Val/Mod vs Disney Springs hotels

[toonaspie]

Since the Disney Springs area hotels are currently qualified for EMH and the FP+ benefits, is there any real difference right now between staying at those hotels or staying on property outside of transportation? We might be doing a trip soon and we will have a car. So I'm wondering if it makes any difference at all as I weigh my options here. Price is, of course, the main reason the DS hotels are being considered.

Also how big are the DS hotel rooms and which ones would you recommend?

Or should we try and stay on onsite? Help me decide. (We'll be a party of three adults so a basic 2Q room will do us fine.)

 

[Sue M]

In comparison I’d look on mousesavers.com web site for their “preferred” Disney Springs hotels and sign up for their newsletter for additional discounts. They typically list discount codes for The Doubletree Suites, B Resort, and the Hilton properties in Disney Springs.
Those hotels offer continuous bus service to the parks every 30 min. Some discounts from mousesavers offer waived resort fee or parking fees or both. Doubletree has no resort fee but does charge parking. Mousesavers discount on room and free breakfast. On hot deals if you sign up the discount is on room and waived parking but no breakfast.

Any room in DS would be larger than a Disney Value! But you’d have to look around and compare. Allears.net gives you sq Ft size on many Disney rooms.

 

[Smittolis]

Mousesavers had a special discount price that also removed the daily resort fee, this was a good deal so as above i'd keep checking their website, we would've been tempted by this had we not already prepaid somewhere else.

 

[Sue M]

If you have a car, and choose to drive to the parks, if you stay in Disney Springs you will pay parking at the parks. Disney will get you with parking either at hotel or park. I think you can get better rate and more for your dollar at Disney Springs. But unless you have APs, I’d take their bus to avoid parking fee at the parks.
We arrived early ont trip and stayed at The Doubletree on mousesavers Discount with room discount and free breakfast. We had a large 1 bedroom suite. At the price of a WDW value resort.

 

[Wild4Walt]

With all the perks the DS area hotels get now it's a hard bargain to pass up. Unless they change the policy on resort guest paying for parking at Disney resorts you're getting more value ( and space ) for your money offsite.

 

[Haley R]

Do the DS hotels get Magical Express?

 

[Lsdolphin]

In comparison I’d look on mousesavers.com web site for their “preferred” Disney Springs hotels and sign up for their newsletter for additional discounts. They typically list discount codes for The Doubletree Suites, B Resort, and the Hilton properties in Disney Springs.
Those hotels offer continuous bus service to the parks every 30 min. Some discounts from mousesavers offer waived resort fee or parking fees or both. Doubletree has no resort fee but does charge parking. Mousesavers discount on room and free breakfast. On hot deals if you sign up the discount is on room and waived parking but no breakfast.

Any room in DS would be larger than a Disney Value! But you’d have to look around and compare. Allears.net gives you sq Ft size on many Disney rooms.

We got a rate thru Mousesavers for the Buenavista suites for $89 plus tax included a good breakfast but I think we paid something for shuttle to parks. But it was a really good deal especially as I was attending a conference at its sister hotel right next store.

 

[HopperFan]

Do the DS hotels get Magical Express?

No

We got a rate thru Mousesavers for the Buenavista suites for $89 plus tax included a good breakfast but I think we paid something for shuttle to parks. But it was a really good deal especially as I was attending a conference at its sister hotel right next store.

But that is not a Disney Springs hotel so no perks.

 

[Haley R]

No



But that is not a Disney Springs hotel so no perks.

That’s a big part of why we stay at Disney hotels. We like knowing when we get to the airport we don’t have to worry about anything except getting on the right bus.

 

[Marionnette]

Since the Disney Springs area hotels are currently qualified for EMH and the FP+ benefits, is there any real difference right now between staying at those hotels or staying on property outside of transportation? We might be doing a trip soon and we will have a car. So I'm wondering if it makes any difference at all as I weigh my options here. Price is, of course, the main reason the DS hotels are being considered.

Also how big are the DS hotel rooms and which ones would you recommend?

Or should we try and stay on onsite? Help me decide. (We'll be a party of three adults so a basic 2Q room will do us fine.)

You will pay a nightly fee to park your car at a Disney hotel. But if you stay at a DS hotel, and use the car to get to the theme parks, you will pay to park there.

DS hotels cannot get the dining plan but they do offer a sort of prepaid dining option.

No MBs at DS hotels. If you already have MBs from a previous trip, they will work for tickets and FP+s.

No charging Disney purchases to your room account.

No delivery of your purchases to your hotel if you stay at DS.

Some DS hotels charge an additional resort fee.

 

[HopperFan]

You will pay a nightly fee to park your car at a Disney hotel. But if you stay at a DS hotel, and use the car to get to the theme parks, you will pay to park there.

DS hotels cannot get the dining plan but they do offer a sort of prepaid dining option.

No MBs at DS hotels. If you already have MBs from a previous trip, they will work for tickets and FP+s.

No charging Disney purchases to your room account.

No delivery of your purchases to your hotel if you stay at DS.

Some DS hotels charge an additional resort fee.

All true.

DS has a decent bus system and the only non-Disney resorts I'd stay in without a car. You can also work with the Disney system for returning in the evenings to DS. [But for us we have an AP so park at parks for free.] BUT I do know my kids have saved plenty off-site and used uber to parks without issue, saving even more.

But on the rest of the perks ... we don't feel DDP is a good value, we rarely charge to room, we have packages sent to front gate and pick up on way to car and even with resort fees (depends on hotel) we often will still save plenty of money for bigger/nicer room.

I agree one really has to crunch the numbers for everything then look at the rooms so you are comparing apples to apples. But with two of the biggest perks EMH and FP+ 60 day being included, it really does make them more comparable.

 

[jdwhitfill]

According to the Disney Springs website, you do get advanced dining as one of the perks. http://disneyspringshotels.com/disney-advantage/

 

[dansdad]

According to the Disney Springs website, you do get advanced dining as one of the perks. http://disneyspringshotels.com/disney-advantage/

Just an FYI, anyone can book ADRs at 180 days out.

 

[dontbunrthepig41]

Do the DS hotels get Magical Express?

nope