Does anyone's head swim with hotel choices???

[carmel]

My brain hurts!!

If I want location, it is BWPPI or Park Vue Inn. If I want economical, it is Ramada Maingate. If I want nice grounds and a sure thing (we stayed there last time), it is HoJo.

My feet are telling me that location is the most important thing but I also have two children who must have been fish in their previous lives, so a good pool is a must.

We loved the fact we could sit out on our balcony at the HoJo and watch the fireworks each evening. But, that walk back to the hotel was a killer.

I'm so confused.

My hubby keeps telling me choices are a GOOD thing. I know he is right but my head is swimming with all of these choices.

 

[cinderella_bella]

yes I feel like that. which one which site has the better price. location, emenitites,price then the head starts to float off my body.

Tania

 

[maryjeane]

My head was swimming the same way - in fact, I was totally obsessed with finding the best deal - location, price, etc. I had reservations at BW Raffles, Desert Inn and was trying to get in at Carousel. We didn't want to have to deal with the shuttle and we have 5 kids so finding a room big enough is tricky. We ended up going with the Anaheim Residence Inn booking thru Disney. Disney will tell you that the maximum occupany for that room is 6. I called Residence Inn and asked specifically about that room (Double Queen) to see if we could sleep 6 and a crib - they said no problem. I then called back to Disney and booked it, but only told them we have 6 people since the 2 yr. old won't need tickets or to pay for character breakfast. I hope it works because it ended up being the same price as Raffles, BUT it's a full breakfast (DH is diabetic so this was important) and they have dinner also. My DH is so glad I made a decision and won't be obsessing about it anymore!!

Good luck!!

 

[disneychrista]

For me location wins out. After may trips, staying at a number of the motels on Harbor, I think location is the winner.

 

[carmel]

disneychrista- Really? I'm leaning toward that. I'm liking the Park Vue Inn but made the mistake of going on trip advisor and read some bad reviews.

I know HoJo is a safe bet but it seems soooooo far away after 11 hrs in Disney. Plus, I want to be able to go back and forth between the hotel and park when the girls get tired.

Ooops, I guess I have answered my own question.

Now, I just need someone to tell me if the Park Vue in is nice and if they have a nice pool.

 

[Dobie]

Of, course, if what you want is location, a wonderful pool, and fireworks on your balcony, then the Grand Californian is the place to go!!!!!


Whats another 1000 bucks on the credit card, anyway!

 

[disneychrista]

I had a customer service nightmare with Park Vue so I will not stay there. But I would choose the Best Western Park Place Inn. Which is THE closest hotel to the pedistrian cross walk. It generally is a little more expensive but your feet will appreciate not having the extra few min walk to one of the other places.

 

[goofy370]

Our trip is 11/4-11/12. We are staying at the Carousel Inn. My mom did a bunch of research on the web and picked that one. The bad thing is that 4 people to a room, so one of my kids will have to stay with my parents.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I always weight location more than anything else, as you can never count on pool weather , I can pack bagels and juice from home, but the location is set in stone!

 

[LucyKate]

Wasn't really a problem for us - after reading reviews here and on trip advisor Howard Johnson lept out at me for quality and price. We had a great stay there and wouldn't consider anywhere else next time (unless I won the lottery and could afford a suite at the Grand Californian!)

Our kids were 6 and 9 at the time, and while the 6yo complained about the walk at the end of the day (and so dad had to carry her) we never found it that much of an inconvenience - it's shorter than the walk to our kids school.

I'd stick with what you know is good.

 

[disneylvr2]

I have also stayed at the Park Vue. It was a very bad experience! Even though we had told them when we reserved that we would arrive late, then called again to remind them - when we got there, they did not have a room for us. They tried to talk us into going over to their 'sister' hotel (I can't remember which one it was - but it was too far away to walk.) and then they would hopefully move us the next day. They finally 'discovered' that they had 1 room left but it was a single bed - so we ended up with 2 of us (Me & DS9) squished on a twin rollaway bed and the other 2 (Dsister & her DD17) on a double bed. We did eventually get moved to the bigger room we had reserved, but not without checking back 3 times to get it. The staff & front desk were horrible and never helpful. The breakfast was not very exciting. The pool was small - I never saw anyone in it - but we were at DL & DCA almost every moment we could be. The one really good part was the location. I would not stay there again unless I absolutely could not find anything that was close to the park.

