Celebration Suites at Old Town

[mkacar24]

Did a search and found very little on this hotel. I won two rooms on priceline last night for what I hope was a good deal.

We are a family of five and traveling with my brother and his family of five. We will likely only use the rooms for sleeping and eating.

Anyone got the scoop on this place?

 

[DOOM1001]

It's an older hotel,I stayed there one time several years ago and quite honestly it's not the best of hotels.If you get it at a bottom rate price of $30-$40 then it's OK,but there are many better places in the $40-$50 range.The one good thing I remember the rooms had are that they are laid out like a little apartment with 3 separate rooms,so some people can sleep in the room with the beds and others can sleep in the room with a sleeper sofa bed.I don't remember much more about the hotel,I wouldn't say it's horrible but I just wouldn't pay too much.If you're not going to use the rooms for much more than sleeping then you should be allright.

 

[mkacar24]

Thanks for the response. We stayed at Saratoga in June 09 and AKL in April 10 so this will be a change for us. But we really want to spend a vacation with my brother and his family and this is the only way to afford it.

I got the rooms for 35 a night on Priceline, really wasn't expecting to win, but if the location is close to Disney and the rooms are clean enough to sleep in we will be set. Is the area safe? I read one review, out of about 240, that mentioned it wasn't the safest area. Hope that is not true.

So excited anyway. Can't wait to get back to the parks.

 

[DOOM1001]

I don't think it's an unsafe area but it's definitely not the best area.The whole 192 area is getting older and is not as nice as it used to be in the 70's and 80's when most of the people who visited Disney stayed there.I would advise against getting any hotel east of 535 on 192,as this area has really deteriorated,the hotel is west of it and there are still a few very good hotels west of 535 like the Comfort Suites Maingate east which is on the other side of Old Town very near to the hotel you booked.I would look at the Lake Buena Vista or International Drive areas when getting a room with Priceline or Hotwire as they are better areas with more quality hotels available.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

The rooms are just old and dingy at Celebration Suites. Not disgusting, not dirty, but really old. Saratoga and AKL... Celeb Suites would be the complete opposite of them. As I have been told many times "everyone's idea of cleanliness is different". I don't know how sensitive your tastes are, but I was pretty turned off, and Saratoga might have set your bar a bit higher also.

I stayed there about 6 months back and we were put in a more deserted wing of the hotel (I imagine the $35 wing, but we paid more). I had a moving truck and needed to take up a few spaces so it was kind of our request. I just needed a bed and a shower for a few hours and didn't really care about anything but some hot water, chow, and sleep. I did read some unsavory reviews after the fact, but didn't really see anything horrible. I know you're on a tight budget, but be warned, it is a really low budget place.

They looked like they might have renovated part of the hotel, so don't be afraid to call ahead and ask if there is an updated room that you can have.

It is in a very nice area, next to old town, next to Celebration, easy access to food and WDW, good gas prices at the RaceTrac across the street, Publix and Walgreens are right there also, all these things are walkable (sidewalks). Well, Celebration (town) isn't walkable, but the 192 gates to it are.

2 doors down, the royale parc suites are much nicer and a "Disney good neighbor hotel" if you want to check pricing.

Agree with Doom above, west of 535 is a good landmark for tourists. East of 535 gets a little more local, but it's not like you need to roll the windows up. Just might have a few panhandlers and such.

I don't know your exact budget but you might want to consider a rental home as this person describes, 5BR 5BA $150:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38488679&postcount=9

and checking on hotels.com for some area pricing as I described in the post below. Dates are important!! $35 might sound like a bargain, but for your dates, all the nicer hotels right next door might be charging $45.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38484431&postcount=9

I just don't want you to have a bad taste in your mouth about offsite lodging based on this place, or to have a lousy time because of it. Close to Disney is open to interpretation, but there are a lot of hotels close to Disney when you're driving. There are multiple entrances to the complex and all provide easy access to the different areas.

 

[NH_1986]

I have stayed at Celebration Suites many times with my family. The hotel has undergone a multi million dollar rennovation as the Gm (Brian) has told me.

