Drury Plaza Hotel nearby Disney Springs - thoughts?

[Stevie Amsterdam]

For my next visit I'm considering to stay at the Drury Plaza hotel nearby Disney Springs. It seems affordable and I like that it comes with 'free' breakfast. I'd love to hear from you if you have stayed here and what your experience was like, especially with regards to getting to and from the parks. Also in terms of noisiness, what should I expect? The hotel opened in October 2022 I believe so that gives some comfort, but better to ask someone who actually spent a few nights there.

I don't mind that it's not themed. I normally stay at one of the moderate Disney hotels but everything has become so expensive that I need to cut within my budget. If transportation to and from the parks is sub par, I wouldn't mind throwing in the extra bucks for Uber or Lyft.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ayla]

Looking at their reviews on TripAdvisor, they are all positive. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...ney_Springs_Area-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

The only thing I'd tell you to be aware of is off-site hotels drop off at the TTC, not directly in front of the Magic Kingdom like Disney buses do. You'll have to take the ferry or the monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom. (Not posted as a deterrent, but as a FYI thing.)

 

[Stevie Amsterdam]

Looking at their reviews on TripAdvisor, they are all positive. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...ney_Springs_Area-Orlando_Florida.html#REVIEWS

The only thing I'd tell you to be aware of is off-site hotels drop off at the TTC, not directly in front of the Magic Kingdom like Disney buses do. You'll have to take the ferry or the monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom. (Not posted as a deterrent, but as a FYI thing.)

That is great advice, thank you for sharing that with me. We should be able to deal with this by using Uber or Lyft, right?

How would I find out if this is considered an off site hotel? I cannot find it on the list of Good Neighbor hotels, but it does offer Early Park Entry to its guests.

 

[UNCgolf]

That is great advice, thank you for sharing that with me. We should be able to deal with this by using Uber or Lyft, right?

How would I find out if this is considered an off site hotel? I cannot find it on the list of Good Neighbor hotels, but it does offer Early Park Entry to its guests.

I think all non-Disney hotels drop off at the TTC, except the Swan/Dolphin (unless that's changed too). I also think Uber/Lyft only go to the TTC; I'm pretty sure Disney resort transportation is the only way to go directly to the Magic Kingdom/skip the TTC.

I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

 

[OrlandoRising]

How would I find out if this is considered an off site hotel? I cannot find it on the list of Good Neighbor hotels, but it does offer Early Park Entry to its guests.

It's lumped in with other Disney Springs Resort Area hotels that are not owned by Disney, so it's technically on-property, not a Good Neighbor. Those hotels, Drury included, do get Early Theme Park Entry, but not the earlier 7 a.m. ILL booking window, which is a big downside.

I think all non-Disney hotels drop off at the TTC, except the Swan/Dolphin (unless that's changed too). I also think Uber/Lyft only go to the TTC; I'm pretty sure Disney resort transportation is the only way to go directly to the Magic Kingdom/skip the TTC.

I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

You're right, all non-Disney hotels drop off at TTC. That also includes the Swan and Dolphin as of 2020: https://touringplans.com/blog/major...bus-transportation-what-does-it-mean-for-you/

The only way to go direct from this hotel to the MK bus drop off would be a Minnie Van.

 

[Ayla]

I think all non-Disney hotels drop off at the TTC, except the Swan/Dolphin (unless that's changed too). I also think Uber/Lyft only go to the TTC; I'm pretty sure Disney resort transportation is the only way to go directly to the Magic Kingdom/skip the TTC.

I'm not 100% sure about that, though.

You are correct. Only Disney transportation goes directly to MK.

 

[SingleRider]

It's lumped in with other Disney Springs Resort Area hotels that are not owned by Disney, so it's technically on-property, not a Good Neighbor. Those hotels, Drury included, do get Early Theme Park Entry, but not the earlier 7 a.m. Genie+ booking window, which is a big downside.


You're right, all non-Disney hotels drop off at TTC. That also includes the Swan and Dolphin as of 2020: https://touringplans.com/blog/major...bus-transportation-what-does-it-mean-for-you/

The only way to go direct from this hotel to the MK bus drop off would be a Minnie Van.

Anyone can book G+ at 7am but only resort guests can book ILL at 7am. The only non-Disney hotels that get 7am ILL are Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green.

