Arriving late, what would you do?

[TWOOD]

Our flight gets in @ 10:52pm the night we arrive for our honeymoon, Mar. 10-19, 2004 - the airport Hyatt rates are outrageous, so that's out of the question. Would you stay at the All Stars the 1st night, or a Downtown Disney Hotel? We're AP holders & are renting DVC points for the rest of our stay : 5 nights @ VWL & 3 @ BWV. My man has never been to WDW before, so I need this trip to be as "magical" as possible, so he'll happily return next Dec. for a Christmas trip with my DD (our 1st official "WDW family vacation!"). Thanks in advance for your input.
20 sleeps til my DD & I have our "bachlorette's no more" trip

 

[debster812]

We are in a simliar situation for January. We do not arrive til 11:15 on a Saturday night. We are going to book an Airport hotel with a shuttle through Hotwire, (s/b < $60) sleep, get up, DH will go back to MCO on the shuttle to rent the car, DS and I will pack up, and get ready. DH will come back and get us, and we will be on WDW property by 10am.

I agree--the MCO Hyatt is pricey, but some folks have scored it on Hotwire and Priceline, but you could not ever count on that.

Good Luck!

 

[Cathy baby RN]

We stayed one night at the airport Hyatt because the rest of our party was not getting in until the next morning(we got there late at night). I was able to get a room for under $60 through Priceline. I can't remember the exact rate. It might be fun for you to stay at Pop Century for one night though, since it is his first trip to WDW and you will be immediately immersed in "the magic".
You might even be able to get one of those great AP room dealsat about $50 per night. Good luck on your upcoming marriage!

 

[Walt'sFan]

TWOOD
We arrive late also, but I booked Pop Century for the 1st night at $85 with tax included. We move the next morning to the Polynesian. I was also told they will move our bags for us, so we will be free to go to the parks and come back when our room is ready. What ever you decide I'm sure you will have a GREAT time.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I looked on Expedia at the Downtown Disney hotels, and they're all more expensive than the All Stars. If you've got your mind set on staying on property, I would definitely go with the All Stars or Pop Century. The $85 rate quoted is cheaper than anything I found for the DTD resorts.

 

[girlsx2]

My vote is to stay at a Value Resort your first night!! The Pop Century would be my pick. It opens tomorrow and will be brand new for your stay in March. There are a couple of threads posted on this board by Chip and Dale Express (aka: Tyler). He is a CM at Pop Century and has posted picutres and given great reviews and info about this resort. Congrats on your marriage and have fun in WDW!!!!


Cya There!!

 

[darlene walker]

Stay at the resort where you are renting the points. That way you won't have to go through relocating. I would pay the extra money for the convience and time saved. I have rented points and booked from Disney 4 times and they always let us have the same room.
Happy Honeymooning Darlene

 

[toad611]

i would stay at the resort your booked into. is magical to wake up at the wl. it's the only way to start a honeymoon. Have a great time.

 

[skiwee1]

I would stay at the Allstars. I have never stayed there but considered it one trip. I had booked the WL and decided to go one day earlier. The WL didn't have the extra day at that time so we were going to stay at the Allstars. We thought of the DTD hotels but figured we might never book the Allstars for a normal trip and thought it would be fun to stay there and check it out. Right before our trip came the WL had a room open up for that day so we switched back to the WL.

 

[Castillo Mom]

In case you decide to stay at a hotel near MCO, I would suggest Embassy Suites Orlando Airport. It's a nice hotel that offers complimentary pick up at MCO, one bedroom suite with microwave, mini fridge, two TVs and complimentary fully cooked breakfast. We're arriving at about 6:30 p.m. The next morning we head out bright and early to the BC for the official start of our vacation. I like that they have free breakfast. It's a good deal for a family of 5 and we only need one room. Rate we got is $89.

 

[dgaston]

I would use Priceline for a 3 * hotel for the one night. Even tho it's your honeymoon, the WDW portion isn't going to start until the next day. We have even used 2 and 1/2 * and found rooms at the La Quinta with a shuttle until 10 pm for around $22 and 23; that 's a lot of money for Mickey bars and other food. La Quinta had clean rooms, a great bathroom area and a continental breakfast (basic) in the morning.

 

[epcotfan]

I would stay at the MCO Hyatt. I got a rate of $145. It was really nice and the rooms were neat and clean. Nice balcony and spacious bathroom. They also have 24 hour room service. I chose to stay there because I didn't want to have to transfer my luggage a bunch of times. It was so nice just getting off the plane and heading straight to my room. The next morning we simply grabbed a cab at MCO the next morning and headed to our Disney Resort.
Here are some pics:

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[pogo791]

My vote goes with Darlene and Toad - since its your honeymoon, go straight to your resort. Staying near the airport won't save you all that much time, and it's magical to be able to wake up in WDW to start your life together. You also won't need to go through the hassle of checking in and unpacking, just to pack up and check out the next day. (And on your honeymoon you have better things to do!)

Just for comparison, when we come to WDW at the end of January, we'll be arriving in Orlando at 9.30 pm - and that's after a trans-Atlantic flight. We wouldn't even think of bunking near the airport; we'll be rushing down to the car rental agency and drive as fast as (legally) possible to WDW!