FL Orlando Nikki Bird Holiday Inn WDW

[Autumn96]

Me and my 8yr old daughter stayed here June 14th-16th.

I asked for an upgrade and was told, by the barely friendly check in person, that the only upgrades were the kids suites which weren't an option. In all fairness she must have been having a bad day because our 2 other encounters with her she was very helpful and friendly.

We were assigned room 263, parking lot view. With the curtains opened all you saw were trees, so it didn't matter.

When I entered the room I noticed an odd smell.. almost like moth balls. It wasn't really strong, but definately there. I have bad allergies to mold/mildew and the smell didn't seem to affect them at all so that was good. I did notice that when the air conditioner was turned off that the smell pretty much disapeared.

The room and bathroom were clean. The room was a bit too dark with the lightning they had. Refrigerator was clean and kept things very cold. Didn't use the microwave, but what a nice extra in a room! I also noticed there was no sprinkler system, but they did have fire alarms.

One of the full sized beds had a queen sized mattress on it... I thought that wasn't a good thing, but my daughter thought it was pretty neat and didn't want me to call down to change it. I warned her to be careful as she might roll off it (she never did), and reported it when we checked out.

Since we were there only 2 nights I chose not to have housekeeping as I'm a pretty tidy person. So I can't comment on housekeeping except to say it was neat and clean when we got there.

We ate at both the Angel's diner and the buffet while we were there. The kids eat free program would be great for a larger family (though it was nice for just us too). They allow 2 kids to eat free per paying adult.

My daughter loved the breakfest buffet, and the lobster buffet was pretty good too. Kids eat free if they're not eating lobster or crab, and they have plenty of other stuff to choose from. The Angels casual diner was basic and food was ok too.. reasonably priced.

We did not use the pool facilities but we did pass them and they looked clean. They were usually crowed.

Overall it was a basic hotel, clean enough and no major complaints. It wasn't a bad stay, though it wouldn't be my first choice of places to stay. For the $38 per night I paid through priceline it was a good deal. It may be better suited to families with more than one child just for the savings on food alone.

A nice thing to mention.. my daughter really liked the breakfast buffet and asked to go back our second to the last day in Florida (that would be the 28th... so almost 2 weeks later). The cashier at the buffet remembered us and started to take off my daughter's portion of the bill. I told him were were no longer staying at the hotel and only came back for the buffet. He was very friendly and took her portion off anyway.

I thought that was really nice of him.

This is rated as a 2.5* hotel and I think pretty accurately.

[MJRBIM]

Not as nice as the 2.5* Marriott Courtyard hotels, but an OK hotel if all you need is a place to sleep and shower while visiting the parks.

[LoneStar]

Received this hotel for a $35 2.5 star priceline bid. It's not really a 2.5 star property -- at least in the rooms. They are vintage 70's motel rooms, kept clean and fairly up-to-date. I had a slew of plumbing problems (toilet tank not filling, shower/tub switch broken, clogged tub drain), but maintenance came and repaired them. Small microwave and fridge a definite plus. My room was extremely quiet, but I think that was more a function of coming at an off-peak time than due to any soundproofing.

Outside the rooms, the property also shows its age, but has "resort-like" amenities like a playground, a couple of pools, sand volleyball court, etc. -- I suppose that's why it's bumped up from an otherwise more proper 2 star rating.

Travelling with my family, the "kids eat free" program was a big benefit. The breakfast buffet was extensive (less than $8 for adults) and more than edible, but you can tell they were trying to keep costs down (things like country crock instead of butter). Kids don't drink free, and beverages are 2 bucks, so try to figure out whether the tykes will actually drink that OJ before you order it. :) There's milk on the buffet line by the cereal.

At night they hold a popular all-you-can-eat lobster and prime rib dinner. They have just bumped the prices up 5 bucks (the early bird until 6 is $25), so it's probably only an exceptional deal if you have free-eating kids (who I think aren't supposed to eat the lobster, but there seems to be a "don't ask, don't tell" policy). The lobster (small, I ate 2) seemed a little overcooked to me, but hard to complain. The prime rib was surprisingly good.

Overall, I was pleased -- but that's probably only because I was using the hotel solely to sleep and refuel on my way to Disney. The location is extremely convenient for that purpose -- all the Disney parks are 5 to 10 minutes away. If I was going to spend any other waking time on the property, I might recommend something a bit nicer.

The other thing to consider is one of the budget "resorts" on-site at Disney, which in my off-peak period I could have gotten for $75/night. If you have the time, Disney currently offers free transport from the airport to their hotels (although my very convenient at-airport-terminal car rental including tax was less than $17/day). Disney resort guests can also use "magic hours" at the park, where a different park stays open a couple of extra hours a day. If you stay at the Disney Resorts, you also don't have to pay the $9 parking fee. On the other hand, at off-site at places like the Nikki Bird your food bill will certainly be a little cheaper. Nikki Bird also apparently offers some sort of infrequent Disney shuttle, so it's theoretically possible to stay there without a car.

So figure out which option is best for you. My sense is that if you can get a Disney resort for only $40 night more than a priceline bid (keeping in mind that priceline also adds a reservation fee), you might do better on site at Disney.

[floridasunshine]

We arrived 5/13/06 for a one night stay. The location was very near Disney World and was easy to find. The room was clean, yet was showing age. The carpet needs replacing. Check in was wonderful! We were upgraded to a kid's suite which my children loved. It was large enough for 3 small children and they had their own tv, although the sound from both tvs at the same time was undesirable. Several soda machines took my money and the ice machines on our floor did not work, but the front desk promptly refunded the lost soda money without question. The breakfast buffet was large, delicious, and reasonably priced. Kids ate free! Overall it was a nice stay for the price.