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.