Marriott Village

[msgoofy]

We are looking at off site places for our next visit. I was wondering if anyone had stayed in one of the Marriotts in the Marriott Village? How was the shuttle to the parks? Thanks for the info!

 

[ChanaC]

I stayed there, but back in 2015 so things might have changed. I remember there was a shuttle but I think it only dropped people off in one place (maybe Epcot where people could connect to other parks?) and it only left at certain times, and you have to sign up in advance for it. Not super convenient, but if you don't have a car it's better than nothing. Besides that I thought it was a good place to stay. It was close to Disney Springs, the outlet malls, and SeaWorld, and there was a shopping center near by if you wanted to walk to a few places to eat. There was also a few quick places to grab stuff from within the village (I remember a Pizza Hut Express and an ice cream place, I think). When we went it was still fairly new and everything looked really nice. We were out of the hotel most of the day, and it was winter and too cold for the pool, so we didn't really stick around and explore the hotel too much. Overall, I gave it a good review back then.

I will say that you may want to check the recent Trip Adviser reviews. I am planning a trip this winter and was considering staying there again, but a lot of reviews say that housekeeping really hasn't been good recently. Also, all three hotels in the village offer free breakfast, which is great, but apparently during Covid they are now only doing breakfast in one of the hotels. They all share resources so everyone gets funneled to the same restaurant for breakfast, which a lot of reviews say is a bit of an overcrowding nightmare, especially during Covid. It looks like in general the hotels are all short staffed. Now, I always take hotel reviews with a grain of salt since Trip Advisor is a place were people like to complain, but there seems to be an overwhelming amount of negative reviews lately.

 

[msgoofy]

I stayed there, but back in 2015 so things might have changed. I remember there was a shuttle but I think it only dropped people off in one place (maybe Epcot where people could connect to other parks?) and it only left at certain times, and you have to sign up in advance for it. Not super convenient, but if you don't have a car it's better than nothing. Besides that I thought it was a good place to stay. It was close to Disney Springs, the outlet malls, and SeaWorld, and there was a shopping center near by if you wanted to walk to a few places to eat. There was also a few quick places to grab stuff from within the village (I remember a Pizza Hut Express and an ice cream place, I think). When we went it was still fairly new and everything looked really nice. We were out of the hotel most of the day, and it was winter and too cold for the pool, so we didn't really stick around and explore the hotel too much. Overall, I gave it a good review back then.

I will say that you may want to check the recent Trip Adviser reviews. I am planning a trip this winter and was considering staying there again, but a lot of reviews say that housekeeping really hasn't been good recently. Also, all three hotels in the village offer free breakfast, which is great, but apparently during Covid they are now only doing breakfast in one of the hotels. They all share resources so everyone gets funneled to the same restaurant for breakfast, which a lot of reviews say is a bit of an overcrowding nightmare, especially during Covid. It looks like in general the hotels are all short staffed. Now, I always take hotel reviews with a grain of salt since Trip Advisor is a place were people like to complain, but there seems to be an overwhelming amount of negative reviews lately.

Thanks for your input. I know housekeeping and food service hasn’t been that great since the pandemic. Hopefully things will improve before our trip next year! Enjoy your visit!

 

[HopperFan]

Regards to shuttles, always check:
- Is there a fee (many do)
- Do you need to make reservations (some do)
- What is schedule (often limited)
- Do you share with other hotels (could be long ride)
- WHERE does it take you (MANY drop you at Epcot or TTC only, then you have to get on Disney transportation to get the rest of the way)

 

[Tinkerbellmom43]

I haven't used the shuttles when I stayed there (rented a car) but I have stayed at the Courtyard in the Marriott Village a few times. I've always been pleased with my stays there. The rates are great, rooms are clean, staff is friendly and helpful and it's close to everything. My last visit was 2019 (precovid) not sure of what/if anything has changed since.

 

[wildpony]

I had my eye on these pre covid. They had great rates and great reviews. Tripadvisor and several other reviews I looked at recently were not so hot. We are going hard at the parks for 4 days. We won't be there much but I have booked Towne Place Suites Theme Parks/ Lake Buena Vista instead. Looks like they have a shuttle, free breakfast and a nice pool. Better reviews so I'm rolling the dice here.