Going Solo - Wow check out the rates on the last post!

[Minnie]

Hi everyone

Here's the deal.... I ((have)) to travel to Orlando for business in a couple of weeks. Although the company is putting me up in a hotel, I'm considering staying on-site the last evening so that I won't have to drive clear back to the corporate hotel as I want to spend my one free evening in Disney (AP holder)

I'm also considering a short evening there the 1st evening my plane arrives but will need to stay in the corporate hotel that evening due to work obligations.

So which resort would you pick for a solo one night stay?????? Time frame I will only have a few hours in WDW (6pm to 8am) and I'm considering the F&W Festival at Epcot for the evening

My fave resort is the WL but we'll be staying there for a week in Dec so I thought I'd try something different.

I'm considering staying in the Epcot area, however, it's just me and only a few hours so a value/mod would work. Any suggestions????

 

[hercamore]

I'd check the Swan/Dolphin AP rates.


herc.

 

[WillCAD]

As a WDW veteran and Passholder, I'm sure that you realise that ANY resort will be fabulous, even for a single night stay.

To narrow down the 24 possibilities, first decide on your price range.

If you are able to afford a Deluxe, one of the Epcot resorts would definitely be in order, since you are interested in teh F&W Fest. An Epcot resort also maximizes your time in park due to proximity. There is nothing like walking into Ecot from one of teh resorts!

Hercamore is correct; Swan and Dolphin usually have excellent AP rates; you need to call them directly to check the rates, though; they don't have them on their web site.

Check at MouseSavers for other discounts at S&D:
http://www.mousesavers.com/swandolphin.html#rates

 

[Minnie]

The only thing that bugs me about the Swan/Dolphin is all the "extras" they charge on top. Resort fee, parking fee.....

I'd love to stay in the Epcot area though. Just wondering if a Deluxe is too much for a solo one night stay

 

[pooh6890]

If you are going for the F&W Festival, that means you are going soon.....(you didn't mention any dates). They are completely booked up right now due to F&W and SSW. Better call now!!!!!

 

[tjmw2727]

The only thing that bugs me about the Swan/Dolphin is all the "extras" they charge on top. Resort fee, parking fee.....

I'd love to stay in the Epcot area though. Just wondering if a Deluxe is too much for a solo one night stay

Just to clarify there is no more resort fee or other extras but there is an 11 per day parking fee. Even with the additional $11.00 if you get a AP rate or even an internet rate its still $100 or so cheaper than the BW, YC/BC and you have all the benefits of an Epcot resort. The only other WDW perks not offered are ME, room charging privlidges and DDP which don't seem to be necessary in your situation.

You can check for S/D discounts right here on the Dis:
https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dreamsres/sd.cfm#sd-info-res

I am biased because S/D is our first choice for a Disney Vacation followed by the Polynesian and the AKL. For location, price and amenities I think S/D would be a great choice and you can often get a room for less than a moderate WDW resort.

TJ

 

[pwrflpills]

I would think that as a veteran you'd kind of know what to do, right? If you can afford it, of course a Deluxe would be the way to go!

That being said, it all comes down to cost, right? If you're rich, stay at BC/YC or BWI. If you're less rich, stay at S/D. If you're even less rich, you could stay at a value or do what I did few years ago.... I too had to attend a conference at the OCCC, but I booked my entire stay at POR. Somehow it was included in a list of hotels that the conference had put together for attendees that, I think, even included a discounted rate. I was pleased to say the least. It also taught me that I will never again stay in a standard, parking lot side room at POR.

It also sounds like you're going to be majorly crunched for time. That would factor into my decision if I was not wealthy.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

I think with the short visit, choosing one of the Epcot resorts would conserve time. I know many people here love S/D, but I never quite feel as "home" as I do at BW or BC.

I stayed at the Dolphin last year, and I didn't pay a parking fee...but we did not have a car.

