Originally Posted By SuperDry A lot of this is recap from previous threads I've posted on, but among the two Disney hotels on site, the Mira Costa wins hands-down in my opinion. It's a bit more expensive than the Ambassador, but well worth the price in terms of theme and location. And if you look at the booking calendar, you'll see that the public at large seems to agree with this, as the Mira Costa almost always books out before the Ambassador despite the higher price. But if you happen to prefer the art deco style more for some reason, then you might like the Ambassador more. The Ambassador is definitely more kid-friendly, with character dining and free access to the pool. Between the Hilton and the Sheraton (I've stayed at both), they are close, and the way I'd summarize the differences are that the Hilton is more Westerner-friendly and the Sheraton is a bit more upscale. When I've stayed the Hilton, I've seen dozens of other Western guests, whereas at the Sheraton it's been as if I'm the only non-Japanese guest in the whole place. Plus, the Hilton has a better breakfast and pastry shop. But, the Sheraton has better standard rooms and amenities, and although it has fewer of them, is still well-equipped to deal with Western guests. The Hilton and Sheraton are essentially the same as far as location.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Lee, if Michelin is not your prefernce of rating restuarants, there's always the Mobil stars (they are very hard to please, much more so than AAA). Don't know why they haven't rated Napa Rose yet (but Yamabuki has 2 Mobil stars, strangely), but I find it to be a great guide for finding exceptional restaurants. Unlike AAA, they very rarely hand out 5 stars to a restaurant. And funny you should bring up the French Laundry as I feel it's one of the best (if not the best) restaurant in the country. You may not love French cuisine, but many gourmets agree that it's the best when it comes to food. I tend not to look at prices when I'm dining, as I don't mind splurging for an exceptional meal.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Lee, you should also try chowhound and eG Forums for a much more extensive and honest review of restaurants. I prefer it over Zagat, as they tend to give a much better representation of a restaurant than what I have read on Zagat. And all the restaurants are reviewed by average people, like Zagat, but with a much stronger focus on food and quality. Napa Rose is featured on both these sites and holds the distinction of being on the few, if not only, Disney restaurants on the radar of these people. They don't quite agree with the high Zagat rating, but Napa Rose is registered as being one of the finer restaurants in the area (i.e. great, but not amazing). Quite an honor for a Disney restaurant if you ask me.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Can't believe I left this out, but the Gayot Guide published by the influential Gault Millau is one of the best guides right now for dining. It's one of my personal favorites, as the ratings are strictly focused on food. Each restaurant is scored out of 20 points, with 10 being average and 19 being exceptional (they claim that a perfect rating of 20 is impossible to achieve ). Anyways, just for reference, here's a list of some of the top scoring Disney restaurants in the Gayot Guide. 16/20- Victoria & Albert's 15/20- Napa Rose, California Grill, Citricos, Flying Fish Café, Jiko 13/20- Artist Point, Boma, Les Chefs de France, Narcoossee's, Portobello Yacht Club, San Angel Inn, Steakhouse 55, Yachtsman's Steakhouse, Yamabuki
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I frequently stay in the Tokyo Bay Hilton because you can usually book it for $200 to $300 dollars per night. The cost of the two (soon to be three) Disney hotels is insane. the Hilton is just as convenient as the two official hotels in my opinion (I love riding the monorail) and the staff is just great. I stayed in the Ambassador for the first time this past February as part of the Disneyana Fan Festival event--the room was part of the package. It was impressive and I liked it better than the Miracosta.
Originally Posted By Mr X In terms of real "convenience" to the whole resort, the only 2 hotels that are really more convenient (slightly) are the Ambassador and the "motel under the tracks"...since you can reasonably walk to both resorts from those places.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I don't consider that having to take a three minute ride on the monorail classifies a hotel as "inconvenient." The only inconvenient hotel is Ambassador since the quickest way to get to either park from there is to take the Disney Resort Cruiser (a bus, albeit a very fancy one that every visitor to the resort should see at least once).
Originally Posted By Mr X ***The only inconvenient hotel is Ambassador since the quickest way to get to either park from there is to take the Disney Resort Cruiser (a bus, albeit a very fancy one that every visitor to the resort should see at least once).*** No, unless you're a lazy American, the QUICKEST way to get to either park from there is a 5-7 minute walk (oh my!).
Originally Posted By Mr X The Ambassador is no further from either park than the Contemporary is to the Magic Kingdom, actually.
Originally Posted By Gone4Good The closest I got to the Ambassador was the Resort Line. It just seemed like the hotel was wedged into its spot like an afterthougt. Most of the Offical Hotels has a veiw of Tokyo Bay; the Mira Costa and the Disneyland will both have their parks to add atmosphere to the hotels. But aside from the Cirque tent and maybe Ikspari...the Ambassador just seems empty. Just a thought. Thanks for the advice on the Hilton. When I'm visiting TDR I somehow don't feel like I'm really visiting Japan, so a western hotel isn't a problem.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< When I'm visiting TDR I somehow don't feel like I'm really visiting Japan, so a western hotel isn't a problem. >>> I know the feeling! In January 2006, I spent a week in Japan, and stayed at the Mira Costa the whole time. Only on one day did I make an excursion into Tokyo, and on that day, I made the realization that "Hey, I'm in Japan - cool!" Although very different from the US resorts, TDR is still its own little world. And note that I would not recommend that first-time visitors do the "TDR only" plan - mine was a special case as I just wanted to take some time off and relax, and not do the tourist thing.
Originally Posted By Mr X Yes, whenever I don't feel like being a tourist, the first place I head is Disney.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I've always found the Miracosta somewhat lacking, but I can't pinpoint how or why. The Ambassador seemed much warmer and friendlier to me, and I preferred the room as well.
Originally Posted By Mr X My only real "issue" with the Mira Costa is that it seems a tad smallish. Although beautiful and ornate, it seems to lack the "shock and awe" grandeur of places like the Grand Floridian, the Boardwalk, or other comparable "super resorts" like the ones in Vegas or whatever. BUT, that's a small beef overall. One could even look at it as an asset (more intimate, quality over quantity etc...). I've seen the rooms and they're nothing to write home about, BUT the views more than make up for that I think. In a way, given the Ambassadors relative lack of a good location and good views, they would almost HAVE to be better in other ways or it would be glaringly obvious that it wasn't a good place to stay. As SuperDry points out, the masses have definitely spoken as the MiraCosta is always more heavily booked even at its' higher price. But I would imagine proximity and view have a lot to do with this as well.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I think people like the Miracosta because it's in the park--over "Main Street" to be precise. And the views from the hoity-toity rooms must be great.
Originally Posted By Mr X I do love the place though, even discounting the views and proximity. It's quite ornate, and one of the finest Disney hotels imo. I never cared much about the Ambassador...I guess if you're into art deco it's okay. The banquet rooms are really nice though, and very "high tech" as well.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara My room at the Ambassador didn't seem high tech--it was warm and cozy. Perhaps it felt that way because it was snowing outside!
Originally Posted By Mr X Not the rooms (I've never seen one actually), the convention facilities. I went to a couple of events there, and they had all kinds of lighting effects and cool music etc... Probably standard nowadays, but this was back when the Ambassador first opened and it was pretty neat.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara The convention facilities that we saw during the Disneyana event were typical rooms for in-hotel facilities. Our dinner was great: we all went to the Sailing Away buffet in DisneySea where they had a special selection out for us. All the steak you could eat, among other things.
