Lake Buena Vista??

[Julia Ann]

Ok so lets talk about Lake Buena Vista - have just looked at Springhill Suites, very nice! but how does the price compare to IDrive and on site? I was told once by a Virgin rep that LBV rooms tend to be more spacious than on site and the world. I've only ever stayed on IDrive but next time will be with DD who will be 6yrs old so would like to stay somewhere else perhaps but cost is a factor. more links to hotels (reasonable priced ones please) would be good. and opinions of course - oh yeah and also the transport issue of car/no car if staying at LBV please.

 

[eeyoreangel1]

hi Julia Ann, as you can see from our ticker we are not too far away from our third trip to courtyard by marriott which is one of the hotels in the village along with fairfield & springhill suites. We find our three hotels quieter than i-drive, as for expense it can be a little more expensive than i-drive depending on where on i-drive you stay.
We have always had a car while at WDW but have noticed that there are free mears coaches located in the car park first thing in the morning but i don't know exactly what times they run and how frequently.
At the springhill you also get complimentary breakfast.

Hope this helps, if you need anything else just ask

 

[WSussex]

hi

we have always stayed on i drive until this year where like you LBV was recommended so thought we would try it - we are staying at the Hawthorn Suites near down town disney - try looking it up on trip advisor - it had fantastic reviews which was very reassuring as we did not know anyone who personally stayed there. They have 1 bedroom suites with 2 doubles, full kitchen and lounge with sofa bed also free breakfast. The only negative has been a small pool.

good luck!

Sx
Forgot to mention - they have free transport to all parks x

 

[Soprano]

Count me in as another one who never stayed onsite (too much Mickey for me!) usually stayed on I-Drive, but am staying LBV at the Springhill Suites this May. I chose that out of the three as you get a free breakfast! Our hotel is a few minutes walk from the Premium Outlets, which won my wife over!

 

[Cyrano]

we have always stayed on i drive until this year where like you LBV was recommended so thought we would try it - we are staying at the Hawthorn Suites near down town disney - try looking it up on trip advisor - it had fantastic reviews which was very reassuring as we did not know anyone who personally stayed there. They have 1 bedroom suites with 2 doubles, full kitchen and lounge with sofa bed also free breakfast. The only negative has been a small pool.

We are staying at the Hawthorn Suites LBV in June so hoping that it similarly lives up to the reviews

 

[dgr1973]

Last November we stayed at the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista and it was great! The rooms have all been renovated and we had an awesome deals (29 dollars a night) The area around it was nice too and really close to Downtown Disney! I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

[MacUK]

Stayed a couple of times at Courtyard by Marriott which is very nice and quiet. Also stayed at the old Grosvenor and three times at the Royal Plaza and going back to the RP in December. Main reason is DTD, we spend so much time there we should be as close as possible!!!

 

[WiganTony]

We have stayed at the Springhill Suites twice. The rooms have 2 double beds, then a short dividing wall to the living area which has a double sofa bed, dining table and kitchenette. Also included is breakfast including make your own waffles and usually a couple of hot items (e.g. ham and eggs).

The downside is that if you don't have a car, there is no public transport like the I-Ride Trolley or Lynx buses that serve I-Drive. The nearest buses would be from Premium Outlets (approx 15-20 mins walk) or from Hotel Plaza Boulevard at the entrance to Disney (again 15-20 mins walk).

As noted above, we have seen plenty of Mears coaches at the Marriott Village, but as we have had a car, we didn't find out whether they were to Disney and/or Universal or not.

The lack of public transport would limit you for dining as well. There is a Bahama Breeze and Golden Corral adjacent to the hotel as well as a couple of eating places in the village itself, but other nearby restaurants would be around 15-20 mins walk (again!!) at Crossroads.

If you don't want to rent a car, it may be worth considering a hotel near to Seaworld, as from here you can use the I-Ride trolley or Lynx buses to travel the length of I-Drive and get to Premium Outlets, or get the bus (#50) from Seaworld to the Disney TTC at MK.

