Suggestions for One Night Stay for Late Arrival

[TamaraQT]

I'm looking for suggestions. Going to Orlando the end of June. We will be staying in a timeshare resort for a week (Saturday - Saturday). Due to a huge price difference in airfare, we will be arriving in Orlando Friday night/morning (1:30am). Now we are trying to decide where to stay for the night. We will have a rental car, but if we stay near airport for the night, I think we should use a shuttle to hotel and come back to airport in morning and get a car. DH says just get the rental car when we arrive and drive to a hotel closer to the resort we are staying at. What are your thoughts?? Also, do you have suggestions on where to stay? Forget the Hyatt at airport, prices are far too high. We want something clean and decent that also serves a nice hot buffet breakfast. Feel free to chime in and offer suggestions. Thanks.

 

[kathy884]

What timeshare are you staying at? I'm kind of with your husband on this one. For me time in Orlando is precious and I would probably get the rental car on night one and get a hotel close to the timeshare where I was staying the next day. It doesn't take that long to get somewhere in Orlando that night, but the next day I just wouldn't feel like shuttling back to get the car, etc. It's me wanting to feel like the major logistics stuff is done and I'm starting my vacation on day one. We've done this very thing before when staying at a timeshare for a week. I just don't like going back to the airport if I don't have to till it's time to go home. But maybe I've just spent too much time going back and forth picking up extended family that makes me feel that way -- I arrive and I'm the one with the minivan and I end up going back to the airport to pick up other people who arrive later in the week.

You could look at the cost of hotel that meets your needs that includes a shuttle to and from the airport vs. price of a car for an additional day and a hotel that meets your needs near your timeshare and see if you think shuttling back is worth it or not. Put a dollar amount on that.

I like the breakfast a lot at the Marriott Residence Inn SeaWorld and it's a place that makes me feel like I am immediately on vacation. It's my home away from home in Orlando when I'm not staying at one of the great offsite timeshare resorts. Prices can vary a lot there though and that might be more than you want to spend. A SeaWorld day from there will also get you one time quick queues if you would be interested in doing that park on day one. It's not something that's really needed, but is a nice perk.

 

[EACarlson]

Hyatt Place across 528 from the airport would be my suggestion. https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/f...F00uubeZxK6zG5t8Lbueh0AmfAylzuwaAvZIEALw_wcBI was going to do the same thing, but valued the time in the morning enough that I'm paying the extra $40 for the rental car for that night. I've got Hilton points and don't care about breakfast, so I'll be staying at the Home 2 Suites north of the airport about a mile.
I would agree somewhat with your husband, I would get the car Friday night and find a cheap, decent hotel along your way with free parking.

 

[pigletto]

We are in the same boat for our trip. The Friday night flight was wayyy cheaper but we couldn’t add the night to where we are staying. We get in at 8:30 and we will pick up the car and drive to the Disney area because we want to go to a park Saturday morning and make the most of the day.

Right now we are booked at the Galleria Palms in Kissimmee and it meets all your criteria . Reasonable price , good reviews, no extra fees, decent breakfast. And it’s close by to get to our first park in the morning.

I would move to one of the hotels at Flamingo Crossings if the prices came down. They seem to fluctuate all the time so they might. So far though the Galleria Palms is winning. Especially since we need two rooms.

 

[Duck143]

I booked Fairfield Inn near Universal. They serve a breakfast included. I've never stayed there before, but for one night, it is a good price and includes breakfast.

 

[TamaraQT]

You could look at the cost of hotel that meets your needs that includes a shuttle to and from the airport vs. price of a car for an additional day and a hotel that meets your needs near your timeshare and see if you think shuttling back is worth it or not. Put a dollar amount on that.

I like the breakfast a lot at the Marriott Residence Inn SeaWorld and it's a place that makes me feel like I am immediately on vacation.

Thanks @kathy884 . Shuttling back and forth is a good point to consider. Especially since it would be a Saturday morning, and I am sure the airport will be pretty busy. DH thinks I just want the experience of an airport shuttle ride as part of the vacation. He probably has a point.

I would agree somewhat with your husband, I would get the car Friday night and find a cheap, decent hotel along your way with free parking.

Thanks @EACarlson. IF and ONLY IF he wins the debate will I concede. However, I am starting to lean more towards picking up the car regardless. It does sound like alot to trek back and forth by shuttle.

