DTD Courtyard

[DMRick]

Just back and I really think Budget board is the most appropriate place for such and inexpensive hotel..however moderators feel free to move it if you don't agree. Bad stuff first.

We were very aprehensive, as we really prefer onsite. But with a mix of $20.03 (special), $49.99 (non available cheper rate nights), and $69.99 (weekend AAA) rates, we couldn't pass it up.

The check in was not what I am used to in a "real" Disney hotel. It started out fine. I asked for a Disney view if possible, and was told that would be fine, but we would have to come back at 4, as there were none available...or I could take a non view room. We opted to come back and walked around DTD (very hot) for the four hours, and stopped to cool off for lunch.

We came back, and they gave me room 205. I asked if that was a DTD view, since it seemed awful low. "Oh no, you can't get that with the $20.03 rate..she said very loudly and with some indignation. Oh, I said, we would have taken any room when we checked in, but we were told to come back at four. Oh no, she said..not with those cheap rates. I explained that only two of the nights were the "cheap" nights..but she didn't care. I was not happy, and said that. She went to try and find who told me that (it didn't matter at this point). She came back, still in a snit..and the other gal overheard her and said we could have the room she was booking. Which caused the person she was checking in to say..hey, I don't want a lousy room..why are you giving away mine? The other gal said something to her and she seemed appeased. We ended up with room 910, and other than a slight smell (not sure what that was..but it got worse as the week went on..but once in the room you got used to it) it appeared clean (one of the sinks was a slowpoke and the bathroom fan did diddly..but it was still clean).

Towels seemed to be in short supply on the days my daughter and grands were with us. We had to keep calling down for them. Sometimes we got only one washcloth and no hand towels. Coffee only came the first two days..then we had to go out to the cart and ask for it when housekeeping was there.

Our room faced the road that goes past DTD..and traffic (with our balconey all closed) never stopped. It was very loud..right down to hearing the smack of a car getting rearended. Buses loaded 9 stories down and we heard them till they stopped for the night. Bearable, but not what I like ot hear on vacation.

The smell..well, I promise it had nothing to do with the Volcano story below. We couldn't figure out what it was. You smelled it when you first came in..I thought it smelled like mildew. It seemed to go away, or we got used to it minutes after being in the room. We suspected they were spraying or it was the cleaner, and we asked for no further deoderant sprays, but the smell never did go away. The kids thought it was a gagging smell, but agreed after a few minutes n the room, we didn't smell it.

The pool was very nice all week (2 regular pools, one baby pool and a very nice hottub)..until this morning. The chlorine for some reason was very over powering..even after taking showers, we still smelled of chlorine, They power washed all morning, and on the other side of hte wall, it sounded like they were leave blowing. We couldn't take the noise anymore, and on our last day there, when we had planned to rest, we checked out and headed to resort hop. They have to do maintenance some time, so I understand..just wish they had done it in the very early morning hours.

We spoke to the manager (Al, I believe) about the check in fiasco, and he did say that usually the rooms for the $20.03 are not the top floors, unless they had them available..I'm not sure what he meant...but I had the feeling that they were available only if htere was no chance a high payer was coming in. We suggested they tell you that that rate just gets you a standard room, and then make some of therooms the standard rooms. It was a bit more involved than I'm posting..but he did make it right by giving us a comp on a roll away for the days my grands stayed with us. He did agree that they should have just told us it wasn't available instead of making us come back in four hours for our room.

The room was very roomy and we had a nice view of DTD, and could see the fireworks from Epcot and DTD (all one minute of them LOL). We were never in when fireworks were set off in MK, so I have no idea if we would have seen those. Very pretty view.

Managers gathering was very nice..chips and salsa (cheese was $1.00), popcorn, and drinks. Free coffee all day and as late as we wanted it in the same area.

We found them very accomodating our grands first night there, our grandson, after eating the Volcano at the RF-AK, volcaned in the middle of the night. We called down (he got the rollaway..boy I bet they were sorry they comped that). Unlike Disney who tells you to just stick the stuff outside and they'll come (and they never do)..these people actually come! They offered to bring up another bed immediately, asked if there was anything they could do, and tol us they were very sorry, but we said morning would be fine. Within minutes of us putting the bed out in the hall, they wisked it away. They replaced it in the morning.

