Orlando World Center Marriott

Popular resort just outside the entrance to Disney property.

We have found pricing for standard rooms at this resort to be comparable to those of Moderate Resorts on Disney property.

Having both a waterpark and a golf course on site makes this resort an attractive choice for many.

There are sweeping views from the upper level rooms.

Evening poolside movies:

Starbucks in the lobby!

Our experience:

Parking is difficult to navigate. If you are driving, using the valet service offered for a fee is encouraged, otherwise, self parking is a good hike from the entrance (even for Disney). A shuttle is provided to bring you from the self parking garage to the hotel entrance and after one hike in, we opted for the shuttle thereafter.

The hotel felt extremely crowded. There was always a very long line at the check in counter. Seriously, this gave off a TSA checkpoint vibe in the lobby for me, and we were walking by it multiple times during the day because it was centrally located. The pool and the water park were both over crowded during the day (to the point that once you were in, there was no room for movement without touching another person). In our experience, the pool was much more relaxed in the evenings, and the hot tub was a much quieter option.

Towels to be used at the pool were obtained from a vending machine that a room key was used to access. A warning was displayed that every towel not properly returned would add a $25.00 charge to the room. I’m still baffled by the idea. I mean, were these towels actually being tracked by some imperceptible tag, or was this an idle threat to encourage compliance by the guests?

Overall, the hospitality was a far cry from what we are used to at a Disney Resort. Understandably, that is a rather high bar to be compared to, but sitting so close to Disney property as a popular Good Neighbor hotel, I guess I expected a bit more. On this particular trip, I prepaid for the entire stay. On three separate occasions during the stay, I was asked to come to the check-in counter (yes, the TSA line) and present a card for incidentals that, for whatever reason, kept disappearing from their system.

Conclusion:

There’s plenty to keep busy here, with the arcade, waterpark, pool, golf course, gift-shops, and restaurants. The main pool offers afternoon activities and a small laser light display in the evening. If you are not put off by crowds within your resort and you are looking for enough activities to keep you busy without leaving the hotel, then the Orlando World Center Marriott may be one to consider.

For us, at this price point, we can stay comfortably on Disney property with that Disney hospitality that sets the tone for the entire stay. This will not be a resort that is re-visited by us in the near future.

Check out our pros and cons to review when you look at staying off property.