Rethinking the hotel; WWYD?

leebee

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 14, 1999
Hi! We are currently booked at Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace at Disney Springs. However, I'm finding a pretty sweet deal at Orlando World Center Marriott. It's just DH and me, travel dates 12/21-12/27. We are only going to Disney World for one day. We will have a rental car as we'll be visiting family in Cocoa Beach. I know the Disney Springs hotel will have shuttle bus service, which could be valuable on our Disney Day (12/24, starting at AK, hopping to Epcot), and we'll get 60 day FP+, but the Marriott seems to get much better reviews than the Buena Vista Palace. Opinions? Which hotel would you choose?
 
If I had no clear preference between these two hotels, then I would look for a third hotel that I'd like better than both of them.
 
If I had no clear preference between these two hotels, then I would look for a third hotel that I'd like better than both of them.

OK, fair answer as I asked WWYD, but not terribly helpful. WHY would you not choose either of these hotels? Right now, each has benefits/drawbacks, but both are coming in at a price I like. Why would you keep looking? Are there specific things that you didn't/don't like about these properties?
 
World Center's a pretty short drive in, so I'd take the better deal there then head to your park day.

The 60-day FastPass would be one thing if you're using it to try for something hard-to-get like FoP, but completely unnecessary in your case. You're not likely to get FoP at Christmas at 60+0, and almost anything else you could want should still be available at 30. My $0.02.

No personal experience with either resort but the World Center Marriott does look nice.
 


You're a Disney veteran. Do you need the 60-day FP? That, for me, would be the deciding factor. I agree with @Mikey15 that you're not likely to derive much benefit from the earlier window for this trip, but I don't know your plans.

You have a car, so the bus transportation from DS isn't really that beneficial. In fact, since you're starting at AK, you're better off driving. The DS hotel bus goes to two parks, and AK is usually the second on that run. I don't consider spending nearly an hour in bus transit to be valuable when you could just drive to AK with plenty of time for rope drop, and then leave to Epcot on your own schedule instead of waiting for a bus.

World Center may or may not be the best option out there, but if you decide you don't need the onsite/DS booking window, you're free to explore that, along with other options.
 
OK, fair answer as I asked WWYD, but not terribly helpful. WHY would you not choose either of these hotels? Right now, each has benefits/drawbacks, but both are coming in at a price I like. Why would you keep looking? Are there specific things that you didn't/don't like about these properties?

Maybe you could tell us what you are looking for in a property. It's a December trip; will water/pool features be important? Do you have a certain level of luxury you need - nothing under 4 stars, perhaps? Or would a solid 3-star property be okay, if the price were lower? Do you want the hotel experience with daily maid service, etc., or would you enjoy spreading out a bit and having your own kitchen in a time share property?
 
If you and DH don't have to have the 60 day fp window, choose the Marriott. We have not stayed at the bueno Vista resort you are referring to, but have stayed at that Marriott ( work trip for my DH.) It was nice, and we enjoyed our stay. Although we only did water parks that stay, it was an easy drive for us to WDW( although not a holiday week.)
I have 2 youngish children so wouldn't try Disney personally without the 60 day fp advantage. However, if I were going without the kids, I would just book at the 30 day window and wait for any other rides. Whatever you choose, have a great Christmas trip!
 


How far is the Marriott from the parks you are going to? Would it be feasible to Uber/Lyft? And use Disney bus between AK and Epcot?
 
I'd go with the Marriott, too, since it is a better deal and you have a car and only going to the parks one day.
 
Another vote for the Marriott. We've stayed at the timeshares on the World property near the hotel and loved it. As timeshare guests we were able to use the large World pool and slides and have explored the World hotel. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there, either the hotel or the timeshares again.

For distance, the Marriott World property is directly across I4 from Disney Springs. The road in front of the Marriott is 536 and turns into Epcot Center Drive as you go across I4. It's a quick and easy drive to the parks from there.

We also stay at the Sheraton Vistana Resort, which is on 535 and right behind the Marriott World and we had no issues using ride share from there, as it's really quick to get to the parks. There are tons of Uber and Lyft around 535 and 536.
 
Marriott-we too have stayed at the timeshares adjacent to World Center and used the WC pools. It is a very easy drive to WDW property.
 
The World Center is beautiful. A true luxury hotel. Had a great experience there and although I haven’t stayed at the Hilton in DS, I can’t imagine it’s the same quality. But, I would check Marriott conference schedule. It has a huge conference space. When I was there for a dance competition (accommodating 4000 competitors plus spectators staying either at the WCM or overflow in several surrounding hotels), I would not have been thrilled if I were one of the few hotel-goers not involved. I am often part of these dance competition hotel “blocks” around the country and you can always pick out the poor souls who just happened to be there the same week as the dancers. They look totally confused and overwhelmed.

With that said, nightly rack rates tend to be higher during big convention weeks (so your good price probably wouldn’t have been found if there were tons of people staying for an organized conference), and the week of Christmas— it’s unlikely you will run into anything too crazy with conventions/competitions.

