DoubleTree Disney Springs
Back in October, we made a last minute decision to head to Disney World for Melody’s fall break. We had Hilton points, so that made the trip more appealing. We had enough to stay for free at DoubleTree at Disney Springs. It was the best deal out of all the Disney Springs Hilton hotels, and we did like the idea of having the separate bedroom and mini-kitchen.
The Room
So the room was great for us and what we needed. I am actually bummed we did not get more time in the room. When first walking in, you enter the kitchenette/living room area. The kitchenette contained a table with 4 chairs, and a bar area. The bar area had a sink, coffee maker, fridge, microwave, and some storage. This was great for all of our things we bring for Melody since she is such a picky eater. We used the table to pack our park bags and for Melody to eat breakfast.
The living room had a couch, chair, end tables, and a TV. There was also a large window that overlooked the highway, I believe. We were really never there enough to see what it truly overlooked. I am not sure we even turned the TV on really. We did hang out a few nights in the living room to decompress, but we usually either just sat or worked on our computers or tablets.
There was a sliding door separating the living room and bedroom. We rarely needed the separation but maybe the last night when we were packing up. But Melody sleeps hard so she can sleep through most things…especially after a park day.
The bedroom had two queen beds with a nightstand in the middle. There was also a dresser with a TV.
Leading to the bathroom was a small hall with a table, mirror, and closet. This is where I would lay out our clothes each day and get ready. It also stored things like my Mickey Ears, jewelry, etc.
The bathroom was also fairly nice. It had a bath/shower combo along with a single sink.
The Transportation
Even though we stayed using our points, we did have to still pay for parking since we drove. It costs $23.43 per night. We did account for the when we planned our trip.
What we did not account for was the bus transportation. In other trips at the Hilton Disney Springs hotels (Hilton Lake Buena Vista and Buena Vista Palace), we found bus transportation fairly decent. Buses ran typically twice an hour daily. Their consistency and drop off locations were not ideal. But once you figured out their arrival times at the hotel, it became easier to track. Well apparently COVID changed everything. We found out after arriving you had to schedule park transportation. Ok-fine. But upon looking many issues were found.
Times were already sold out before we arrived. Since we did not know about having to book our transpiration online, we could not look prior to the day before we needed it. Well immediately we found we would either get to Hollywood Studios an our before the park opened or an hour after it opened. The 8:10 time slot was gone. Same happened for a few other parks during our trip.
The departures were only for the morning and the returns were only in the evenings. So you could not go to a park that morning, catch a bus back for a nap, then go back that evening. That was really disappointing since we actually had hoped to do that.
You had to pick a return time when you booked your departure time. Now it claims you can come back at any time slot, but I was slightly concerned this would not work to our benefit.
There was no transportation for Disney Springs. That walk was hella long. So the one time we went to Disney Springs we opted to drive.
Below are the screenshots from the website along with the departure and return times.
We did schedule times a for two of our days, but we ended up cancelling it because it just was not going to work. So we had to pay to park at the parks. While this was not awful and we actually enjoyed having our car, we hated the additional costs because of the lack of communication by the hotel.
Summary
So the hotel room was nice, but the transportation was a huge bummer for us. I would much rather stay at Hilton Lake Buena Vista for its proximity to Disney Springs. The transportation issue is going to be an issue at all of the Disney Springs hotels since they all use this new service now. But being so close to Disney Springs does allow you to take a bus to Disney Springs from a hotel in close proximity to the park you are at and walk back to the Hilton during the day or even late at night. While we could have done that at DoubleTree, it is quite a long walk with a 5 year old. If I was an AP holder and could park for free at the parks, I might not care and stay at DoubleTree for the room itself. It really just depends on if the horrible park transportation matters, ha.
