The Downtown Disney hotels are on Disney property, but not owned or operated by Disney. They are all located along Hotel Plaza Boulevard, close to the Downtown Disney complex, and their proximity to the Disney World theme parks makes them highly desirable among non-Disney-owned hotels. 

The seven resorts in this group run their own bus system to the Disney parks, and from some of them it's easy to walk to Downtown Disney and pick up Disney's own bus transportation, which runs to the Disney World resorts. One difference between these hotels and a Disney-owned resort is that you cannot charge items in the parks to your room key.

The last date I toured each hotel is listed in the review. On these site inspections I toured the lobbies and restaurants, checked out amenities such as pools and exercise rooms, and looked at multiple guest rooms.

All of the hotels in this group offer good basic amenities, including an in-room safe, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, coffeemaker, dataport on the phone(s), and a Disney gift shop that sells theme park tickets.

		MouseSavers Preferred Downtown Disney Hotels Click on the links below to see extensive reviews and photos of these outstanding "best buy" hotels in Downtown Disney! Best Western Lake Buena Vista in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort - Newly renovated, moderately priced full-service hotel offers spacious rooms that sleep 4 (5 with a rollaway). DoubleTree Guest Suites in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort - The only all-suite hotel in the Downtown Disney area offers extra space for families. MouseSavers.com readers get FREE continental breakfast! Suites sleep up to 6 people. Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort - Offers the only access to the Extra Magic Hours of any hotel in Downtown Disney, plus extensive dining and shopping. Kids eat FREE with a special MouseSavers.com offer! Standard rooms sleep up to 4 people. Royal Plaza in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort - This boutique-style high-rise hotel located on Disney property is one of my favorite places to stay. It's close to Downtown Disney and offers standard rooms that sleep 5.

Other Downtown Disney Hotels

Regal Sun Resort (formerly Grosvenor Resort)

This hotel (which really isn't a "resort") became the Regal Sun Resort as of September 1, 2007. Some desperately needed renovations were tied in with the name change.

The lobby decor has been updated and now looks fresh and pleasant, though the architecture causes it to be rather dark.

Standard rooms are small (slightly larger than Disney's All-Stars), have two double beds and can accommodate four people. Rooms in the tower are slightly larger than those in the wings. The wing rooms have exterior corridors and motel-style bathrooms with a hanging area for clothing (no closet). None of the rooms have balconies or windows that open. Rooms were renovated in late 2007/early 2008.

The restaurant serves a breakfast buffet (with Disney characters a three days a week) as well as lunch and dinner. A small bar with a pool table is adjacent to the restaurant. There is another bar in the lobby, open seasonally. There's a convenient quick-service market selling snacks and drinks in the lobby. Limited room service is available.

The pool area has been updated. There are two pools: one is now zero-entry with a rather low-end children's splash area. There is a large heated spa, though it was taped off and unuseable during our visit in April 2008. The pool area has a bar/snack stand, open seasonally. There's absolutely no shade around the pool, so bring lots of sunscreen.

For kids there is a game room/video arcade, and there is live entertainment (a murder mystery theatrical) on Saturday nights.

The hotel has free self-parking. There is a Dollar rental car desk in the lobby.

Service, cleanliness and upkeep continue to seem below average. Even with the updates, the hotel still feels "tired" to me, and the layout of the wing rooms is not great. The wing rooms are equivalent to the rooms in a Disney Value resorts, but without the theming or other benefits. I certainly wouldn't pay anything close to Value resort rates for this hotel.

If you must stay at the Regal Sun, try to get a tower room, because those are better than the wing rooms.

Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort

In October 2004, Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort (formerly the Courtyard by Marriott) closed down to repair hurricane damage (it sustained substantial damage from Hurricanes Charley and Frances).

For a time the owners were doing a massive renovation, completely rebuilding the hotel from the frame out and bringing it up to current building codes. Then the hotel was in limbo for a long time.

As of 2008, the entire lower floor was gutted out. The hotel management at that time said the work would be completed by February 2009. As of March 2009, it still isn't open and the opening is now pushed back to November 2009. (Many previous announcements have been made about the hotel reopening, so take this with a grain of salt.)

