Good Neighbour Properties - Tell me everything.

[grapefruitjellybean]

Disney lists “Good Neighbour” properties on their website but there’s not much info there.
What are the perks? Some sites say you get Early Morning hours, some say it’s no longer the case.
How reliable is the shuttle to the parks?
Which hotels have the best pools?
Free breakfast?
Give me the good and bad, personal experiences, tell me everything.

 

[HopperFan]

Disney lists “Good Neighbour” properties on their website but there’s not much info there.
What are the perks? Some sites say you get Early Morning hours, some say it’s no longer the case.
How reliable is the shuttle to the parks?
Which hotels have the best pools?
Free breakfast?
Give me the good and bad, personal experiences, tell me everything.

Good Neighbor have no Disney perks. Likely never will as there are too many.

They qualify because they check the required boxes such as AAA rated.

While they are to have a shuttle there is no requirement as to how often, if it's free and if you need to make reservations. Carefully check what a hotel offers if this is important.

There is no requirement for free breakfast so you just have to find that on our own.

Personally I've stayed in them (about 12 of them) but never care if they are because I do my own research and they give me no extras regarding Disney.

https://www.wdwgoodneighborhotels.com/

It takes a lot to be a good neighbor. That’s why all of our Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels:

• Offer standard rooms, suites and villa-style accommodations:
• Are AAA-approved
• Meet Disney standards for quality and service
• Have a Guest Services desk to assist you with your Disney vacation planning and ticket purchases
• Provide guests with access to Walt Disney World® Resort information prior to arriving in the Disney Theme Parks
• Are comfortable, convenient and close
• Many hotels offer Disney Theme Park vacation packages. Visit the hotel website for more details on package offers, or call 407-W-DISNEY or (407) 934-7639 and ask about packages for your preferred Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel.
• All hotels are close to the Walt Disney World Resort (ranging from 2 to 14 miles).
• All hotels offer transportation to the Disney Theme Parks. (A fee may apply.)
• Many hotels allow pets. (A fee may apply.)
• All hotels allow you to purchase your Disney Theme Park tickets on-site, in their lobby, at the Front Desk or Guest Services Desk

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

Disney lists “Good Neighbour” properties on their website but there’s not much info there.
What are the perks? Some sites say you get Early Morning hours, some say it’s no longer the case.
How reliable is the shuttle to the parks?
Which hotels have the best pools?
Free breakfast?
Give me the good and bad, personal experiences, tell me everything.

It’s my understanding that there used to be more widespread perks for good neighbors. Some (but not all) could participate in extra magic hours, plus early fastpass & dining reservations. Now, it is much more stringent. Only a select few luxury hotels can partake in the extra evening hours (when Disney deluxe guests can stay late at EP or MK), & maybe just those same few can participate in early entry? (I’m not sure, but I think so.)

I’ve only stayed off-site once years ago at the Hyatt Place. We definitely chose it for cheaper cost, free breakfast, & the few Disney perks in place. We really enjoyed our stay. The hotel was nice, the pool was small… but at the end of the day (both figuratively & literally) we didn’t like leaving the bubble. (We rented our own car bc their shuttle wasn’t frequent enough & not guaranteed.)

 

[HopperFan]

It’s my understanding that there used to be more widespread perks for good neighbors. Some (but not all) could participate in extra magic hours, & all qualified for early fastpass & dining reservations. Now, it is much more stringent. Only a select few luxury hotels can partake in the extra evening hours (when Disney deluxe guests can stay late at EP or MK), & maybe just those same few can participate in early entry? (I’m not sure, but I think so.)

No, Good Neighbor Hotels were not part of the Disney Perk hotels. They did not get any of the extras. It is nothing more than a stamp of approval.

The Disney World OFFICIAL Hotels are what had a variety of perks but have less now. Those hotels are basically the Disney Springs hotels (still on Disney property).

Disney has in recent years extended some perks to the Bonnet Creek HOTELS (Hilton, Waldorf & Wyndham) and Four Seasons.

Even though Disney partners with the Gateway Hotels (Flamingo Crossing) for packages they do not get any perks.

Some confusion may have occurred a few years ago when there were some vlogger/blogger/websites that claimed Good Neighbor got perks but they did not.

Here are the hotels that get Early Entry ...

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-entry/

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

No, Good Neighbor Hotels were not part of the Disney Perk hotels. They did not get any of the extras. It is nothing more than a stamp of approval.

The Disney World OFFICIAL Hotels are what had a variety of perks but have less now. Those hotels are basically the Disney Springs hotels (still on Disney property).

Disney has in recent years extended some perks to the Bonnet Creek HOTELS (Hilton, Waldorf & Wyndham) and Four Seasons.

Even though Disney partners with the Gateway Hotels (Flamingo Crossing) for packages they do not get any perks.

