Splurge or Cheap for 1 night??? So torn.

[seashell724]

Ok, one night stay. We are getting in at 11 pm and checking out to be at Chef Mickey's by 10:30. So, do we:

a) Stay at the Hyatt so we can get to bed at a good time and pick our car up the next day? This is a pretty pricy place. Concerned about that. Since we would not be here long is it nice enough to get our money's worth here? I do like staying in nice hotels but don't want it to be a wast. I think the cost would be around $250. I wouldn't mind paying that much if we were actually using the pool and stuff but now I am torn.

b) Find a cheap place that we have to drive to late at night??? Concerned about driving somewhere at night and getting to bed pretty late. Also, I think I find somewhere okay online and then go on to read HORRIBLE reviews about it. I have tried this with a few hotels and then read that they are all unsafe and really dirty. This has scared me a bit. But is it worth it to save $200-150? Should I suck it up and deal with it for a night?

So, splurge and not worry about the money or go cheap?

 

[DanenRox]

I say, go "middle of the road"...but first, when are you traveling? I understand your concerns and am no expert myself. Having been to Orlando several times (yay! ) I'm learning my way around a bit. There are some very nice areas right outside of WDW where you can probably get a reasonable rate for a night. I wouldn't go cheap because you'll get itchy just thinking the worst. I wouldn't go high end because you'll have plenty of other things to blow your money on. I could give you some names if you'd like or recommend sights like tripadvisor.com or even AAA. Anyway, happy hunting.

 

[dgaston]

Whenever we arrive that late, I Priceline a 3* hotel at MCO for around $50. We take the shuttle to the hotel, and then in the am shuttle back to MCO to pick up our rental car or use ME. I just pick out a dummy flight arriving near the time we'll actually be ready to go to WDW.

You can learn a lot about bidding at www.biddingfortravel.com Be warned though their forums can be very picky about questions not in their designated format.

 

[JeanneK]

I agree, go middle of the road. You are getting in so late and leaving so early to enjoy the Hyatt. I've done priceline before with great success!

 

[theparsons]

When all I want is a bed for the night (i.e. arriving late, leaving early, not going to take advantage of, or probably even see, any of the "amenities"....then my criteria is:

safe neighborhood (after all I need my car to still be intact in the morning)
clean room (if bugs are there, I expect them to share the rent)


I've stayed in a lot of dive hotels because all I needed was a pillow to rest my head and a shower in the morning. I can also tell you that my DH would probably kill me if he realized the ugly rooms I've stayed in....his idea of "slumming it" is Days Inn. Then again, 99% of the time he stays in hotels his company is paying the bill, so then yeah, I'd go for Embassy or Sheraton too. But I can't fathom spending a couple hundred dollars (or even a hundred) for a bed/shower if I'm not even going to be there long enough to walk the beautiful grounds I just paid for!

I say stay at the cheapest your tolerance level can handle....save the rest of the money for souveniors or special events at WDW. Is there a Pirates/Princess Party happening when you're going? Staying cheap means you'd be able to afford it,

 

[lookingforward]

If it is just for one night I always go cheap. By the time you check in, get settled, etc. If you are flying in (assuming so by the choice of the Hyatt) and have to be at Chef MIckeys the next morning why don't you check in to a value. The transportation from the airport and back will be free and you know what you are getting. Otherwise, the Hyatt can't be half bad, check out internet specials at hyatt.com.

 

[seashell724]

Thanks for the replys everyone. How is transporation to and from the airport free if I decide to stay at another place? Do you mean a hotel shuttle or something? I think middle of the road will be our best bet.

Does anyone have any suggestions of good hotels though? Anything really easy to find will be good for me.I have looked online for hours and can't seem to find what I am looking for. The only thing I found was to stay at POP which was a pretty good price.

I guess the thing I was more stressed out about was getting our luggage, renting our car and driving to our hotel at 11 at night. I forgot to mention that day we will have driven 8 hours to a US airport then fly into Orlando. We have done this before and it is not too big of a deal. Plus, the airfare is half the price if we do this! We can leave our car with relatives. I didn't want to get lost that time of night and get in super late you know?

 

[Portugal1000]

Are you arriving at Orlando airport? If so you could do what we are doing. We arrive on 8th Dec for 3 weeks. We usually spend half the time at Homewood Suites (we go to the parks every day so can't bring myself to pay $250 a night for a hotel we will only sleep in) and half at a Disney Hotel (where we relax more) This year we are at SSR. So this year we have decided to stay at CBR for 1 night ($99) so that we could take advantage of Magical Express. A taxi would have cost atleast $50 so we look at it as if the hotel is only really costing us $50 (sort of makes sense!) That way, if our flight is delayed (flying from London so good possibility) then we won't have wasted anything. Also, we pick our hire car up from DTD the next morning which is perfect. Hope this helps.

 

[kty]

we stayed at the hyatt one night prior to our cruise and loved it. the beds are comfy and it was so convenient not to have to drive anywhere. also, there are restaurants right in the airport if you want to grab something to eat. that being said, we were able to get the hyatt for 89.00 on hotwire. check it out - it is the hotel listed at the airport with the tennis courts. i would not pay the 200.00 for one night, but if you can get it at the discounted rate, why not?