Tropicana or Courtyard Marriott?

[Pluto468]

I'm really torn between these 2 hotels and want ask if anyone has a preference for either one. I was planning on the Tropicana with kitchen and adjoining rooms, but now I think it might be nicer to have a suite at the Marriott with a living room area, etc. I think it has a cafe in the lobby, too. There are 2 adults, a 15 yo and an 11 yo. We would get the suite that has a bedroom with a king bed plus 2 bunk beds in a separate bedroom.

The main sticking point is the walk and hotel quality in general.

People say the Marriott is 10 minutes, but I remember hearing that about the Hojo and it felt like 15-20. I have seen only a handful of negative reviews about the Courtyard Marriott.

The Tropicana looks great and has that short walk, but some of the online reviews are pretty negative. The adjoining rooms would be about $450 more than staying at the Marriott. Are the rooms nice and is the short walk worth staying there even with the negative reviews?

Thanks!

 

[DisneylandFan22]

I have only stayed at the Marriott in a regular room. It is about a 10-15 minute walk. You don't have to cross the street again like you do to get to the HOJO, but the building is back away from the street. There is only a short walk to the elevator once inside, and the elevators always seem to be pretty fast. There is a small cafe in the lobby that serves Starbucks coffee, but not a full Starbucks menu. The pool area is pretty cool. Kind of a small pool, but pretty large jacuzzi, kids play area, and water slides. You can see the fireworks from the pool area. It is very convenient to eat at McDonalds or get Panera. I don't know if they have the same bunk beds in the suites, but they may be kind of small for a 15 year old depending on their height. It worked well for my 11 year old though.

 

[MonocularVision]

I measured the distance from the Courtyard entrance to the Tropicana and it is exactly .2 miles. If you walk at the slower end of a walking pace of 3 miles per hour, you will cover that in 4 minutes.

 

[Pluto468]

I measured the distance from the Courtyard entrance to the Tropicana and it is exactly .2 miles. If you walk at the slower end of a walking pace of 3 miles per hour, you will cover that in 4 minutes.

Thank you so much! Doesn't seem like much of a difference when you actually measure it.

 

[Pluto468]

I have only stayed at the Marriott in a regular room. It is about a 10-15 minute walk. You don't have to cross the street again like you do to get to the HOJO, but the building is back away from the street. There is only a short walk to the elevator once inside, and the elevators always seem to be pretty fast. There is a small cafe in the lobby that serves Starbucks coffee, but not a full Starbucks menu. The pool area is pretty cool. Kind of a small pool, but pretty large jacuzzi, kids play area, and water slides. You can see the fireworks from the pool area. It is very convenient to eat at McDonalds or get Panera. I don't know if they have the same bunk beds in the suites, but they may be kind of small for a 15 year old depending on their height. It worked well for my 11 year old though.

Thanks! I like the sound of that cafe. My son is 6 feet so I'll have to try to get more information on the bunk beds. They look different in the picture online, but that could just be because they use different bedding. It sounds like a very nice hotel, even with the extra walking.

 

[mdmost]

We love the Courtyard and are staying there again for our next trip. You can also get a room with two queen beds and the bunk beds. The bathroom is nice because it offers two showers that are separated by a door so you can have two showers going at the same time with privacy for each person. I don't think a 6 foot teen would fit on the bunk beds. Our kids were under 5 feet the last time we went and were really comfortable.

 

[Whistlebee]

I would not pay more for the Tropicana. I’ve never stayed there, but I have stayed at the courtyard and it’s very nice. I think you’re looking at a 10 minute walk. But if you thought that HOJO was too far, you could feel that The Courtyard is too far too, it’s only one hotel closer. The water play area is geared more for the 10 and under set, and the pool at the Courtyard is kindly tiny, if that matters to you.

 

[vacay77]

I love the Courtyard. It’s about a 10 min walk. It’s next to Ho Jo but the Courtyard is the farthest hotel I’ll stay at in that area. There’s just something about crossing that extra street The rooms at the Courtyard are very spacious and the two times I stayed there, very clean.

 

[pharmama]

I really like both these hotels but I definitely would not pay MORE for the Tropicana unless you really want/need that kitchen. The Trop is great as a decent, super close budget option but the budget part seems negated here by getting two rooms. The Courtyard is a much nicer hotel overall and the walk isn't that much farther. I will say we found the cafe/coffee counter at the Courtyard to be slow and limited options (for breakfast) on our stay in 2019 but YMMV. The Trop also has a coffee counter inside The Cove market.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Courtyard is 7-9 min for an able bodied adult. That is the nicest hotel on Harbor IMO and has the Bistro and other amenities that no other property really has. No brainer betrrn those two for me.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

We love the Courtyard and are staying there again for our next trip. You can also get a room with two queen beds and the bunk beds. The bathroom is nice because it offers two showers that are separated by a door so you can have two showers going at the same time with privacy for each person. I don't think a 6 foot teen would fit on the bunk beds. Our kids were under 5 feet the last time we went and were really comfortable.

I agree. I am 6 foot and the bunk bed was not comfortable for me. It might not work for the 15 year old. A room with 2 queen beds and the bunk beds should work.

 

[Hope2cruise]

We stayed at the Tropicana last week. It is a no frills type of hotel. We didn't have any issues and would stay there again. It was great to be so close after walking over 10 miles in the parks each day. I've never been to the Courtyard so I can't compare the two.

 

[Pluto468]

Thank you for all the input. I think I'll go with the Courtyard Marriott. The bunks say they are twin, which is what my son sleeps on at home. Hopefully it will be comfortable, or the room is so big we could even buy an air mattress if need be.
In the mean time I'll check the site periodically to see if the 1 bedroom 2 queen/ bunk bed suite opens up.

One thing about that hojo walk was we had a toddler in a stroller, it will be a whole different ball game with 2 older kids and will probably feel much faster.

Sounds like that even though the Tropicana is nice, not worth the extra money. That extra $450 can go towards a nice dinner or light saber

Also, my 15 yo may not be into the water park but I'm sure 11 yo will love it.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[smeg3030]

I'd choose Courtyard Marriott. Which is a 3+ star hotel.

I've stayed twice at Tropicana and would not recommend it. Toilet were clogged when we first checked-in and someone came in with a bucket of water to flush the toilet. My cousin staying in a different room found a roach in their room. The rooms are nicely renovated but no thanks.

 

[Pluto468]

I'd choose Courtyard Marriott. Which is a 3+ star hotel.

I've stayed twice at Tropicana and would not recommend it. Toilet were clogged when we first checked-in and someone came in with a bucket of water to flush the toilet. My cousin staying in a different room found a roach in their room. The rooms are nicely renovated but no thanks.

Thanks for the input. That does not sound pleasant!