Downtown Disney Hotels

[Idontwanttogrowup]

My friend hasnt booked his hotel at Pop Century or anywhere yet. Is he too late? Can he keep calling the hotel he wants to stay in just in case someone drops out? He wants to stay in the same hotel as us.

The reason why Im asking is because where can he go if the hotels are booked? Can he stay at the Downtown Disney ones or do they book up fast too? Does the Downtown Disney hotel accept Annual Passes? What hotels are in Downtown Disney?

 

[Lynne M]

Too late for when? When is his trip?

You don't call the individual hotels for reservations, you call 1-407-WDISNEY. That's the central reservations office (CRO) for all Disney resorts. Or, you can book at www.disneyworld.com.

Not sure what you mean by the DTD hotels accepting annual passes? Only Disney owned hotels offer AP discounts.

The DTD resorts are:

Best Western Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn
DoubleTree Guest Suites
Regal Sun Resort (former Grosvenor)
Hilton Resort
Hotel Royal Plaza
Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa

Those hotels aren't on the Disney transportation system, you can't get the DDP or use Magical Express, and only the Hilton's guest may participate in EMH. But, you can often get great deals for these hotels.

And if nothing's available on Disney property or at DTD, there are dozens of hotels/motels in the immediate vicinity of Disney World.

 

[Native NYer]

If he can't get a room at POP, he can try one of the other values. He probably should try to book something as soon as possible.

 

[Idontwanttogrowup]

We are going from April 14- May 3rd. He wants to stay at the same hotel with us but he hasnt booked anything yet. He didnt book anything because hes a writer that belongs to Writers Guild Of America. Since he was on strike he didnt make any reservations. Now that the strike is over he wants to join us. How can I tell which hotels are booked full & which arent?

 

[maxiesmom]

We are going from April 14- May 3rd. He wants to stay at the same hotel with us but he hasnt booked anything yet. He didnt book anything because hes a writer that belongs to Writers Guild Of America. Since he was on strike he didnt make any reservations. Now that the strike is over he wants to join us. How can I tell which hotels are booked full & which arent?

Go over to the offical Disney World web-site. You can plug in dates and resorts and it will show you if it is available, and suggest an alternative if it is not. I wouldn't give up on booking a Disney resort just yet.

 

[Lynne M]

No, I don't think it's too late to book a Disney resort, either. There may well still be rooms available at Pop. If the web site shows no availability at Pop, just call CRO and ask. Sometimes they'll be able to get you a room when the web site says there aren't any.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

the double tree guest suites at DTD are very nice
as is the Hilton
But I would keep looking you still have time.

 

[kaitlin-n-mom]

FYI: disneyworld.com say that there are preferred rooms available for those dates at Pop. HTH

 

[Idontwanttogrowup]

Thank you so much for helping me out and looking. He could probably book a day before he leaves and still get a room, right? As you can see Im one of those paranoid people.

 

[kaytieeldr]

He MAY be able to, but then again he may NOT - especially if he's planning to be there for three weeks straight, as you appear to be.

He should book his room NOW, then cancel at least six days in advance if his plans change.

 

[Lynne M]

Thank you so much for helping me out and looking. He could probably book a day before he leaves and still get a room, right? As you can see Im one of those paranoid people.

Now, THAT I wouldn't depend on. Occupancy has been running high at the resorts lately, there's many a time someone has tried to book a last minute trip and reported that the only thing available was a suite at a deluxe.

Why not just book the room now?

 

[tnd]

I've had a couple bad experiences with the Downtown Disney Hotels in the past. My husband and I stayed at the Best Western for a week in 2002 and they neglected to inform us that the entire building was under construction. It was a pain to get back to our rooms because there was only one elevator for the entire hotel. The bussing system also took forver.

We also stayed at the Grosvenor about a year ago and the service was less than stellar. We got in very late due to a flight delay (around midnight), and despite requesting a crib when the reservation was made, and when we checked in, it still took 2 hours and 3 phone calls to get one. We finally got our 18 month old to bed at 2am. That was fun. We also had huge problems with the bussing, including buses just not showing up as scheduled.

I am sure some of the better hotels in that area (e.g. Hilton) are nicer, but they all share the same bus system, and I really found it to be inconvenient. If I were advising your friend, I'd tell him to book on the property if at all possible. If he does end up in one of the DTD hotels, he might try walking over to DTD itself and taking the Disney busses to the parks (I think you can do that).

 

[Idontwanttogrowup]

Hes working on it. We will talk to him tomorrow or Tuesday & see if he did anything. We will see him on Thursday. I will let everyone know when he books a room if he does. Even if he doesnt I will still let people know.

 

[Idontwanttogrowup]

We talked to him yesterday morning. He decided hes not going because he cant afford it this time.

He is talking about going in September & he is going to stay off property and rent a car. He has an Annual Pass & a Disney Dining Experience card. Can he still use those if he stays off property?

What is he NOT allowed to do if he stays off property?

 

[fla4fun]

We talked to him yesterday morning. He decided hes not going because he cant afford it this time.

He is talking about going in September & he is going to stay off property and rent a car. He has an Annual Pass & a Disney Dining Experience card. Can he still use those if he stays off property?

What is he NOT allowed to do if he stays off property?

Yes, he can use the AP and DDE if he stays off property.

If he stays off property, he can not:
go to EMH
charge food and souvenirs back to his room
have purchases delivered back to the resort
use Disney's Magical Express from the airport (since he's renting a car, not a problem)
get free parking at the theme parks (off property has to pay to park)

 

[Lynne M]

He'll still get free parking at the theme parks if he shows his AP. Parking is free for AP holders.

 

[BenKurtz]

The downtown Disney Hotels provide free shuttle services to all the Disney Parks.


Ben