 

[vascubaguy]

We are staying at the Carousel Inn in just a few weeks. I based the decision on location and then price a very close 2nd. This was a "suprise" trip that we decided to take (right after we purchased into DVC) so we knew money would be tight trying to take a non-planned trip. Anyway, I read some reviews of the Carousel and then found out it is really close to the crosswalk, then I checked the AAA site for discounts and the $60 per night had me sold!

For what small amount of time we'll be spending at the hotel, I couldn't justify any of the 3 Disney resort hotels over this. The Carousel has a pool on the roof (so I'm sure it's small), but it has the view of DL from the roof... it also has that panaramic view in the continental breakfast dining room. I think it should be pretty nice.

Less than 30 days! I can't wait! :thewave:

 

[hambirg]

It's sooo hard, isn't it? I finally went with the Desert Inn. There's 6 of us going (3 adults, 3 kids). The parlor suite there is going to be the best for us. We've stayed there before. It's not the nicest, but it was ok for us. It's very close to the crosswalk and that's a huge plus in my book. This is kind of a last minute trip for us (Oct. 19-26th). and I was afraid I wasn't going to find anything. Weds, Thurs and Fri. are sold out or crazy expensive. I guess there's a big convention. I hope the parks won't be too crowded. I'm excited no matter what.

 

[Albertan mom]

You need to remember-the hotel is just a small insignificant part of your holiday!
To me, the hotel is to shower and sleep. Thats it. I don't need fancy.
I need close to DL, 2 beds, shower, toliet.

We stayed at the Park Inn.
Location-excellent
Free breakfast-good enough to get you through to lunch
Gift shops-good for snacks, t-shirts, etc
Pool-only used it 2x-we can swim at home! But nice.
Service-good (free apples in the lobby for a snack too!)
Housekeeping-good (they arranged the stuffed animals in a cute way on the bed-kids were amused!)

I really liked staying on Harbour, and we will stay on that street again for sure. We had lots of restaurants close by. We could see Disneyland from our hotel room. I was cold one day. Hubby went to the hotel to get me a sweater. It took him 12 minutes round trip from CalAdventure to the hotel and back.
That is what was important to me. Convenience. At the end of a long day, your legs are tired, your kids are exhausted. That extra block can seem like miles!

Pick a hotel, and don't sweat it! It wont make or break your Disney experience!!

 

[vascubaguy]

It's sooo hard, isn't it? I finally went with the Desert Inn. There's 6 of us going (3 adults, 3 kids). The parlor suite there is going to be the best for us. We've stayed there before. It's not the nicest, but it was ok for us. It's very close to the crosswalk and that's a huge plus in my book. This is kind of a last minute trip for us (Oct. 19-26th). and I was afraid I wasn't going to find anything. Weds, Thurs and Fri. are sold out or crazy expensive. I guess there's a big convention. I hope the parks won't be too crowded. I'm excited no matter what.

We'll be there during the same time although not staying quite as long. (Oct 19-23)

 

[dsnylndmom]

It's not so hard for us anymore because I've stayed at so many I know which ones I really like and wish ones I stay away from. If we are not staying on site then I choose one of these.

I REALLY Like
BW Park Place Inn
Park Inn

I Liked
Tropicana
Hojo's
Carousal(gotten better)

I STAY AWAY FROM
Park Vue
Del Sol(both were buggy!)
Desert Inn(second chance last year and regretted it)
Ramada Maingate


If I'm not staying on Harbor then my choices are
Embassy Garden Grove

I would like to try the Sheraton Anaheim & Candy Cane though!

 

[carmel]

You need to remember-the hotel is just a small insignificant part of your holiday!
..........

Hubby is from Redondo Beach so we build in a day or two for family visits. We are staying for 7 nights but will only have 5 days in the park. So, staying in a slightly nicer environment while still watching the budget lead us to Candy Cane Inn.