Downtown Disney Hotels

[Purple413]

In your opinion, what is the best hotel to stay at in the Downtown Disney/Lake Buena Vista area?

Things to consider:
Location to Downtown Disney
Traffic to and from I-4
Price

Thanks!

 

[devoy1701]

my advice is to avoid Downtown Disney....atleast the Marketplace side of it! Talk about hell on earth....the parking...the people...and ugh...the World of Disney Store!!!!

traffic is always heavy on Buena Vista Dr between Downtown Disney and I-4 (heading east) and I-4 is always heavy between Disney and Orlando

 

[Master Yoda]

The Hilton is about the only consistently good one. If I am not mistaken they are also the only one that participates in EMH.

 

[Purple413]

my advice is to avoid Downtown Disney....atleast the Marketplace side of it! Talk about hell on earth....the parking...the people...and ugh...the World of Disney Store!!!!

traffic is always heavy on Buena Vista Dr between Downtown Disney and I-4 (heading east) and I-4 is always heavy between Disney and Orlando

Here's why I'm asking:

I've been to Disney 10 times now, and I love it! It's been years since I've been to Universal Studios and Sea World, and my husband has never been to either. We'd like to plan a vacation for next summer where we can go to Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld and only have to stay in one hotel.

This will be only the second time I'll be staying off Disney property (and it may be the last since I've been spoiled by Disney hotels) - first time in 15 years. I was thinking the Downtown Disney area since there are so many restaurants. If anyone can suggest an ideal hotel for me, even if it's not at that exit, let me know!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Why don't you stay at Saratoga Springs and get the advantage of an official Disney resort plus the locational area that you are seeking.

Good luck

 

[Brwneyedgirl72]

My mother and I love the Hotel Royal Plaza. It is our favorite hotel in Downtown Disney, the hotel rooms are HUGE, the bathrooms are wonderful (you have a deep sunken tub) and the view is great. We have stayed here several times when not staying in a Disney owned hotel and we love it. Ironically - we just made spontaneous plans to go up to WDW next weekend and will most likely stay there. Give it a shot!

 

[happymom52003]

I've stayed at four of them...the Hilton, the Royal Plaza, The Grovesnor (sp?), and I cant remember the name of the other one...Lake Buena Vista Palace I think. The Hilton was the nicest, but Grovesnor was horrible....do NOT stay there.

 

[eroyee]

:wave: Why cant you just stay at Disney resort and drive from there? we have done that before. You can get some pretty good deals on disney resort hotels at all times. Just an idea..........still get the magic, too!!

 

[Master Yoda]

If you are going to US and IOA I would highly recommend staying in one of their resorts for your time there then transferring to a Disney resort for the remainder of your trip. The multiple use fast pass you get for staying in one of Universal's resorts is worth its weight in gold. Plus you will get the perks for staying at a Disney resort (free parking, EMH, etc) for your time there.

 

[gatordoc]

I've stayed at the Doubletree, which was very nice in terms of having lots of space. It's the furthest away, but I still thought the walk over to DD was pleasant.

Despite being close, I found the Hilton to be a very poor experience. The biggest problem for me was that the rooms are not well insulated, and there was continuous noise from the hallway making its way into my room. I sleep with earplugs, and it was still too much. The other problem is that the bus locations are poorly marked. There is (apparently) only one bus stop, and no one tells you that buses for some parks stop around the corner out of sight - a fact I only discovered when the bus I wanted came speeding by (and the hotel staff was quite unfriendly about the whole situation).

 

[popsicletrees]

We stayed at the Hotel Royal Plaza before it was renovated due to hurricane damage a few years ago. My family really liked it. It had a great view, a large room, a huge bathroom, and it was within walking distance to DTD. We paid around $75 for the night, but that was before the renovation so I don't know the price now. Anyways, the hotel was beautiful and I would definitely stay in it again.

 

[kennyj29]

We did Sea World and Universal and IOA back in 2001. That was the last time we were there. But we still stayed on Disney property. Why would you want to stay somewhere else? Doesn't make sense to me unless you are staying on Universal property because at least you get perks for doing that.