THANK YOU, everyone for the WDW Downtown Disney $20.03 Courtyard by Marriott

[RaySharpton]

I just want to thank everyone for all the information on the Downtown Disney Courtyard by Marriott deal for $20.03 per night on nights of Sunday through Thursday, and dates August 10, 2003 through October 2(I think), 2003.

I called the 800 number, 1-800-223-9930, and confirmed that it was actually the DtD CbM on 1805 Hotel Plaza Road,Lake Buena Vista Road, Florida 32830. I say this because the hotel transfers their telephone number to the main, national reservation center after 7:00 P.M. EST (and they don't know about the special rate.

So make sure that you call Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. EST until 7:00 P.M. EST. And on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. EST. I had the regular telephone number, also, at 407-826-8888. But I didn't have to use it.

I did have to "pay for all" the nights with a credit card. No problem...it was only $20.03 per night.

The reservationist did say that it was "nonrefundable". No problem...the total price was $89.36 for the whole four night stay including taxes..."WOW!" Only $22.34 per night including taxes.

They offered a kingsize bed on my August trip, but just a two double beds' room on my September trip. It doesn't hurt to ask, because they said they can't make changes, and no refunds after you make confirmation. Click here, to see all the amenities etc..

And here is the Downtown Disney Courtyard by Marriott web site, Click here, to go there. If you want to be notified of other special rates by email, just scroll down their web site to just above their address. There you will see a place to click on to sign up for special notification of special rates.

Click here if you would like to see a video or slide show of the hotel. I wasn't able to view these slides or videos wit my WebTV, but maybe you can.

And if you are interested in "rewards", you can call the 800 number, 1-866-266-6626 to ask for a free "Marriott's Reward" card and information to be mailed to you. They will give you your Marriott Reward Number over the phone to use when you make your reservation.

They offered shuttle service every 30 minutes to the different parks. Even to DtD area from 6:00 P.M. until 3:00 A.M.. Click here, to see the Downtown Disney Courtyard by Marriott shuttle bus information and driving directions to parks, airport, Belz Mall, etc..

Click here, to see Deb Wills Frequently Asked Questions about Downtown Disney's Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. This has a lot of answers to a lot of questions everyone has been askng.


No early entry to the parks, but I think that she said E-night was available, and that you could make WDW dining reservations from te hotel.

I didn't think that I could use my WDW Annual Pass again until December, but now...I will be driving down after I get off work Monday morning on August 11, 2003. Then I'll leave early Friday morning on August 15, 2003, when I will drive back and go to work again that evening. I know, I'm crazy.

Anyone else going to be down there during this time?

I sure would like to have a DIS-meet and meet you.

If you would like, I could make a list here, by arrival and departure date, by DIS-name, by hotel or resort if you're interested.



DATE_______DIS-name_________Hotel/Resort
__________________________________________

08/11-08/18 - 3stooges_____Courtyard by Marriott
08/11-08/15 - RaySharpton__Courtyard by Marriott
08/15-08/22 - BethR_______Courtyard by Marriott
?8/15-??/?? - dgaston______Courtyard by Marriott
08/??-08/?? - nativetxn_____??
08/17-08/23 - comon________Courtyard by Marriott
08/17-08/23 - crazyme5kids__Courtyard by Marriott
08/17-08/22 - judirain_______Courtyard by Marriott
08/17-08/22 - mousey_______Courtyard by Marriott
08/17-08/22 - thelk4________Courtyard by Marriott
08/17-08/22 - TommyJoe____Courtyard by Marriott
08/18week? - Belle1962_____Courtyard by Marriott
08/18-08/22 - Jan/Ma_____Courtyard by Marriott
08/18week? - tgr1116_______Courtyard by Marriott
08/23-08/31 - PatriciaH______Courtyard by Marriott
08/24-08/29 - Mom2of2________Courtyard By Marriott
08/31-09/05 - KathleenFL____Courtyard by Marriott
08/31-09/01 - luckytso______Courtyard by Marriott
09/03-09/11 - rickc77________Courtyard by Marriott
09/14-09/18 - Bottlejet______Courtyard by Marriott
09/15-09/18 - Tracyee______Courtyard by Marriott
09/20-09/25 - lynniepooh__Courtyard by Marriott
09/21-09/24 - cinamin27____Courtyard by Marriott
09/21-09/26 - DIS#1_______Courtyard by Marriott
09/21-09/24 - Mustangdi____Courtyard by Marriott
09/29-10/03 - RaySharpton___Courtyard by Marriott

________________________________________

Anyone else, Ray

 

[TheLorax2000]

Hi Ray - my character meet and greet friend ,
I won't be at WDW at that time (probably - I'm the queen of last minute get-a-ways ), but I wanted to say great rate and I hope you have a great time.

 

[CarolA]

Hi Ray!

Who knows? Maybe I'll show up!

 

[kejoda]

Ray I just might have to beg my dh to go at this time. Your on my must meet list! Our biggest drawback was the heat one of our kids doesn't like the heat too much. Good thing he lives in Minnesota!

