Clarion Universal

[Diane D]

We are thinking about possibly spending 3 days/2 nights (out of our 9 days/8 nights) doing Universal and staying at the Clarion Hotel Universal. Can anyone tell me how they'd rate this hotel?? Also, if we split our stay between here and the Polynesian, is there any way besides renting a car or taking a cab to get our luggage moved betwee the two places??

 

[grover]

We stayed at the Clarion Universal in Oct 2000, it was fine (but not Disney). It was a nice, clean, average hotel. They have a pool, two hot tubs and a tennis court. There is a resturant, serves a breakfast buffet. Room was okay, two doubles,had a mini-fridge,microwave, cofffeepot, I think the rooms were recently redone. We were smokers at the time and boy did the hallway of our floor smell of smoke-even grossed me out! There is no scenic view but I wasn't expecting one. We paid 49.00 per night, and it was literally a 3 min drive to universal! I would stay there again, some of the other places around i-drive looked like real dives. My advice is that I would do universal first and then when you move to Disney you will feel so much that you are in the lap of luxury, doesn't seem as great doing it other way around!
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[BevS97]

last May, we did a week at the Clarion Universal followed by a week at CBR.

We were initially in a smoking room and grover is right, the smoking floor is disgusting - we complained and were moved to a non-smoking room on a different floor and the room was lovely - I have no complaints at all - in fact when we moved to the CBR we felt that the room there wasn't as nice. (However, the CBR has other advantages, but purely comparing the rooms we felt the Clarion was better) it was bigger, and you get things like proper coffee mugs and free coffee, (those styrofoam cups at CBR really got on our nerves) and the safe is much bigger, - there is some kind of game thing on the tv (we didn't use it) - we didn't have a fridge or a microwave, maybe that is new?

we had a lovely view, right over the lake at Wet n Wild- when the sun shone on it, it looked quite spectacular.

We only ate at the breakfast buffet once, but it was fine - we even met Shamu in there! and it's VERY close to Universal (and wet n wild).

I would also suggest staying there first, and then moving to Disney - although we thought the room was nicer than CBR, the hotel is pretty basic and there's none of that Disney Magic around, so I think it would be disappointing to leave Disney property and move to I-drive.

Bev

as for moving your luggage - I think you'd have to rent a car, or else a taxi journey (or maybe one of the limo companys would transfer you?)

actually, I would rent a car for the 3 days as it's pretty isolated, unless you ate at Universal or in the hotel, it would be a pretty long walk to the restaurants on I-drive.
It's only about a 2 minute drive, but I wouldn't have wanted to walk it.