Have a great trip!!
 
The World Center is beautiful. A true luxury hotel. When I was there for a dance competition, I would not have been thrilled if I were one of the few hotel-goers not involved. I am often part of these dance competition hotel “blocks” around the country and you can always pick out the poor souls who just happened to be there the same week as the dancers. They look totally confused and overwhelmed.
Have a great trip!!

Hahaha, DD is a professional dancer and used to compete- I'd fit right in, probably start adjusting costumes or something!

The Marriott is $187 a night, the Hilton OBV Palace is $178 a night. That's all-in, tax, resort fees, and parking included, so the Marriott is $9 more a night. I am hoping for a hotel where we can relax. The fall semester is already hectic, and the summer was even more so, including DD's wedding. DH has been working 3 jobs (full time faculty gig, adjunct faculty gig, and collaborative research) since January, so by the time semester break rolls around, he'll need some R&R. It's why this isn't a park trip. We'll do a Disney Day and a Universal day (to see both WWoHP exhibits.. not interested in the rest of the park). We will have 3 "down days" to visit friends, possibly KSC, and just be. I am hoping for a nice pool bar, proximity to restaurants, and a relaxing atmosphere. Even though we'll have a car, I was leaning towards a DS hotel as people have been saying the car traffic to the parks is horrifying that time of year, but there are dedicated bus lanes. FP+ could be beneficial to maybe get FoP for DH (haha). We'd probably FP+ the safari, FotLK (fave show, good seat means a lot to me), then Kali/Dinosaur/Navi for the 3rd. I'm not sure we'll look for additional FP+ in Epcot, as we are there for the holiday kitchens and atmosphere (I even canceled my CP reservation)... unless I can snag Soarin'. The DS hotel also has the benefit of being within walking distance of DS, so no need to drive after an evening of adult beverages. HOWEVER... Marriott sounds like a much nicer hotel. I guess I have some thinking to do.
 
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Split stay?
Nope. One of the reasons I started looking at for a different hotel was that we could only get 5 nights at the Palace before the price doubled, so we have to move for the last night of the trip anyhow. I hate doing that. I like to completely unpack and settle in when we travel. Yes, just that last night would be manageable (I'd pack for overnight and the next morning in our backpacks) but I hate the extra schlepping around.
 
Hahaha, DD is a professional dancer and used to compete- I'd fit right in, probably start adjusting costumes or something!

Hahaha! Funny. If I were on a relaxing non-park vacation and ran into a random dance competition I think I would start having an immediate panic attack! They would have to sedate me. But, once recovered I am sure I would start helping the poor mom who forgot her bobby pins or hair gel. We once had a competition at the Caribe Royale (this was years ago when I was still dancing, before my kids were born), and there was also a second dance competition in the complex at the same time. Utter chaos!!!!
 
Hahaha! Funny. If I were on a relaxing non-park vacation and ran into a random dance competition I think I would start having an immediate panic attack! They would have to sedate me. But, once recovered I am sure I would start helping the poor mom who forgot her bobby pins or hair gel. We once had a competition at the Caribe Royale (this was years ago when I was still dancing, before my kids were born), and there was also a second dance competition in the complex at the same time. Utter chaos!!!!

DD now teaches at a studio in CT. They are dancing in the MK parade next weekend (but she's not going, can't get the time off at work)!

I looked at reviews on TripAdvisor and cancelled the HOBVPalace; some love it, but there are a lot of comments about shabbiness and black mold- enough to make me say no, thanks. I still have the Marriott, and also a reservation at Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista with free parking!. The prices for 6 days are pretty comparable. Marriott is better-ranked on TripAdvisor (and I'd love to have the Marriott points) but it's not an official "Disney" hotel, so no regular, reliable bus service (I've heard there's a shuttle you have to reserve in advance and it's not reliable). I'm not sure I want to give up the 'Disney hotel' bus on 12/24 as I'm hearing that road traffic is crazy, but there are dedicated bus lanes so bus is the way to go (plus pay to park at AK/Epcot). I'm probably overthinking this! I'm going to hold on to both reservations for a bit and see what shakes out.

ETA: edited for clarity based on BostonEd's comments. I knew what I meant... isn't that always the way?
 
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Please don't confuse Good Neighbor hotels with Disney Springs hotels. They are different things. Disney Springs has the reliable shuttle. Not sure if the Good Neighbor hotels even have a dedicated shuttle.
 
Disney SpringsHotels have a very reliable bus system (Mears buses), now that they offer fast pass and EMH access. There are two bus loops, 3 or 4 hotels on each. Two buses run every 30 mins to the parks; each bus goes to 2 parks. Perfect? Probably not, but far better than area hotels that offer shuttles. Disney Springs has Disney Transportation, running to parks and resorts starting at 11am. Two different things, but the Disney Springs Hotels have much better service than hotels in the general area.
 
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