kids are tired. If they both only have one bathroom, I would go Park Vue. If one of them has 2 bathrooms, I would probably choose that one. That is provided 2 of the kids don't mind sharing a bed.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Double

 

[smartlabelprint]

Are you breaking up your park days with day trips, or are you doing your park days in row? If it’s the latter I would stay at PVI for that part of your trip, and then move to homewood for your other days. If you are breaking up your park days with day trips I would stay at PVI if you tour like us...start early, midday break, stay late. If you don’t plan on taking a midday rest on your park days then I would choose Homewood.

HomeWood offers a huge discount for a week or more stay.

 

[azdisneylover]

Like others have said, you know your family best and how they feel after a long day on their feet. Walking TO THE PARKS is easy because it is exciting, and usually it is after a good night sleep. Walking BACK TO THE HOTEL is a whole other beast. If got a blister, you will feel that blister pain, amplified with every long step back to your room. I would stay as close to Disneyland's entrance as possible. You might want to go back during the day for a swim, or a nap. What ever you decide, have fun!

 

[Cal-Pie]

We struggle with the same decisions every trip, and every trip I opt for location over amenities. I have yet to be sorry. We are Hilton/Hyatt people everywhere else we travel, but for DL it just doesn't work for us.

 

[Indiana Scott]

I would and do stay at PVI. It's perfectly comfortable and nice. The super short walk to our room is a true luxury.

 

[NewbieMouse]

I would always pick distance over comfort. Coming back from the parks hurts.

 

[lcp9]

We have 3 little kids and always stay at that RI by the convention center across from the toy story lot. I mean, we come with a lot of crap (strollers/car seats) so we like the space and the full kitchen. For us, very active 30s plus 6, 4, 2yo, it's usually a 12 minute walk. We don't go back during the day (but we also didn't go back the times we stayed across the street at the Fairfield.) We don't mind walking, and frankly the 2 blocks or whatever is peanuts compared to what we do in the parks.

 

[Staceycs]

We have had this decision to make many times, and we now know that location wins, hands-down. We’ve never regretted choosing location over comfort, and keep in mind that you’ll still be pretty comfortable at PVI.

 

[Safari23]

I'm having the same dilemma. My only worry with the close motel style ones is that they're noisier. They're generally closer to the road and people are walking outside right by your door. We're not early risers, so my biggest concern with the outdoor hallways is being woken up. I'm a pretty light sleeper as it is. Can anyone comment on the noise factor for these motels vs the bigger hotel style rooms? I understand you can get noisy people anywhere. But all things equal is the motel room style going to be harder to get a good nights sleep?

 

[smartlabelprint]

I'm having the same dilemma. My only worry with the close motel style ones is that they're noisier. They're generally closer to the road and people are walking outside right by your door. We're not early risers, so my biggest concern with the outdoor hallways is being woken up. I'm a pretty light sleeper as it is. Can anyone comment on the noise factor for these motels vs the bigger hotel style rooms? I understand you can get noisy people anywhere. But all things equal is the motel room style going to be harder to get a good nights sleep?

I’d say yes. Based on staying at best western park place inn and desert inn.

 

[Tanooki]

Thanks for all your replies and comments! You all made good points and helped with the decision.
We’ve pretty much decided to go with PVI as we do like to take breaks during the day (we are not open-to-close kind of people) and we feel the proximity will be a much appreciated luxury
This is possibly our last vacation as a family of 6 since my oldest will start working soon and won’t be available to go on vacation with the family so it’ll be nice to be all together one more time, even if it means being a little crammed in a room
Plus, we made the decision that we will need a car to go around since we want to do more around the place (Knott’s Berry farm/water park, WB studios tour, possibly Universal, etc.) and transportation for 6 really adds up (shuttles, taxis, uber). So we’ll rent a minivan from the airport and the free parking at PVI is a definite plus since parking at Homewood costs 18$/day.
I will hold on to both reservations for a while, just to make sure we are making the right decision so don’t hesitate to add to this conversation, I really love reading your comments
Thanks again!

 

[McNs]

If you like taking breaks during the day then I think on balance location will just beat comfort. Short walks back to the hotel can't be beat, something we found with our first WDW visit last year and putting up with the pain that is any form of transport to or from Magic Kingdom! We usually stay on site at DLR and certainly missed being able to walk everywhere at WDW.

 

[Niltiac]

I'm having the same dilemma. My only worry with the close motel style ones is that they're noisier. They're generally closer to the road and people are walking outside right by your door. We're not early risers, so my biggest concern with the outdoor hallways is being woken up. I'm a pretty light sleeper as it is. Can anyone comment on the noise factor for these motels vs the bigger hotel style rooms? I understand you can get noisy people anywhere. But all things equal is the motel room style going to be harder to get a good nights sleep?

Maybe you could look into Del Sol - they're right across the street but sort of tucked away behind another building, not on the street, if I remember right. So the only people walking around back there would be the other people staying there. You could also try requesting a room near the back of the property.