Staying in a non-Disney hotel for the first time...

[Princess_Ariel_5]

Hi everyone! My husband and I planned a bit of a last minute trip (very unlike us...) for the end of August. We found a great deal for the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace and decided to book it since it's so close to Disney Springs. However, we have never stayed in a non-Disney hotel and I am a bit nervous about it. I have a few questions and I was hoping someone here can help!

We get there on 8/21 and will be doing Disney Springs that evening. The next day (8/22), we are doing dinner at the GF Cafe and the MK After Hours Event. Would it be best to take a bus from DS to GF?

8/23 we are doing HS. Getting there a bit late since we'll be sleeping in from the event the night before. Our first FP isn't until 1:15. We are doing the Fantasmic! dinner package with dinner at Mama Melrose. Any word on if a soft opening will happen for Galaxy's Edge? That would be awesome if it happened while we were there.

8/24 is EPCOT and we are doing the UnDISCOVERed Future World Tour at 8:30am. Would you suggest taking a bus from the Hilton or taking an Uber? I'm not sure how reliable the buses are at the Hilton. How much do Ubers typically run around the WDW resort? Also, has anyone done this tour? How was it?

And on 8/25, we leave But we'll be back in February staying at OKW!

How do the shuttles at the Hilton compare to Disney shuttles? Should I get Memory Maker for such a short trip or can the photographers take photos with my phone? Any tips or feedback would be appreciated! Thank you

 

[mickeymom22]

I can't offer any input on where you are staying...but...I just wanted to say, it looks like you have a great mini-vacay planned!

I will say that with the pedestrian bridge from your resort to Disney Springs, I would think that taking the bus from DS to GF sounds like a great idea!

Have a great trip!

 

[Princess_Ariel_5]

Thank you!!

 

[OhDannyBoy]

How do the shuttles at the Hilton compare to Disney shuttles?

It's a bus and it'll get you there and back in relative accurate time.

 

[Bjkandma]

I would definitely take a bus from Disney Springs to the Grand Floridian. Then the monorail over to Magic Kingdom.

The buses from Disney Springs hotels run on a set schedule, at certain times of day(for example 8, 10, 12) and usually make several resort stops. Disney buses run approximately every 20 minutes, up to 2 hours after park closing. Disney buses running from theme parks to Disney Springs start at 4 pm. There are no buses leaving Disney Springs directly to a theme park ever.

 

[firefly_ris]

If you're worried about bus time, and it's just the 2 of you, an Uber would be an easy alternative for making reservations promptly, I don't think it would be too expensive.

 

[Upatnoon]

The Disney Springs bus stop is in the middle of the shopping center, so it can be a bit of a walk and in August at dinner, it could be in the middle of a thunderstorm.

The fastest, easiest way would be to take an Uber right to the Grand Floridian. With all the money you are saving by staying at the Hilton, it could well be worth it.

For the rest of the bus schedule, check this out.

http://www.lakebuenavistaresorthotel.com/images/pdf/disney-shuttle-schedule.pdf
As to photographers, Disney photographers will take a photo with your phone. You can also look at the photos Disney photographers take in MDE and just buy the ones you want.

 

[writerguyfl]

How do the shuttles at the Hilton compare to Disney shuttles?

For more information on the Disney Springs Hotels buses, visit the stickied thread here on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions forum. Or, just click this link:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-springs-hotels-bus-information.3653605/
Note: The pdf flyer that Upatnoon provided in her or his post can also be found in the above thread.

We get there on 8/21 and will be doing Disney Springs that evening. The next day (8/22), we are doing dinner at the GF Cafe and the MK After Hours Event. Would it be best to take a bus from DS to GF?

The buses from the Disney Springs Hotels each visit two theme parks. The mix of which two parks can vary. That said, I've never seen a mix where the Transportation and Ticket Center stop (transfer to ferry or monorail for Magic Kingdom) is not the first of the pair. If you didn't want to pay for transportation, take the Disney Springs Hotels bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center and hop on the resort line monorail to reach Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Please note that the Disney Springs Hotels buses only support "regular" hours, including Extra Magic Hours. For hard-ticked special events, you will need to provide your own transportation back to your hotel.

8/24 is EPCOT and we are doing the UnDISCOVERed Future World Tour at 8:30am. Would you suggest taking a bus from the Hilton or taking an Uber? I'm not sure how reliable the buses are at the Hilton.

The Disney Springs Hotels buses begin 1 hour prior to park opening. As noted above, each bus will go to two parks. Even if the bus is going to Epcot first, you won't make it in time. If I remember correctly, the drop-odd/pick-up time at Epcot is between 30 and 35 minutes after the hour. At that point, you'd still need to walk to the check-in location for your tour.

You'll definitely need to provide your own transportation in order to be at the Epcot main entrance before 8:30am.

I've used the Disney Springs Hotels buses literally dozens of times over the past several years. In my experience, they are very punctual. The only time they tend to be late is when there is traffic. That's most noticeable right around park closing times. When you have cars heading out of Disney World and the crush of lots of Disney World Resort buses arriving, it can take extra time.

The buses from Disney Springs hotels run on a set schedule, at certain times of day(for example 8, 10, 12) and usually make several resort stops.

The first part of this statement is not accurate. The Disney Springs Hotels buses run every 30 minutes all day long. Each bus goes to two theme parks before returning to the Disney Springs Hotels.

Just a guess, but you're probably thinking about the Hilton Bonnet Creek. That hotel shares a bus with the adjacent Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Each bus goes only to one theme park at a time. However, there are big blocks of time (2 or even 3 hours occasionally) between trips...especially in the afternoon.

 

[Princess_Ariel_5]

For more information on the Disney Springs Hotels buses, visit the stickied thread here on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions forum. Or, just click this link:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-springs-hotels-bus-information.3653605/
Note: The pdf flyer that Upatnoon provided in her or his post can also be found in the above thread.



The buses from the Disney Springs Hotels each visit two theme parks. The mix of which two parks can vary. That said, I've never seen a mix where the Transportation and Ticket Center stop (transfer to ferry or monorail for Magic Kingdom) is not the first of the pair. If you didn't want to pay for transportation, take the Disney Springs Hotels bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center and hop on the resort line monorail to reach Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Please note that the Disney Springs Hotels buses only support "regular" hours, including Extra Magic Hours. For hard-ticked special events, you will need to provide your own transportation back to your hotel.



The Disney Springs Hotels buses begin 1 hour prior to park opening. As noted above, each bus will go to two parks. Even if the bus is going to Epcot first, you won't make it in time. If I remember correctly, the drop-odd/pick-up time at Epcot is between 30 and 35 minutes after the hour. At that point, you'd still need to walk to the check-in location for your tour.

You'll definitely need to provide your own transportation in order to be at the Epcot main entrance before 8:30am.

I've used the Disney Springs Hotels buses literally dozens of times over the past several years. In my experience, they are very punctual. The only time they tend to be late is when there is traffic. That's most noticeable right around park closing times. When you have cars heading out of Disney World and the crush of lots of Disney World Resort buses arriving, it can take extra time.



The first part of this statement is not accurate. The Disney Springs Hotels buses run every 30 minutes all day long. Each bus goes to two theme parks before returning to the Disney Springs Hotels.

Just a guess, but you're probably thinking about the Hilton Bonnet Creek. That hotel shares a bus with the adjacent Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Each bus goes only to one theme park at a time. However, there are big blocks of time (2 or even 3 hours occasionally) between trips...especially in the afternoon.

Wow, thanks so much for all the details!!