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CoasterChickie
05-31-2005, 09:35 AM
Hi Everyone!

We just got back this morning at 5 am.

We wanted to watch the fireworks again because they were so awesome and we didn't want to sit in Memorial Day traffic anyways, so we left at 11 pm!! I drove the first three hours and my hubby drove the second three hours! The kids andDLF slept the whole way!!

Here's my first piece of advice to all of you...don't ever stay at the Days Inn and Suites near the convention center. I hated the place soooo much!! It looked fine at first glance, but close up, it was a run down stinky hotel!! The desk clerk who checked us in had no personality at all, the stairs and balcony looked like they were about to fall off the building, our initial thought when we entered the room was "What scent of horrible cleaner is this?," the first room had the king bed in it and the second room had the bunk bed and pull-out queen bed in it but there was no lock on the door between the rooms for privacy (the only good thing I can say about the second room was that it was very large so if you wanted to sneak about 14 guests into this suite, you probably could), the beds were horribly uncomfortable, the bathroom was adequate, the pool was cold and the hot tub was luke warm, the free breakfast was coffee, oj, apples, oranges and stale pastries if you wanted them (we didn't), the "free" internet access wasn't free-it was $10 (we didn't use it), the "free" shuttle service wasn't free either-it was $3.00 per person per day (we didn't use it either). For what we paid per night , we expected this place to be at least as nice as the Hawthorn Suites, but in retrospect we would have been better off paying less per night and staying at the Super 8 Motel.

I told Renta that I will not go in July and stay off property again unless I hear plenty of reassurance that the Hojos is a nice hotel. I refuse to pay almost $300 for CRAP again!!

Faith Trust & Pixie Dust
05-31-2005, 09:43 AM
Ooooooh...that sounds terrible! Sorry your hotel was icky, but I hope the rest of your trip was fun. Thanks for the head's up--I'm going in July and have been looking off-property (we've always stayed in the DLH or GC before), so I most assuredly will not choose the Days Inn. Nothing worse than a crappy hotel!

JosieGirl71
05-31-2005, 09:46 AM
Sorry your motel was poopy but I can reassure you that HoJo's is very nice and clean. Not to mention that their service is second to none! :D

Captain Josh
05-31-2005, 10:01 AM
you were go-one?

disney jones
05-31-2005, 10:05 AM
Welcome back! and it's your trip report i'm looking for amnd your impressions of the new stuff!!

(hotel reviews? we don't need no stinking hotel reviews!) :p

CoasterChickie
05-31-2005, 10:14 AM
Disney Jones...I thought of you and how you always like to stay at the beach. I think I would have loved that!!

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust...I have stayed at the Sheraton and awthorn Suites before...the Sheraton is awesome but can't fit our entire family, the Hawthorn Suites is pretty good!!

As far as the rest of the trip went, we had a very good time!! Everything at the park looks fabulous for the 50th Anniversary!!

The fireworks show is the best ever and the parade is great too!!

DangerMouse
05-31-2005, 10:32 AM
Coaster, I'm sorry you had a bad hotel experience. Let me be another to reassure you about the HoJo. It is so nice -- really. I had a view room in Bldg. 1 with vaulted ceilings. Very nice, very VERY clean. The people there are wonderful - incredibly accommodating. The pool area is great as well. I'd definitely give it a try. You won't be disappointed unless you are expecting five star accommodations.

stan4d_steph
05-31-2005, 10:38 AM
CC, if you haven't already, please submit a review to the MousePlanet database so others can be warned about the Days Inn and Suites. Thanks!

AlbertaMinnie
05-31-2005, 10:40 AM
I'm so sorry to hear of your experience! I hope that your days in the park were good enough to offset your bad feelings left by the hotel. My supervisor here at work highly recommends the HoJo, although I've never stayed there myself - he and his wife are VERY particular about things. When I stay offsite I stay at the Carousel, and have always been pleased there.

Emma
05-31-2005, 10:41 AM
Coaster, sorry to hear your hotel sucked. Glad to have you back though! :D

rentayenta
05-31-2005, 10:44 AM
I told Renta that I will not go in July and stay off property again unless I hear plenty of reassurance that the Hojos is a nice hotel. I refuse to pay almost $300 for CRAP again!!



Can someone help me out with the above request???? ;)



It's good to have you back CC. You were missed. :) Look out, I see plenty of reassurance coming your way!

Earkid
05-31-2005, 10:55 AM
We've stayed at the HoJo's several times and will be again Th and Fri. I will be sure to let you know if we encounter any difficulties, we never have before (and I am a hotel bed snob).

My main concern are the reports I have been seeing here about the long food lines. Did you have any of those problems CC?

P.S. Yenta, I luv the pic of your little Prince in your Avatar.

Hakuna Makarla
05-31-2005, 11:01 AM
WOW you were gone and I did not know it....... hum well I missed you:D
So you and renta going back in July? I am like so jelous and thats not in me to be :eek: ya spoiled brats)))))))))))) DID I SAY THAT:eek::eek::eek:

rentayenta
05-31-2005, 11:05 AM
We've stayed at the HoJo's several times and will be again Th and Fri. I will be sure to let you know if we encounter any difficulties, we never have before (and I am a hotel bed snob).

My main concern are the reports I have been seeing here about the long food lines. Did you have any of those problems CC?

