[mimi]

;) Hi
just a little question about downtown disney hotels, has anyone stayed in any of these hotels, I know they are still in the parks but not disney hotels. Do they have transportation to the parks and packages for the parks.? Which ones are the most friendly, for families, and do any of these have character breakfast , Just a reminder there will be 15 family members with us and we want to get the best deal I will be working with Mouesktrips for the final bookings. Thanks for your knowing info you all have so many answers.:love: ;)

[Cinderellafifi]

Hi, Mimi! The DD hotels are quite nice, espcially Hotel Royal Plaza. I believe the Grosvner offers a character breakfast.

Look under these sites to get more comprehensive info:

mousesavers.com
downtowndisneyhotels.com

On mousesavers, Mary has reviews and special offers for those hotels. The other site gives you a list of amenities and pictures. You can also make reservations.

Have fun! :)

[disneypro]

Mimi,
We have stayed in severl DTD hotels over the years, HRP, Grovsner, and the BW. All very nice, prices often competitive or less, just depends. Try calling the hotels direct for specials or internet specials. THey are on disney property, but obviously not owned by disney. They provide bus service (although not run by disney), they tend to run less frequently than the service within the parks/resorts, and pick up spots at the parks are usually a good walk, which at the end of the night, with small kids, is a drag. Weigh it all out to see which options work best for your family's needs. Just like the Swan and Dolphin, your best chance for deals not public are by calling them direct or using their official internet sites. Also, Expedia often has great rates available for the non-disney, but on disney property hotels. When it comes to booking these, it is not advantageous to use CRO. Why do I know this? (part-time travel agent). Do I have all the answers and the best information? (Not necessarily, but can provide point of reference from past experiences). Good luck!

[mimi]

;) Thank you guys for all the info, this is just what I was looking for and I knew someone here would know all bout it and you all came thru again. Still making up our minds as to what where when and how soon can we get started.

[trishb]

Welcome, Mimi!

I have stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott at DD. It is a nice, comfortable hotel with large rooms. We like staying at the DD resorts, when we are doing things other than just Disney. It is wonderful to be able to go back to our hotel, after a day of exploring the Orlando area...and take a leisurely walk to Downtown Disney.

That is the highlight of the DD resort area. If you want to have Disney at your fingertips, and don't want to spend a fortune to stay at a Disney hotel....this is your ticket!

[mimi]

Originally posted by trishb
Welcome, Mimi!

I have stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott at DD. It is a nice, comfortable hotel with large rooms. We like staying at the DD resorts, when we are doing things other than just Disney. It is wonderful to be able to go back to our hotel, after a day of exploring the Orlando area...and take a leisurely walk to Downtown Disney.

That is the highlight of the DD resort area. If you want to have Disney at your fingertips, and don't want to spend a fortune to stay at a Disney hotel....this is your ticket!

:D Thanks Trish
we are pretty sure we are going to stay in the DTD resorts just got to figure out which one.
Mimi:)

[jwdj4lfe]

Hey Mimi. I stayed at the Double Tree in DTD a couple years ago and we loved it! I definitely recommend the DT for large travel groups as well! Although we had less then half as many people as you (6 of us) we all stayed in one of their suites that had a mini kitchen and sofa-bed in one room and, seperated by double doors were 2 queen size beds and the bathroom (That i loved becuase there's a TV in there!!) The rooms definitely fit us all with room to spare! Depending on how many families are going, 3 suites could easily fit 18 people. The price wasn't that bad either, less then $150 a night. Of course this was about 4 years ago though! lol. Hope this helped.
Joe:)

[Disney34]

Hi Mimi,

I actually stayed at the Hilton in Downtown Disney last August. It was a great hotel - not sure it's a really "kid - friendly" hotel (no character breakfasts, etc.). The great thing about this hotel was that we were entitled to the maGic hours to all the parks. Great perk!

[bumble]

Originally Posted by jwdj4lfe

Hey Mimi. I stayed at the Double Tree in DTD a couple years ago and we loved it! I definitely recommend the DT for large travel groups as well! Although we had less then half as many people as you (6 of us) we all stayed in one of their suites that had a mini kitchen and sofa-bed in one room and, seperated by double doors were 2 queen size beds and the bathroom (That i loved becuase there's a TV in there!!) The rooms definitely fit us all with room to spare! Depending on how many families are going, 3 suites could easily fit 18 people. The price wasn't that bad either, less then $150 a night. Of course this was about 4 years ago though! lol. Hope this helped.
Joe:)

We just were at the Doubletree Guest Suites in DTD last weekend, and it was very nice! I would stay there again anytime. We got the suite using Priceline and paid only $63

[mowgli's mom]

I have booked the Doubletree suites for my family of 5 for next April. We have never stayed off site so a little nervous about our choice.

Couple of questions, are we able to walk to downtown disney and use the disney transportation? How is the Doubletree transportation?

How about the pool? Will the kids be disappointed?

Price is excellent, almost too good to be true.

Looking at purchasing an Annual Pass and booking a deluxe resort with discounts.

[iluvwdw]

This thread is from 2003! I knew it looked vaguely familiar ...

[alandjen]

Mowgli's Mom:

We stayed at the DoubleTree last Memorial Day week when we took our then 20-mo. old twin girls. It was our first time at a DTD hotel, (and the first time at a non-Disney hotel in awhile).

You can walk to DTD, but you'll be in basically the furthest-away hotel (you're actually much closer to the Crossroads at that point). So it is a little bit of a walk. Not terrible, but probably a little more taxing the hotter the weather.

I think I read elsewhere on these boards that Disney no longer runs buses from DTD directly to the parks (too many people parking for free at DTD and hopping the buses).

We didn't use the DoubleTree's buses, so I can't speak to them.

The pool is very nice, and fairly large (and there is a kiddie pool). Not much "whimsy" (i.e. no really neat slides that younger kids would get a kick out of) though.

Our only complaint was that the room service was waaaaaaay too slow. And with 20 month olds on a sleep schedule, we didn't have alot of time to waste.