Marriott Orlando World Center

[lizdis1]

Hello! I have a conference next year at the Marriott World Center. I will be bringing my toddler daughter and she will be off at the parks quite a bit with my husband. Is this hotel accessible to the parks for a young child, or should we stay on property and i can travel to the conference? My company will approve any hotel if it’s within the same price range and I could pick up the Uber charge. I haven’t stayed off property in decades, so I’m not sure what our best bet is.

Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[jscunningham699]

I would check to see if the Marriott has a shuttle to the parks as most hotels do. But It would probably be easier transportation wise for your husband and daughter to just stay on Disney property. It's a short Uber ride to and from WDW from the World Center. Just my opinion.

 

[Penmac]

I have stayed here for a night, and also next door at Royal Palms Marriott timeshare (same trip). It’s a beautiful but very big hotel. You might enjoy staying on Disney property if you are looking for a less conference-like vibe for your family to enjoy. If they will be at parks all day, maybe it’s not an issue but if you can get your company to pay for a Disney hotel, it’s a no-brainer.

They do have a Disney parks shuttle but it runs on a very limited schedule, and it’s not free. That would be hard for your husband if they needed a mid-day break. He would be better off renting a car.

Perks- it has a nice toddler water slide area that my kids loved. My kids stayed there alllll day with my husband on a non-park day and it entertained them perfectly. Hotel was also an easy drive from area shops and restaurants. Good luck!

 

[happily single]

We stayed there about 7 years ago. We got an amazing package and did Seaworld and a few non Disney parks. It is a huge resort. It is literally about 1/2 mile walk from the parking garage to the lobby. The quick service food area was very inconvenient (due to how far away it was). If you are planning Disney with little ones I would consider something smaller

 

[Penmac]

I should add, I don’t actually know know the current shuttle situation- its been a couple years but that was the deal when we were there.

 

[Penmac]

We stayed there about 7 years ago. We got an amazing package and did Seaworld and a few non Disney parks. It is a huge resort. It is literally about 1/2 mile walk from the parking garage to the lobby. The quick service food area was very inconvenient (due to how far away it was). If you are planning Disney with little ones I would consider something smaller

I remember that about the parking! It was awful!

 

[lizdis1]

I would check to see if the Marriott has a shuttle to the parks as most hotels do. But It would probably be easier transportation wise for your husband and daughter to just stay on Disney property. It's a short Uber ride to and from WDW from the World Center. Just my opinion.

Thanks-- that was my thought. It says 12 mins on google maps from Port Orleans to World Center...

 

[lizdis1]

I have stayed here for a night, and also next door at Royal Palms Marriott timeshare (same trip). It’s a beautiful but very big hotel. You might enjoy staying on Disney property if you are looking for a less conference-like vibe for your family to enjoy. If they will be at parks all day, maybe it’s not an issue but if you can get your company to pay for a Disney hotel, it’s a no-brainer.

They do have a Disney parks shuttle but it runs on a very limited schedule, and it’s not free. That would be hard for your husband if they needed a mid-day break. He would be better off renting a car.

Perks- it has a nice toddler water slide area that my kids loved. My kids stayed there alllll day with my husband on a non-park day and it entertained them perfectly. Hotel was also an easy drive from area shops and restaurants. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips! I think the transportation is the biggest issue and it would be easier for me to get myself to the conference. The toddler waterslide sounds really fun. I could also do a split stay and they could do the pool while we are at the Marriott and just relax. Good to hear it's decent except for the business vibe!

 

[lizdis1]

We stayed there about 7 years ago. We got an amazing package and did Seaworld and a few non Disney parks. It is a huge resort. It is literally about 1/2 mile walk from the parking garage to the lobby. The quick service food area was very inconvenient (due to how far away it was). If you are planning Disney with little ones I would consider something smaller

Thanks for the reply! It does look massive (but nice). We usually stay at Disney at a smaller place.

 

[writerguyfl]

It’s a beautiful but very big hotel.

For many years, they held the title for being the biggest Marriott-branded hotel in the world. I think they may have lost that distinction when Marriott bought the Gaylord hotels (including the nearby Gaylord Palms). It definitely is massive. There are 2,008 guest rooms and suites.

 

[mmbrad02]

For what it's worth, we stayed there June 2018 for a conference for my husband. We did a split stay, both on Disney property (before/after conference) and at Marriott during the conference My daughter and I went to Epcot during one day of the conference, and the Crayola Experience another (she was 7). We loved the resort! Upon seeing my daughter, the check in employee automatically told my DH "You need a fireworks view" and did it for free. We could see the Disney fireworks from our balcony which was fun. My daughter loved exploring the resort and riding in the clear elevator even though we did not stay in that building. We liked their nighttime laser show, and their pool area was amazing. We also used their transportation to/from Disney for our day at Epcot. My husband actually had used it a day previously and was able to give us a walk through the night before, so that next morning we knew exactly where to go to load the bus. It is more restricted but it ran once every hour and we did fine with it. The only frustration I had was it drops off at all four parks and of course ours happened to be the last one!

On the flip side, his employer did not give an option to stay anywhere, or I probably would have dabbled with onsite for convenience sake. But the World Center has tons to do and we really enjoyed our stay.

 

[sponica]

I've stayed in the timeshares there which gives access to the hotel amenties. My mom still raves about the pool.

On site might be more convenient for hubby and kiddo though...if your daughter was older and could just hop in an Uber without a carseat, I'd totally pick the marriott.

 

[lizdis1]

For what it's worth, we stayed there June 2018 for a conference for my husband. We did a split stay, both on Disney property (before/after conference) and at Marriott during the conference My daughter and I went to Epcot during one day of the conference, and the Crayola Experience another (she was 7). We loved the resort! Upon seeing my daughter, the check in employee automatically told my DH "You need a fireworks view" and did it for free. We could see the Disney fireworks from our balcony which was fun. My daughter loved exploring the resort and riding in the clear elevator even though we did not stay in that building. We liked their nighttime laser show, and their pool area was amazing. We also used their transportation to/from Disney for our day at Epcot. My husband actually had used it a day previously and was able to give us a walk through the night before, so that next morning we knew exactly where to go to load the bus. It is more restricted but it ran once every hour and we did fine with it. The only frustration I had was it drops off at all four parks and of course ours happened to be the last one!

On the flip side, his employer did not give an option to stay anywhere, or I probably would have dabbled with onsite for convenience sake. But the World Center has tons to do and we really enjoyed our stay.

Great feedback! Thank you! I am thinking about a split stay too. I love being at the conference hotel because I can check in between sessions etc.

 

[lizdis1]

I've stayed in the timeshares there which gives access to the hotel amenties. My mom still raves about the pool.

On site might be more convenient for hubby and kiddo though...if your daughter was older and could just hop in an Uber without a carseat, I'd totally pick the marriott.

I agree about the Uber issue- easier for me to do the Uber. Maybe a split stay and just do the Marriott the core 2 conference days would work well. Thanks for the info about the pool!