P.S. Yenta, I luv the pic of your little Prince in your Avatar.



Thanks Earkid! It was the first and only time that I have had a Princess kiss one of my kids; he wore the pink kiss all day. We also have a picture of DS kissing Belle's hand. Awwww.

Good. Another good HoJo report. The price we got for HoJo is at least $250 less than any other other hotel.

nursemelis374
05-31-2005, 11:41 AM
Glad to hear you had a great time even with the hotel experience! Sorry we missed you on Sunday night!

Eighty8Keys
05-31-2005, 11:42 AM
Just adding my reassurances about how great Hojo's is. We stayed last October for the first time and have already booked rooms for next October and December. We're taking my parents with us in December and my mom is super picky about her hotel room. The rooms were impeccably clean, very quiet (never heard a sound from any of the adjoining rooms) and the staff super friendly and helpful. We went back to the hotel almost every day in the early afternoon for a rest and our rooms were already cleaned. The interior hallways were nice. I felt completely safe leaving the room late in the evening to get ice.

CoasterChickie
05-31-2005, 12:07 PM
You won't be disappointed unless you are expecting five star accommodations.

Thanks all for the reassurances about Hojo's. :) (I think renta is worried that I'm gonna back out on her for July, but she found us a very good rate!!)

Just to make it clear...I wasn't expecting 5 star accomodations as I rarely stay in 5 star accomodations. But I was expecting at least 2 1/2 star accommodations considering that we paid $139 a night. I've stayed at the DLH, PPH, Sheraton and Hawthorn Suites all for less than $139 a night and they are all better hotels. Obviously, I was paying Memorial Day prices for a hotel that was worth less than a hundred and I won't make that mistake again.


The rest of the trip was great (especially once we checked out of the hotel and knew we didn't have to go back), the weather was gorgeous and the crowds at both parks were lighter.

I didn't notice any long food lines, but we ate at Whitewater Cafe for which is never very crowded and other restaurants in DCA which usually move pretty quickly.

ae's mom
05-31-2005, 12:21 PM
HoJos is great!! I stayed there twice in May and was very pleased with the room and the staff!!! If I can't get a decent rate at DLH, PPH or GCH, then it is HoJos for us!

funatdisney
05-31-2005, 01:27 PM
Thanks all for the reassurances about Hojo's.

I didn't notice any long food lines, but we ate at Whitewater Cafe for which is never very crowded and other restaurants in DCA which usually move pretty quickly.


I'm so sorry. I was just reading this discussion on your trip. Is Hojo's Howard Johnson's? Also, where is the Whitewater Cafe? Is it in DCA? Thank you soooo much for taking the time to answer these questions. The anwsers will come in handy for a future trip,

bradk
05-31-2005, 01:36 PM
yes, HoJo is Howard Johnson.

If you decide to book a room there, at the least, use this link

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/mousesavers

which will give you (I believe) 15% off their lowest public rate.

cheaper than that would be the entertainment rate which requires you have a card when you check in (which can be bought for $15) and gives you a rate of 1/2 the standard rack rate, but all that is subject to availability. they will give you a combination of rates if the entertainment rate is not available for part of your stay.

and the whitewater cafe is in the grand californian hotel i believe.

Christiii
05-31-2005, 02:50 PM
what a crazy drive!! but those fireworks are so worth it, and you are right...everything looks so pretty right now!! Glad you had such a great time, but I knew you would!! :p

Darkbeer
05-31-2005, 03:00 PM
Here is some proof she was there... trying to steal my beer!!!!!

http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/561321/8/23398243/Large

Darkbeer
05-31-2005, 03:02 PM
Whitewater Snacks is located in the GCH, basically if you use the special entrance/exit to DCA, just go south (towards PP) at the end of the path, Whitewater Snacks is past the restrooms, arcade and Spa. They have good food and drink, plus free WiFi!

CoasterChickie
05-31-2005, 03:15 PM
Here is some proof she was there... trying to steal my beer!!!!!



Yes, but who was holding the bottle and helping me steal it?! :fez:

That was taken late Sunday afternoon when we were at the Cove Bar having our "dinner" of drinks and appetizers. We ordered two cocktails for us, 4 sodas for the kids, and calamari, lobster nachos and barbecue pizza. When the waiter brought us a second round of drinks, he got distracted for a second and we watched in amazement as every drink slid off the tray and onto the ground!! :eek: On the way down, every one of them poured down Deogge'smom's sweater...luckily she was not wearing it at the time! But they gave her a $40 voucher to buy a sweatshirt in the resort. :)

CoasterChickie
05-31-2005, 03:22 PM
Glad to hear you had a great time even with the hotel experience! Sorry we missed you on Sunday night!

I am sorry I missed you too!! I stopped to get a chocolate covered strawberry and couldn't find you all after that!! I was weaving all through the mob at the hub and the kids said they were yelling to me, but I couldn't hear them and my cell phone battery was dead so I couldn't call them either.


I ended up watching the fireworks that night from half way down Main Street which was actually not a bad location. Then I walked back to the hotel which I didn't mind...it was actually very peaceful after that mob scene. My son was already there after his experience of getting taken on the bus to the wrong Days Inn even though he told the driver he was at the one by the Convention Center. We ordered a Papa John's pizza and watched a scary movie together while we waited for the others to return!! :D