Best Disney Springs hotel alternative to POFQ

[tlmadden73]

My sister's family is going to Disney in late March 2019. My family will have an AP and are planning to join them.

They are booked at POFQ .. we are used to Value resort prices .. heh and not sure if I am up to paying $1000 for 4 nights! (Plus the parking fee!) I have it booked, but I am just questioning that price for a short trip where we just need a "place to rest our head"

There may be an AP discount that eventually comes out that may make that more affordable, but I know I can't count on that.

Is there a Disney Springs hotel (where you still get 60 day fast passes) that is more recommended and more affordable than that? I figure staying at Disney Springs hotel will still have us fairly close to them (even though it would be more fun to be in the same hotel as them). I don't have any experience with those hotels. What's the best place to book them? Direct from the hotel's site or from travel sites like Expedia?

 

[hiroMYhero]

My sister's family is going to Disney in late March 2019. My family will have an AP and are planning to join them.

They are booked at POFQ .. we are used to Value resort prices .. heh and not sure if I am up to paying $1000 for 4 nights! (Plus the parking fee!) I have it booked, but I am just questioning that price for a short trip where we just need a "place to rest our head"

There may be an AP discount that eventually comes out that may make that more affordable, but I know I can't count on that.

Is there a Disney Springs hotel (where you still get 60 day fast passes) that is more recommended and more affordable than that? I figure staying at Disney Springs hotel will still have us fairly close to them (even though it would be more fun to be in the same hotel as them). I don't have any experience with those hotels. What's the best place to book them? Direct from the hotel's site or from travel sites like Expedia?

The listing of DSprings Hotels, parking fees, and resort fees are here:
Disney Springs Hotels: 60-Day FP + EMH Through 2019: *No Packages Needed*

There’s a lot of discussion within the thread regarding the different properties.

 

[tlmadden73]

The listing of DSprings Hotels, parking fees, and resort fees are here:
Disney Springs Hotels: 60-Day FP + EMH Through 2019: *No Packages Needed*

There’s a lot of discussion within the thread regarding the different properties.

Thank you

 

[tlmadden73]

Guess I am not seeing the "deals" I thought ..

Quickly looking at Wyndham Garden Inn (which seems to be a "Value" equivalent (two double beds .. small .. outside facing room) .. and while the "per night" base price looked good, after taxes and fees (and not even counting parking fees) .. my total (for four nights) came to around $850. The price I have booked at POFQ (with no discounts applied) was $1086

I can book a Disney Value resort for $140 cheaper than that ($716) for those same four days ..

I guess I'm not seeing the advantage of staying there .. besides the proximity to Disney Springs ..

I guess I was expecting it to be cheaper than the Disney Values ... *shrug*

 

[writerguyfl]

Whether a Disney Springs Hotels is less than a Disney Value Resort is based on dates. Disney Resorts don't change much in terms of rates. In contrast, non-Disney hotels can vary a ton. In the past, I've paid $69/night at one of the Disney Springs Hotels. I tried to extend my stay and was told that the cost for my base-level room would be $299/night. Pricing is based upon demand.

I'd guess that if you're looking for March 2019 dates and because you mentioned family, you're probably looking at Spring Break. You're not going to find any discounts for the Disney Springs Hotels over Spring Break. They know they will be sold out. Once the Disney Resorts are full, people won't be able to compare the Disney Springs Hotels prices with Disney Resorts. People will gladly pay the higher rates at places like the Wyndham Garden just to avoid being completely off-site.

There are definitively deals...they just don't always match up with every trip.

 

[tlmadden73]

Whether a Disney Springs Hotels is less than a Disney Value Resort is based on dates. Disney Resorts don't change much in terms of rates. In contrast, non-Disney hotels can vary a ton. In the past, I've paid $69/night at one of the Disney Springs Hotels. I tried to extend my stay and was told that the cost for my base-level room would be $299/night. Pricing is based upon demand.

I'd guess that if you're looking for March 2019 dates and because you mentioned family, you're probably looking at Spring Break. You're not going to find any discounts for the Disney Springs Hotels over Spring Break. They know they will be sold out. Once the Disney Resorts are full, people won't be able to compare the Disney Springs Hotels prices with Disney Resorts. People will gladly pay the higher rates at places like the Wyndham Garden just to avoid being completely off-site.

There are definitively deals...they just don't always match up with every trip.

I can see that .. it's Spring Break "time" . .but not my son's Spring Break (it is my sister's family Spring Break though).

So .. I guess I'll just suck it up and spend the $1000 on POFQ and justify the extra cost with the convenience of being in the same hotel as them.

 

[Kae]

Ask away we have stayed at:
the BW a few time big rooms, great balconies, very friendly staff, Food not so great.
Doubletree nice to have a suite with Kitchenette, nice Staff and cookie when you checkin
Holiday Inn nice Rooms I think it was a Marriott when we stayed There, Staff ok they were pushing Time Shares
Hilton LBV Palace pretty cool place great staff very nice rooms we stayed there before it was a Hilton & while under reno. Loved it when you could cross the street right over to DS now you have to go down to walkways.

Most of these we got with Priceline The B resort was the only one to make me feel like I got a deal and put me in a room with a craptastic view -it was a wall and made a priceline comment when checked in.

