Marriott World Center

coachyo

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Stayed 3 nights at the World Center after 7 nights at Port Orleans Riverside :thumbsup2 and 4 nights at the Royal Pacific Resort Club level. :thumbsup2

We really disliked everything about this place. :sad2:

I know it is my own fault for picking a convention center, but I was led to believe it was a good place for families also. It is a convention center 1st and mainly. No real family friendly things about it.

When we pulled in, the valet/checkin area was very crowded and disorganized. When they found out I was gonna self park they no longer talked to me, the guy just walked off. Then I was asked 3 different times if I had bags, and I said yes, and pointed to the 6 sitting on the ground behind the car. When someone finally grabbed them we went in and checked in. It was a zoo to do that as no one really explained anything, they were in such a big hurry. He mumbled something too us and pointed towards the desk and walked off with our bags on his cart. Not a good start for us. After getting checked in I went to move the car and I was so blocked in it took 20 minutes to get out and that was after I had to ask 2 times for help to get out. The valet drivers where getting in & out very well. :moped:

Pool bar closes early, so no fun drinks around the pool area while watching kids, every where you went it was for the conventioneers. The restaraunts where way over priced and too fancy. Unless you wanted to go into the crowded and loud sportsbar. (too many drunk & inappropriate talking patrons) Not for kids, The food court doesn't open till 11 am and closes at 7 pm. It was like pulling teeth to get an ice cream cone in the evening after 7 pm. The starbucks line you need a fast pass to get through in under 25 minutes. The little gift shops were always closed early so I never got in to even look around them.

The rooms are nice but if you are at the end of a hall, forget it. It is a haul. I have stayed at MGM and I know that is a haul to get to your room but this place is nuts. We were 1st put in a room that was way back towards far south end of the hotel on the 5th floor (not sure what direction ) we were almost at the end of this long hall way and it was a joke. I did get us moved closer, where we were in the mail portion of the hotel but still not very high up like I asked, we were on the 9th floor I believe. The elevators in our section were terrible. One closed on my wife and just missed her. They start to open & then would slam closed quickly. The next night I was in a hurry and and forgot to wait and make sure it didn't close and me and it did and I scratched my watch crystal and ended up with a bruise on my right shoulder. The people outside the elevator waiting to get on were like are you alright and he started to help open the doors off of me but I was able to do it. I called down and told them and they never asked who I was or if I was ok or anything. She just was rude and kept asking me what elevator it was and I told her #16. On the morning of our departure 2 of the 4 elevators where closed down. #16 on our floor was open and they had an ash can in front of the door to stop you from going on it. :sad2: That was such a classy look. One night when I got ice cream and came to the elevator, (it took 30 minutes to get it from the sports bar, that was where I was sent that night after asking at the other bar where I got it the night before at the same bar) the convention had gotten out of their event that night and 100's of people were waiting to get on to my elevators. Some very nice people let me get on one after about 15minutes after someone noticing my ice cream melting from my bag.

The rooms are very large and nice. It has a small hide a bed couch, my oldest DD used it. The pool area looks very nice but of course the slide was always closed in the evening when we went down. The water volleyball pool is nice but in the evening it was just a bunch of high school kids messing around in the dark areas (they made me :blush: ) and not an appropriate place for my DD's to be around.

On our last day of check out, I made a call for 2 wake up calls in our room. I woke up on my own at 7 am and they were to have called at 6:30 am and 6:45 am, they did call about 8 am and when I told them they were late she told me they didn't have any record of that. Why was she calling then? :confused3 I had to carry all of our bags down as I couldn't wait on the bell guys as we were running late as it was. Of course the shuttle van pulled off on me as we were all coming out the doors. I waited about 10 miinutes when one of the valet guys had seen enough of me staring at my watch and looking frantically for the van and he had a guy give me ride out to my car. My knee was acting up so I didn't want to run down to get the car like I had done several times during our stay.

The pool area is nice but I don't think it was that great. My kids liked POR and RPR better and when compared to AKL or PBH it still was last. The rooms are nice and spacious. But it is a huge convention hotel and you need to understand that. I thought I did till I was there, never again will I stay at what is a convention hotel unless it is for a convetion. I know some people will say the RPR is a convention hotel but it is not. It is a family resort that can have conventions.

We stayed at the World Center and we did 2 days of SW, each day we left SW I was wishing we were at the Rennasainse at SW. It couldn't have been in a better location unless it was inside the park. I blew that choice. Try the Renassaince I bet you'll be happier. Sorry I rambled so much.

Any questions?


YO
 
I'm sorry you had such a bad stay. Some hotels are definetly more convention oriented as this is where the bulk of their business comes from.
 
Thank you kilee,
I've had worse stays at other places. Like in olde towne :eek:
I just wish I would have had a better understanding of what a true convention hotel was and especially one of that magnitude. Oh well.
We still had a fantastic, wonderful, exciting and memorable vacation! :banana:

I just hope if my advice can help one family from not having to endure that type of hotel if they don't want to, it that helps someone I'll be happy :)

Thanks, YO
 
Yikes! You had one heck of an experience, huh?