Glad to see you posting again Ray!

 

[We4mickey]

We will be there at the courtyard Aug 10-14 then onto FW with friends.

 

[ticketwm35]

Well after much debate we changed our reservation from all sports to courtyard. When I called the lady was very nice.She also faxed me a copy of the bus schedule it looked ok.Can't wait

Ticketwm35

 

[Darian]

Hi all...

DW and I hadn't considered doing a non-Disney hotel... until this thread came along! But $20 a night... WOW! To stay at the YC you'd have to add a zero to that price and then some for a standard room. How does it compare to a Disney hotel?

Thanks for the links Ray... I checked 'em out and it looks like a nice hotel.

I've gotta know... from those out there at the DIS who have stayed at this hotel... how was the transportation around the parks? Is it best to rent a car if we stay there? Did you ever get stranded?

How were the rooms? Was the hotel clean?

Thanks!

Darian

 

[The Princess]

With this price it makes it possible to get back to the world sooner than I thought.

 

[RaySharpton]

Well, hello everyone. I guess that this thread got moved from the "Resort Board". That's O.K., I guess this is the best place for a Downtown Disney Courtyard by Marriott hotel. And I think that this is the first time that I've been here, on the Orlando Board.

Hi, Carol, TheLorax2000, my Dear Character meet friend. That was so much fun. I miss you, too.

Hi, Carol, CarolA, my other Carol friend, too. I miss you, too. I just read your trip report and it was great.

Hi, Kejoda, I don't like the heat much either. I hope that you get to go.

Hi, We4mickey, I love Fort Wilderness Campground. Last December, about 50 fellow DISers went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Muscical Review as a very big, rowdy group. For some strange reason, I volunteered to go on stage as an "angel". I know that there are some pictures around, but I was an ugly looking angel with my santa hat on.

Hi, Ticketwm35, and The Princess, and Darian. Isn't this a great price? I've added Deb Wills' Frequently Asked Questions' link above. I haven't seen many pictures yet. I'll take some when I go in August.

Ray

 

[CarolA]

Ray,
You WERE not an ugly angel! You were beautiful! My PC crashed and I don't seem to have a photo handy, but I will look for one! Plus there was the added benefit of all of us yelling RAY! RAY! RAY!

It was great!

 

[Belle1962]

I just spoke with DtD reservations--except for the week of August 10 they still have full availability---Hey Ray--wanna go for three??

 

[Towncrier]

Hey Ray - You made a pretty convincing angel.

Any chance that you'd be up for a trip in June??? No way for us to swing a trip once school starts, so we'll have to pass on the great deal. If we decide to take the western route on the way home (thru Atlanta), we'll give you a shout.

 

[DisnyMik]

Hi all, while trying to locate a thread on another hotel, I came across this one on the Courtyard by Marriott-Hotel Plaza Blvd. Hope you don't mind me sharing our experience there with you.
Also, this is LONG! I apologize!!

We stayed there in November after our DC and got a great rate of $39.00. Wanted to save a little $$ after being on the cruise, etc., so we went for it. It was also a prepay, no cancellation/no refund deal thru Dreams Unlimited. We figured since it was a Courtyard on Disney Property it had to be o.k. Let me start by saying that it has been years since we have stayed off property so this was a big step for us.
When we checked in the guy at the desk would not look at my husband, only me. Then when my husband asked a question, he totally ignored him. Then, when he asked again, he finally told my husband that he "would get to that in a minute just wait", turned away from him and continued talking to me! He was very rude to say the least. We were so shocked that neither of us could say anything to him. We head for the elevator, get on and we were a little surprised at how old it and rickety it looked and sounded. So, okay, the elevator is a little old, no biggie. Get to the room and my 11 yr. old DD says "yuck! look at this room! It looks so bare!" We all (5 of us) kind of stand there amazed at how old and not very inviting the room was. There was paint peeling, stains on the ceiling and the bathroom wasn't any better. (It was definitely a good size room, though!) Immediately my DH and I knew this was not going to be good.
The laundry area consisted of one washer and one dryer. No big deal, my husband took a couple loads to the other bldg. to make it go a little faster, I stayed in ours (a lot of laundry for 5 after the cruise!) First, he had to find it since the person we called at the desk told us it was in a totally different place then where it actually was. The laundry area (I say 'area' because it wasn't a 'room', just a little place off to the side) was worse then the rooms. Same thing, water stains on the walls and ceiling, not clean, etc. You could tell these weren't recent, they had definitely been there a while. The whole place was just in such need of renovation that we were just shocked. I was so disappointed that a Courtyard would look like that and what's more, it is sitting on Disney property! Okay, so finally after a couple of days of being miserable, I got up enough nerve to go to the front desk and speak to the manager. My DH had no idea I was doing this, he was at ESPN/Boardwalk. I told the mgr. my situation beginning with the front desk clerk the 1st day. Then of course relayed my dismay over the condition of the room and hotel and wanted to know if we could transfer to another Marriott hotel. That was not possible he said, because they are all independently owned. Also, he couldn't move us to another room because, he said, all the rooms were like that. He of course apologized, etc., and wanted me to fill out a complaint form about the desk clerk (apparently they had problems w/this guy before). He said they would be renovating the end of 2003, and that it has been many years since it was renovated. He offered us free bkfst bar for the rest of our stay. So, I called and got 2 rooms at All Stars for the remainder of our stay. We lost about $60.00 (I think) but it was worth it. We had a great time at AS and regretted not doing that to begin with. I don't think we are terribly picky people, we just expect more from a place that usually has a good reputation. The other thing is I can not understand how a hotel can be in that condition and still be allowed to operate on Disney property?!
In the end my DH said, "you get what you pay for".
I realize that $20.00 per night is SO cheap that it is hard to pass up! What an inexpensive vacation! It's great as long as you know what to expect. I just hope that people aren't expecting a lot, and definitely not a normal Courtyard.
I apologize once again for this being so long, and I hope I haven't offended anyone.
Thanks, Joyce

