One night near Disney Springs and.....

[java]

easy drive to Universal?

We are in Florida now doing a whirlwind kind of trip. There is a single day between beach and universal that I thought would be nice to do downtown disney. (Although it's supposed to be raining)
Last time I stayed in the Marriott convention center very close to universal. I can just book that again. Or is it easy to get to universal from disney spring hotels? Specifically the Hilton.

 

[writerguyfl]

The Disney Springs area (also known as Lake Buena Vista on hotel websites) is about 10 miles to Universal Orlando. According to Bing Maps, you're looking at 12 to 16 minutes travel time without traffic, depending on which route you choose.

Personally, I think people here tend to overstate the level of traffic. It's really just normal congestion like any metropolitan area. All the major mapping sites let you enter times and they provide estimates based on historical traffic information. Selecting "Leave at" 8:20am on a Wednesday from Lake Buena Vista shows the travel time including traffic to be 12 to 17 minutes. So, basically just an extra minute due to the traffic.

Side note: Which Hilton? The Hilton Lake Buena Vista is directly across the street from Disney Springs. Unfortunately, from personal experience I'd call it a very average hotel. I will only stay there if the rate (including resort fee) is about $110 or less.

 

[java]

Yes that's the one and that's the price I'm seeing(maybe it was $115)thank you for the input!

 

[writerguyfl]

The Hilton Lake Buena Vista has a $30/night resort fee and a $18/night fee or self-parking. It's not a horrible hotel. Rather, I find it overpriced for what it is. If you know going in that it's just average, you'll be fine.

Currently, the best offer for a Hilton brand is at the DoubleTree Suites just down the street from that Hilton. All rooms are two-room suites that were renovated about 2 years ago. I've stayed there 10-20 nights each year for the past several years and never had a bad stay. They don't have any resort fees and the current offer at the Disney Springs Hotels marketing website includes free parking (saving $20/night).

Disney Springs Hotels website: http://disneyspringshotels.com/hotels/doubletree-suites-by-hilton-orlando-disney-springs/

Note: Select the DoubleTree Suites from the "Our 7 Hotels" menu link. The promotion should show on the right side. It says "Spacious Two-Room Suites from $109". Some dates are actually cheaper than $109. That link takes you to the DoubleTree website. If you click on the "Disney Springs Promo" under Rate plan you should see the text indicating that self-parking is included.

 

[java]

Hmm I'm not seeing the free parking?

 

[ibob52]

Currently, the best offer for a Hilton brand is at the DoubleTree Suites just down the street from that Hilton. All rooms are two-room suites that were renovated about 2 years ago. I've stayed there 10-20 nights each year for the past several years and never had a bad stay. They don't have any resort fees and the current offer at the Disney Springs Hotels marketing website includes free parking (saving $20/night).

Hi do you know if the Doubletree Bathroom is "not" in the Bedroom?

I like Doubletree but usually pick Embassy Suites because the Bathroom is in between the "Living Room" and the Bedroom making it accessible without going thru the bedroom at night.

I realize the Floor Model may not be 100% consistent throughout the Brand but our Embassy Suite stays have been what we wanted.

The Doubletree and Embassy Suite will be our "Plan B" if we need to tack on a Day or two to a WBC week long visit.

Embassy Suites is our first choice in hotels going back several years .. they "got me" with the "cooked to order" omelet way back when.

 

[sbd78]

We stayed at the Doubletree a few years ago, and the bathroom is in the bedroom instead of between the living room and bedroom like at most Embassy Suites. I agree, I like the Embassy Suites set up better. DH and I like to hang out and have a cocktail after the kids go to bed and it's annoying to have to go through the bedroom where the kids are sleeping to use the bathroom and risk waking them up!

 

[writerguyfl]

Hmm I'm not seeing the free parking?

When you're on the DoubleTree booking site, you should see something like this:

If you click on the "Disney Springs Promo" link, you'll get a pop-up box that shows this:

The first line of text shows the notation for free self-parking. Admittedly, it's not easy to find but it is there.

Hi do you know if the Doubletree Bathroom is "not in the Bedroom?

As sbd78 notes, the bathroom is located in the bedroom portion of the suite. Additionally, there is not a solid door that separates the living room from the bedroom. It's a sliding "barn door" with opaque glass.

Here is a photo from the DoubleTree website showing the interior of a suite. That "barn door" can be seen on the right. It slides over to close off the two rooms.

 

[java]

Thank you! Got it for $116 total including tax. That works for me! Thank you so much for the help!

 

[wiserabbit]

Another possibility are the various hotels/motels along Palm Parkway - Hilton Garden Inn for one - it's free parking, no resort fees and Palm Parkway is a super easy and quick drive to Disney Springs and Universal - you don't even have to get on I-4.

 

[butterflijoy]

Thank you! Got it for $116 total including tax. That works for me! Thank you so much for the help!

I don't see that deal anymore when I go through the Disney springs hotel site. looks like it's about $225 a night. How do you find a deal like that?

 

[writerguyfl]

I don't see that deal anymore when I go through the Disney springs hotel site. looks like it's about $225 a night. How do you find a deal like that?

The "Fall into Magic" deal is still active. It only runs through October 31, however.

I'm confident there will be a late fall/winter promotion. (There always is one.) And it should be announced soon. But, there's no guarantee that it will be a great offer or that it will include free parking.

Promotional rates are only offered when hotels need help filling rooms. If the dates of your stay are showing $225/night, that probably means the hotel is close to full. As such, it's unlikely that any new promo rate would be offered for those dates. The hotel simply doesn't need help filling rooms. Sorry...that's probably not what you want to hear.