WWYD? 5 nights CSR Std or 4 nights GDT Std/1 night at an MCO hotel?

[Dug720]

Basically what the title says.

I'm currently booked into a Standard View CSR room Jan 6-11 with my flight scheduled to arrive at 10:38pm.

I've done some playing around, and I could use Hilton Points to all but pay for the room at the Hampton Inn Gateway (it would literally be less than $15 to stay there using cash and points), taking DME over first thing in the morning and checking into GDT Standard View. Price-wise it would come out almost identical.

When I get in whichever I choose, it would literally be (if I stick with CSR Std) get to the hotel and crash, then get up, grab breakfast at Rix and head to AK in the morning; or (if staying at Hampton), grab breakfast then shuttle back to MCO, get an early DME to GDT, drop my bags, and head over to AK.

WWYD? Go ahead and get to WDW property and stay in regular CSR? Or stay near MCO the first night and then head over first thing the next morning and stay in GDT Tower?

 

[figmentfinesse]

I vote option two. The tower looks so amazing and you wouldn't be enjoying the standard room night one anyways.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Different strokes for different folks, but I’ve done the late arrival stay at/around MCO thing.... once. Won’t do it again. I learned that for us, travel adrenaline and the “just wanting to get there” feeling override any financial logic. I sat there in bed at the MCO Hyatt thinking “WDW is only 30 minutes away” as I couldn’t sleep. Dealing with more transportation logistics the next morning was also a bummer.

But I also like GDT over a CSR standard room.

So I’m torn like you. But I think if I had to choose, I’d rather get there even if late, get settled in, get some sleep, and hit the ground running on your WDW vacation the next morning.

 

[Dug720]

Different strokes for different folks, but I’ve done the late arrival stay at/around MCO thing.... once. Won’t do it again. I learned that for us, travel adrenaline and the “just wanting to get there” feeling override any financial logic. I sat there in bed at the MCO Hyatt thinking “WDW is only 30 minutes away” as I couldn’t sleep. Dealing with more transportation logistics the next morning was also a bummer.

But I also like GDT over a CSR standard room.

So I’m torn like you. But I think if I had to choose, I’d rather get there even if late, get settled in, get some sleep, and hit the ground running on your WDW vacation the next morning.

Yeah, the one time I've done it, it was to get out of the NYC area before the predicted snow (which didn't materialize to the point they had anticipated - and the original flight I'd been on before changing to one the day before actually took off on time and landed early) so very last minute. I didn't even think to see if my resort at Disney had anything available for that night and just grabbed a room at the MCO Embassy Suites. The only reason I think I got any sleep was because the adrenaline from getting there (the flight I changed TO got cancelled, and I went tearing in to try and get on stand-by for an earlier flight - which worked, but not without a huge adrenaline surge) wore off. I'm not sure how well I'd sleep without that burst of energy.

Thanks!

 

[Disneylover99]

I know this is a more costly option but I’d just do 5 nights at GDT if you can swing it.

 

[Dug720]

I know this is a more costly option but I’d just do 5 nights at GDT if you can swing it.

I am pondering this. If I drop Memory Maker, it would only be 37.71 more for GDT Standard...

 

[Eeyore daily]

We did the drive up and stay off site for one night and won’t do it again. It’s much nicer being able to immediately relax and not have to deal with repacking and moving bags. Plus the room already being available is a huge advantage when wanting to relax.

 

[figmentfinesse]

I am pondering this. If I drop Memory Maker, it would only be 37.71 more for GDT Standard...

I thought that MM was still worth it with masks!

 

[nkereina]

You have to decide if the nearly negligible (in the grand scheme of a WDW trip) financial savings is worth the hassle and time cost of staying off-site for that first night. For me, it would not be. When we arrive, I just want to get to where we are going, "take care of business" by making sure everything in my room is in order and getting everything unpacked, etc. In your scenario, you could sleep in a bit the next morning with all of that stuff behind you, have a leisurely breakfast, and then head to AK. If you had to pack up, go back to the airport, get on DME, check-in and drop your bags, then you'd likely get to AK later. Plus, there's a good chance your room would not be ready at the time. Arriving late in the evening, your room would be ready.

I've not stayed at the tower yet, but we love the standard rooms at CSR so I would have no qualms about choosing that if it meant the logistics would be more convenient for me. If you can swing GDT for the whole time as PP suggested, I would do that. We don't typically do Memory Maker so it doesn't have the same value for us, but I absolutely would drop that and pay the extra $38 to just stay at GDT the whole time. With the masks, I don't think the pics would be that great (though it would be memorable), and we also found that a lot of the pics we expected to see never even showed up on MDE for us. Also, if anyone in your ride vehicle happens to remove their mask, they block the photo from showing up.

 

[Farro]

I am pondering this. If I drop Memory Maker, it would only be 37.71 more for GDT Standard...

I would do that because you can still take the photos with the photographers, see the ride photos and buy any if you really like them!

Or can you only get photos if you already have memory maker?

 

[Dug720]

I would do that because you can still take the photos with the photographers, see the ride photos and buy any if you really like them!

Or can you only get photos if you already have memory maker?

You can take them and if you really like them you can purchase them.

I looked back over my past trips, and the majority of them were with characters, so right now, it's not worth it for me.

I decided to change to CBR and drop Memory Maker. Ultimately CBR is my Disney Home deep in my heart.

 

[figmentfinesse]

CBR is amazing. I've stayed three times and I love everything about it!

 

[Dug720]

CBR is amazing. I've stayed three times and I love everything about it!

It was my first on-property resort, so I LOVE it there. I was initially NOT doing a Skyliner resort or one walkable to Epcot because it just feels weird to me going in the IG (I'm weird that way), but... I will need to visit the COVID testing place, and with Epcot opening last, that day would be ideal, so I can just grab a Lyft from there to Epcot's main entrance. No problem!!