Marriott Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate - any good?

[dinosaurjim]

We're thinking of staying at the Marriott Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate. The main reason is that it's fairly close and has free breakfast every morning. Has anyone else stayed here? Do you recommend it?

 

[Malcon10t]

We stay here for any trip longer than 3 nights, and it is our favorite place to stay. Staff is great, rooms are clean and comfy, and breakfast is good. Pool is open 24/7.

 

[edit1]

We stayed there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Others have said that the walk was too long, but it was no problem for our family (including our 3 young kids) to walk to/from DLR every day. Great location right beside the Gardenwalk. The free breakfast saved us time and money, and their grocery delivery service was convenient. The room we stayed in was a bit on the older side but was clean and comfortable. I would recommend it.

 

[edit1]

sorry, I accidentally posted twice

 

[miss.potatohead]

We stayed there January 2011 and loved it! We stayed on one of the loft suites which was perfect for a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 teens). The staff were lovely and were able to do an early check in as we arrived around midday. The rooms were large and spacious and the kitchen allowed us to cook (not that we did...)

The free/included breakfast was just what we needed to kick start our day. Some reports (on like trip adviser) complain about the lack of space in the dining area but we found if you get there early enough (say before 7.30) you will get a seat and if not you can always take it back up to your room. Breakfast included different hot meats (bacon, ham), potato gems, some Mexican type things I can't remember what they were called!, pancakes, waffle machine, toast, bagels, fruit, fruit salad, cereals, muesli, lemonade, orange juice and coffee and tea! So much choice but there wasn't everything each day. Every second night or so they had a small selection of hot food or nibbles - we only were there for one of these which was nachoes, but from memory the one of the other meals was a bqq.

There is also a small mini-mart type area with supplies, where we bought softdrinks or crisps if we were hungry at night.

I'd definitely recommend staying here!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I stayed there in 2009 after it was newly refurb'ed and also in Jan 2011. Its become our place to stay in Anaheim. The place is starting to look a couple of years old....but its location and breakfast can't be beat.

 

[dinosaurjim]

We stayed there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Others have said that the walk was too long, but it was no problem for our family (including our 3 young kids) to walk to/from DLR every day. Great location right beside the Gardenwalk.

How long did it take to walk from the hotel to DLR? We have a 3-year old and are wondering if it would be better to just take the $4 shuttle each morning. Have you tried the shuttle? Can anyone speak to how long it takes to walk/shuttle?

 

[Malcon10t]

It is about a 15 mins walk. We travel in a large crowd (there are from 6-11 of us usually. What we do is load everyone into the SUV, and I drive them over and drop them in the 15 min parking area (turn right out of the parking lot, stay on Clementine/Manchester to Harbor, turn left, then left into the lot) then drive back to the Residence inn (right out of parking, move to left lane, up to Katella, turn left, then left at Clementine.) Then I either head back and catch up. When we head back, I will usualy leave the kids shopping, then call them as I leave the Residence and they meet me in the pick up area. It works well for us. And we do use ART as we need it.

 

[miss.potatohead]

It took our family no longer than 10-15 minutes, less if we got to the traffic lights at the right time! Walking back in the dark isn't too bad either, there are plenty of people walking out of the park and along the streets

They don't have a private shuttle as far as I'm aware of, they use the ART service. We never used the ART but I think if your family are able to handle the walk you should just walk, save the money for something special at DL throughout the day, or you could always just get it back home. One of the staff at the RI told us, when we asked about the shuttle, that you could sometimes be waiting longer for it to come than the time it would take to walk.

 

[Chauntae]

How much farther is this hotel than the Fairfield inn?

 

[miss.potatohead]

Fairfield is marked by the 'A', Residence Inn Maingate is covered by the red box.
From the gates of DL I'd guess they would be similar but it would honestly depend on how fast you walk

 

[usschmidt]

What is their policy about parking and check-out? Do I have to move my vehicle immediately, or can I remain parked there while I go into the park for a few hrs that day?

 

[Malcon10t]

We LOVE the Residence inn. It is our favorite place to stay. The staff are GREAT. As for cars, they have no problem letting you park for the day.

What we do sometimes for "walking".... We have an SVU. I will load everyone in the SVU, drive to the drop off (turn right out of parking lot, drive down Manchester to Harbor by Hojos, turn left and go to the short term lot and drop off. Coming back, turn right out of the lot, to Disney Way, left on Disney Way to the back of the RI parking and put car away..) then go back and only 1 person has to walk!

 

[Malcon10t]

Fairfield is marked by the 'A', Residence Inn Maingate is covered by the red box.
From the gates of DL I'd guess they would be similar but it would honestly depend on how fast you walk

Residence inn is .75 miles from the gate, Fairfield is only .3, so it is more than twice the distance.

That said, it is about a 15-20 min walk from RI, you can drive and drop like we do, or there is ART that will drop you at building 6/7 at RI.

 

[miss.potatohead]

What is their policy about parking and check-out? Do I have to move my vehicle immediately, or can I remain parked there while I go into the park for a few hrs that day?

You'd be best to email them directly to ask.

Honestly I do not think the walk was all that bad...yes for people who have little kids or people who cannot physically walk that distance then I can see the concern for having to walk back at night with weary children or whatnot after a long day at the parks but it is less than a mile? We were at the gates in no more than 10 minutes every day (youngest was 11) - the drive/drop/walk idea makes sense for people with young ones but then you still have to wait for the driver to drive back and walk the 10-15minutes. The only benefit I can think is that the group can wait in line at the gates... But that's just my opinion - if it works for your group, then haha

 

[Malcon10t]

the drive/drop/walk idea makes sense for people with young ones but then you still have to wait for the driver to drive back and walk the 10-15minutes. The only benefit I can think is that the group can wait in line at the gates... But that's just my opinion - if it works for your group, then haha

Actually, my group enters the park and will generally grab a couple fastpasses or get pics with a couple characters. In the afternoon or evening, when we are doing the reverse, they usually will visit a character or check something out on Main St while I get the car. I call when I am leaving the hotel so they will be in the waiting area.

 

[miss.potatohead]

That makes perfect sense then! I guess for a larger group rather than a few people then it would work out best! I love hearing about how different groups work their Disney experience