Marriott properties in Orlando
 

If I want to take my family to Disney, how can I best use my Marriott points for proximity and general fun?

We used Marriott points a year ago for a three night stay at the Orlando World Center Marriott--it was an amazing place. I would consider it a true destination resort. The pool area is worth it alone--gigantic main pool and a couple of smaller pools. There were several hot tubs hidden in various nooks and crannies. Our family actually spent one whole day just hanging out at the resort's pools. They have lots of family activities spread throughout each day--my daughter did t-shirt tie-dying and we also played Bingo, if I remember correctly. The rooms were nice--originally they'd given us a poolside room but we requested a change to the tower so we could see Disney's fireworks from our balcony at night.

Proximity to Disney and other theme parks is great--seems like we had no trouble getting around. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

The new JW Mariott Grand Lakes is a bit further from Disney, but closer to Sea World/Discovery Cove. It is a fabulous property with a great pool complex/lazy river (shares amenities with the Ritz).

Closer to Disney is the Marriott World Center, although it is now affiliated with Universal. This very nice property is a huge complex, with many amenities. Probably uses fewer points per night too.

I think there is also a very popular Marriott timeshare close to Disney. I'm sure someone else will write in with that suggestion.

Good luck, and best wishes for lots of family fun!

I own a Marriott timeshare: Grande Vista which might be a good use of your points, if you need to sleep a number or people, their units sleep at least 6 and have two bedrooms and a full kitchen and laundry facilities within the unit.

The JW Marriott is a fabulous property. One of the premier properties of Marriott. I'm a lifetime platinum member and have stayed here 3 times. I think it is superior to the Ritz Carlton which is also on the same property. The access to the spa and to the wonderful restaurants is nice but it depends on your family whether the expenditure of points for this resort will be good for you.

The World Center is much closer than the time share or the JW. If you are going each day to the "rat", you might want to stay there for convenience. LMF

JW is a gorgeous high-end option. It is lovely and expensive & may be difficult to get into during a peak travel time. Actually, my kids prefer the Marriott World Center. We have also stayed at one of the timeshare properties & the kids really enjoyed all of the activities going on. We also had a huge 2BR unit w/kit & jacuzzi tub. You could take this pontoon boat across the lagoon to other pools, etc. There are tons of Marriott timeshare properties...some newer; some older.

Orlando World Center has a shuttle to the parks...I'm sure JW does too. Pools at both hotels are awesome & worth a day to just relax there.

There is also the Renaissance Resort @ Seaworld which you can actually walk across the parking lot to the park. It is nice & has a huge new pool area. I'm pretty sure you can use your points there too. Check Marriott.com...it refers to the points, etc.

It really depends on your family's needs.