Has Anyone Stayed at MCO the Night Before Your WDW Resort?

[mirlow]

We are a family of five, three kids (7, 31/2 and a 1yr old). This will be our 4th trip to WDW Everytime we go I learn something new. One thing I know is that we always check into the resort in the early evening and we seem to be exhausted . This could be from spending the entire day flying. We have now decided to pay the extra $ and fly nonstop. It's not quite as long of a day but it is still a bit of work with a 31/2 hour flight. Our flight gets in around 5pm. Well I am wondering if we should stay the first night at the Embassy Suites at MCO? I'm thinking it would be nice to get rested have our driver pick us up there and then head over to the Polynesian after breakfast? We would also save $200.
On our last trip we checked into the Polynesian in the morning (we transfered from ASMO) and it was so nice and relaxing.

Well on the other hand we will be having a driver so there isn't much time wasted at the airport with a rental car. We will be arriving at 5, but it will only be 3:00 our time. The day after we arrive is a resort day, so we will have lots of down time. We don't need to worry about room request because we are staying in the Hawaii bldg with a GV.
I just wondered if anyone has stayed at the airport after they arrived and how it worked for them?

 

[Barrett Nichols]

This sounds like a great idea. Is Embassy Suites there in the airport? If so I would go for it. There are so many neat things there in the airport, and if you are not stressed by haveing to get from point A to point B it would actually be fun. Some of the things that we love about the airport are the gardens out in the parking garages and out in the new wing where Southwest is, there is a garden you can see from the waiting area, on the left as you come in from the main terminal.

 

[aahmom1]

We got stuck in Orlando overnight because our flight wasn't taking off. We stayed in the hotel right in the airport ( I think it was Embassy Suites), it was very nice.

 

[DeeCee]

Just out of curiosity, what are the rates at the airport?

 

[mirlow]

The Embassy Suites isn't in the Airport. They do offer a free shuttle. If you stay on the weekend it's only $88. I'm not sure how much it is during the week. That's a great deal because they have an evening cocktail hour and a nice breakfast buffet.

 

[daannzzz]

The hotel at the Airport is the Hyatt Regency. I also got bumped overnight and they put me up here. It is a nice hotel though a little odd as alot of the rooms look out into the atrium and not outside. There are rooms with views of the runways too. The room and bathroom is nice. Prices very alot, anywhere from $130-$225.

 

[Drake]

We just got a room at the Marriott Orlando Airport thru Hotwire for 41.00/nite plus tax coming to 51.00/nite total! It's rated as a luxury hotel.....4 stars.
We'll be getting into Orlando about dinner time and didn't want to spend the money on a room in AKL just to sleep. This way we'll arrive at AKL fresh the next morning to check into our savannah room!
We used Hotwire for the first time last year in Scottsdale, AZ. We got a beautiful room at a luxury resort for only 37.00/nite! It was an amazing deal!
Good luck!

 

[Janet2k]

If you're looking for a decently priced room for your first night, contact Dreams Unlimited Travel (the muscle behind the Dis website) and see what they can do. Here's the link to their webpage (it lists all the current deals out there):
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/

I used Dreams for my last vacation and they got me some great deals. I will use them again for my next trip.

 

[BonnieP]

My DH and I did exactly that 8/00 (FF package) at the AmeriSuites (airport, nice hotel). Luckily we did, because our flight in was very late due to delays (after midnight). At that hour, the hotel shuttle wasn't running, but AmeriSuites told us to take a taxi and we were reimbursed the cost. We would have been really upset if we were paying Disney prices to arrive that late! We then took the morning hotel shuttle (8am) back to the airport (less than a mile away) and caught our ride to the Beach Club. We have booked the Fall Fantasy Package again this year for the end of August and are reserving the first night at the airport. That way we can get to the Boardwalk and then have a full day at the parks, and hopefully be rested. That package includes the hopper passes. I would like to get the Hyatt (in the airport), if I can get a good rate. That time of year rates are lower-$50 or less, but not for the Hyatt. I will also reserve a night for our last day so we are not rushed to get to the airport from the Boardwalk and the passes are good until midnight on your departure day.
There seems to be quite a few hotels within a mile of the airport that offer free shuttles and continental breakfasts.
Hope this helps.
Bonnie

 

[Jennymac]

I would definitely stay at the airport that first night. Although your flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:00, that doesn't guarantee that you will arrive by then (I used to fly a lot for my job and I've come to realize that departure and arrival times are often "ballpark" at best!). No sense in spending the extra money when you won't be checking in to your resort until 1.5 hours after your flight actually lands. I realize that if you make your plans this way, your flight will definitely be on time and your bags will be the first ones on the baggage belt and there will be no traffic between the airport and your resort (always works that way!!!!), but I'd rather save the money and be fresh in the morning, even if you have a scheduled down day.

If you need a Disney fix when you arrive, keep in mind that the voice on the airport tram/monorail is the same as the one that tells you to "stand clear of the doors" at the WDW monorail. You can also visit the airport Disney store and get even more excited!

Have a great time!

 

[DebbieB]

Last February 2 friends & I couldn't get a decent price for a morning flight so we flew in the night before, arriving around 8:30pm. We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points for about $70. They had a free shuttle from the airport. Nothing great, but we were only sleeping there. In the morning we took the shuttle back to the airport to get the rental car and go to WDW. Arrived at CSR about 8:30am and they had rooms for us ready!

 

[Minybear]

On our last 2 trips to WDW we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and the Marriott Orlando Airport and they both have FREE pickup from the airport and BOTH them let us standing at the airport for 45 minute to an hour before they picked us up. We are not going back to any of them (Marriott Orlando Airport gave us free dinner due to the bad servcie). While we were waiting we saw the Embassy Suites, the Sheriton and Hampton shuttle lots of times.

 

[Lyon_King]

I know you're talking about the night you arrived, but once we couldn't get a late flight home, so we booked a flight for the next morning and booked a room at a cheap hotel near the airport. That way we spent our entire last day at the parks, without worrying about laeving on time to catch a flight.

Luckily for us there's a 6:00 am flight that gets us to the Disney Resort by 10:00 am. But if I ever couldn't get that flight, I would definitely consider spending the night at an airport hotel.