The restaurant and service in the hotel was wonderful for breakfast..much much better than the Ponderosa/Denny's. I believe it was $7.99 for adults and and $3.99 for kids (and that may have been over a certain age..may have been free for little ones). I wish we had checked it out for one of our dinners..the signs made the food sound great. You can order your omelet (even with egg beaters) or Mickey (or regular) waffle and buffet the rest of the foods. Great selection.

Would we stay there again? I don't know. We actually liked the Hyatt for $34 better on our last stay (but prefferred this hotel restaurant). But we were only there for a few nights before checking into a Disney "real" hotel. We definately prefer POR-Riverside much much better. We feel more like we are on a vacation when there, than we did at the Courtyard. However, all that said, if I was needing to stay on a budget, and got the $20.03 rate this would be the place to go go if I wanted good bus transport and wanted to be on Disney land.

 

[patsal]

Thanks for that report, I have always wondered about the $20.03 rate and what to expect if I ever were taking advantage of it. Sorry that the little one had a problem, but that it was well taken care of.

 

[undertheradar]

Sounds like they did all that they could do. Why wouldn't you stay there again?
Somehow, $20.03/night, manager's reception, and a clean room sounds very attractive. At DTD you ARE onsite. You won't find a comparable rate in a Disney hotel.
Where do you stay when not in Orlando?

 

[DMRick]

Sounds like they did all that they could do. Why wouldn't you stay there again?

You are not the same type of onsite..this hotel is run by Marriot..not Disney, and we could tell the difference...in addition the buses don't run as often and they do take a bit longer to get around, since you share with so many DTD hotels. The noise from the road and the smell in the front of our room were annoying (I now know that you can smell bus fumes nine stories up if you have your balcony opened..I've never had that problem, or the road traffic noise at a "run by Disney" hotel..or in fact any hotel (we've stayed at all the national brands at one time or another) I've ever stayed at). Our average rate was $45 (different prices for different nights) after sales and room tax. We stayed at AllStars in the past for about $54 tax included..and although I prefer POR, I also prefer AllStars to this hotel...even though the rooms are smaller. Since Disney won't allow 5 in a room and this place does, for this trip that was good (we seldom have 5 of us)..we saved money.

The check in, when they realized we had some nights at $20.03 was embarrassing..as everyone waiting in line got to hear what we paid. We felt like we were the poor cousins visiting. If I had just taken the first room offered at noon, that wouldn't have happened (where she said agast.."you want a room with a view, and you are only paying $20.03???"). If there hadn't been a problem getting the room we were promised when we came back..we wouldn't have felt funny about asking for another room to avoid the smell. They did send someone up the fist night when we complained about the smell, and he came with a spray bottle to "cover it up"...which I wouldn't let him spray, since we suspected the smell might have been from their deodorizer in the first place.

This is all just my opinion..I believe I stated that if money were an issue, and you didn't mind not being on Disney run resort property (you are on Disney owned land, but for this hotel, that is the only perk..along with e nights when available), this would work (of course it appears most using this rate, will not get a balcony and tower room (and I'm not sure all rooms have two sinks, which was a big help), so it may not seem as big a room). As I stated, I also preferred the $34 priceline Hyatt when we stayed off site..it was much quieter. Once we were checked in to the Marriot, people seemed to be friendly enough..but the check in left a week long bad taste in our mouths. I tried to give the bad and the good, and I'm not arguing that the price wasn't good..but keep in mind, this isn't a $20.03 hotel for a lot of people who stay there, so I wasn't basing my review as if it is. If the price is always $20.03, then it's a good deal. For our average price of $45..I wasn't terribly impressed (but then I've been very fortunate in using codes, and discounts in all different hotels). For some people, the proximity to DTD may be a real plus..for us it was nice to be close to Disney (although the Hyatt was also very close)...and from that, people can make up their own minds.

 

[mousey]

We had check in problems too due to the 20.03 rate. Last year we were given connecting rooms on the 12th floor overlooking the front of the hotel. Great rooms, view, etc...no problems. This year--12th floor overlooking Hotel Royal Plaza with a smell that would not quit!! The next morning I went down and requested different rooms. The main reason was the SMELL!!! The clerk did not bat an eye and quickly put us the 8th floor overlooking the pool and corner room overlooking the front. No smell and no more problems. I filled out an online survey after our stay and suggested that if they offer discounted rooms--they should tell you no requests or whatever!! From the posts I have been reading the room selections are all over the hotel. Some people were told wing rooms only--no tower while others were told no high rooms. Hopefully when they revamp this hotel they will get rid of that mysterious smell that inhibits certain rooms.

