Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBRUARY 23 TO MARCH 3, 2019

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more February 2019 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/23-3/3/19

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 2/23, 9a-9p 2/24 through 2/26, 9a-8p 2/27 and 2/28, 9a-9p 3/1, 9a-11p 3/2,  and 9a-10p 3/3

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-8p 2/23 through 3/1, 9a-9p 3/2, and 8a-8p 3/3

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/23-3/3/19

Saturday 2/23 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 2/24  Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 2/25  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 2/26 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 2/27 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 2/28 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 3/1 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 3/2 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 3/4 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/23-3/3/19

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/23-3/3/19

Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 7 and 8.15p 2/23; 7.15p 2/24 through 3/1; 7.15 and 8.30p 3/2 and 3/3

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/23/-3/3/19

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

“NEW” OLD DISCOVERIES AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE

By Jim Korkis

I have written on yourfirstvisit.net about the Wilderness Lodge several times [links to Jim’s earlier posts are at the bottom of the page–Dave], and revealed many of the “secrets” behind its details and storytelling. However, in November I did a presentation there for a group of amateur photographers, and when I went to explore the area in advance of that event, I stumbled across some other interesting things that I previously missed.

Outside, the Wilderness Lodge flies five flags just as does its inspiration, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone. However, the flags at Wilderness Lodge have a Disney twist. Facing the building and looking left to right, the flags are the Wilderness Lodge flag, the Florida State flag, the American flag, the Disney Mickey Mouse flag and finally the Disney Vacation Club flag.

One of my favorite items in the lobby is hanging in a case by the elevators. It is the authentic Elk Tooth Dress worn by a Plains tribeswoman around 1875. It has been attributed to both Kiowa and Arapaho tribes and was worn for special ceremonies like a wedding.

The Elk teeth are a sign of wealth and usually an indication that it was the property of a great hunter….because elk only have two teeth. This time I actually stopped to count the teeth. This particular dress has 161 teeth arranged in five almost even rows. Some rows have 32 while others have 31 or 33.

The Territory Lounge is devoted to the early explorers of the West, which is why on the ceiling is painted a map of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the glass cases are authentic artifacts from the 1800s. On the walls are a 34 star American flag from 1861 which explains why it is a bit tattered and an actual Wyoming State flag from 1890 that features an image of a white buffalo.

The paintings in the room are “inspired by Carl Clemens Runcius (1869-1959)”, a renowned wildlife artist who started painting animals in Wyoming in 1895.

I’ve written before about the totem poles in the lobby and shared the complete stories that are being told but I never stopped to read the plaques on the floor in front of both poles.

I have not found these short explanations recorded on the internet, nor any photos of the plaques. So in the interest of documenting things that haven’t been showcased, here are those descriptions:

“The Raven Pole (located next to the Whispering Canyon restaurant that these days is a lot quieter than it used to be), like all totem poles should be read from bottom to top. It includes Whale, Cougar, Wren, the bear cub twins, Dolphin and Salmon and culminates with the story of Raven pulling the sun, moon and stars from a box to light the darkened world. The figures on this pole are common to many tribes of the great Northwest.”

“The Eagle Pole, like all totem poles should be read from the bottom to the top. It includes Bear Chief, Frog, Bear Cub, Mountain Goat, Mouse Woman, Raven and Beaver. Eagle, who is a helper to all humans and animals perches on top. He is aided by three watchmen, known as Taan-skeel, who keep their eyes open day and night protecting the village. The figures on this pole are common to many tribes of the great Northwest.”

Of course, I love the Grand Canyon fireplace which was inspired by a much smaller real one at the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon. Some Disney fans know that to the right of the fireplace is a display case that states:

“This 82’ tall pinnacle captures the color, lithographic proportions and fossil life found in the walls of the Grand Canyon. Follow the displays at each floor level to gain a greater insight into the Canyon’s formations and the history of life on earth. The fossils represented in these displays are not taken directly from the Grand Canyon but are of the same genera and therefore represent an accurate paleontological comparison.”

