Hotel @ Disney Springs...and ship Amazon/groceries?

[norjack]

Looking for a hotel room next summer (2 adults, 3 kids) in the Disney Springs area, so we can easily use Disney transport to get around. Looking for a place that has an ok pool, is clean, and that we can ship Amazon and groceries to, as we live overseas (dont need to keep these groceries cold.) Any tips? Anyone that can confirm Disney Springs area hotels that are both in walking distance AND will hold onto an Amazon or Walmart order for about 2 weeks before arrival? Thanks! Now just to find the best option to get back and forth to the airport in the evening...

 

[writerguyfl]

Packages:
Unfortunately, there's aren't a lot of people on this forum that stay at the Disney Springs Hotels. Those of us that do aren't going to be sending packages to the hotels. That means you probably aren't going to get an answer. Here's what I know.

Most hotels with on-site convention centers usually charge fees to receive and store packages. They do that because they receive many packages due to the conventions/meetings at the hotel. Of the seven Disney Springs Hotels, the Buena Vista Palace and Hilton Lake Buena Vista have convention centers. As such, I'd imagine they would charge a fee.

Some hotels also outsource their business centers to third party companies. At those hotels, any guest package would be handled by those third party companies and be subject to a fee. I'm 99% certain that the Buena Vista Palace business center is outsourced.

Since you are overseas, you probably don't want to call these hotels to get an answer. If you visit the Disney Springs Hotels marketing association website, you can get email address for 6 of the 7 hotels. (The one that does have an email is the Buena Vista Palace, which I already noted probably will charge a fee.)

Marketing website: http://disneyspringshotels.com/

Select a hotel under the "Our 7 Hotels" tab. The email address is listed near the top of the page under the hotel name.

Walking Distance:
All seven hotels are within walking distance of Disney Springs. I just returned from a stay at the DoubleTree Suites. That hotel is the furthest from Disney Springs. The walk took 14 minutes.

Theme Park Transportation:
Please note that to get to/from the theme parks, you will not be using Disney Transportation. These seven hotels run their own shuttle service. It is run by Mears Transportation, which has been a Disney partner for decades (and is the company that runs Disney's Magical Express Service).

Transportation to the theme parks runs on a schedule: every 30 minutes starting an hour before park opening and 90 minutes after park closing. Each hotel shares buses with 3 or 4 other hotels. Two routes are offered, which means each route hits two theme parks. Usually, one route goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center (for Magic Kingdom) and then Disney's Animal Kingdom. The other route is to Epcot and then Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Disney Transportation connects Disney Springs to each of their resorts. Although you could use that to get to a theme park (by going to a resort and transferring to another bus/boat/monorail), Disney Springs buses do not start until 10am.

Disney just started offering one-way service from each theme park to Disney Springs. This service starts at 4pm. I used this service this past week and loved it. I'm a night owl, so I usually stay until park closing, which was about 9pm this week. I'd take the bus to Disney Springs and grab a snack/drink, enjoy some free entertainment, and then walk back to the hotel.

Airport Transportation:
I live in Florida, so I currently drive to Disney World. But, back when I lived in Orlando, I always used Mears Transportation to get to/from the airport. Because they are a large company, you don't have to worry about them not having a driver like a small operation. Plus, there is always someone from Mears at the airport. You can get a quote for airport transportation online. (The website should automatically add the Promo Code "WEB10", which provides a discount.)

http://www.mearstransportation.com/

Another option would be to do a one-way car rental. Most companies allow you to pick up from one location and drop off at a different one for no charge. Doing this allows you to stop and buy supplies once you arrive instead of shipping things ahead of time. (Although, driving after an overseas flight might be challenging.)

Disney Springs Hotels Rental Locations:

• DoubleTree: Budget
• B Resort: Enterprise
• Hilton Lake Buena Vista: Avis
• Buena Vista Palace: Alamo
• Wyndham: Dollar

You don't have to rent from a location at your hotel. Every hotel will let you drop off people/luggage. Then, simply drive the car to the rental location and walk back.

I hope some of that information helps. Feel free to ask follow-up questions.

 

[norjack]

Thanks a lot! Answered a lot of the things I was wondering about. After hearing what you are saying, using the bus system through Disney Springs isnt as easy as it would first appear. Thanks so much for the info. Saved some family members from a bit of frustration.

 

[mrzrich]

If your plan is to use the Disney buses, I might add that they moved the bus stop. It is now further from the Disney Spring Hotels.

 

[norjack]

If your plan is to use the Disney buses, I might add that they moved the bus stop. It is now further from the Disney Spring Hotels.

Thanks. I will pass that on to a few other family members that were closely considering these area options, and were planning on using that closer bus stop.