 

[DMRick]

From the posts I have been reading the room selections are all over the hotel.

Do you think it has anything to do with where the smelly rooms are? The $20.03's get those LOL?

Could you identify the smell? We couldn't..smelled musty, but didn't affect my allergies like mildew would have. Did your smell show up more each time you walked into your room? I almost thought that when the women complained that they were giving me her room, and the desk clerk said somethign to her that pacified her..well, gee, did she say "hey, you'll be much happier, you got a non smelling room"

Very strange.

 

[BethR]

We stayed at the CbM with the $20.03 rate in the middle of August and had ALL positive experiences EXCEPT for the smell. (We had connecting rooms on the 11th floor overlooking DD Disney.) Like DMRick said, you only noticed it for a few minutes upon entering the room. I am almost CERTAIN that the odor was caused by dampness because you could FEEL the dampness in the rooms. And there was a bit of mildew on the ceiling of the room (not the bathroom, but where the beds were.) I spoke to a couple of other guests about the dampness and they too were experiencing it, but said that they had recently vacationed in the islands and that where they stayed, the dampness was much worse and that they had paid much more there. I don't know if that was comforting or not.

As I said though, other than the odor and dampness, we had a wonderful time staying at the CbM. Our housekeeper was wonderful and we always had plenty of towels, washcloths, shampoos, soaps, etc. EVERY employee that we encountered was pleasant and eager to please. We asked for a late checkout and were permitted to stay until 1:00 pm. The pools were nice, the food choices good (we ordered pizza once, had the breakfast buffet once and had ice cream once). We had made room requests and were fortunate enough to have them fulfilled with no comment on what we had paid. We found our rooms to be VERY quiet both outside and within the hotel. We did not partake of the Manager's Reception since we were never around at that time of day.

I would definately go back again - especially at that kind of rate. But I DO think that the problem of the dampness (hence the odor) is something that needs to be addressed.

 

[DMRick]

We found our rooms to be VERY quiet both outside and within the hotel.

I wonder if being up just the two more floors made that much of a difference in the noise..we were on the 9th floor and it was as if the traffic was right outside our balcony door (and we couldn't figure out why there was so much traffic on that road so late). The door seemed to be shut tight. The inside of the hotel was very quiet. As far as the other noisy times..it may be that the power washing and other fix up sounds were because we went off season.

The manager did ask us where we learned about the Disney View rooms..since he said they never advertise them as such, and he didn't understand why so many people who had paid the $20.03 were requesting it (Dis Boards!!). We too got the 1 o'clock check out, but were told no at first..then she looked up something, and then were told yes, and that it was only because we were Marriot Rewards. They were pleasant enough about that..the only unpleasantness from the staff was at check in (when we came back..the first gal was nice)..and that was very unpleasant. Hopefully by telling the manager, that wil be addressed.

 

[MouseClubMom]

Wow! How did you get the $20.03 rate?

We always stay at Marriott resorts when we travel. They have usually addressed any problems right away. Our last trip we stayed at the new Fairfield Inn at Little Lake Bryan and LOVED it for $59 a nite!

MCMom

 

[jgates]

We were there in 2000. It was satisfactory overall - we were on 14th floor and then on 12th - a/c units wouldn't keep up with heat. We were extremely happy when we were finally moved to a wing room - 3rd or 4th floor facing interstate. Quiet and peaceful and comfy as could be. My bitter taste was from having to move 2x and not being given a straight answer until after 3 nites of no a/c and a 90 degree room. (They had taken balconies off that side- rooms enlarged - old a/c units could not keep up with the increased floor space - they were replacing but starting at ground floor - if they had been upfront to begin with we would have moved to the wing or a bottom floor right away!!! Finally the Maintenance manager came up and blew a fuse because they had put 5 of us in a room - he said they knew better - the a/c could keep up with 1 or 2 bodies but never 5 - too much body heat - he had us moved immediately and we were happy for the duration.)

Would I stay there again for $20.03? Yes. Would I drive to the parks? Yes unless bus service has improved. (You are walking WAY out to the bus drop offs/pick-ups).

Convenience to DTD and off-site is nice, but I really like being at Swan where I can leave the car alone for days!!!!

