The WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO and HILTON BONNET CREEK Information Thread

[nessz79]

We'll be there Oct 18-20th for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival one day (Friday) and a non-park relaxing/DTD/resort-hopping day (Saturday).

I haven't done the chocolate/champagne tasting so I can't comment on that, but it sounds yummy!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I called the Hilton to see exactly what they meant by 'you can bring your own inner tubes'. I found 90% off floaties but it is a slightly larger animal floaty without a hole in the middle but not as large as a long lounger. For 1.49 I bought it just in case (cheaper than the ones they have for sale). The person said that I could bring it and she acted as if you could bring just about any floaty. Anyone bring their own? Any issues or was 'anything' really ok?

I'm only concerned because of how heavy they are. I don't care if I'm out $3 for 2, but I'll be annoyed if I limit my suitcase items to bring them and then they won't let me use them.

I also confirmed that they would let me use my Hilton Honors free breakfast coupons at Harvest Bistro and get kids free and they said yes!! (It's a $6 up charge for the coupons but that's ok!)

 

[nessz79]

We did not bring our own last time, but we saw tons of people that did. We saw lots of them in windows that you could see from the pool.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

We did not bring our own last time, but we saw tons of people that did. We saw lots of them in windows that you could see from the pool.

Thanks! I'm going to just bring ours. We get free bags through Southwest and for $3 for the two floaties, I am not bothered by bringing and leaving them. That will at least be cheaper than getting some floaties there.

And if anyone is going to be there on October 13th and would like 2 free (slightly used ) floaties, let me know! The floaties are caterpillar ride-ons 39"x61" and they show 2 small children on them. I'm assuming one will be good for each of my bigger kids or one adult. We will be swimming in the morning and we will be done with them by 11 am or so. I can also leave them in a bag at the front desk of the Hilton as well.

 

[ryansstitch]

Where is everyone?? We have stayed overnight at Bonnet Creek before many of our Disney trips and I'm so excited to head there for a weekend in October! I'm most interested in the chocolate and champagne tasting at the Waldorf. Has anyone done this in the past?

When was your last stay? We are completing our baby moon at the Hilton. We stayed at W-A a couple years ago, but 2 free nights with my points led us to try something new. Im wondering how much we will miss the WA experience. Is there a huge difference in service? I was super impressed that after telling one of the staff I had a craving for chocolate French macarons, room service brought me a platter of them for free! Needless to say, I left singing the resort's praises! We will be there 10/5-10/7 for food and wine. I think we'll also checkout the la Luce special menu. In your trips, did you ever return to the resort for a midday break? I'm curious if it would feel like a waste.

 

[tallmouse]

Thanks! I'm going to just bring ours. We get free bags through Southwest and for $3 for the two floaties, I am not bothered by bringing and leaving them. That will at least be cheaper than getting some floaties there.

And if anyone is going to be there on October 13th and would like 2 free (slightly used ) floaties, let me know! The floaties are caterpillar ride-ons 39"x61" and they show 2 small children on them. I'm assuming one will be good for each of my bigger kids or one adult. We will be swimming in the morning and we will be done with them by 11 am or so. I can also leave them in a bag at the front desk of the Hilton as well.

we will be staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and would love these floats for the kids. If you leave them at the front desk I could pick them up.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

When was your last stay? We are completing our baby moon at the Hilton. We stayed at W-A a couple years ago, but 2 free nights with my points led us to try something new. Im wondering how much we will miss the WA experience. Is there a huge difference in service? I was super impressed that after telling one of the staff I had a craving for chocolate French macarons, room service brought me a platter of them for free! Needless to say, I left singing the resort's praises! We will be there 10/5-10/7 for food and wine. I think we'll also checkout the la Luce special menu. In your trips, did you ever return to the resort for a midday break? I'm curious if it would feel like a waste.

