citylover

I will be in Orlando for a convention in August. Disney is one of the co-sponsors and our given hotels are the Swann($185) & the Dolphin ($165) at these convention rates. The Dolphin will be our headquarter hotel for activities.The convention is for 4 nights. A good deal $$ for those locations,but still pricey. I want to know.. to save some $$ if anyone can suggest a place to stay that is close to the Dolphin and not as expensive but a clean decent, nice place. Some people are even putting 3 & 4 in a room to cut the price but I don't want to be that crowded. We are 2 adults. With all the convention activity the room really becomes just a place to sleep,but at the same time I don't want to travel more than 15min or so. I know some locations may have shuttles but since I do not know the area at all I have no idea what areas or places,(the quality of them)I should be looking into. I would rather spend the excess $$on something else. I want to save but I need close convenience to drop off briefcase,change shoes,go back for an evening dinner banquet after a day's workshops etc. and not have to travel far to do all that.Any advice would be welcome.

al

What a deal, only $165? Jump on it. It takes a long time to get around Disneyworld--not worth the hastle of staying somewhere cheaper. Enjoy--relax--the Dolphin is lovely. The people who don't stay there will be jealous.

Celeste

There was an article in Sunday's Orlando Sentinel talking about how low prices are at the Disney hotels this summer since their occupancy rates are way down. It said anyone can get a rate of $199 or so at the Grand Floridian, one of Disney's most opulent hotels.

However, traveling from outside Disney property to the Dolphin or Swan would be a real pain in the butt, traffic here being what it is. The article also mentioned that the Courtyard Hotel at Disney World (I guess it's in Lake Buena Vista) was charging as little as $20 per night recently due to low occupancy!! So that's one place you might want to check - Courtyard or any place in Lake Buena Vista - and of course the All Star Resorts at Disney are going for $49 these days due to low occupancy. Good luck!

citylover

The Courthouse and All Star Resorts you mention...Lake Buena Vista..How long would it take me to travel to the Dolphin and do you know the quality of these places?

ilisa

I have stayed at both All-Star Music and All-Star Movies, and personally enjoyed them both. However, they are not for everyone (and very different from the Swan and Dolphin). They are very kitschy, themed resorts geared towards children. Everything is oversized and bright. Because they are budget resorts (we have gotten rooms as low as $64), you will find a lot of families there. However, in spite of all the people, neither resort ever felt excessively crowded or noisy to us. The rooms are small, but clean. All Star Resorts are Animal Kingdom resorts, whereas are Swan and Dolphin are located in the Epcot area. I don't remember how long it took us by shuttle to get to Epcot, but I would venture around 15-20 minutes.

Julie

I see your e-mail address suggests that you have something to do with a "city"?? The Swan and Dolphin have a government rate (both federal and state) that is $129. They also have a "nurse" rate that is the same (I think). Be wary though, that these hotels, unlike other Disney hotels, charge an $8.00/day "resort fee" and that the tax is 14% -- these are both added on to your $165 and $185 rates. I have asked them to remove the $8/night resort fee with success though, so remember to have them remove it if you so desire.

The moderate hotels are usually cheaper (Coronado, Caribbean, Port Orleans, etc). Check out the website www.wdwig.com for info on all the resorts as well as off-property hotels

Celeste

Lake Buena Vista, where the Courtyard is located (on Disney property) can be ten minutes from the Dolphin or much more depending on traffic. The All Star Resorts are Disney owned and operated but farther away from the Dolphin than Lake Buena Vista.

Interestingly enough, just two days after the article talking about the glut of rooms at Disney forcing the market prices down, Disney announced it's building another time share! So go figure...

citylover

Re your info....Al..thanks butI really don't want to spend $660 plus for a room for 4 nites even though it will be convenient.

Others:
Questions: ..So it seems you are saying my best choice is stay on the property.
Since we are 2 adults attending a convention (no kids) would it matter which place.. meaning is one more suited than the others to people without kids...

Does it make sense to rent a car to get me from say the Courtyard or All Star Resorts to the Dolphin as I need to be at the Dolphin daily? Can I do that on Disney property or should I rely on the shuttles?