PS, unless they have 'chopped' down, there are some really nice shade trees at the far edge of the parking lot towards DTD - helps keep the car cooler if you want to come and go.

 

[DMRick]

Talking with my daughter today (she stayed here with us), I do have to agree with her, that if I took off the first and last days of our stay at this hotel, we would have been very pleased. She wasn't there for the rude check-in, or the loud cleaning at the pool.

If I hadn't had the rude check in, the smell would have been gone too, because I would have changed rooms. Other than the smell, and the warn carpeting, she was very pleased with her stay..although she said she wouldn't have paid more than the going rate of AllStars...which wouldn't let us have 5 to a room, which we needed this trip..but wouldn't be a problem if it was just her family.

 

[mousey]

I hope that this hotel really is revamping the rooms in January. The location is great, the staff is friendly (except for 2 or 3), and the price is right. The first room they put us in on the 12th floor overlooking the royal plaza hotel, smelled like a musty old basement. I thought it was because their was no balcony or window to open. We had connecting rooms and both had the same bad smell. I did fill out an online survey they sent me and told them how everyone that checks in gets a different story concerning where the 20.03 rooms are? One person said no tower, someone else said, no high rooms--other people were told wing rooms only. As long as the room is clean, and smell free, I don't care what I look at. Lets hope the 20.04 is on the agenda.

 

[SonicLogic]

We just finished a 9/14 thru 9/19 stay at the $20.03 rate. Everything was great! The A/C was like a meat locker! We had to turn it off for most of the time. No complaints here.

 

[MouseClubMom]

Help! HOW DO YOU GET THE $20.03 RATE? I am probably missing something obvious here....

Pleeeeaaassseeee share the secret of this great rate!

Thanks ever so much!

MCMom

 

[DMRick]

Help! HOW DO YOU GET THE $20.03 RATE? I am probably missing something obvious here....

You call their DTD location and ask for your dates. It's good through mid December, weeknights, but I had read they were all taken.

Sonic..which room did you have? Our air was fine, we knoked it down too....but it would be great to know which is a non smelling room, for those still going. I can still smell the smell on my luggage LOL!

 

[MouseClubMom]

Thank you thank you thank you, DMRick.

I'll call. You just never know!

Try some Industrial Strength Febreeze (the silver bottle) on that luggage. Works great!

MCMom

 

[SonicLogic]

Originally posted by DMRick
Sonic..which room did you have? Our air was fine, we knoked it down too....but it would be great to know which is a non smelling room, for those still going. I can still smell the smell on my luggage LOL!

We had adjoining wing rooms 421 & 422. Both had balconies with tables and chairs. The rooms were just a short distance to the elevators and the ice machine. Also, we were able to park the car within a few feet of the hotel exit adjacent to the elevators. The entire 4th floor is a non-smoking area. Perhaps the nasty smell you mentioned came from a floor designated for guests that smoke?

 

[DMRick]

No..we were on a non smoking floor. All of the rooms had the cig crossed out on their doors. It's not that kind of smell..it's more like musty.

Try some Industrial Strength Febreeze (the silver bottle) on that luggage. Works great!

Thanks, but I have asthma, I can't use febreeze : (

The luggage has been on the porch (enclosed, but with open windows)..but it's just staying. I'll prob put some charcoal in it.

 

[SonicLogic]

Originally posted by DMRick
No..we were on a non smoking floor. All of the rooms had the cig crossed out on their doors. It's not that kind of smell..it's more like musty.

Very interesting! Our floor had no such crossed out cig signs but it was clearly a non smoking floor. Since you were in the tower on the 9th floor I bet the venitlation system is separate from the wing rooms. Also, I have another thought that might just help explain the musty smell in some rooms.

I live in an area that has very soft water. We can shower and get very clean. The soap foams up well and washes off very well too. We have visited WDW on many trips and have always noticed that in ALL the WDW resorts the water is VERY HARD! The soap doesn't foam up very well and when you rinse off, a nasty soap scum is always left behind. However, at the Courtyard we noticed that the water was very soft, just like home! Obviously they get water from a different (and better) source or they use water softeners. Anyone else notice this?

How was your water on the 9th floor?

 

[DMRick]

head does rise, so i put the ice on the bottom, they say it stays

We have really hard water at home..this was softer. The best part was, it tasted good LOL!

Are you thinking the water scum left the smell? It didn't smell in the bathroom..however, the fan did diddly.