Hotel - Park Vue Inn or Ramada Maingate ATP?

[Maddie2]

We have a week-long trip planned to DL at the end of January and I thought we had everything under control. Park Vue Inn is booked and we can relax .... until two days ago when I read a TripAdvisor and found out that they've had bed bug problems. EWWWW!!! OK, now I'm totally creeped out. I know any place can get bugs, but I just don't know ... from what I read (don't know if you can trust it or not though), the management didn't handle the customer very well.

Does anyone know much about bed bugs? Do they maybe go dormant in the winter? If they did, perhaps there wouldn't be any in January? Ya think? Could we be so lucky?

SO, then yesterday I booked Ramada Maingate at the Parks. Same price, ok, good to go ... then TODAY I read on Facebook that their pool will be closed for almost 3 months for a refurbishment, and yes, will be closed during our vacation. I know the weather will be iffy, but our kids love to swim.

What to do? I currently have them both booked and need to make a decision. Here's my thinking ...
PVI -
PROS - Better breakfast, a little bit closer, a pool that is scheduled to be OPEN, bunkbeds for kids that like their own sleeping space, free Happy Hour, free parking
CONS - Possibility of bed bugs (I'm creeped out just writing it), teeny, tiny room

RMatP -
PROS - still has a breakfast ~ albeit less choices ~ but we can deal with it, free parking, nicer/larger room (premium, which means renovated room, nicer beds & furnishings), fireworks view
CONS - no pool, little longer walk - but not much. Queen beds so kids will have to sleep together

Do you have experience with either place? I've tried looking at different places altogether, but that just seems to make the decision all the more difficult. Our budget is $99/night. Priorities are within walking distance (even though we'll have a car), breakfast of some sort, free parking, queen beds or queen + bunks (not just double beds) ... and until now, I had always considered having a pool a priority. You can use a heated pool in January in California, can't you??

Sorry to be so wishy-washy. Sometimes it helps just to write it out to see the obvious or not so obvious. What would you do? TIA!...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

BTW, this is a surprise trip for our kids and we are planning to tell them on New Year's Day. Just long enough to get a pre-plan in with their teachers so they can do most of their homework done BEFORE we go on the trip.

 

[thewritegirl]

We stayed at Park Vue Inn last year and loved it, for the reasons you mentioned. We had absolutely no problem with bed bugs, but I suppose things can change in a year, yuk!

I think you can see bed bugs - you're supposed to lift the sheets and look at the mattress, right? Maybe just a super thorough checking of the room before you take it? I don't know...bed bugs are a horrible problem to have to deal with!

 

[skiingfast]

That a tricky one. I wouldn't give one negative report on trip advisor any credit though. That site is full of unjust slams so don't let one review sway you.

The Fireworks view at RM would be nice if you think you will be back to the room at night. But the PVI happy hour and better breakfast can be really nice. Personally I'd stick with PVI.

If you look elsewhere don't disclude places with a parking fee, just work that in like it's part of the room total. If it doesn't have breakfast that may be a bigger problem since even a cheap breakfast next store at $5 per person adds up. And going to the breakfast room and being in and out in 20 minutes is faster than waiting at a restaurant.

 

[Maddie2]

Thank you for your thoughts, posters. It wasn't just the TripAdvisor review, it was the fact that it was on the bedbugregistry ... and the management has not taken the time to respond to the complaint one way or another.

Yes, a breakfast is key. Having a frig/micro is important as well and all of the places I am mentioning have both.

OK, now to make things a bit more interesting, let's throw Desert Palms into the mix....

PROS ... nice breakfast, comparable price, within walking distance - or so it says, not entirely sure at the end of a long day (?), could get a room with bunkbeds, free parking, pool

CONS ... distance at the end of the day (?), not much of a view. Also seems more corporate and metropolitan as the other two seem more convenient and neighborly, but not trashy (does that make sense?) OR ARE THEY?

 

[disneyted40]

We love the Ramada Maingate and have been staying here for years. We saw that the pool was gonna be closed, but called and they said they had a neighboring hotel that we could be redirected to. With it being winter, we were not planning on using pool anyway. We use this time of year to have the parks to ourselves. The lines are so short, I wonder why anyone would go when it is packed. We pull the kids out of school for a few days each Feb, it works out great. Anyway, we have never stayed at Park Vue, but bed bugs a re a scary thing. We have never had an incident involving bugs at Ramada. Like another guest, I don't base my decision on where to stay based on one review. I usually go by average ratings, especially recent one's. Anyway, I hope you make a choice that you feel good with and that you have an enjoyble stay near Disneyland.

 

[tiffntwins]

I stayed at the Park Vue earlier this month. No bed bugs or any signs of them. Our group was in 3 rooms, one of them a bunkbed room. We love the PVI, and stay there at least once a year.

 

[tinkcollector]

I have stayed at all of the hotels you have mentioned. No problems. I love the Park Vue, location, location, location.
As for the Bedbugregistry. I was going to New York, namely Manhattan in late September. I'm sure you are aware of the Bed Bug problem there...closed the Empire State Building, and many stores on Park Ave. Well, the hotel I had booked was on the list, as well as the 5 star restaurant inside. I called the hotel and they assured me that they had never had a problem, and that no violations or guests had complained to them. I never addressed who I was when I called. So assuming they do not have caller ID, they did not put me in a room because of my concerns. The room was awesome, one of the most clean rooms I have ever stayed in. The restaurant was to die for. So, now I think this registry is a hoax for competing businesses to bad mouth each other.

 

[ranman1973]

Thanks everyone. I am looking for a cheap hotel in March that ideally offers free wifi, free parking, breakfast, shuttle (or realistic walking distance for 2 x 4 year olds), micro & fridge, and pool. Oh yeah, and there are 4 of us, so we will need 2 beds. I know I won't get everything on my 'wish list'.

 

[thewritegirl]

Thanks everyone. I am looking for a cheap hotel in March that ideally offers free wifi, free parking, breakfast, shuttle (or realistic walking distance for 2 x 4 year olds), micro & fridge, and pool. Oh yeah, and there are 4 of us, so we will need 2 beds. I know I won't get everything on my 'wish list'.

Park Vue does have all of those things, and it is THE closest hotel to the gates. The other thing I really liked was that you could get bunkbeds for the kids, so they each have their own space. Rooms seem to run consistently at $109/night, not sure if that qualifies as "cheap" for you or not, though.