The rooms have changed significantly over the past several years because i believe their are new owners. The hotel is in a great location with Old Town being right next door. When we stayed back in July we were put in Bldg D which is adjacent to Old Town. The room was very clean and we had no complaints what so ever especially with the amount we were paying and the close proximity to everything. When I stayed in July they had just opened a fitness center which was literaly brand new. Another great thing about the rooms was the full kitchen. We could go to the Publix across the street to buy our groceries and cook for the whole family without having to spend a lot of money on eating out every night.

I love what Celebration Suites has done to the hotel....and I continue to have a better experience everytime i go as they keep trying to add new amenities. There are two heated pools, a laundry facility, playgrounds, volleyball and basketball courts and a gym. If you want to have a great time in the Disney area then this is the place for you.

Im sure you will enjoy your time at Celebration Suites.

 

[Kay1]

Looks like they've been getting pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

Over on hotels.com, the management responded to a few negative reviews. What they say about upgraded "Superior Suites" seems consistent with the area I thought looked upgraded, vs the crappy wing I was in on the other side of the property.

Thank you for your review of Celebration Suites. Reviews are a very important part of how we communicate with our guests because we feel they are the most honest feedback that we can find. We are constantly changing and making improvements based on reviews such as yours. During the time of your stay the hotel was under heavy renovations. While this is not an excuse for some of the issues that you encountered, I feel it is important that you know how much progress has been made since your last visit. We have finished painting, installed new furniture in many of the rooms, new mattresses in all of the rooms, and now many rooms are receiving new refrigerators. On top of that, we have added many new amenities such as Wi-Fi capabilities in every suite, a business center, gym and more. I recommend booking a Superior Suite next time, because this guarantees that you will be placed in an upgraded room with new mattresses, wall paint, ceiling texturing, and, in many cases, new furniture. Superior Suites are also located at the front of the property, next to the registration building and even closer to the attractions such as Old Town and Fun Spot USA. Also, Superior Suites are not near our designated pet rooms. I apologize for the inconveniences that you experienced during your last visit and sincerely hope that you will visit us again to see how remarkable of an improvement we have made to our hotel since then. Reviews such as this are always helpful in letting my staff and I know what is most important to our guests, and how we can constantly improve our quality of service. We hope to see in Kissimmee again very soon!

Posted by Hotel Management on Jul 1, 2010

 

[mkacar24]

Thanks again to everyone for the responses. We can't change hotels, so its nice to have some reassurance. I will call and request remodeled suites for us and hope for the best. Since we booked with priceline, not sure how obtaining a superior suite would work, as i'm sure they won't want to put us in the nicest room for our rate.

One more question. The suites sleep 6, and my priceline reservation says in bold letters that each room will accomodate two adults. The actual hotel website says nothing about only two adults per room and will let you book a room for 3 adults and 3 children. Our parents are interested in making the trip with us, trying to decide if we would need to book a third room. Priceline makes me think yes, the website makes me think no.

Thanks. I feel much better now.

 

[smileycrissy]

It sounds like you might get stuck in the 'crappier' wing, which is where I was placed back in Feb when I asked for a room on the spot. The room we had looked like it hadn't been touched in weeks. There were spots on the wallpaper that was peeling. We only needed the room for 1 night to sleep so we just dealt with it.

If that is the case, then they have 2 regular beds in the room and I think most of the rooms have a sleeper sofa or murphy bed. I think I've blocked the place out of my mind because I really didn't like it there. It sounds like you will have to book that 3rd room, since you have two groups of 5, which will take up each room you currently have.

Please also be warned that when you check in, they had signs posted that if you wanted to get utensils or cookware for the rooms, they charge you an extra fee per day. I'm not sure if that is the case with the superior rooms or not. Since it sounds like you are stuck with the place, you may want to bring some paper plates, utensils, cups. Perhaps you can call them now to find out about the beds/people per room and get a definite answer as to whether you could be upgraded to the superior suite. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get the good rooms so that you enjoy your vacation.