Help me find a good fit for off-site stay ...

[taaren]

We are DVC so I'm clueless when it comes to off-site stays. However, we are out of points after 5 nights at BCV, and used to timeshares since we also own a Marriott timeshare in another state, so kind of spoiled in space ...

Relevant facts:

• 3 people, 2A 1C
• 3 nights in November, Fri-Mon weekend before Turkey Day (after checking out of BCV)
• Plan on doing at least 2 days of Universal, but will probably be heading back to Disney in the evenings since we have Premium Annual Passes
• Love having space to spread out, strongly favor Marriott Villas/DVC style accommodations, but okay with hotels too
• Would very much like to accumulate more Marriott Reward points
• Free breakfast is a plus, but not a necessity; pool not important at all since we'll have been using SAB earlier in the week
• Will have a rental car, but prefer not to pay too much for parking at the World if we can avoid it
• Trying to stick to about $100/night for $300+tax total

Right now I have the Courtyard Orlando Lake Buena Vista in the Marriott Village reserved for $109/night including breakfast (we like Courtyard type breakfasts better than Fairfield Inns usually). The hotel itself seems nice, and its great that it has a shuttle to the World, but it seems like with the ridiculous amount of hotels I should be able to find something nicer/larger at that price point, or something comparable for less $$.

Is there another place that would be better that I'm missing? Is it possible to do timeshare rentals that are non-DVC for only a 3 night stay (we'd only need a studio/1 bedroom). We have access to Interval International if that helps, but we don't have any time deposited since we use our week and would just be buying the "extra" time which I'm not sure if it has a less than a week option.

 

[MattM]

I think you're going to have a hard time finding a Marriott Vacation Club resort at the price range you're wanting. I think the Courtyard you've booked is probably going to be your best bet. There's also a SpringHill Suites in that Marriott Complex if you want a little more room. It's very convenient to Disney gates, I-4 so you can quickly hop up to Universal, and lots of restaurants.

If you're a Rewards member, occasionally I've seen the Marriott World Center on E-Breaks for around $125, but it has been a long time and you have to wait until the week before you leave.

Hope that helps.

 

[Ali]

What's the difference between a Fairfield breakfast and a courtyard breakfast. I'm picking a hotel in Marriott village to use up a free reward night in a few days. Which one is best?

 

[Epcotopia]

What's the difference between a Fairfield breakfast and a courtyard breakfast. I'm picking a hotel in Marriott village to use up a free reward night in a few days. Which one is best?

In my experience the FF breakfast was a continental style breakfast that was included with your stay. I understood that the Courtyard breakfast was not complimentary but was more made to order breakfast.

To the OP, i think $109 including transportation in that area is a very decent rate. Its a particularly popular property because of it's proximity to I4, premium outlets, and of course Disney.

Also the Fairfield LBV is pretty new still and is in a better location for you if you are going to try Universal and Disney on the same days from what I understood of your plans. Not sure what their rates are but its worth checking out and not dealing with the traffic going into Premium.....you can also take the back way to Univ from here too.

 

[ChristineNic]

Since you have PAP, you won't have to pay for parking at WDW. Just show your annual pass to the parking attendant.

Sheraton Vistana and Sheraton Vistana Villages are usually less than $125 night if you book through www.spg.com (their free to join loyalty program). They are a nice time share with units that are bigger than most DVC units. You could probably get a better rate through Priceline or even calling the resort directly.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

You can get a one bedroom suite that sleeps 6 at Quality Suites Lake Buena Vista that has a kitchen, living room and bedroom with free hot breakfast included. You can get it in non-peak times for about $70 a night if you book online and pre-pay. During a holiday I am not sure how much it would cost.

They also have a 2 bedroom suite for about $140 a night that sleeps 8.

It's on Palm parkway half way in between Universal and Disney and is in a nice area surrounded by restaurants and shops.

We like it there because we go to Disney and Universal every trip.

Like someone else said, if you have annual passes to Disney you do not have to pay for parking so you can drive yourself and not have to rely on a hotel shuttle.

The one bedroom suite you can either get a king bed and put your child on the sleeper sofa or you can get 2 queens for the same price.

The hot breakfast includes all the standard continental items like muffins, toast and Bagels, cereal, etc. But it also includes, Sausage, Eggs and make your own waffles.

Here is a link http://www.qualityinn.com/hotel-orl...&nchild3=&nadult4=&nchild4=&nadult5=&nchild5=

I just checked the pre-purchase rate for Thanksgiving week and it is $71 a night.

 

[taaren]

Since you have PAP, you won't have to pay for parking at WDW. Just show your annual pass to the parking attendant.

Sheraton Vistana and Sheraton Vistana Villages are usually less than $125 night if you book through www.spg.com (their free to join loyalty program). They are a nice time share with units that are bigger than most DVC units. You could probably get a better rate through Priceline or even calling the resort directly.