Any chance you can extend your business trip by another day? For a couple of years I had business trips to Jacksonville every other 2-3 months. I carefully booked all meeting to start on a Monday or end on a Friday. I fit in about six long weekend trips!

 

[DebbieB]

I did that a couple of weeks ago. Flew down on Sunday morning for a business trip Monday to Wednesday. I stayed at POFQ with my DVC points (no DVC resorts available).

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Beware the solo business trip to the F&W Festival!!! I did it about 6 years ago, staying at the Contemporary for two nights. One of the nights, I ended up hooking up with a bunch of people at the Rose & Crown for cocktails and we toured the festival together, all of which lead to a night of fun at PI. Next thing I knew, it was 6am and I was waking up for a full day of business calls in the Orlando area...with the world's most god-awful hangover!!

Honestly, I wouldn't hesitate doing it again...it was a real blast!!

 

[spiceycat]

I would go with either BCV or BWV - studio.

the studios have a queen bed plus a sofa bed - which is great for watching TV - reading a book - or just relaxing when you don't want to lay down.

if your favorite is WL - might go with AKL or AKV - again the sofa bed makes it feel more like home.

 

[Minnie]

First thank you to everyone for your comments

Price is unfortunately part of the equation but my time is highly limitted so making the most of the evening is my ultimate goal

I guess I could be considered a veteran and the main reason for the question was to see if a one night stay sounded crazy to anyone. I'm giving up a comped room to stay onsite but not having to drive back seems to make the expense worth it

Unfortunately my plans have changed a bit. My trip got pushed back a bit so no F&W Festival for me

I need to check the park hours and the extra magic hours calendar to see if one of the parks makes more sense than another. Then I think I'll book a room in whatever resort is closest to the one I choose.

Thanks again for the comments and support

 

[Traveliz]

Unless you are drinking or your hotel is on the coast I would probably just go ahead and drive back at the end of the night.

Liz

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hi everyone

So which resort would you pick for a solo one night stay?????? Time frame I will only have a few hours in WDW (6pm to 8am) and I'm considering the F&W Festival at Epcot for the evening

My fave resort is the WL but we'll be staying there for a week in Dec so I thought I'd try something different.

I'm considering staying in the Epcot area, however, it's just me and only a few hours so a value/mod would work. Any suggestions????

Here's my 2 cents (and that's probably what it's worth). You may be a solo, but don't short yourself. Stay where you really want. I've taken many solo trips to WDW and early in my solo "career", I decided on one trip to stay at a value resort to save money. Well, every time I was there, I just kept saying to myself, "See, this is what you get for being a cheapskate" (and I am a cheapskate!). I love the moderates-POR, especially. Now I stay at BCV solo and that's my favorite. So if you want to stay in the Boardwalk area (and I can certainly understand, especially with the F&W), go for it!

 

[disnut8]

If you are there for just one night, don't forget about Pop Century. The reason I'm suggesting that is because the bus line isn't shared with any other resort. So once you are on the bus, the next stop is the park of your choice. Plus, Pop Century is fairly close to each of the parks so you won't have a long ride to any of them.

But for your other questions - no, it's not silly to spend to one solo night at Disney World. And no, it's not silly to spend that night in a deluxe resort. My company told me that I was forbidden to go to any conference in Orlando because they knew I'd find lots of ways to spend time at Disney World!

 

[spiceycat]

Price is unfortunately part of the equation but my time is highly limitted so making the most of the evening is my ultimate goal

Unfortunately my plans have changed a bit. My trip got pushed back a bit so no F&W Festival for me

Thanks again for the comments and support

oh how sad!

the food and wine are definitely worth going too!

so when are you going now?

 

[WillCAD]

... Plus, Pop Century is fairly close to each of the parks so you won't have a long ride to any of them...

That's something of a misconception; Pop is located southeast of Epcot and is fairly close to the World Showcase area, which is why you can see parts of Illuminations from the resort. Bus rides to either Epcot or MGM are not terribly long.

