Hojo or Hyatt or Park Vue

nancy drew

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
1,297
I know, 3 very different properties there, but I can't figure out where we should stay!

We've stayed at PV and it was awful, but that was because we were right by the front office, which they were renovating, so we had trucks outside our window at 7am and kids thundering above us on their way to the breakfast room all morning. But they've upgraded the rooms since we last stayed there, and I hear they are upgrading the carpet. I figure the bunk bed room will be fine and I'll request to be on an upper floor away from the breakfast room if we stay there. But the pool area is blah, compared to the other two. They do have breakfast, "light dinner" and water available, and the price and location can't be beat by the other two.

We then stayed at Hojo (double queen room) and I couldn't sleep because of the noise. I figured this time we'd try earplugs and a kid suite, but I am seeing more negative reviews here and am questioning staying there. I do know the kids would love the kid suite and the kids pool, and the hotel property is lovely.

So then there's Hyatt. They have the kid suite, nice pools, and it is more of a hotel than a motel. Much nicer grounds/property, nice restaurants, private shuttle, etc. But will we be OK with the shuttle? We don't need to go back for naps, but might go back to swim one or two days. We will also be doing 2 day trips, so will only need the DLR shuttle 4 days.

Can anyone help me think this through?

We don't really need things like free breakfast, as we rarely eat much for breakfast anyway (most days we eat a granola bar on the way to school). We are fine with walking, though I was thinking that the Hojo walk might be a little much at the end of a long day (but not really a deal-breaker).

All of these hotels have mostly good reviews on Trip Advisor and are ranked #2, #4, and #5 on there for the area.
 
I have not stayed at PVI or Hojo's but I have stayed at Hyatt. I will say that the hotel is fabulous. I absolutely loved the customer service and the rooms were great (this is before the recent upgrade). Also, the restaurant and bar there serve great tasting food. But, I doubt I would stay there again purely because of the shuttle. They do have their own shuttle, but on the day I used it there was only one shuttle running and it was anyone's guess when it would return. The Hyatt is a big hotel so a lot of people were crowding on the bus and some were quite rude (well, you can imagine). They do park that shuttle a little further back than the ART shuttle buses, but its not much further of a walk. After the first day, we opted to just drive back and forth for the remainder of the days. Now, I have stayed at a different hotel ( Holiday Inn Anaheim) and it used the ART shuttle. That service was really a delight, I have no complaints about it and it was ALWAYS on time. So, the hotel itself is very nice, but I would not suggest it if you will need to rely on the shuttle. Good luck with your decision :)
 
I haven't stayed at any of these, but I don't think I would consider a hotel with a shuttle. We stayed at DLH the first time and BWPPI the second time, and we LOVED being across the street (BWPPI is beside PV). We are breakfast people though, and we don't care about the pool. That could be important for you if think that the pool is something you will use. Even with the entertainment rate available at Hojo for 3 out of 4 days on our next stay, we'll probably still either do the PV or BWPPI, just because of the proximity & breakfast. Getting there early is really key for us and I hate long walks at the end of the day, so being really close and being able to quickly grab a bite before we go fuels our decision. I think if you are pool people and you don't mind a little walk, Hojo sounds like the best fit. If you were breakfast/short walk people, I would say PV. Personally I wouldn't ever consider a hotel where I needed to take the shuttle. I don't have patience for that at the beginning or (especially) the end of the day with little kids!
 
My friend stayed at the Hyatt Regency Orange County recently (in one of the Kid's Suites with the bunk beds)--and she said they loved it. She has stayed at the Grand California previously. The rooms are all remodeled now, and there is a really good rate (Suites on sale, 50% for this year). The have discounted all of the suites so that people will try them out because they are all so newly renovated. I asked her about the shuttle, and she said that it worked perfectly. It is not a little bus--it is one of those really big buses with comfortable seats. It runs on the half hour, and she says it was always on time and there was always room for them on the shuttle.

There is a Starbucks in the hotel, which would be very nice!

If you look at trip advisor there are many good reviews about these new kids suites that are coming out. I was tempted to stay there myself this trip, but in the end we picked the Grand California.
 

I know, 3 very different properties there, but I can't figure out where we should stay!

If it were me. PVI, because you won't have the problems you did last time and could enjoy the dining perks and being across from the park.

If Hojo has ENT rate and I had kids that were going to use the pool each day I would flip a coin between the two.

If I could get the Hyatt for $50 before tax and fees, I'd be willing to wait for the shuttle and flip a coin between the three.
 
Thanks for the input. I still don't know where to stay!

We don't have the entertainment rate for Hojo, but we have a 20% discount. We also have to split the stay because the kid suite isn't available for the whole thing. I know the kids will love both pools, but I'm concerned about the noise. Last time we were there I didn't sleep for the first 4 nights of our trip!

PVI is so tempting, as it would be the least expensive option and it is right there, and they have food available. But I'm following a vegan diet so I couldn't eat most of what's offered anyway so it would just be the kids eating. And the pool area is kind of lame.

The TA reviews of Hyatt all mention that the shuttle was easy, no hassle, etc. but people here on this board groan about it. We will be there during a busier time, so I'm sure they will have enough shuttles running that we won't be standing around for an hour wondering where it is, and it seems like the timing of the shuttle is quite regular, which sounds like it would work well in theory. We don't do the whole rope drop thing, as we are not early birds. I think the parks are open pretty late in the summer so we likely wouldn't close the parks either. Hmmmm. Still undecided.
 
