Embassy Suites?

[Becca61]

Okay, here goes! I am writing my first-ever message over the internet. I accidently discovered this site about 2 weeks ago, and it has taken me this long to figure it all out. Sorta new to this whole computer thing, but I am lovin'it! I have been reading every thread (?) that anyone ever posted and my husband is calling me a junkie!
Anyway, we are going to WDW in mid-March to take advantage of the Armed Forces Salute thing. My husband gets a free 7 day pass and the rest of the family gets in for half...how could we pass that up? We have 3 kids, 13, 9 and 3. We could stay at all-star for $49, but I have always stayed off-propertysince it is so much cheaper, and that room is a little small for a family of 5. I have reservations at the Embassy Suites for $95, and the Radisoon parkway for $59 and the Days Inn Main Gate Suites for $63. I have to decide which one!
Can anyone help? And by the way, I am so excited to be part of the group!

 

[hercamore]

Hi Becca,

glad to see you on the boards here.

What a good deal you have with the passes. They are so expensive otherwise.



With 5 people the allstars are gonna be a little small. You need 3 beds anyway, don't you?

The Embass Suites always gets good reviews, that's a good choice. I'm not sure about the Days Inn, tho Most posters on this board stay away from the Days Inns. No personal experience here, tho.The Radisson is a good choice, too.

Near the Embassy Suites is the Marriott Residence Inn LBV that we stayed in in August when it was new. I always recommend this place to people that need 3 or more beds. Quikbook.com has a rate of $l05 for 2 br 2 bath, kitchen, lr, brkfst..

Good luck with your choices.
Hercamore

 

[tednvon]

Hi...E Suites in Lake Buena Vista is great....rooms, location, breakfast, pool are all wonderful.....The other E Suites in by International Drive and I much prefer the one by LBVista.....Enjoy....aren't these board the best??.....grandpa Ted

 

[goofyfordisney]

becca,

I also became a "junkie" when I discovered these boards before our 1st trip in November--everyone was very helpful and I got a lot of great advice.

We stayed on-site and I thought it was great--but I was also thinking of trying off-site purely because I thought that the on-site rates where so high! We paid $169/nite at AKL and Beach Club (which was a great rate)--and although I loved these resorts--we were hardly ever at the resort! It seemed like alot of money for a place to sleep! We also stayed at Hard Rock Hotel--this was a great hotel and we only paid $99/nite! It was a much better value than the WDW resorts! We did have a rental car --we only used Disney transportation once!

Sorry to ramble! I will be interested to see what comments you get regarding Embassy Suites and other off-site resorts.

Have fun with your planning!
Sue

 

[horseshowmom]

We really liked Embassy Suites. There are 5 of you, and you're going to be very impressed with the free breakfasts (I used to travel with 3 kids, and I know how much money that can save)! You'll also like the fridge and microwave. IMHO, you'll be much better satisfied with a suite than a hotel room.

 

[Becca61]

Thank you guys for responding to my questions...boy I like the way this thing works! To complicate my decision, I have also been exploring the Vistana Villages. But, get this!
Guess what I am going to do? I can't believe it took me so long to figure this out. We are going to spend a week at WDW in March, but we are also going on the Disney Cruise this Saturday. We are driving to PortC from our home in Alabama. We leave the cruise early the next Saturday morning and begin our drive home. We are going to detour through Orlando and check out my four hotel choices! I know...is this obsesssive or what? But this way I can make a truly informed decision with no surprises come March! Not to mention how much more sleep I will be getting rather than tossing and turning each night with images of cramped cheap hotel rooms verses roomy expensive rooms....ahhh I am driving myself crazy!

