PPH or Courtyard Theme Park Hotel

[DisneyQueen1320]

This is our first trip to DL and I'm having a very hard time trying to decide which hotel. The Courtyard hotel looks amazing, I love the rooms. I think my kids will like the water area, they are 13 & 9 so it might be a little babyish. We could stay at PPH for an additional $300. I know it's not everyone's favorite, but is it worth it? I would love the early magic hours and I'm a little worried about losing some of the Disney magic if I stay offsite. Should I stay at PPH or should I stay at the Courtyard?

 

[DizneeRailFan62]

This is our first trip to DL and I'm having a very hard time trying to decide which hotel. The Courtyard hotel looks amazing, I love the rooms. I think my kids will like the water area, they are 13 & 9 so it might be a little babyish. We could stay at PPH for an additional $300. I know it's not everyone's favorite, but is it worth it? I would love the early magic hours and I'm a little worried about losing some of the Disney magic if I stay offsite. Should I stay at PPH or should I stay at the Courtyard?

Hey there DisneyQueen1320! My wife and I are DLR vets with over 35 visits from out of state, the majority of stays have been at PPH. I can tell you that this year is the first year since 1995 that we are visiting during Christmas time and not staying on property. This is due to the recent price hike, and the determination that there are much better hotels for half the price. Also, we don't get much use out of MM due to her "late" risings...heh. While I feel we will miss staying on property, I think saving the extra $600 - $700 for a 4 night stay is going to ease my pain. I think your choice will depend on if you use the hotel amenities much (pool, PCH Grill, etc.) versus just sleeping, showering, and changing clothes before heading out to the park. Disney has cut back on their service in the hotels the past few years (ie., no turndown service, chocolates, etc.) while charging more, and they finally priced us out. Less service for more money doesn't make much "magic" in my view. I wish you good luck in your decision and hope you have a magical visit!

 

[seth_r]

I personally have never stayed at the courtyard. I have stayed at PPH a couple times when I was a kid, and loved it. Being at the edge of dtdbwas awesome. We felt close to everything. The rooms as I remember were nice, and comfy beds. The early entry perks at both parks is a great advantage and worth it since its daily. Now I have stayed off sites, and more so recently stay off site, and I don't feel like the magic is broken. I have had just as enjoyable stays offsite as I have onsite. One way to look at it is that is 300 extra dollars. Do you splurge on a room? Or do you splurge on the trip itself (meals, merchandise, etc.) as we normally only sleep at the hotel, we get a nice hotel, but nothing extremely fancy, and use the extra money for a nice meal, or maybe split it up between everyone.

 

[SuperRob]

I'm staying at the Courtyard in three weeks (on points!). Should be fine, and it's arguably closer than PPH. Some people have issues with PPH not being a "real" Disney hotel, but I think that's largely splitting hairs. The rooms are huge. Two queen beds and bunkbeds in most rooms (some only have a king bed). The water park looks fun.

 

[Rubygoose]

I haven't stayed at Courtyard, since it just opened part way through our previous trip last year, but we walked past it on the way to the parks from Hojo. The slides look awesome, and I think they would be enjoyable for a 13 and 9 year old. The pirate splash park at Hojo would probably be too young for them, but the courtyard one looks like it's made for big kids. Since this is your first trip and you have older kids, you likely won't be going back to the hotel for nap time, so you might want to think about whether or not you will be using the water park at Courtyard more than the EE you get from PPH. DH and I talked about this as we are planning our March 2017 trip... we were considering Courtyard, but decided that we would rather stay onsite, since we'll likely use the EE more than the water park. The good thing about Courtyard, though, is it's a Marriott property, so you can collect loyalty points with your stay if you sign up for their free rewards card. We have stayed at Hojo and DLH, and the walk to the park gates is pretty much the same distance, so I think PPH and Courtyard would be very similar distances - the quality of the walk, though, will be much different! We prefer to walk through DTD and stop in at Jamba Juice or Starbucks or Haagandaz, rather than walk along Harbor. Depending on how long your trip is, you may want to do a split stay - we have done that 2 years in a row and really enjoyed it. Last year we stayed at Hojo for 4 nights while we did 1 park day at DL and then did Knotts and Legoland, then we took a taxi over to GCH at stayed there for 4 nights. We've also done the same for DLH, since it doesn't make sense for us to be staying onsite if we're going elsewhere.

