Disney resorts - Pitstops for Kids

Disneyland hotel pick: Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

April 3, 2017 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following guest post is written by Pit Stops for Kids contributor Elizabeth Bickford.

Need a Disneyland hotel pick? The Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance has one of the best locations and properties combined in the Disneyland resort area! We had a great stay with our two daughters ages five and seven. The property is within walking distance and is surrounded by several dining options which make it easy to keep your costs low when spending several days at Disneyland!

Check in at the Courtyard by Marriott:

I have to say this was one of the easiest check-ins ever! We even checked in during a rainstorm and were able to get in to our room within several minutes! The property offers valet only at a reasonable price of $20 per night – reasonable considering parking at the resort at Disneyland alone is $18! So for two dollars more you walk straight into Disneyland and you don’t have to break down any strollers or hop on any buses – I think it’s a great deal. As a bonus, in the lobby, while checking in was an interactive coloring station where the children could paint and play while we received our room keys. There was also a cute library and game center set up to occupy your family.

The room review:

I was extremely impressed with the size of the rooms as well as the furnishings. Each room sleeps six people! The room we stayed in offer two queen beds and a bunk bed! The children were delighted to have this option! We had a great view overlooking the water park and Disneyland resort – we were able to watch the fireworks here one night when the rain was too much to stay at Disneyland. We were so happy to be able to enjoy Disneyland from the comfort of our room.

Another great amenity at the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance was our room came with the option of two showers! This was great for coming in from the pool. We were able to get both children quickly showered and dressed so we could head right back out and enjoy all the fun that Anaheim has to offer! The only negative was my children manage to both get soap in their eyes at the exact same moment which was quite comical I’m sure if you could see me running back-and-forth wiping children’s eyes as they bellowed for me. However, I think the likelihood of this happening to anyone else is extremely low!

The room also offered everything you would need for an extended stay; there was a mini fridge, coffee machine, and a microwave! The toiletries and complementary items were all of high quality and brand-name.

The property: What to expect at the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

Overall, this was one of the most child-friendly properties that we have stayed at in the area. Not only is there a giant water play structure but there are two waterslides, a full pool, Jacuzzi and a one foot splash pool for the kids! We found that many guests were able to find something for their children of all ages on the pool deck. We also saw that this was one of the best places to catch fireworks if your room did not have a direct view – remember to check out the times for the fireworks so you can plan to get a front row view along the fence over looking Disneyland.

The property also housed a convenient store, quick market, and a bistro. The restaurant was open for certain dining hours only and it was not open throughout the entire day. We had a late start one morning and missed the bistro hours – however, there are so many dining options just outside of the property that it did not cause an issue during our stay.

Additionally, guests can use the on-site exercise room and the valet service is exceptionally quick. For valet they recommend texting the valet desk and they should provide an estimated time of arrival for your vehicle. This worked great and even though it was raining throughout our stay we did not get a drop on us when heading to our car.

Suggestions for your stay:

If you are looking to stay on this property we highly recommend bringing a stroller for the young ones. The walk is extremely easy but, the stroller made it less stressful when crossing the main road. There is plenty of room in the entryway of the hotel room to store the stroller. Additionally, we recommend taking advantage of the in room amenities like the refrigerator by bringing some of your own items to offset the cost of Disneyland! Lastly, I would highly recommend Mimi’s café which is inside the same parking lot as the hotel – they offer all day breakfast which was great for the kids. It was one of the closest and most reasonably priced restaurants (other than McDonalds) in the area. We were even able to bring the food back and save it for the following morning.

I have to say, this was one of the best properties we have stayed at in the Disneyland Area. I highly recommend this property all year round as we were here in the rain and the water park was still heated to a nice temperature allowing the children to enjoy all that the property had to offer. Additionally, for the quality of the hotel – the location cannot be beat by an off property accommodation. We cannot wait to go back again – my daughter has already requested a stay here as your birthday present this year!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary two nights stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance in order to complete my review, however all opinions stated are my own.

