JW Marriott Anaheim or Courtyard Entrance?

[pirate33]

This is interesting. I will need to try the JW Marriott. I’ve stayed at the Courtyard Entrance and was a little disappointed. I booked a room with a balcony looking toward the park but, if I remember correctly, there was literally nothing on the patio. No chair, table, etc. That was probably my major complaint. The balcony and view were really not useable or enjoyable.

I do like the Residence Inn that is on the corner of Katella and Harbor and think that is a good value. Very walkable.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

This is interesting. I will need to try the JW Marriott. I’ve stayed at the Courtyard Entrance and was a little disappointed. I booked a room with a balcony looking toward the park but, if I remember correctly, there was literally nothing on the patio. No chair, table, etc. That was probably my major complaint. The balcony and view were really not useable or enjoyable.

I do like the Residence Inn that is on the corner of Katella and Harbor and think that is a good value. Very walkable.

The balcony is only big enough to stand on. It is not big enough for furniture. You can see the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and maybe GotG. There is a decent view of the fireworks from the pool deck.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

How far is the walk? I see it listed as 10 minutes. Is that accurate?

From which hotel?

 

[Pluto468]

From which hotel?

Oh, oops. From the Courtyard Marriott.

 

[DLgal]

Oh, oops. From the Courtyard Marriott.

Yeah, 10 minutes is accurate to the Courtyard. It's really just a block away from the main Harbor entrance.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Oh, oops. From the Courtyard Marriott.

Yes, if you walk quickly and catch the light at the right time. Someone mentioned they made it in 7 minutes, but I think they must have been running.

 

[Pluto468]

Thanks! 10 minutes seems just fine. We stayed at the Hyatt House last time and I swear that walk took 20 minutes. We stayed at Hojo in 2013 and I remember the walk took way longer than I expected. Of course we had a stroller then. I bet the courtyard Marriott will be much faster now, with a 15 & 11 year old.

 

[MonocularVision]

I have a weird obsession with using the Google Maps app to measure exact distances and found that from the exits of both hotels the CY was .276 miles to the main entrance on Harbor while the Marriot, cutting through GardenWalk was .532 miles so just short of double the distance.

 

[Chicken12]

We have stayed over 75 nights at the Courtyard theme park entrance since it opened and 10 nights at the JW. The courtyard is closer by a lot, so if you have littles that’s a big plus. The Courtyard rooms are also larger and all have bunks. The standard JW rooms are two queens or a king with a pull out trundle bed. The Courtyard also has a great water park vs just a standard pool at the JW. The pool at the JW has a full bar and serves food where there is nothing at the JW. The rooms, service, restaurant, etc at the JW is just a whole other level than Courtyard. If you have younger kids and need a place to sleep and let them unwind you cannot go wrong with the Courtyard. If you have older kids or are with just adults the JW is the place to stay. It’s a hike to the parks but not bad for anyone able bodied.

We are doing our first stay for a few nights later this week at the Westin but it’s about 5 mins longer walk to the parks vs the JW. It will be interesting to see how it compares. The JW was $220 a night vs $270 a night for Westin vs $450 for the courtyard. The courtyard has almost a cult following by families and the prices are always expensive due to that and how close it is to the park. If you do want to stay there, make sure you book the Courtyard theme park entrance as there is another Courtyard also on harbor near the convention center.

Besides the Courtyard and JW, check out the Westin, the Springhill Suites convention center and the Residence Inn convention center. The Springhill has larger rooms than the JW and a free breakfast. The rooms are clean and decent but the breakfast is just ok. The residence inn is right next door and has a full kitchen and in my opinion is a step up from the Springhill and has a lot better breakfast. Both hotels are on the corner of harbor and katella and the walk to the parks is right between how fast it is to walk from the Courtyard and the JW. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Between work trips and family vacations to the parks, I have stayed over 200 nights in all of the various Marriotts around the parks.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

We have stayed over 75 nights at the Courtyard theme park entrance since it opened and 10 nights at the JW. The courtyard is closer by a lot, so if you have littles that’s a big plus. The Courtyard rooms are also larger and all have bunks. The standard JW rooms are two queens or a king with a pull out trundle bed. The Courtyard also has a great water park vs just a standard pool at the JW. The pool at the JW has a full bar and serves food where there is nothing at the JW. The rooms, service, restaurant, etc at the JW is just a whole other level than Courtyard. If you have younger kids and need a place to sleep and let them unwind you cannot go wrong with the Courtyard. If you have older kids or are with just adults the JW is the place to stay. It’s a hike to the parks but not bad for anyone able bodied.

We are doing our first stay for a few nights later this week at the Westin but it’s about 5 mins longer walk to the parks vs the JW. It will be interesting to see how it compares. The JW was $220 a night vs $270 a night for Westin vs $450 for the courtyard. The courtyard has almost a cult following by families and the prices are always expensive due to that and how close it is to the park. If you do want to stay there, make sure you book the Courtyard theme park entrance as there is another Courtyard also on harbor near the convention center.

Besides the Courtyard and JW, check out the Westin, the Springhill Suites convention center and the Residence Inn convention center. The Springhill has larger rooms than the JW and a free breakfast. The rooms are clean and decent but the breakfast is just ok. The residence inn is right next door and has a full kitchen and in my opinion is a step up from the Springhill and has a lot better breakfast. Both hotels are on the corner of harbor and katella and the walk to the parks is right between how fast it is to walk from the Courtyard and the JW. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Between work trips and family vacations to the parks, I have stayed over 200 nights in all of the various Marriotts around the parks.

I have stayed a significant amount of times at the above hotels and completely agree with the above assessment. One downer about the JW amenities is there is no hot tub. But there are huge tubs in the rooms which somewhat makes up for it.

Another note about the Springhill and Residence Inn… The Springhill Suites has a rooftop deck where you can view the fireworks, but a postage stamp sized pool (no hot tub) that gets very crowded if more than two families are hanging out there. The Residence Inn has a very nice rooftop pool area with a splash pad and huge hot tub, but no view of the fireworks. I have not stayed at either of these recently, but pre-pandemic the SS would allow RI guests up to the rooftop deck to view the fireworks, and the RI would allow SS guests up to use the pool amenities. Also, there is a full bar in the lobby of RI that is open in the evenings.

 

[kappyfamily]

We stayed at the JW for 2 nights a few weeks ago and it was SUPER nice. Don't hesitate. It took us (my husband and I) 10 minutes to get to the Harbor entrance. We then moved to the Grand Californian at almost 2x the price. We both agreed, we wont ever stay anywhere but the JW when we go to DL.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We stayed at the JW for 2 nights a few weeks ago and it was SUPER nice. Don't hesitate. It took us (my husband and I) 10 minutes to get to the Harbor entrance. We then moved to the Grand Californian at almost 2x the price. We both agreed, we wont ever stay anywhere but the JW when we go to DL.

Did you leave car or luggage there after check out?

 

[ParkHopper1]

Just left the JW...Nicest hotel by far off site but still not worth the hike vs staying closer like the Courtyard IMO unless you want the full service amenities, but I value Proximity pretty high.

...although it was nice having a decent breakfast buffet included for Elite members for a change.

 

[kappyfamily]

Did you leave car or luggage there after check out?

So you can do that but we checked out at 7am and moved to a night at grand Californian So we didn’t need to leave it at the JW, but it’s an option to do that for sure.