Courtyard Marriott Village in Orlando: A Relaxing Retreat
Written: Sep 10 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Minutes away from nearby theme parks, friendly staff
Cons: Limited shuttle service to and from parks, no full-service sit-down restaurant on site
The Bottom Line: A nice off-site retreat without on-site resort prices.
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| AshleyA's Full Review: Courtyard by Marriott |
Going to Disney World as a child, I was spoiled. My grandparents took us twice in the mid-to-late 80's, and both times, we stayed on site just one or two monorail stops from the Magic Kingdom. Now that I'm all grown up, the financial responsibilities for funding any and all of our travel endeavours lie in the hands of my husband and me. Through some careful planning and well-made connections, we were able to secure a $39/night employee rate through some friends of ours with whom we met up once we had arrived. I was a little disappointed not so much by our rate, which completely elated me, but by thinking that staying off property would be sub par by way of amenities, transportation, and convenience. Luckily, most of my pre-conceived notions were false figments of my imagination.
The Courtyard Marriott Village is located off of Little Lake Bryan just across Interstate 4 from the main Walt Disney World resort. For those anticipating the recreational opportunities offered by a lake, be forewarned that there is a purpose for the "Little" in Little Lake Bryan. It's really just a pretty pond surrounded by leafy green trees and foliage that plays home to local feathered residents, amphibians, and mosquitoes. Getting to the hotel to and from the airport is by taxi only, and a one-way cab trip runs around $40.
Passing through limited access gates, which are sometimes manned by a security guard, we entered the village consisting of a Courtyard, a Springfield Suites, and a Fairfield Inn all situated around an attractive water fountain. The lobby was comfortable but extremely well air-conditioned. The tiled floors and upholstered chairs complemented the light color scheme. The lobby bar, and big screen TV in the secondary sitting area closer to the doors out to the swimming pool made it a very inviting place to relax. Checking in was simple and easy. We were given a packet of information that included our keys, our shuttle bus pass to the parks, a discount coupon for the breakfast buffet, a welcome letter, a shuttle schedule and another sheet stating that purpose behind the $7.50 per night transportation charge. Even if we had not been staying in the hotel to visit any of the nearby Orlando theme parks, I do find it respectable that they did clearly inform us of the charge ahead of time.
We made our way up to our room, which seemed to take forever to reach. The corridors were long, but once we settled in, we were quite pleased. We had a non-smoking double room with a view of the beautiful pool area. The room was extremely clean with linens that were in great condition. Standard room amenities for this property included: a modem outlet, an iron and ironing board, a hair dryer, satellite tv with a remote, a coffee maker, complimentary USA Today delivery on weekdays, and a mini fridge. I found the beds to be comfortable and the pillows to be fluffy. While some light from the hall did faintly illuminate the entryway to our room, it was never a nuisance. The rooms themselves were quiet, and the only time I ever heard our neighbors surrounding us was while I was through the vents in the bathroom. I will admit that isn't the most pleasant place to hear your neighbors, but I'm thankful that I didn't have to spend too much time in there.
Each morning, the restaurant serves a breakfast buffet for under $10. The food is mediocre, but they have a nice selection of hot and cold items including eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, omelettes and Mickey Mouse waffles made to order, cereals, juices and milk, fruit, yogurt, and breakfast breads. One drawback was that the restaurant was not a full-time restaurant. This posed a challenge for my carless husband and me in that during late summer and early fall, the rains tend to fall regularly between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Some of the storms are rather violent accompanied by aggressive strikes of lightning. Although there were a few eateries within walking distance, we were not too fond of risking our lives for the sake of filling our stomachs. Luckily, the rain cleared up long enough for us to run across the road for some dinner. There are a few eateries located in the "village" part near the shuttle bus pickup and dropoff point. They serve Pizza Inn pizza, Oscar Mayer hot dogs and deli sandwiches, as well as packaged snack foods and candies. In the mornings, it's a convenient place to pick up some freshly delivered Krispy Kreme donuts, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and a beverage of your choice.
Hotel amenities include, an on-site Disney office where park passes can be purchased, a gameroom, a very attractive and clean indoor-outdoor pool area with a wading section for children, an indoor spa, and outdoor spa, a business center, on-site Hertz rental, laundry service, shuttle service to and from the theme parks, self-serve washing machines, and a safe deposit box. My husband and I made use of the Hertz rental counter, and we found it to be quick, convenient, courteous, and efficient.
Transportation to and from the parks may be challenging to negotiate if you do not like following a schedule. Busses leave promptly at their arrival and departure times from the hotel, and the ride may sometimes be longer than anticipated simply because the same bus that services the Magic Kingdom also services MGM. The departure times and arrival time may seem limited depending on the schedules, and the times that are available to Sea World and Universal Studios are even more limited. Our friends had rented a car, and with $6.00 all-day parking at any one of the four major Disney theme parks, we found it to be extremely convenient to just drive ourselves back and forth from the hotel after testing the shuttles out.
Overall, our stay at the Courtyard Marriott Village was quite enjoyable. The staff was friendly as they greeted us each time we entered the hotel and were attentive to our needs. Although I was spoiled as a "tween" and later on as a teen Disney customer, staying off property with access to a rental car was just as convenient and not quite as cost prohibitive as staying at most of the on-property resorts.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
AshleyA
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Member: Ashley
Location: Austin, Texas
Reviews written: 59
Trusted by: 49 members
About Me:
Livin' the good life in Texas.
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