If you were upset with the customer service I would write a little letter to them about your concerns. I remember the chaos at the valet parking, also, but I'm a chaotic person so it fit me!

I love the sportsbar! Champions is a place my son and I go to even when we don't stay at the MOWC! I've never had a problem but I guess it all depends on who is at the hotel at the time. When we were there in April we were there with two tables full of ladies, one family and one table with conventioneers and everyone was nice and quiet.

Sorry you had such a bad time... :( My son is 13 and he LOVES that place. We were in Orlando last week in a vacation home and he showed it to my uncle as we drove by on the expressway. "That place has the coooolest elevator" he always says... he treats that glass elevator like a ride at Disney!
 


We've stayed at the World Center quite a few times - and never on business. I like the hotel and just about everything there - especially Champions restaurant. The pool area is great!

The only way I think you recognize it being a convention center is if you travelling down the ballroom halls - those can be avoided. It is a beautiful hotel with lovely grounds.
 
I'm staying here for 2 weeks in August in a suite. :sad2: Now I'm worried. Anyone else stayed here that can reassure me?
 
This is how I felt the last time we stayed at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress-- like I was the only one NOT there on business! We used to love it, but I'll stick to more resort-y hotels!
 


I'm sorry you had such a bad stay at the MOWC. I stayed there in March 2000 with my 3 kids, after getting a great deal on Priceline. (That's how Robinrs and I met on the DIS...SHE got it on Priceline, too!) I thought the hotel was gorgeous, and my kids loved the fabulous pool!

Now I usually stay at the Swan or Dolphin when I'm in the Orlando area. I've been there when they've had some mighty big conventions going on, but it really doesn't bother me - cuz I go to the parks and those people are inside all day! :)
 
We stayed a couple of years ago and overall it was great, it was shame the fast food/deli area shut early though.

Had a pool view room and loved sitting on the balcony with great views, could see Epcot, MK fireworks! Room was very nice.

I post pic of view if i can find it
 
We are staying at Marriot Imperial Palms in a few weeks and our resort has use of the pools, etc at the Marriot World Center. I will have to keep your review in mind. Thanks!
 
My daughter and I arrive in town a few days early just to stay at the World Center. We love the place!

In fact, we rode out Hurricane Charlie there a couple of years ago! What an experience that was!
 
We have stayed there before (always kid free). now with kids, we usually stay at the vacation club that is part of the overall complex. Earlier this year (and again in August) we will stay at the Royal Palms in a 3 bedroom villa. It is so spacious, and we do not have go out to eat, we just eat in. We would take the van up to the MWC and the kids loved riding the elevators with dad - I could only ride it once :sick: .

I agree the food court was lacking, and rainy day activities could have been better!

thepwa - we had friends who rode out Charley there too - way in the upper towers with a 4 week old baby, and they didn't enjoy it too much! LOL
 
We stayed at the imperial Palms down the hill from the world back in 2006 and shuttled up to the world many times. I agree with some of the poster's observations. There were many business travelers at the world and I don't think they should mix the areas between the vacationers and business travelers when possible. I remember visiting the food court in my bathing suit while there were other people there dressed in suits.

As for pluses, if the poster had stayed at the world pool during the day they would have enjoyed one of the best pools in Orlando, IMHO. It is huge, great slide, all kinds of things going on. We spent 4 days just hanging at the pool and it was great. The kids program is right next to it so my 6YO was able to attend those activities while we just hung out. The gardens and grounds are beautiful.

I agree that the world suffers because it trys to be everything to everyone. We have a better time at a straight, family location like Marriott's Cypress Harbor but the world was still very nice.
 
so sorry it was so awfully for you.

promise won't recommend it again!!!

I had assumed that since the timeshares were there - it was family. It does have a bunch of activities at least on their website.
 
I have stayed there several times and I always enjoyed it. I would stay there again.

I don't think you can compare it to a Disney resort they are 2 different things. Disney caters to families and Marriott to travelers and convention people. Of course your kids prefered the POR to the World Center!

The problems with the valet sound like a hotel at peak check in time, we all know people that wait forever in line at a Disney otel to check in if they arrive around 3pm. It is too bad it happened and I would direct a coment to the hotel management. You seem to have a valid complaint with the wake up call.

That hotel has a fancy restaurant, a sports bar, a food court and a Starbucks. When you said the food was too expensive I am not sure what you were expecting. It is too bad that the food court closes so early but again the focus of that hotel is not for people coming back from the parks late.

The pool area is very nice, the rooms spacious and clean. It is very close to Disney. If you wanted more family activities you might have look for a more family focused resort.

Lisa
 
For the last 3 years we have stayed at the MWC and have loved it. Out of our 3 stays there was only once we had a problem and that was with the AC and we were moved to a new room..... Now mind you, we never really noticed the business people so much, we saw a lot of families staying there and my kids love that place. The pools can't be beat. While the food is expensive, there are so many restaurants nearby that it really isn't a problem. We may have just picked good times that there where not convention there, but so far it is my favorite non-Disney hotel.


I would contact one of the managers and be sure to let them know of your experience and everything that has happened.

I am sorry that you had such a bad stay.
 

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