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Today, I want to talk about staying at a Disney Springs hotel. These are hotels that are within walking distance of Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The hotels are within the Walt Disney World property but are not owned by Disney.
So today, I want to tell you about:
- Why visiting Disney Springs is a great part of a Walt Disney World trip
- What perks you get staying at a Disney Springs hotel
- Which hotels are Disney Springs hotels
- How to save money on your Disney Springs hotels stay
Why You Should Visit Disney Springs
Now, you may be wondering, what is Disney Springs? Well, it is a section of the Walt Disney World that is not a Disney theme park or water park. It is instead a great complex with restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.
Disney Springs is home to:
- 96 shopping experiences
- 70 dining experiences
- 25 attractions
The dining experience includes some of our favorite restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort. You’ll find a much better selection of restaurants at Disney Springs than you do at the theme parks.
You can read reviews of some of our favorite restaurants here:
The entertainment experiences are fun, too, including
- A hot air balloon ride
- Cirque du Soleil Drawn to Life, a Disney animation-themed Cirque du Soleil production
- Splitsville Luxury Lanes
- AMC Movies
And because is not a theme park, entrance into Disney Springs is completely free! This makes Disney Springs a great place to visit on say your first night at Disney World to cut down on how many days of tickets you need.
But Disney Springs has a hidden perk that you may not realize even if you’ve been there before. And that is the block of Disney Springs hotels right next to Disney Springs. As I said before, they are completely within walking distance. How long the walk is depends on where you stay (more on this later).
Perks of Staying at a Disney Springs Hotel
You do not get all the perks of staying at a Disney owned hotel. But the perks are certainly more akin to staying to a Disney hotel than staying offsite.
That starts with the buses. There are buses that come to and from the Disney Springs hotels to the Disney theme parks. These buses are actually a lot more comfortable than the Disney buses and you are way less likely to have to stand on the bus, which I really appreciate.
But Disney owned hotel buses do have some perks over the Disney Springs hotels. For one thing, the Disney Springs hotel buses do not come nearly as frequently as the buses that come from the Disney owned hotels. They are on an hourly schedule. The Disney buses typically come within twenty to thirty minutes.
However, if you have ever stayed offsite when visiting Disney World, then I don’t have to tell you how much better this is than offsite hotels. Offsite hotels typically have a couple of scheduled times for the buses to the parks in the morning at most and then a couple of scheduled times in the evening. This is not the most ideal thing if say you have a child that needs a nap in the middle of the day (or say you are like me and want a nap in the afternoon). You have a lot more flexibility with the Disney Springs buses.
You also get a few of the same perks Disney owned hotels get. For example, you can enter the theme parks thirty minutes early!
You can also book a golf tee time on one of the four Walt Disney World golf championship courses up to 90 days in advance. Additionally, you can get discounts on green fees and rental equipment.
And then you get perks you don’t get by staying on property at a Disney hotel. And that is the price.
These hotels can often (but not always) be a lot cheaper than Disney-owned hotels. And these hotels are owned by big hotel chains. If you book on their websites, you can get some extra discounts you can’t get when booking a Disney hotel. For example, you can get a special AAA Rate when booking directly for Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area. Plus, you can earn points that could earn your free stays at either Holiday Inn at Disney Springs or other IGH properties.
What Hotels Are Disney Springs Hotels?
So now that I’ve told you why staying at a Disney Springs hotel is such a great idea, let me tell you which hotels are Disney Springs hotels.
Let’s start with the hotels that are the shortest walk to Disney Springs.
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
Let’s start with Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace.
It is not only a short walk to Disney Springs, but the hotel is amazing. It even has its own lazy river!
We go over a lot of Buena Vista Palace’s great features here.
You can also see for yourself how great it is in our video:
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
There is another Hilton hotel that’s very close to Disney Springs, and that is Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Disney Springs Area.
Now, it should be noted that is very easy to confuse the two hotels. I would say a few of the biggest differences between the two hotels is that Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is a newer hotel with more features (like the lazy river) and is a shorter walk (though the difference is not very great).
But the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Disney Springs Area is still a good choice for a hotel. You can find a good deal for her the hotel here.
Wyndham & Wyndham Garden
The other hotel options that are a really close walk to Disney Springs are the Wyndham hotels: Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort and Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort. These hotels are on the same complex, but Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort is in the newer, much nicer building with nicer, more modern rooms and larger beds. The TVs are larger as well.
Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort is in a motel-style building behind the main building. The rooms at Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort are not as nice and modern and the beds are smaller.
But one big advantage Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort has is that the prices are really good. It is often the cheapest of all Disney Springs hotels while having a shorter walk to Disney Springs than a lot of the other hotels. We tell you how to get a good rate for the hotel here.
You can see the difference between the two hotels in the videos here:
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort:
Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort:
And we tell you how to save money at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort here.
Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa
Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa is not as close, but it is a nice hotel with extra perks, like (as the name would imply) the spa. Renaissance is new to Disney Springs as it took over the former B Resort & Spa.
One thing I do have to warn you about when booking a stay here, though: the extra fees are pretty high. So make sure you check the final price before booking a stay. Sometimes it looks much cheaper before you actually book your stay.
You can check for the best price for this hotel and see for yourself here.
Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs Area
Like Wyndham Garden, Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area is one of the most affordable options. It is a farther walk than Wyndham Garden, but the beds and rooms are larger.
They do have some nice perks for families with kids (11 and under) like kids staying free and kids eating for free.
You can see more perks (and get the lowest price for the hotel) here.
Drury Plaza Hotel
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area is relatively new to Disney Springs, but like Renaissance, it just took over the former Best Western Disney Springs. Drury Plaza is a bit of a walk from Disney Springs but has other great features. It has some of the highest customer ratings you’ll see. And while the price isn’t as cheap as Best Western was, it does help make up for this with something every traveler loves to see: free food. You get a free hot breakfast as well as evenings snacks and cold beverages during the 5:30 Kickback.
You can find the cheapest nightly rate for the Drury Plaza Hotel here.
DoubleTree Suites
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando – Disney Springs Area is the farthest walk from Disney Springs, but still has a lot going for it. Mainly, it’s the suites. For example, you can book a one-bedroom suite with two queen beds (or a king bed) in the bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room area for an affordable price (especially for Disney). I don’t think I have to explain why all that space is ideal.
They also have great customer service. My family has stayed at this hotel numerous times and have liked it.