Courtyard By Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance Review!

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Courtyard By Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance Review

The Courtyard By Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance, with the waterpark (and large rooms) is one of our favorite non Disney resorts in the Anaheim area. It is a quick walk to the park from this hotel, and there are some fun ammenities for families. We have stayed here over Spring Break, and really enjoyed all that this Disneyland area hotel had to offer, so wanted to share more details here, in case it might be a good fit for your family too.

We learned of this spot, on our way home from a previous Disneyland vacation. We were staying at a different Disneyland Good Neighbor hotel, and as we were driving by the Courtyard Disneyland Main Gate hotel on our way to the airport, I looked at that waterpark, and told my kids ” we have to stay there next year”! As things worked out, I booked our following years Disneyland vacation at this hotel. There were some things I loved, as well as some unexpected things….so I want to share all of those things here with you guys to help you determine if this is the right spot to pick for your family!

Before we get too far into the review, in case you still need Disneyland tickets, we share some legitimate spots where you can get the best Disneyland Ticket Discounts (without worrying about getting scammed) here.

Courtyard Disneyland Review!

As I mentioned above, there was one year we were staying at a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel, and as our taxi picked us up at the end of our vacation to take us back to the airport we drove by the Courtyar Disneyland Main Gate Hotel. All I could see was this large waterpark right across from the Disneyland park, and I immdediately asked our taxi driver – “What is that spot”? Come to find out it was the Coutyard Disneyland Maingoate with a Waterpark option! While we share many Disneyland area hotels with waterparks here – we had to book our next years Disneyland vacation at the Courtyard Disneyland to see what it was all about, and be able to share some first hand experience about staying here!

While this hotel will almost always come in at a more affordable rate than staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel, it is often not too much cheaper. So if budget is your number one consideration, this might not be the best selection for you (but check out these 5 Disneyland area hotels with free nights, free parking and free breakfast!).

However, if you are looking at having the proximity to the parks, and more ammmenities and space, but with a lower price tag than the Disneyland resorts – this is definitely one to consider.

Ways to Save on the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance Hotel & Disneyland Tickets

I have found the best deals to be with Get Away Today. This is who we booked our stay at this hotel with. When you book a hotel + theme park ticket stay with them you save the most. Plus booking with Get Away Today, offers extra perks (like price monitoring and excellent customer service if you need help)! When you book a vacation package with Get Away Today, be sure to let them know Thrifty NW Mom sent you, and use promo code THRIFTYNW to save an additional $10 on your package.

Another thing that I like about booking vacation packages through Get Away Today is that you can:

a) put your vacation on layaway when you find the right hotel prices that you want to book at. It requires $200 down, and then you can pay as you can (no extra fees), just as long as it is paid off before you go. This is a nice option when you find a super deal! Find the details of how their Disneyland Layaway program works here.

b) they offer a low price guarantee – they will BEAT any competitor prices! They regularly check out the competition to make sure that they are always giving you the best deal and lowest prices. If there is a rare occasion when you find a lower price elsewhere, they will BEAT any price by $10 per package!

Review of the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance Hotel Near Disneyland

Outside of the Disneyland resort hotels, this was one of our favorite Disneyland hotel stays. It *usually* comes in at a lower price point than the Disneyland resort hotels, and if you can get it for a decent rate, then we recommend booking it. Some things we loved include:

• It is themed (California surfer style)
• Has its own onsite waterpark
• Is in walking distance to the Disneyland parks
• Has really large rooms that are standard (doesn’t require an upgrade to get them).

For those reseasons we feel that if you can get it for less than a Disneyland resort hotel it is a good value!

The Rooms Are Spacious!

This hotel is a great option for families, especially if you are more than 4 people (the standard rooms sleep 6). We stayedin a standard queen (pictured above), and in addition to two queen beds, this room also includes a set of bunkbeds, and sleeps 6 people

The bathrooms are very nice for families as well, as they include 2 showers! That means less fighting from the kids on who gets to shower first, which is always a benefit on vacation.

