Since my family’s last venture to Walt Disney World three years ago, my kids have been pleading with us to go back. I’ve kept them at bay with various excuses and the vague promise of ‘soon’. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Walt Disney World but as a self-described ‘hotelie’, I’ve been less than enthusiastic about my choices of accommodation there. There are wonderful non-disney hotels such as the Ritz and Waldorf-Astoria but they lack the convenience and benefits of being located inside the park. As for the Disney hotels inside the park, well I find them underwhelming – too tired to be worth the price.
My mind changed when August arrived, and with it the opening of the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World . You see, the 443-room Four Seasons is the first luxury 5-star resort inside the Mickey Mouse gates.
While I have not had the opportunity to visit yet, I did a sneak peak and so far I like what I see. Here are 10 good reasons the Four Seasons is luring me back to Disney:
1) Water. Slides. Lots of em…a lazy river, a splash zone of jets and slides, a 7,500 square foot pool. The 5-acre Explorer Island will keep my kids entertained for hours. And, hooray, there’s an adult pool to escape to if necessary.
2) It’s inside the Park. And with that you get lots of perks. Such as you can buy anything in the park and it gets delivered back to your hotel for free. Such as complimentary transport in a Four Seasons luxury motor coach to all four theme parks.
3) Lots of adult diversions. A tennis facility with 3 har-tru courts and tennis pro and 18-hole golf club makes it difficult for my husband to give any excuse to stay behind. And the top notch fitness center and 13,000 square foot spa will definitely treat our sensory overload while the kids are at #4.
4) The Four Seasons “Kids for all seasons” club is pretty much free babysitting for kids 4-12! Add in outdoor movies at night, a video game center, indoor volcano, climbing wall and kids classes like pizza making and its nirvana…for you and the kids.
5) Four (soon to be six) restaurants and bars: Capa rooftop steak house with tapas, Ravello for pizza out of a wood-burning oven and pasta bar, PB&G poolside rotisserie and grill and Lickety-Split for daily required doses of macchiato, gelato and on-the-go bites.
6) Views of the fireworks – you can actually request “Fireworks view” rooms (5th floor and above are best). For the ultimate splurge, you can buy out the whole 16th floor combining the 9- BR Royal and 3-BR Presidential Suite along with other 9 other guest rooms.
7) Twice-a-week on-site character breakfasts. No more need to deal with lines in the park. Goofy, Tigger and Eeyore can come to us.
8) The on-site disney planning center in lobby for tickets and reservations.
9) The late departure lounge with TVs and wi-fi … just in case our kids are not wired enough yet.
10) All the above with the Four Seasons trademark service we expect at every hotel. Many of the staff here are from other Four Seasons properties. And, we love that NO resort fee is charged.
Now my excuses are all gone and I am ready to make a full vacation of it to visit Mickey and friends in 2015. For those of you who can get there sooner, Four Seasons Orlando at WDW offering a compelling 3rd night free introductory offer that ends on 12/19 (excludes 11/21-30 holiday).
