HIFS or Amerisuites - please help me decide.

[suebo]

We have ressies at HIFS for two nights in Dec. (2,3) $73 and Courtyard by Marriott for 2 nights (7,8) $49. We are family of 5!

Then I discovered Amerisuites on Hotelkingdom for $43.88. My 3 dd's would love the pool slide and minigolf. Then add to that a free breakfast, I'm sold.


I definitely want to cancel my CbM (too many bad smelly room reviews) and book Amerisuites. Now, my question is should I save about $65 and book the 4 nights at Amerisuites or stick with the HIFS for those first two nights. We have been looking forward to HIFS but is it worth the extra $65? The Amerisuites looks really nice.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. I'm leaning towards keeping HIFS just because I want to see what it is like and I have a free pizza party coupon LOL and the kids will like the kids check in and train ride. Plus, the kids will be able to eat free with a paying adult. I know we will be happy at either place.

Sue

 

[WDWisTheBest]

I would do the HIFS/Amerisuites combination. Whether it is worth the extra $65 is something that you will only know after you have been to HIFS. This way you can make your assessment of it.
Are you going to be somewhere on the 4th through the 6th?
BTW, the breakfast in most of the Amerisuites in which I have stayed is quick and quite good.

Enjoy in either case.

 

[sln88]

I would base spending the extra $ on whether or not I would be at the hotel for much time or not.

If they are days when you will be at the parks for a long time, you may want to save the $. If you are planning on alot of hotel time, pick the one you think you will enjoy more, and don't worry about the cost.

I will be staying at the Amerisuites for 1 night in a couple of weeks and I will let you know how it is.

 

[ear_poppin]

Ive never been to either but your two choices are within my final shortlist.

I thought the Amerisuites looked nice. The room looked quite spacious as well as the complex being quite new. Its hard to get that many reviews as its such a new place but I would be interested to know your views if you do stay there.

The price on Hotel Kingdom does seem exceptional value. Its the same price for the Country Inn that shares the same pool and is opposite. The rooms look better at the Amerisuites.

Denise

 

[MJwritestuff]

I hate to be one of those people who posts anything negative, but because of our experience with HIFS, I'd stay the whole time at your other choice.

I had to laugh when you posted about the train ride! We picked the HIFS (although only for one night, thankfully) because of the train ride and the Nintendo in the "theme" rooms. The train is a teeny little wooden thing that putters around ... are you ready...The Parking Lot!!! My dh and I were laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes, and thank goodness my kids were too tired from getting up at 5 am to remember they had wanted to ride the big train. Most adults won't fit on it, also.

The room was disappointing, as my brochure pictured it being very nice. It wasn't too bad, just nothing sparkling and neat like I thought. It was very shabby, broken light fixtures, and so forth, and the Ninetendo games were expensive to rent and all the way on the other side of the building, which was a fifteen minute walk. The free breakfast was awful. The crowds made me yearn for an MRI experience, if you can believe that. By the time I made it to the front of the line, all the little grabby kids in front of us had touched or sneezed on everything and then put it back. Anything else was cold or empty.

When we got to our hotel in Disney the next day, POR, which was only thirty dollars more per night, it was night and day difference.

Sorry to be so harsh, but I hate to see families get excited over brochure pictures and then get down there and see reality and be disappointed.

Enjoy your trip to the parks!

Melissa

 

[ear_poppin]

Thanks for that even though I'm not the OP !

I'd rather someone said the place is horrible rather than not say anything at all, because I agree in the brochures the rooms do look rather nice.

I could see that with so much turnover of kids in the rooms every night those rooms would need daily maintenance to keep them looking nice.

 

[GJM]

We stayed at the HIFS for 8 days, and our experience was excellent. Our room was very clean and nothing was broken in our room. I did expect it wouldn't be as nice because of all the kids and the turn over, but I was wrong. I knew the train was small by the picture on their web site but I was able to ride it with my DS and he did enjoy it. As for the breakfast, there was always plenty of food, nothing was empty and it was hot. We really enjoyed our stay here, the staff was friendly and our room was very clean and the pool my DS loved.

 

[OhMickey]

We stayed at the Amerisuites 2 years ago and the HIFS last year.

The Amerisuites was very nice and clean. The beds were comfortable and we all got a good nights' rest. However, the rooms were on the small side. We did not eat breakfast at the hotel because we had PS for CRT. But I have stayed at other Amerisuites and the food was pretty good. The pool was clean but small. Our children ages (8,8,11,13) enjoyed it though.

As far as the HIFS go, I have to agree with MJwritestuff. The hotel is definitely showing wear. It is very noisy and the beds were just so - so. I did not like the breakfast at all. The food was horrible and tasted as if it had been sitting for hours. This was definitely a cattle car operation and I felt like another cow lining up for some chow. The pool at HIFS was huge. It is nicely decorated with white lights and looks very festive.

