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Last month, we had to be in Orlando for a pickleball tournament. The Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre was nearby and inexpensive for an overnight stay. While it was nothing luxurious, it served our needs for the night.
Anthony’s Take: The Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre is an affordable option near Disney World and the other theme parks. It provides easy access to everything in the area. It’s what you expect from a Courtyard and has a good number of amenities for families.
Booking
I booked a King Suite, Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed on a “Flexible Rate.” It cost $127 including tax. Marriott did away with award charts a few years ago, but redemptions can be had for between 16,000 and 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points per night. The hotel imposes a $10 daily Destination Fee. I hate these cash grabs and this one is at least not too expensive.
Destination Fee
- Daily $5 F&B credit
- Daily Round trip Shuttles to Disney, Theme Park Hub, Universal Parks, and/or Sea World for registered guests of room
- Daily Enhanced High Speed Internet (WiFi)
- Bonvoy Elite Amenity (Gold members and above) Daily Starbucks Coffee
Transportation to/from the Hotel
We drove from our home in Tampa to the hotel. The 75.6-mile trip took one hour and 16 minutes. Returning home took around the same time.
Location
The hotel is a Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel and has complimentary scheduled shuttles to the nearby Walt Disney World® Resort transportation center. It’s near Disney Springs, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal’s Epic Universe, SeaWorld Orlando, the Premium Outlets, and more.
Check-In
Reception is in the front building. We arrived around 4:00 PM and the suite was ready. The agent was friendly and quickly went through check-in. We booked a suite, so there was no further upgrade. He explained the layout of the property and printed our keys. We were off to the suite a moment later.
The hotel is a large complex with many buildings. We were located in the back of the hotel in Building 6.
The suite was on the second floor and we took the stairs.
The courtyard overlooked other buildings and one of two pools.
King Suite, Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed (2515)
There are 308 rooms and suites at the Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre.
The suite opened with a living room. It offered a couch, ottoman, table, and dresser as well as a TV mounted to the wall.
The other half of the room was a kitchenette.
A table and chairs were found here.
The suite also offered a microwave, sink, and refrigerator. A coffeemaker, ice bucket, cups, glasses, coffee, and condiments were on the counter.
The bedroom was off of this room. It held a king-sized bed, nightstands, chair, and TV.
The TV was mounted across from the bed.
The chair was near the windows.
A counter for luggage was also here.
The closet was next to it. It offered an extra pillow and blanket, iron, ironing board, and safe.
The bathroom was small, but functional. It had a vanity with single sink, toilet, and glassed-in shower.
The vanity offered a good amount of counter space.
A bar of soap was next to the sink.
The toilet was wedged close to the shower.
The shower was a standard size. Water pressure and temperature were both fine.
Bottles of 39° North Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash were mounted to the wall.
Public Areas & Amenities
Amenities include a fitness center, a restaurant in the lobby, a coffee shop, two pools, a business center, an ATM, a laundry room, and a mini market (pictured above).
A computer and printer were near reception.
An ATM was also found here.
Mickey Mouse fills part of the lobby.
The pool near our room was the smaller of the two.
The larger one with a water slide was across the complex.
The coffee shop is near reception.
The restaurant has a bar in the lobby.
The fitness center was small.
It offered a normal assortment of equipment.
I was happy to see a Peloton Bike.
Overall Impression:
The hotel works if you’re on a budget and need to be in the area. I don’t like Orlando and was there to support my husband. That said, I’d stay again if I needed to be there.
(Pool Image Credit: Marriott.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