A stay at Disneyland Resort’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa

December 24, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

The best Disney theming never seeks to replace what you know and love. It simply taps into it to touch you on an emotional or visceral level. Disneyland Resort’s Grand Californian does this for me. A lover of wilderness lodges (the real ones), I know what they should look like, feel like, and smell like. While the Grand Californian is clearly the romanticized version, its magnificent six-story lobby (called the Great Hall) and wide, thick-beamed corridors succeed in making me nostalgic for those places I’ve experienced in my past while making me ridiculously happy to be where I am at the same time.

What makes the Grand Californian so great as a Disney resort pick for families (and specifically, worth its hefty nightly rate)? Whether you, too, have a connection to historic national park lodges or just want a great home base for your family Disney trip, the Grand Californian will deliver on convenience, location, and perks.

Amenities:

Everything you need in a theme park resort is on-hand at this hotel. The Grand Californian offers two restaurants, including signature dining at Napa Rose, which I highly recommend, and character dining at the Storyteller’s Cafe. There’s also a poolside snack venue, and the cozy Hearthstone Lounge. In-room dining is available, as is a convenient express menu for breakfasts.

If you’d like to have an adult evening out or a spa treatment at Mandara Spa, Pinocchio’s Workshop is open from 5 pm to 12 am daily, and costs $13/hour per child. Alternatively, free staff-organized poolside activities are ongoing on the Children’s Pool deck. Speaking of pools, the Grand Californian has three of them: the Redwood Pool, Children’s Pool, and Mariposa Pool, as well as two hot tubs and a decent-sized slide. The pool deck area is spacious and shaded, and includes a vast army of well-padded lounge chairs perfect for an afternoon park break.

In addition to the perk of Magic Mornings for all Disneyland Resort guests, guests staying at Grand Californian can take advantage of the opportunity to grab World of Color FASTPASSes prior to all other park guests. (Available at the Grand Gate between Napa Rose and Mandara Spa prior to regular park hours.)

Location:

All the above amenities are nice, and yes, you will crane your neck to look up into the Grand Hall’s impressive architecture more than once, but the #1 reason I’d recommend a Grand Californian stay is its ideal location. I can’t emphasize enough how convenient it is to be literally steps from the action in California Adventure: a short path and tunnel, and you’re there. No busses to hassle, no monorail to wait for, no dragging kids with tired feet. I love the Disneyland Hotel as well, but can’t tell you how tired we got of the walk between the theme parks through Downtown Disney. Guests at the Grand Californian could go from riding California Screamin’ to jumping in the Grand Californian pool for a much-needed afternoon cool-off swim in under 10 minutes.

You’d have to have a pretty perfect room to see all of World of Color from the Grand Californian, but I was able to see most of the water and colored lights and hear all of the music from my 5th floor pool view room. It made for nice ambiance while I wrote this review. Just down the hallway from my room, the Fifth Floor Parkview Terrace is an ideal location for taking a load off, seeing just a bit more of the World of Color than I could from my room’s balcony, and getting away from crowds.

Immersion:

As with all Disney does, total emersion, in this case into the world of wilderness lodges, is promised. The rooms feature warm wood tones, ‘lantern’ style lamps, mission style dressers, and muted colors. Huge stone fireplaces reside inside and out and rocking chairs dot the many decks and garden outdoor spaces.

The rooms themselves are spacious, feature tubs as well as showers, mini-fridges, and quite large tables/desks with two chairs. As with most Disney properties, lots of storage space is available, and the housekeeping staff was prompt and attentive every day.

Date last visited:

June 13, 2012

Room rates:

Disney resort rack rates vary greatly between seasons, room type, and more. Families can keep track of it all online. Check room categories and rates here. Keep in mind: you do need separate park tickets to gain entry; even from the Grand Californian private entrance.

Dining:

See above. The only thing the Grand Californian does not have that I wish it did: a quick service breakfast option. Room service is available, but expensive.

Directions:

The hotel is located at 1600 S. Disneyland Drive in Anaheim, CA. Follow signage from I-5.

