Friends & Family Discount for Orange Lake Resort, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and More

[richmo]

Shelby, Do you know when the Friends and Family rate closes? I'm guessing about a week out.

 

[kaytieedid]

nevermind - answered my own question

 

[Jen50]

We just stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown Disney with FF rate of $69.00 per night plus tax and parking(10.00 per day). I booked it about 2 weeks out. Hotel was very nice. Only complaint was the A/C was a little loud. Rooms were spacious and beds comfy. They did not ask for the form but I had it with me anyway. Thank you

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Shelby, Do you know when the Friends and Family rate closes? I'm guessing about a week out.

It depends on the property and their availability. If you don't see it offered and any other rates for that matter, then they are probably sold out. I have seen it offered the night before at several properties. If you are ambitious and not seeing it available, you could always call the hotel directly and ask if they are willing to extend it to you - ask for the GM or Front Desk. Can't hurt to try. The worst they can say is No. You would just have to decide if the rate they offer is worth it.

To double check, I just pretended like I was going to Orlando in a couple days for a two night stay...several hotels came up with discounted rates. Sadly, it was just pretend.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

We just stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown Disney with FF rate of $69.00 per night plus tax and parking(10.00 per day). I booked it about 2 weeks out. Hotel was very nice. Only complaint was the A/C was a little loud. Rooms were spacious and beds comfy. They did not ask for the form but I had it with me anyway. Thank you

You got a better rate than I did when I was there in March!! I am glad you enjoyed your stay. Sorry about the A/C. I will definitely share that with the GM.

 

[lcvb]

Hi Shelby - I have a question for you that's a little off topic but from reading previous posts I thought you might have some insight. My DH gets the employee rate and for our upcoming stay in early February, I'm trying to decide whether to stay on-site at POP or rent a car and stay at one of the IC hotels available when the 90 day mark comes around. Any thoughts? On our previous visit 2 years ago we stayed at the HIExpress Lake Buena Vista, but I see now that it has changed to a max of 2 per room. Too bad, it was a great hotel.
Thanks for your help. Lisa

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Hi Shelby - I have a question for you that's a little off topic but from reading previous posts I thought you might have some insight. My DH gets the employee rate and for our upcoming stay in early February, I'm trying to decide whether to stay on-site at POP or rent a car and stay at one of the IC hotels available when the 90 day mark comes around. Any thoughts? On our previous visit 2 years ago we stayed at the HIExpress Lake Buena Vista, but I see now that it has changed to a max of 2 per room. Too bad, it was a great hotel.
Thanks for your help. Lisa

I guess it all depends on your preferences, if most of what you will do is at Disney or if you will venture out to Universal and how much a rental car will cost. I would imagine there would be deals on that in February since it isn't the busiest time of year. The Holiday Inn Express has changed to a maximum of two per room? There is a Holiday Inn Express & Suites which is closer to the Downtown Disney Resort Area which I know accommodates more than that. We stayed last August and it was very nice. I think it was previously a LaQuinta. To me, if your reasons for staying on property are things like having access to the transportation, etc. it would be more of a value (if you want to save the money - which I sure do) to stay at the Holiday Inn Downtown Disney (they have rooms with two beds so they allow more than 2 people - not sure how big your group is), plus you wouldn't need to rent a car as you have the same access to transportation as staying at POP. It doesn't have the free breakfast, but the restaurant is reasonable and DTD is right across the street.

If you do want to venture out, it may be worth checking out a stay at Orange Lake since they have a lot more room and can accommodate more people and there are more amenities. It would still involve driving to the parks but would still save you some money. My only reason for staying off property is to save money! Can you tell? I am a huge Disney fan but it is expensive and I enjoy the experience more when I don't spend thousands of dollars. Some don't mind that, but it never did make any difference to me where we stayed.

 

[lcvb]

Thanks for your thoughts. It actually works out cheaper to stay at POP but with the higher cost of food and beverages in the end it may cost more. That's why I can't figure out what to do. We are a family of 4 so we don't need alot of space but I know staying off-site would definitely give us more.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Thanks for your thoughts. It actually works out cheaper to stay at POP but with the higher cost of food and beverages in the end it may cost more. That's why I can't figure out what to do. We are a family of 4 so we don't need alot of space but I know staying off-site would definitely give us more.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Buena Vista East has a free shuttle to the parks, free breakfast and has rooms with two beds (they take four people) and the employee rate is usually under $40 a night so taking breakfast out of the equation saves some money, having the shuttle is convenient. I didn't know about the Holiday Inn Express Lake Buena Vista but it doesn't seem as nice as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites and that hotel has gone through the relaunch. It was very nice. I don't think any of the deals that Disney has out there are better than the employee rate. Even when they did have the Dining Plan free.

