Has anyone stayed at Tropicana?

[disneymum58]

Thanks everyone! I'm so used to just staying at BWPPI that I was afraid to try anywhere else. Staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel was going to be a splurge but cost so much more that I can't justify it as our Canadian $ is doing terrible.
It's just me and my 13 yr old this trip so I think we will have plenty of room.
I'm also excited to try Pizza Press and the new Panera!

 

[lvdis]

We just got back from our first stay at the Tropicana and I highly recommend it. We stayed 5 nights (3 nights in a 2nd floor 2-queen room and 2 nights in one of their Disney Executive Suites on the 3rd floor) and we loved it! The 2-queen room worked out fine for the 3 of us, but the Disney Executive 2 room suite was even better. I loved the extra space and the balconies that face the park. The beds and abundant pillows in both rooms were very comfortable and nice. If you would like any more information about either room just let me know.

eta: Both rooms we stayed in were very clean and the staff was friendly and helpful. The pullout sofa sleeper in the Executive Suite had a nicer mattress than most sofa sleepers have and was comfortable to sleep on.

 

[Cholula]

Pictures were from room 137... On the lobby/office side. No interior halls. But, they do feel dark overall to me too

How funny. I've had the office side twice and gotten the hallway from The Shining.

 

[Self-Rescuing Princess]

I am so excited to have the Panera open when we go in February. Great for early morning or quick lunches. Mimi's is isn't much further and they always have the buy one meal get one free coupons. Nice to bring back to the room after a long day of traveling.

 

[Minniekins]

I'm wondering a couple things about the Tropicana. I'll likely be renting an ecv. I'm assuming there is room in the room to keep it there and charge over night? There will only be two adults in the room. Also, wondering if there is an elevator to the second floor? Or do I have to request first floor? Any experience using an ECV while staying at the Tropicana?

 

[lalasmama]

I'm wondering a couple things about the Tropicana. I'll likely be renting an ecv. I'm assuming there is room in the room to keep it there and charge over night? There will only be two adults in the room. Also, wondering if there is an elevator to the second floor? Or do I have to request first floor? Any experience using an ECV while staying at the Tropicana?

Request a ground floor room. There will be room, but it might be tight. I'd recommend either moving the table towards the head of the beds, or move the luggage rack for a space to park and charge it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm wondering a couple things about the Tropicana. I'll likely be renting an ecv. I'm assuming there is room in the room to keep it there and charge over night? There will only be two adults in the room. Also, wondering if there is an elevator to the second floor? Or do I have to request first floor? Any experience using an ECV while staying at the Tropicana?

You'll need to get some of the furniture moved around (possible housekeeping can help you with this if needed?), but there should be room for an ECV. If you get just a King room (instead of a 2 queens room), there may be even more floor space for the ECV. There is an elevator to the second floor, but if you can get a ground floor it would probably be a bit more convenient.

 

[Minniekins]

Request a ground floor room. There will be room, but it might be tight. I'd recommend either moving the table towards the head of the beds, or move the luggage rack for a space to park and charge it.

Yes, I figured we'd have to move some furniture. Thx, lalasmama!

You'll need to get some of the furniture moved around (possible housekeeping can help you with this if needed?), but there should be room for an ECV. If you get just a King room (instead of a 2 queens room), there may be even more floor space for the ECV. There is an elevator to the second floor, but if you can get a ground floor it would probably be a bit more convenient.

Well, it's me and my DD25 and she likes having her own bed, but then who knows what will be available that day, right?! Usually, she insists on something above ground floor, she's afraid of critters(we are WDW vets), possibly getting in the room. Not because it's ever happened, she's just afraid it will. Are the rooms on the second or first floor any better than each other? Are there balconies on the second floor that we might get that face the parks? That would be great and worth a little inconvenience, but any experience with that? Are those rooms more expensive? If they are more and unlikely to get, I might just go ahead and request first floor for ease of using the ECV but if we could get a balcony room facing the park for same price that would be very cool! Thx, Angel Ariel!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Yes, I figured we'd have to move some furniture. Thx, lalasmama!



