Rosen Centre Hotel

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This was our third visit to Orlando in the last 10 years so we are experienced visitors to International Drive and the Disney, Universal and Seaworld theme parks. The following comments are factual and all independently verifiable. We felt that a report such as this needed to be filed to reflect the difficulites that we have just experienced.
Firstly, the hotel. The Rosen Centre sells itself as being a bit more upmmarket than the local competition. The front facade and public areas certainly convey the impression of a cosmopolitan well-equipped and well serviced establishment. The truth however is somewhat different. As for the facilities, the Starbucks coffee shop shuts at 7.00 pm on weekday evenings, and approximately 5.30 pm on weekend evenings; the reataurant facilities are excellent, the staff are helpful, but food is distinctly average, with poor selections, more so as the evenings wear on and high prices for a buffet, $59 for two covers for a buffet plus coffee. Needless to say we ate elsewhere thereafter.
The 24 hour deli is good and can provide hot fresh but limited range of pizza and salad up to midnight; however sandwiches are available but are $8 each! Bar prices were average, $10.50 for two Budweisers. The hotel is very focussed on business travellers due to its proximity to the Orange County Convention Center, but fails to serve them either; the hotel does not sell newspapers, has no internet room for general public use. Although anecdotal, American business visitors readily admitted in conversation that they only used the hotel because they had no real alternative and were very ready with advice as to outside good restaurants. If you want to send a postcard for instance, life becomes very difficult; you can buy individual stamps for 98 cents each but subject to a $1.50 service charge every time you use the machine; this is in the hotel guest shop, or you can buy 20 stamps on a sheet for $7.60 in Walgreens. They must think we are all stupid! the nearest Post Office is five miles from International Drive. Who goes on holiday and sends 20 postcards! Please note that the hotel has some silly rule that prevents any room cashing travellers cheques for more than $100 per room per day; why we never found out! Also beware that you will have to carry your own luggage; there is no porter service unless you are a US business traveller, and then they will even carry your suit covers on a trolley! The final insult is that you are delivered by your transfer coach to the side door of the hotel, as a result of the bus and taxi operator wars, another black limo service has the grip on the front forecourt of the hotel. Of course they will take you anywhere local for a minimum of $60!
Secondly, the hotel bedrooms. The rooms are a disappointment from the moment you walk in; the room is only average sized, the decor is tired, the bathroom is ridiculously small, especially if two people are tying to get ready, there is no fridge, no kettle, only a coffeemaker, the curtains cannot be closed if you want the airconditioning to work, no double lock on the bedroom door, only two 110V accessible sockets, (the rest are blanked off), the safe deposit box is key operated and could be forced open. There is an internet cable for those with a laptop, (which holiday tourist takes a laptop on holiday with them), but at a charge!
The hotel is a venue for conventions in it's own right, which in our case led to a problem as a group of about 50 people on a national tattoo convention tried to hold a party in a bedroom on our floor. It took two calls to security to get this dealt with despite many other guests calling to complain. The problem took about one hour to resolve, but in fairness did not recur.
The area. There ia an excellent Walgreens supermarket next to the hotel (24 hr opening) for all your immediate needs. It is obvious to see why they have recently opened the store, as it used by many visitors and many of the hotel guests! The hotel is in general a long way from the main restaurant area of International Drive, approximately 15 minutes walk; not easy for anybody with a walking difficulty as it is generally all uphill.
Transport: the free shuttle bus services to Universal Studios are a joke; you either go at 8.10 am or 12.10 pm!
as the hotel is the last pick-up on the route you arrive at Universal before it opens if you use the early bus! Shuttle buses to Disney from the hotel cost $18 each for a return ticket and take you to the Disney Transportation Center. Try paying that on a daily basis!
The I Ride trolleys are very good at $1.25 flat rate ticket but as the price might suggest, the buses are very busy and sometimes you cannot get on them as they are full with other very sensible and cost-conscious British visitors. The public Lynx buses are very good; take service 111 to Disney's Transportation Center from stop 29 on the I Ride Red South route or a stop at the bottom of I Drive by the Convention Center. The fare is $ 2 flat rate; the buses run every half hour, until 10.38 pm evening last departure from Disney, but the frequency is only every 30 minutes. It takes a long time to get anywhere. Do not expect posted timetables or route planners for the public buses; they do not exist hence why I am imparting the information. The Lynx services are very good modern vehicles, the drivers are helpful, the fares are great, but do not underestimate how long it will take to get from the International Drive area to Disney and how long to get back at night. The situation has deteriorated since we last visited 4 years ago. Lynx service 42 is also very good from I Drive to Florida Mall, but it also takes nearly 40 minutes to get there. The I Ride service does take you to the excellent shopping outlets at either end of the service; make the trip if you like a bargain and like clothes and shoes!
Do not get the impression that we did'nt have a good time; we did; the Universal, Seaworld and Disney parks are all as good as ever with good facilities and excellent friendly service. Everyhere is clean and well maintained and litter free inside and outside the parks; Britain take note! But beware; all is not as easy as it looks in the brochures; food and transport costs have increased dramatically, and it is not just the poor exchange rate. Go and have a great time, but bear the cost of extras in mind as you plan a trip.
Our next trip will be with full family including two grandchildren so we will be staying in a Disney resort hotel; this will not be cheap, but we will be better able to control our costs and seriously reduce travel times especially with small chidren.