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Old Jun 2, 2018 | 9:41 pm
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SomebodyMidnight
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5
SpringHill Suites Orlando - Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel

Introduction I didn't plan on writing a review so unfortunately I don't have any pictures. We were in Orlando to take advantage of a Florida resident deal at Disney World. We settled on this property primarily because of its reasonable cost and status as a Walt Disney World Good Neighbor hotel which meant that it had a free shuttle to and from the Disney parks. With regards to the price, it was one of the few hotels that I found that had a shuttle but did not charge a resort fee which was a huge plus.The Marriott Village comprises a SpringHill Suites, a Fairfield Inn, and a Courtyard. Staying at one hotel got you access to the amenities at the other two. The shuttle served all three hotels. Room While the room was technically a studio it was partioned so that the bedroom and bathroom was set apart from the living and work area. The bedroom area was a little on the small side with the bed and two night stands taking up the entire wall. The sink and vanity were attached to the bedroom with the toilet and bathtub in the bathroom. The living "room" had a 3-seat couch with a pullout bed, a desk, and a mini-fridge and microwave. The furniture was functional and competely adequate for our purposes which is exactly what I'd expect at a SpringHill Suites (not meant as an insult). Dining The hotel offered a free breakfast buffet that was probably one of the more substantial breakfasts I've seen. While you had staple items like eggs, bacon, oatmeal, bagels, etc. the breakfast would have different items each day. Over our three breakfasts they had biscuits and gravy, Mickey-shaped waffles, and french toast. The breakfast area was always packed with large tour groups but there were two buffet lines set up so you got through pretty quickly. The dining area was large so we never had to wait for a table. Amenities In order to take the shuttle you had to reserve seats with the concierge. There were 3 departure times from the hotels and 3 returns from the park. The seats are first-come. When we checked in, the concierge had already closed for the night so we weren't able to get seats until the next morning by which time the earliest departure was already full. On the plus side, they would reserves seats for your entire stay so we were able to the get the times we wanted on the other days. The bus picks up from the shared parking lot at the Marriott Village and drops passengers at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC). From there you can take the monorail or the Disney buses to get to the parks.While this was a major reason for booking this property we found that the shuttle wasn't as convenient as we would have hoped. The first shuttle left at 8AM which meant you could get to a park right as it was opening which was great. However, the last shuttle departed from the TTC at 10:25PM which is before some of the parks closed. And because it's a remote site, you have to leave the park even earlier to account for transit time.We ended up driving the first day and while parking was $22 for the day, the parking situation was really efficient. Paying for a day meant you could park in any lot in the Disney resort so we ended up driving between parks which was probably quicker than waiting for the Disney transportation. Overall The hotel is at a great price point with no resort fee. Knowing what I know now, I would probably just drive each day and pay for parking so that I could take full advantage of the park hours.All in all, I would definitely consider this hotel in the future.
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