Thanks for the input. I still don't know where to stay!

We don't have the entertainment rate for Hojo, but we have a 20% discount. We also have to split the stay because the kid suite isn't available for the whole thing. I know the kids will love both pools, but I'm concerned about the noise. Last time we were there I didn't sleep for the first 4 nights of our trip!

PVI is so tempting, as it would be the least expensive option and it is right there, and they have food available. But I'm following a vegan diet so I couldn't eat most of what's offered anyway so it would just be the kids eating. And the pool area is kind of lame.

The TA reviews of Hyatt all mention that the shuttle was easy, no hassle, etc. but people here on this board groan about it. We will be there during a busier time, so I'm sure they will have enough shuttles running that we won't be standing around for an hour wondering where it is, and it seems like the timing of the shuttle is quite regular, which sounds like it would work well in theory. We don't do the whole rope drop thing, as we are not early birds. I think the parks are open pretty late in the summer so we likely wouldn't close the parks either. Hmmmm. Still undecided.

We have always stayed with Hojo, and not just for the ET rate.

We have a family and they have the only "off-site" themed pool, water park for your family.

Great customer service, they try toaccomodate everything you need, they have a store on site for anything including umbrella strollers, food etc.popcorn::

The walk is a measly 7 minutes but we still had umbrella stroller for our DD.

We have stayed there over 7 times now and not disappointed! Not once! You can see DLR fireworks from the pool! :banana:

I vote Hojo! Watch their site and if you buy the entertainment book you could also luck out and get their ET rate which is extremely budget friendly!

Have a magical time wherever you stay:wizard::cheer2:
 
The TA reviews of Hyatt all mention that the shuttle was easy, no hassle, etc. but people here on this board groan about it. We will be there during a busier time, so I'm sure they will have enough shuttles running that we won't be standing around for an hour wondering where it is, and it seems like the timing of the shuttle is quite regular, which sounds like it would work well in theory. We don't do the whole rope drop thing, as we are not early birds. I think the parks are open pretty late in the summer so we likely wouldn't close the parks either. Hmmmm. Still undecided.

It seems like the people who complain about the Hyatt shuttle often are complaining about shuttles in general and not a specific complaint about the Hyatt Shuttle. All of the recent (last few years) reviews of the Hyatt shuttle talk about how it runs like clock work--every half hour. I think the schedule is that it departs on the hour and half hour from the hotel--and then departs the parks at the :15 and :45 of the hour. There would be absolutely no reason why you would be waiting an hour. My friend said that they were always on time almost to the minute. They went over a very busy time (Thanksgiving week) and never had any problems getting a seat on their Hyatt shuttle. She is very particular and has very good taste--and I know if there had been any issues she would have told me. She said that the hotel is so clean and updated now that never wanted to leave. She liked that her kids had their own flat screen TV near their bunk beds, and she and her husband had their own room with their own TV.

These shuttles are much different than taking ART which can be a big inconvienence.
 
I've never stayed at Park Vue...but stayed at the other two. I loved the Hyatt. Loved the hotel, very comfortable room, upper scale. Keep in mind you do pay for parking at the Hyatt. The HoJo is very nice for a moderate hotel/motel...clean, beds comfy, good kid pool play area.

For me, the difference is level of hotel and location. Hyatt is just a higher level than HoJo...but both are nice for their respective levels. HoJo is a walk away, Hyatt is a shuttle away.

If I had the same price for both hotels, I would personally pick the Hyatt. I would deal with the further location for the nicer hotel. Even if I had to pay extra to park.

As much as we've enjoyed our stays at the HoJo, I usually end up getting the same price through Hotwire or Priceline for the nicer hotel chains (Hyatt, etc.) so we end up staying at those.
 
Hey there. We stayed at the PV over Easter. We were probably in the same room you had! I brought ear plugs! Overall we loved our stay at PV. My kids say they could careless about any other hotels. That was OUR place when we go back...We really aren't too picky but do have standards. But for as little time we spent there, it worked!

They stated they are installing new carpets but ours (107) was very clean..hmmm.

Hojo was the only competition for us - love that pool but don't think we'd ever get the kids out of it!!! Also, a bit further of a walk and no complimentary meals (on top of reports about the noise there too)...PV with meals, location & the Cold Stone for the kids, sold me!

I noticed you are vegan too. I was surprised at the spread PV did offer as far as food for breaky & din. Not all of it catered to my diet but if I brought in my own rice milk, my options were even more - oatmeal & cereal & fruits. The did have the usual toast and bagels and will/can show you the packaging as some breads are not vegan. As far as dinner, I was able to enjoy the salads & soups while the fam gorged - Enough for me though! Also, they give you a welcome basket with waters & fruit. There is always more (+cookies!) available in the lobby too.

And very nice staff - from the servers at break to the lobby!
Good luck with your decision!
I do have a website with photos of PV
 
I agree with Rebecca about the Park Vue Inn. My Family and I stayed there the 1st week of April and we loved it! We all want to stay there again! Our room was very clean and our carpet was in great shape also. We were in room 206, so only a couple rooms down from the breakfast room. We were always up early and back late, so the we didn't notice much noise. It was very easy for us to come back for breaks in the afternoon and get free water bottles at the front desk ( very nice, we drink a lot of water!):thumbsup2 Good Luck with whatever you decide!:):)
 





Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom