first time at a Disney springs resort: will I be disappointed?

[megs1313]

ever since they extended the benefits to these hotels, I've considered them for my next trip, but then they announced the parking fee and I knew I was going to give it a shot. But, I'm nervous to pull the trigger. If you've stayed both at a Disney springs resort and at a Disney resort, can you give me an idea of what the difference is in terms of your overall experience? The rates are insanely good. I just want to feel good and excited about it...I love staying in the bubble, so this is nerve-wracking for me. TIA!

 

[SteveMouse]

The DS hotels do not have much in the way of theming- they are typical hotels. Staff is generally friendly, and in some cases will do all they can to help you, but they don’t have the resources of the House of Mouse to resolve issues.

 

[Monykalyn]

The DS hotels do not have much in the way of theming- they are typical hotels. Staff is generally friendly, and in some cases will do all they can to help you, but they don’t have the resources of the House of Mouse to resolve issues.

What issues are you talking about? Ticket issues? Magic band issues? those can be resolved at any WDW GS.
Rates at the DS hotels are often way less than onsite-even better if you subscribe to Mousesavers newsletter-they often run deals waiving resort/parking fees.
The DS hotels are also just as good in Customer service (if not better in some cases). Theming isn't as good - but look at the refurbed rooms at many resorts-the theming has been toned way down anyway. Transportation can be longer at DS, but again-not always. A couple DS hotels even have package delivery to the hotel now (think B Resort is one of those).

My preference is the Doubletree in DS-true suite style hotel with coffee maker AND fridge AND microwave in room, plus an actual separate bedroom. For a couple hundred less a night I will use uber or take a bit longer to get to parks for more space. When you use a room to sleep (and spend majority of time inside the room or with eyes closed) is it worth several hundred dollars more just to see "theming" when you wake up? only you can decide that

 

[writerguyfl]

Whether you will enjoy staying at a Disney Springs Hotel depends on your expectation. For example, I noticed that you used the term "resorts" to describe the Disney Springs Hotels. They aren't resorts. Their official moniker is "Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels". They are traditional style, self-contained hotels...not resorts with expansive grounds.

Using the Measure Distance tool on Bing Maps, I highlighted the approximate area of the seven Disney Springs Hotels (minus most of the parking lots).

That area is 0.10 square miles (0.26 square km).

Here's the approximate area for Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort (not including the parking lots).

That area is almost the same: 0.10 square miles (0.25 square km). So, all seven of the Disney Springs Hotels could fit in the same space that holds one Disney Resort.

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Also, keep in mind that while they are on Disney property, the Disney Springs Hotels are right at the edge. Four of them are literally adjacent to Interstate 4. Check out the aerial view from Google Maps:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.3696684,-81.5100368,585a,35y,39.26t/data=!3m1!1e3

Some people will insist that seeing the freeway from your hotel room completely ruins their Disney vacation. Other people won't be bothered in the slightest.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I've stayed once in the Best Western there, and the room I received was very worn, IMHO in extreme need of a refurb. On the positive side, they gave me a room with a view of the MK fireworks off in the distance, at no extra charge.

So far I haven't stayed in any other DS hotels yet, but based on what I've read here on the board, I think the B resort and the Doubletree look like the nicest out of the seven.

There are buses every half hour to the parks, and you can request a bus schedule so you know what time to show up at the bus stop.

Also you can walk between Disney Springs and these hotels if the weather is nice. If it's very humid or raining, the walk is not so pleasant. I would have enjoyed the walk if I hadn't gotten rained on.

 

[Franrose]

Our first visit to The World was in a Disney Springs hotel back well before it was Disney Springs. As others have mentioned, they are not themed but to be honest we quite liked that. The price was brilliant, and we literally walked across the road each morning to what was then Downtown Disney and bussed to the parks. Having DTD there was like a great big Disney merchandise store right at your doorstep. (Because it was. ) I think the only thing that stops us doing it again is a kind of FOMO lol, but we'd save bucket loads if we did!

