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View Full Version : Carousel Inn vs The Tropicana



HiHoSilver
01-10-2006, 01:56 PM
We’ve read a lot about inexpensive hotels within walking distance of the parks and have narrowed it down to Carousel Inn & The Tropicana. Some of the reviews we’ve read on these hotels are conflicting, but they seem very comparable. We’re looking at a week-and-a-half trip in July with our 2 children (ages 4 & 7). Some of the things that are important to us are quiet & clean rooms, decent parking for an SUV, decent continental breakfast, working shower/tub, good air conditioning … trying to get as best as we can for an inexpensive hotel. Can anybody help us with some advice? Thank you!

Monte Cristo
01-10-2006, 02:06 PM
They're pretty much the same place - light on the amenities, but clean and right across the street from the park. I'd take whichever one offers the better rate.

If I absolutely had to pick one, the Carousel seemed a hair's difference better to me.

stacyq
01-10-2006, 02:16 PM
I stayed at the Tropicana last October. It was okay. My only complaint is they have a very small parking lot. So the morning we checked we were going to the park. Now the entire reason I chose this hotel was for close walking distance. Because their parking lot is so small they said we could not leave our car there. We had to drive across the street to Disneyland and pay $10.00 for parking. For that reason alone I will never stay there again.

Monte Cristo
01-10-2006, 03:22 PM
I stayed at the Tropicana last October. It was okay. My only complaint is they have a very small parking lot. So the morning we checked we were going to the park. Now the entire reason I chose this hotel was for close walking distance. Because their parking lot is so small they said we could not leave our car there. We had to drive across the street to Disneyland and pay $10.00 for parking. For that reason alone I will never stay there again.

Wow. My family stayed there two Novembers ago and arrived several hours before check-in. They held our bags for us and let us stay parked while we went into DL.

That sucks that they did that to you.

got2travel
01-10-2006, 03:34 PM
I've stayed at both several times. The Carousel is actually my first choice of all hotels. These 2 properties are very similar. I'd say the rooms are about the same size, cleanliness is about the same and the amount of parking spaces about the same. I've never had a problem at either location. I always spend more time at the parks after checking out and have never been told I had to leave. I've left the car there as late as 6pm.

Carousel wins my vote because:
Room furnishings are nicer (in better condition, newer)
Shutters on the windows (keeps unwanted light out better than curtains)
Breakfast is better (at Carousel you get muffins, danish, toast, jelly, oatmeal, fruit, juice, coffee - Tropicana only has muffins, juice and coffee)
Better staff - all my interactions have been very pleasant at Carousel, I've not had any bad things happen at Tropicana, but just average service. I felt more valued at Carousel.

There are a few things that Tropicana has going for it:
It's one hotel closer to the crosswalk to Disneyland
Pool is nicer. Still small as all in that area are, but it is bigger than Carousel's rooftop pool.

sjcivilady
01-10-2006, 05:10 PM
One thing I really enjoyed about the Carousel is their Breakfast room - it's up on the 5th floor and overlooks the park. Go early to get a table by the window, though - it packs out later on. That got us all excited, especially our first morning there.

samkj
01-10-2006, 05:25 PM
We're also fans of the Carousel Inn. Clean and comfortable. After day 1 we skipped the breakfast. There really wasn't much there and we had enough other food we brought that it wasn't a problem. But the location and the rooms were perfect for our needs. We'll definitely stay there again.

One tip, ask for a copy of your bill, BEFORE the run your credit card through for the chaarges. We were over charged on our stay. They corrected it immediately, but instead of refunding the difference(all of $30), they refunded the orginal credit card charge and re-billed for the new ammount. It took two weeks for the hold(almost $1000 from a weeks stay) for the mis-charged ammount to clear.

cstephens
01-10-2006, 05:46 PM
I stayed at the Tropicana last October. It was okay. My only complaint is they have a very small parking lot. So the morning we checked we were going to the park. Now the entire reason I chose this hotel was for close walking distance. Because their parking lot is so small they said we could not leave our car there. We had to drive across the street to Disneyland and pay $10.00 for parking. For that reason alone I will never stay there again.

That happened to us last May as well. I asked about parking there the day that you check out, and they did say that they weren't allowing that because it was so crowded. There wouldn't be enough room for all currently registered guests and checked-out guests to park their cars there. That will probably still apply for the rest of this year, but maybe they'll go back to their old policy once the 50th madness ends.

I've never stayed at the Carousel, but I really liked the Tropicana when we stayed there in May, but it was just for one night, and we really just needed a place to sleep.

SCUBAbe
01-10-2006, 06:27 PM
I like tropicana better. i have never had trouble parking there. I'm staying at the DLH this weekend and they are going to charge me to park...LOL...valet here I come...:) I know the valet charges as well, but if I have to pay i might as well get some service out of it...LOL

FatAl
01-10-2006, 06:55 PM
I stayed at Tropicana on Labor Day last year (Gee! last year already). I checked in at 8 a.m. and was given a parking sticker even though I was not assigned to any room yet. It's breakfast should not be called breakfast at all. Other than that, it's cleaned and located just across the street from Disneyland. I stayed in the place before and I will choose it again.

mamatojon
01-10-2006, 08:05 PM
I say Carousel too. I liked the Tropicana okay, but the rooms were really dim to me, I hate being in a dim room. I too was overcharged at Carousel though, so do inspect your bill carefully. I just think the Carousel has a "nicer" feel to it than Tropicana, but really they are both clean and comfortable. Have fun!

