I'm tearing my hair out

[Summer-Caitlin]

Ok, I have been looking at hotels now for ages. My fiance and I will be getting married in Orlando July 2007, we will be staying for 3 weeks.

So far this is what I have narrowed the accommodation down to.

The Celebration Hotel (place of marriage) 2 nights

Buena Vista Palace because of location
Radisson Resort Parkway Celebration, the rooms look gorgeous
Hotel Royal Plaza, because of location but haven't seen any reviews
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, location
Sheraton Safari Hotel, location

All of the above we were thinking of a 12 night stay, any suggestions as to which would be the better option? I dont have to have a deluxe room or anything but it will be my honeymoon, so am not looking for psychadelic prints or anything, hence why I really like the Radisson, but any other suggestions and I would be grateful.

Also as we intend to go to Universal also, we thought about staying 7 nights close to there.

So here are the hotels so far

Crowne Plaza Universal, location
Doubletree at Universal, location

Please feel free to suggest any others that you think may fit the bill.

We are on a budget so expense is an issue, but again the internet is a godsend and can quite often find good deals on hotels.

Preferably we are looking for breakfast buffets, inc or not and decent dining options on site or nearby. We dont drive so transport is another must.

Hope you can help

Summer

 

[Rroo]

I don't really have any advice but am in the same kind of situation, except our wedding is May and we will be married at Celebration Golf Course. Looking and searching for hotels is making my head spin! We will probably have about 20 guests coming with us. I'm also looking for a place to have a simple reception meal that is not crazy expensive as we are also having a reception here at home (Nova Scotia) when we return.

Good luck!

 

[spiceycat]

Preferably we are looking for breakfast buffets, inc or not and decent dining options on site or nearby. We dont drive so transport is another must.

Hope you can help

Summer

okay you don't drive - big problem.

how about staying onsite at WDW in a value resort - Pop Century has a nice lake.

then staying onsite at US/IOA Royal Pacific.

the problem with staying offsite is transportation.

WDW is big - US/IOA is miles away from WDW. Orlando does not have a good transportation system. even the WDW parks are miles away from each other.

sometimes the hotels that say they have transportation shared with other hotels - so you could get picked up at 8:30 but might not be in the parks until 9:45 because of the other hotels. you could also be left standing because when the bus arrives it is full. You are not guaranteed a seat on the bus at any one time. hey you aren't guaranteed a seat.

so you really need WDW transportation. If you don't drive.

then you can take a taxis to US/IOA when you change hotels. Now there are some hotels at US/IOA close enough to walk over. but you will be doing enough walking.

Royal Pacific is closer to IOA than the parking lot.

here are some pictures of Pop
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=537

 

[spiceycat]

here are the 2 local bus systems

http://www.golynx.com/

http://www.iridetrolley.com/index.html

taxi can be expensive.

check this site for complaints
www.tripadvisor.com

also go over on the subboard here - I think Radisson Resort Parkway Celebration has some complaints.

 

[CarolA]

If you don't drive I would suggest either the Animal Kingdom or the Hotel Royal Plaza. (I posted a review just a few weeks ago. I think a tower room at the Royal Plaza would be nice for a honeymoon and AKL is really nice. )

The Radisson is not as nice as it looks in the pictures, it's nice but.. Plus transport to Disney is not as good as the DTD or DIsney hotels. Same problems with the Shearton...

Can't comment on Universal as I don't normally stay near there.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Animal Kingdom is much more expensive than the others you're considering in the WDW area. Although, I haven't priced the Hotel Royal Plaza & don't know how it compares in price. Onsite at WDW or DTD is the best option for those who don't drive.

I agree with spiceycat that you should definitely stay onsite at Universal, especially in the summer months. IMHO, onsite at UO offers much better perks & is more important than staying onsite at WDW. Royal Pacific is the lesser expensive of the 3 Universal resorts. Portofino Bay is the most romantic. If you're staying 7 nights, consider buying an AP to get a discount on the room.

If it were me & I needed to cut back in one area to splurge in another, I'd book a cheaper onsite or close offsite hotel at WDW, & stay onsite at UO. AKL's a deluxe resort. There's several hotels at WDW, which are cheaper.

