WDW veteran, first trip to DL: Hotel suggestions or trip tips

[mbh106]

We have been to WDW numerous times but hope to visit DL for the first time at the end of June/first week of July. I checked prices at the Disney owned resorts, but they seem out of our price range. Are the only advantages to staying at a Disney hotel the morning extra magic hours and charging privileges/package delivery? If so then we are fine staying at one of the other area hotels. How are the Sheraton Park and the Doubletree Suites? Any other suggestions? Also, any other major differences between WDW and DL that we should be aware of (not attractions, but more like policies or the way things work)? Any tips or information would be really helpful and appreciated! Thank you!

 

[figment_jii]

As a WDW Vet, I highly recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets. It will have a lot of useful information to help you get a sense of how the resorts are similar and how they differ.

Some of the differences in how things work...
1) DLR still uses the paper (legacy) FP system. So no FP+ at DLR. They do enforce return times with no set grace period. It's worth checking out the Fastpass Encyclopedia for more information. One other big difference between WDW and DLR is that at DLR you only need to activate your ticket in one park (i.e., use it for entry) to be able to get FPs in both parks. So you can go into DL and then send a "runner" to get FPs in DCA.
2) Dining reservations are no where as difficult to get for DLR as they are for WDW. Dining reservations open up 60-days in advance, but you really don't have to be online right when the system rolls (which does not seem really consistent anyway). You can usually get pretty prime dining ADRs with less than a week to go.

 

[Imdboss]

Yes those are the only real advantages. Others might add in staying inside the "Disney bubble" but I personally feel being that close to DL I'm in the bubble even 1 mile away!

To answer your question about the hotel, we've stayed at Sheraton but it was around 8 years ago so no current experience. We did however stay at the DoubleTree last Oct and loved it. We would be staying there this Aug except it's about $50 more per night and we'll be there for 6 so have opted for a different Hilton property. That being said at the DoubleTree the rooms were clean, beds comfy, and plenty of space for our family of four. I like having the fridge in room to keep drinks. On our arrival night we just walked over to the AM/PM to stock up on beverages and snacks. The pool isn't anything fancy but we usually only do that for 1 afternoon on our day off and my kids don't mind it. Getting to the parks we would walk most mornings and usually take ART back at night. We consider 1 mile to be walking distance to the park, others don't. There is also the Toy Story lot fairly close that you could walk to then get on their bus to DL and that would be free. If we end up staying there again we would likely try that option.

 

[mbh106]

Thank you both. HydroGuy's guide is very helpful and it's great that you can have FPs at both parks at the same time! We will definitely take advantage of that. I think we might try the DoubleTree. Glad to hear its clean and spacious. Our options are limited with a family of 5. Thanks again!