Comfort Suites Maingate East?? any1 have experience with this hotel?

[DREAMIN'DISNEY]

Hi all!
Am a newbie planning first EVER WDW trip for my family! woohoo! Am a nervous wreck however and have soooo many questions. Am considering staying off site at Comfort Suites Maingate East...any experiences good and bad?? Am also considering staying at a value resort and am thinking about adding the dining plan....sigh...so much to do!!Best reliable,cheapest sites to book rooms? Being form Canada I also have to consider the exchange rates.I am rambling...sorry ..Any help,advice much appreciated!

 

[chris7]

Hi, thought I'd reply even though I have not stayed there. I'm also planning our first Disney trip for my family (kids are 3 and 5) for Dec. 18-26. After reading A LOT on this board and trip advisor I narrowed down to a list of four possible places to stay. If we were going to stay in a hotel it was going to be Comfort Suites Maingate East or Buena Vista Suites and if we were going to do a condo it would be Cypress Pointe or Sheraton Vistana. Both the hotels have consistantly good reviews on trip advisor and Buena Vista Suites is mentioned quite a bit on this forum and other sites. I have not seen much about Comfort east on this site (although do a search). We ultimately decided to go with a condo just for the space and the price. I made our reservations for Cypress Pointe (2 bedroom) through hotelkingdom.com for $73.20 a night ($81 with tax). When I was looking at rates, I could not beat this at the hotels we were thinking about. Plus I read so many good things about Cypress Pointe on this site that we decided to go that route. Good luck with what you decide and i'm sure that somone who has stayed there will chime in.

 

[DREAMIN'DISNEY]

Thanks Chris7 for the info! Planning this trip is tough..lol. I have become internet obsessed! Will definitely check out Cypress Pointe..sounds like it may be what we are looking for as well.(roomy,fridge,micro).2 boys (13 and 6) can't wait!! I am sure I will learn a lot on this site...great forums!Thanks again!

 

[barblue]

We booked the Comfort Suites Maingate East based on its very good Tripadvisor reviews and other reviews I saw. I remember reading two reviews, however, from families that checked in late at night and had issues with their reservations - one family did not get the non-smoking room they requested and the hotel didn't save any rooms for the other! Since our flight got in very late at night, I called a week before and the day we checked in to confirm that my (entirely) pre-paid reservation for a non-smoking room with two beds would still be available. Both times the hotel staff assured me that it would be held.

Well, to make a long story short we checked in at 2 am and no such room was available. We agreed to crash in a non-smoking, 1-bed room for the night on the condition that we could switch after other families checked out the next day. At checkout the following morning, they only offered us a smoking room with two beds or a non-smoking room with one bed. I got absolutely no where after (very politely, I may add) talking to a manager. We eventually switched hotels.

One the other hand, the hotel and room were clean (for the one night we spent there ). The free breakfast looked pretty good. The decor was bright and cheerful and our room was large. Based on the reviews I've seen, it seems that our experience was not the norm. I just wanted to bring it up in the event that you happen to be arriving late - my observations and experience lead me to believe that it may be a problem area for the hotel!

Oh, one other thing - we did think that the "Old Town" area to which the hotel is adjacent looked a bit run-down. Actually, someone was murdered there a few days before we checked in. I doubt that's a routine occurance, and not many empty places look great at 2 am. But it is a consideration. The hotel itself seemed decently safe and had keycard-only access at night.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure your trip will be wonderful no matter were you stay hotel-wise.

 

[winterman]

My wife and I have stayed at the CSME twice. Both times we were very satisfied with the hotel and staff. The good points for this hotel are: location- very easy commute to the world, good continental breakfast - money saver, clean facilities, decent pool with beverages (bar) available.

A word to the wise: check room rates on www.hotelmartusa.com and choice hotels own website. Book through the choice website and if it is to your benefit, immediately file a room rate guarantee. We have done this twice.

Have a great trip.

 

[nepean]

We stayed at CME last January and were thrilled with the hotel. After 14 trips to the World and having stayed in various hotels and condos I can honestly say that this was the cleanest hotel we have stayed in. The buffet breakfast was excellent, the pool was warm and clean, the cleaning staff were superior and the location was excellent. The front desk staff is a little standoffish but they are also very busy.

Regarding the muder at Old Town recently, it was at the Checker's Restaurant Drive Thru in front of Old Town. A robbery that ended in a senseless murder of the Asst. Manager. Old Town is a very busy spot on the weekend nights but very quiet on weekdays.

While we were at CME there were a lot of Canadians staying there. If you read Trip Advisor.com you will see lots of Canadian reviews. Where in Canada are you? I am in Ottawa.

Also, I booked through the Choice Hotel web-site and did the price match thing with hotelmartusa.com and saved a lot of money. We are going again in January and are booking the same way.

Good luck

 

[DREAMIN'DISNEY]

Thank you all for your posts! Very helpful. It is wonderful to be able to hear these things from experienced "World" travellers I have a million of 'em..so get ready..lol ..oh by the way..to answer the question as to where I am from...I live near Hamilton Ontario Canada.

 

[justlikeeyore]

I would highly recommend staying at one of the value resort if possible. The Disney Magic is so worth it.

 

[Sumac]

My wife and I have stayed at the CSME twice. Both times we were very satisfied with the hotel and staff. The good points for this hotel are: location- very easy commute to the world, good continental breakfast - money saver, clean facilities, decent pool with beverages (bar) available.

A word to the wise: check room rates on www.hotelmartusa.com and choice hotels own website. Book through the choice website and if it is to your benefit, immediately file a room rate guarantee. We have done this twice.

We have stayed at CSME on two trips. I completely agree with winterman - the hotel is nice, clean, the breakfast is decent, and the rates are good.

Definitely check the rates on hotelmartusa.com then book through choice hotels, then use the room rate guarantee. I have done that with great success.

The rooms are larger than your average hotel room - 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa. There is also a small mini-kitchen area with a wet bar and microwave.

Have a good trip.

 

[Bonnie40]

DreaminDisney,

We have also stayed at CSME on 2 different occasions and enjoyed our time there, but would also suggest you consider staying onsite while at Disney. The last 2 years we've stayed onsite and really enjoy just being able to park the car and forget about it!

I understand all the pros for staying at an offsite condo - space, kitchen, price, etc., but consider the following:

Get a price to stay at a Disney moderate resort. They now all have small fridges, and you can stock up on breakfast foods and snacks to start the day. If you do stay onsite, you can look into whether the dining plan would work for you. Everyone is different, but I don't want to waste my Disney time cooking - for me that's part of the vacation. Also, groceries are ridiculously expensive down there - most everything is dollar for dollar more, plus you have to factor in the exchange.

When are you planning to go? That also makes a difference in your planning I think...

There is just something about staying onsite and depending on your budget, consider all your options. Unless it pours rain during your vacation, you spend very little time in your room. I don't get the point of having space as big as a small house on a Disney vacation. Last March, we were 5 (3 teenagers!) in one room at POR. We loved it there! JMHO though...

 

[chris7]

Not familiar with this...."Definitely check the rates on hotelmartusa.com then book through choice hotels, then use the room rate guarantee. I have done that with great success" What is the purpose? Why not book through hotelmart? Thanks

 

[winterman]

Choice Hotel's rate guarantee works like this: their website has the lowest rate for a given room for a certain date. If you find a lower rate within 24 hours of booking thru their website, they will match the lower rate plus give an additional 10% discount. Also, if you use the Choice website, you do not have to pre-pay or place a deposit for the room.

Check www.choicehotels.com for the legal jargon.
Have a great trip.