Hilton - DTD

[TinkerbEllnor]

Anyone have any experience with this hotel? I normally don't even consider staying in a non-Disney hotel, but DH travels a lot for work and has racked up enough Hilton points to qualify for a free week stay. Hard to pass up.

As I understand it, it is not an *official* Disney hotel, but is eligible for extra hours? And what about transportation? I think you are on Hilton buses, rather than Disney buses. Do you think it would be wiser to rent a car than rely on Hilton bus? I believe the Hilton is walking distance to DTD, are you allowed to hop onto a Disney bus from there, or do they check for an official resort ID?

Any other pros/cons in your experiences?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bdklein]

I stayed here for a conference for a couple of days, a couple of years ago. This was prior to me going to WDW for the first time this past May.
Although it is right near DTD (across the street), to me there was no Disney "feel" or resort "feel". The food and accomodations were fine, and for a free stay it is hard to pass up.

Tough call. Good luck.

 

[lynnebla]

I stayed there in 2005 because my husband had a conference & the room was free. You can just walk over to DTD, which we did most every night after he got out of class. However, I would recommend having a car. The transportation is horrible from the Hilton. The buses only run every half hour or less, depending on park & time of day, and you have to make many stops before heading to the parks. Also, the bus stop at the parks is where tour buses park, so you're a long way from the parks & often dropped off in the middle of a parking lot. If you have little ones, it can be a bit scary.

The hotel was nice, though really just another Hilton rather than being Disney. You are, however, able to use EMH if you would like.

I vowed never to pay to stay there again, but wouldn't refuse another free stay!

Hope that helps!

 

[Stick_to_Disney]

We stayed at the Hilton in December, and we were very disappointed. It was alright, but a bit outdated, and the Disney magic certainly wasn't there. In addition, there is a booth right by the elevators where someone constantly tries to sell you a timeshare everytime you pass by! The biggest problem was transportation. The busses weren't reliable, and when going to MK, it takes you to the ticket and transportation center. In addition, our driver got lost. From there, you have to take the monrail to MK. It took about 50 minutes to get from the hotel to the park entrance.

Overall, I would say that if the stay were free, I'd try it again. You can use the extra funds to splurge at the parks or save for the next trip. If you do stay there, a rental car is a great investment. I just wouldn't pay to stay there again!

 

[triplejoy]

We have stayed at the Hilton several times - and are staying there again Jan 19-22 for a quick weekend trip. Contrary to other posters, we love it! In fact, we have stayed on-site before and actually prefer to stay at the Hilton. To us, it has the amenities and feel of a Disney Deluxe property for the price of a Disney moderate. The Disney moderates have exterior corridor entries but the Hilton has interior hallways. We have stayed with 3 kids/teenagers and have stayed with just 2 adults...all of us loved it. If your husband can get you upgraded to the Concierge floor, that is even nicer!

The property is a business/convention hotel, but we are not at all offended by that. We do not find the hotel outdated, but rather updated with great beds and linens. We always rent a car and have not used the Hilton buses. We have heard that these are not terribly convenient, so I would recommend renting your own car if that is an option for you.

Bottom line - we pay to stay there and would ABSOLUTELY stay there for free! Hava great time wherever you end up!

Rick/triplejoy

 

[f7prez]

I agree with Triplejoy, the Hilton is a great choice. The hotel is nicer than a Disney moderate motel, the transportation is very reliable and more comfortable than Disney buses. As for having a long walk from where you are dropped off is subjected. I did not think that an extra few hundred feet was a big deal. You can enjoy EMH and be able to walk across the street to DTD.
We rent a car even if at a Disney property. Don't pass it up.

 

[CarolA]

I have stayed there several times and would not hesitate to stay there again. The rooms are nice and I was never bothered by the timeshare folks (I had heard they were there and saw them but they never bothered me. I tend to make sure I NEVER make eye contact with them ANYWHERE LOL!)

Transport is probably not as good as Disney but TONS better then any offsite location!

Keep in mind that you don't get free parking with the Hilton. I have an AP so I do get free parking, but..

 

[TinkerbEllnor]

I wanted to thank you all for your input and honest responses! It really helped. We have decided to go with the free stay at the Hilton. It is too hard to turn down. The hotel not having a "Disney feel" is not a deal breaker for me, because if all goes according to plan we will only be there for sleeping anyway. But the transportation concerns me enough to rent a car with some of our savings. It will work out well, because now we can plan to eat at some resort restaurants that we have wanted to try but skipped in the past due to the pain of resort-to-resort Disney transportation.

One more question (for now) if anyone knows the answer, otherwise I can just post a new thread.... what are the current daily rates for parking at the parks? If you park hop, do you have to pay again at the next park, or is one time good for all day? OK that was 2 questions, but I digress... Thanks again!!

Oh, and also thanks for the warning on the time-share folks. We'll be sure to keep our eyes averted as we pass.

 

[triplejoy]

I believe the current rate for parking at the theme parks is $10 per day. You only have to pay this once per day - just hold on to your receipt/parking pass and show at the next gate. You can hop to as many parks as you'd like. There is no charge for parking at the Hilton.

Have fun!

 

[robertchance]

this is a no brainer, if you r getting a free week in this hotel, go for it