GrandBob
Grand events should not go unnoticed
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2007
- Messages
- 2,280
Synopsis - Great location directly across the street. But take that away, and it's at best an OK motel.
DW & I stayed at the Carousel Sun Sept 27 to Fri Oct 2. I booked a killer deal far in advance -- $65/night for a single queen room And let me say right off the bat that, for that price, it was worth it.
Got there Sunday at 9AM because we had decided to drive down Saturday PM, and stayed at the Cortona the extra night. Didn't expect to check in or be able to park, but was pleasantly surprised that they at least let us park there during the day. While DW and niece stayed in the park, I returned around 4 PM to check in. They gave me a single queen on the 2nd floor next to the elevator, and it turned out to be a handicap accessible room. The room was tiny! It may be because they stole from the bedroom area to make a very large accessible bathroom, but the bedroom area was so small, I couldn't even get all our luggage and clothes into the closet. Now, admittedly we brought a lot along, because we had a wedding to go to in San Diego later; but this room wasn't acceptable.
Went back to the lobby, and discussed this with the clerk. I got an upgrade to a two-queen room for an extra $10/night plus tax. This was much better -- it was about the size you'd expect for a simple motel room, and I could fit things in the closet. So my room ended up being $75, plus resort fee, plus tax. But still quite a value for being directly across the street.
We returned late from the parks, unpacked, and went to sleep. In the AM, we assessed:
Beds - comfortable.
Room condition - OK.
There was a crack running down the middle of the bathroom sink, but apparently it didn't leak, so I had no problem with it.
I called downstairs again to inquire about a key to the safe, and to report that the cordless phone and TV remote had dead batteries. I had to fill out a form for the safe key to acknowledge that a lost key cost $100. By the time I did that and returned to the room, maintenance had already been there to replace the remote and phone. Kudos for quick response. I had forgotten about the cracked sink and bathroom exhaust that didn't work, but those didn't seem a big deal.
It definitely feels like an old motel. The exterior walkways on each floor are very uneven, like the support structure had warped over the years. The ceilings are similarly uneven. But they've done a good job keeping the interiors updated.
The included breakfast is pretty lame. If you don't want a bowl of cereal or piece of toast, don't even bother. After the first day, we didn't.
I had read on the DIS about parking problems, which is why I didn't expect to be able to park before I checked in. But they did let me park early, and there were always at least a few open spaces. Perhaps that's because this is off-season.
Overall, an adequate place to stay. If you can get a great deal like I did, it's definitely worth it. But I wouldn't pay an inflated price for it. In retrospect, I could have gotten FFI for $99/night, and I suspect (having never stayed there) that I would have considered that a better deal. But I have no real complaints about what I got for the money.
-Bob
DW & I stayed at the Carousel Sun Sept 27 to Fri Oct 2. I booked a killer deal far in advance -- $65/night for a single queen room And let me say right off the bat that, for that price, it was worth it.
Got there Sunday at 9AM because we had decided to drive down Saturday PM, and stayed at the Cortona the extra night. Didn't expect to check in or be able to park, but was pleasantly surprised that they at least let us park there during the day. While DW and niece stayed in the park, I returned around 4 PM to check in. They gave me a single queen on the 2nd floor next to the elevator, and it turned out to be a handicap accessible room. The room was tiny! It may be because they stole from the bedroom area to make a very large accessible bathroom, but the bedroom area was so small, I couldn't even get all our luggage and clothes into the closet. Now, admittedly we brought a lot along, because we had a wedding to go to in San Diego later; but this room wasn't acceptable.
Went back to the lobby, and discussed this with the clerk. I got an upgrade to a two-queen room for an extra $10/night plus tax. This was much better -- it was about the size you'd expect for a simple motel room, and I could fit things in the closet. So my room ended up being $75, plus resort fee, plus tax. But still quite a value for being directly across the street.
We returned late from the parks, unpacked, and went to sleep. In the AM, we assessed:
Beds - comfortable.
Room condition - OK.
There was a crack running down the middle of the bathroom sink, but apparently it didn't leak, so I had no problem with it.
I called downstairs again to inquire about a key to the safe, and to report that the cordless phone and TV remote had dead batteries. I had to fill out a form for the safe key to acknowledge that a lost key cost $100. By the time I did that and returned to the room, maintenance had already been there to replace the remote and phone. Kudos for quick response. I had forgotten about the cracked sink and bathroom exhaust that didn't work, but those didn't seem a big deal.
It definitely feels like an old motel. The exterior walkways on each floor are very uneven, like the support structure had warped over the years. The ceilings are similarly uneven. But they've done a good job keeping the interiors updated.
The included breakfast is pretty lame. If you don't want a bowl of cereal or piece of toast, don't even bother. After the first day, we didn't.
I had read on the DIS about parking problems, which is why I didn't expect to be able to park before I checked in. But they did let me park early, and there were always at least a few open spaces. Perhaps that's because this is off-season.
Overall, an adequate place to stay. If you can get a great deal like I did, it's definitely worth it. But I wouldn't pay an inflated price for it. In retrospect, I could have gotten FFI for $99/night, and I suspect (having never stayed there) that I would have considered that a better deal. But I have no real complaints about what I got for the money.
-Bob