Thanks, Jim!

Here’s more of Jim’s posts on Disney’s Wilderness Lodge:

• Peter Dominick
• Treasures of the Wilderness Lodge
• The Fireplace of the Wilderness Lodge
• The Headdresses of the Wilderness Lodge
• Wilderness Lodge Sculptor William Robertson
• The Copper Creek Villas and Cabins

And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, The Vault of Walt Volume 7: Christmas Edition, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBRUARY 16 TO FEBRUARY 24, 2019

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more February 2019 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/16-2/24/19

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-11p 2/16, 9a-11p 2/17, 9a-10p 2/18 through 2/20, 9a-9p 2/21 and 2/22, 9a-11p 2/23, and 9a-9p 2/24

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-9p 2/16, and 9a-8p 2/17 through 2/24

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/16-2/24/19

Saturday 2/16 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 2/17  Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 2/18  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 2/19 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 2/20 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 2/21 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 2/22 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 2/23 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 2/24 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/16-2/24/19

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/16-2/24/19

Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 7 and 8.15p 2/16 through 2/23; 7.15p 2/24

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/16/-2/24/19

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

JOE ROHDE ON THE ANIMAL KINGDOM DIFFERENCE

By Jim Korkis

On June 14, 1998, I got to attend a two hour presentation by Imagineer Joe Rohde, for the opening team roughly a week before Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened to the public, to explain to the team some of the differences between Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the other Disney theme parks.

“I’ll just give you one example. The first experience you have of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is our forecourt, before you enter the park; A profoundly geometric and humanly ordered space. We live surrounded by concrete, we control the forces of nature, we order everything, we have impact on that environment and that is that statement.

“And you walk through the gateway. And if you happen to look down as you do this, you will watch as you step off brushed concrete—which is just what any sidewalk looks like—and onto what appears to be dirt in a space of ten inches. And look in front of you and you will see nothing but jungle. You won’t see a road. You won’t see a path. You see nothing but jungle.

“Most of our theme parks play this game of reassurance…of letting you know and letting you understand very profoundly where you are. We don’t do that. We want you to have an adventure. You are supposed to be in a world of nature. Nature challenges you. We want you to have an adventure, so you walk into the park and look at the park and you don’t know where the hell you are or where you’re supposed to go.

“The first moment of orientation you get is to the tree, which is the axis of this park. And then, finally, you see where you are, we offer you a moment of orientation, and you go down into Safari Village (now named Discovery Island).

“Safari Village is the heart of this park. You’ll notice if you do go to DinoLand…if you go to Africa…someday you go to Asia…they all look like hell. They’re all sort of bio-degraded. They’re all weathered. They’re all aged. They’re all peeling. They’re all rotting. They’re all succumbing to the force of nature. They are all about a kind of futility in the force of nature.

“Safari Village is about the adoration of nature. And it is the only clean, pristine, beautiful, wonderful, colorful, rich, saturated area in the park. It is arranged around our tree—the axis of the park, the center of the park, the cathedral or our park rising up into the sky covered with these images like one of those Italian painted baroque church ceilings, right?

“And that is why it is so joyfully exuberant and colorful and rich in detail and saturated with animal imagery and that is why we established some of the design rules for it, which were: There will be no decoration unless it is animal decoration and there will be virtually no earth tones in the entire place. It is about all that intensity of fascination, obsession, and love.

“So, Safari Village is a very unique place. Safari Village is kind of a no place. There’s nowhere on Earth like Safari Village. It is meant, each time you cross through it on your way from somewhere to another place, to reorient you; to sort of clean your slate and set you up again for another adventure.

“Safari Village is not an adventure. It’s right there for you to see, right? It’s spread out in a nice clean circle around the tree. You get views of the other lands; that’s not the adventure. The adventure is across the bridge in all those different lands.

