My family is planning to visit Sea World, Discovery Cove and the new SW water park next summer. We (me, DH, DD13, DD11) are also planning to go to the Universal Parks during our stay. My first thought was to stay at Hard Rock as we did last time (loved it!) but I was wondering if there was a great Seaworld themed resort that would be better. We always stay on site at Disney. We like not having to travel far to get to the parks while on vacation. Any suggestions! Thanks!
Best hotel near SeaWorld?
- Thread starter Lotte07
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robvia
<font color=red>DIS Veteran<br><font color=indigo>
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Welcome aboard.
If you're doing Discovery Cove and SWF, then stay at the Renaissance Resort which is located directly across the street. Scroll down my TR from a few years ago to see pictures inside.
http://www.nogodforme.com/SeaWorld1.htm
Hotel page is here.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...resort-at-seaworld/?Marriott_BD=&checked=True
Stay on club level if you can afford it. During the busy holidays, the rates drop because this is really a business hotel.
It's awesome to do Discovery Cove, learn about the dolphins, then walk across to SWF to see them again. What you can do, is plan it so you do DC first. Check into the hotel early in the morning. In our case, our room was ready and they let us have it. DC is an all day event. SWF takes about 1.5 days, and you could drive up to Universal if you wanted.
If you're doing Discovery Cove and SWF, then stay at the Renaissance Resort which is located directly across the street. Scroll down my TR from a few years ago to see pictures inside.
http://www.nogodforme.com/SeaWorld1.htm
Hotel page is here.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...resort-at-seaworld/?Marriott_BD=&checked=True
Stay on club level if you can afford it. During the busy holidays, the rates drop because this is really a business hotel.
It's awesome to do Discovery Cove, learn about the dolphins, then walk across to SWF to see them again. What you can do, is plan it so you do DC first. Check into the hotel early in the morning. In our case, our room was ready and they let us have it. DC is an all day event. SWF takes about 1.5 days, and you could drive up to Universal if you wanted.
Thanks for the info Rob. Great trip report! I enjoyed reading it.
We plan on going in August. Do you think that there will be so many business people at the hotel then that it won't feel like a vacation resort?
As I said in my previous post, we have always stayed on site so we have never rented a car. Do you think Universal will be easy to get to from the Renaissance? Thanks again for your advice.
We plan on going in August. Do you think that there will be so many business people at the hotel then that it won't feel like a vacation resort?
As I said in my previous post, we have always stayed on site so we have never rented a car. Do you think Universal will be easy to get to from the Renaissance? Thanks again for your advice.
robvia
<font color=red>DIS Veteran<br><font color=indigo>
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The Renaissance still feels like a vacation resort because they've got a huge pool, tennis courts, and a basketball court. They do have meeting rooms like most big hotels do for conferences and weddings, but it's no big deal. Not sure if they'll have reduced rates in August, they usually have good rates for the July 4th holiday.
Getting to Universal is easy. You can hire a cab, or limo, it's not that far away. You can search this forum for limo recommendations.
If you're going to Universal before August 20th, the parks will be packed. After August 20th, the kids to back to school and crowds are less. So if you take the limo over to Universal, you want to leave the Renaissance around 07:15am, arrive the atrium at 07:45am, and then you can go up to the gate and get in line. You would have about 2 hours of short waits for the rides. At 11am everyone shows up. At noon it's very hot out, best to take the cab or limo back to the Renaissance and visit the pool. Then go to SWF and watch the final Shamu show. You can do a lot at Universal in 3 hours if you arrive early.
Getting to Universal is easy. You can hire a cab, or limo, it's not that far away. You can search this forum for limo recommendations.
If you're going to Universal before August 20th, the parks will be packed. After August 20th, the kids to back to school and crowds are less. So if you take the limo over to Universal, you want to leave the Renaissance around 07:15am, arrive the atrium at 07:45am, and then you can go up to the gate and get in line. You would have about 2 hours of short waits for the rides. At 11am everyone shows up. At noon it's very hot out, best to take the cab or limo back to the Renaissance and visit the pool. Then go to SWF and watch the final Shamu show. You can do a lot at Universal in 3 hours if you arrive early.
Earlier this month, we visted Universal and SeaWorld. We stayed 1 night at RPR, 4 nights at HRH, and then switched to the Hilton Garden Inn SeaWorld for our last 2 nights and visited SeaWorld for two days.
I can't remember what stopped us from staying at the Renaissance - either it was full or they didn't allow 5 people in a standard room. The Hilton Garden Inn was fine, although I thought it was pricey ($184). (We paid $159 at RPR and $129 for obstructed view at HRH). But, like you, we like being near the park we are visiting. We had a King Bed, sleeper sofa, micro, mini fridge, coffee maker. It was nothing special, but was certainy adequate. Great bedding. Small pool, but it wasn't at all crowded when we used it on our last day (Saturday). The hotel is within walking distance of SeaWorld. You cross a very low-traffic side street towards the Renaissance (the sidewalks are on the Renaissance side) and then another more trafficked street (4 lanes with a median - no street light) to get to the SeaWorld parking lot.
Basically, the walk from the Renaissance and Hilton are like walking from one of the furthest spaces in the SeaWorld parking lot. The Hilton runs shuttles (not many trips, and not worth the wait) and I would imagine the Renaissance does also.
Personally, I would do a split stay. It would be a shame to give up FOTL access by not staying on-site when visiting Universal.
I can't remember what stopped us from staying at the Renaissance - either it was full or they didn't allow 5 people in a standard room. The Hilton Garden Inn was fine, although I thought it was pricey ($184). (We paid $159 at RPR and $129 for obstructed view at HRH). But, like you, we like being near the park we are visiting. We had a King Bed, sleeper sofa, micro, mini fridge, coffee maker. It was nothing special, but was certainy adequate. Great bedding. Small pool, but it wasn't at all crowded when we used it on our last day (Saturday). The hotel is within walking distance of SeaWorld. You cross a very low-traffic side street towards the Renaissance (the sidewalks are on the Renaissance side) and then another more trafficked street (4 lanes with a median - no street light) to get to the SeaWorld parking lot.
Basically, the walk from the Renaissance and Hilton are like walking from one of the furthest spaces in the SeaWorld parking lot. The Hilton runs shuttles (not many trips, and not worth the wait) and I would imagine the Renaissance does also.
Personally, I would do a split stay. It would be a shame to give up FOTL access by not staying on-site when visiting Universal.
You are so right about FOTL access. I think that is what has me leaning toward a Universal hotel.
Betty, did you get that $129 rate at HRH by using a code or some other discount? That sounds like a great price!
Yes, I should have mentioned that. Both rates were AP rates. We purchased one annual pass in order to get the rates. At RPR, they never asked to see the annual pass, but at HRH they did.
The $159 at RPR was a Saturday night. The $129 at HRH was obstructed view, Sunday thru Wednesday. That's the only thing disappointing about Universal - that the rate goes so much higher on the weekend. BTW, our dates were 6/2 thru 6/6.
mickeysaver
<font color=blue>WINNER of the world's worst limer
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We chose to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn at SeaWorld during our upcoming stay. It was free with my honey's reward points, so our two nights there are definately priced right. I hear great things about the resort, so I would like to throw it out there as another option for your family. Maggie
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/photo_gallery.jhtml?ctyhocn=ORLSEGI
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/photo_gallery.jhtml?ctyhocn=ORLSEGI
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