This is super helpful. I like Sheratons .... my dad used to work for a Sheraton on Maui when I was a kid, so I stayed in them a lot 25 years ago ... I'll definitely check them out.
Also good to know about the PAP. I only knew parking was free when you were staying DVC, we didn't even have to show anything other than our hotel parking pass.

What's the difference between a Fairfield breakfast and a courtyard breakfast. I'm picking a hotel in Marriott village to use up a free reward night in a few days. Which one is best?

Epcotopia is right. Fairfield breakfast is usually continental ... decent, if you like cereal/yogurt/toast/bagels/microwave sausage sandwiches/apples/bananas, etc. Courtyard breakfasts usually are $10/head (unless your rate includes it, the one I snapped up includes for four people for $10/night) but usually they include made-to-order omelettes, waffles, a nice spread of fresh fruit including watermelon and melon, bacon, etc. I like continental style breakfasts at home but weekends and when I'm on vacation I enjoy relaxing over a slightly more elaborate breakfast.

I think you're going to have a hard time finding a Marriott Vacation Club resort at the price range you're wanting. I think the Courtyard you've booked is probably going to be your best bet. There's also a SpringHill Suites in that Marriott Complex if you want a little more room. It's very convenient to Disney gates, I-4 so you can quickly hop up to Universal, and lots of restaurants.

If you're a Rewards member, occasionally I've seen the Marriott World Center on E-Breaks for around $125, but it has been a long time and you have to wait until the week before you leave.

Hope that helps.

Its good to know the location of it is easy. I've had mixed luck with Springhill ... some bad experiences at the one in Anaheim, some great experiences with the one in Seattle, so I'm a bit leery of them compared to the consistency of the Courtyard experience (I actually like proper Marriotts the best but very rarely are they cheaper than Courtyards). I'll keep an eye out for that Marriott World Center when I'm in the last few weeks before my trip ... the rate I reserved is cancel-able until the day of check-in.
All those Marriott Villas do seem super expensive compared to what I've gotten in Vegas and Park City in the off season. Guess there's no true off-season in Orlando ... the week I'm going is one of the lower park attendance weeks all year; early December and mid-November seem to be historically dead spots if one stays away from Veteran's Day/Jersey Week/Thanksgiving/Xmas.

 

[taaren]

You can get a one bedroom suite that sleeps 6 at Quality Suites Lake Buena Vista that has a kitchen, living room and bedroom with free hot breakfast included. You can get it in non-peak times for about $70 a night if you book online and pre-pay. During a holiday I am not sure how much it would cost.

They also have a 2 bedroom suite for about $140 a night that sleeps 8.

It's on Palm parkway half way in between Universal and Disney and is in a nice area surrounded by restaurants and shops.

We like it there because we go to Disney and Universal every trip.

Like someone else said, if you have annual passes to Disney you do not have to pay for parking so you can drive yourself and not have to rely on a hotel shuttle.

The one bedroom suite you can either get a king bed and put your child on the sleeper sofa or you can get 2 queens for the same price.

The hot breakfast includes all the standard continental items like muffins, toast and Bagels, cereal, etc. But it also includes, Sausage, Eggs and make your own waffles.

Here is a link http://www.qualityinn.com/hotel-orl...&nchild3=&nadult4=&nchild4=&nadult5=&nchild5=

I just checked the pre-purchase rate for Thanksgiving week and it is $71 a night.

Hmm. That looks pretty nice for a Choice property. I haven't stayed at a Choice property since I was in college; they all felt very motel-ey to me at the time, but at that rate ...
Thanks for the link!

 

[BeerMe]

We stay on Disney about half the time - from Value up to Deluxe and we stay offsite in timeshares (RCI/Wyndham). I can honestly say that we much prefer the timeshares anymore because of the space available and the amenities. You may want to look into booking at timeshares. There are tons of them in Orlando.

 

[MattM]

Its good to know the location of it is easy. I've had mixed luck with Springhill ... some bad experiences at the one in Anaheim, some great experiences with the one in Seattle, so I'm a bit leery of them compared to the consistency of the Courtyard experience (I actually like proper Marriotts the best but very rarely are they cheaper than Courtyards). I'll keep an eye out for that Marriott World Center when I'm in the last few weeks before my trip ... the rate I reserved is cancel-able until the day of check-in.
All those Marriott Villas do seem super expensive compared to what I've gotten in Vegas and Park City in the off season. Guess there's no true off-season in Orlando ... the week I'm going is one of the lower park attendance weeks all year; early December and mid-November seem to be historically dead spots if one stays away from Veteran's Day/Jersey Week/Thanksgiving/Xmas.

That Courtyard is nice. All the rooms have been upgraded to the "red' (for lack of a better description) themed rooms like most Courtyards across the country. I don't love SpringHill Suites either, but thought it would be worth mentioning for the room. Also, keep an eye out for the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando. It's a little further away, but is a fantastic resort. I've seen it as low as $150 during off-season.