We also had a dining area in the back corner, large desk area, closet and small balcony. Ask for a room with a view of the fireworks, and you can come back and watch the evening fireworks shows from the comfort of your own balcony. We had one of those, and enjoyed that perk!

For many years I have needed to book a room for my family of 5, and it was always a challenge to find that sleeping spot for the 5th person – without upgrading to more expensive suites, especially as the kids got bigger. I love that these rooms provide plenty of space for a family of 5 or 6, without having to look at a second room or suite options.

They do of course offer larger suites and other options too if you are looking for those, but it is just nice that this is their standard room arrangement.

The bathroom was so spacious, that it includes this bathtub / shower combo, and sink area, and on the other side is a second walk in shower and toilet area with a door. Having essentially 2 bathrooms in one, is a huge perk when traveling with kids.

Disntance From Disneyland Resort Parks:

If you look up time you will find anything from a 5 to 10  minute walk from the hotel to the parks. We found it to be a 5 minute walk, but we are not slow walkers.

You will have to go through security at the main gate, which can get busy, but it is a very convenient location to the parks. I love being in walking distance personally, so if part of our party wants to head back to the hotel before the rest of us, it is never a big deal. It also is nice if you have small kids and want to take a mid day break at the waterpark at the hotel, to cool off and relax for a bit before heading back to the parks for the evening.

What is there to do at Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance & Hotel Ammenities :

They have a waterpark onsite!

All guests of this hotel also get access to the hotels own waterpark. The Surfside waterpark, is available to guests only, and it includes the spray and play area shown above, as well as these waterslides and a pool and hot tub. We checked in a day before we planned to be in the park, and just enjoyed the day at the waterpark.

In addition to the large hotel rooms and waterpark, there is a restaurant onsite (and a Mimis, Panera and McDonalds in walking distance) as well as a gift shop on site. You can grab Starbucks coffee in the morning down at their restaurant, and the gift shop carries many items you might need as well as souvenirs too.

I do find that it does help you save on dining costs when you get out of the parks and Downtown Disney area. For example, you can call ahead or order on the Panera app for breakfast. Then a quick stop in to grab it before you head to the parks will save you big on breakfast costs. Or McDonalds also has really affordable breakfast options too.

Can You See Disneyland Fireworks from Your Hotel Room?

If you are able to secure a room facing the theme parks, you should have a great view of the fireworks from your room at the end of the night. We were fortunate and got one of those rooms (sometimes you can select the view of your room when purchasing it), and we were able to see the fireworks from our balcony in the evenings.

Plus, you can go up to the pool decks at night to watch the fireworks displays from there as well.

In Summary :

We loved our stay at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance – and for the right price we would book any day!

Pros – 

In easy walking distance to the Disneyland parks – in reality this hotel is in easier walking distance than some of the Disneyland resort hotels, so take that into consideration!

We loved the size of some of that standard room! To get an extra bathroom space, and bunk beds (with an outdoor balcony that can view fireworks) for much less than you would get a standard room at one of the Disneyland hotels – is a pretty great option!

Cons – 

These were the gripes we had with this hotel (but we can live with them).

• The waterpark closed earlier than we would like – but it looks like that may have since changed (it may have just been the dates we stayed), as when I checked recently it looks like it is open until 10pm now. Be sure to call ahead of booking for the current waterpark hours, if this is important to you.
• Not a ton of onsite restauarant options (but there are a few more in easy walking distance)
• They offer Valet only parking options at $35 a night
• Check in is later in the day. We were driving in, so got to the hotel around noon, and they made us wait for the actual check in time to get into our room. It was a bit surprising, as the hotel did not seem busy. Not sure if that was just our experience, or if it is common practice, but something to be aware of if you plan on arriving ahead of check in times.

If you plan to be in the area a day earlier or later than you have Disneyland park tickets for, be sure to check out our article on 5 Ways To Enjoy Disneyland Magic with Disneyland Park tickets here too. These always help us extend our stay a bit, while saving some too.