Well, it's me and my DD25 and she likes having her own bed, but then who knows what will be available that day, right?! Usually, she insists on something above ground floor, she's afraid of critters(we are WDW vets), possibly getting in the room. Not because it's ever happened, she's just afraid it will. Are the rooms on the second or first floor any better than each other? Are there balconies on the second floor that we might get that face the parks? That would be great and worth a little inconvenience, but any experience with that? Are those rooms more expensive? If they are more and unlikely to get, I might just go ahead and request first floor for ease of using the ECV but if we could get a balcony room facing the park for same price that would be very cool! Thx, Angel Ariel!

There's a few rooms that go over the parking lot that have balconies...DH and I stayed in one a few years ago...that room did have a true balcony. But there's only a handful of those rooms, and at least the one we were in was a King bed at the time, not sure if the rest of those were kings or not. I don't know that I've had a first floor room there, but every room I've been in there has been pretty much the same. Not sure about cost differences...AFAIK, the main cost differences just depend on the room type (double queen vs. king vs. suite, etc). The rest of the property is a U-shaped motel. You can stand outside your room and face the park, but it's not a real balcony as it's the main walkway. We had rooms 288 and 289 on this last trip (on the right hand side of the parking lot when you're driving in), and we could see some of the fireworks from the door.

 

[Cal-Pie]

There's a few rooms that go over the parking lot that have balconies...DH and I stayed in one a few years ago...that room did have a true balcony. But there's only a handful of those rooms, and at least the one we were in was a King bed at the time, not sure if the rest of those were kings or not. I don't know that I've had a first floor room there, but every room I've been in there has been pretty much the same. Not sure about cost differences...AFAIK, the main cost differences just depend on the room type (double queen vs. king vs. suite, etc). The rest of the property is a U-shaped motel. You can stand outside your room and face the park, but it's not a real balcony as it's the main walkway. We had rooms 288 and 289 on this last trip (on the right hand side of the parking lot when you're driving in), and we could see some of the fireworks from the door.

Did your rooms have an adjoining door? If so, did you have any trouble getting them to accommodate that request?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Did your rooms have an adjoining door? If so, did you have any trouble getting them to accommodate that request?

288 and 289 did connect. My parents were in one room, us and DD in the other..we kept the door open when we weren't sleeping they tell you at booking that they can't guarantee the request, but that they will do what they can to honor it. We had no problems at check in, just had to call someone up to unlock the door after we got in the rooms.

 

[Cal-Pie]

288 and 289 did connect. My parents were in one room, us and DD in the other..we kept the door open when we weren't sleeping they tell you at booking that they can't guarantee the request, but that they will do what they can to honor it. We had no problems at check in, just had to call someone up to unlock the door after we got in the rooms.

Thanks! We are a family of 5 with kids who kick each other all night when they share beds, so I requested adjoining rooms. I've talked with Trop twice over the phone and they were very nice, telling me that although they can't guarantee adjoining rooms, they really didn't think it would be a problem to honor my request. We usually stay in a C-1 at DI&S, but their prices in March this year were super high. I was able to get Trop for $79/room!

I just keep having nightmares about showing up to check in and having 2 rooms at opposite ends of the motel. But, I'm sure it will all work out and I'm worrying for nothing.

 

[disneymum58]

Please remember to ask for CONNECTING rooms. Adjoining rooms may not be connecting, just beside each other.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thanks! We are a family of 5 with kids who kick each other all night when they share beds, so I requested adjoining rooms. I've talked with Trop twice over the phone and they were very nice, telling me that although they can't guarantee adjoining rooms, they really didn't think it would be a problem to honor my request. We usually stay in a C-1 at DI&S, but their prices in March this year were super high. I was able to get Trop for $79/room!

I just keep having nightmares about showing up to check in and having 2 rooms at opposite ends of the motel. But, I'm sure it will all work out and I'm worrying for nothing.

When you go to check in I would just mention it to them again, especially if you get there before actual check in at 4pm. We got there at 2, the rooms weren't ready and so they couldn't actually check us in until the rooms were ready (that's what we were told). We made sure to reiterate the connecting room request then, in case something had gone wrong and they weren't already assigning us connecting room, then there was time they could have to maybe fix the issue if possible.

Please remember to ask for CONNECTING rooms. Adjoining rooms may not be connecting, just beside each other.

