During our November 2023 vacation, we did something I swore we would never do again:
Stay at a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel!
When I was a kid, my family always stayed off-site and rented a car, so the first time we stayed on property, I was hooked! I loved the convenience, the theming and the general feeling of being in a Disney resort. I swore I would never stay off-property again.
Then I became a travel agent who has clients asking about off-property resorts. I can talk until I am blue in the face about Disney World resorts but I never really experienced off-site properties. How can I say staying on site is really better if as an adult, I have never stayed off-site?
In September of 2023 I had the opportunity to stay at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, which is a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel but in the Bonnet Creek area. While that is a pretty fancy pants resort, it was cool to stay in a different kind of Disney resort. I will circle back and write about that soon and link it here.
This time around, we stayed at a Disney Springs resort- The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando Disney Springs Area. While it felt weird to book a non-Disney resort , I was actually really excited to be walking distance from Disney Springs so we can enjoy some of their holiday festivities. Typically as a family, we don’t spend a lot of time in Disney Springs and I knew my kids would love it, especially around Christmas.
Full disclosure: we got in very late and settled in very quickly, so I don’t have many pictures of the resort and the room. Some come directly from Hilton’s website but I will see that accurate to what we saw.
OK so let’s talk first impressions.
When we walked in, right away I felt a little let down. It was just a hotel. A nice hotel, but just a hotel. No magic, no pixie dust. But it was nice, clean and bright.
The hotel offered us free cookies but they weren’t very good so I can’t say they made up for the lack of pixie dust. I have heard they are good so maybe it was just late and they were stale.
Speaking of food, when we arrived at the hotel around 11:30 pm, we realized we were starving but nothing in the resort was open. Likely if we were staying on a Disney property we would have encountered the same thing since many food courts close around 11pm anyway. We ordered Wendy’s from Uber Eats and it was delivered in about 20 minutes so it was not bad at all!
Now the room…
I would say next to the proximity to Disney Springs, the room was the biggest plus to the resort. Of course, there were no Disney touches in the room but it was bright and spacious. We selected a suite with a pullout couch and two queen beds, but you can also book a suite with one king and a pullout couch.
My ten year old daughter is starting to refuse to sleep in the same bed as her brother because apparently “he farts too much in his sleep.” I don’t think this is true but it was nice to let them have separate beds to sleep in.
My kids never seem to sleep late on the same days on vacations so having a suite with a door we can close was nice. The day after Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party, my daughter slept until 11:30 am. We were able to close the door and let her rest. It definitely would have been more challenging for her to sleep in if we were in a standard room.
The room also had a small kitchenette with a mini fridge and microwave. This could be another plus as most Disney rooms don’t have microwaves. There was also a small kitchen table but it only had 3 chairs which seemed like a super random number of chairs. You can maximize your savings by having some groceries delivered. Keep in mind, unlike for a Disney resort, you would have to meet the driver. They won’t be stored at Bell Services.
The bathroom was also nice and big. The toiletries were Crabtree & Evelyn and while they weren’t H2O products, they smelled great. The weird thing was they only left two towels in our room, which seems silly for a family of 4. Luckily when I stepped out to get more, a housekeeper was right there and was able to give us more. Its not a deal breaker, but I thought it was weird for a suite that can accommodate 6.
The bed itself was fine but the pillows were super awful. Like all of them. I tested a few and none were good. Luckily after a day in the park, I can sleep on a brick but a comfy pillow would have been nice.
OK the next day!
I was all set to let everyone relax before Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party, but they woke up ready to go to Disney Springs. While getting ready, I made myself a cup of the coffee in the room and it was fine but I was excited to get an iced coffee from Disney Springs. It was too cold that day to go to the pool anyway.
The walk to Disney Springs was not bad at all. Google maps said it would be 18 minutes. We didn’t time it but it took closer to 10 minutes. It was very safe and there were plenty of people out. There were quite a few runners too.
We passed a few other resorts that would have been probably about a 5 minute walk. I would be interested in staying in the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort. This resort is the closest to Disney Springs and has a great pool. These rooms aren’t suites, but that isn’t a deal breaker for my family of 4. And some have nice views of Disney Springs which is a touch I love.
The Holiday Inn was also right there and I have read great things about that resort as well. Again, the rooms can fit a family of 4, but on top of having Disney Springs view rooms, there are also rooms that have a view of fireworks!
Most days we either started or ended in Disney Springs so would catch a bus to or from a Disney resort. We don’t typically spend a lot of time in this area, so it was nice to have the opportunity to try new restaurants and return to old favorites.
To avoid having to cross any major streets, there is a walking bridge to Disney Springs.
Christmasy Stuff
I have to admit, I love well decorate resort for Christmas. It feels great to see a pretty tree in the lobby, a nice display or some lights. There really wasn’t a lot but to be fair, the resort was under construction for our first two days. Maybe they decorated more after we checked out.
One day when my daughter and I went to get coffee, I saw her waving at someone. I looked up and it looked like there was a breakfast with Santa. I was a little dissapointed no one in the resort mentioned anything about that to us. I didn’t see any flyers or anything to advertise that. I am not sure we would have done it, but I wish we at least knew about.
So let’s talk money!
Full price for the Hilton for this week was $897.74 plus $107 in resort fees, which brings us to $1004.74. Although it may have been a little cheaper because there was construction for 3 of the 5 days. Full warning, they also put a $375 hold on my card which is a pretty steep hold so be prepared for that!
We also took at least one Uber a day due to needing reservations for their shuttle and we weren’t keeping a schedule. For an Uber XL 4 times, we paid $77.36 altogether. This doesn’t include Uber rides to and from the airport, Universal and SeaWorld since we would have had to pay that anyway.
So for our family of 4, we spent a total of $1078.36 total on resort, resort fees and Uber rides.
Side note: We didn’t have a car, but parking is an extra $25 per night. And remember, parking at the parks is NOT free if you are staying in a Good Neighbor resort, so that would have been an extra $30-45 each day in the park.
The same dates at the All-Star Movies for a standard room would be $1,050.00 and chances are a discount would be available. Also, Disney World resorts only do a $100 room hold and no resort fees. Parking is also free at Disney World Resorts. Likely, we could have saved money staying at a value resort but wouldn’t be in walking distance to Disney Springs and would have had a standard room, not a suite.
So what is included in the resort fees? According to their website:
“Daily Resort Charge includes: Guest internet access; DVD Now rentals; 2 bottled waters daily; Kids Eat Free! With each adult entree purchased, one child (12 years and under)is eligible to eat free from the kids menu; Disney shuttle; lobby coffee 6:30am-11:00am”
But when I checked in, no one walked me through any of this except the cookies and water. And the shuttle directions were not super clear. For an extra $25 a day, I sort wish they explained this a bit more. But to be fair, I didn’t ask.
We did take advantage of the two water bottles daily and stopped at the front desk for one each night. Also in the front of the lobby was a water refill station that we used to fill up out bottle before heading out. I also grabbed a few cups of coffee for free in the lobby most mornings. There is no free coffee in Disney resorts so that is a plus if you are a coffee drinker.
I can’t say we truly spent enough time in the resort to give it a proper review. We didn’t eat at any of the restaurants, go swimming or use the gym. The pool looked nice but nothing special.
So the big questions:
Would I recommend this to my clients?
Maybe! I would recommend it to a larger family who needs the extra space but don’t have a Disney Suite budget. The room can accommodate 6 people, including 4 adults, which is great for families with teens.
Also, anyone who plans on spending a lot of time in Disney Springs. I really enjoyed how easy it was to walk over to Disney Springs for a lunch but that is not typically a focus of my trip.
Would we stay here again?
I was surprised that my kids said maybe. They did enjoy being close to Disney Springs even though they missed being in a Disney resort. My husband says no. He prefers a Disney resort. For me, I am glad I tried it but unless I got a good deal, I likely wouldn’t book here again. I would try other Disney Springs resorts that are closer but keep an eye on the resort fees. I also missed the Disney bubble-feeling,
This is a good reminder that sometimes staying off-site isn’t cheaper! For a larger family, this could be a good deal, but for my family of 4, it wasn’t and while I didn’t hate it, I would still prefer to be on Disney Property.
And do you know what the best part of using my services is, I will do this math for you! If you are considering a Disney vacation, email me at kristina.wertheimer@storybooktrips.com and I will help you figure out what is best for your family!