Just back~our impression of BWPPI and DLH

[tallpkb]

We just returned from a four night DL vacation. The first two nights were at BWPPI (Best Western Park Place Inn) and the second two nights at Disneyland Hotel. It's been about 10 years since we've stayed at BWPPI. We live in Northern California, so we try to make it down to DLR once every year or two. We were originally going to go to Park Vue, but since Hydroguy's experience, we changed it to BWPPI. I have to say, I was very pleased! The room was very clean, from the carpet, to the crisp bedding, and the entire bathroom. No complaints. The beds were very comfortable, and the room (2 queens and a queen sofa sleeper) was quite large. The sofa sleeper was nothing to write home about; very typical. But it was adequate for my 15 y/o. The free breakfast was quite acceptable (MUCH better than PVI's!), and saved us both time and money. They had juice, fruit, muffins, croissants, sausage, scrambled egg 'patties', waffles, and toast. I got creative an made a croissant sandwich one day with an egg patty and sausage, and the other day I had waffles with sliced banana and syrup. So get creative at those free morning breakfasts! We didn't use the pool, as it was just a very basic pool with little kids in it. It didn't look very appealing for adults to relax by.

The second two nights we were able to go to DLH (Disneyland Hotel), since we got our first PIN code ever. We loved, loved, loved it! The room (again, two queens and daybed) was large, which we again appreciated. (I'm the shorted person in the family at 5' 8 1/2", and my DH is the tallest at 6' 8"! The daybed was a twin bed this time, but much better quality and comfort than BWPPI. The light up headboard was sooo cool, and we 'played it' every night before bed (two adults and two teenage girls!). I schmuzzed (sp?) with the check in lady upon arrival, and she upgraded our view from standard to the 10th floor park view. So with the HUGE window, we were able to watch the DL fireworks from our room! You can select a certain channel on the TV and it plays the music for either the fireworks or World of Color (I guess some rooms have a view of WOC?). It was so nice to sit in our jammies after three long days at the park at watch the fireworks with no crowds!

We did have one kind of big issue our first afternoon there. We checked in around 2:00pm, and after settling in, we all layed down to take an afternoon nap. We were ALL woken up at 2:30pm by CONSTRUCTION NOISE coming directly from the room above us! Since we waited to go to DLR until all the hotel and park construction was over, and we were paying big bucks to stay at DLH, I was NOT happy. I went down to the front desk and complained. I didn't want to change rooms, because then we'd lose that upgraded view, plus it's just darn inconvenient to move all your stuff after you've settled in (and we just did it when we moved over from BWPPI). So all the guy said was, 'well, I'm sorry'. I said that I thought it would have been kind of important to guests to notify them of planned construction, and he said, 'yeah, I guess'. 'I guess???' That was all he offered. I left, but immediately saw a CM in an official looking outfit with an iPad walking around, asking people if everything was going okay for them. BINGO! I went to her and told her what was going on. She profusely apologized, and gave us FOUR COMPLIMENTARY MEAL TICKETS FOR STEAKHOUSE 55, GOOFY'S KITCHEN, PCH GRILL OR STORYTELLERS! Tax and tip included! Geez, I would have been happy to get $50 off the room rate, but I'll take that! We ended up going to Storytellers, since our friends (who we were meeting for dinner) could better afford that over Steakhouse 55. Anyway, they redeemed themselves with that.

We have now stayed at all three DL property hotels. Each one is VERY different from each other, and there are pros/cons to each. I do have to say that we'd stay at DLH or PP again in a heartbeat, but not GC. GC has too many non-hotel guests walking through it, and it gets too crowded for our liking. The rooms, although very nice, are MUCH smaller than the other two hotels, and we just don't think we get as much Disney magic there. But that's just our two cents!

Anyway, back to reality for us!

 

[KCmike]

Wow a 4 free meals at Steahouse 55 is really some $$$! That's a great comp.

 

[Mary09]

I wonder if that view room was unbooked due to the planned construction in the room above it.

A noisy hotel stinks. We stayed at the Hilton last and had elevator noise in one room, so we got moved and then we had all-night-brawlers above us in the next room.

 

[tallpkb]

I wonder if that view room was unbooked due to the planned construction in the room above it.

A noisy hotel stinks. We stayed at the Hilton last and had elevator noise in one room, so we got moved and then we had all-night-brawlers above us in the next room.

