writerguyfl

I did look for the on the Marriott website when I was confirming the location. Didn't see it listed, however. Of course, that's doesn't mean it's not something that's provided.

MCO Flyer

I went to a conference there a few years back (didn’t stay the night since I live in the Orlando metro) and I remember seeing a sign outside the Parking Garage that said shuttle to MVC. It’s probably best to call and see if this is still active.

sethb

According to Bing Maps, World Center Drive runs both North and South of the Marriott. According to Google Maps, World Center Drive is South of the Marriott, Vacation Way is to the North.

Do you know if there are entrances at the ends of the wings? Those appear to be about a 3 minute walk from the middle of the Sabal Palms, less than one minute from the close end.

GlobeTrttr83

Bumping again. Any updates on renovations?

Marriott says end of August completion date for main "Falls Pool". West side of property has another pool under renovation until sometime next year.

How about the rooms? Are all of them being renovated with tubs being removed? We're considering this property for a November family vacation with our 3 year old and 1 year old. The pools are a major draw, but, as other posters mentioned, having no tub would be a deal-breaker. May look into the Sabal or Harbour properties instead, honestly, and pay with real cash instead of points.

jwahl

I actually learned about the addition of a new water park style feature, scheduled to open in spring. The construction though seems to be quite advanced so I wonder why it still takes so long before opening...
Orlando World Center Marriott Reinvents Falls Pool - Travel Professional NEWS®

DELee

Great find about all of the updates Host Hotels is making to this property.

David

Armani

Thanks for posting. These appear to be nice enhancements. I hope they don't have large 'paid reservation only' sections that limit the availability for the traditional free lounge chairs. The JW Desert Ridge converted a large area to expensive premium lounge chairs.

Zelucifer

Any recent stays? The recent reviews are scathingly bad, but it's always hard to tell with Tripadvisor.

ElevatorEnthusiast

Looks like a bunch of people frustrated in the lack of daily housekeeping. Plus, the hotel is a bit of a political landmine recently, so....

bmwe92fan

We stayed there last month -- this monster property is undergoing renovations - basically the addition of a big waterpark for kids. They seem to be gearing up for a full reopening -- when we were there most of the restaurants were still closed and only the lobby sushi place / bar was open regularly -- along with the cafeteria like food place on the lower level where you could buy beer, wine and pre-packaged sandwiches...

It seems as though the water park is nearing completion -- the gym is solid but the tennis courts are not being taken care of at all (we love to play tennis) so that was disappointing -- and yes no daily housekeeping (but would come on request). They seem to be massively understaffed right now -- as are many places -- but the place is "ok" -- seems to be mainly for families with kids and conferences...

trekker954

I have an upcoming stay at this hotel during a Humane Society Expo that my daughter is attending. She purchased me a vendor pass and allowed to take one class. When I saw the room negoiated price I told her I'd just pay it (is more than half what a room is and I have 10 expirating suite upgrade certs, so I can only hope. My daughter is coming up from Fort Lauderdale and I'm heading down from about an hour north. The water park just opened and I don't think its just for kids as I plan to enjoy it too. We only got to book a basic room and only offered a king or two doubles and it would not allow me to choose. I've heard status doesn't really mean anything there, but I am titanium Elite. Although now retired I do not travel much bus miss it and being spoiled by Marriott.

TNLONTraveller

I was upgraded to a junior suite here as a titanium. Although it was during COVID so things might have changed. Hopefully you're able to get some form of upgrade!

ElevatorEnthusiast

Here now - the water park is complete and open 10 AM - 6 PM (lazy river and slide tower). The "old pool" is open 10 - 10 with its 3-slide tower open from 10 - 8. Wristbands seem to only be required for the new water park.

Most, if not all, of the dining outlets appear to be open. Elite breakfast is in Longitude and Latitude - continental buffet or a $7 upgrade to the full buffet with made-to-order omelets, pancakes, French toast, and eggs Benedict. The check comes with a large stamp that says "Gratuity Included" - now that's a stamp I can get behind.

ElevatorEnthusiast

What a fun vacation this has been! I usually spend most of my time on trips walking around cities, but the water slides and other amenities here really got me out of my shell and were a lot of fun, even as a solo traveler!

I was upgraded to a Poolview King the morning of arrival - very few suite types showed up online, and they all said "Almost Sold Out". I asked at check-in, but no dice on suites - the associate did actually look. Luckily, I still feel like I got a really good room assignment as I had a corner balcony at the end of the hallway in the East Tower (the main 28-story tower with the lobby and scenic elevators) and a direct view of the Falls pool, Spaceship Earth, the Swan and Dolphin, and the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek. The room is very much like every newly renovated Host-owned Marriott (i.e. San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter). The bed is quite comfortable - I found the mattress to be plush, the pillows were fluffy (though went down quickly as feather pillows do), and the covers were a good thickness for Central Florida. The AC was powerful. The couch and ottoman worked well for resting and were comfortable enough. The TV had one of the older but really responsive versions of the Internet TV OS and many live channels. Lots of outlets. The bathroom had a large vanity and well-lit mirror. The shower had full glass - pressure was passable, but there was enough water so that I didn't feel any struggles with the shower. The balcony had two chairs and a small table - no outside noise issues. Wi-Fi was fast and stable.

Daily housekeeping was offered, but it is only towels and trash (no bed making) - this was communicated to me at check-in and was fine with me as I didn't have to re-place my pillows.

Elite breakfast is as I mentioned in my previous post - continental buffet or $7 upcharge to the full buffet with lots of options and a good make-to-order station for pancakes, omelets, french toast, and eggs benedict. The food was all really tasty.

Service was great - uniformly friendly and helpful. The whole property seemed well-staffed. No issue with 4 PM late checkout when asked the night before departure. The service at breakfast from the made-to-order chefs to the hosts to the servers was also wonderful and friendly.

The shining star of this property, though, is the water-based amenities. I significantly enjoyed 4 out of the 6 water slides on offer (two of them seemed far too scary) as well as the lazy river. Basically, there are two pool complexes here - the Falls and River Falls. The Falls is the location of the large pool, children's splash pad, and three water slides (all done without tubes). River Falls is the new water park with the lazy river and three water slides all done with tubes. The slide lines at River Falls were definitely longer and slower than the Falls due to the longer length of the slides. I spent a lot of time at the water amenities this trip - frankly, I even found them relaxing. Wow, relaxing - who knew you could say that about the world's largest Marriott?

One other observation - I found the crowds and my fellow guests here to not be bothersome. I went to Disney Springs one evening, which was overwhelming and seemed full of people who were not on their best behavior (both adults and children - lots of bickering and overall weirdness). In contrast, it seemed like everyone at the Marriott was having a good time - positive vibes abound! Perhaps, being disconnected slightly from Disney is a plus?

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the World Center Marriott if you want to spend some time outside having fun at a water park with only the cost of the resort fee draining your wallet :-)

ElevatorEnthusiast

Picture of the new water slides in River Falls (the green one was my favorite):