The night before DVC - Hotels?

[av8tor]

Anybody have suggestions on where to stay the night before our first DVC vacation.

We have a 2BR at BCV Sept. 6th thru Sept. 13th. We fly into MCO on the evening of the 5th and need to make hotel reservations for that night. We will have 7 people total in our party, 5 adults and 2 children.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Nlihte]

Our family of four discovered that it is quite pleasant staying at the Hyatt in the Airport. Rather than renting a car that evening you just took the elevator up to your room. We did get in late so it was a great relief and did save some money on the rental car.
We just picked the car up the next morning after a wonderful breakfast . A bit more expensive but if you can afford it beleive me it has its benifits. Dennis

 

[MarylandPizzaman]

They are running a $69.00 a night special right now on thier website and they are only 1/2 mile from DTD!!!!!!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We plan to use Priceline for an airport hotel on our first and last nights due to late arrival/early departure. Not only does it cut down on the number of points being used at BCV but it also allows us to use a weekly car rental rate vs. eight days.

 

[Frozenfingers]

We have stayed at the Sheratin Safari, right outside DTD gate, Wyndam Palace, Grosvenor Resort (Both at DTD) and in Dec we got the doubletree. All were booked through hotwire, all were very reasonable.

Check out
BetterBidding.com if you need insight into using priceline or hotwire. Looks like hotwire have the Wyndam for $77, and either the Hilton, Grosvenor, or Best Western LBV for 49 bucks. All are DTD hotels.

We normally arrive noon to early afternoon so we enjoy a swim and a stroll in DTD before moving into the villas..

Good luck.. have a great time!

 

[castleri]

try hotel kingdom.com and check out their prices for 2 or 3 bedroom villas about 1 mile from DD. We have a 2BR for 3 nights before checking into OKW for total of $297 which includes taxes and the 3 bedroom ones are not that much more. There are several resorts listed. We opted not to go with the ones that require a time share visit. Many of them off the same rooms at different prices if you do the timeshare tour. You might also check out the resort or budget boards.

 

[Granny]

We have enjoyed staying at the Hotel Royal Plaza, which is on the Disney property near Downtown Disney. We use a mousesavers code and usually pay $59 - $69 a night for an excellent accommodation.

And the rooms sleep five, which is a plus. They include a pull out sofa bed.

Best of all, it's a very easy drive to check-in the next morning!

 

[JimC]

Some like the discount interent sites.

Some like the discounts available here or on Mousesavers.com

Some like staying on property at a value or moderate using AP codes or another discount. Two reasons to consider this. Disney will transfer the luggage from resort to resort for you -- no charge. You are enjoying Disney that much sooner

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

Might I suggest staying at one of the Universal properties (we love the Hard Rock) for the first night? That is our plan for our Dec. visit home. By doing so you get the free EP for UIOA (otherwise $23/person) and are able to do the entire park in a single day. We will also take advantage of being over "there" and go to Emeril's (our favorite restaurant) at City Walk after the park closes then after dinner go "home" to Disney.

This is by no means a money saving plan though... just a great start to a vacation [IMO].

 

[mlobbia]

We always like to stay in hotels that offer all suites (Homewood, Emabassy, ect.) becasue we like to be able to put the kids to bed without the adults having to go to sleep as well. With that in mind, there are some good deals at Homewood Suites near the airport about $90 for a 1-BR (would sleep 4 comfortably) or a 2-BR for about $160 (could sleep your 7). If you wish to be closer to the action, Homewood has 2 locations in the Disney area, one on 192 about 3 miles away, and one just outside DTD. Both these will cost about $10-20 more than the airport.

These are not super luxary holtels and the pools are not that nice, but the beds are comfortable and all hotel rooms look the same once you fall asleep...

 

[princess&tig]

I really think if you have a AP, Disney hotels are the way to go. The discounts are generally between 30 and 40%. We usually stay at a moderate resort like Caribean Beach or Port Orleans. We just stayed there in June for $79 a night after the discount.

2 really big advantages. 1. You are in a prime location to get your DVC resort early for room requests. You can check in and get to the parks and have a full day. Also the Disney moderate hotels are really nice too. 2. They transfer your luggage for free to the DVC resort. You just call the bell services. That rocks.

We usually go for to WDW for only 5 days so it is really a good way to make the best out of your first day. We can generally get checked in and to the parks by 12 noon on that day.

 

[MELSMICE]

Are you yourself a DVC member or are you staying on cash or renting points from a member?

If you're a member you may want to inquire as to if there is a member rate available for your first night. We are planning a November trip - staying at the YC on our first 2 nights (Fri & Sat) & then moving to an OKW 2BR for the week. We were going to leave & go to the Poly on the last Friday but I also booked the 2BR at the member's rate of $479. The CM told me to continue to call back to see if I could get a better member's discount rate. I took their advice & finally yesterday I got a rate of $359 + tax. The rate at the Poly is $333 + tax, so I figured we might as well stay in the 2BR instead of having to transfer. Now if an AP rate comes out that is really great for the Poly I might think about moving, but for the sake of less hassle, I'm leaning towards spending the extra $'s regardless.

JMO - good luck with whatever you decide! Also, JMO again, but I would stay on-site no matter where you decide to stay your first night. They can transfer your luggage the following morning & you can start your day right away.

 

[crisi]

Is saving money your first priority?

So far, we've only had one DVC stay, and it didn't involve a switch. But I have hopes of doing some stays at some of the resorts we didn't get a chance to stay in earlier. The Poly (I've been there, my husband hasn't), the GF and the AKL are all on the list. They aren't cheap, but each seems to offer something that we want to take advantage of at some point.

We would also like to do the Universal hotel plan sometime - once the kids get to coaster age that sounds like a great idea!

 

[KNWVIKING]

I like staying at the hotels on I-Drive. The Studio Sheraton is right across from Wet-n-Wild, rooms are always great, the beds are extremely comfortable and you can usually get an internet price of $69.00.

I also use Ibid.com and get great room rates from time to time.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Originally posted by princess&tig
I really think if you have a AP, Disney hotels are the way to go. The discounts are generally between 30 and 40%. We usually stay at a moderate resort like Caribean Beach or Port Orleans. We just stayed there in June for $79 a night after the discount.

2 really big advantages. 1. You are in a prime location to get your DVC resort early for room requests. You can check in and get to the parks and have a full day. Also the Disney moderate hotels are really nice too. 2. They transfer your luggage for free to the DVC resort. You just call the bell services. That rocks.

We usually go for to WDW for only 5 days so it is really a good way to make the best out of your first day. We can generally get checked in and to the parks by 12 noon on that day.

I agree completely. I have always been able to get an AP rate, staying at the All Stars the first night. I just pack a little overnite bag, keep it in my carry-on, and don't even open my suitcase. Then the next morning, luggage gets sent to my DVC resort and I'm off on the bus! Couldn't be easier! And I've paid $49-$59 per nite at the All Stars.

 

[sitchu2]

check out the popular websites like the dis and all ears. They have good rates at the swan dolphin. Many fans of the bwv bcv area love to spend fri sat nights here, and remain in the same wonderful area.