Wow. Big changes in amenities at Park Vue Inn!

[Thundergod]

Well for those interested I have cancelled my Park Vue reservations from 15th-19th.

I will instead add a day to our stay and stay at our usual place.

Thank you to the O.P for the heads up.

 

[Blue32]

We will stay here in November but we also did not base our decision on the free water and fruit basket or even the light dinner for that matter. My most important factors were how others enjoyed their stay(reviews), the proximity to the entrance gates and the availability of bunk bed rooms for the price.

Free cookies and water... you are talking about a few dollar benefit?
The light dinner would definately help someone save money on food but we plan eating our dinners in the parks.

 

[Thundergod]

I agree the food isn't worth cancelling a reservation but it seems the overall quality of this place may be declining.

I know what I get at the other place I have stayed. I don't expect much out of the place but it suits our needs. It's not worth it to me to pay twice as much and not knowing what you get.

 

[Butterfly123]

The dropping of some of their amenities, some recent iffy reviews (here and on Trip Advisor), and finding out they have an F rating with the BBB has made me decide to stay this visit at BWPPI instead, as we had a nice stay there last summer. I'm sure PVI would be fine, but at this point I think I would rather stay at a place where I know I enjoyed my stay. Luckily we were able to get reservations at this late date. Less than four weeks until our vacation!

 

[chrissiecutie]

Well for those interested I have cancelled my Park Vue reservations from 15th-19th.

I will instead add a day to our stay and stay at our usual place.

Thank you to the O.P for the heads up.

Curious...where do you usually stay?

We love the HoJo for the ET rate and the kids water play area. But they are lacking in extra amenities. I would like to find a place within walking distance since it's just easier with a stroller that also offers a decent free breakfast.

 

[Thundergod]

Curious...where do you usually stay?

We love the HoJo for the ET rate and the kids water play area. But they are lacking in extra amenities. I would like to find a place within walking distance since it's just easier with a stroller that also offers a decent free breakfast.

Well I hardly think where we stay is what you are looking for!

The last two years we have stayed at super 8 on Disneyland drive.
It's pretty clean and you get two beds, a fridge, microwave and the usual standard stuff. The breakfast is often worth skipping but for the money it's hard to beat.
You can walk to Disneyland from there but it will take a little time. We drive to the parking garage and catch the tram.


Probably for a little more you can find something more convenient.

I personally like the super 8 but it's just really standard.

 

[nannyz]

I've never stayed at a hotel in the DL area that offered free water and cookies so that would not affect my decision.
I do refuse to stay anywhere that has exterior doors, especially with small children. So my choice is HoJo.

 

[SomeDude78]

Sadly, no. "smelly, shabby &small" was my description. I know others have had better experiences but I really wish we'd stayed elsewhere.

I'd agree with this assessment. Largely subjective, obviously, but while basically all the walkable properties on Harbor are motels, I never really liked PVI all that much, it always felt a little more "ghetto" (sorry, a bit harsh but the best word I could come up with right now) compared to some of the other places. That said, the decrease in perks probably wouldn't change my decision if I were already intent on staying there since it's not a huge deal in the big picture of how much money one typically blows at DLR

I've always liked FFI but I'm a Marriott junkie so probably viewing the world through biased eyes there Hojo right next door is nearly as nice and usually cheaper, and as others have said, a really good deal for the price, with rooms and general property that feel nicer than PVI IMO.

 

[PigletSeeker]

We used to always stay at PVI until we realized we could use Priceline and pay less and stay somewhere far nicer. We miss the breakfast, but granola bars and pop tarts are a cheap alternative. Taking a 1.5 mile ride on a shuttle is not a big deal. Now we look at those hotels right across from the gates and comment on how old and shabby they look.

 

[MommyLove]

Well you would think as a common courtesy to people who have had their reservations for a while, they would send an email telling them that the reservation they made and paid a deposite on based on information from them, will be changing I have sent an email asking about this, I will reply to this thread when I hear back from them.

I agree! And I'm curious about their response since we booked there for an October trip (as you know! ) and yes, paid the deposit when all these perks were in place. Granted, these aren't huge perks to lose. I would be very upset if they downgrade the breakfast in any way though. Hopefully they keep that.

Since we now need a suite with bunk beds, *AND* don't want to stay somewhere so far away as to need a shuttle (strollers!) we're pretty limited as to where we can stay within walking distance. I hope Park Vue can continue to be a place we choose to stay.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I agree! And I'm curious about their response since we booked there for an October trip (as you know! ) and yes, paid the deposit when all these perks were in place. Granted, these aren't huge perks to lose. I would be very upset if they downgrade the breakfast in any way though. Hopefully they keep that.

Since we now need a suite with bunk beds, *AND* don't want to stay somewhere so far away as to need a shuttle (strollers!) we're pretty limited as to where we can stay within walking distance. I hope Park Vue can continue to be a place we choose to stay.

I'm also booked for an Oct/Nov trip, and this is all really disappointing to hear. As someone who is flying in, it was nice to think that a) we would not have to go to a store or have a delivery to get bottled water and b) we would not have to worry about buying too many water bottles and having to leave them behind or running out a day early or something. So it was about the *convenience*, not about amazing cost savings of not buying our own bottled water at Target or Walmart.
I also really liked the idea of spoiling the kids (and being able to persuade them to forgo some $$$ park treats) by letting them have cookies and punch every afternoon when we come back for a rest.
If this new policy sticks, now I have to worry about running into problems getting my $182 deposit back. Because I consider BWPPI (just as close) and Residence Inn (better food, bigger space, nicer digs) to be better, nicer options.

