Sunday, March 27, 2011

Hotels

...AKA, the place that you sleep at and not much else!

I decided to take a minute and talk about hotels in the Orlando/Kissimmee/Celebration area.  I will be completely honest; I have never stayed on the resort.  I would love to; however, I don't have the money to throw down for an expensive hotel (I'd rather spend the money on souvenirs).  So, while I have read lot's of research about the resort hotels, I have no first-hand experience.  I'm sorry, I have failed you...
However, if you’re looking for a decent hotel, not too far from Disney, for fairly cheap, than I am the person to talk to.  I have stayed in a few hotels in the area and I have spent hours looking at prices and accommodations.  For my family, cheap is important.  And the resort taxes in Florida do not make cheap easy.  The resort tax is going to add about 12% on to your bill (yikes!).  And, all of the hotels stay competitive by listing one price, but adding a “resort fee” on to your final bill.
For instance, we originally stayed at a Ramada in Kissimmee on W. Irlo Bronson Dr (the main road in Kissimmee).  It was the cheapest place I found with an indoor pool on Travelocity, listed at $35 a night.  When we got there, we found out that there was also a $10/night resort fee to add on.  On top of this, the indoor pool was supposed to be heated and it was freezing!  To be fair to the hotel, we stayed at this same Ramada a second time.  And we still had the same problems with the pool!  We also found two roaches in our room, and the staff was rude.  We will never stay there again!
So, we left the Ramada and stayed at a different hotel for a few nights; the Champion World Resort, also on W. Irlo Bronson in Kissimmee.  And we loved it.  No indoor pool, but 2 out of the 3 pools were heated, including a kiddie pool that my 1 year old loved.  Travelocity listed the hotel as $35.  Unfortunately, they still have a $2/night resort fee, but the hotel lists it on Travelocity’s website.  You can also pay it up front (could not do this with the Ramada), so you have no surprise bills at the end of your trip (when you spent all of your money).  The rooms are your typical rooms, nothing fancy but since you won’t spend much time in the room (other than sleeping), it’s not a big deal.
To give you an idea of how cheap this place is, the Value resorts (the cheapest hotels) on Disney property have smaller rooms for double the price.  Yes, there are some amenities to staying in the resort (we will get into them at a later time), but if you don’t have the cash, its no big deal to stay away from the House of Mouse Hotels.

The hotel I really want to stay in!  Yes, there is a room inside and I will never, ever get to stay in it...

4 comments:

  1. Where'd you go? I was enjoying reading your Disney stories!

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  2. Aw, shucks! Thanks! I'm sorry, guys! I have been practically living at my dad's house recently because he hurt his back. And, of course, I forgot to bring my laptop with me. I promise I will post something new and exciting today or tomorrow!

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  3. Hi, nice post. I have been wondering about this topic, so thanks for sharing. I will certainly be subscribing to your blog.

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  4. Well, thank you for following me! I am happy to answer any questions I can! Sorry, I have been away from the blog for a long time and I really need to get back to doing it. I will try to come up with an informative post soon!

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