In any case, here's what they say is happening:

"The Holiday Inn will be brand new and is experiencing a top-to-bottom makeover that will impact all facilities including guestrooms, meeting and banquet space, restaurant and lounge, lobby, atrium and pool. Rooms will offer 32” LG® LCD HD televisions, granite bath countertops, premium pillow-top mattress bedding, Rainforest Alliance® certified coffees, complimentary wireless Internet access as well as Garden Botanika® bath amenities."

We'll see!

Buena Vista Palace

The Buena Vista Palace (formerly Wyndham Palace Resort and Spa) is a 1000+ room convention hotel. Since it was acquired by new owners in 2005 it has received major renovations. The rooms and public areas have all been freshened up.

The majority of the resort's guests are part of a convention or group, and due to the design of the hotel, it really isn't possible to segregate the convention-goers from family vacationers. This may affect your experiences here.

The guest rooms are in two buildings. The main building, which houses the restaurants and bars, the spa, and other important amenities, is 27 stories high, making it the tallest building on Disney grounds. Views from the top of this high rise can be quite spectacular. The other building, on the opposite side of the grounds and closer to the main pool area, houses a combination of standard rooms and one-bedroom "parlor suites."

I have done repeated walk-throughs of this hotel, most recently in December 2007. I find the indoor public spaces in both buildings quite dark, even when visiting on a beautiful sunny day. The architecture does not admit a great deal of natural light. However, the renovations have improved things a great deal.

The guest rooms have been renovated attractively with a contemporary decor. Virtually all guest rooms at this resort have a balcony or patio. Standard rooms have two Queen beds or a King bed. Parlor suites have a bedroom that is much like a standard room, plus a separate living room with a pull-out sofa, small fridge, microwave, wet bar and additional half-bath.

The grounds are the largest of the Downtown Disney resorts, and are beautifully maintained. The hotel has multiple pools. Two of them -- a large free-form half-outdoor/half-covered pool and an outdoor lap pool -- are on Recreation Island, which also offers a whirlpool spa, a pool bar/grill, a game room, a small kiddie pool and a kids' climbing/play area. Other than these areas, I would not describe the resort as "kid-friendly," and we see relatively few children during visits.

Watercress Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch and offers bright, cheerful surroundings. Unfortunately the prices are ridiculously high, even when compared with similar convention hotels in the area. Watercress Cafe hosts a Disney character breakfast on Sunday mornings. Close by is a pricey grab-and-go style deli/market area where you can buy a quick prepackaged snack or breakfast, baked goods, a cup of coffee, etc. There are few food options that would appeal to kids.

At dinnertime you can try The Outback, an expensive steakhouse with an Australian theme (but not part of the Outback Steakhouse chain). It features a koi pond (don't ask me how that's Australian), lots of dark carved wood, imitation petroglyphs and a not-so-attractive open kitchen in the center. The decor is very dark. There are two lounges (one a sports bar) inside the hotel, as well as a pool bar. The hotel has 24-hour room service.

If you are a spa fanatic, this hotel has one feature that sets it apart from the others in Downtown Disney. The Buena Vista Palace has a large, elaborate and restful spa facility that nearly rivals Disney's spas, at prices similar to those charged by Disney. Facilities include a waiting area, plush locker rooms, covered outdoor whirlpool spas, an outdoor lap pool, and many private treatment rooms where you can get scrubbed and massaged to your heart's content. There is also a very pretty courtyard area outside the spa, where you can sit at a small table and relax, and a decent fitness center with everything from treadmills to free weights.

The resort is within easy walking distance of Downtown Disney -- it's right across the street from the Marketplace section. The free self-parking is a fair distance away and you're walking uphill when coming from the parking lot to the front entrance. Also, you will either have to navigate two flights of stairs or walk on a steeply sloped driveway with no sidewalk and cars potentially coming at you around a blind curve. You'll probably want to use the valet parking, for which there is a substantial daily fee.

The hotel charges a daily resort fee. Rooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access (daily fee charged).

Overall, if given the choice between this hotel and the Hilton at Walt Disney World across the street, I would choose the Hilton every time. Both are large convention hotels with many amenities, but the Hilton is brighter and feels much more lively, and its layout allows conventioneers to be kept somewhat separate from leisure travelers. The only advantages the Buena Vista Palace offers by comparison are the large grounds and the spa.

Despite the nice spa, the Buena Vista Palace does not come close to competing with Disney's Deluxe category hotels, so there is no way I would pay a comparable rate.

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