I've only stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, not the Waldorf. We LOVE HBC!! It is our 'pre-Disney' relaxation time and starts our vacation off right! We stayed there for one night over Memorial weekend (so a couple months ago). The rooms are really comfortable and clean with nice bedding and mattresses. I don't ever hear noise in the rooms either from other rooms or the hallway. The quick service bakery - MUSE - has the best cinnamon rolls and these king sized donuts. We take out our breakfast to the pool and relax. We all like the lazy river too. Of course, I also am a Hilton member so we stay here on points. Even though I rent a car to do this pre-Disney hotel, the savings on the hotel room pay for the car and then we get to use the car to get groceries and keep those food costs down

we will be staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and would love these floats for the kids. If you leave them at the front desk I could pick them up.

Oh yes, I would be happy to do so! I will leave them at the Hilton front desk as we leave on Sunday 10/13 about noonish. PM me as to who I should leave them for (I understand if you want to put an alias name or only your first and middle name!) and what day you most likely will pick them up (if you want, it would just make it easier on the front desk to know if they can leave it in their front office or if they need to store it longer).

And just a note for anyone - HBC has sometimes just given my kids blow up toys to use (small balls) so keep your eye out because they give pixie dust too

I did just pick up a bunch of deeply discounted pool toys for both HBC and Disney. I do this and then if I lose the items or just don't want to take them home, I am not upset about the cost. I found blow up beach balls, noodles, floats, dive sticks, and water bombs/footballs/frisbees for 25 cents to 1.49! We love the water footballs and usually end up in the 'quiet' Disney pools to play. We do this in the main pools too but if you are going to play across a distance, you should expect to invite others in the pool to join in We've met some nice kids - and their parents - this way! And of course, everyone asks where we got the toys. I tell them that the resort gift shop has them (for $5 or $10!) but we bring them from home.

 

[ryansstitch]

I've only stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, not the Waldorf. We LOVE HBC!! It is our 'pre-Disney' relaxation time and starts our vacation off right! We stayed there for one night over Memorial weekend (so a couple months ago). The rooms are really comfortable and clean with nice bedding and mattresses. I don't ever hear noise in the rooms either from other rooms or the hallway. The quick service bakery - MUSE - has the best cinnamon rolls and these king sized donuts. We take out our breakfast to the pool and relax. We all like the lazy river too. Of course, I also am a Hilton member so we stay here on points. Even though I rent a car to do this pre-Disney hotel, the savings on the hotel room pay for the car and then we get to use the car to get groceries and keep those food costs down Oh yes, I would be happy to do so! I will leave them at the Hilton front desk as we leave on Sunday 10/13 about noonish. PM me as to who I should leave them for (I understand if you want to put an alias name or only your first and middle name!) and what day you most likely will pick them up (if you want, it would just make it easier on the front desk to know if they can leave it in their front office or if they need to store it longer). And just a note for anyone - HBC has sometimes just given my kids blow up toys to use (small balls) so keep your eye out because they give pixie dust too I did just pick up a bunch of deeply discounted pool toys for both HBC and Disney. I do this and then if I lose the items or just don't want to take them home, I am not upset about the cost. I found blow up beach balls, noodles, floats, dive sticks, and water bombs/footballs/frisbees for 25 cents to 1.49! We love the water footballs and usually end up in the 'quiet' Disney pools to play. We do this in the main pools too but if you are going to play across a distance, you should expect to invite others in the pool to join in We've met some nice kids - and their parents - this way! And of course, everyone asks where we got the toys. I tell them that the resort gift shop has them (for $5 or $10!) but we bring them from home.

Nice, sounds like you guys have a good plan in place for your trips! I'm curious what the breakfast is like that's included when you have gold or diamond status. I'm wondering if those cinnamon rolls on the menu! I had ressie for Konya cafe one of our mornings, and since this is our babymoon I was considering booking another breakfast on property. However, free breakfast is good too! Well, so long as it actually IS good!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Nice, sounds like you guys have a good plan in place for your trips! I'm curious what the breakfast is like that's included when you have gold or diamond status. I'm wondering if those cinnamon rolls on the menu! I had ressie for Konya cafe one of our mornings, and since this is our babymoon I was considering booking another breakfast on property. However, free breakfast is good too! Well, so long as it actually IS good!