“Walk through the Magic Kingdom towards the castle, then hop in your vehicle, drive back to Animal Kingdom, and take the same journey. I think you’ll find that it is a profoundly different emotional experience.”

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest,  The Vault of Walt Volume 7: Christmas Edition, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBRUARY 9 TO FEBRUARY 17, 2019

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more February 2019 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/9-2/17/19

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 2/9, 9a-9p 2/10, 9a-8p 2/11 through 2/13, 9a-9p 2/14, 9a-10p 2/15, 8a-11p 2/16, and 9a-11p 2/17

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-8p 2/9 through 2/15, 8a-9p 2/16, and 9a-8p 2/17

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/9-2/17/19

Saturday 2/9 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 2/10  Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 2/11  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 2/12 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 2/13 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 2/14 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 2/15 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 2/16 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 2/17 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/9-2/17/19

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/9-2/17/19

Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 7 and 8.15p every night

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/9/-2/17/19

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS FOR FIRST TIME FAMILY VISITORS

Since this site began—more than a decade ago—I have always presented first time visitors to Walt Disney World clear choices based on specific criteria, recommending the best, and ranking the rest.

My intent is to simplify planning, and to cut through the clutter, the wishy-washy-ness, and the interminable lists of pros and cons that all too often get provided.

Until recently, the seven hotels in the Disney Springs Resort Area–owned by third parties, but on Disney World property– had been on my “why bother” list so far as detailed coverage and reviews go, as they did not offer enough distinct benefits on the positive side to make up for their missing perks and sometimes so-so amenities, even though they often have very competitive prices.

However, the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels gained access to what used to be the two most valuable perks available at an Orlando hotel, FastPass+ booking at 60 days and Extra Magic Hours. Now that those programs are over, they are eligible for at least one of their replacements–Disney World’s Early Entry program.  As I write this, it is unclear whether or not they will be eligible for early access to its paid individual system for access to certain rides–I should have the answer to that soon.  They are NOT eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Thus they are not nearly as dismissible as before.

Once this access was announced, I stayed in each of these again (I’d stayed in many before), and because at several hotels I needed to stay in room variants, and one room type got refurbed after my initial stay, over the last nine months I’ve stayed in twelve different rooms at the seven Disney Springs Resort Area hotels.

The rankings of them that come out of these stays are below (detailed reviews of each with floor plans, photos and extensive descriptions begin at the links in the rankings), and after the rankings you’ll find other comparative material, so that you can learn a little more about these hotels

For ranking purposes I’ve divided the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels into higher and lower priced offerings. The Wyndham shows up twice, as it has two room types with two very different price points.

RANKING OF HIGHER-PRICED DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

1. The Hilton Buena Vista Palace
2. The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
3. The Wyndham Lake Buena Vista (tower rooms)
4. The B Resort & Spa

The Hilton Buena Vista Palace pretty easily leads this list, with the best rooms and best pool complex. It is also tied with the Hilton and Wyndham for being closest to Disney Springs, and is—by a bit—the closest drive to the parks (if you travel via Disney Vacation Club Way). It is in the top three for dining as well.

RANKING OF LOWER-PRICED DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

1. The Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista (if you can fit into its full beds)
2. Holiday Inn Orlando
3. Doubletree Suites by Hilton Orlando
4. Best Western Lake Buena Vista (closed for construction; will re-open as a Drury)

The Wyndham has two types of rooms at starkly different price points, so the Wyndham as a complex shows up on both lists. Garden rooms at the Wyndham offer four star amenities outside of the rooms (they share in all Wyndham amenities) at a three star price, so, as long as you can fit into their full beds, they are an easy choice for the first rank. If you need queen beds, the Holiday Inn is the best lower-priced choice that offers queen beds—you will lose the divided bath and the Wyndham’s much better pool, but gain—besides the queens—a balcony.