I kind of don't think so. The lady that gave us the meal vouchers said they just found out about it last week. It's low season, so I'm sure there's probably a lot of available rooms. The parks (at least Thurs and Friday) were practically walk-on for almost all rides. Besides, I don't think you can book a specific room, but who knows?

 

[scoker]

Glad to hear you had a good experience at BWPPI. We are staying there in a few months. What did you think of the walk from DLH compared to BWPPI? If the bonus fairy is extra nice to us this year it is possible we might change and stay on property. We stayed at GCH last time and I loved being really close to everything. The walk to DLH looks a little long in comparison to BWPPI but I'm thinking that mentally it might not seem as long since it is mostly through DTD. Perception is reality

 

[tallpkb]

Glad to hear you had a good experience at BWPPI. We are staying there in a few months. What did you think of the walk from DLH compared to BWPPI? If the bonus fairy is extra nice to us this year it is possible we might change and stay on property. We stayed at GCH last time and I loved being really close to everything. The walk to DLH looks a little long in comparison to BWPPI but I'm thinking that mentally it might not seem as long since it is mostly through DTD. Perception is reality

The walk to BWPPI is definately shorter and easier. Walking through the entire length of DTD can be a bit daunting on a busy Friday or Saturday night, especially after a day (or two or three!) in the parks. But knowing what the destination is sure is motivation to do the walk!

 

[scoker]

The walk to BWPPI is definately shorter and easier. Walking through the entire length of DTD can be a bit daunting on a busy Friday or Saturday night, especially after a day (or two or three!) in the parks. But knowing what the destination is sure is motivation to do the walk!

Thanks a bunch. I'm thinking I should stick with the BWPPI regardless of the bonus fairy. We are traveling with a grumpy grandpa that might need to go back to the room for a timeout.

 

[AvidTraveller]

Thanks for your feedback on these properties. Just one question, you mention that the BWPPI has a much better breakfast than the PVI. I always thought the BWPPI had just a basic continental breakfast. Is this bigger breakfast a recent change? Perhaps to compete with their neighbor PVI's breakfast? I have stayed at the PVI before and the definite highlight of the breakfast was the make your own waffles, the rest was just okay. I had no idea that the BWPPI had improved theirs. Thanks for the information.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

BWPPI has a deluxe continental breakfast, which is much better than the other BW Good Neighbor motels. The only one that I think is better than BWPPI would be the deluxe continental breakfast that is offered at the Candy Cane Inn.


Thank you, tallpkb, for your review. I'm glad you had such a good time.

 

[HydroGuy]

We just returned from a four night DL vacation. The first two nights were at BWPPI (Best Western Park Place Inn) and the second two nights at Disneyland Hotel. It's been about 10 years since we've stayed at BWPPI. We live in Northern California, so we try to make it down to DLR once every year or two. We were originally going to go to Park Vue, but since Hydroguy's experience, we changed it to BWPPI.

I think you are referring to BlackJackDelta's recent thread on a very negative PVI experience. I have never stayed there because their reviews have always been mixed. BWPPI has always been consistent in its reviews and we have stayed there several times.

Glad you had a good trip and worked thru your DLH issue.

 

[deanimal]

I was so happy to find this thread since we're doing exactly the same thing in 3 weeks (2 days at the BWPPI then moving to the DLH). How was the move with your stuff? Did you get a cab or were you able to walk through with your suitcases? How does the walk to DLH compare after being across the street? Did you use early entry the day you checked in?

Thanks so much for your report. I can hardly wait until its our turn!

 

[nana50]

Thanks a bunch. I'm thinking I should stick with the BWPPI regardless of the bonus fairy. We are traveling with a grumpy grandpa that might need to go back to the room for a timeout.

Remember if you stay at DHL you can zip on back by monorail and it is really close to the hotel.

 

[coopersmom]

...We have now stayed at all three DL property hotels. Each one is VERY different from each other, and there are pros/cons to each. I do have to say that we'd stay at DLH or PP again in a heartbeat, but not GC. GC has too many non-hotel guests walking through it, and it gets too crowded for our liking. The rooms, although very nice, are MUCH smaller than the other two hotels, and we just don't think we get as much Disney magic there. But that's just our two cents!

Thanks for the review. I'd love to hear more about your Grand stay and why you wouldn't be back. I was really torn between the Disneyland and Grand for OUR upcoming stay, and eventually decided on the latter due to location and general consensus here of being "the best," even though I, personally, thought the DLH actually LOOKED nicer in photos. (We've never stayed, or even visited, any of them at this point.)