 

[Summer-Caitlin]

Well after searching the internet again last night. I have found that the Universal Hotels are really expensive. I did however find The Sheraton Studio City Hotel which is only 0.8mi away from Universal apparently. Has anyone stayed here that can advise me if this is a smart move or not?

Also in reference to the Disney hotels, I'm still keen on The Sheraton Safari Hotel, also I've managed to find a good price for Coronado Springs on site, any advice re these?

Thanks again to everyone who has responded so far.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I've never stayed at either of the Sheratons, but Sheraton World gets bad reviews. Sheraton Safari's reviews are better, but not as good as Coronado Springs would be. We've stayed at CS & the pool is great. Park transportation is efficient. The only drawback we experienced was lots of tour groups. It's a convention hotel, & lots of groups stay there. If there's no groups during your stay, CS would be a great place to stay.

It's too early to find good deals on Universal Resorts. As I mentioned earlier, you would probably benefit from buying one AP to get the APH discount at the resorts. If you have AAA, the discount can be as good or almost as good as the APH discount. You should start looking for discount rates about 4 months, prior to your stay. If you book early, & the rate goes down, UO will adjust your rate to the lower price. Their rates can change almost daily, so it pays to check as often as possible. It's really easy to call & get the lower rate. Personally, I think it's more important to spend the money on a UO onsite resort than a WDW onsite resort. If nothing else, try to stay a couple nights onsite at UO. This will give you resort perks for 3 days, which is especially important for a summer visit.

Have fun planning.

 

[spiceycat]

CSR gets lots of fans.

this is a site by Buzz (post over on the resort board)
http://coronado_springs.tripod.com/

Pop Century is definitely cheaper.

I think staying onsite at WDW is also necessary during peak season because of EMH. those extra hours can really add up.

if you aren't a member of AAA - you might consider joining next year just for the discount it offers at both US/IOA and WDW.

AAA - american auto association(I think)
www.aaa.com

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I think staying onsite at WDW is also necessary during peak season because of EMH. those extra hours can really add up.

Sometimes, I forget that not everyone travels like we do. In all our trips to WDW, we've never gotten up in time for morning EMH. Also, we like to freshen up & dress for dinner. We either go to Epcot or have dinner at one of the resorts. So, we don't go to evening EMH either. FOTL at UO means we can go to the parks at a time that works for us & not have to stand in long lines. We're also able to walk everywhere & don't have to wait for the buses or drive to the parks. I can see why many enjoy EMH. If it's possible to stay onsite at both, that's definitely the way to go. We do enjoy staying onsite at WDW, but for our family there's no comparison in the perks. To be fair, it would be impossible for WDW to offer perks equal to UO. They have too many resorts for things like unlimited FOTL to be feasible.

 

[hercamore]

My suggestion is a B and B for a honeymoon.

www.perrihouse.com

Have not staayed there, but am always tempted.

Renting a car even for part of the time would help you immensely with your hotel locatoin decision.

I would also suggest a condo type place just north of down town disney:
www.cypresspoint.com

Condo type place will give you a kitchen, w/d which wil help you with food expenses.

herc.

 

[barrett7890]

we have stayed at the Crowne PLaza Universal, it's a lovely hotel

about 20 mins walk from universal and not expensive in a taxi, close to I drive with plenty of choices for food and the I Trolley straight to Sea World

The last orlando trip we were on we stayed half at I drive and half at WDW, worked very well for us, we don't drive while we are there

cami
x

 

[KittyKitty]

i read a trip report over on UK section about a couple who got around by public transit.

You might want to read it. They were in Florida for 3 weeks, and seem to do just fine without a car and staying offsite.
Here is the 1st installment.( Love UK trip reports, they are sooooo long!)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1169194

Have great time

 

[tarheelmjfan]

My suggestion is a B and B for a honeymoon.

www.perrihouse.com

Have not staayed there, but am always tempted.

I don't know anything about this particular B&B, but a B&B is a wonderful idea. They're definitely more romantic than any hotel I've ever seen. My DH & I were married at one in the Mtns. of NC. I've never thought of staying in one in Orlando. We almost always stay onsite at the parks, when we go there. We like to stay in B&Bs, when we visit historical destinations (I.E. Williamsburg, St Augustine, etc.) I'll have to check into staying in one in Orlando sometime, especially if it's just DH & I.