Which Marriott Property?

[Jiminy'sGirl]

We are booking our room for our March DLR vacation using Marriott points. Our biggest priorities are: walk to DLR, cleanliness, parking (for our rental car), and comfort (we are a family of 5 with kids 14,12,7).

Which would be best for us?

Springhill on Ball
Springhill Convention Center
Residence Inn

TIA for your opinions/experiences!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Springhill on Ball is not close, and is isolated next to the Post Office, so cross that off your list.

The Courtyard by Marriott is new and the closest. Has a small water park for the kids and good parking.

Then the following 4 are about the same distance away.

The Residence Inn Maingate on Clementine is an older property, but built in a Condo Style (a group of 2 story buildings),

Then you have the 2 newest ones, the Springhill Suites and the Residence Inn at Harbor and Katella, Both are high rise style of properties, for example, the Springhill is on top of a CVS Pharmacy and has itspool on the roof.

Then the full blown Marriott next to the Convention Center.

So I think I would start with the Courtyard, then the two Residence Inns (and there is also another one nearby in Garden Grove, so make sure you book one of the two closest.),then the Springhill, and then the full service Marriott.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

We want to book all 5 nights entirely on points so the three I listed are our options....

Ok, we don't want to be far away, so thanks for your input on the Ball Rd property. I must've read some bad info on that because I thought it was a shOrt walk to DTD.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Here is a marked map for the walk from the Springhill on Ball to the Main Entrance Plaza of the parks. Note that what surrounds the Springhill is a a gas station, the post office, and mainly residential.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6984614

WHICH Residence Inn was offered?

 

[Disney_Fanatic]

We are booked at the brand new Springhill Suites convention center for our Christmas trip. DH always prefers newer hotels and the reviews are pretty good on this new property.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

Here is a marked map for the walk from the Springhill on Ball to the Main Entrance Plaza of the parks. Note that what surrounds the Springhill is a a gas station, the post office, and mainly residential.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6984614

WHICH Residence Inn was offered?

That's pretty cool! We don't mind the residential aspect. We plan to RD to close the parks. We won't need lots to of restaurants, etc.

Residence Inn Maingate... Condo style hotel, is how it reads. I'm liking the space option here, and the walk-ability, but reviews are more mixed.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

We are booked at the brand new Springhill Suites convention center for our Christmas trip. DH always prefers newer hotels and the reviews are pretty good on this new property.

I think this is what I'm leaning towards. I would love to hear about it when you return!

 

[Darkbeer1]

I like the style of the RI on Clementine, but it and the Springhill are about the same walking distance away.

I think either of those two options are good choices.

I wish I didn't need to bring this up, but there are some crime issues due to the locals in the area, a stabbing just happened at the corner of Ball and Walnut, and I wouldn't want to walk the area at night.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

I like the style of the RI on Clementine, but it and the Springhill are about the same walking distance away.

I think either of those two options are good choices.

I wish I didn't need to bring this up, but there are some crime issues due to the locals in the area, a stabbing just happened at the corner of Ball and Walnut, and I wouldn't want to walk the area at night.

Oh my goodness! That's terrible! I didn't even consider safety of the area in my choice... I guess I'm too accustomed to the Disney bubble of WDW. So overall would you say the convention center area is safer/more insulated?

 

[Darkbeer1]

As for walking distance and safety, I think Harbor, starting North at Manchester (where the HoJo's is) all the way done to Chapman in Garden Grove (group of Hotels) si safe.

Getting off Harbor.

Manchester to the Quality Inn is safe, Disney Way is also good, I would stick to the south side of the street (much more football traffic due to Anaheim GardenWalk, and where the RI is. Katella, east of Harbor, I would stay on the North side of the street, west of Harbor, the south side of Katella is better IMHO.

But the area I am talking about is the "Anaheim Resort District", which has a better police presence that most of the city, plus most business has good private security.

I live in Anaheim, and like any major city, there are good parts and bad parts. Alas, the area west of Walnut has been known as "not the best" near the resort.

But the city does know that keeping the area safe for its visitors is very important.

 

[Reepicheep]

We are booking our room for our March DLR vacation using Marriott points. Our biggest priorities are: walk to DLR, cleanliness, parking (for our rental car), and comfort (we are a family of 5 with kids 14,12,7).

For completeness, I thought I'd mention another possibility which, unfortunately, I don't think you can take advantage of.

Since Marriott and Starwood are in the process of merging, it is possible to move points from one program to the other, at the rate of 3 MARRIOTT POINTS = 1 STARWOOD POINT.

Assuming a 5 day point stay at a Starwood property (with the fifth night free), and taking into account the 3-to-1 conversion ratio, it would cost the following number of Marriott points (daily rate) to book at the following two hotels

16,800 Marriott points - Hotel Menage

24,000 Marriott points - Sheraton Park
27,000 Marriott points - Sheraton Park, club level (i.e., free breakfast, snacks, and (simple) supper meal)

The reason you can't take advantage of these options is that both hotels, as I understand it, have a four person maximum per room.

 

[rentayenta]

The one with the pool on the roof sounds fun!

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

For completeness, I thought I'd mention another possibility which, unfortunately, I don't think you can take advantage of.