The hilton honors breakfast includes breakfast at Muse, their bakery. They have always said one drink and one food item per coupon (2 coupons per night and they only give 2 per night even if I have 4 on the reservation - I've never asked though if that was right). Muse does have specialty espresso and smoothie drinks and their baked goods are phenomenal! We split a king sized donut and cinnamon roll but we have also gotten a breakfast sandwich. I personally brew coffee in the room and then pay out of pocket for some bananas.

You can also use the coupons at the breakfast buffet at Harvest Bistro for $6 up charge per coupon and kids eat free.

 

[ryansstitch]

The hilton honors breakfast includes breakfast at Muse, their bakery. They have always said one drink and one food item per coupon (2 coupons per night and they only give 2 per night even if I have 4 on the reservation - I've never asked though if that was right). Muse does have specialty espresso and smoothie drinks and their baked goods are phenomenal! We split a king sized donut and cinnamon roll but we have also gotten a breakfast sandwich. I personally brew coffee in the room and then pay out of pocket for some bananas. You can also use the coupons at the breakfast buffet at Harvest Bistro for $6 up charge per coupon and kids eat free.

Ok, I was under the impression you could also do harvest Bistro, but not the hot items? I could just be confused! Now since they use coupons, must you redeem them at breakfast? Or can you come to the bakery at say 4pm for a snack?

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Ok, I was under the impression you could also do harvest Bistro, but not the hot items? I could just be confused! Now since they use coupons, must you redeem them at breakfast? Or can you come to the bakery at say 4pm for a snack?

From what I remember and when I called, the $6 up charge includes the full buffet. I am not sure if there is a limit on when you can use the coupon at Muse since I've only wanted (and have wanted) to use it at breakfast.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

A few more days and I'll be eating the best cinnamon rolls ever then "working" it off in the pool

 

[ryansstitch]

How was your trip? I am still going through disney withdrawal, so I've been avoiding Disboards! We did have a great breakfast at the hilton. We did the buffet, and thankfully I'm pregnant and very hungry first thing in the morning! A lunch or dinner buffet would be wasted on me though! We enjoyed our stay, but we were missing the Waldorf...

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

How was your trip? I am still going through disney withdrawal, so I've been avoiding Disboards! We did have a great breakfast at the hilton. We did the buffet, and thankfully I'm pregnant and very hungry first thing in the morning! A lunch or dinner buffet would be wasted on me though! We enjoyed our stay, but we were missing the Waldorf...

I too am going through withdrawal. We really enjoyed our trip. With 2 nights at the HBC, it gave us time to adjust to vacation without the parks (although we did hit DTD). The pool was fabulous, the cinnamon rolls are still the stuff dreams are made of, and the room was really cool! We stayed on Hilton points and I asked for the 'possible' upgrade to the junior/executive suite. We go this and loved it. There was the standard room plus an connecting door to the suite portion which was the size of 2 standard rooms. HBC provided us with a rollaway bed which DD slept on the DS slept on the pull out couch. These were also PURE rooms and my husband slept soundly - NO SNORING!!! We are going to buy one of those systems for home

We did use our Hilton Honors free breakfast coupons at the buffet and the server said she wouldn't even charge us the upcharge of $6 each (she was one of the best servers and not just because she did that - so attentive!) So we ate free and of course, left a nice tip. The buffet was standard but the pastries are amazing! We even took some to go and the server brought us to go cups for fresh coffee - she was really cool!! I would not pay out of pocket for the buffet unless we were planning on it being a brunch time. I absolutely love MUSE and the cinnamon rolls and coffee from the room is really good.

We also got to experience the free wine-tasting in the lobby. Some good 1.5 oz pours (3 different wines) and you could get a second - I asked but I don't think they minded if you didn't. The kids even got sparkling apple juice samples!

I still haven't downloaded my pictures but when I do, I'll post them!

