Hotel Royal Plaza

[my3boys]

For less money, we can stay at Hotel Royal Plaza at Downtown Disney; so I'm looking for feedback . . .

Will I miss the feel of disney?

Bus service?

Does it have extra morning/evening hours?

Transportation to/from airport?

Overall thoughts?

We are booked at Riverside, which we do really like, but the price is much less at this Hotel Royal Plaza. I'm soooo confused!

 

[Webbie]

We stayed here once when DH was at a convention. No problem with the transportation. The bathrooms in this place are awesome! I would not haste to stay at Hotel Royal Plaza. As for the Disney feeling, we had a room that looked out over DTD!

 

[tampafan]

We have enjoyed all the DTD resorts we have tried (Doubletree, Best Western, and Hotel RP). As for the Disney feeling, it is so close to DTD that it is that same feeling.

 

[smileyk8]

The only DTD hotel with EMH is Hilton. We're going to HRP in June, have been looking at tripadvisor.com for latest reviews. Pretty mixed in terms of service received, but general consensus is good rooms and lovely beds

I love being so close to DTD, saves so much hassle not having to park down there too.

 

[rejobako]

RP is technically on Disney property, and you're within walking distance to DTD, so if you need the Disney fix you can get it pretty quickly. That being said, I know there are a lot of people on these boards who place a significant value on the "Disney magic", which seems to involve being reminded of all things Disney at all times. You won't get that at the Royal Plaza.

 

[Aidensmom]

We had reservations there 2 weeks ago. After a long day at the parks, we arrived at 7 pm to check in, only to be told they overbooked and didn't have a room for us! They sent us to the Hyatt Grand Cypress, and they did pay for the room (and it was defilnitely a step above!), but the unprofessionalism and inconvenience of that experience makes me NOT recommend them as a place to stay.

 

[hegs65]

Quick question, when are you going? If it is during free dining then that may also sway your decision as you would not be able to get it if you stay at HRP. We were scheduled to stay there in Jan 05 but unfortunately they had some serious hurricane damage so we never got to. Overall, I think you will have to factor in the cost of airport transfers and car rental if HRP is not included in the disney bus system.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Here is a copy of a review I did 2 weeks ago- we loved the hotel!!!

We had a 5th floor tower king, yes there are balconies but not wide enough to go out on - in fact, their slider only opens a few inches- a safety factor i am sure!
The breakfast buffet had these choices: hot oatmeal and cold cereals, pancakes or waffles with hot syrup; bacon, sausage,hot omelets all made up; mini-bagels, croissants, danish of all kinds; yogurt with different toppings; and a few other choices which i can't remember. There were pitchers of juice and coffee for each table. It had much to offer. You could go back as much as needed.
There is a Disney store in the lobby, a real miniDisney store; a small gift shop with small food items etc., a great front guest service desk with all the local attractions etc. I think you could find most everything there. Caroline

 

[trivial]

I'm considering the Hotel Royal Plaza, Caribe Royale, and Radisson Celebration. HRP is the most expensive of the 3, but given that it's so close to DTD, I'm thinking renting a car (aside from perhaps transfers) wouldn't be necessary. The one catch with that is, how reliable and frequent are HRP's shuttles?

 

[Aidensmom]

Ok, did no one read my post? I just find it strange that no one finds it to be a problem that once you arrive, they may tell you that you don't really have a room, because, well, oops, they overbooked, as is their habit????

I hope all of you making reservations have cars, so you can easily drive to the farther away hotel they send you to.

I don't care what thier rooms or amentities are like, if you and your child get there, ready to relax after a long day, and are told there is not a room for you, even though you already paid for it, um, to me that is NOT a good place to stay.

I would NEVER recommend this hotel to anyone.

 

[trivial]

Ok, did no one read my post? I just find it strange that no one finds it to be a problem that once you arrive, they may tell you that you don't really have a room, because, well, oops, they overbooked, as is their habit????

It definitely sucks, no doubt about it, and I'd be pretty ticked off if it happened to me. But from what I've heard, hotel overbooking isn't new, nor exclusive to HRP. If I were travelling in a busy season, I might very well look at a different hotel.

 

[Timon4224]

Ok, did no one read my post? I just find it strange that no one finds it to be a problem that once you arrive, they may tell you that you don't really have a room, because, well, oops, they overbooked, as is their habit????

I hope all of you making reservations have cars, so you can easily drive to the farther away hotel they send you to.

I don't care what thier rooms or amentities are like, if you and your child get there, ready to relax after a long day, and are told there is not a room for you, even though you already paid for it, um, to me that is NOT a good place to stay.

I would NEVER recommend this hotel to anyone.

Yes, Overbooking is a common thing that happens at hotels. Several reasons, maybe they had a leak or other problem that put several rooms out of order that was not expected. Or more comon, they expect No-Shows. It is very common for a hotel to have no shows and even though the hotel claims to still charge these people who have so rudely booked a room and held it from other people who would have been there, they complain enough and the no show charge is wiped out and the hotel never gets the money they should have.

to say one instance turns you off so much...I understand, but don't expect everyone to follow suit behind you and just boycott the hotel.

 

[CarolA]

Ok, did no one read my post? I just find it strange that no one finds it to be a problem that once you arrive, they may tell you that you don't really have a room, because, well, oops, they overbooked, as is their habit????

I hope all of you making reservations have cars, so you can easily drive to the farther away hotel they send you to.

I don't care what thier rooms or amentities are like, if you and your child get there, ready to relax after a long day, and are told there is not a room for you, even though you already paid for it, um, to me that is NOT a good place to stay.

I would NEVER recommend this hotel to anyone.

Got bad news for you... that happens LOTS of places. I have had it happen at several hotels around the US...

Personally, since they upgraded you to a MUCH nicer hotel I actually considered what they did a positive...

I would not let your experience discourage me from staying there. Had they sent you to the Days Inn then yes I would have thought badly of them, but you got sent to a TOP level resort which has transport to Disney... hardly a disaster.