I was also going to say this. Make sure you tell them specifically connecting rooms.

 

[Cal-Pie]

I asked for adjoining rooms with a connecting door, so hopefully I covered my bases. I will definitely request again at check in.

 

[Minniekins]

There's a few rooms that go over the parking lot that have balconies...DH and I stayed in one a few years ago...that room did have a true balcony. But there's only a handful of those rooms, and at least the one we were in was a King bed at the time, not sure if the rest of those were kings or not. I don't know that I've had a first floor room there, but every room I've been in there has been pretty much the same. Not sure about cost differences...AFAIK, the main cost differences just depend on the room type (double queen vs. king vs. suite, etc). The rest of the property is a U-shaped motel. You can stand outside your room and face the park, but it's not a real balcony as it's the main walkway. We had rooms 288 and 289 on this last trip (on the right hand side of the parking lot when you're driving in), and we could see some of the fireworks from the door.

Thanks for the info, Angel Ariel!

 

[MolonLabe]

I got a really great deal for this hotel for our stay in February. Is anyone able to give me a review of this hotel?

I'm writing this post from an executive park view balcony room right now... Because of seeing some good reviews about this place here on the Dis and then the first page or so of Trip Advisor, I booked here quickly once I decided to make this trip....

This is one of those hotels you'd see a couple miles outside of WDW that was $24.99 a night or closed. Had this place not been located directly across the street from DL, it'd have gone out of business or turned into a Knights Inn.

It's old and dark and bleh. Disney is celebrating it's 60th and this place must be celebrating it's 70th it feels like.

The shower is TINY. It is literally about 2'x2'. No kidding, I can't wash my hair with my arms out to the sides without them hitting any of the 3 walls or door. (6'3" 165#, I'm no fatty, so it's not like I'm wide and that's the problem) the door to the shower swings out and barely clears the toilet.

Good luck finding a power outlet, yes they have lamps with an outlet on them, but if you didn't bring a power strip to plug into them (luckily I always pack one), it's useless for most cell phone chargers that aren't "normal 1960's plugs"

The balcony view of the parks is... barely. Perhaps the view on the 3rd floor is slightly better but all I can see is the top of space mountain. I would assume the fireworks view is ok but this is the 6th night and each night fireworks were 9m or earlier so I was in the parks every night. Might be back in the room early tomorrow to pack up.

Parking is a joke, at least half the parking lot is conned in for "valet" meaning valet is mandatory. Thank God I have a rental and don't have to worry about my car being screwed over by yahoo's.

People say it's "clean" but honestly I don't feel that way. It's dark and dingy in the room, you can see daylight almost all the way around the door to the balcony, the carpet looks like it could be a vintage 1960's original, as do the bath rooms. The only things definitely not 1960's or 70's are the TV's.

LOUD!!! Might not even have walls, the noise from the traffic passing by is horrible, even now at 12:45am. (it's a 35mph zone too). The room behind hours has loud water pipes, when they shower, everyone knows.

The only thing this place has going for it is the location. I wouldn't stay here again. Go through trip advisor, every 9th review is similar to mine. As to the other 8 people who give it a good or decent review? I can't imagine how low their standards must be, it doesn't make any sense. For the price range and other options in the area, I'd avoid this place.

 

[lalasmama]

I'm writing this post from an executive park view balcony room right now... Because of seeing some good reviews about this place here on the Dis and then the first page or so of Trip Advisor, I booked here quickly once I decided to make this trip....

This is one of those hotels you'd see a couple miles outside of WDW that was $24.99 a night or closed. Had this place not been located directly across the street from DL, it'd have gone out of business or turned into a Knights Inn.

It's old and dark and bleh. Disney is celebrating it's 60th and this place must be celebrating it's 70th it feels like.

The shower is TINY. It is literally about 2'x2'. No kidding, I can't wash my hair with my arms out to the sides without them hitting any of the 3 walls or door. (6'3" 165#, I'm no fatty, so it's not like I'm wide and that's the problem) the door to the shower swings out and barely clears the toilet.

