advice for a HIFS 1st timer???

[litlpixie]

Hi everyone! Ignore my countdown quote because I just cxld my Disney resort ressies and booked HIFS queensuite. I am an Offsite Virgin and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has stayed here. How's the food at the Club Car? We will have our own car, but I was wondering how the shuttles were. How long of a walk to the swimming area. Are the rooms as dark as I've heard? We will be there during Easter, any activities? Also, any good restaurants nearby if we get sick of eating there? Thank you in advance for any help you guys can give.

 

[MK Familystone]

Hi !
Have you gone to HIFS Website and noticed the Priority Club logo?
The Holiday Inn frequent quest program, free. just call and tell the agent the requirements you like for your stay like, floor , non-smoking, pool side , etc.
Then call HIFS back and give them your Club member # which will help them locate you in the suite that fits your needs.
On the HIFS Website there are two pools, Kids/family and quite pool. Ask the res agent at HIFS the difference.
The suites IMHO are one step short of a condo ei: full kitchen, but depending on how much time you spend at WDW you should be satified with the basics at HIFS and spend your BIG DOLLARS at the WDW Resturants.
At max two miles south on International Dr. are all kinds of Resturants and a publix grocery store, so you can cook a late night snack in the suite in the microwave.
go the Website of your favourite eatery and see if it has a store near HIFS.
Other DIS forums and Resort and Trip Reviews will give you insite to HIFS.

ENJOY!!!

"THE MAGIC HAPPENS!!!"AAARR!!!"

 

[MrsMud]

We have been to HIFS 2 X (the last only a few weeks ago). We really enjoy it there. I must tell you though, that the Club Car restaurant is not very good for dinner On our first trip we ate there about 4 times, and that was a big mistake. On our recent trip I researched some of the restaurants in the area, and there are tons! If you will have a car, I highly recommend eating out. We had dinner at Bahama Breeze (loved it), Macaroni Grill (loved it), Trails End (liked it ), 1900 Park Faire (loved it), Garden Grill (didn't like it ), and Joe's Crab shack (hated it). We did end up eating at the Club Car one night, and didn't like it again!
We found the buffet breakfast to be fine. They offer pretty much the same things every morning, so I would recommend varying it once in a while (ex: have cold cereal and fruit one morning, pancakes one morning, eggs one morning) to keep from getting tired of it. But really, it was fine and a real money saver. If you plan any character meals I would not do them for breakfast. Even though they are cheaper, it is actually more cost efficient to have the free breakfast and then a character meal for dinner.
The swimming area is centrally located so it is not far from any of the suites. We didn't find the rooms dark at all! And there are tons of activities for the kids (now that I am rereading your post, I'm not sure if you will have kids with you?), I'm not sure about anything special for Easter.

 

[mandasbutterfly]

You will have a great time there! I love it there and stay there at least for a few nights on almost every Disney trip. Everything is great there except for the Club Car. We ate lunch there one day and it was not that great although the view on the lake was really nice and at night they have lighted figures on the water that are really nice and reminds of me of the electrical water pageant in a way. I prefered the food court offerings to be much better. However there are so many close restaraunts near by that it shouldn't be a big deal and Disney is so close that it would only be a few minutes to a Disney place to eat!! The rooms are great. They have at least one suite for everyone. My boyfriend and I always get the sweetheart suite and we love it. Sometimes is it hard to go to a Disney resort after staying there because we miss the big screen tv in our living room with the cd changer stereo and the VCR and the heart shaped jacuzzi. We also miss the dual shower, the kitchenette, the bedroom, the cordless phone and the free breakfast. They have so many choices of suites and the prices are great!! They also have VCR's in the room and they have onsite video rental that is resonably priced and you can purchase a card and rent as much as you want for about 3 days I think. I enjoy the pools and the kids pool is really neat for children although I don't have any it just looks really fun. I hope you enjoy your stay there as I know I do every time I go. I have stayed there about 10 times now and I love it and have never had a bad experience. I have seen some of the other suites like the two bedroom one and the kids suite and they are really nice and none of them seem dark to me. Have a great trip!!!!

 

[Archimomma]

I have never stayed off site before but after reading so many nice things here about HIFS and then going to the website and seeing the spacious rooms, I am leaning that way! Our kids are 11 and 6 now and sharing those 2 double beds with them at the Disney resorts is getting pretty uncomfortable, especially when we are so wiped out after a day in the parks.

Is traffic terrible getting to the parks? I have heard I Drive gets pretty backed up but it looks like the hotel is not actually on I Drive by looking at the map. Where do you park at the Disney parks? Do you park at the Ticket and Transportation Center and use the monorails or does each park have it's own parking lot? What does is cost to park?

I am getting excited about this possibility. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to answer my questions!

 

[MrsMud]

Traffic is virtually non-existent. It is such a breeze to get to the parks, you won't believe how close you are. Each park has its own parking lot as well as trams to take you from your car to the front gate. We have never had much of a wait. The only park that is a bit of a hassle is MK. There you park in the lot and take a tram to the TTC, where you will grab either the monorail or ferry to the gate. My Dds actually enjoy riding the monorail or boat, but it does add extra time. I believe parking is $8 per day. If you are going to hop to another park you will not have to pay again, just be sure to keep your parking receipt. I think you will find it great to be able to come and go whenever you want, not on a bus schedule. All in all, the transportation issue is really a non-issue. I would definitely not let that be a factor in deciding to stay ON site!
Oh, yeah, and HIFS is great!

 

[beautybelle]

We stayed at HIFS this year and we loved it. We would definatly
stay there again. They have everything you could possibly want and at a great price. Our rooms were wonderful and very spacious and breakfast although wasnt nothing to scream about it WAS free. The pool is awsome and they also have shuffle board, putt putt golf which my son loved, a pool bar, and a jucuzzi. I just love it. And no the rooms arent dark. At night the hotel is beautiful. I went outside in the evenings and just looked around and though to myself "WOW Im really here, at Disney" I think that if you choose this hotel you would not be making a mistake.

 

[mandasbutterfly]

You will be so close you will almost feel you are on site. If you just make a lefthand turn out of the hotel (Mariott World Center hotel side) that road leads right into Disney and there is no traffic. I live an hour and a half from Disney and I stay here quite often and have never had a problem with traffic. You can buy your tickets for the parks in the lobby and they do have scheduled transportation to the parks. Or as other posters have said there is parking available at the parks.