 

[rentayenta]

Thats a tough one......split stay?

 

[kathy040690]

We are staying at the courtyard this year. My mom brought 2 of my kids last year and just LOVED it . said the rooms were HUGE and great for families. !!
I have no experience with PPH as i never pay the extra $$ to stay onsite. The hotels across the street are so close (some even closer than the disney hotels) i cant imagine it feeling any more magical staying onsite !!

 

[GatorChris]

As expensive as Courtyard is compared to other Harbor hotels, PPH seems like the logical choice. Especially if they offer a discount that brings the price closer. I'm not a huge fan of PPH, but I'd stay there over Courtyard if the price was close.

 

[Whistlebee]

I've stayed at both and really enjoy both. I think the waterpark at the Courtyard is probably geared for 9 and under. Your 13 year old may be a little bored there. The actual pool is very small. I think your kids would probably like the pool area at PPH better.

You need to decide what is more important to you...the Courtyard is a brand new hotel with beautiful spacious rooms and great service. The PPH rooms are cute, bright and cheery and a good size compared to the DH and GCH. If you are going during a busy time and will actually be up early to use EMH (and can easily afford the extra $) then I'd choose PPH. If you don't think you'd use EMH, I'd pick the Courtyard as it is beautiful, shiny and comes with great service. If swimming is a big part of your vacation then you need to look at the 2 pools and see which one appeals to your family. Personally, I think your kids may be too old for the Courtyard waterpark, but if your kids are young for their age then maybe they'd enjoy it?

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

Thanks everyone for the great input. We decided to go with Courtyard, the bathroom won us over. I'm sure it will be magical

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thanks everyone for the great input. We decided to go with Courtyard, the bathroom won us over. I'm sure it will be magical

What's up with their bathrooms? I think you made the right choice. It's brand new & right across the street.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

It has two showers

 

[Whistlebee]

Thanks everyone for the great input. We decided to go with Courtyard, the bathroom won us over. I'm sure it will be magical

I think you made a great choice. You just can't go wrong at the Courtyard AND you save $300

 

[Jairy]

We have stayed at both and I'm sure you will be happy with your choice. We had 2 families (moms and sons trip), and we loved how much space we had there. We didn't end up using the pool much as the boys are 12 and could go all day in the parks without a break. We actually love the walk from harbour into the park. We get the same excitement walking down by all the shuttle buses with the soundtrack playing.
The only thing we missed about not staying in the PPH was the EMH. For the 5 days we stayed we used it every single morning, so that was a huge plus for us. If the cost of the hotels were similar we would stay in PPH for that reason alone.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

Maybe I should stay at PPH for the EMH. My boys might not want to go back to the hotel.

 

[DizneeRailFan62]

Maybe I should stay at PPH for the EMH. My boys might not want to go back to the hotel.

Regrets this soon after booking? I've been there DisneyQueen1320. I wouldn't stress over it too much. We adults tend to remember things and hang on to them more than our children do. As for whether you will leave the park to use the pool or not, I say let that play out, without any forced schedule. The new pool area is much nicer than the one at PPH IMO anyway, and if you get to use it, then great! It's funny, but in all our trips with DD when she was little, we never left the park once inside unless someone was sick. We never tend to park hop either, and tend to just find time to relax and cat nap on benches, etc., if need be. Again, don't stress over the hotel choice - you will not miss the extra 60 min, and the family will be able to catch up on rest. Good luck and enjoy your trip!