Homewood Suite-Kissimee, any comments?

[BC]

Just wondered if anyone knows about the Homewood Suites in Kissimee. How are the rooms and how far is it from Disney?

 

[izzy]

I've stayed there 2 times and have booked my it again for my 3rd trip there. (Only 3 weeks to go!)

We love it. There is breakfast every morning. Pretty much the same thing - sausage, scrambled eggs, bagels, french toast, danish, fruit, juice, cereal, oatmeal, etc. (Other than the sausage and scrambled eggs, Dr. Adkins would have hated this breakfast!) On Monday to Thursday evenings they also have a manager's reception. Baked potatoes with toppings one night, hot dogs another night, tacos, etc. Also soft drinks, beer and wine. I've often made dinner out of it.

The rooms are nice, but be sure to request a room that doesn't face I-4. We had that the last time and it was a little loud with the traffic (especially truck) noise. I was usually so beat from spending all day in the parks that once I fell asleep nothing would wake me up.

We usually rent a car and can be to MGM entrance within 5 minutes. Epcot is probably closer to 10 minutes and MK is probably a little more than 10 minutes. (I hope I'm right on these times. It always seems to go pretty fast to me.) I think the AK is probably about 10 minutes or so, too. I know they have shuttle service to the parks, but I've never used it. I think it drops you off at the Ticket and Transportation Center near the MK and then you have to get a Disney bus to the park you want to go to. (That's one reason I rent a car! Plus, I have an annual pass, so I get free parking.)

They have a nice pool that's kind of Mickey Mouse shaped (not huge, but not postage stamp sized either) and a hot tub. I've also seen a gas grill that people use in one area.

Every room I've had there has been nice. Since it's me and my mother, we get the suite with 2 double beds. I love having the living area separate from the bedroom and being separated by doors. The two 25" TV's are nice, too! While there is an icemaker in the freezer portion of the refrigerator, in the 2 times I've been there it didn't work. It was no biggy for me, though. There is also a microwave oven (great for my popcorn) and a stove top with a few burners.

There is a Publix grocery about 5 minutes away. That's where I usually stock up on water and snacks. As far as places to eat around there, you're very close to 192, so there are lots of options whether you head east or west on 192.

The worst problem we had was the 1st time we were there in October 2002. Our keys kept getting "erased" and wouldn't work and we'd have to go to the front desk to reactivate them. A lot of people were at the desk complaining about it. However, last March when I was there we didn't have a single problem with the room keys, so I guess they got it fixed.

I highly recommend it! Hope this helps.

 

[BC]

Just wondered if you could give me a ballpark figure of what you paid for your suite. We are planning on going Dec 7-12th. Was the refrigerator old or was it just a fluke that both times you got an icemaker that did not work? We would really want to have ice available so I hope that is not the case for all of them. Thanks for all your information.

 

[disneysteve]

We stayed there once, but it was about 7 years ago so my info is not up to date.

We were very happy with the place. The rooms were nice size. It had a nice kitchen and a great breakfast buffet.

I agree with izzy about the traffic noise from I-4, though. Our room didn't face the road directly, but we still were bothered by the noise.

As for distance to Disney, I think izzy's estimates are all pretty accurate. It is very close - even closer than some Disney hotels. Many people mistakenly assume that being in a Disney hotel means you are close to everything - not true.

We have not stayed there again because over the years we've found better options like pool homes, condos and other suite hotels. Personally, I'd rather stay at a place like Windsor Palms where 2-bedroom condos start as low as $55/nite. They are practically brand new and very nicely equipped. You don't get the "free" breakfast, but we're not huge breakfast eaters anyway. We're happy with a bowl of cereal or pop-tart.

Overall, Homewood is very nice and worth checking out.

Steve

 

[izzy]

We're paying $62 a night for our next stay. I think when I stayed there in March (during busy season) I paid $77.

I didn't think the refrigerators were that old. The first time we were there we called maintenance and they came and were able to fix it. The last time we just went to the front desk and they gave us a huge bag of ice which we put in the freezer.

I'm a Hilton Honors member, and I've accumulated enough points that I'm getting 2 nights free for my September stay, so I'm a happy camper!

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by izzy
We're paying $62 a night for our next stay. I think when I stayed there in March (during busy season) I paid $77.

I didn't realize rates had gotten so low there. This is definitely a good value at those prices. Even better if you earn Hilton Honors points.

Steve