Review Lake Buena Vista Resort or Doubletree??

[aussiejen]

Hi All,

We're tossing up on which hotel to stay at whislt visiting WDW in May 2011, Its either Lake Buena Vista or Doubletree??? we have 2 children 4 & 7yrs old.
All feedback in greatly appreciated..

Thanks in Advance

Jen

 

[aussiejen]

Also, which one is closer to WDW??

THANKS

 

[sweet maxine]

Do you mean the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort---or the condos next to an outlet mall off of #535 called Lake Buena Vista Resort? I'm not sure which one you are asking about.

If it were me, I would choose the Hilton at DTD over either of those, as you would be directly across the street from DTD and could easily walk there after crossing one intersection with a traffic light. You would also have access to the Extra Magic Hours at the WDW parks if you so choose. I believe they still have a free shuttle to the parks as well. If you follow their facebook or Twitter pages, you may find a link for a great deal at the Hilton.

The Doubletree is what you may consider "walkable", but it is at the very end of Hotel Row, and not nearly as close to DTD as any of the others on this street.

 

[aussiejen]

We're after the one nearest to DTD . Sorry theres so many to choose from, not like in Anaheim Disneyland.
This is our very first trip to WDW...& dont know of anyone thats been there so thats why all the silly questions, we have 2 small children aswell.


We're after something not too overly priced.

THANKS

 

[kr105]

I'm booked into the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort in 2 weeks and it appears to be a little closer to Downtown Disney than the Hilton (Hilton is set back further, so you have to transverse that hugh driveway before you can walk over to Downtown.

The Wyndham took over the hotel less than a year ago and have been doing a quiet refurbishment, so it's like getting a new resort. I just wish they would update their website pictures, so you know what the new rooms look like. I've stayed at Wyndham's before and always found them to be delightful.

I did have some concerns and contacted the hotel directly. Once you get past the operator and speak to a member of management, they bend over backwards to help and I was impressed!

Also consider the price -- for less than the cost of a tiny value room at Disney, (which is in the middle of no-where) you get a significantly larger room, with a decent size mini fridge (3' high versus disney's 1' box) and services you only find at the deluxe resorts at disney (like a full restaurant with room service.) AND it's walking distance (right across the street) from Downtown Disney.

Just remember that there is a resort fee and 12.5% taxes added onto the room fee so the $80 tower room becomes $108 but the value room at disney is $135 ($151 with tax) for the same date -- priced it based on 10/07/11 for one night. You can opt for a cheaper room in the wings but they are smaller and did not get as good reviews.

 

[gabzee218]

Are you bringing a car? Sometimes the shuttle system at the DTD hotels can be a pain. You also have the choice to walk to DTD and take a bus there but they only go to the hotels so you would have to take a bus to a hotel and then to the park which is a waste of time. The price of the room also depends on the when you there. The Wyndham for one night (May 11-12,2012) with tax was $131.33. Every value hotel will be different depending on the type of room. However, for one night at All-Star Movies in a standard room (May 11-12,2012) with tax was $144. The difference is not that big at all. I always prefer to stay on site. Since this is your first Disney family vacation I think it is more magical if you can make that happen. There is also a possibility that a special offer will be available for your dates. While the values only have counter service dining options you can always make an ADR for a character breakfast or something of that sorts. I would suggest getting a quote for your exact dates from the possible DTD hotels and compare it to the Disney hotels. The value hotels also have great themes and large decorations. They are at the age where they would love that. Also, if you stay off-site and you plan on driving to the parks you have to pay for parking but if you stay on-site you can take the bus to the parks. For the $12.67 per night I would stay on-site. It could only add to the experience! Have fun!

 

[softballmom3]

Are you bringing a car? Sometimes the shuttle system at the DTD hotels can be a pain. You also have the choice to walk to DTD and take a bus there but they only go to the hotels so you would have to take a bus to a hotel and then to the park which is a waste of time. The price of the room also depends on the when you there. The Wyndham for one night (May 11-12,2012) with tax was $131.33. Every value hotel will be different depending on the type of room. However, for one night at All-Star Movies in a standard room (May 11-12,2012) with tax was $144. The difference is not that big at all. I always prefer to stay on site. Since this is your first Disney family vacation I think it is more magical if you can make that happen. There is also a possibility that a special offer will be available for your dates. While the values only have counter service dining options you can always make an ADR for a character breakfast or something of that sorts. I would suggest getting a quote for your exact dates from the possible DTD hotels and compare it to the Disney hotels. The value hotels also have great themes and large decorations. They are at the age where they would love that. Also, if you stay off-site and you plan on driving to the parks you have to pay for parking but if you stay on-site you can take the bus to the parks. For the $12.67 per night I would stay on-site. It could only add to the experience! Have fun!

Hi there! I'm going to second the above's post about comparing your options. With a family of 4 you have many options depending on when you go. You could actually have free dining during your time, who knows? We stayed at Pop Century before and LOVED it! The bus system was nice and we never once needed a vehicle (which you wouldn't have unless renting one).

We have also stayed offsite and enjoyed it as well. I've heard their shuttles to/from parks aren't that great though but don't have any personal experience with it. I would defiinitely price it out.