Hotel Review Of Residence Inn By Marriott Orlando At Seaworld

Right out of the gate I am going to quickly disclose that the Residence Inn By Marriott Orlando At Seaworld has been our Go to Hotel during our last three trips to the Great State of Florida and the Great City Of Orlando.

When we do go to Orlando, of course our main targets are the major theme parks in the area. Although we would love to stay on the resorts themselves, we have an issue we normally run into and that is we always take our dog.

So that eliminates a majority of the hotels in the area and of course most of the actual theme park resorts. A sad thing at times, but we love our dog, and will not be traveling with out her.

The hotel has 6 floors and 350 suites. Checkout time is 11:00 AM and check in time is 4 pm. The Hotel is a smoke free facility although there is smoking areas outside the hotel.

So the immediate take is that we are comfortable at the Hotel and that it is a dog friendly hotel. We’ve have nothing but a great time and experiences at the hotel other than one little mishap we had the first time staying here. Although that had nothing to do with the hotel just an unruly teenager that was a little jerk and needed his bell rung.

I didn’t necessarily like how the hotel handled that escalation, but that wasn’t their fault. It was the fault of a person who was simply a jerk and inconsiderate to other guests. Unfortunately you will have that every once in a while no matter where you go.

Another story for another day…

Why Has The Residence Inn Become Our Go To When We Go To Florida?

The first thing is it is pet friendly. However, there is a policy that the hotel has that is a little bit “extra” in my opinion and that is the actual pet fee. It’s a little high. And for us with a little 4 pound Chihuahua it’s a joke. We’ll talk about that more below.

The second thing about the rooms was they are pretty sound proof and pretty decent size. This made it a perfect choice as sleeping was not an issue, hearing other guests was not a problem for the most part. We did here the occasional door slam and if a bunch of rowdy people or kids ran by the door, but it was minimal and with the TV on no issues at all.

We did NOT want to put our dog in a kennel, so with the room being sound proof like it was and the fact our dog pretty much sleeps and will hide underneath the covers until we return. We were able to just leave her in the room while we visited the parks. We had zero issues with this as we always came back to let her out throughout the day.

The rooms had a full blown kitchen which when you are staying for a long period of time was necessary. We stayed for 7 days on two trips and a full 14 days for the third. It was perfect.

The Hotel location was another attractive thing. We were right next to Seaworld and in-between Universal Studios and Disney world. So accessing the parks was very simple and travel time was less then 14 minutes to any of the parks. The Hotel was located directly right off the freeway.

The Hotel Is GIGANTIC as well so we have had little issues getting a room or changing a room if we need to during our stays.

Photos Of Our Hotel Room At The Residence Inn In Orlando.

What We Loved About The Hotel.

Pet friendly – We cannot travel with out our precious pup. So that is always a plus.

Friendly Staff – The staff here are super nice and fabulous. The Front desk, fantastic. The Housekeepers, fantastic, the maintenance people, fantastic.

Large & Comfy Rooms – The rooms as you can see above are spacious. They are pretty sound proof. Are nice and clean. Most are newly remodeled. Have a thermostat to adjust heat and cooling of the room. The kitchen is the obvious winner here as well.

Reliable & Fast Internet – I work online, so I require this. The internet needs to be reliable from all over the hotel. And I never had one issue or outage. The speed was super fast too.

Affordable Room Rates For What You Get – Depending on what time of year you go, the rates for this hotel are pretty reasonable for what you get especially in the area. As a tip if you get a AAA membership you can get a nice discount on your daily rates as well. Also they run specials. So watch out for them. For Instance We stayed for 14 days for just under $1350. Now that is a great deal for a hotel in that area.

Plenty of Parking – There is no shortage of parking here.

Love the Area – As I said before we are close to all parks and a bunch of shopping, restaurants, and the famous International Drive.

