This December 2012 I stayed with my daughter and son (12 and 16), the second time we stayed here around the New Year's holiday. We really enjoyed the hotel, one of my favorite places to stay in Orlando. Very close to the Disney attractions and the hotel is beautiful and staff is very helpful and friendly. This trip was arranged through a travel agency for a soccer tournament that my daughter attended, so I don't know how the price/availability compares if you were to book on your own.
Close proximity to attractions is a plus, but there are many things to do at the hotel. Unfortunately, this winter the pools were under construction, so only one was open, but my son enjoyed that and it looks like the future pool areas will be amazing. There is also a sandy beach that I liked to lounge on with a book and small pond where we took advantage of the paddle boats and canoes and where we could watch some interesting wildlife. There is a resident parrot in the lobby that will say 'hello'! On New Years' Eve, the hotel hosts a family DJ'd party in the lobby and drops balloons at midnight from the ceiling, which my kids loved! Doors were closed to the wings where the rooms were and you couldn't hear anything when in the rooms. I'd recommend requesting a room that faces Epcot and Magic Kingdom if you want to enjoy fireworks from your window.
Several good restaurants in the hotel at varying price ranges - all delicious. Close drive to many other chain restaurants if you prefer.

My husband and I visited this hotel before children about 10 years ago and loved it. We recently stayed here with our two young children and despite the reviews (due to pool rennovation) we really enjoyed our 3 night stay. The staff was very welcoming and kept us well informed about hotel amenities and so on. The complimentary champagne at check-in is an awesome touch! The lobby is elegant and yet inviting for young children as they have a resident parrot hanging out. Our room had a firework view which was spectacular! The standard room was very clean and modern. We did not use the shuttle service as we had our own vehicle and since the hotel is in LBV you are within a 20 min. driving range to practically everything (Disney and Universal). All in all I would definitely reccommend this hotel as it was top- notch. If you're looking for pool recreation, you may want to wait until all the rennovations are complete.

What an amazing staff we encountered. We loved the speed and friendliness of the valet parking service.
The management allowed a special parking spot for our dogs that like to sleep in our van! Thanks!
The valet staff all loved our dogs:)
It is also about 5 minutes to a great doggie daycare/boarding facility.
Our late evening pizza order was quick and very tasty!
Easy access to Disney
Lovely site and grounds.
Quiet

This our second visit to the hotel and we loved it again. It is a prime location with tons of restaurants and stores and close to the theme parks. Self-parking is $12/day. The hotel also provides shuttle service to/from the major theme parks (Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios) The grounds and lobby are beautiful. They have the same parrot in the lobby as a few years ago, and he can say “hello.” The service is good, the rooms are nice, pretty spacious and decently sound proof. The rooms include hair dryer, coffee, a little frig, tooth paste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash. Last time we played in the main pool, which is beautiful with waterfalls, and hot tubs weaved throughout caves. But the main pool was closed for renovation, which was a shame. It should be even better when renovations are complete. Instead, we swam in the heated pool with a fun water slide. We only stayed one night pre-cruise like last time, but Hyatt has so many activities you can participate in. There is a rock climbing wall, kayaks, hydro bikes, canoes and sailbots, paddle boats, adult/child bikes, surrey bikes, golf driving range, etc all included in the resort fee. The health club and wifi are also included in the resort fee of $22/day. There is also a spa and a 45 hole golf range designed by Jack Nicklaus. You can really make a full vacation out of staying there.