My stay at the Marriott Courtyard DD for $20 per night per room

[Belle5]

Well, it was a bargain at $20. We needed two rooms so it was $40 or so a night for us. Having said that, I don't know that a bargain of that type was what was best for our family. Looking back, even thought $20 was cheap, I don't think we'd do it again. If it was the only way to make the trip happen, then I would do it. We were there for three nights.( Take your own pillows. Their's are pathetic.) I can only tell you that our family was counting down the hours until we could move to Vistana. I've been back for a week and hesitated to post this because I know I only want to hear good reports about a place I've committed to. Again, it's not horrible. Just not even close to magical. If you're at all spoiled by having stayed in nice resorts and have been considering trying to snag one of the cheap rates for this place, I would urge you to reconsider.

[CarolA]

I am not sure what you are saying here. You complained about the pillows, but I can't quite figure out what was wrong. (Did you ask for new pillows, I always do and normally get them)

The Courtyard bills itself has a hotel for business travelers and as a rule we aren't into magic so maybe that is the problem.

[Belle5]

CarolA,
We have stayed at many business class hotels in the past and have been pleased. Magic wasn't excactly what we were looking for in a hotel, but I think this place somehow took away a little of the magic we usually feel while at WDW. To be precise it was rather dingy. The carpets were badly soiled and it didn't appear to be sparkling clean. The beds were soft to the point of having to hold on at times in order to not fall off the bed. This was our 15th trip to the world in the past 7 years and only the second time we felt a twinge of dread about going back to our room each day for our naps. Again, it's a decent place to sleep for the price. I think there may be a person or two out there, who like me, can't resist the chance to grab an incredible bargain at a place that is in the right location and with the Marriott name behind it. If the budget is super tight this is a good value. I don't know how else to say it other than my entire family really wished we would have stayed somewhere else for those three nights--even if it meant spending quite a bit more money.

[Puffy2]

To me the #1 feature of a hotel room is a quality mattress on the bed and triple sheeting - that and a clean room.
I probably wouldn't stay in a 25$ a night room either if the mattress was lousey, even if the rest of the hotel was ok.

[mom2boys]

Thanks for posting this. We have ressies for All-Stars in Dec at $59/night. However, I had been wondering about switching for the lower rates. I think that the convenience/magic of staying on-site will be worth the extra $$$. We've stayed at all levels of Disney resorts & the values are not our first choice but this is a LOW budget trip.
Thanks again for your honest opinion.

[CarolA]

Thanks Belle I now understand your response much better!

I will still stay there since the majority of posts I have seen about this hotel have been good, but I will let you know what I find. (I would probably be very vocal with the hotel management since I have LOTS of experience staying in Marriott hotels and have certain expectations!)

[jazzbran]

Hi CarolA

I'm with you. If I find that the hotel is not up to par, I will definitely complain to management in writing and also inform this board.

I've never stayed at a bad Marriott but there's always a first. I would hope this one would abide by their name.

We're staying for 1 night because we're going on the Disney Cruise the following day. For 1 day, I rather cxl my 2 room reservations at AllStar and save a little money.

I will advise.

Jackie

[Lanshark]

We stayed last year for free because of DH Marriott points and we felt the same way. I would stay again if it were the only way we could go but I have gotten very spoiled by the Contemporary. There was nothing magical about the hotel but the rest of the trip was great and wouldn't have happened if we had to pay for the hotel so it evened out.

[Belle5]

I know many of you might not agree, but I truly felt like they would laugh at me if I complained about anything at the rate we paid!

[jazzbran]

Hi Belle5

Marriott is a well-know name. Anyone, who's familiar with the Marriott name expects a certain amount of quality, not matter what you are paying.

The moderators on this board does a fantatic job but sometimes they need our help. If we visit a particular hotel and it's not up to certain standards and not addressed how can anything be changed?

I just don't want to see other board members book a hotel ,expecting to have a great vacation and it turn out otherwise. The children don't deserve that.


DVC member, Annual Passholder and DC

Jackie

[Eno]

I stayed there in August with the 20.01 deal and was surprised at how nice the hotel was.
We had a tower room with a view of Downtown Disney. Enjoyed early entry
mornings and thought it was a great place. Trying to plan a trip for December
now that they have the deal again. We spent 5 nights there and splurged for
6 nights at the Poly with the money we saved.

[Belle5]

I would guess that we were given a room slated for renovation. Perhaps others have received updated rooms. This may account for the difference in reports.

[baileybrad]

If I got/get a room that was/is subpar, no matter what I paid for it, I would request a change and would complain until this was done. Some chains have standards and I find Marriott to be in this group. How much they charged for their room should not allow them to offer subpar accomodations.

[Mickey0330]

We just stayed at the Marriott for $20.01/night & really don't have any complaints. Our room was very clean, beds were fine & we had a great view of the fireworks. We'd go back anytime. I prefer to stay ON property, too, but for this price we got to stay longer. We'd go back. We had a great housekeeper, they gave us extra pillows, extra towels, changed our bedding - anything we asked for - we got it.

[skyhog]

My review of the boards before sending my parents to CY led me to expect average accomodations and very friendly, good service... and that is exactly what they found. Their report to me mentioned many accomodating and friendly staffers, a clean, nice room, with a fab view of DD and the fireworks.... consistent on two visits....

