Staying at non Disney Property (Orlando, Astor: real estate, hotels, closing)

[llkltk]

We are headed to Disney this year. We were planning to stay at the Contemporary for it's proximity to Magic Kingdom. The price is around $600 per night. Now, the convenience is key with two aged 6 and 3. However, we really like nice, newer, clean hotels. Would it be better for us to stay at the Wyndam or the Waldorf Astoria and ride their shuttles. I know people complain about shuttles, but we could save $300-400 per night. That's a lot! Any thoughts? HELP!

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by llkltk

We are headed to Disney this year. We were planning to stay at the Contemporary for it's proximity to Magic Kingdom. The price is around $600 per night. Now, the convenience is key with two aged 6 and 3. However, we really like nice, newer, clean hotels. Would it be better for us to stay at the Wyndam or the Waldorf Astoria and ride their shuttles. I know people complain about shuttles, but we could save $300-400 per night. That's a lot! Any thoughts? HELP!

$600 That's insane, even $300 is crazy. There are several other options very close to Disney that offer a shuttle. Many around a $100/night give or take.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by beckycat

$600 That's insane, even $300 is crazy. There are several other options very close to Disney that offer a shuttle. Many around a $100/night give or take.

I know! But, it is walkable to MK so that is why it costs so much. If we stay at Bonnet Creek, Wyndham, Waldorf or Hilton, they all have shuttles. Not sure how long it takes. The rooms are newer and more reasonably priced. I don't want to stay at any of the other Disney resorts. So, it's either the Contemporary or the off site properties.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by llkltk

I know! But, it is walkable to MK so that is why it costs so much. If we stay at Bonnet Creek, Wyndham, Waldorf or Hilton, they all have shuttles. Not sure how long it takes. The rooms are newer and more reasonably priced. I don't want to stay at any of the other Disney resorts. So, it's either the Contemporary or the off site properties.

The shuttles are typically a 5 minute ride from hotels onsite. I'd definitely go that route. I couldn't justify $600/night.

[doom1001]

$600 a night is insane,I could see paying $300 something for any of the Disney Deluxe hotels hotels but I've never seen them priced that high.When are you going,maybe that has something to do with that price.If they actually have gone up that much in price in the last couple of years seems to just give me more reason to keep booking my rooms on Hotwire.Last couple of years I've gotten the Rosen Shingle creek, Rosen Centre and the new Hilton next to the convention center,obviously none are on Disney property but still pretty decent hotels for like $65-$70,I think I'll keep doing the 20 minute drive.

[yohynot]

The hotels at Bonnet Creek are very nice with many amenities. There is a Hilton there also.

A new Disney resort opens in May, The Art of Animation. It will be new and clean but it is not a hotel, more of a motel. The cost would be around $250 if you don't have any special rate codes.

Other options are the Swan and Dolphin, which are Epcot resorts. They provide Disney bus transportation to Animal Kingdom / Magic Kingdom and boat transportation to Disney Studios / Epcot. They are not new hotels but we prefer them over Disney resorts because of their cleanliness.

Disney does charge for the convenience of different resorts, the old real estate location, location thing. Since your children are still young, I don't think they would mind the bus rides. So the decision probably will be based on your need for convenience versus spending less for a room. Look at the total resort for play areas and open spaces for the children. You won't be spending all your free time in the room.

[llkltk]

We were leaning towards the Wyndam Bonnet Creek vs. the Contemporary. The Contemporary in October is priced at $600 per night. That is for a tower room. I hear the garden rooms are not so great. I don't know if their will be any promo codes but we need to book soon since there is a convention. We looked at Swan/Dolphin as we have points, but the entire hotel is booked due to a convention so that is not an option any longer. I was wondering if anyone knows how long the shuttle ride from Bonnet Creek to Magic Kingdom would take???

[Pete C]

I have stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek which shares their busses with the Waldorf Astoria. Their busses are not shared with any other hotels on Bonnet Creek. They are good and not packed to the brim like Disney busses. They come every hour and pick up even after closing. However, they do take a while to get to and from your destination since they can stop at 2 parks. It took around 25 minutes to get to Epcot since it stopped at the Magic Kingdom first. If you stay offsite I would recommend the Waldorf or Hilton. The Waldorf is more beautiful and ornate, but the Hilton is still modern and new. The Hilton also has a full lazy river that encircles the pool area...it's fantastic. The pools are not shared, so if you want easy access to the lazy river I'd go with the Hilton. However, as a WA guest I'm sure you can use the Hilton pool...I'd give them a call to check on that. Compared to a Disney resort they are less whimsical and more businesslike, but a great value for what you are getting by comparison.

There is a downside to staying offsite though: no Extra Magic Hours. These are where only Disney resort guests can enter the park early, or get a band to ride attractions after park closing. Each park has their extra magic hours on different days, so check the calendar at Disney to see which parks are doing it and when during your stay. I can say that if the parks you want to visit have these when you are going, they can be the best times to visit since the crowds and lines are much less. Magic Kingdom is really the park that benefits from this the most.

[yohynot]

We have never stayed at Wyndham Grand Orlando. You might get more of a response from the Disboards on the shuttle service topic.

[llkltk]

Thanks everyone. Pete, do you know anything about Wyndham? I guess they use a different shuttle service. I think we would be more comfortable at any of the Bonnett Creek hotels. The Contemporary is so overpriced for what it is. We are only going to the MK so I know that the proximity to Contemporary is great since you can walk. However, I figure we could do the shuttle to save money and have a more comfortable hotel. The Contemporary doesn't really have a lot for kids like the offsite hotels have. I just cannot understand a $600 price, that's nuts. How long would you say the ride is from Hilton/WA to MK? Would it be easy to come back at say 2 and then go back at 5?