When I fly from Florida to Seattle, I take a direct flight and most airlines offer only two timing options. One leaves Orlando International Airport (MCO) at around 8:30 am, while the other leaves at about 6:15 pm. I choose the later flight to have one last nearly full day at the Walt Disney World theme parks or Disney Springs.
I used to read on the DISboards discussion forums that people would get picked up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport. I never wanted to be the one who ended my vacation with a 4:00 am wake-up call to get to the airport.
Fast forward a few years to when I started taking Disney Cruise Line vacations, which are now my favorite vacations. On the debarkation day, passengers must be out of their staterooms and off the ship early in the morning. If you use transportation through Mears, as I did, you will likely arrive at the airport by around 9:30 or 10:00 am. You can take transportation to Walt Disney World and hang out there for the day, but then you’ll have to lug your suitcase around with you. Plus, it would add an additional expense to get transportation back to the airport.
I’d heard about the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport offering hotel rooms to rent for the day (from 10 am to 6 pm). I didn’t realize that the price was half what it would cost for a night, so I looked into it for my travel day at the end of the cruise. I love everything about having a private room for the day, right there in the airport, so I booked it.
For the day-use room, you will need to call the Hyatt directly. They need to check availability and make the reservation for you. I’ve heard that timing can play a big part in whether you can book the room or not, and apparently, my timing of calling about two weeks in advance was perfect. I recommend calling as soon as you know you want to book, knowing that you might need to call again as it gets closer to the date you’re looking for.
There is a sign at the hotel’s entrance. You can find it between Terminals A and B between the MCO security checkpoints for gates 70–129.
The elevators take you to the bright and beautiful lobby, or you can take the adjacent escalators.
The staff quickly checked me in and warned me of a long walk to my room. I asked if I could get a closer room, and after looking for a few minutes, they were able to grant my request.
There are so many amenities to take advantage of that are included with your day stay here. First, there’s a swimming pool on the rooftop if you want to catch more sunshine or take a dip. There is also a gym in case you need a workout, plus there are five restaurants.
The room itself was beautiful and comfortable. There was a place to store my suitcase, a desk for work, a couch, and a cozy bed.
My room overlooked the main atrium in the airport, but the balcony door no longer opens.
There is also a safe, a small refrigerator, and a coffee station, complete with bottled water.
A word of caution about the safe. The one in my room was closed and locked when I got there. When I tried to reset the code, it wouldn’t let me. I was going to call the front desk and let them know, but I decided to shower first. Housekeeping knocked on my door several times during my shower. They even tried to come in, but I had the little lock flipped so the door wouldn’t open. I couldn’t imagine what they wanted, so I laid down for a nap after I got out of the shower. If I didn’t take one soon, I wouldn’t get one.
To make this long story short, two security guards were standing there when I answered the door. The guest who was there before me apparently left an envelope with a substantial amount of cash inside the safe. That explained why the staff had been frantically trying to get into my room since I arrived. They asked if they could come in and check the safe and were able to retrieve the envelope. The hotel discounted my rate by 50% for the inconvenience. You may all know this, but I didn’t – if your safe is closed, it means housekeeping didn’t reset it when they turned over the room. Make the phone call sooner rather than later.
What a hidden gem this experience is! Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee, getting some work done with the free wifi, taking a shower, and having a great nap by the time you need to head down to the airport terminal. This was such an easy and convenient way to spend the day. I’ll likely do it again after my next cruise!
Have you ever used a day room at the Hyatt Regency? How did you like it?
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