Embassy Suites North or South??

[sftnslky]

Hi was looking for any feedback regarding either one or both of these hotels.. Distance to/from the park isn't a deal breaker we will be either driving our car in or taking the shuttle. I have fibromyaliga and need to save any/all energy I can. Thanks in advance for any information. Have a great evening.

 

[crazymama]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites South in September 05 and really liked it. The rooms were comfy and the breakfast is great, not to mention that free "happy hour!" The ART shuttle loads right outside the lobby doors so there is little walking involved there. We had no complaints.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

Our family has stayed at both, and I recommend the North Embassy Suites. They are a bit further away, but they have a dedicated shuttle. I did not like the shared shuttle at the South Embassy Suites. There are several hotels all pooling into the one bus stop. We were unable to load up and stood for a long time before another bus came to transport us to the park. We were there over a very busy President's Day Weekend in 2007. It may not be as much of an issue during a slower time of year, but it impacted our trip considerably.

One Earlyl Entry (now Magical Mornings) the bus wasn't running early enough to get us to the gate 1/2 hour before the opening, so we walked the two miles to the Main Gate. So, if you plan to get in early mornings, that is also a consideration.

The North Embassy suites is smaller and I felt the breakfast had a greater variety and the cook to order food process was much easier. The manager's reception was also nicer, better drinks and higher quality snacks.

The South Embassy Suites had two fire alarms pulled in the middle of the night while we were there. Climbing down 7 flights of stairs in the middle of the night was not my idea of a fun time. We heard that it was some sort of short and that it had happened several times in the weeks before our visit, but I cannot confirm that 100%. If it was just obnoxious pranksters, then that could happen anywhere and shouldn't be a mark against the hotel, but if it is some sort of systemic problem, it should be considered.

In all, we enjoyed both locations, but we will do return business with the Northern branch.

--Eeyore's Wife

 

[sftnslky]

The ART shuttle loads right outside the lobby doors so there is little walking involved there. We had no complaints.

How crowded is the Shuttle? My sister and her family went a few years ago and stayed at the Sheraton something the one that looks like a castle...and she said they had a REALLY hard time not only getting on the shuttle at the hotel, but VERY VERY bad in the evening getting on at DL and heading back to hotel. She said they had to wait for 3 or 4 shuttles till they could finally get on... I could not imagine waiting for 3 shuttles with my twin boys having a HUGE melt down.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

At the Embassy Suites North you sign up for when you want the shuttle to take you and to pick you back up in the afternoon or evening. By doing this your seat is guaranteed, but with the ART you just get in line and hope you will get a seat.

When I was staying there I had planned on heading back one day after the fireworks, but I got tired in the middle of the day and called the hotel, they sent the shuttle to pick me up. I could not have been happier with the front desk and their attention to customer service.

I should also mention that we also enjoy the Candy Cane, which also has a dedicated shuttle. They don't have a hot breakfast, but I enjoy their beautiful decorations so much.

--Eeyore's Wife

 

[crazymama]

We didn't have to wait for another shuttle due to crowding but the time of the year was pretty slow so maybe we were just lucky. The North one does sound nice though.

 

[sftnslky]

Our family has stayed at both, and I recommend the North Embassy Suites. They are a bit further away, but they have a dedicated shuttle. I did not like the shared shuttle at the South Embassy Suites. There are several hotels all pooling into the one bus stop. We were unable to load up and stood for a long time before another bus came to transport us to the park. We were there over a very busy President's Day Weekend in 2007. It may not be as much of an issue during a slower time of year, but it impacted our trip considerably. The North Embassy suites is smaller and I felt the breakfast had a greater variety and the cook to order food process was much easier. The manager's reception was also nicer, better drinks and higher quality snacks. In all, we enjoyed both locations, but we will do return business with the Northern branch. --Eeyore's Wife

I sincerely thank you for your honest opinion and for all of your feedback. I am really glad that you were able to compare the two for me, I would have never known about the different shuttles if it hadn't been for you. DH travels a lot for our company and always try's to stay at Embassy, and since their will be 8 of us on vacation just the savings for the free breakfast alone is worth the extra dollars I do have a question about the pool/s....Are they heated? Are they indoors? Is there a hot tub? And DH wants to know if they are kid friendly at the 'social hour'? Also do they have room service? Sorry for all of these questions just trying to decide what would/will be best for our family. Thank you once again and have an awesome Tuesday!!

 

[KitKat_Tink]

My family has stayed at both.

In all we all prefered the south one. We never had much of a wait.
My mom liked the fact that my brother could head to the hotel on his own since it was close. The rooms in my opinon are nicer and the pool was outdoors but it was warm in march. I have had an overall better experience with south then north.

We like the snacks they had in the afternoon and the free soda. When we stay there we often come back to the hotel around the time it is to have a snack and nap.

If i recall there is an arcade there too...That was rather fun for me and my brother (both teenagers in high school last time we went)

 

[KitKat_Tink]

and also they were kid friendly at the "happy hour"

They are also very good at filling up the snacks bowls back up...

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

The pool at the Embassy Suites North is indoors and kept at a nice temperature for kids. When we were there it was almost bath water temperature. The hot tub was also indoors and kept toasty. (Can water be toasty, it would seem that toast in water would simply be soggy?) Since we are usually there in "winter" we enjoyed having an indoor pool. My kids like to swim, and I am usually the designated "watcher." We have stayed there when the sunny California was doing a great impersonation of Seattle, and it was nice after a drizzle day in the parks to be surrounded by the lush tropical plant, having a "grown up drink" while the kids played in the pool.

If you want to work on your tan at the pool then the southern hotel would be a better choice for your family.


THe Embassy Suites South is newer, larger, and a bit more upscale as far as decorations and elevator design. I found their re-done rooms to be as nice as the North hotel and they had a bit more storage for stuff in the closet area, but the bathroom wasn't as nice. Simple tile and countertops, nothing to "write home about." The pull out bed in both places is better suited to kids than adults. If your kids are small enough, you can have them sleep "across" the pull out bed and avoid the bar that will poke them in the back otherwise.

The Northern Embassy Suites has a more Spanish feel to its architecture while the Southern Embassy Suites is much more modern and has cleaner lines and feels quite a bit more sophisticated.

We really enjoyed that the breakfast service, at the Embassy North, was in a restaurant area, and not just out in the lobby. It was much quieter, in comparison to the open lobby at the ESS. As to evening snacks there are plenty of "kid" options. Each place offers kids soda, or kid friendly mock-tails like a Shirley Temple. When we were at the South hotel they had pop corn one night, a sort of trail mix another night, and pretzels. They had pizza for $1 a slice. At the North Embassy suites they had a veggie platter as well as salty junk food.

The one place where the South Embassy Suites totally blows the North out of the water is their restaurant. The restaurant at the North Embassy Suites, not the breakfast provider, was overpriced and bland. A total waste of money. The Restaurant at the Embassy Suites South served much better food and had better service.

--Eeyore's Wife