One of my big fears about that choice was the Grand rooms though. They just look inferior, based solely on photos, to the renovated Disneyland offerings. And being smaller to boot, definitely worries me!

 

[MommyLove]

Great info and insight, thanks!

Thanks for the review. I'd love to hear more about your Grand stay and why you wouldn't be back. I was really torn between the Disneyland and Grand for OUR upcoming stay, and eventually decided on the latter due to location and general consensus here of being "the best," even though I, personally, thought the DLH actually LOOKED nicer in photos. (We've never stayed, or even visited, any of them at this point.)

One of my big fears about that choice was the Grand rooms though. They just look inferior, based solely on photos, to the renovated Disneyland offerings. And being smaller to boot, definitely worries me!

The rooms at GC are definitely smaller, but not inferior. The photos don't really show how nice everything is there. But if space is an issue, definitely choose DLH. We also like DLH for the Disney magic feel.

 

[Congo Queen]

Honestly you can't go wrong staying at either GCH or DLH. They are both great hotel experiences, but I am a recent convert to DLH. My family had always stayed at GCH if we could afford to stay on property. GCH is a beautiful hotel (lobby is outstanding and features the Napa Rose - the best restaurant at the resort IMHO) with incredible access to DCA which is v nice when you want a quick change after getting soaked on GRR. BUT we switched to DLH for our recent August trip, and it was wonderful. It is our new go-to hotel. It is just as luxurious as GCH but in a more "Disneyfied" way in terms of decor. The rooms are bigger at DLH and easier to get to from the lobby because you don't have to trudge down the long, long and turning hallways of GCH. Also the bedding config at DLH is much better for us now that my DS is 15 and just too tall for the GCH bunk beds. At DLH a standard room gets you two queen beds plus a sofa that turns into a bed which was extremely comfortable according to my 9 yr old DD. All the finishes were top notch (bedding, toiletries, carpeting, etc). And the pool is so much fun with two great water slides and a layout that spreads the crowds around better than crush of humanity at the GCH pool. The cherry is Trader Sam's Tiki Bar which is the coolest retro bar and right by the DLH pool. Though the walk is longer to the esplanade than at GCH, you can easily take the Monorail from DLH into DLP as a short cut. (And you can save a bit of dough staying at DLH vs GCH too - which ain't a bad thing.)

 

[tallpkb]

I think you are referring to BlackJackDelta's recent thread on a very negative PVI experience. I have never stayed there because their reviews have always been mixed. BWPPI has always been consistent in its reviews and we have stayed there several times.

Glad you had a good trip and worked thru your DLH issue.

My apologies, Hydroguy! Yes, you are right! You are the two "Disneyland Guru's" in my book, and I got you two mixed up.

As far as the breakfast comparisions between BWPPI and Park Vue, I was completely underwhelmed at the breakfast last year at Park Vue, and that was before they dropped a lot of the perks. You could literally see through the bacon! Come on, transparant bacon? I do have to say that you need to get creative in making the offerings something that's enticing. I was pretty impressed with myself for coming up with the pseudo-breakfast sandwich I made (croissant with sausage and egg) and the banana-maple waffles (even if they weren't 'make your own').

And on to why I wouldn't stay at GC again...WAY too expensive for what you get. The only think you get that is more than any other person walking through there, is the room. It's nice, for sure, but very small. As a non-GC guest, you can still walk through and enjoy the shops and restaurants, and MANY people do just that, because of it's close proximity to the parks and DTD. I felt a bit 'cheated' when we were there because of that! Yes, it's closer than any other on-site hotel, but the financial difference is just too huge for us. Anyway, just my 2cents!

 

[BayGirl22]

We were there at the same time and also in the Adventure tower with a view room. We could see the fountains from WOC from our room and enjoyed watching it for a couple nights when we were back early. Since we had seen it our 2nd night there we knew what was going on and could follow the soundtrack along with the colors from the fountains and the fun wheel lights and the Pirates fire scene. Of course not as great of a view as PPH or GCH, but still fun to catch. We were in the park during the fireworks so didn't get to watch those.

Sounds like the construction was some kind of one-off thing because I didn't see/hear anything, and we were down on 7 but started in 9. Glad you got comped. I wish I had found one of those survey people for my Cabana issue (see the superthread), sounds like they are the ones to go to.

Glad you had a wonderful trip!