Note that both higher and lower priced hotels commonly show up with deals. I’ve seen in particular nice deals go by for the B Resort & Spa, and for the Holiday Inn.  Deals can affect the relative ranking of these hotels.

Probably a more important question is whether you should book any of these rooms at all. I have always advocated that first-time visitors stay in Disney owned rooms, mostly because of the perks they offer, but also for their look and feel—in my book, we call this “the Disney Bubble.”

The extension of Disney World’s Early Entry program to these hotels makes them hotels more viable options, but they still suffer from comparatively weak transportation, multiple extra fees (especially resort fees, except at the Doubletree Suites which honorably does not charge them), so-so locations, less interesting architecture with no visual theming. And they are palpably “outside the Disney bubble.”

That said, I can think of four great reasons for staying in them—and you, dear reader, may have more; if so, pop them into the comment form at the bottom of this page!

• You are paying for your stay with points—especially Hilton Honors points. The Hilton Buena Vista Palace and the Hilton are great choices, especially when free!
• Your preferred Disney-owned moderate or value resort is sold out, and you don’t like—or can’t find—Disney-owned alternatives
• You need more space than a value resort offers, and so are willing to investigate lower-priced Disney Springs hotels to get a similarly priced room with more space
• You want something a bit more like a Disney deluxe, but don’t see the value of paying two to three times more to get one.

This last is the toughest case, as the distinguishing features of the Disney deluxes, like Extended Evening Hours, balconies, easier access to at least one theme park, fun transportation options, great adult dining, and great kid dining (yes, I know about the exceptions) simply are not generally present among the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels.

(Reviews that say “X Disney Springs Resort Area hotel is comparable to a Disney deluxe” were written either by someone with slender experience, or by someone who was comped. I’ve stayed in more than 160 different Disney World-owned rooms, suites, cabins, studios, villas, and campsites, and have paid for every experience I report about out of my own pocket. As a result, I can tell you with conviction that the top three higher priced Disney Springs Resort Area hotels have amenities largely between those of a Disney moderate and a Disney deluxe–the B Resort is a little lower on the scale, because of its so-so pool.)

But on the other hand, is the Grand Floridian really worth two and half times more per night than the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, the Hilton, or tower rooms at the Wyndham?

My advice on this value question would be to stay at a Disney-owned resort hotel on your first stay, and then look carefully at my detailed reviews of the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels before choosing it for a later trip based on value for money compared to a Disney deluxe.

KID APPEAL AMONG THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

Kid appeal, as defined on this site, is principally visual, and about how the execution of a resort’s architecture and decoration—especially its theming—captures the imagination of younger visitors.

By this standard, no Disney Springs Resort Area hotel has much kid appeal. Using less strong standards, the best are the Hilton Buena Vista Palace and the Wyndham.

Most of the exterior architecture here ranges from forgettable to brutish, with the best being the Hilton Buena Vista Palace and the Best Western, and the worst the Hilton and the Doubletree Suites.

Interior–B Resort & Spa

There’s no distinctively kid-appealing interiors, either, other than perhaps the B Resort & Spa, which has playful and colorful decorating choices.

Where there’s not much kid appeal to otherwise distinguish hotels, pools and character meals can help a bit. The most kid-friendly pools among Disney Springs Resort Area hotels are those at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace and the Wyndham, with the Hilton a close third.

You’ll find character meals at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, Hilton, and Wyndham.

So these three are the hotels with the strongest kid appeal.

CONVENIENCE AMONG THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

Convenience on this site means relative transportation ease in carrying out its itineraries.

For those using the Disney Springs Resort Area bus system, there’s not much to distinguish the hotels, but those on the northern route—the Best Western, Wyndham, and Hilton Buena Vista Palace—have a minor advantage from having just three hotel bus stops, rather than the four you’ll find on the southern route.

For those driving to the parks, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace is closer to the theme parks than the rest, and the Wyndham and Hilton are nearly as close. The Best Western and Doubletree Suites are the furthest.

