Marriott World Center

[Bowen9475]

We just found out that the convention we will be attending next summer is at the Marriott World Center (we were hoping it was at Disney). I have looked at the website and it looks like a beautiful hotel. What can you tell me about this hotel? How close is it to Disney and to Seaworld? Are there a lot of restaurants nearby, within walking distance? Thanks for any help

 

[Detailor]

We just found out that the convention we will be attending next summer is at the Marriott World Center (we were hoping it was at Disney). I have looked at the website and it looks like a beautiful hotel.

It is a beautiful hotel - at least in the lobby area. The back part of the hotel where most of the rooms area located is, I think, a more routine-looking hotel - nice, but routine. This hotel, however, does feature a lot of amenities - restaurants, shops, pools, - and all of them seem very nice.

What can you tell me about this hotel? How close is it to Disney and to Seaworld?

It's located very close to Disney property - two miles from the Marriott parking garage to the property line via SR 536 that runs right in front of the hotel; about 4.5 miles to Hollywood Studios, 5.0 to Epcot, 7.0 to MK parking, 7.5 miles to Animal Kingdom. And about 6.5 miles to SeaWorld.

Are there a lot of restaurants nearby, within walking distance? Thanks for any help

Other than the three restaurants in the hotel there's nothing that's walkable. However, there are several restaurants within 2 miles going up SR 535 (right around the corner from the hotel) - a Wendy's, a Chick-fil-A, a Lonestar Steakhouse, a Landry's Seafood, a Golden Corral and a Bahama Breeze. There was a Benigan's in that stretch, not sure if anything has gone in there since they closed.
And a bunch more between three and four miles away in the Crossroads/Lake Buena Vista area and Downtown Disney.
There are two steak house restaurants (one Japanese style, one American style) and an Italian restaurant at the hotel, there's also a bar & grille outside by the big pool, and a food court in the lower part of the hotel just inside from the pool area.

Enjoy!

Dick Taylor

 

[Bowen9475]

Thank you! I was just reading some posts you had written about Royal/Sabal Palms. I was thinking we might want to book a room at one of these resorts to get the bigger accomodations. From what I understand they are within walking distance of the World Center and you can use the amenities at the World Center. Am I right? Would it be doable to stay at one of the other resorts when attending convention activities? I know that at previous conventions we have attended, the hotels have filled up and they need to offer rooms at nearby hotels. Maybe that is what might end up happening and they would suggest the Royal Palms or Sabal Palms. Thanks again!

 

[Detailor]

Thank you! I was just reading some posts you had written about Royal/Sabal Palms. I was thinking we might want to book a room at one of these resorts to get the bigger accomodations. From what I understand they are within walking distance of the World Center and you can use the amenities at the World Center. Am I right? Would it be doable to stay at one of the other resorts when attending convention activities? I know that at previous conventions we have attended, the hotels have filled up and they need to offer rooms at nearby hotels. Maybe that is what might end up happening and they would suggest the Royal Palms or Sabal Palms. Thanks again!

Yes, guests of the three Marriott timeshare resorts - Sabal Palms, Imperial Palm Villas and Royal Palms - may use the amenities at the hotel in addition to the amenities at the resorts. It's about a half mile walk from the check-in building for Royal Palms to the front door of the hotel and three quarters of a mile to a mile or so from the resort area (depending on where you stay) to the hotel pool (a little bit less distance from Imperial Palm) while Sabal Palms is located right behind the hotel (maybe a quarter mile from the resort to the hotel's big pool area). So it's an easy walk from Sabal and a little less so from the others.

Staying at one of the timeshare resorts while attending events at the convention center would be imminently doable. The convention center, while attached to the hotel is roughly between the hotel building and the Imperial Palm Villas and Royal Palms resorts. If you look at the hotel property on Google Maps you'll see the hotel wrapping around the pool area with the convention center located to the right of the hotel. There are lots of hotels in the area - Caribe Royale, Buena Vista Suites, Holiday Inn SunSpree, Nickelodeon, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Courtyard Inn, etc. - that they'd likely identify for convention guests.

The hotel has over 2,000 rooms so, while it's possible that it would sell out, it's less likely that the convention would sell out the hotel. Instead, the company running the convention probably has a specific number of rooms to offer at special convention rates and once they are all booked conventioneers would probably have to pay rack rates. I sort of doubt that they'd start offering villas at the timeshare resorts as an alternative to rooms at the hotel (most villas are owned by timeshare owners), but you never know.

Dick Taylor