Originally Posted By bhbob "I wish the dang Park Vue Inn didn't jack their prices up so much the last few years. I would have kept going back to them, but their rates jumped substantially." Oh, do I agree with you on Park Vue! I'm planning a trip later this summer and the first place I always check is Park Vue, but WOW! Priced like a Marriott now. I've stayed there many times before but now we will have to walk a little farther to save a lot of $.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I know When I stayed there I was amazed at the quality of the place. It doesn't look like that much from the outside, but I found the rooms to be very spacious and clean. And a free gift basket filled with wine and food? Was very surprised when I saw that! Free breakfast on the roof top while looking over at the Matterhorn was great too. Combine that with the location, and I thought "This place is that best!" I loved it there. I guess everyone else did too, so they figured they can charge much more and people will pay it.
Originally Posted By Pollyana CC...the bunks are in a separate room but it is still in your room. Only one outside door. Does that make sense... they are in a bedroom attached to your room. At least that is the floorplan we had.....
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance That makes sense Pollyana. The picture they show online makes it appear that they are right next to the queen beds.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s What is the complimentary breakfast? Is it as bad as the one at Desert Inn? They have an AP rate for a potential trip I might take in early January that I may not be able to pass up... I loved the Park Vue also until I looked up their rate. It was nice, the food was great, staff was terrific but not for THAT much money. I'll walk two hotels down to save $60 a night.
Originally Posted By Pollyana CC that may be a different floor plan...I cannot comment on the breakfast. We never indulge since they are always crowded and not much to offer. We usually walk down to McD's and get a fairly cheap breakfast.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s We stayed at the Del Sol last week for 4 nights at an average of $107/night all in (taxes, fees, etc.) for a double Queen room. This isn't going to be my favorite place on Harbor and I will look elsewhere first as I did have a few complaints: - the walls are thin. I could hear both the phones and the hair dryer for the room next door. I never did hear talking though. - the heating/cooling unit was very loud, but that was also good because it created white noise to block out the above. - I could've just been our room, but the water hammer/water noise from everyone else's shower radiated into our room. The heating unit did not block out this noise. - there isn't a 'please clean my room' door hanger. If you want guaranteed service before 4 pm (which we do since we come back to rest after lunch), you have to stop at the front desk and request early service. Not a big deal, but one more stop to make on the way out. - The beds were old and need to be replaced. The bounciest mattress I have slept on in a hotel in a long, long time. - Our hair dryer lit on fire. Not like blazing flames, but we turned it on to dry my daughter's hair, smoke started coming out, and inside I could see the coils were on fire. We pulled it out of the outlet to prevent any further damage. The front desk did seem horrified and replaced it that same day. - parking is very limited and $8/night. They double parked several cars which did make us wonder how some people were going to be able to get out if they needed to leave at night. This didn't happen to us, but we parked mid-lot and never were blocked. The staff was fine - nothing special, nothing terrible. The rooms were clean, the towels were thin, the breakfast what you expect for free (pastries, cereal, coffee, milk).
Originally Posted By ksargen I've had good luck at the Portofino, and they have family suites, too. Haven't stayed in one, but the pictures and layouts look decent. It's on the corner of Harbour and Katella, and isn't a bad walk. It also has the bonus of being across the street from an IHOP that is less crowded than the one right across from the park, and has additional seating upstairs, so it looks smaller than it is. And there's 7-11, and they have their own shop, as well... FREE PARKING, included. They share with Jolly Roger...
Originally Posted By Pollyana So it's been months cc....did you stay at Del Sol and do the Treat night at Dland. How was your trip? I need to know.......
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Not at the moment. Not sure when we will get back. But I'm hoping next year at the latest. I'm trying to be responsible and get things paid off before embarking on another super expensive vacation. Plus we'll most likely have a "free" cruise this year to Alaska through my husbands work. And if that's available, we should take that. It'll be a cool experience for all of us, I think. None of us have ever been to Alaska.
Originally Posted By ksargen CC - Alaska is AWESOME. I've been once on a cruise and briefly (24 hours!) for a business trip. The cruise was a great experience, and I think most kids, particularly school age and older, will get a lot out of it.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance When you are cruising to Alaska, is it ever warm enough to go swimming on the cruise ship? Kids LOVE swimming, but didn't know if it would be warm enough.
Originally Posted By ksargen CC - it depends. We spent some marvelous times in the hot tub on our ship! We went early in the season, so it was FAR too cold to swim in the unheated pools, but the hot tubs on deck were fantastic. We just had to be ready with towels and hurry inside when we got out! If you're on a ship with an indoor pool, it may be better. We were on an older ship, and it was a little crazy in layout for Alaska.
Originally Posted By nevadarebel Just got back from staying here and it was ok. The tv in our room did not work and it took 5 calls to get it fixed. Our room was right by the pool so we could hear everything going outside because the walls are thin. Room was dirty so I had them come back in and redo it because there was hair all over the bathroom and there were spiderwebs next to one of the beds. Parking was scary..if you did not get a spot in the day, you were out of luck later in the evening. Wifi and cell service were spotty at best from our room. We had to lay on one bed and there was a small spot where we could get service. Location to park and walking distance was a plus as it was a 2 minute walk. Having Dennys, Ihop, Tony Romas close was nice too. Did not have a wait at any of them.
