What would you do if........

[mhelsley]

O.K a few facts first i will be traveling solo with no car plus i have a protective DH to take into account. Due to having tickets to a show i'll have to take a late flight out to Orlando(won't arrive until after 1 am)and i need a room close to the airport for one night before my Disney Cruise. I have thought about going the Priceline or Hotwire route but noticed a post that some shuttles don't run that late. DH likes the idea of Hyatt MCO(mainly he would prefer i not have to take a shuttle so late at night)but to me the price is a little high for just a place to crash for the night. So what do you think is best and are there other choices? Thanks for your help.

Melinda

 

[Lisa F]

Location, location, location.

If you're getting in at 1am (which means IF you get in on time and AFTER you go collect your luggage it will probably be at least 1:30am!) I would personally stay at the Hyatt. It has nothing to do with being a female who in spite of her independence has a ton of overprotective males in her family... but all to do with convenience. Most of the shuttles can be there within 15 minutes but really, at that time of night, it will be MUCH nicer to just head over to the Hyatt. If you are really strapped for cash I'm sure something off airport property would work (we loved the embassy suites and stayed there for more like $80/night, including cooked to order breakfast) but getting in at that time of night after a show, I would be utterly exhausted and just wanting to crash. I would pay extra for that convenience (but then I have waited for a shuttle for 2 whole hours at that time of night... yes, from 1:30am until 3:30am at BWI airport and I will NEVER put myself into that situation again!)

The last time we stayed at the Hyatt, it was $144 on their site but we were able to get an orbitz super saver rate for $80. Check around, you might be able to get a better rate at the Hyatt and make everyone happy.

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I'll second that. The Hyatt is just so much more convenient than any other airport hotel. Getting in that late, the last thing you want to do is wait around for the hotel shuttle. When you think about it, the difference in price between the Hyatt and an off-property hotel is a very small percentage of the price of the entire cruise vacation. While you can probably save $75 vs. an off-property hotel, when you look at what the entire trip costs when you add up cruise, airfare, transfers, etc., $75 isn't really that big a deal.

I'd be willing to bet that while you're waiting for a hotel shuttle at 1:45 AM, you'd be saying to yourself, "I'd pay $75 to be in bed at the Hyatt right now!" I know I would.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise!

 

[hydster]

I'd 3rd the Hyatt as well. We arrived at 10:30 pm local time 2 weeks ago (of course we had 3 kids) but for us it was more like 8:30. By the time we rode the baggage claim tram, retrieved our luggage, got to the car service, made a quick stop at a 7-11 and arrived at POR it was 11:30-11:45. I would have given ANYTHING to have just stopped in at the Hyatt that night instead of dragging ourselves all over the place. It's your own personal choice but if it were me getting in that late I'd definitely try to suck up the cost and stay at the Hyatt. We got a day room there for our flight home and it was SO nice!

Heidi

 

[Greysword]

I would say Heidi presents the most compelling argument.

If you land at 1am on the dot, then you will need to get your luggage, call for the hotel shuttle, and get checked in. This will take about an hour, so you will be getting into your room about 2am.

Settling in and getting to sleep varies, but lets add only 30 minutes (including potty time, brushing teeth, you have not eaten yet, either, and finally falling asleep despite being overly tired and excited). Right then, now it is 2:30am.

If you want to get up at a decent hour, you will get about 6 hours of sleep (if everything went smoothly the ngith before). Then, you repack, get back on the shuttle, and head to teh DCL bus or your own shuttle by 10 am (allowing an hour and a half to wake up, get ready, repack, and get some food especially if you failed to eat last night, and recatch the shuttle to the airport).

On the other hand, if you land at 1am on the dot. It takes about 20 minutes to get your luggage and 10 minutes to get checked in. Now, it is 1:30am. Spend the 30 minutes mentioned before, and you fall asleep by 2. You can then sleep an extra 30 minutes due to knocking out the shuttle. Thus, you sleep for 7 hours and spend an hour waking, cleaning, dressing, eating, etc). Your bags are placed for pick-up, so you won't have to worry about that, and you are still ready at the DCL Bus area by 10am.
Of course, it is only an extra hour on this scenario, and you will need to fill in the blanks for time till bed and time for wake-up.

Just wanted to give a possible scenario!! Good luck!!

Oh! Can you take the red-eye, sleep on the plane, and arrive in the morning instead of arriving at 1:30am?

 

[mhelsley]

I might have slightly more time as the flight comes in at 12:45 and i was aloting time to get luggage. I can get a rate of 144 so i think i'll be staying at the Hyatt and DH really prefers this even with the price. I should be fine as i normally only sleep 6 hours and sometimes not at all like before my last Disney trip(early flight and still went to the MK and stayed up until midnight). I have one more question what options will i have for breakfast before my towncar picks me up.

Melinda

 

[natdencro]

We always stay at the Hyatt: its a little more expensive, but it means no waiting around for buses and carrying heavy bags! Also, we leave our suitcases outside hotel room and they miraculously appear at our stateroom later in the day! (So far!)We only have a light breakfast at the airport on the Saturday, as we look forward to a fabulous lunch in Parrot Cay around 12.30pm. Nat

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

Originally posted by mhelsley
I have one more question what options will i have for breakfast before my towncar picks me up.

There are a lot of options for breakfast. The airport terminal has a few fast food places and a couple of sit-down restaurants, which may serve breakfast. There is a breakfast buffet in the top level of the Hyatt, but that's pretty pricey, and pretty mediocre, IMHO. I usually go with a bagel from the bagel shop in the terminal. That will keep me until I get on board and attack the shrimp on the lunch buffet.