What is the problem??? I think it lies in expectations and unfair comparisons... and family politics... make mom feel bad about the cheapie so we get the fancy one next time... people, be realistic, this ain't the Poly, AKL or GF(which seem to have quite a few complaints, too), and it doesn't compare in price either...

Warning people to stay away from a $20-30 room at the CY is not doing them a favor... this is an incredible value and should be snapped up by anyone with a family that really WANTS to go to WDW

Magic is an interactive creative process... it's not just laying around

Thanks to all those posters who enjoyed CY and reported it so we could find and enjoy this hotel also!

[HAH]

Belle5, I am sure that the skyhog was not suggesting that your children were being devious! I appreciate your input and trust that you were only giving your opinion..which is a right that we all have. I hope that your next trip is MAGICAL!

[BethR]

I am sure that you are correct HAH, I am sure that Belle5 was only trying to pass on the information that she knew.
It is entirely up to the readers to analyze all information and make the best decision that they can for themselves.
As long as all discussions remain respectful... :)

[susy]

I think that past experience plays a big part in our expectations. I've stayed in 5 star resorts and cheap hotels (like Econlodge, yuck). We did book three nights in Nov (my total is 83.25). I did request a NS, tower room with view of DD. Since we live in FL and are buying passes, I figured I can stay on site another time. Last year I stayed one night at the Best Western in DD. If it's about the same, I'll be happy. I actually thought that the hotel was very nice, the rooms large and housekeeping brought me extras of everything as soon as I asked. I'm not expecting any magic or special theming. It will be our DS's first time. We will have our own car and it will be very nice to be close to DD.

[roliepolieoliefan]

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott in DD a couple weeks ago for the 20.01 a night. I don't know how anyone could complain! Gees, its 20 bucks a night. We spent less on our hotel this trip for 5 nights at the Marriott then we did for 1 night for our trip in Jan. staying at the BWI. I know, I would not compare the Marriott DD to the BWI but I would stay at the Marriott again in a heartbeat. That price is unbelievable and well worth the price.

[C.Ann]

I'm curious about when they run these $20 a night deals.. Sounds like it's a recurring thing. Do you need a special code or discount coupon when they do this? Do they ever run this special the first 3 weeks of December? Any info would be greatly appreciated.. At $20 a night one could stay for a VERY long time!!! LOL :)

[BethR]

Hi C.Ann!

The $25/29 rate that you are reading about NOW is available due to the lack of tourism in Orlando (and EVERYWHERE) due to the events of 9-11-01. They are trying to fill rooms.

The $20 rate that you are reading about, I am GUESSING, is a rate that people have gotten from Priceline. There you cannot specify a hotel, only an geographical area and star rating.

I would think that these rates cannot be pinned down to a particular time. :(

[NancyIL]

The $20.01 per night at the Courtyard DD was a special promotion for 2001, with very limited availability. It wasn't a Priceline rate.

[jgates]

We stayed there a year ago. No problems with beds/bedding-rooms were big-got extra pillows. Our problems were in the a/c because we were in rooms that had been enlarged but not had larger a/c units installed yet-backordered or something. We were moved once-same thing-(if it had been on a different "wall" that still had a patio we would have been fine but it was directly below the first one. After 3 nites of this between the 2 rooms they moved us to the wing-Not a complaint after that from us. Everyone was friendly and polite and the only thing I would probably do differently is drive my own car to the parks so we did not have to wait on buses.


We just kept complaining until we were moved to a room we were happy with. The only one that bothered was the young guy who had to keep moving our fridge.

(PS-a letter to Marriott did result in us getting a comp for the 3 - 95 degree nights, which I was very grateful for). We had a AAA rate of $89 or so at that time which was quite less than the normal rate and we had paid for the full stay at the beginning with gc's or I would have requested that they remove them from my bill before we checked out.

[BethR]

Originally posted by NancyIL
The $20.01 per night at the Courtyard DD was a special promotion for 2001, with very limited availability. It wasn't a Priceline rate.


Thanks for that information Nancy! :)

[Bete]

We stayed in early October for the great rate. I would do it again without any qualms. If you're not satisfied with your room ask for a different one; most places will accomodate if they have one available. Even if you have to wait a day they'll change your room. The same goes true for any specifics like pillows. We stayed at Disney's All-Stars(AP rate of $49) for half our stay and I enjoyed the spaciousness at the Marriot a whole lot better. We saw no bugs or mice just in case anyone is concerned. The extra money can be saved or for us we had nicer meals. Also, for being off-site it's nice to be so close to Disney. We had a car but it was a good perk that they had bus transportation and early entry if you used their bus system. They have a lobby bar and a breakfast buffet for extra cost.

With that said the rooms are not gorgeous. We did have a little peeling wallpaper. The bathroom had a little mildew in the grout. I keep my own home cleaner but for the price it's great. I didn't use their pool but I heard people enjoying it. I didn't get sick from staying there. I think the key here is the price. If I pay $200 or more per day for a room(and I have at Disney) I expect a different standard. Considering many are on a budget I think this is a great deal. I can find better ways of spending the money since the whole idea is to be in the parks, etc. and not being in your room all day, anyway.