 

[guru]

We stay in LBV all the time, in fact we got married at one of the hotels there! It would a rare occasion for us to hire a car if we travel to Orlando these days, as LBV does in fact have a real range of options for those who prefer not to drive. You can take full advantage of the disney transportation of course, but in fact most of the hotels have transport (which is free) to Seaworld, Universal etc. If you want to go up Idrive then just take the free bus to Seaworld and hop on to a Itrolley or a Lynx bus. If you want to go to the Florida Mall for some retail therapy then take a leisurely stroll towards DTD and you can pick up the Airport Lynx bus and this goes directly to the Mall.
With regards to dining options you can go to TGI Fridays, Perkins, Sizzler, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, A really nice Mexican, Fudruckers, Chillis, Popeyes, Orlando Chop House, and of course all the masses of disney options at DTD. In our opinion these restaurants are all pretty much walkable, especially since they have now built decent footpaths and crossings. Most of the hotels along the Hotel Plaza Boulevard have nice restaurants in them too, particuarly we like the Best Western, where we like to have a nice breakfast and then catch the free bus to the LBV outlet place (this isnt the poshest place but still has Gap, Nike etc... and is far less busy than the Premium outlets place)
Have we sold LBV to you yet - we love it!! )

 

[Winnie McPooh]

Stayed a couple of times at Courtyard by Marriott which is very nice and quiet. Also stayed at the old Grosvenor and three times at the Royal Plaza and going back to the RP in December. Main reason is DTD, we spend so much time there we should be as close as possible!!!

We've only ever stayed on i-drive, but booked for Courtyard by Marriott this year, hoping we've made the right choice Wee question for you, can you walk from Courtyard to DTD? Been trying to find out, but with no success yet!!

 

[Tink2312]

We've only ever stayed on i-drive, but booked for Courtyard by Marriott this year, hoping we've made the right choice Wee question for you, can you walk from Courtyard to DTD? Been trying to find out, but with no success yet!!

We stayed in the Marriott village a few years back and tbh I wouldn't walk it. You'd have to cross 2 I4 sliproads and it would be a substantial walk anyway. However, if you've got a car, it should take you less than 5 mins depending on traffic lights etc.
I'm sure you'll love LBV - our first 5 trips were on I-drive then we stayed at LBV and haven't stayed I-drive since!

 

[Winnie McPooh]

We stayed in the Marriott village a few years back and tbh I wouldn't walk it. You'd have to cross 2 I4 sliproads and it would be a substantial walk anyway. However, if you've got a car, it should take you less than 5 mins depending on traffic lights etc.
I'm sure you'll love LBV - our first 5 trips were on I-drive then we stayed at LBV and haven't stayed I-drive since!

That's fab, thanks very much At least I know we won't be able to walk there. Not got a car, but quite sure we'll can catch a bus going that way!!

 

[Alibaba]

Hiya
In 2007 we stayed in the courtyard by Marriott on Palm Parkway LBV, and walked to DTD a few times, it is a nice little walk which took us about 10-15 mins, think there is a couple of Courtyards in that area, the one i stayed at and then the one with Fairfield and Springhill Suites (i think) would say you can't walk from the second one, but deffo from the first one
Ali

 

[janeyb]

We have always stayed on site but last year we decided on a last minute trip and stayed at Lake Buena Vista Resort and Villages. It was fantastic, a HUGE 2 bed suite, large lounge, fully equiped kitchen, washer and dryer, 2 bathrooms....Our master suite was also huge with a walk in wardrobe and lovely jacuzzi tub. I think booking direct it's around $100 a night on website but you can also book through owners on owners direct website at a cheaper rate.

There were 2 pools, the largest being zero entry with a pirate ship boat and slide for kids. There is also a shop, bar, gym and spa and shuttles to all the attrations. The best bit for me was the fact that I could leave the room and a minute later be walking around the shopping outlet next to the resort!

We thought it was fantastic value for money, much much better than any of the deluxe rooms we've stayed at in Disney, and we'll hopefully return next year.

Have a great trip.

 

[Julia Ann]

It certainly sounds like a great option - i would probably have a car (as we have never been without one as yet) the hotel rooms certainly sound a bit more spacious then I-Drive etc - thanks all for your feedback