Disney done right: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort

January 19, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

I wrote recently on the benefits of staying on-site in Walt Disney World. Of course, deciding a Disney resort is right for you and your family hardly narrows down your field of options, given that at last count, there were almost 20 of them to choose from. For our Disney World vacation, we finally settled on Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, Riverside, and we never once regretted our decision. Why?

1. Location. Port Orleans is one of Disney’s largest resorts, but due to its beautiful and extensive landscaping, winding pathways, and sweeping public areas filled with magnolia blossoms and lawn, you’d never know it. It includes two distinct and separate complexes: Riverside and French Quarter, both of which have their own restaurants, pools, and recreational activities, connected by the river walk along the Sassagoula River. We stayed in Riverside, which was, yet again, divided into two sections: Alligator Bayou and Dixie Landings. Maybe we’re just not used to Southern ambiance (and hospitality), but we felt tucked away from the bustle of Disney World throughout our stay. Despite being just minutes from the theme parks by way of Disney transportation buses and even closer to Downtown Disney by boat, Port Orleans felt quiet and tranquil. Not easy to come by in Orlando! (Note: I’d heard complaints about the walk from the far buildings to the lobby/dining area (Riverside Mill). We were quite far from the center of things in Building 36, and didn’t mind the ten minute walk in the least. Ol’ Man Island, the main swimming complex, is situated in the middle of the buildings (think of a hub and spokes), and is easy to access for everyone.)

2. Amenities. Port Orleans is listed as a ‘moderate’ Disney resort, which distinguishes it from the lower-cost ‘value’ resorts in two main ways that made a difference to our family (and might make a difference to yours): recreational opportunities and dining. Each moderate resort has at least one themed pool and several ‘quiet’ pools (we had one right outside our door and loved it!), and other recreational opportunities such as canoe or boat rentals, video arcades, and thematic activities (in Port Orleans’ case, cane-pole fishing). Ol’ Man Island features a free-form pool, slide, hot tubs, and a pool-side bar (values do not have slides or hot tubs) that we used nightly (the pool and the bar). In addition, each moderate resort features at least one sit-down restaurant in addition to their food court, Riverside Mill. (Value resorts do not.) If you envision yourself and your family spending even a moderate amount of time (no pun intended) at the resort, and don’t want to drop the dough for a deluxe room, a moderate such as Port Orleans might work best for you.

3. Price. In my opinion, you get far more for your resort dollar at a moderate than you would at a value, and not much less than you would at a deluxe. (That sounds like a riddle!) Let me try that again: you get almost as many bells and whistles as you would at a deluxe for up to half the nightly room rate. (Note: Port Orleans’s Alligator Bayou rooms fit families of five…provided that one family member can fit on their ‘trundle’ bed, which pulls out from underneath one of their standard ones. Our youngest son found it quite comfortable, but I wouldn’t try it with anyone over the age of 6-8.)

What not to miss: As I hinted at above, staying in a Disney resort is almost like visiting an additional theme park: there’s a lot to do and see, and you want to make time to enjoy it. We took an entire day off from the parks just to explore Port Orleans, but even if you can’t spare that kind of time, make sure you swim at Ol’ Man Island (and maybe fish for bluegill in their stocked pond), take a cruise down the river to Downtown Disney (have your kids ask your boat captain for a Disney Transportation captain’s card), take in the evening comedy show at the River Roost, and take the plunge on the dragon slide at the French Quarter pool (guests of Riverside has use of the French Quarter pool, and vice versa!).

Room Rates: $130-150 at time of our visit. Check for most up-to-date rates.

Main Dining Options: Riverside Mill Food Court and Boatwrights (both on the Disney Dining Plan). Snacks available at the general store. Rooms have mini-fridges, which we used to fill with breakfast supplies and snacks. If you’re flying to the resort, as we did, consider pre-ordering groceries to be delivered to Port Orleans on the day of your arrival with Garden Grocer.

Distance from the parks: Under five minutes. (Note: we’re big believers in leaving the car behind and using Disney transportation. We never waited longer than ten minutes for a bus at any of the Port Orleans bus depots.)

Photo credit