Free Hot Breakfast – Every-morning they will put out a huge breakfast on their buffet bar. The items will vary each day. Sausage, eggs, biscuits, waffles, sometimes bacon, and usually some fruit. The options are better than most hotels we visit. BUT one thing is this place is a HUGE hotel so it can get busy. We recommend that you go as early as possible as the later you go the busier it gets.

The Pool Area – The pool isn’t huge but it’s been fine for us. The water has been fine and it has been very clean for the most part. We did have an issue with some kids throwing a football and hitting people at one time, but the last two visits have been pleasant.

Onsite Restaurant & Bar – Sometimes after a late day at the park, you just don’t want to cook or go anywhere. The Castaway Bay Bar & Grille they have on property is open usually after 4 pm and closes around 11 pm. The food has some good options. I love the sandwiches. They have a few good mix drinks to like the Bahama Mama. There is also many delivery options in the area. WARNING: There is a pizza place that slides their voucher under the door. We tried it once, awful, I suggest you avoid.

The outdoor area – The area features a fire pit, several gas grills to cook outside, plenty of seating, a grass play area, and a basketball court.

Has laundry Room – The hotel does have a laundry room. Which makes washing clothes a little bit easier. But who likes to do that on vacation right?

Fitness Center – the hotel does have a fitness center at the hotel.

The experience in General – There is a lot to like about this hotel which is why we keep going back. It’s safe, cozy, comfortably, a friendly atmosphere, affordable, and all we need when we go to Orlando. I know what I am going to get, so it’s a safe bet with me, which is why I book it regularly.

What We Don’t Like About The Hotel.

Even where there is good, there are always some things that could be improved on.

Pet Fee Way To High – The pet fee for the pets here are in my opinion way too much. Especially when you have a small dog. There is a non-refundable fee of $125 per stay. That is just nuts in my opinion.

I can understand a $25 or $30 dollar fee or deposit, but that is nonsense. My suggestion you go get a letter from your doctor so that your dog is a therapy dog or a service dog and at that point they won’t be able to charge you.

Don’t take this as advice, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever say that we have a dog visiting this hotel again. that fee is crazy and nonsense.

Parking Fee – The first time we visited this hotel there was NOT a parking fee. But the last two times they added a new policy and now there is a $10 dollar a day fee. Which again is ludicrous.

They have gates around the hotel and what look like a thing that is suppose to come down at the front, but it is never down. Yet we are charged the fee. I don’t get it. It’s just another way for the hotel to scrape a few more bucks and is a gimmick in my opinion.

They are not located downtown and have plenty of parking. I don’t see the reason for a fee. It has made us think about other locations because on a two week trip that daily cost did add up and it would be nice to use that on other things in the parks.

Bar Drink Prices A little much – Although we buy a few drinks here a few times during our stay, mainly for mixed drinks, we do not go crazy as the prices are little high especially for a plain bottle of beer. It’s almost on the Stadium level, which makes use of the bar not a priority of mine. I’ll just go to a local liquor store.

They also add a 18% annuity to the tab automatically as well, which I understand the reason, but still a tip should be the decision of the guest and depend on the service, and should not be a forced billed item. I’ve never agreed with the philosophy.

I think they could make better use by the bar if they would drop the beer prices a bit. I heard several guest get a little irritated by the prices and seeing their bill after a couple of beers. A $60 tab is not hard to pound out here.

Billing Process can get annoying – They bill weird. Sometimes they take the full amount immediately upon arrival and it sits on hold until you check out then it releases and they will take the full amount out a few days later.

Then other times they will take some of the money out and then release, take more out, then release. If you are not on top of your card or books, this can create a problem.

Our Official Hotel Review Score is…

Bigthemeparks.com Hotel Score is 8.5

This is a pretty great score for us. The hotel has most of the amenities we need and the hotel itself is simply affordable to stay at.

We love the staff, the atmosphere, the rooms, and the entire experience we have at the hotel which is why we book The Residence Inn by Marriott Orlando Seaworld every time we visit.