Just booked HIFS for May - looking now for info!!

[threeboysmom]

Hi all! We just booked our vacation yesterday! I'm so excited that it is now "official". Got a great rate through Southwest for airfare and great rates for our hotels too. We are booked for the HIFS for our first 3 nights, then onto Universal for our last 4 nights. Can all those who have stayed at HIFS please tell me ALL about it? The good and the bad? I'm in trip planning mode now..... LOL! I've heard people talking about the Priority Club. What benefits are there to joining?

Thanks all! I'm so excited!!

 

[curlyjbs]

HIFS is a great hotel. They are very family friendly. We are a family of 5. DH, me and three girls 8,10 & 12 and there is something for everyone to enjoy! Umm lets see:

Up to 4 kids eat free with one paying adult.
full hot breakfast buffet every morning free for EVERYONE! Great money saver! We are a family of 5 and it would cost us atleast $40/day for a comparable (sp) breakfast.
Excellent pool area - gated with really tough latches for the little ones. small but cute mini golf, shuffleboard and there is a little bldg. where kids can rent pool floats I forget how much $ but we found it cheaper to buy our own at walmart/discount store & when we left we just gave them to another family. There are also board games and such for the kids to take out. A fenced in playground area is also next to the pool. There are usually plenty of towels and lounge chairs. There is also a bar by the pool.......unfortunetly while we were there it was never open but we made do with our own stash and some solo cups!
The kids enjoyed the free kiddie train ride around the property.
The game room is decent and there is always something going on at night: kareoke, bingo etc. (prizes are gameroom tokens and food/drink coupons) fun for the family. The face painting is extraodinary........as good as in the parks but FREE! (yep free)
There is a pizza hut onsite. DH and I would order our food and the kids ate FREE. excellent deal! The club car restaraunt food was ok. While we were there they gave us free dinner vouchers (911 times) so we ate there a few times. (hey, free is free) umm, you can purchase mugs (adult and child) in there "little store" area and then the fountain drinks are free. That was cool because they had a cappacino machine........I had a cappi every night - yum!

We looked at the lap pool but the kids had no interest....The other pool is what they wanted!! we had trouble getting them to go back to the parks because they wanted to stay in the pool.
(The lap pool is scheduled for construction this spring)


The rooms aren't big but they are not small either. We had a king kids suite. the living area is small but there is a TV, pull out couch, a club chair, a small table with 2 chairs, a safe (ours was finicky - keep the kids away becasuse they can easily reprogram your code and then you need to call security so they can open it for you) we did this a few times There is also fridge and microwave. bathroom is good size. kids room is tiny but you have bunk beds and a twin pull down. TV with nintendo. Speakers are in the wall near the kids beds so tv doesn't need to be loud. There is no door on this room. It's a curtain - but it does offer them privacy. Mom and dads room has a door with a lock ! and another TV. (yep 3 tvs....hardly any arguing)

We rented a car but took the shuttle two days to try it out. It was great. I know some have poopooed the HIFS shuttle but It took us to the parks and brought us back all at decent times. It was not inconvenient at all.

What else.......... The elevators are SLOW! that is NOT a myth. Thankfully we were only on the 2nd floor and took the stairs all the time.

When are you going and how old are the boys? They are going to be under some construction soon ....although they have assured me and other guests that there will be no inconveniences.
we'll see.

All in all it is a great place to stay with kids and you are 5 mins from disney property. HONEST! Maybe 20 mins from UA/IOA and Seaworld.


curly

 

[bigsis1970]

another vote for what a great hotel this is and I ditto everything curlyjbs said.. we are going back this Oct and can't wait.. Michelle

 

[Sandy Feet]

Hi threeboysmom - I don't want to "hijack" your thread and hope you don't mind me asking a few (dumb) questions about HIFS. The replies you got were very helpful.
There are two Holiday Inns: Main Gate East and the Resort. The Resort is that little bit more $ than the Main Gate. When people write about HIFS which one are they refering to? Is one that much better than the other and why? Accomodation, location?
Why are you staying at HIFS for part of your stay then moving to Universal? I'm loathe to move part-way through our stay and would prefer to find somewhere central to all the parks.
Are there any restaurants are close by?
Thanks.