You definitely have more room at HIFS but I personally would rather stay at the Amerisuites.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

Got a great rate at Amerisuites for this December. We have stayed at an Amerisuites before, and found it nice, so we decided to try it for a quick three night stay b/f our Magic Cruise. Hopefully we will have some reviews of the hotel before then, but if not, I'll post about it in December.

 

[zaxmom]

I have stayed at both hotels and enjoyed both. I would split the stay, if it is not that big a deal for you to pack and move. My kids love the excitement of checking into a new hotel. My boys, 5 and 3 now, loved both hotels. They loved the water slide at Calypso Cay. It is not very big, perfect for them to do over and over and they were always in my sight. We like the putt putt at Calypso Cay better, the HIFS used plastic balls. Breakfast was better at HIFS. Obviously you should not expect gourmet, it is a buffet to feed the masses for free. Think Golden Corral or Sizzler quality. The HIFS does have more room, but keep in mind that the rooms are very small, it just has more privacy than other hotel rooms. The train ride is cute, especially for preschoolers, but is nothing compared to what they see at Disney World. They have a nice game room, but there is one at the Amerisuites as well, just smaller.
If I had to choose I would have to decide how important the water slide is. That is what made me decide not to stay at HIFS last time. For my kids, it is a big deal. However, my husband and I have said that if the HIFS had a water slide we would stay there every time. And I hear it is getting one! Good luck deciding, you will have fun either way. An extra $65 could pay for a character dinner, that is what my kids remember most from out trips.

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

We just returned from HIFS and were satisfied with our stay. I really wonder what people expect for $73.00 a night. As Ear_Poppin stated with the amount of turnover and the amount of kids your never going to get a perfect room in this price range. We stayed on property for our two previous trips and I was worried that being off site would lessen the experience and staying at HIFS did not. Some of the rooms are far from the lobby but so are some of the buildings at any of the WDW moderates. We were in one of the furthest rooms (building 12) and it took us about 5 minutes tops to get to the lobby. The pool was great and when it got busy there was a lap pool on the other side of the lobby which was always quiet. The free breakfast was pretty good. I liked everything on the menu and of course it was not gourmet but you can’t beat the price. I had a defective light outside my room that took them 3 days to fix and a couple of times the maid used sheets that were too small on the bed and the corners would pop off which drives me crazy but even with these issues I would stay there again. There is nothing like coming back from the parks and actually having a comfortable place to sit and watch TV and veg for a while. We had privacy from the other 3 people in our party with our own bedroom which was great. We had one person on the pull out sofa and two people in two twin beds in the semi private

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

I would also like to add another thought. Location, Location, Location. HIFS was literally less than 2 miles from WDW property. We could get to the Epcot parking lot from the parking lot at HIFS in 5 minutes. I think the HIFS may be closer to some of the WDW attractions than some of the on site hotels.

 

[suebo]

Wow! Thanks for the input everybody. I have been so obsessed with planning our trip that I took some time off from the message boards. O.K., just 1 day. LOL I was surprised to give the message boards a quick check tonight and see all the posts to my question.

I appreciate the good and the bad input. I think we're going to split the stay between HIFS and Amerisuites. My kids will definitely love the waterslide at Amerisuites. I did think about using the extra $65 for a character meal but I think I'm just going to leave my reservations the way they are. It's only 2 nights in each and then I'll have my own opinions to post here on the boards. I didn't really explain it but in between those 2 stays we will be with my inlaws in Spring Hill (about 1 hr. away) We're planning to go to Busch Gardens and swim with the manatees. We did both of those last Feb. and it was a blast! This year we're living life large and adding a few days of Disney. LOL

I just can't wait. I haven't gotten any of those nasty bugs that the kids pass around the school yet. Anyone get anxious like me and worry that those germs will get you right at trip time. That would just be too cruel!! I won't get sick....I won't get sick...I won't get sick..... (I'll just keep chanting)

Hey, Vinnie the Pooh,

Thanks for pointing out how close HIFS is to the world, especially Epcot. That gives me hope that even if my kids and husband poop out early, I can rush out last minute and catch illuminations by myself if I have to. How far is Amerisuites from the parks?

Sue

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

Amerisuites is a similar distance but a bit further say 3 miles or so.

 

[Kevenswife2]

I've also read that since the Country Inn and Amerisuites are in the same 'mini resort' area, it is acceptable to walk over and enjoy Country Inn's breakfast too. Might be different and break up the 'same old thing' rut.

Last year I stayed at the Country Inn and they sent me to Amerisuites to do my laundry. Also, shuttle pickup varied with which parks you were going to. Disney pickup was at Country Inn and Universal pickup was at Amerisuites. Like I said...they share.

$43.88 is a GREAT rate! I've taken advantage of it for my upcoming trip.