I do recall our room being a step up from some of the moderates we have stayed at, and more roomy. But the second observation may be because we weren't sharing with kids back then.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, if the price was right.

 

[sara_s]

I've been a lifetime onsite person, but for a quick overnight birthday trip, we wanted to save some money and went with the Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista. I was very apprehensive at first, but it really was a nice hotel. Friendly staff, clean rooms and bathrooms, and honestly pretty quiet. We could quickly walk to DS and Uber to the parks. The amount you can save offsite is really the key. I missed the theming and probably wouldn't do it every time, but for 1 or 2 nights, it's definitely worth it.

 

[Bete]

Disney Springs bus shuttles are shared between the DS hotels. You don't have a devoted bus. Although, their bus times aren't bad; it's still not as good as Disney buses.

If you use your car then you will be paying a parking fee at Disney World.

Most of the hotels are tall buildings. If you are on a high floor it will be a little bit of a hassle doing the elevator. There are a lot more people using them.

You are closer to Disney Springs.

I'm not against doing either way.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We spent a lot of time discussing the pros and cons of staying onsite vs. a Disney Springs hotel for our upcoming Thanksgiving trip. We need separate beds for our two adult sons. I don't expect them to share a queen bed for six nights, so all regular Disney value and moderate rooms are out. That leaves only a few options such as Poly with a daybed, WL with bunk beds or a FW cabin. These are way too pricey for us. We looked into an All-Star Music Suite which was $348/night for our dates. That's still quite expensive for a smallish room at a value resort.

What is really comes down to is transportation since we won't have a car. Is it worth staying onsite just to have Disney buses to and from our hotel? Considering the price difference (just over $2300 for the All-Star Suite vs. $1001 for a room with a king bed and bunk beds at the B Resort), the answer is no. As my husband said, "An extra $1300 will buy a lot of Uber rides!" So we booked the B using the Mousesavers discount. We'll give their buses a shot. If they're not working for us, we'll use Uber or Lyft. I think for that much savings, it will be worth it.

 

[shocker]

We're staying at a Disney Springs hotel in about a week (having stayed on site at every level before and several off sites too) so I'll soon have a full comparison.

This years added benefits sank the deal for us. We have enough Holiday Inn points to "pay" for our 9 night stay. If you don't have points, you can certainly sign up to earn points while you're there & redeem them later (can't do either if on site).

We will have our own car, with AP "free" parking at parks, may try buses some, especially if group wants to split, its another option. I wouldn't sweat hotels sharing a bus, most Disney resorts have either multiple stops at one resort or share a few one-stop resorts. So there's multiple pickups no matter which way you choose. The bus sharing the most hotels makes 4 stops, that's pretty typical of a Disney bus too. It irks me when I can get to a park faster off site then Disney can get me to its parks from its hotels (Disney busing is not great).

We're going to the water parks so we don't need a resort type pool.

It won't be a 15 minute walk to the lobby or the bus stop or our car or the gift shop or the pool or the restaurant or the front desk.

HI told me they also have hotel delivery of in park purchases

Our room will also have a microwave & I'm not sure any of my on site rooms had that (and Doubletree will have kitchens w/dining areas and separate bedroom area).

Our room will also have a balcony with 2 chairs and a small table, can't get that at Disney until your deluxe level. I booked the 'pool view' room to guarantee I won't be on the I-4 side of the hotel.

We're done with the DDP ever again (unless it changes drastically) so we don't need that on site benefit.

We have a collection of magic bands from past trips to choose from so don't need those.

I'm not opposed to staying on site again, I'm sure we will. I'm sure we'll also stay off site again too.

 

[writerguyfl]

This years added benefits sank the deal for us. We have enough Holiday Inn points to "pay" for our 9 night stay. If you don't have points, you can certainly sign up to earn points while you're there & redeem them later (can't do either if on site).

