Hilton Orlando Buena Vista - Disney Springs® Area VS. Orlando World Center Marriott

ChicagoMommy2019

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
I am having a little trouble figuring out which one is better for my family. I have 3 kids (8-10 yr old boys). I took them to Disney world 2 years ago and stayed at the Contemporary onsite hotel for 1 week and had a blast.

This time, we are really going for the universal studio Harry Potter world and spending our $ and Time at the universal premier hotels. (Staying at Loews Royal Pacific)

Since we are going all the way from chicago, I do want to stop by Disney world for 4 days to do 1 park per day. My kids are not huge Mickey Mouse fans but I think they will enjoy the Star Wars land a lot.

With that background information, and traveling during Christmas season, which hotel do you think is better for my family??? I am down to these two hotels Hilton Orlando Buena vista at Disney springs VS Orlando world center Marriott.

Hilton is $179 per night for 5 occupancy (I guess I need 5 occupancy room since I would want 5 fast pass if I stay here)
- Hilton does give me the 60 fast pass and better shuttle service plus close to Disney downtown.

Marriott $135 per night for 4 occupancy
- Marriott pool looks nice and the property look more updated but it is December so I’m not sure if I will get to use the pool

Please help me decide... I am so lost... or any other hotel suggestions at this price range?
 
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Hilton has a resort fee that you should consider in the cost as well. Not sure about Marriott. Personally, I would go with Hilton due to the Fastpass perk.
 
Thank you so much for your input! You are totally right. I didn't realize how important 60 day fastpass is for traveling during holidays. I'm going to focus on Disney Springs hotels only.
 
I was looking at the exact same 2 hotels for our December trip (12/21-12/27) and decided to go with the Disney Springs hotel. FP will be important at that time of year, and I've also heard very discouraging things about traffic and driving to the parks; apparently there are dedicated bus lanes but the regular vehicle traffic is a nightmare. The DS hotels seem to have very reliable bus service, which might be important. I'm also intrigued by being able to walk to DS for dinner and adult beverages without having to drive a rental car back to the hotel!

Honestly the Orlando Marriott World Center looks like a terrific hotel, and gets a higher ranking on TripAdvisor. However, it also has about 2000 rooms, which sounds pretty huge to me. I currently have reservations for both the Marriott and the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista while I decide, but I am 99% sure we'll stay at the Disney Springs hotel for the FP access and the decent bus service.
 


The Hilton is a great location, but the hotel is long overdue for a rehab. Marriott is a little farther away but also charges a resort fee and parking fee. Have you thought about staying at one of the Universal hotels? We have found we get more bang for our buck there and it is only a 10-15 minute drive to WDW.
 
I am having a little trouble figuring out which one is better for my family. I have 3 kids (8-10 yr old boys). I took them to Disney world 2 years ago and stayed at the Contemporary onsite hotel for 1 week and had a blast.

This time, we are really going for the universal studio Harry Potter world and spending our $ and Time at the universal premier hotels. (Staying at Loews Royal Pacific)

Since we are going all the way from chicago, I do want to stop by Disney world for 4 days to do 1 park per day. My kids are not huge Mickey Mouse fans but I think they will enjoy the Star Wars land a lot.

With that background information, and traveling during Christmas season, which hotel do you think is better for my family??? I am down to these two hotels Hilton Orlando Buena vista at Disney springs VS Orlando world center Marriott.

Hilton is $179 per night for 5 occupancy (I guess I need 5 occupancy room since I would want 5 fast pass if I stay here)
- Hilton does give me the 60 fast pass and better shuttle service plus close to Disney downtown.

Marriott $135 per night for 4 occupancy
- Marriott pool looks nice and the property look more updated but it is December so I’m not sure if I will get to use the pool

Please help me decide... I am so lost... or any other hotel suggestions at this price range?
I stayed at the Hilton last month for five days. Some of the positives:

they give each member of your party a voucher for a free Starbucks coffee and bottled water for each night of your stay.

disney springs is a five minute walk - I timed it - and the entire walking path is shaded.

there are a few restaurants on site and a decent bar area with plenty of comfy seating

The rooms were pretty big.

extra magic hours and 60 day fast pass

Some negatives:

the pool isn’t very big. It wasn’t very crowded when I was there but I could see it being a problem during busier seasons.

the bus service does not operate on the same schedule as the parks hours. I believe their shuttle service begins at 8 or 8:30, which means if you’re wanting to hit the parks early for extra magic hours, you’ll have to use a ride share service like Lyft or Uber.

The resort itself could use a bit of an upgrade.

they have salespeople in the lobby that will try to stop you daily to get you to book your next trip. One of them was overly aggressive but might have just been a one off.

overall I enjoyed the Hilton mostly because it was so close to Disney Springs. There is a $35 per night resort fee so make sure if that is factored into the prices you’re seeing. It typically isn’t because that fee gets charged either at check in or check out.
 
Christmas + FP+ = Disney Springs hotel

With five I would price Doubletree Suites at Disney Springs. Same bus system, same 60 day FP+, same EMH. But you get a large two room suite with two beds and sofabed and kitchenette. Lower resort fees.
 


Staying at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista next month. Does anybody know if there is a microwave in the room?
 
Staying at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista next month. Does anybody know if there is a microwave in the room?
No, not Hilton Orlando BV. Of Disney Springs hotels that I am familiar with, I know that the Doubletree Suites and Holiday Inn DS, both have microwaves for sure.
 

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