MCO area hotel

[scootch713]

Arriving kinda late 920pm(kids will have been in school all day).... want to stay somewhere close to MCO. will probably rent a car that night and drive to port next day. Two questions.... where to stay near MCO(like very close... not sure if Hyatt is worth the $200+) and are rental car agencies open late ???? as you can tell I haven't rented a car in 20 years. Thanks

[ElenitaB]

The car rental agencies are open late (and don't get sucked into paying for the extra insurance at the counter).

There are a few ways to lower the cost of staying at the Hyatt (you really can't get more convenient than the Hyatt): they offer an advance purchase discount on their site (go to the Hyatt site, click on "Specials & Packages" on the top menu, then select the "Hyatt Special Offers" tab. "Advance Purchase Discount" (of 15%) is just a bit down the page, and you can book a stay up until December 30, 2009, booking at least three weeks in advance.

You can also purchase a "stay certificate;" the MCO is a "choice" level certificate which runs for $135 per certificate. The link to purchase the certificates is at the bottom of the home page (right hand column) under "Gifts and Products." I would call the hotel just to be sure that you book a reservation for the night you need and use a certificate for the stay.

Good luck! The cruise is an amazing vacation and staying at the Hyatt would be a great way to kick it off (and I bet the kids will always remember staying there and mention it every time you go past the hotel).

[RobWreck]

We stayed there the night before our last cruise and it was definitely worth the money. Not only is it a pretty cool hotel with an amazing restaurant with a perfect view of the planes taking off and landing, but the convenience of just putting out your luggage the night before and then not seeing it again until it's delivered to your stateroom is a welcome perk.
Next time we cruise, we'll definitely be staying there again the night before...
Rob

[dizneefan67]

I know that AVIS car rental is open 24 hours at MCO! and I know from reading things on sites that there are different hotels around so basically its your choice!

Have a great Time!

Will

[Imalismom]

If you'd like to know how to use hotwire or priceline to get the Hyatt a LOT cheaper, PM me and I'll send you how to do that.

I am staying at the Residence Inn, but considered staying at La Qunita (book on line its cheaper). Both have a shuttle to and from the airport,and both have very good reviews.

[thrillme]

I know if you shop around and look for discount codes for Hyatt you might find one you can use. It's VERY nice. We really loved it and it was so easy. I know when we stayed there last summer we managed to secure a rate of $99 for one night. Supposedly they have a concierge that's supposed to check your bags for you but...we checked our own.

Take note that if you rent a car for only one day...you could easily spend $50 to $75. They usually give you a "discount" for weekend or full week rate but the "sock it to you" for a ONE day rental...so you may end up paying for just as much to stay in a cheaper hotel, rent a car and pay for "topping off the tank" and paying all the rental cars STUPID fees...(sorry...it seems like rental cars are adding fees these days because "Mrs Baird bakes bread on Wednesdays" and the "Save the Squirrel" act...rent a car for $50 and pay $20 in fees not including insurance)

[ElenitaB]

I've been able to get some great overnight car rental rates through uPromise (which is a great site for college savings if you're an online shopper like me).

[NJGIRL]

We stayed at the Hyatt after arriving late and it was worth every penny. Soooooooo easy after a long day and so quick. We were in our room 15 mins after landing at the airport!