Kae

 

[firefly_ris]

It's all really dependent on what kind of amenities you're looking for as well as what time of year you're going... price fluctuates wildly.

For me, when I'm off site I'm not personally looking for something comparable to a Value (that being a motel room, outdoor corridor, no balcony, only a mini-fridge and no room separation) -- when I'm off site, I'm typically looking for something with at least 1 bedroom, kitchenette but preferably a full kitchen, balcony, etc. So for me personally, that's places like Embassy Suites or Lake Buena Vista Resort Village. When I'm in that category I can easily beat its comparable, which would be a Disney Deluxe as far as amenities alone. But if I'm looking for something similar to a Value or a Moderate, it can be close, and then you have to consider rental cost into the equation and if you still work out on top -- which as you've found sometimes you're not, or sometimes it's so close it's not worth the difference. I have generally preferred the amenities I get at the aforementioned off site places compared to a Moderate on site resort but I'm not married to either one, I just go for the best deal or what will work out convenience-wise for that particular trip. For this trip, if it were me, I would pick POFQ because I would want the added value of being close to my relative who I am traveling with to meet up for breakfast/coffee/walk/whatever, so it would be worth the extra $200. In another situation I might not pick that, maybe I would save the $200 and use it for a rental car because I don't like Disney buses, but trips are sooo specific to so many factors. I think it's always a good idea to shop around... sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. I hope you have an awesome trip.

 

[writerguyfl]

I can see that .. it's Spring Break "time" . .but not my son's Spring Break (it is my sister's family Spring Break though).

Here in Florida, Spring Break lasts 3 or 4 week because different school districts/college/universities take different weeks off.

So .. I guess I'll just suck it up and spend the $1000 on POFQ and justify the extra cost with the convenience of being in the same hotel as them.

Thinking it over, it might be a little too soon for accurate pricing for March. Some hotels might not be overly concerned, since it's still about 5-6 months away. The Disney Springs Hotels tend to offer discounts for the current and following season. Right now, hotels are concentrating on fall and winter. Discounts for spring probably won't be finalized for another couple of weeks.

If your dates fall over a period where one or more of the mega school districts in the state (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Orange) are off, there might not be any discounts. But, it's still possible that rates will drop. It might be worth periodically checking. Maybe you'll stumble on a deal.

For what it's worth, the Wyndham Garden does not get great reviews.

 

[ClapYourHands]

If you are used to Disney Values, may I ask why you aren't looking to stay in one this time?
Any chance you could all relocate to a Disney Value? It looks like there's still availability in late March, though I don't know your exact dates.

Also, you might be able to book a great deal at a Disney Springs hotel between now and March. It's so far out that the hotels don't have much urgency to drop prices to fill rooms. At least not yet. You might find prices either rise or fall closer to your dates. It's worth looking back semi-regularly. If something opens up at a good price, grab it. As long as you get a cancel-able rate, you can always cancel and re-book if something better comes along.

 

[Harmacist]

Keep checking Mousesavers for DSpring hotel discounts. I booked a B Resort through them at 30% off and waived resort fees (still parking fees but I wont have a car) for 2 weeks from now.

The price for B resort ended being $1020 for a tower room, I think would've been around 975 for non tower. Pop would've been 1070, CBR would've been 1750!!

This time of year there wasn't good disney hotel deals though, and there is the big conference that honestly only 2 moderates and the values had listings when we booked 4 months ago so that may have also contributed to lack of deals.

I figured I'd try something different than Pop for roughly the same price, we will see how it works. I am just going with a friend so thought the closeness to Springs outweighed disney transportation.

 

[tlmadden73]

Thanks.
I was just looking at the Disney Springs options since I heard people trying offsite for "cheaper" especially since they offer the other onsite perks like 60-day fast passes.

At this point in our vacationing (with little kids) accommodations aren't high on our priority list (little people means a little 'value' room is good enough). Plus, I just don't like paying a lot for a hotel room for a theme park vacation.. especially when the room is used for maybe 10 hours or less for sleeping!

 

[firefly_ris]

At this point in our vacationing (with little kids) accommodations aren't high on our priority list (little people means a little 'value' room is good enough). Plus, I just don't like paying a lot for a hotel room for a theme park vacation.. especially when the room is used for maybe 10 hours or less for sleeping!

Definitely true... in my personal case I can't stay in a Value as my kids are little, but there's 3 of them, and the value suites are outrageously priced for what they are... so our on site choices are much more limited. Im booked for CBR next year and I will definitely miss a microwave, separate bedroom and free breakfast and free Happy Hour (thats what Embassy does) but it will still be fine, probably just my final on site stay.

I think for you at this point what you're doing works. It's always good to compare and see what's out there, but present plan probably the strongest right now. Deals usually appear much closer to travel dates. Plus I personally think better deals are to be had on condo resorts like Bonnet Creek or full on houses than hotel chains anyway.

 

[Grumpy92]

I recommend the Doubletree suites. This is a very nice hotel. You could keep checking for a discounted rate (aaa, seniors etc). The closer to you arrival date the better your chances. But as others have said it will be difficult for that time period.