I booked Fairfield Inn near Universal. They serve a breakfast included. I've never stayed there before, but for one night, it is a good price and includes breakfast.

Thanks @Duck143 I will give it a look.

 

[TamaraQT]

We are in the same boat for our trip. The Friday night flight was wayyy cheaper but we couldn’t add the night to where we are staying. We get in at 8:30 and we will pick up the car and drive to the Disney area because we want to go to a park Saturday morning and make the most of the day.

Right now we are booked at the Galleria Palms in Kissimmee and it meets all your criteria . Reasonable price , good reviews, no extra fees, decent breakfast. And it’s close by to get to our first park in the morning.

I would move to one of the hotels at Flamingo Crossings if the prices came down. They seem to fluctuate all the time so they might. So far though the Galleria Palms is winning. Especially since we need two rooms.

Exactly @pigletto. That Friday evening flight is wayyy cheaper than Saturday morning. However, from my airport, there are no really early flights for Saturday morning. They are later in the morning or early afternoon. If Saturday is my resort check-in day, I want to be there as early as possible (at least before noon). Even if I factor in the cost of an extra day car rental and a hotel night, it's still cheaper to fly in Friday night.

I have never stayed at Galleria Palms, but I am familiar to where it is. I will definitely give it a look.

 

[Upatnoon]

I'm looking for suggestions. Going to Orlando the end of June. We will be staying in a timeshare resort for a week (Saturday - Saturday). Due to a huge price difference in airfare, we will be arriving in Orlando Friday night/morning (1:30am). Now we are trying to decide where to stay for the night. We will have a rental car, but if we stay near airport for the night, I think we should use a shuttle to hotel and come back to airport in morning and get a car. DH says just get the rental car when we arrive and drive to a hotel closer to the resort we are staying at. What are your thoughts?? Also, do you have suggestions on where to stay? Forget the Hyatt at airport, prices are far too high. We want something clean and decent that also serves a nice hot buffet breakfast. Feel free to chime in and offer suggestions. Thanks.

We have stayed at Springhill Suites by MCO a couple times. They have a shuttle and free breakfast.

This is not specific to Orlando, but with the rental car, I have a few times shaved off some time off by picking it up the day after we arrived and dropping it off the day before.

I will go to the airport in the AM while my family stays at the hotel, get the car, then return and we all head out.

And I have dropped my family off at the hotel, went and returned the rental car and returned via the hotel shuttle. The next morning for our flight we all take the shuttle.

Whether this is worth it is going to depend on the cost of a rental car and when your flight is leaving. During the pandemic, when rates were outrageous, we saved a few hundred dollars doing that.

Little tweaks like an extra night in a hotel or shaving a day off a rental car can potentially save hundreds, especially when you have a large family.

 

[TamaraQT]

Whether this is worth it is going to depend on the cost of a rental car and when your flight is leaving. During the pandemic, when rates were outrageous, we saved a few hundred dollars doing that.

Little tweaks like an extra night in a hotel or shaving a day off a rental car can potentially save hundreds, especially when you have a large family.

This is EXACTLY what I am looking at. And where it will matter is departure/arrival of flights. Since we have not booked our flights yet (something I regret), I really know Friday night is cheaper and arrival times are more favorable than Saturday price and arrival times.

I am so thankful for all that have chimed in and offered scenarios and suggestions. I am really upset that I couldnt nail down our flights. I am really upset rental car rates have jumped significantly this week in comparison to last week. I couldn't pull the trigger until DH could get all his time off approved. Now things have increased. So, we will see. I am still looking and guessing. All of this shuttle stuff and everything else may be out the window if these prices don't become more realistic

 

[Upatnoon]

Perhaps you are already doing this, but Florida has a lot of airports. If you have to rent a car anyway, don't limit yourself to MCO. We saved $2,000 driving from Jacksonville to Tampa for a trip to the West Coast. Good luck hunting a deal!

 

[TamaraQT]

Perhaps you are already doing this, but Florida has a lot of airports. If you have to rent a car anyway, don't limit yourself to MCO. We saved $2,000 driving from Jacksonville to Tampa for a trip to the West Coast. Good luck hunting a deal!

Good point about the airports. I guess I am so used to MCO that I havent considered any other. Thanks for bringing that up. It is definitely worth a look.