But Pop is farther away from AK and MK than the All-Stars, both as the crow flies and by WDW roadways. Busses from Pop can be a little quicker than those from the All-Stars becasue they don't have to make any other stops, but in my experience the busses from Pop are routinely FULL, FULLER, FULLEST, SRO, and packed like sardine cans.

That's why I always rent a car.

 

[Minnie]

Unless you are drinking or your hotel is on the coast I would probably just go ahead and drive back at the end of the night.

This is what I did last time but then I had a colleague to make the drive with me. This will likely be solo and I don't think I want to get back out on the highway by myself. The hotel is about 40 minutes or so away.

Here's my 2 cents (and that's probably what it's worth). You may be a solo, but don't short yourself. Stay where you really want. I've taken many solo trips to WDW and early in my solo "career", I decided on one trip to stay at a value resort to save money. Well, every time I was there, I just kept saying to myself, "See, this is what you get for being a cheapskate" (and I am a cheapskate!). I love the moderates-POR, especially. Now I stay at BCV solo and that's my favorite. So if you want to stay in the Boardwalk area (and I can certainly understand, especially with the F&W), go for it!

Thank you for the pep talk! A moderate might be the way to go this trip. I'm going to see which one is the closest to Epcot.

If you are there for just one night, don't forget about Pop Century. The reason I'm suggesting that is because the bus line isn't shared with any other resort. So once you are on the bus, the next stop is the park of your choice. Plus, Pop Century is fairly close to each of the parks so you won't have a long ride to any of them.

But for your other questions - no, it's not silly to spend to one solo night at Disney World. And no, it's not silly to spend that night in a deluxe resort. My company told me that I was forbidden to go to any conference in Orlando because they knew I'd find lots of ways to spend time at Disney World!

I've stayed at the Pop once before and it was okay and would do for a solo trip.... I'm only going to have time to go to Epcot that night so I need to see which one is the closest if I go with a value.

I'm extremely lucky that my company's headquarters are in Orlando So I'm always willing to go to meetings there

oh how sad!

the food and wine are definitely worth going too!

so when are you going now?

Still in Nov but the F&W is over. What a bummer Oh well, Epcot is still one of my faves.

That's something of a misconception; Pop is located southeast of Epcot and is fairly close to the World Showcase area, which is why you can see parts of Illuminations from the resort. Bus rides to either Epcot or MGM are not terribly long.

But Pop is farther away from AK and MK than the All-Stars, both as the crow flies and by WDW roadways. Busses from Pop can be a little quicker than those from the All-Stars becasue they don't have to make any other stops, but in my experience the busses from Pop are routinely FULL, FULLER, FULLEST, SRO, and packed like sardine cans.

That's why I always rent a car.

I'll have a car so thanks for the info!

 

[Minnie]

I have definitely decided to stay on site that one evening. Last time I had a meeting in Orlando I drove back to the hotel afterwards and had a scary experience. It’s worth the piece of mind to stay on site. Also, Epcot has EMH that evening so I could extend my time in the park since I’ll get such a late start. Now I just need to decide on which resort.

Thank you all once again for the variety of opinions and options. One trip a while back I stayed with family at the Pop for a long weekend. It was okay and would do for a quick solo one night stay. Or All Star Music also has availability and it gets good reviews for adult travelers. However, the lack of hot tub is a real negative IMO. Course if I stay late at Epcot that wouldn’t make a difference. And I could get an AP rate for $90 (all rates include tax).

Another option is POFQ or POR for $140. If I remember right I think they are not too far from Epcot….. I’ll have to look into that further.

Deluxe rates start at $220 Saratoga Springs (which I’ve never stayed at and could be fun to try something different) or OKW, Contemporary for $247, BCV or BWV $275, WLV $264, $268 Dolphin, or WL Cabins $236.

Wow these rates seem high. I’m used to AP rates for value season…..

Now I need to make a decision……