We're staying at the airport the night before the cruise. We've never stayed there before, always been at WDW before a cruise. But DH couldn't take any more time off from work than the cruise. Plus we thought the kids would be in school for a couple days so I could get last minute packing done. Come to find out one goes back on the 4th, the other would go back on the 5th if we weren't flying to FL.
we've stayed there 4 or 5 times. it is like all the Hyatts, nice enough room, nice gym, restaurant is fine but nothing special. What we used to really appreciate was the
DCL touch. From the moment we got off the plane it was as if DCL was taking care of you. They would pick up our luggage from the luggage claim and deliver to our room. There would be a welcome envelope for us when we checked in. Instructions for the setting out our luggage later that night and how to check in the next day were included. The next morning one person from our party would go to the lobby to check in. There, a DCL rep would ask about when we would be ready to take the bus to the ship and schedule our bus time. We waited in the comfort of the lobby, sitting on couches drinking coffee until someone walked us down to a bus waiting for the Hyatt guests. it made the cost of staying there worth it.
The last time we stayed there it was a very different DCL experience. The hotel was the same but we had to get our own luggage and then schlep it upstairs and it is a looong ways to the hotal. Get a cart. There were instructions for check-in the next morning. They do come pick up for luggage but you don't put it into the hall, they come to your room to get it. The biggest change is the morning check-in, you no longer get to check in and wait in the lobby. You now go downstairs where all check-ins are done for all buses to DCL and all the park hotels. The instructions said only one person in your party needed to check in and the counter opened at 7:00.
When I got there, a few minutes after 7:00, I was in second line. There were two people working the DCL line and 6 or 8 the parks lines. There was no one in line for the parks, and those cast members were busy looking at and laughing at some cheesy website. I waited 45 minutes until someone helped me, only to be told that everyone in my party had to be there. we had to have checked out of the hotel and be ready to get on a bus before they could help me. Once I walked back to my room, got my DH and checked out we had to go back down and get into the DCL line again. From that line we got into a huge line with everyone else going to any Disney destination. As we moved to the head of the line they directed us to the correct bus; specific hotel, park, or ship.
When we got to the ship we still had to go through the check-ins at the pier.
The only advantage now is the picking up of your luggage at your room and taking it to the ship. If you book direct with the Hyatt, the price can be better and you can cancel without a penalty within 24 hours. But, we'll most likely book with disney again.
(I'm pretty sure there's no interest in an upstate new York meet, either, Lynne)
. Love having my babies at home.