WITron
01-10-2006, 08:42 PM
We stayed at the Carousel for one night before we were able to check in at the Dolphin Cove Resort and really enjoyed it. The only issue that we had was when we checked in we were given a room with 1 queen bed and we had requested 2 Queens, since it was my wife and I and our 2 daughters. We went down to the desk and the only thing available was a suite, so they upgaded us for free. The suite was nice and had decent space. The walk to the park was very short. If we weren't staying at the Dolphin Cove I would not have minded staying there.

HiHoSilver
01-11-2006, 06:47 AM
Wow! Awesome help! Thanks very much to everyone for the great advice ... we feel like experts now!

MermaidHair
01-11-2006, 10:36 AM
This is a great thread. Thanks to all who chimed in! It is information and quick responses like this that makes this an awesome resource. I had been wondering about these 2 hotels myself and feel much better about my decision to go with the Carousel now.

Thanks again!:) :) :) :)

Gramiangel420
01-11-2006, 11:02 AM
I am so glad to read this thread. I was asking earlier about the Anaheim Inn, but my daughter found a better deal at the Carousel, so we will be staying there. It is comforting to know that it will more than fit our needs. We are not taking a car this trip so the parking will not be an issue for us.
:cool:

poohlover
01-11-2006, 02:52 PM
We were booked for 5 nights through Expedia at the Carousel in October. When we got there (even though I'd called the night before to confirm), they didn't have a room for us. So, they ended up crediting us for that night and also paying for us to stay next door at the Tropicana that one night. The next morning we stored our stuff in the storeroom at Carousel while we headed off to the park. It was a mixup that apparently is not INFREQUENT at Carousel (judging by what I've read here and other places).

Other than that, we liked the Carousel just fine. The room was much larger than the Tropicana, clean, comfortable beds, BIG closet, good water pressure. We didn't ever eat in the breakfast room but we did go up there to watch the fireworks on Saturday night (we'd watched them from the park itself on Friday), and it was a terrific view. The pool is small but clean and warm, and it's kinda cool being up on the roof. It is no more than a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the gates at DL/CA. We were in a regular double queen room at the back part of the property, and it was VERY quiet. We didn't have a car, but there appeared to be ample parking...I don't remember it ever being full. I believe most (or maybe even all) parking is under cover in a carport type setting.

I'd definitely stay there again and feel comfortable recommending it, but I'd sure make a phone call a week in advance and then again a day in advance to ensure that our room was going to be available. We didn't get there until 10pm, but I'd made that clear on the phone the day before, and they said no problem. Well, it turned out to be a problem, but it was pretty quickly fixed and all turned out fine. The manager is Mimi, and you might even talk to her directly and say that you'd heard of a problem before and wanted to be sure you were all set.

Oh, by the way, they also sent us a certificate for 2 free nights lodging at a later date to compensate for the inconvenience. I thought that was very nice!

asharpcook
01-12-2006, 01:19 AM
We stayed at the Tropicana during Thanksgiving. The parkige was crowded, but we had a parking pass and never moved. Our parking place was near to the staris which made it great to get our luggege up.
The breakfast was not very good, but enough to get the say started. The rooms were imnacutaet and stayed they were really prompt during our advntures.
We basicly used the tub but the shower was nice, Pleanty of towels. The beds were really comfortable,once we remoed to the plastick protetcors o which 2was relly eacy.
We had a mini-fridge, and a microvave, which worked great,
I felt that this was a great deal.
Check out my review and on TripAdvisor.com for more information
anita

asharpcook
01-12-2006, 01:22 AM
Sorry about the typos in the above post...I am tired!
So sorry!
Anita

Swhite
01-12-2006, 03:42 AM
I guess we are the only ones who did not like the Carousel Inn. Now we always stay at the Ramada Maingate. The rooms are large, the staff is super nice and the pool is great. The only downside to it is the icky breakfast, unless an apple for breakfast suits you--the danish are gross and the coffee is too.

Otherwise, Carousel's pool is rooftop, but small and surrounded by a huge wall, so it's not like you can see anything. Ramada's pool is really nice, surrounded by palm trees. And there is plenty of parking.

Just my 2 cents.

disneyhound
01-12-2006, 05:06 AM
We enjoyed the Carousel far more than the Tropicanna. We stayed at the Trop before it was remodeled, and there were bugs crawling along the floor by the bathtub most mornings! My DD loved the Breakfast room at the Carousel, and viewing the fireworks from there!

TimBuk2
01-12-2006, 07:43 AM
If you want a place that is nice, with the BEST view of the parks and FIREWORKS, check out my review on CAROUSEL INN

TimBuk2's Hotel Review - http://www.mouseplanet.com/cgi/reviews/do/display.cgi?product-sku=carouselinnandsuites

SCUBAbe
01-12-2006, 03:22 PM
I guess we are the only ones who did not like the Carousel Inn.

I hate the carousel. I stayed there once and would not stay there again. The room sucked, air did not work, the shower flooded the bathroom, the mattress was ok, but one bed had a mattress that was slanted and the pillows were lumpy and hard as rocks. So, this is NOT my hotel of choice.