Suggestions for offsite hotels

[Janet Higgins]

Hi

I've travelled to WDW many times but have always stayed onsite - usually the Beach Club.

I've been asked to help a friend with their planning but they are wanting an off site hotel (2 adults, 2 teens) and wondered if anyone has any suggestions.
They will hire a car but wondered if a good hotel with shuttles may also be a good option. They plan visiting Disney and Universal.

Also they want a week at the coast so again any suggestions?

Its a few years since I went but I'm saddened to see the changes, (no magical express, no DDP, no fast pass system) and the additional costs now involved to plan rides etc but they won't know any different.

 

[Ruttangel]

Not sure if a villa would also be considered, I've only done it once but it was nice to have your own pool and loads of space.
Ive only stayed at Disney or Universal hotels, but I remember thinking the Hilton on Bonnet Creek was good location and had lazy river.

 

[mamamia2005]

The Rosen inn lake buena vista (formerly the Clarion inn) has free shuttles to all the parks. Not sure how the schedule is these days due to covid, but the lynx bus stops outside too and goes to Disney one way, and sea world the other way.
Rooms have 2 double beds though, so not sure if that will work ok with their family set up.

We stayed at the four points by Sheraton at Cocoa beach before a cruise, which was very nice. Guess it depends upon which coast they are looking at visiting though!

 

[MichelinMan]

How about the Universal hotels? Royal Pacific is as good as any of the Disney deluxes, at half the price, plus you get the free Express passes.

Or Cabana Bay - great value for the facilities it has, and right next to Volcano Bay. Better hotel than Pop Century but roughly the same money.

Also, a big shout out to Renaissance at Sea World. Right next door to Sea World, and we really enjoyed our stay there last holiday. Lovely big rooms, a waterpark for kids, and the hotel itself was lovely.

Finally, the Disney Springs hotels - such as the Holiday Inn - have decently priced rooms but can still get the Disney perks like 30 minute early entry. I think I would have opted to stay there if I was booking for next year now. When we originally booked our Disney vacation it had free DDP, which made it worthwhile, but not any more.

 

[Ronaldo17]

We often stay at the Holiday Inn, Disney Springs, only a five minute walk from DS, free buses to the parks every 30 minutes and other Disney perks.
Big rooms , king bed or two queens, , many with balconies and great views of DS and the fireworks.
The pool and bar are pretty good and the breakfast deal is great for families, kids eat free.

 

[Minniesgal]

We loved the Lake Buena Vista Resort and spa.

 

[Janet Higgins]

Thank you - I'll take a look at the Holiday Inn DS

 

[pindecisive]

Just got back from WDW and I have to say, I doubt I will stay at Hilton Lake Buena Vista again.

From everything I'd seen online, it seemed there were shuttles that ran on a schedule, every half hour or hour, something along those lines. If Lake Buena Vista did this previously, they no longer do. Currently there are two shuttles per land that leave in the morning (8am - 10am range), and two per land that come back from each park (8pm - 10pm range). The 10 to 12 hour gap between the shuttles makes it almost impossible to take them. We ended up Lyfting for all but one trip. And the one we did manage to take, the drivers argued with each other and did not enforce mask wearing during our ride.

The rooms were satisfactory, but even though it was the closest hotel to Disney Springs, that didn't seem to mean much in the scheme of things since there wasn't a direct bus from every park to Springs. (ie, Wild Kingdom required two buses).

Our stay was free with points, but honestly, next time we stay over, We're going to stay onsite. I'd rather pay and not have to deal with coordinating to and from.

 

[starry_solo]

Wyndham Bonnet Creek (timeshare). You can usually get a two bedroom for 5-7 nights for $1000. Parking is free (get a pass) and when they try to set up an appointment to sell you a timeshare, say your spouse isn't with you.

Then for USO, if they like it, try one of the hotels that has the Express passes included....

 

[Centopar]

We always stay at the Waldorf Astoria in Bonnet Creek. They have a lot of suites, which cost (much) less than two standard rooms, so if you have children you can save a fair bit by getting a one-bedroom suite and putting the kids in the living room (mine love the fold-out sofa beds) - which also feels safer to me. It's a luxury stay, but far less expensive than Disney Deluxe resorts; despite this, the amenities and comfort level are WAY higher than the equivalent at the Disney Deluxe resorts. (I've stayed at the Yacht Club and Grand Floridian, and despite the convenience for the parks I would not return.) Service is also 100x better. We've booked there independently and through Trailfinders before with flights and park tickets; I think Virgin Holidays offer them as a package too.

Food there is EXCELLENT. Bull and Bear is phenomenal (search these forums for more on it; I think it's better than Victoria and Albert's). The breakfast is absolutely superb, and if you've got one of those packages you'll get it as part of the deal. Huge, fresh and beautiful buffet, with something for everybody; bacon, eggs, gravy, grits and all that good stuff; home-made pop tarts (better than it sounds!), donut holes and cookies for the person who needs cakes for breakfast; smoked salmon and bagels; fresh juices; an egg station; a waffle and pancake station; fresh fruit; wonderful fresh pastries: all in all I haven't found a better breakfast at Disney yet. (I have not been to the Four Seasons!)