One of my colleagues is staying at Days's Inn Maingate..he got a rate of $30 does anyone know about this place? How far is that from the Dolphin? Is that a good choice I should consider?

Someone also told me to avoid International Drive because traffic is always so bad. Would the places on property be on International Drive?

So then or getting back & forth to the Dolphin easily and quickly what place would be my best choice and closet location?

What about taxis on property?

jill

We have stayed in the Disney area more times than i can remember. First of all, if you're going to rent a car to go from one hotel to another, you might as well stay at the dolphin, by the time you pay for the rental. Second, the Disney hotels are not on International drive, and i agree, you should not stay any where around there. It is a mess... don't rely on shuttles - it will be difficult for you to find shuttles going from the disney hotels to the dolphin. This may add up to 30-45 min every day trying to find a way to get there. Please check out a web site mousesavers.com - they post several codes that can be used to get great discounts at the hotels. I think last time i looked, there were various discounts available there. by the way, i have stayed at all stars and absolutely hated it.

citylover

So if the All star resorts are not great what would you suggest in property that is not as expensive as the Dolphin? Also a friend got a rental car really hep and for the same 4 days so the rental won't be all bad. Is there taxi service on property? With the convention I wont be spending much time in my room.

April

This article is from our local South Florida newspaper called the Sun-Sentinel. Maybe it can help you.

http://sunsentinel.com/travel/getawa...eadlines%2Dfla

Rosina

Save yourself money and aggravation. Stay on Disney property.By the time you rent a car and travel into the parks you will be happy you did.The rates at the dolphin are great but if you don't want to pay these rates stay at the All Star Resort. Very clean and the rooms will be plenty big for two people.

al

Citylover, are you getting the drift? Lose the car (taxes, time, etc) and stay at the Dolphin. Get a third roommate if you are that cheap....sorry, sometimes it doesn't pay to get the cheapest hotel. You will be traveling more than 15 minutes, so give it up!

citylover

Thanks for the advice.
Al...being cheap is not the point..I am coming from Canada and the USA exchange rate is a factor for me. So it adds up. I paid $275 USA for the covention registration and the only expense for me in Cdn dollars is my airfare. All my spending $$ there will also be in USA of course, and if you're not aware the exchange rate is $1.53 Cdn for every USA dollar. It adds up. My company is giving me the time off to attend but not kicking in any if the cost. So I am trying to be as cost effective as I possibly can. So while the hotel cost may seem like no big deal to you I have a lot to consider.

Celeste

Days Inn Maingate is on State Road 192 in Kissimmee, just south of Disney World. It is a 10-15 minute drive IF there is no traffic (big if) and is nowhere near as comfortable as the hotels in Lake Buena Vista (such as the Courtyard, etc). I agree that rental cars are very reasonable, and I can certainly see why saving money is an issue with the exchange rate heavily favoring our dollar right now. Lake Buena Vista and the Courtyard Hotel are closer than the Days Inn Maingate, but if the Lake Buena Vista hotels cost much more than the Days Inn, I'd go with the Days Inn. You probably won't be in your room that long anyway!

If you really need more specific info, feel free to e-mail me. I live in Orlando and wouldn't mind doing some looking around for you.

cheap

Live in MCO..have a tent in backyard that is yours..oh yea..you can use my sons bike too!

xxx

LOL!!

jill

citylover, sorry if you're not getting the help you need. I didn't know the exchange rate was another issue that you were facing. In that case, you could check mousesavers.com - i read about a rate at the moderate resorts (carribean beach, dixie landings for 89.00US/night Also, I stayed right outside of Disney at the Residence Inn by Marriott. When I was there, I had a two bedroom with kitchen, separate living room, and washer/dryer all for 89.00 night. It's a nice way to save on the cost of breakfast and snacks. In fact, a continental breakfast came with it. If you call, you want the Residence closest to Disney, since there are several. Hope this helps. It may be nicer to have a less expensive room, and a car to move around to other restaurants and places to go outside of WDW. Hope this helps.