 

[BrerMama]

Not the OP, but I can answer some questions. When people refer to HIFS, they are referring to Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort, which is much different from Holiday Inn Maingate East or Holiday Inn Sunspree, which both also offer KidSuites. One of the main differences is that HIFS is an all-suites hotel that caters to families. Full free breakfast, wonderful pool area, great location, etc. I have read a lot of reviews that say the other 2 do not compare but have only stayed at HIFS. I actually find that the kidsuite rates are better at HIFS with the entertainment card than at the other two choices.

As for why the OP is moving to Universal on-property, my guess is that she wants to take advantage of the front of the line pass extended to guests at Universal hotels. If you stay at one of their hotels, you can use your room key to go to the front of the line at the rides (similiar to FastPass). It's a huge perk and if I were planning to visit Universal, I'd seriously consider staying onsite just for this advantage.

There are many, many restaurants within a 10-15 minute drive of HIFS. Kissimmee is within this driving range as is Lake Buena Vista and downtown Disney.

I hope this helps and hope you have a magical vacation!

 

[threeboysmom]

I'm the OP here Kim was right though - we are moving to Universal for our last 4 nights to take advantage of the FOTL access at the parks. We have 5-day tickets there so this will give us 5 days in the parks with front of the line, plus it's nice to be able to walk back to your hotel for an afternoon at the pool We did this last year and LOVED it! I too hate to move & change hotels. If I had my way we would stay at Universal all week and just drive to Disney from there. BUT my wonderful DH isn't that keen on being in one hotel room all week with the kids and no privacy for that long of a time So we are compromising

Thank you so much Curly for all your helpful information! That must have taken you some time to type all that, and I really appreciate it!

 

[lovemypresley]

We just got back today from staying at the HIFS. Like someone said, it's VERY family oriented. They have the cute little train kids can ride from 9-11am each morning; free breakfast buffet daily (you can also get hubby to go get the food and bring back to room if you don't like crowds, because if you get there after 9am, it's CROWDED) They had scrambed eggs, bicuits, gravy, corned beef hash, bacon or sausage, depending on day (they change daily), muffins, bread, bagels (have to toast your own) cereals, hot and cold, potatoes, pancakes or french toast, very good!
The first room they put us in was building 9, by the family pool area. However, we reqested a smoking residential suite and this one was not, so we were moved to bldg. 2 and I don't like the East side..boring there, toilet stopped up, room was still good, though. The living room area is small...I don't see how anyone could sleep on the pull out sofas...very uncomfy and bumpy, no extra blankets, full kitchen in the res. suite, real untensils and dishes, dishwasher, full fridge, micro, sink, vanity with light make up mirror in both the vanity area and bathroom, plenty of closet space, daily newspaper. Lots of activities, although we didn't do any of them, they have a spa for little girls where they can get manicures, pedicures, etc., game room, general store, gift shop. All in all we enjoyed it there and would stay there again, esp if we get the E card $71 rates!

 

[curlyjbs]

lovemypresley:

Did you happen to notice how much $ the "kids spa" was. I have 3 dds who would LOVE to have their hair braided - DH would kill me ofcourse because normally its atleast $50-60 each (lots of hair )

If anyone else could answer feel free to jump in!


Threeboysmom: I reread this thread and realized you asked about PRIORITY CLUB. Its a good program (free). You get a few perks with a reservation ie; early checkin or Late checkout. sometimes I've had room requests honored at no extra charge (Pool view etc) when they charge non-priority for the same request. If you like Holiday inns and stay in them alot you earn points towards free stays.


curly

 

[Sandy Feet]

So much great info...thank you. Now to figure out how to get an Entertainment card. Normally my kids love pools and meeting new friends but not sure it won't be too cold for them in December. The free breakfast buffet is a big selling point as it will save us quite a bit.

curlyjbs - if I can find the link to the kids spa I post it here. It did look like something my dd would like too. She had it done in Antigua and it was $5 per braid - so we only got the top part braided. DD has very fine hair so what a mess trying to untangle the beads a week later!