So on convenience, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, Wyndham and Hilton are best.

ROOM QUALITY AMONG THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

All the standard rooms among the Disney Springs Resort Area are sound, and larger than all Disney-owned standard value and moderate resort rooms. All except Garden building rooms at the Wyndham offer queen beds. For families, the best rooms will have divided baths, balconies, and seating beyond a simple desk chair.

Floor Plan–Buena Vista Palace Tower Room

Among all the major standard room options among the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels, only the Hilton Buena Vista Palace offers all three. In fact, standard rooms at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace are the only rooms that offer both balconies and divided baths (the hundred or so Lanai building rooms at the B Resort & Spa do as well, but tower rooms there offer neither).

Standard rooms with divided baths are available at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, the Hilton, in Garden building rooms at the Wyndham (but not Wyndham tower rooms) and Lanai building rooms at the B Resort & Spa (but not tower rooms). Particularly awkward on this front are undivided baths in larger five and six person rooms filled to their capacity at the Doubletree Suites, Best Western, and B Resort & Spa.

Standard rooms with balconies are available at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, Holiday Inn, and Best Western. Standard tower rooms at the B Resort & Spa appear when you enter them to have small balconies, but in fact these are locked off and inaccessible. The smaller number of Lanai rooms at the B have balconies or patios, but half are ten feet from the parking lot.

Standard rooms with seating other than a desk chair are available at these hotels all but the Holiday Inn—although at the Holiday Inn, you can bring in the balcony chairs. Wyndham tower and many B Resort & Spa rooms offer not chairs, but ottomans.

Hilton Buena Vista Palace offers the best standard rooms.

• Photo tour of a B Resort & Spa standard tower room 
• Photo tour of a B Resort & Spa Lanai pool-view room
• Photo tour of a Best Western deluxe queen room
• Photo tour of a Doubletree Suites standard one bedroom suite 
• Photo tour of a Hilton Buena Vista Palace standard tower room 
• Photo tour of a Hilton Buena Vista Palace Island room 
• Photo tour of a Hilton standard room
• Photo tour of a Holiday Inn standard tower room
• Photo tour of a Holiday Inn pool view room
• Photo tour of a standard tower Wyndham room 
• Photo tour of a Wyndham Garden room

DINING AT THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

I rank Disney Springs Resort Area hotels higher on dining for families based on extended hours in their grab and go offerings, substantial food menus in their pool bars, sound table service offerings, and—to a lesser extent—character meals.

Based on this, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace and the Wyndham stand out, and the Hilton is a near third. None of the other Disney Springs Resort Area hotels is even close.

Based purely on the quality and range of options for dinner for adults, the top three would be the Hilton, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, and the B Resort & Spa. That said, the best approach for table service dinner for adults at a Disney Springs Resort Area hotel is to head to one of the great options in Disney Springs itself, not to eat at the hotel.

• Dining and amenities at the B Resort & Spa
• Dining, amenities, and the pool at the Best Western
• Dining and amenities at the Doubletree Suites
• Dining and amenities at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace
• Dining and amenities at the Hilton
• Dining and amenities at the Holiday Inn 
• Dining and amenities at the Wyndham

THE POOLS AT THE DISNEY SPRINGS RESORT AREA HOTELS

The best family pool offerings are at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace (with its lazy river pool and kid’s pool with a splash area and zero entry) and at the Wyndham with its distinctive kids play area.

Kids Play Area–The Wyndham

The Hilton has the next best pool complex, and the worst pool is at the Best Western.

• The pool at the B Resort & Spa
• Dining, amenities, and the pool at the Best Western
• The pool at the Doubletree Suites
• The pool complex at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace 
• The pool complex at the Hilton 
• The pool at the Holiday Inn 
• The pool complex at the Wyndham

Note that Kelly, the long time travel agent partner of this site, can book you a room in any Disney World hotel.  Contact her using the form below!

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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