Mini golf was very mini and the zero entry pool with slide was smaller than I expected, but both were fun! Even adults (me included) were going down the slide.

 

[Cindymere]

Hummm, I am booked at HIFS for 86.00 a night, but now you have me wondering about the Amerisuites for 47.00 a night.... I could get 2 amerisuites for roughly the same cost..

Vinnie the Pooh answered my questions about distance... hummm.. what to do?????

Too many choices!!!!

 

[taylor1293]

Originally posted by MJwritestuff
II had to laugh when you posted about the train ride! We picked the HIFS (although only for one night, thankfully) because of the train ride and the Nintendo in the "theme" rooms. The train is a teeny little wooden thing that putters around ... are you ready...The Parking Lot!!! My dh and I were laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes, and thank goodness my kids were too tired from getting up at 5 am to remember they had wanted to ride the big train. Most adults won't fit on it, also.

The room was disappointing, as my brochure pictured it being very nice. It wasn't too bad, just nothing sparkling and neat like I thought. It was very shabby, broken light fixtures, and so forth, and the Ninetendo games were expensive to rent and all the way on the other side of the building, which was a fifteen minute walk. The free breakfast was awful. The crowds made me yearn for an MRI experience, if you can believe that. By the time I made it to the front of the line, all the little grabby kids in front of us had touched or sneezed on everything and then put it back. Anything else was cold or empty.

When we got to our hotel in Disney the next day, POR, which was only thirty dollars more per night, it was night and day difference.

Sorry to be so harsh, but I hate to see families get excited over brochure pictures and then get down there and see reality and be disappointed.

Enjoy your trip to the parks!

Melissa

Sorry you had such a terrible experience. What did management say when you complained about your shabby room?

The train is listed on their website as a kids activity, not a family one. It's definitely for little kids, and my little one LOVED it. It was exactly what we expected when we arrived. My 6'4" 230 pound DH fit in the train, so I think most adults can probably ride it. But again, it isn't made for adults, its for little kids.

Also, I think saying it's 15 minutes from your room to lobby is a bit of an exaggeration unless a physical impairment is the issue . We've stayed there twice, the first time in a building far away, and it took no more than a few mintues to walk over there.

I agree about the breakfast, it is very crowded! But it's free, and can be brought back to the room. Even if the hot food was not to your liking, there was always cereal and bagels to eat. More than Disney gives you for breakfast .

Anyway, sorry you had such a bad experience. We've stayed their twice, and had no problems .

Teresa

 

[sln88]

"We're planning to go to Busch Gardens and swim with the manatees. We did both of those last Feb. and it was a blast! "

Can you tell me about the Manatee thing? We are planning a beach day, and are looking for fun things to do.

 

[suebo]

sln88,

We took a manatee tour at the Plantation Inn. Check out their website. They are located in Crystal River, FL. on the west coast. (approx. 1 1/2 hours North of Tampa) I went with my DH and DD who was 7 at the time. It was the most amazing experience. I highly recommend it. We went to the dive shop at this Inn and rented wetsuits (oh so flattering), mask, fins, and snorkel. Then they took a group of about 12 of us out for a 3 hour tour in one of their boats. The first site that we went to was an area that was all roped off as a sanctuary for the manatees. We could not go into that area but we could swim right next to the ropes and hope that some would come out and we could see them. Well, everyone jumps off the boat and swims around on their own with their snorkels looking for manatees. When one is spotted the whole group would go over and swim with it. They are so graceful. When you touch them on the belly, they will actually roll around on their backs to be scratched. They just love the attention. You are not allowed to chase them but it is very easy to just swim along side of them. The group we were with was so awesome. They all made sure my daughter got right in and was able to pat the manatee as much as she could. She was the only child on the trip. The manatees are so incredibly ugly that I thought they were cute. Their skin is real tough with algae growing on it. We only saw a few manatees at this spot but had some great interaction with them. The next spot we went to didn't happen to have any manatees but it was as equally impressive. We dropped anchor and swam up current through this small river that went back to two underwater hot springs. (totally isolated little area with mangrove trees) It was a teeny tiny river that was crystal clear (hence the name of the town) and the fish that we saw and all the exploring under the mangrove roots and everything was just the best! I didn't care that there weren't manatees there. We just had the time of our lives. Oh, and the whole time the tour guide is taking a video of everything and everyone. A rip off, but we sprang for the $25 video because it's not everyone that can say they have been swimming with manatees and show everyone to boot. Yes, a very memorable day!!

Definitely look into a manatee tour. There are lots of them in the Homasassa Springs area. Some even allow real small children because they go into a river that is real shallow. It looks like Plantation Inn went up in price this year. Last year I think it was about $35 (with gear)a person. This year it is looks like it is $25/person but another $19 in gear. I thought the gear was only $10 last year. It's worth it. Do some research and have some fun.

I know I'm long winded. Any questions, just ask.

Sue