 

[MisterPenguin]

It's not that long a walk from Drury to the nearest Saratoga Springs bus stop which will take one directly to the MK gate bypassing the TTC.

Either way, you're going to have to use Disney transportation in some fashion. But it's nicer to avoid the TTC.

After 4p, you can take the Disney bus back to Disney Springs and walk back to the Drury.

This is only if the members of your party don't mind a mile walk.

 

[OrlandoRising]

Anyone can book G+ at 7am but only resort guests can book ILL at 7am. The only non-Disney hotels that get 7am ILL are Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green.

My mistake, mixed up G+ and ILL.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It's not that long a walk from Drury to the nearest Saratoga Springs bus stop which will take one directly to the MK gate bypassing the TTC.

It’s a decent walk - I’ve stayed at the double tree across the street and it’s a decent walk just to get to Disney springs but you are correct the walk to Saratoga is doable.

The Disney springs hotels are using busses with timed departures that you have to reserve. Typically they go to MK and Epcot (1 bus) and DHS and DAK (1 bus).

Drury Hotels are typically very impressive with free breakfast and dinner as well as free drinks in the evening.

 

[Stevie Amsterdam]

Friends - thank you so much for sharing this valuable knowledge with me (and others who seek info on Drury).

I don’t mind a bit of walking since I between riding and queueing that’s basically what I do anyway when visiting the parks.

Again, thanks so much

 

[Stevie Amsterdam]

Anyone can book G+ at 7am but only resort guests can book ILL at 7am. The only non-Disney hotels that get 7am ILL are Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green.

Do you know if virtual queue (Guardians and maybe later Tron) is available to non-Disney hotel guests at 7am?

 

[MisterPenguin]

It’s a decent walk

Checking Google maps... .9 miles.

For comparison, from the bus parking lot at EPCOT to the American Adventure is one mile.

 

[Ayla]

It's not that long a walk from Drury to the nearest Saratoga Springs bus stop which will take one directly to the MK gate bypassing the TTC.

Either way, you're going to have to use Disney transportation in some fashion. But it's nicer to avoid the TTC.

After 4p, you can take the Disney bus back to Disney Springs and walk back to the Drury.

This is only if the members of your party don't mind a mile walk.

According to the WDW website, there are no buses from the parks to DS. They used to, but were stopped during covid. I don't think they ever came back.

 

[MisterPenguin]

According to the WDW website, there are no buses from the parks to DS. They used to, but were stopped during covid. I don't think they ever came back.

Dang.

 

[DCBaker]

Do you know if virtual queue (Guardians and maybe later Tron) is available to non-Disney hotel guests at 7am?

For Cosmic Rewind, the Virtual Queue is available to all guests at 7am who have a park reservation for EPCOT.

 

[Ayla]

Dang.

I know, we used them a lot when they used to run. An easy alternative is either walking to CR and taking a bus from there or taking a bus from MK to SSR Congress Park stop and walking over from there (which you mentioned earlier, just in reverse).

 

[SingleRider]

Do you know if virtual queue (Guardians and maybe later Tron) is available to non-Disney hotel guests at 7am?

Yes. Anyone with a reservation for that respective park can join at 7am. The only thing that can’t be done by non-resort guests at 7 is ILL.

 

[UNCgolf]

According to the WDW website, there are no buses from the parks to DS. They used to, but were stopped during covid. I don't think they ever came back.

Wait, really? You can't go from the parks to DS and vice versa on Disney transit?

That's a big hit, especially for park hoppers. DS has such better dining options than the parks that we would sometimes leave a park, go to DS to grab food, then head to another park.

Having to leave a park and use a resort as a midway point could easily add 60+ minutes between the transit times and having to wait for the additional buses.

 

[Ayla]

Wait, really? You can't go from the parks to DS and vice versa on Disney transit?

That's a big hit, especially for park hoppers. DS has such better dining options than the parks that we would sometimes leave a park, go to DS to grab food, then head to another park.

Having to leave a park and use a resort as a midway point could easily add 60+ minutes between the transit times and having to wait for the additional buses.

No, they only started that transportation (after 4pm) a couple years before covid. Before that, there had never been transportation between DS and any of the theme parks. They don't want people parking for free at DS and going to a park.