The shuttle to the parks is good too, although if you're going to need to come and go in the afternoons they do become less frequent then. Previously we've relied heavily on Minnie Vans, so it's going to be interesting to see how we get on in December!

One caveat: parking is ridiculously expensive. I think it's $30 to self-park (at the Hilton's garage, which is a few minutes' walk), and $40 for valet - and of course you'll be tipping for that.

 

[CVG]

Waldorf not cheap enough for me! I'm looking at Floridays 2 Bed Suites with full kitchen and laundry in room. Now that's cheap and good!

 

[steveyjc81]

We like the Grove Resort and Spa. Very spacious and decent value. Has an on-site water park of sorts.
I always begrudge paying a parking fee when not in a built-up city, so the fee nerks me a bit, but it seems the norm now in Fl.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I'm not sure I understand why these folks want to stay off site. I would 100% recommend they stay at either Universal or Disney property. They can Uber back and forth if they don't want to drive (rentals are upwards of $800/week now). I'm hearing great things about Dockside at Universal with rates under $200 and two rooms (though not technically a suite).

If this is their first trip, staying offsite IMO will be a total disappointment. Disney's Vero Beach is lovely. Sanibel Island on the west coast is old Florida at its best!

 

[MichelinMan]

I'm not sure I understand why these folks want to stay off site. I would 100% recommend they stay at either Universal or Disney property. They can Uber back and forth if they don't want to drive (rentals are upwards of $800/week now). I'm hearing great things about Dockside at Universal with rates under $200 and two rooms (though not technically a suite).

If this is their first trip, staying offsite IMO will be a total disappointment. Disney's Vero Beach is lovely. Sanibel Island on the west coast is old Florida at its best!

We absolutely loved staying off-site our first trip - we enjoyed eating breakfast every morning at places like Dennys, and missed that our last trip staying on-site. I feel like you miss out a bit on 'real' America if you just stay onsite.

To be honest, if I hadn't already booked to stay on-site for my postponed holiday, I'm not I would stay on-site at Disney now. The benefits you get aren't as great now, and there are some cracking places you can stay off-site for much cheaper. Your point about Universal hotels is well made - I think I would stay at Cabana Bay most of my trip instead of POP if I booked again for next year. Looks a cracking hotel for a decent price.

 

[Plague]

miss out a bit on 'real' America if you just stay onsite

For me that's really the point. I've seen the 'real' and I prefer Disney's version

 

[nuhusky123]

Swan and dolphin. offsite prices but onsite. The swan reserve is fantastic with tons of suites

 

[itf]

We're staying at the Hyatt Grand Cypress for our trip next year and will just Uber it. We want the pools and activities for our non-park days and got a reasonable deal including breakfast so that's one less thing to pay for!

 

[elena980]

We totally cherished remaining off-site our first outing - we appreciated having breakfast each day at places like Dennys, and missed that our keep going outing remaining nearby. I feel like you pass up a great opportunity somewhat on 'genuine' America in the event that you simply stay nearby.

Frankly, in the event that I hadn't as of now reserved to remain nearby for my deferred occasion, I'm not I would remain nearby at Disney now. The advantages you get aren't as extraordinary now, and there are some breaking places you can remain off-site for a lot less expensive. Your point about Universal lodgings is all around made - I figure I would remain at Cabana Bay a large portion of my outing rather than POP assuming I booked again for the following year. Looks a breaking inn at a nice cost.

 

[MichelinMan]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but just needed to pass on our observations of a great hotel we stayed at last week!

Universal's Cabana Bay is a great resort - we had a Volcano Bay view room which had brilliant views of Volcano Bay and also across Orlando towards ICON Park. The room was a good size (much larger than the room at POP for the same price), and the Cabana Bay resort facilities are out of this world. Great pools, food court, gym, Starbucks & even a bowling alley. Great access to Volcano Bay (50yards from our room to the entrance!). Our whole family agreed we enjoyed the hotel better than our subsequent 4 nights at Royal Pacific Resort. Housekeeping was tremendous too (unlike POP which was atrocious). In fact all the staff there were great - so friendly.

One thing we also loved was that it was only 5 minutes to Dennys for our breakfasts each morning - we love a Dennys breakfast! Probably explains why I put on 9 pounds the last 3 weeks! But also convenient for all the other restaurants on iDrive.

By contrast, we were disappointed with RPR - just didn't feel like a luxury hotel or experience at all really. The place felt a bit tired, and the staff there weren't as good as at Cabana Bay either. If it wasn't for the fact we got free express passes, we would have been sorely disappointed about moving from Cabana Bay to RPR.

 

[Wembleygal]

I normally stay at the Fairfield near Universal, but this year, I'm staying at the Residence Inn near Universal.