Good luck finding a power outlet, yes they have lamps with an outlet on them, but if you didn't bring a power strip to plug into them (luckily I always pack one), it's useless for most cell phone chargers that aren't "normal 1960's plugs"

The balcony view of the parks is... barely. Perhaps the view on the 3rd floor is slightly better but all I can see is the top of space mountain. I would assume the fireworks view is ok but this is the 6th night and each night fireworks were 9m or earlier so I was in the parks every night. Might be back in the room early tomorrow to pack up.

Parking is a joke, at least half the parking lot is conned in for "valet" meaning valet is mandatory. Thank God I have a rental and don't have to worry about my car being screwed over by yahoo's.

People say it's "clean" but honestly I don't feel that way. It's dark and dingy in the room, you can see daylight almost all the way around the door to the balcony, the carpet looks like it could be a vintage 1960's original, as do the bath rooms. The only things definitely not 1960's or 70's are the TV's.

LOUD!!! Might not even have walls, the noise from the traffic passing by is horrible, even now at 12:45am. (it's a 35mph zone too). The room behind hours has loud water pipes, when they shower, everyone knows.

The only thing this place has going for it is the location. I wouldn't stay here again. Go through trip advisor, every 9th review is similar to mine. As to the other 8 people who give it a good or decent review? I can't imagine how low their standards must be, it doesn't make any sense. For the price range and other options in the area, I'd avoid this place.

What area are the executive suites located?

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm sorry, but no, I don't have low standards. The rooms we have been in are clean. Is it outdated? Yes. Is the lighting the best? No, it's old lamps with the yellow-y light bulbs that aren't amazing. But we returned from the park, got ready for the next day and went to bed, so it wasn't really an issue. It was *not* dirty on our trip in November. We weren't staying in a suite, just 2 standard double queen rooms. Shower size was not an issue for any of us. We had a couple in our party who were 6' and they had no issues with the shower. I had no issues with the shower either (5'3").

As for plugs, as with most older hotels, of course we could have used more. We had no problems, however, plugging in our Galaxy S5 and S6 into the plugs that were there. We also don't bring a power strip..just a 4 port USB charging plug, so 1 plug charges 4 things. Very handy for traveling, and a lot easier to pack than a power strip.

I'm sorry you're not having a good experience there. But there's no need to say others must have such low standards if their experience and opinion of the hotel is different than yours.

 

[lvdis]

Wow, it just goes to show you that everyone has different experiences/expectations of a hotel/motel. Yes, it's a dated motel, but I would never consider myself as having low standards. We've traveled a lot and stayed in a lot of places and my experience with and opinion of the Tropicana last week were much different than MolenLabe.

We stayed 3 nights in a 2 queen room on the 2nd floor on the office side and 2 nights in one of the Disney Executive Suites on the 3rd floor (the 4 executive suites are above the gift shop, opposite the office, and facing the street). I was very pleased with both rooms at the Tropicana. The staff was excellent, the rooms were clean (never had dirty socks after walking on the carpet) and I loved having the balconies (our room had 2) facing the parks. I knew going in it was an older motel, so I wasn't expecting a 4 star experience, but what we had was very good in my opinion. The beds were super comfortable and there was an abundance of pillows on each bed. The sofa sleeper was very comfortable too.

Yes, the 2 queen room that was located further from the road was quieter, but I didn't have a problem with the extra noise you get from the street once we changed rooms either. We did end up putting some rolled up towels at the door leading to the balcony off the living room area because it let a little more noise than the sliding doors that were in the bedroom. I never heard any noise from other rooms. Of course, with the executive suite we were in a corner room which may have made a difference.

When we changed rooms, the staff moved all our luggage while we were in the parks and even moved our groceries from one refrigerator to the other. We had one of the refrigerators quit working on us and when we reported it they sent a maintenance man up right away and he replaced the fridge and the office paid us back for the replacement milk we had to buy.

Also, we had to change our trip (from Dec to Jan) the day before we were supposed to arrive due to a death in the family. They were excellent at working with me to get the reservation changed and honor the discount I had (even though we couldn't get the suite the whole time since it was booked the first 3 days of our new reservation). I also had an Amazon prime pantry order that had arrived the day before our original reservation was to be and they held it for me for a month and had it waiting for me when we arrived. In my opinion they went above and beyond in customer service.

Overall a great experience, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommended it and stay again.