Being in Universal would be great but my dh will not want to give up the privacy afforded by the HIFS suite.

Where would you - anyone- suggest stopping to buy groceries on the way from the hotel?

And, it sounds like the suites are pretty well stocked, but is there anything you wish you'd brought with you?

re going in Dec: We have no cool weather clothes and will have to buy some. What would you suggest is the minimum we can get away with? Will sweatshirts and jeans be warm enough on the cooler days?

Can you tell I'm an excited planaholic?

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi ! there is a super walmart just down the street from the hotel .. they sell clothing and have a food mart.. I would think they are most likely the least expensive.. that is where we will be shopping .. Dec weather can be tricky in 2001 we had 2 weeks for sunny and 85 weather and then in 2002 we had cooler 65-70 ish weather and really needed our jeans and sweatshirts - I had to buy my son a warm knit winter type hat that year as his poor shaved head was freezing !

 

[MrsMud]

Sandyfeet;

And, it sounds like the suites are pretty well stocked, but is there anything you wish you'd brought with you?

I can answer for us (been there twice and loved it): If you are coffee drinkers, they do have a 4 cup coffee maker and they give you a regular and a decaf coffee sack to start, and will replace whatever you use daily. However, they only give a total of 2 sugar packets, 2 Sweet & Low and 2 non-dairy creamers daily, we need much more than that. We bought some sugar and milk at the store and we were fine.
and...

We have no cool weather clothes and will have to buy some. What would you suggest is the minimum we can get away with? Will sweatshirts and jeans be warm enough on the cooler days?

I have heard that December is unpredictable, so you weill have to check the forecast right before you leave, but our first trip was in early Dec. and we wore shorts and T-shirts every day. The kids also went in the pool several times. I hope you get lucky with the weather, too!

 

[Sandy Feet]

Thanks all.

Yaay - a Walmart! No kidding, we don't have one where we live and those stores are invaluable, especially when you have kids.

Now to try getting a rate that won't make my dh keel over. I just checked the holiday inn website and they are quoting $200 and up for a 3 bdrm suite.

The rates are confusing because some have details about the breakfast offered and some don't, which leads me to thinking breakfast is not included in some cases?

I'm going to have to break down and telephone the hotel for an explanation.

 

[BrerMama]

Sandy, how many children do you have? A regular 2 bedroom suite sleeps up to 7 -- 2 adults and 5 children -- comfortably. My kids liked the pull out sofa bed, but then my kids aren't nearly as picky as I am. If you reserve a king 2 bedroom, there's a king in the private bedroom, the kids room has bunk beds and a trundle bed and then the sofa in the living area pulls out to a bed. The rates are much cheaper for this. Even if you don't want to do entertainment card rates, there's usually a 21 day advance purchase rate.

The breakfast is free for everyone no matter what rate you pay. I don't know why it is/isn't mentioned for some rates, but it's free for all.

 

[suslynn]

Also, if any of you are teachers, almost every hotel chain will give teachers the government employees rate. All you have to do is show proof-like a pay stub. Oftentimes it is lower than AAA, but it is not as low as the entertainment book for HIFS. It was wroth it for us to by the entertainment book and use that rate-I think it was 103 for a queen suite in the middle of June. 119 if I used the teacher rate.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Thanks all, I'm going to look into this and see what I find and share my info here in case it can help someone else too.

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

When we were there in October there were signs stating that they would be converting the hotel to a Nickelodeon theme. It looked like the conversion would be quite dramatic. Has this started yet, has it been put off? By the way we loved it there and would definitely stay again. This is coming from someone who has stayed at a Disney moderate before. I love having the extra space and the proximity to Disney property is almost as if you are on site anyway.