Wilderness Lodge, Waldorf Astoria, Hilton Orlando LBV or Hilton Bonnet Creek ?

[ejsmomma]

We will be spending 4 days at Disney in conjunction with a business conference to Orlando in latter part of June. We will then jump over to the Hilton Orlando and hit Universal and Sea World for 4 days.
Thinking about hotels....
We will probably rent a car for me to have for the conference time so we can drive to parks or take shuttle.
We will be celebrating our 10 yr anniversary but will have kids in tow - 2 boys ages 5.5 and 7 at the time we go.
My one son is Gluten free so a place with a nice breakfast/healthy breakfast options - fruit, yogurt, omlettes, hard boiled eggs, etc are great for us - he cannot do the breakfast danish/pastries/donuts/pancakes etc.
We LOVE the Wilderness Lodge but it is just so $$$$.
We plan to spend 4 days touring all 4 parks and use the hotel as a place to relax midday (hottest part of day).

We have narrowed it down to the Waldorf, Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, Hilton Bonnet Creek (hubby has Hilton Honor pts) and Wilderness Lodge.

Would love some input/help deciding!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I say Hilton BC. There is very little difference between HBC and the WA...so save your money/points. When you stay at one you have access to both anyway....the pool area at HBC is way better.

The Hilton LBV...it's nice but HBC is better.

 

[Horse]

I've stayed at the Waldorf, Hilton Bonnet Creek, and Wilderness Lodge in the last 13 months.

My order of choice for stays with the four you listed is Waldorf, Hilton BC, Hilton LBV, Wilderness Lodge.

The Waldorf is gorgeous, clean, luxurious and the staff is top notch. I am Hilton Honors Gold and have received a complimentary upgrade to a suite the three times I stayed. Dinner at the Bull and Bear was delicious. Love the spa. This is my first choice hotel when I visit WDW.

Hilton Bonnet Creek is another one of my favorites. Also upgraded to a high floor with a Disney view every stay due to my Hilton frequent guest status. If traveling with young kids, I would rate this first since it is more family friendly and the pool appeals to children more than the Waldorf's. They even play movies on the big screen at the pool at night. Breakfast at Harvest Bistro is great and it offers complimentary children’s breakfast or dinner with the purchase of an adult entreé.

Waldorf and Hilton BC share a bus shuttle that goes to all four parks and Downtown Disney with frequent departures and returns. This is more than what I've found other area hotels offer.

I will be staying at the Hilton LBV one night in May. From reviews I've read and pics I've seen, it's not as nice as the Waldorf and Hilton BC, but it still seems better than many area hotels. Plus, it is right across the street from Downtown Disney. That adds more transportation and dining options.

I put Wilderness Lodge on the bottom of the list because it was the worst hotel I've stayed at on Disney property. Problems included: hallway carpeting never vacuumed the entire week during my stay, grout falling out between tiles in the shower, a leaky faucet in the shower that maintenance could not fix, 3 broken luggage racks, stained towels and blanket, bad odor on towels, marked up walls, no magnifying mirror in the bathroom for makeup application, overall rundown appearance and dinginess to the rooms. I spoke to the hotel manager every day and nothing was ever fixed (including the lack of vacuuming!). Extremely overpriced for the quality. I would recommend you stay at a different Disney hotel if you must stay on property.

If you are not a Hilton Honors member with status, you may not receive a free upgrade at their hotels, but you will be treated well. Good luck with your decision and have a magical time!

 

[snappy]

I have stayed at the Waldorf, the Hilton bonnet creek and the Wilderness Lodge, but the WL trip was in 2007 and then again in 2008.

Clearly the Waldorf is by far more upscale, and my favorite. Really liked the Hilton BC too. The Waldorf mattress and bedding was truly wonderful. Had a suite both times I stayed at the Waldorf and I was truly impressed.

The lazy river at the Hilton BC is extremely nice.

Either place, you will pay for valet but I thought it was worth the money for the convenience.

Once I booked at the Hilton and did a HH e upgrade and got the Waldorf, nice suite for a reasonable up charge.

My last trip to WL the rooms were fine. I liked the courtyard way better than the dumpster view I got the second trip.

I also really like the Wyndham bonnet creek timeshare, very good if traveling with kids.

I always rent a car as I don't like to depend 100% on busses either onsite or offsite.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'm a Hilton Honors member ....very low level. I was given an upgrade at HBC to a high floor Disney view....without even asking.