Marriot Courtyard at Cocoa Beach

[tammy bell]

Has anyone stayed at the Marriot Courtyard in Cocoa Beach? The Radisson is booked and my DH feels that Marriot has a good rep so it should be O.K. but I just want to make sure.

 

[snelsonbrown]

Hey there
This is Shirley
Anyhow I have never stayed at this hotel, but I pass it everyday -= it is centrally located - from all aspects (I have been inside to check it out) it looks nice and clean also close to the beach - it is right on A1A in case lots of traffic bothers you - I have been checking out the Wakulla - it was an old hotel but they are now renoverating it and man does it look nice - the Radisson's owner too is now building a new hotel right next door to Ron Jon's - before long we are going to need a map to find the beaches -
If I can help further, drop me a note
Always
Shirley

 

[tammy bell]

Hi, Shirley! Thanks for your input. Is A1A a major highway? Would you suggest the Wakulla instead? If so, does it look like they will be finished renovating by May? We will be traveling with 6 adults and 5 children. Thank You so much, Shirley.

 

[Doctor P]

We stayed at the Courtyard in July before our cruise, and frankly I was disappointed (especially since I have been a long-time Marriott Rewards member and stay in Marriott brand hotels a lot). First of all, we were on their cruise package that was supposed to include free parking and transportation to and from the ship. However, they said (contrary to what I was told several times while booking the package) that you could not leave until 12:15 pm on the transportation they were providing (port rules about access, they claimed--a bunch of baloney after checking things out). Second, I felt that the hotel was pretty musty, especially since it was a new hotel. Third, we originally got stuck in a smoking room and they weren't going to change it until I said, "I thought as an elite member of Marriott Rewards I was supposed to get priority room assignment and guaranteed smoking preference." Within a minute, I had a new room. The location is good, and the traffic was not a problem. Apparently we were there on a very busy weekend, and I must admit that the staff went out of their way (except on the transportation issue). I negotiated a slight discount on the room rate and we drove ourself to the port and just parked the car--it actually worked out better in the long run. So...you could certainly do worse, and if you are not planning to use their transportation or don't care when you get to the port, the Courtyard is a pretty good option

 

[musicgirl]

Tammybell, we stayed this past June. The hotel itself was fine, nothing special. The pool was nice but small. There is limited food for dinner. The restaurant was not open at dinner. It was raining really hard so we didn't go out. We ate at the bar which had a very limited menu. Somehow they managed to ruin a margarita I don't know how you do that!
We also had many problems with reservations and what was and was not included. I called months before and got the cruise special for $99, it was suppose to include free trans. and we were told that we could go earlier than the regular 12:15 to the port. I called a number of times with different questions. Each time I called, I would confirm the info, but was told I was wrong. They would check and find out I was right. This even happened at check in. When I told them that one of the reasons I booked them was because the said we could go early. They finally arranged for the trans. early, but still had a hard time believing that we got free trans. It all worked out, but it seems that they are not all on the same page!
Our favorite thing about the hotel was the short walk to the beach. We loved the beach!

Personally, nothing really wrong with the hotel. However, I booked the Hampton for next year which is right next door. $89 for the room and a free breakfast, but no transportation. It is still a better deal for us. Breakfast was $20 at IHOP, and the transportation for us one way will only be a total of $9.

 

[jds]

You might want to check out the Hampton Inn. It's located right next door to the Courtyard by Marriott (actually a bit closer to the beach); I think the rates were comparable when we checked things out last summer, and the Hampton Inn includes a nice breakfast buffet. The hotel itself is nothing special, but the rooms were clean and quite large, the staff were friendly and helpful, and we really enjoyed our stay.

PS: We also got a 15% discount at RonJon's Surf Shop with our Hampton Inn room keycard, which made my DD very happy!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We have reservations for the Courtyard by Marriott at Cocoa Beach for the night before our next cruise.

The hotel has its own Web site at http://www.courtyardcocoabeach.com/

There is a favorable review at http://www.familytravelreviews.com/courtyardmarriottcocoabeach.htm

Because of comments about the shuttle time within this thread, I just phoned the front desk. The woman confirmed that the only shuttle to the Disney terminal leaves at 12:15 p.m. There is no earlier shuttle. She explained, "I think they don't even let you board until 1:00 p.m." (She is mistaken about the boarding time.)

For passengers who don't feel the need to be near the front of the line for Palo reservations and who want to avoid the long line around the time that the ship first begins boarding, the 12:15 shuttle time should be perfect. But for those of us who would prefer to board earlier, the Courtyard's shuttle schedule is bad news.

Now I may need to rethink our hotel plans. Unfortunately, I've read too many mixed reviews about the Radisson at the Port. Some DISers give glowing reports, while others complain about poorly maintained rooms and a lack of service.

But, as one would expect, the Radisson looks great on their Web site: http://www.radissonresortattheport.com/Amenities.htm

 

[mjvans]

what is the new hotel's name that the manager of the raddison is building?? Will it be completed by august of 2004?? Sounds tempting!
Michelle

 

[musicgirl]

We were also told that you don't need to leave earlier because they don't let you board until 1:00. I informed them that this is incorrect. Plus, you need time to get checked in.

The Hampton's schedule is not until later either. They use the same service (Art's Shuttle) that the Courtyard does. I called Art's directly to see if I set up the time on my own if they would come earlier and they said no. I'm not sure what other services are or what they cost. What about a taxi service? Does anyone have info on this?