Since Marriott and Starwood are in the process of merging, it is possible to move points from one program to the other, at the rate of 3 MARRIOTT POINTS = 1 STARWOOD POINT.

Assuming a 5 day point stay at a Starwood property (with the fifth night free), and taking into account the 3-to-1 conversion ratio, it would cost the following number of Marriott points (daily rate) to book at the following two hotels

16,800 Marriott points - Hotel Menage

24,000 Marriott points - Sheraton Park
27,000 Marriott points - Sheraton Park, club level (i.e., free breakfast, snacks, and (simple) supper meal)

The reason you can't take advantage of these options is that both hotels, as I understand it, have a four person maximum per room.

Yes! We are excited about that merge!! I looked at the Sheraton Park but it didn't show availability... I assumed that was because it was booked, but maybe it was because of the number in our party. Shoot!

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

As for walking distance and safety, I think Harbor, starting North at Manchester (where the HoJo's is) all the way done to Chapman in Garden Grove (group of Hotels) si safe.

Getting off Harbor.

Manchester to the Quality Inn is safe, Disney Way is also good, I would stick to the south side of the street (much more football traffic due to Anaheim GardenWalk, and where the RI is. Katella, east of Harbor, I would stay on the North side of the street, west of Harbor, the south side of Katella is better IMHO.

But the area I am talking about is the "Anaheim Resort District", which has a better police presence that most of the city, plus most business has good private security.

I live in Anaheim, and like any major city, there are good parts and bad parts. Alas, the area west of Walnut has been known as "not the best" near the resort.

But the city does know that keeping the area safe for its visitors is very important.

About how many city blocks does the DLR area as a whole encompass?

Thanks for this info - very helpful!!

 

[Darkbeer1]

About how many city blocks does the DLR area as a whole encompass?

Thanks for this info - very helpful!!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/A...27280dba!8m2!3d33.796725!4d-117.9073244?hl=en

 

[Reepicheep]

Yes! We are excited about that merge!! I looked at the Sheraton Park but it didn't show availability... I assumed that was because it was booked, but maybe it was because of the number in our party. Shoot!

Actually, this exact topic (the permissibility of having five people in a room at the Sheraton Park) came up in this forum in July 2015, while I happened to be staying at the Sheraton Park. I ended up talking to the front desk a couple of times to clarify, and I concluded the following:

(1) the Starwood booking website will not allow a booking with 5 people in a room at the Sheraton Park.

(2) the front desk told me that maximum room capacity is 5 people, but that there are a maximum of two beds per room (either 2 queens, or 1 king with a cot; cots aren't allowed in the 2q rooms).

(3) in theory, if you phone the hotel, they might allow you to make a reservation with five people, but since you would be limited to two beds, and because of the ages of your children, I don't think a two bed room is realistic for you.

*************

I had a relatively small number of Marriott points (9k) which, after careful consideration, I ended up converting into 3k Starwood points. Our favorite non-Disneyland hotel stays have definitely been in concierge rooms at the Convention Centre Marriott, but I was reluctantly forced to the conclusion that the Sheratons (both the Park and the one in Garden Grove), Homewood, and Staybridge hotels provide better value for the dollar.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

Actually, this exact topic (the permissibility of having five people in a room at the Sheraton Park) came up in this forum in July 2015, while I happened to be staying at the Sheraton Park. I ended up talking to the front desk a couple of times to clarify, and I concluded the following:

(1) the Starwood booking website will not allow a booking with 5 people in a room at the Sheraton Park.

(2) the front desk told me that maximum room capacity is 5 people, but that there are a maximum of two beds per room (either 2 queens, or 1 king with a cot; cots aren't allowed in the 2q rooms).

(3) in theory, if you phone the hotel, they might allow you to make a reservation with five people, but since you would be limited to two beds, and because of the ages of your children, I don't think a two bed room is realistic for you.

*************

I had a relatively small number of Marriott points (9k) which, after careful consideration, I ended up converting into 3k Starwood points. Our favorite non-Disneyland hotel stays have definitely been in concierge rooms at the Convention Centre Marriott, but I was reluctantly forced to the conclusion that the Sheratons (both the Park and the one in Garden Grove), Homewood, and Staybridge hotels provide better value for the dollar.

Yes... I delved into this a bit deeper after it was initially brought up here. A rollaway bed isn't a great option for us. We'd rather downgrade the ambiance in exchange for the space.

I love Homewoods... Did look into this but short on points for the full 5 nights. We really want to keep it to using just points. We also bought 4/5 airline tickets with miles. This is a "bonus" vacation for us!!!!

Thank you!!!!

 

[Disney_Fanatic]

How far is the walk from Springhill Convention to the parks? I assume one will use the entrance on the Harbor Blvd side instead of the DTD side? Google maps says 14 mins by foot but other reviewers on tripadvisor mentioned the walk to be around 5 minutes only.

 

[Darkbeer1]

The walk is 7/10th of a mile each way, pretty much go straight up Harbor. Here is a marked map.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6985125

So at an average rate of 3 miles per hour walking, I think that 14 minutes is about right, but that includes going through security. So if you are talking about getting to the Harbor Blvd. Entrance, it is less. So it depends on how you measure, and how fast the group will walk.....