Marriott Orlando World Center

[Colleen27]

What can you tell me about this resort? I may have an opportunity to attend a conference there in the fall and I'm trying to decide how best to plan the trip. Specifically I'm trying to decide between staying at WDW and taking a cab to the conference or staying at the Marriott and taking their bus to the parks.

I know they have transportation to the parks, but how is it? How often do the buses run and where do they drop off?

Has anyone taken a cab from the resort to a Disney park? Or know how much, roughly, the fare would be?

Anything else I should know?

 

[happily single]

We stayed at the World Center Resort for our April trip last year. Trust all of the reviews on Tripadvisor about parking. Parking was soooo far away from the resort and expensive. Also disappointing was the fact the pool slides closed very early. The hotel was clean and everyone seemed friendly enough, although housekeeping did miss us one day (we were there for 3). The food court was very limited and expensive, but the hotel and pool was very nice. We used our own car so I can't speak for the shuttle, but I believe Downtown Disney was close by-not walking distance, but maybe a 5 minute drive.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't intend to have a car no matter where I decide to stay. I don't like driving in unfamiliar cities, especially not in the sort of heavy traffic we've run into on trips when we've driven to Orlando. And I noticed that a LOT of the Tripadvisor reviews complained about the parking location and charges, which only reinforces my desire not to rent a car. Plus since I'll be kid-free for this trip I'd like to be able to enjoy a drink without worrying about the drive back to my resort.

What I can't decide is whether I want to stay on Disney property, which is cheaper, and take a cab to the 2.5 days of conference events or stay at the Marriott and count on their buses for the 2 or 3 days I plan on spending at WDW while I'm there. On one hand, EMH access is attractive given how early the parks close in September. But on the other, it would certainly be more convenient to stay in the host hotel.