How convenient are the DTD hotels?

[disney_princess]

Hi! I need a hotel that is close to the WDW Resort, at a moderate or cheap price, and can sleep 2 adults,3 teenagers in one room. I have looked at the DTD hotels, and I think they might work, especially the Grosvenor.
Any complaints, praises, tips, or suggestions for me? Thanks!

 

[MinnieM3]

I'm curious about these, too. Especially the Doubletree.

 

[ducklite]

I'd be leery of the Grovesnor.

We stayed at the Hilton, it was fine, but we had a car, and we weren't really there to go to WDW, rather in town on personal business and were going to have one night to spend at Epcot so it was a logical choice as we wanted to be able to drink and use WDW tansportation.

We found that we just missed the bus going to Epcot, so we walked to DTD and took the bus to the BW--got off and it was pouring, so we stopped in for a drink. Walked towards Epcot and it started pouring again, so had dinner at Spoodles. Finally made it to Epcot for about an hour, went to leave and again jsut missed the bus to DTD. It was going to be a half hour wait for the next one, so we took a cab back.

Anne

 

[ncbyrne]

DH and I enjoyed the Grosvenor, especially the close proximity to DD. It is literally just across the street! Many people have posted negative comments on this hotel, but we had a wonderful stay. Big room with lots of amenitites, including fridge, and friendly helpful staff. We have also stayed at the Holiday Inn, but preferred the Grosvenor. The busses are nicer than WDW - they run about every half hour or so. The main drawback to the busses is that you have to go to your bus in the parking lot at the parks. Not a big deal tho. However, we only took the bus twice as we had a rental car.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

For a large group, in DTD, the Doubletree is the place to be. Every room is a 2 room suite and from what I remember, the hotel was clean and nicely appointed.
I have to agree that the bus system leaves something to be desired, though. You have to spend too much time waiting on them, and then, the buses drive from hotel to hotel pick up a number of other DTD resort's guests as well. It can take some time. Also, the DTD drivers seemed a little more lead-footed than the WDW resort drivers which can lead to a white knuckled ride back to your hotel from the parks .

 

[madalex]

We stayed at the Courtyard Inn once a couple years ago and it was very nice. However, it was only for one night and we had a car, so we did not use any hotel transportation. That being said, the location can't be beat (that is, if you are not staying at a WDW resort).

 

[luvey]

stayed at the hilton. loved the proximity to dtd. able to walk there in no time(five minutes from room to cross walk) because it was just a few steps away and across the street from the property. (when i was researching the hotels to stay at people said that it was a horrible street to cross, not so from the experience we had.)

the hotel: clean, had an arcade, three pools and two hot tubs, two resturants and one deli/convience store. the nice thing about the hilton was that it takes part of the magic hours of disney -- one of the reasons i chose to stay there.

the buses....you do share a bus with other dtd guests but that didn't bother us too much as it was one of the first or second stops coming back from the parks. yes the bus stop to get it back is a little further out than the disney onsite resorts but it didn't bother us too much and we had a six year old in tow.

with all that said, as for the rooms. two adults and three teens in one room, might not work unless you can get a suite or something here. the rooms aren't tight, but i don't think a roll away would fit in the space we had. if that is your main concern then the doubletree in dtd might be a better option but it is a little further away from dtd. yes it's still in the area, and yeah you could walk it still if you wanted, but the doubletree is one of the first hotels you see as you enter this hotel row. the next closest that might help your need for space is the holiday inn. i believe it was next to the hilton seperated by the parking lot.

check out the forum on orlando and other resorts for a better idea on those two.

 

[Mymatisse]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn when it was a Courtyard and it was nice. It was very convenient and the room was large. We both drove the the parks and took their bus service and had problems with neither. It was very close to DTD marketplace (walking distance), and the Cross roads is also very close where you can find several chain resturants and a grocery store.

All in all a good experience.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Our family stayed at the Grosvenor in 2003. We had a wonderful room facing Downtown Disney. Paid a little extra to be in a prefered room (tower), but the view was well worth it. Every night we watched the fireworks from Epcot from our window. We are a family of five so we needed a little extra space. The daybed in the room was a big help. The only negative thing I have to say about this hotel is there is no food court. There is a sit down resturant but nothing counter service. While at the parks some nights the kids would be so into the rides that we wouldn't eat. On the bus ride back they would realize how hungry they were. With picky eaters the pre-made sandwiches didn't kit the spot with them. Other than that this hotel is worth the money.

 

[flagirl]

I've stayed at the Grovsner, Hotel Royal plaza and the Hilton.... I liked both the Hilton and the Grovsner. Did NOT like the Hotel Royal Plaza. The Grovsner looked iffy from the outside but we were real happy when we got to the room. Nice room and great view of Downtown Disney. Loved walking to marketplace. It was clean too. I can't remember much about the pool.......I think it was ok. Nothing great like the resort pools but still an ok pool.

 

[gatour]

My favorite is the Hilton, within stumbling distance to DTD/PI. Another plus I can walk over to the McDonalds to get my morning fix of cold caffine (diet cola) while my wife sleeps in. The hotel seems brand new everytime I stay there, unlike some of the other hotels (Best Western/Doubletree) which always seem to be in need of repair.

By next favorite is the Palace also very well kept up, not quite as convient for walking to DTD/PI.