Staying at HRH and doing WDW too?

[goofyfordisney]

We are thinking about another trip this year in November. Last year we stayed at HRH for 2 nights and loved it (especially the price!) We did the Universal/IOA thing and then moved over to the WDW resorts for 6 nights and concentrated on WDW. We stayed at AKL and Beach Club. Neither really compared to the HRH! My family has expressed that they would like to go back to the HRH and stay the entire trip there rather than a WDW resort.

Would you ever stay the ENTIRE trip at one of the Universal resorts and drive to WDW everyday? It didn't seem real far away, and we didn't notice much traffic the morning we drove from HRH to WDW. The family thought the HRH was much more fun! I also think they didn't like to switch hotels as much as we did!

What do you think?

Any opinions would be appreciated!

 

[corvair]

We are thinking of staying at HRH for a couple of nights. Where did you get a good rate. I am going to try and book with entertainment book. Last trip to WDW we stayed at WL. Next trip we are thinking of AKL. What was it about the HRH that you liked so much compared to the WDW resorts?? thanks..corvair amy

 

[BarryHom]

You can do this. I don't really see too many advantages of staying on site at Disney anymore. You get transportation, don't need to worry about a car, and charge stuff back to the room, but not much else. If Disney still had EE days, then it may be worth it to stay onsite.

 

[Tigger Woods]

I'm doing the same thing in December. HRH for 2 nights then AKL for 2 nights. I've never stayed at either place, so I'm really curious why you prefer HRH. What was AKL like? Which do you think is better for small kids. (2 and 4) Thanks ..

 

[goofyfordisney]

covair,

We got a good rate last November thru a Discover Card promotion--we paid $99/night! I had initially booked our room with a AAA discount--I think it would have been $169/night.

covair & Tigger Woods,

As far as the comparison to the WDW resorts: The room that we had at the HRH was pretty much brand new--the beds were so comfy--lots of pillows and a nice comforter. I think we liked the whole atmosphere there too. They have music playing throughout the hotel and pool area. We really liked the pool area--we just really felt like we were on vacation--nice and relaxing! It was so nice having the "front of the line pass"! We never waited in any lines--we were able to go on so many rides. We enjoyed being able to walk to the parks and to the City Walk for dinner. It was far less crowded at the resort too.

I think that once we got to WDW--we kind of went into commando mode! We wanted to see everything (we had never been before). We didn't spend nearly enough time at AKL--that is one thing I would change next time. I thought the rooms at AKL were very nice and the resort is nice. We never used the pool during the day because we were so busy at the parks! I guess the downside to the AKL is the location. It's really off by itself. If you aren't interested in the 2 restaurants then you need to go somewhere else. It's a great place to stay if you want to explore and hang out. It was nice and quiet--it never felt crowded.

We also stayed at the Beach Club. The location of this resort is perfect--so close to the Boardwalk and Epcot and MGM. We just didn't really think that the room was in great shape. The beds were uncomfortable and the furniture and carpet were in bad shape. The hotel was sold out, so we didn't have alot of choice in rooms. The pool area was nice--just extremely crowded. It was not a place I would go to relax--too many people!! We paid $169/night for a water view at the BC. Our water view was an obstructed view of the quiet pool! Originally, I had made a reservation with AAA rates--we would have been paying $279/night!! There is NO WAY that this room was worth $279 a night!!! I think that we were comparing the quality of the room at HRH in combination with what we paid for each room and we were really disappointed by the BC. We have paid less a night in Maui for an ocean view room at the Westin!

In general, I think that Disney gets away with charging a lot because of the "on-site" thing--it really is nice "being in the magic". I think that Disney needs to re-think what they charge per night for their "deluxe" resorts. The quality of the room should be more inline with what is charged. Some of these people are paying more per night to stay at WDW than they would in Maui for an ocean-front room! I am so glad that I found these boards before my trip--I got so much info about how to save money!

Tigger Woods--as far as which is best for little kids...that's a hard one. Our two sons were 8 & 13 when we were there. I think all of the resorts were great for kids. But if I had to pick between them, I would give AKL and HRH the edge over the BC. I think that the BC is just too crowded--especially the Stormalong Bay pool area. The pools at AKL and HRH were just as nice, and not nearly as crowded! AKL has a lot of activities for the kids and it's just fun to explore too.

Now...Back to my original worry...do you think that driving back and forth between HRH and WDW will be a drag??? How long will it take to get to the parks???

Hope this helped some...Thanks!

P.S. Hope I didn't upset anyone here! Just trying to give my honest opinion!

 

[pauldents]

goofyfordisney,

We stayed at the HRH in March '02 for a week and did the Disney parks aswell. This wasn't really a problem for us because, i like driving in the US and you are not restricted to one place. It took around 20-30 mins to get from the HRH to WDW. If you hit the I4 in non-peak traffic you wont have a problem.

Paul

 

[DisneyAlly]

We stayed at PBH for a week last May and visited the WDW parks. It wasn't a problem at all for us. We did US/IOA on crowded days (weekends) and did the Disney parks on the less busy days, so we could take full advantage of FOTL access on the crowded days. We didn't think the driving was any hassle, and we got to explore other restaurants on International Drive.

 

[Muushka]

In a word, no. I so agree with your evaluation of HRH vs WDW. I really really like HRH. But, for us, it would detract from the Disney experience if we did not stay there (at WDW).

I just can't imagine driving away from WDW after the parks close! We have been known to drive from WDW to USF (gotta get my HULK fix).


We own at VWL, so it is a given that we will stay there for 5 nights. But since visiting USF (with the AP) and staying at HRH, we now add 2 or 3 nights on to the other 5.

I guess it would also depend on how many days you visited WDW. I guess if it were just 1 or 2, then the drive would not be too bad. Let us know what you decide!

 

[paulakim]

Originally posted by pauldents
goofyfordisney,

We stayed at the HRH in March '02 for a week and did the Disney parks aswell. This wasn't really a problem for us because, i like driving in the US and you are not restricted to one place. It took around 20-30 mins to get from the HRH to WDW. If you hit the I4 in non-peak traffic you wont have a problem.

Paul

Paul what are the non-peak traffic times on I-4? I would like to time our arrival right this time. Last year it was a nightmear(sp?)
anyway we hit the toll on the turnpike (i think it was around $2) around 4 and did not get to our hotel until 6:30 huge traffic jam it was very frustrating. this was on a sat during christmas break. this time we are going down thanksgiving week. we will be arriving on sat again though (the sat before the holiday). any tips? thanks so much! Paula

 

[pauldents]

Paula,

I found it is usually congested on the I4 between 7.30 am - 9.30 am & 4.00pm-6.30pm. I am not totally sure but i think there is quite a bit of road construction going on in the area aswell.

Maybe someone on the boards, who is more familiar with the area can suggest alternative routes. I would be very grateful for any replies, as we are staying at the HRH for 2 weeks at the end of September and plan to do some Disney Parks aswell.

Regards

Paul.

 

[paulakim]

This sounds great! We are trying to arrive at the HRH at around 1 and chance our room being ready in order to beat the check in rush. Thanks Paul