 

[Yay2001]

From your first post -- it almost sounds like your husband is in the military. If such is the case, you can try for a reservation at Shades of Green, which has spacious (very) rooms almost adjacent to MK. And if they are full (which they usually are!), you can qualify for an "overflow rate" at practically any DW resort (including Downtown Disney) and some offsites as well. The discounts are *substantial* -- made our trip last summer very affordable!

www.shadesofgreen.org

 

[Becca61]

Good guess..yes we are military. Thanks about the Shades of Green tip...I called but not only are they full, they won't even put me on the waiting list because they already have 100 on that! Even if we could get into the SoG, it would cost us $100 per night and with out the early-entry I dont think it is worth it to stay on property. Thoughts?
As I've called hotels I have asked for the military rate, which is why I have E Suites for $95. I haven't asked about overflow rates though. Do you think they would be diferent/better? Worth a call tommorow to find out.

 

[horseshowmom]

If you've been reading these boards, you've read about how wonderful Vistana Villages sounds. The 2 full bedrooms, full kitchen, and washer/dryer would be great. Another possibility you might like to check into would be renting a house. The last few times we went as a family of five (before the older kids were grown), we rented houses. You possibly could get it for less than the $95 a night you have at ES. That would give you at least 3 bedrooms (maybe even 4) and your own private pool. There was a recent post listing some good ones, and you might also check www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner). You won't be right at Downtown Disney, but it's not far. We loved having the room to spread out. We had pizza delivered and fixed our own breakfast everyday (a great money saver).

 

[horseshowmom]

Read jmet's post under "hotelkingdom.com question".

 

[Becca61]

Thanks for the ideas! I can't find the jmets hotelkingdom post and can't do a search. Do you know where it is?

 

[Yay2001]

When the SOG reservations tells you they are full, that's your cue to ask about overflow rates. They NEVER volunteer this information -- you have to ask! For example, last summer I asked and was offered BWI for 165 per night, WL for 139.00 per night, and CRS for $89.00 per night. Finally went w/ Dolphin for 115.00 per night. These are substantial discounts, not available anywhere else.

If early entry is a priority, and the onsite hotels are too small, try one of the DD hotels -- rooms are larger and you could still qualify for EE.

 

[Yay2001]

Shades of Green IS an on-site Disney resort leased exclusively by the armed forces for Military personnel and their families. It is adjacent to the Magic Kingdom and guests staying there qualify for all the benefits afforded to onsite guests at other resorts, such as EE. They have overflow rates at some of the offsite properties, too. If you call them and ask, you may be able to get a substantial discount at the Embassey Suites, for example.

One thing we DIS board memebrs have in common is persistence. If you don't get the answer you want -- KEEP TRYING!

Good luck!

 

[Becca61]

Yes, but...I heard that early entry was discontinued in October with no word when it may be back?

 

[horseshowmom]

Bump for Becca!

Becca,
I'm bumping both posts up together, so you should find them fairly close together.

Sheila

 

[Becca61]

Sorry for my ignorance, but I have been dying to ask someone..just what does "bumping up" mean and what does it imply?

 

[jdm]

Bumping up means that someone else is posting a reply to your post for the purpose of bringing your post back to the top of the board where it'll be noticed! Took me a while to figure that one out too!
Jenn

 

[Becca61]

Ahhh...so it stays on or closer to that first page when you click on Cruise Discussions?

 

[LisaRay]

I agree you should check into the overflow rates! You might get a chance to somewhere you never thought possible.

We stayed at the Shades of Green years ago and loved paying NO tax on our room rate. That helped out alot since we stayed a week and room tax can add up!

One other thing is that the new Residence Inn is located right beside the Embassy suites so you can easily check them both out without alot of hassle.

Good Luck

 

[meb51]

We are planning to stay at the Embassy Suites LBV in May for 9 days. I've heard good things about this hotel but I wonder why it is only $99 a night (on their website). Granted that this price is for the older section of the hotel but it seems to be a good deal. My biggest concern is whether or not the beds are comfortable. I hate staying at a hotel where the beds have mattresses that are obviously worn out. Has anyone who has been here recently care to comment about the beds (or any other aspect of their trip)? Is there much of a difference between the recently renovated section of the hotel and the section that has not been recently renovated? I appreciate any info that you share.