I don't think people understand the value that hotel frequent guest programs can have. I was able to stay for five nights "free" at the DoubleTree Suites over New Year's. I don't remember the exact value, but it was close to $2,000. I never would have paid that amount, so I definitively was happy to be able to redeem those Hilton points.

Also, some frequent guest programs provide breakfast for their top-tier members (and/or their credit card holders). Not having to pay for breakfast every day is a big deal to a larger family.

 

[kandb]

What is the B resort? Is that the name of a hotel? I have never heard of that resort before.

 

[Upatnoon]

What is the B resort? Is that the name of a hotel? I have never heard of that resort before.

The B resort is the name of one of the Disney Springs hotels. It opened in 2014. Mousesavers often has specials for it.

 

[Coreyjohnson2007]

If I stay at a Disney springs partner hotel, I know I get FP at 60 day and magic bands but can I add the dining plan?

 

[Upatnoon]

If I stay at a Disney springs partner hotel, I know I get FP at 60 day and magic bands but can I add the dining plan?

You cannot. The dining plan requires a stay at a Disney resort. Not buying the plan will likely save you money as well.

 

[Coreyjohnson2007]

You cannot. The dining plan requires a stay at a Disney resort. Not buying the plan will likely save you money as well.

In 4 trips w dining plan; we’ve come out ahead as much as 394 and as low as 92... for us, part of the trip is the character meals/buffets and sit down steak meals.

I’m sure I could save that much or more offsite but then the resort fees, and parking fees, ect just annoy me. I know I could save a few bucks likely but I just like knowing the total, putting in the cc and being done w it.

 

[Upatnoon]

In 4 trips w dining plan; we’ve come out ahead as much as 394 and as low as 92... for us, part of the trip is the character meals/buffets and sit down steak meals.

I’m sure I could save that much or more offsite but then the resort fees, and parking fees, ect just annoy me. I know I could save a few bucks likely but I just like knowing the total, putting in the cc and being done w it.

Many people like the all-inclusive nature of the dining plan, however the "worth it" aspect will vary by family. As you point out, some people like not having to think about how much it costs when they eat.

One reason more people are considering Disney Springs is the new Disney resort parking fees and the overall rate increases at Disney resorts.

 

[reba2121]

Can anyone explain the walk from one of these hotels (Holiday Inn specifically) to Disney Springs? One place I looked says it's a 13 minute walk along a street and another map I looked at seems like there is a specified walkway that ends up near Earl of Sandwich.

 

[writerguyfl]

Can anyone explain the walk from one of these hotels (Holiday Inn specifically) to Disney Springs? One place I looked says it's a 13 minute walk along a street and another map I looked at seems like there is a specified walkway that ends up near Earl of Sandwich.

You'll exit the hotel and walk along Hotel Plaza Blvd. When you get to the intersection of that street and East Buena Vista Drive, you'll cross using two pedestrian bridges that will lead you to the Marketplace Area of Disney Springs near Earl of Sandwich.

The general layout of the area. Map Courtesy of Bing Maps.

The sidewalk along Hotel Plaza Blvd is separate from the street and nicely landscaped. Image courtesy of Google Maps.

The pedestrian bridges make crossing the road simple and safe. They have elevators at all points of access. Here is an image from the construction period. (Images of the completed project are surprisingly hard to find.) The left side of the image is Disney Springs. It's hard to make out here, but there's also a bridge on the right side of the image. You will be using both bridges. Image courtesy of WDW Magic.

I've never timed it, but 13 minutes does sound appropriate. It's a pleasant walk, provided it's not raining.

 

[skramer100]

I think they are fine. Stayed a lot for business and would highly recommend them. The doubletree suites is great as the kids can sort of have their own room. Buena Vista Palace has some 1 bedroom suites as well that are not too expensive plus the pool there is awesome. It is like a $5 dollar uber to Epcot/HS from there and $10 to MK/AK. So worth the savings IMO.