 

[Malcon10t]

Hi Crystalane,

Would you mind naming the other hotels that you consider nicer please. I am planning a trip in June 2013 and keep looking at hotels for 2 adults and 2 girls age 14 and 12. The more I look the more I change my mind I was thinking either the Park Vue or the Portofino what do you think of the Portofino?

A nice pool is important to us but we will be trying to keep everthing a cheap a possible as coming from Ireland the flights will be mega expensive.

Tks in advance.

I really like the Candy Cane. It is a nicely landscaped location, nice pool, decent continental breakfast, and the rooms are very nice. I prefer the premium rooms and find them worth the extra $$.

And a free shuttle if the 8 min walk is too much.

 

[smiley_face2]

Well I still have not heard back from them, but I see on their website under the amenities they talk about their breakfast in their newly expanded breakfast room and patio, they have removed the mention of the light afternoon meal.
For us this is still not a deal breaker. It was our daughter and her almost 3 year old that were going to be using the afternoon meal option to save some money, but as we have the 2 room suite that has the kitchen, we will just make a trip to the store for some easy to prepare things for them like soup, sandwich supplies, some frozen dinners etc.
Being right across the street from the entrance is really important so we can go back and forth easily for naps etc. and when we stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn we were sold on the convenience of being in that location. Our stay at the BWPPI was not a very good one though and I wouldn't try that again without a back up plan.
I have never thought the places across from the entrance looked old or run down or ghetto!! in fact the whole area is very nice, and it looks to me like they try very hard to keep things looking inviting. You can go on Google street view to look at the different places with your own eyes.
I still like the pictures of the rooms I have seen, both here on DIS and at trip advisor, and the majority of reviews are good ones, so I am still happy with our choice.

 

[smiley_face2]

I really like the Candy Cane. It is a nicely landscaped location, nice pool, decent continental breakfast, and the rooms are very nice. I prefer the premium rooms and find them worth the extra $$.

And a free shuttle if the 8 min walk is too much.

We had a very nice stay at the Candy Cane Inn! We did ask to be moved to a different room, ours had several small things wrong with it, chipped paint....just a general needing to be spruced up, and the sink absolutely would not drain! but our second room up on the second floor was really great, but quite small for 4. For just hubby and myself we would definitely consider staying here again, and having their own dedicated shuttle is awesome!

 

[d1gitman]

gee, i dunno but we stayed at Park Vue before and i can't say that those 'perks' are that big of a deal to us but to each his own.

 

[IrelandMaryD]

I really like the Candy Cane. It is a nicely landscaped location, nice pool, decent continental breakfast, and the rooms are very nice. I prefer the premium rooms and find them worth the extra $$.

And a free shuttle if the 8 min walk is too much.

Thanks Malcon I was actually looking at the cane cane as well as several others. I am probably a bit too early for booking yet but more than likely price will be the major factor. I would not mind a walk to and from as it will burn some calories lol. Thanks for the advice.

 

[IrelandMaryD]

Would you be willing to take e Anaheim Resort Transit system to the park or is it important for you to be walking distance? The drive is only
about 8 minutes. The stay bridge suites on Manchester is where we have always stayed because of the excellent value! Rooms have a kitchen, but they also have a full complimentary breakfast every morning (eggs, bacon, waffles, toast, fruit, etc.) and 'appetizers' a few nights a week that were more like full dinners. They also have a fantastic pool and hot tub.

Thanks for the suggestion Carolynleanne and the hotel and pool certainly looks lovely but I really want to be able to walk to downtown disney and garden walk in the evenings for a selection of resturants and a beverage or two.

 

[Malcon10t]

Thanks for the suggestion Carolynleanne and the hotel and pool certainly looks lovely but I really want to be able to walk to downtown disney and garden walk in the evenings for a selection of resturants and a beverage or two.

Might also look at Residence Inn Maingate which is across from the Gardenwalk. Its my #1 choice when we go.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Well I still have not heard back from them, but I see on their website under the amenities they talk about their breakfast in their newly expanded breakfast room and patio, they have removed the mention of the light afternoon meal.
For us this is still not a deal breaker. It was our daughter and her almost 3 year old that were going to be using the afternoon meal option to save some money, but as we have the 2 room suite that has the kitchen, we will just make a trip to the store for some easy to prepare things for them like soup, sandwich supplies, some frozen dinners etc.
Being right across the street from the entrance is really important so we can go back and forth easily for naps etc. and when we stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn we were sold on the convenience of being in that location. Our stay at the BWPPI was not a very good one though and I wouldn't try that again without a back up plan.
I have never thought the places across from the entrance looked old or run down or ghetto!! in fact the whole area is very nice, and it looks to me like they try very hard to keep things looking inviting. You can go on Google street view to look at the different places with your own eyes.
I still like the pictures of the rooms I have seen, both here on DIS and at trip advisor, and the majority of reviews are good ones, so I am still happy with our choice.

I'm going to predict that you likely will not hear back from them. They are notorious for ignoring customer questions and issues. Many of the bad reviews on TripAdvisor mention poor customer service as soon as a problem arises. They also have an F rating from the Better Business Bureau, while most hotels along that strip have at least an A-.

 

[Lissame]

I have never stayed at PVI, but I'd hesitate to use the BBB rating as a reason not to stay there. I just looked it up and they have received 4 complaints (in the previous 3 years), and the reason it is an F is because of ONE unresolved case. The BBB says they will give a poor rating if a case is unresolved.

In contrast--the Grand Californian has 96 complaints with the BBB in the past 3 years, all have been resolved, so they have an A+ rating.

So take those ratings with your own grain of salt.