Need help with hotel shopping

[Jenny3]

I originally booked my hotel through the convention I'm attending (Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando). Currently at $69/night, but I'm rethinking that now.

Now that I've had some time to research, I think it may be better to stay at a Universal or Sea World partner hotel since we'll be at the convention only one day and the parks for 3 so we can take advantage of the hotel perks and transportation. (I can take the I-Ride Trolley to and from the convention)

Another option I'm looking at is the Pointe Orlando - we can get a 1 bedroom suite with a King bed and jacuzzi tub for $87/night if I book now (non-refundable). A bit more than my budget but the Rosen won't guarantee a King bed and that is a must for us. Anyone stayed here?

Our schedule...

Friday - convention
Friday night - IOA after hours through a work event (privately booked after the park closes)
Sea World Saturday
Discovery Cove Sunday (includes free tickets to SW)
Universal/IOA Monday

Can I get your opinions on what perks/hotel would be best for us? It is just my hubby and I (no kids ).

How is the best way to book this? Expedia? Direct? Priceline?

I'm a little clueless on this all and it's a bit overwhelming! Our trip is Nov 8-13. I'm open to any suggestions!

TIA for anything you can offer!

 

[MOMandSONvacation]

This will be my first year going to Orlando, but I've spent an embarrassing amount of time researching hotels. I was seriously considering The Point, but have decided to go with the brand new Drury Inn. Not sure if you already know, so I wanted to mention that The Point has a daily resort fee of $11 plus taxes on top of the daily rate. I have not personally noticed any substantial savings from booking with various booking sites, or the website directly.

I do think the point looks awesome though!

 

[Jenny3]

I will definitely check that out, thank you!

 

[DCTooTall]

I can tell you that the Partner hotel "Perks" for Universal is pretty much just going to be the early entry, which is just 1hr before park open.

At that time of November though, You probably won't need to worry too much about park crowds. They are still very managable and nowhere NEAR the levels you see during the summer or holiday rush periods.


I'd probably say just go with whatever you feel like you want to do, and don't worry so much about the park related perks aspects. The biggest things you may want to also consider beyond the actual hotel are going to be if the hotel has a Resort or daily parking fee. (relatively common at a number of hotels in the area). It's usually above the daily rate you pay, but a quick call to the hotel should be able to answer that question for you before you book.

 

[Jenny3]

I did see that the Point Orlando has a resort fee, which stinks. But even with that, it still seems a pretty good deal for everything we're getting. Is the Point a partner hotel? I didn't even check into that, lol

I'm currently booked there and at the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando. Need to cancel one of them. I'm tossing around the pros/cons of having everything we could want in a hotel vs convenience to I-Drive. No doubt I will need to rent a car if we stay with the Point, which adds to the bottom line.

 

[MOMandSONvacation]

Yes, The Point is a partner hotel. At the universal website (I'm a new poster so the site won't allow me to include links) go to the other hotel options section, and then under the moderate hotel selection, you will see The Point towards the bottom. The Point looks gorgeous for the price. And according to most all of the reviews on tripadvisor.com, it sounds like everybody is very happy with it. AND, for me, more importantly, I did not see a single mention of cockroaches, whereas I saw them for many other hotels. If you can swing The Point, I would totally do that. And the parking at The Point is free, so that's a bonus. Maybe go to tripadvisor.com, if you haven't already and look at users pictures and reviews and maybe that will also help you to decide what is best for you and your husband!

 

[Jenny3]

Love that we get early admission! Even though we probably won't need it in November, it is such a great bonus!

Even though they have the resort fee, I think it's worth it to splurge since we get so much more for the money. Hell, just the outdoor bar makes it worthwhile, LOL

Last time I checked, it was rated #10 out of all the Orlando hotels on TripAdvisor; the photos look beautiful as well!

I'm getting excited