OH, I almost forgot to mention...We brought the floaties which were a 2-person float (no holes) but they were a toddler 2-person so they fit one larger child or adult just fine. They even let us use the air compressor (we asked first). No issues at all in using our own funky alligator floaties. I did leave them for a previous poster at the front desk - hopefully they got them!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Ok, I was under the impression you could also do harvest Bistro, but not the hot items? I could just be confused! Now since they use coupons, must you redeem them at breakfast? Or can you come to the bakery at say 4pm for a snack?

Oops, just re-reading posts...YES, you can use the breakfast coupons at harvest bistro for a continental breakfast. The $6 upcharge is for the hot items. And of course I wanted eggs and bacon

As for when you can use the coupons in Muse, I am not sure! We used them on the 2nd day about 9:30 am and have never tried using them earlier. I am not sure what their policy is about using them later in the day. Sorry!!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

The hilton honors breakfast includes breakfast at Muse, their bakery. They have always said one drink and one food item per coupon (2 coupons per night and they only give 2 per night even if I have 4 on the reservation - I've never asked though if that was right). Muse does have specialty espresso and smoothie drinks and their baked goods are phenomenal! We split a king sized donut and cinnamon roll but we have also gotten a breakfast sandwich. I personally brew coffee in the room and then pay out of pocket for some bananas.

You can also use the coupons at the breakfast buffet at Harvest Bistro for $6 up charge per coupon and kids eat free.

I did ask at Muse if I could get one drink, one pastry and one fruit item for one coupon and they said they will give you 2 items per coupon and they don't distinguish between items (so bottled drink, espresso drink, pastry, heartier breakfast sandwich, fruit cup, banana, etc). So we did use the coupons for all of our more expensive items and that meant that one coupon 'paid' for a cinnamon roll and breakfast sandwich and with the other one, we got a drink and pastry.

 

[twinsmom]

Husband, son 14 and twin daughters age 12 are booked for Waldorf during Thanksgiving. I booked a "regular" 2 queen room. Was going to request a rollaway. Will that be too tight for all of us? Does the hotel allow a rollaway?

 

[ryansstitch]

Husband, son 14 and twin daughters age 12 are booked for Waldorf during Thanksgiving. I booked a "regular" 2 queen room. Was going to request a rollaway. Will that be too tight for all of us? Does the hotel allow a rollaway?

Not sure if they allow a rollaway, but it will be pretty snug with all those teens together! There isn't a whole lot of walking space, at least not in the room my husband and I were in.The rooms are lovely, but definitely not family sized, at least not for children of that age/size. I personally would try to change to a suite there or at hbc. That being said, you can get creative with air mattresses and sleeping bags if you like. If your kids are generally cooperative and you're not spending a ton of time in your room, you may be able to maintain your sanity.

 

[baler31]

A rollaway will not fit in a standard Waldorf room and 5 in that room is over occupancy. It will not allow you to book a standard room if you input 2adults and 3 children. You will need a 2 queen suite that is a bedroom with two queens, dining room, living area with sofa bed. Have stayed with 3 in a standard and 4 in the suite and I would always reserve the suite if we were staying for more than an overnight. The suites at the Waldorf actually have lower rates than the Hilton suites. Use AAA or MVP rate.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

A rollaway will not fit in a standard Waldorf room and 5 in that room is over occupancy. It will not allow you to book a standard room if you input 2adults and 3 children. You will need a 2 queen suite that is a bedroom with two queens, dining room, living area with sofa bed. Have stayed with 3 in a standard and 4 in the suite and I would always reserve the suite if we were staying for more than an overnight. The suites at the Waldorf actually have lower rates than the Hilton suites. Use AAA or MVP rate.

Expanding on that, we stayed at HBC in October and asked for the stand-by upgrade to a suite and we did get it. If you are staying for more than one night, I highly suggest it! It is a regular room with a connecting door to a dining/living area. That other area is the size of two regular rooms but without a wall. The sofa bed is really nice (memory foam??) and we had them add a rollaway in the room as well so my kids didn't have to share the sofa bed. Our regular room did have 2 queen beds but you can also get a suite attached to a King room (at least that's what they list online!)