 

[Belle1962]

Joyce--so sorry to hear about your experience. I'm glad you complained to the manager. I've taken advantage of this offer every year and never had a room like you described. The rooms do seem a bit "plain" for Disney but then Courtyards were not designed for family travelers--they were designed for business travelers (I thought). I've also never had a problem with the front desk staff--they have always been friendly and accomodating.

Again--sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you wrote to Marriott directly when you got home.

 

[ticketwm35]

well after reading that report.I hope that I didn't make a mistake by changing my reservation.I hope that if anyone stays there will report there stay.Hopefully they are good marks about the hotel.

Ticketwm35

 

[CarolA]

One of the things I have learned about internet message boards is there is always someone who had a bad experience or did not like something. That is just life. My worst Disney hotel experience came at the Grand Floridan (go figure!) Based on that experience, I would stay pretty much ANYPLACE else then go back there. However, lots of people love it.

I have stayed at the Marriott Courtyard DTD. My hotel rooms were fine. The may not have the themeing detail that a Disney hotel does, but most hotels don't. I do know that Marriott redid the hotel when they took it over from Howard Johnsons's but I think that was several years ago. I have also read some trip reports where people stayed there and liked it.

My room was fine and I had no problems with anyone I encountered there. Now I don't do laundry so I can't comment on that. However, the Courtyard Chain is a business traveler chain so I guess laundry rooms are not high on their list.

All of the hotels in DTD are actually farily old (I think the Wyndam i is the newest!) so you do have some room set ups and things that are different from current hotel trends.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but attitude is everything. A lot of the bad reviews I see on off-site hotels start with "We always stay on property, but...." Keep in mind that you should not expect the Disney extras (no Mickey soap!). Now you do have a right to a clean room and I don't believe that manager who told the guest ALL of the rooms are like hers since I stayed there last year and mine was not. (I was on one of the $30 rates also!)

 

[RaySharpton]

CarolA, I don't know about that. I think I looked sorta bad up there onstage as an angel.

Belle1962, I don't think that I could do any more days. I wish that I could be down there with the rest of you guys.

Hi, John. I'm able to go WDW on Monday through Thursday nights because I work 12 hour night shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.

But, I can't take off on the weekends for awhile because I'm very short of paid time off. Sorry. I work the opposite days than most normal people.

Ray

 

[DisnyMik]

No, we did not got to the Courtyard - DTD thinking it would be like a Disney hotel "Mickey soaps", etc. We DO travel to other cities so we DO know what other hotels are like outside of Disney property. Our point was it did not live up to even Courtyard standards. I failed to mention that due to the weekend we payed $89.95 a night for 2 of those nights. There is NO WAY that hotel was worth $89.00 a night! PLEASE! Now if you say, "okay, I'll stay there for $20.00 a night and I know I shouldn't expect much" then that is different.
As far as the laundry facilities not being high on their list, it is common sense to keep the facilities clean, etc.! I don't care that they had minimal facilities, I care that they at least keep them up to standards. I am not some body that takes going to Disney lightly. We work as hard as anybody to be able to go, which we do often, and I expect more from a company that typically has a good reputation. Now, if I was going to stay at some hole in the wall, no name place, I would not be expecting too much. I don't care that the Courtyard wasn't decorated w/Mickey Mouse all over the walls, I care that it was a decent place to stay. I also realize that other people have a had bad experiences with Disney hotels, but so far, after all the years, all the trips, all the hotel stays, all the $$$ spent, we have never had any complaints with our stays at the hotels. That is not to say we never will, but we pretty much know what we're getting when we do stay there. And, we have stayed at hotels years ago off property that were fine.
BTW- we had a great attitude when we arrived. We did not go into it thinking it would be terrible because we were not at a Disney hotel.

 

[zurgswife]

Good or bad I can't find the $20 a night rate any where...is it still out there..?

 

[ticketwm35]

yes it is you need to call the hotel directly.You also have to ask for the special price.