 

[mtblujeans]

Thank you so much for all of the info in this thread! How generous and helpful our DIS friends are!!

 

[cuinfl]

Rupert, thank you for letting us continue to use your discount. I'm totally new to this board and trying to figure this out. We are looking at going to orlando for 2 days in October. We would like to stay at the Orange Lake resort, and the price is right with the discount. Can anyone tell me if the waterpark is included in the price of the tickets or is it separate?

Thanks for all the help on these boards! The internet is an awesome tool!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Rupert, thank you for letting us continue to use your discount. I'm totally new to this board and trying to figure this out. We are looking at going to orlando for 2 days in October. We would like to stay at the Orange Lake resort, and the price is right with the discount. Can anyone tell me if the waterpark is included in the price of the tickets or is it separate?

Thanks for all the help on these boards! The internet is an awesome tool!

I am glad that it is helping so many save money! Just a note, this discount is for any IHG property in the World, not just WDW! . One of my friends just booked a vacation at the Intercontinental Hotel in Fiji! I am so jealous!! As far as your question about the waterpark at Orange Lake, it is included with the resort fee you pay each day.

 

[cuinfl]

Thanks again! I just need to get our dates set and then I will book it. This is a huge help and I know our kids will love this!

 

[valree]

Thanks for providing your discount, Rupert! I just booked 2 rooms at the Holiday Inn Downtown Disney for my October vacation. This is going to be great. I used Debonna's discount last year for the Orange Lake Resort, and that was great too! Thanks again!

 

[greenclan67]

Hi there, Thank you Shelby for letting us use this discount! I just wanted to let you know, we have returned from our stay the 27th and 28th of August at the Holiday Inn & Suites Toronto-Markham! We couldn't boast more about the service, it was outstanding! We had a little girl that got car sick on our way there! A 6.5 hour car ride, gets her everytime! I mentioned this to the girl working at the front desk, saying that I hoped she felt better for Ontario Place the next day! Next thing you knew, I had crackers for the room and 2 cold gingerale! How kind. We rested for awhile in the room, then we took the girls for a walk, hoping that would help! We stopped to buy some water at the front desk, and the same girl was working, and she said, just take them, if it helps her feel better, she was still a little green around the gills! Then we got back to our room about 2 hours later, there were 4 bowls of chicken noodle soup and crackers sitting there, with a note, saying she hoped my daughter was feeling better soon! I haven't seen that kind of service in a very long time!
The pool was great, and after everyone got feeling better, we had a great stay!

 

[richmo]

I should add a post trip comment, as well. We used Shelby's friends and family code for the Staybridge Suites in Lake Buena Vista, maybe a half mile behind Crossroads Plaza. If you need a little more space than a hotel room, you can really spread out in the suite (we booked the Trio suite); two bedrooms and a living/kitchen area. Very nice property; good breakfast, friendly staff, etc. Would happily stay there again. Thanks for the code!

 

[floydfamily4]

Shelby,
Thanks again for letting us use your code! I just booked a suite outside of SeaWorld San Antonio for homeschool day at much less than the regular rate! We really appreciate it!!

 

[dmoore718]

This is great info!! I hope to one day stay at Orange Lake, when we can go in warm weather! I'm thinking it might be worth it when we want to do Universal and not just Disney. That resort looks AMAZING and with the FF rate, very affordable. I will definitely keep it in mind.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I am so glad that everyone has had a great experience with the discount! For any Disneyland visitors...I just got back from a stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel right by Disneyland. The shuttle to DL was very convenient and the drivers were great, the staff was so friendly and the rooms were so clean and comfy. A nice touch was the washer and dryer on every floor (I am pretty sure). It really is a beautiful hotel and close to a ton of restaurants that you can easily walk to. It was the perfect choice after running the DL Half Marathon. I needed that sleep on a cloud feeling after that! The only downside was parking. The hotel was so popular for functions - weddings, parties, that when we did drive and not utilize the shuttle, we had to walk a bit to and from our car. Not a big problem but just something to be prepared for.

 

[Kac923]

Hi Shelby,
I am a regular "lurker" and occasional poster on the disboards. We have a disney cruise booked for next April (yeah!!!) and are still deciding on our land portion of the trip after the cruise. I noticed this thread and your link to your friends and family discount. I would love to use this for a family trip to Albany (NY) in November. Would that be ok? Maybe I should've sent you this in a private message. I think it's great that you are putting this out there but just wanted to make sure you wouldn't mind me using it since you may not recognize my name and since it would be for use in Albany, NY and not Florida. It would be for 2 rooms for 2 nights. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!
Kristi