Some confusion may have occurred a few years ago when there were some vlogger/blogger/websites that claimed Good Neighbor got perks but they did not.

Here are the hotels that get Early Entry ...

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-entry/

Thank you!! That’s so helpful! While I love staying on property, it’s a lot of money. Especially after the USD/CAD conversion. Since Disney took away so many perks like free airport shuttle, EMH, fast pass, magic bands, it’s harder to justify the cost. During our last trip we realized we just needed a clean place to sleep with a pool. My kids don’t care about theming. We stayed at Royal Pacific which doesn’t have any park theme (except the cool Jurassic Park beds they slept in) and they were fine.
Free breakfast would be a nice perk, I don’t eat breakfast but the kids can go down and grab some cereal while I finish getting ready. We’re also slow in the mornings so an extra half hour is not worth it.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there so I wanted to get first hand opinions.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

It’s my understanding that there used to be more widespread perks for good neighbors. Some (but not all) could participate in extra magic hours, plus early fastpass & dining reservations. Now, it is much more stringent. Only a select few luxury hotels can partake in the extra evening hours (when Disney deluxe guests can stay late at EP or MK), & maybe just those same few can participate in early entry? (I’m not sure, but I think so.)

I’ve only stayed off-site once years ago at the Hyatt Place. We definitely chose it for cheaper cost, free breakfast, & the few Disney perks in place. We really enjoyed our stay. The hotel was nice, the pool was small… but at the end of the day (both figuratively & literally) we didn’t like leaving the bubble. (We rented our own car bc their shuttle wasn’t frequent enough & not guaranteed.)

Thank you for sharing, that’s very helpful.

 

[sheilafri]

From what I’ve seen the Good Neighbor Hotels offer some form of shuttle and sell tickets. IMHO not worth looking for the designation as you have probably bought your tickets and you still have to research details on the shuttles, ie cost, frequency, reservation requirements. I stay at a non-Disney hotel for the reasonable cost and, frankly, to get out of the bubble.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

From what I’ve seen the Good Neighbor Hotels offer some form of shuttle and sell tickets. IMHO not worth looking for the designation as you have probably bought your tickets and you still have to research details on the shuttles, ie cost, frequency, reservation requirements. I stay at a non-Disney hotel for the reasonable cost and, frankly, to get out of the bubble.

Do you have any recommendations?

 

[sheilafri]

I recently stayed at Springhill Suites Flamingo Landing. It was new, quiet and had a good breakfast included, plus pool and hot tub. I had a car so no info on possible shuttle. Easy drive to the parks with little traffic. Also stayed at Fairfield Inn Flamingo Landing. Better breakfast but not quite as resort-like a feel. Have previously stayed at Sheraton Vistana which is great for more room (only stayed in 1 BRs), but a bit more traffic and drive. Also stayed at Fairfield Inn at Marriott Village which is a great price, similar drive to SV. Can you tell I have Marriott rewards? If looking for perks, consider the Swan/Dolphin for early entry, extra evening hours and easy access to Epcot and HS, too. They have frequent busses to AK and MK. it is definitely more expensive but they do offer various discounts—AAA, Senior, AP. I am not the type to splurge on accommodations. I actually prefer a more modest experience. I go to WDW for the parks.

 

[HopperFan]

Thank you!! That’s so helpful! While I love staying on property, it’s a lot of money. Especially after the USD/CAD conversion. Since Disney took away so many perks like free airport shuttle, EMH, fast pass, magic bands, it’s harder to justify the cost. During our last trip we realized we just needed a clean place to sleep with a pool. My kids don’t care about theming. We stayed at Royal Pacific which doesn’t have any park theme (except the cool Jurassic Park beds they slept in) and they were fine.
Free breakfast would be a nice perk, I don’t eat breakfast but the kids can go down and grab some cereal while I finish getting ready. We’re also slow in the mornings so an extra half hour is not worth it.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there so I wanted to get first hand opinions.

Yes we stayed onsite for many years, many times (130+ I think) but as benefits shrank and prices increased we moved offsite for most our visits. Now we do have Annual Passes so we don't pay for theme park parking but even so the money saved can offset it. In 2021 we were between APs so we paid for parking but the savings were still great.

Do you have any recommendations?

Flamingo Crossing area gets great reviews and one of these days I'll get over there to stay. It is a good location if only doing Disney. If doing other parks as well I would not stay there.

I've stayed in lots in the area of Lake Buena Vista and don't even mind South LBV because we are park centric. Mostly stay Hiltons. Hampton and Homewood Suites do a decent breakfast, all the basics. Embassy Suite has an upgraded breakfast with an omelet station and we really enjoy that. Just about anything you could want they offer.

Are you looking for just a room or a suite? Does the pool matter? Lots of really good options close by.