Affordable Disney Vacations: Enjoy Disney Perks with Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Near Disney Springs

Updated: May 20

Disney vacations are expensive but there are options. Here's how to experience the magic of a Disney vacation while staying off-site without breaking the bank or lose Disney perks by staying at the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando near Disney Springs.

Everyone knows that Disney World is the most magical place on earth. However, everyone also knows a trip to Disney is expensive. Depending on the size of your party and household income, many families spend years saving up money to get a chance to experience the magic, especially for the little ones. The cost of any of the Disney themed resorts can add up really fast even for their value resorts. To make things more affordable many people stay off-site to different hotels or even Airbnb's. The problem with that is you lose all Disney perks, and you have to find your own method of transportation to get to the parks. Luckily, there is a better option that is more affordable without losing those Disney perks and quality stay. How is that possible? By staying at one of the hotels in the Disney Springs Resort area. The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando near Disney Springs provides all the Disney perks and more at half the price of the value resorts. Why do you still get the perks? Because it's an Official Walt Disney World Hotel. Here is everything that the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando has to offer.

Transportation

The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando provides free and convenient bus transportation to all the Disney parks including Disney Springs. A bonus, since the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando is an Official Walt Disney World Hotel you still receive the Disney perk of Rope Drop! Rope Drop is having the ability to arrive to the parks early access and get a head start on riding your favorite rides before the park officially opens. However, there are fewer buses than in the resorts, so you'll need to pay close attention to the bus schedule. When it comes to making it for rope drop, you'll only have one chance. If you miss that early bus, then you'll have to wait and miss Rope Drop. For Disney Springs they do have a bus to transport you. If you prefer, Disney Springs is close enough to walk to on those beautiful days. Depending on your pace, it's about a 10-minute walk. If you are flying to Florida and need a ride to get to the hotel there's no need to worry. You can pay to reserve a spot with MEARS Connect and take the shuttle transportation to the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando.

Complimentary Breakfast, Dinner & Drinks

Just like most hotels the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando provides a complimentary breakfast which includes Mickey Waffles but that's not all! They also provide a complimentary dinner called 5:30 Kickback. The 5:30 Kickback serves a single main entree that rotates and changes every day with plenty of sides to choose from. For guests that are 21+ also receive three free alcoholic beverages. Non-alcoholic beverages are unlimited during both breakfast and 5:30 Kickback. In addition to the complimentary breakfast, dinner, and beverages is the free unlimited popcorn! Popped fresh daily! When vacationing on a tight budget, all this complimentary and free food is a life saver. If you wish to treat yourself or prefer something else to please your palate the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando does provide on-site dining. The Lakeside Bar & Grill is open daily for meals and full-service bar by poolside. For late evenings, The Kitchen + Bar is open for that late night cocktail or a small bite. If you are looking for something more "on the go" you can stop in at the Market Place. There you can grab snacks or quick bites, Starbucks coffee, or order from their Pizza Hut Express. The Market Place also sells souvenirs and essentials in case you forgot to pack certain items.

Hotel Activities to Enjoy

On those gorgeous Florida days there is plenty to do outside at the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando. They have a large size pool to cool down in for a refreshing swim. A splashpad for the kids to play and have fun. For those calmer weather Florida days, there's a hot tub to relax and unwind. On those unexpected rainy Florida days, the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando provides indoor activities too. You can hit the gym for a good workout or take the kids to the arcade located near the lobby. Both are open 24-hours.

Assistance with Park Tickets and App Features

A Disney perk is having help with park tickets and features on the app. With the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando being an Official Walt Disney World Hotel the staff is happy to help. Sometimes mistakes are made, errors occur, or you may have many Disney related questions. The staff at the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando are more than happy to help to guide you and resolve any issues that arise.

My Experience

I have been to Disney World many times starting at the age of three to now as an adult sharing the magic with my kids. Local Disney guests probably know way more than I do but when it comes to the hotel stays, I'm discovering I know more than them. I hear all the time from vloggers and comments on social media how you lose all the perks if you're not staying at one of the Disney Resorts. It's just not true! This recent trip we did things different from what we usually do. We decided to try out the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando and see what it was like and how much of a difference it was compared to staying on-site at one of the value Resorts.

On the plus side, we saved so much money starting with the room rate being half the price of a value resort. The complimentary food made a huge difference. At the resorts you have to pay for all of your food and for a hefty price for what it is. The free transportation buses were convenient, and the bus schedule didn't interfere with any of our plans. The staff was absolutely fantastic from the cleaning service to the front desk. Everyone greeted me with a smile and made sure I was having a great time while staying there. The hotel was very clean including in our rooms. The room size for queen beds was a pretty standard size. It wasn't huge but we were comfortable with plenty of space for the pack'n'play. The view from our room was incredible! We had an overlook of the pool and could see Disney Springs from across the pond. At night we were able to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Epcot from a distance on the 12th floor. It was so nice to relax at the table and watch the shows from our room. One thing I noticed when comparing with a Disney Resort, is Disney Resorts do random room checks even if you have a sign to not disturb. I've heard horror stories of guests changing or napping and being disturbed by the quick knock and staff opening the door. While staying at the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando I didn't experience any room checks or saw any signs of it. So, if you're a person that is concerned of having naps interrupted this may be a place you'd want to consider.

On the not so positive side, the doors to the bathroom in our room was one of those sliding barn door style doors. When you have a three-year old running around and you hear him by the door while you're in there, it gets a little stressful that he might open the door to ask you what you're doing. Another surprise, when you open the door to leave the room the door will automatically unlock. There is no way of changing that. The door is light enough for my three-year old son to pull open. To ensure he wouldn't escape we had to set the top lock. Even though the door could still open, at least it prevented the door from being open farther than an inch. Luckily, he never pinched his fingers. These are just things that I experienced that you may want to be aware of if you're traveling with little ones. For the transportation the only down fall is that there is a lot of waiting. When you stay at a Disney Resort there is a constant flow of buses due to the amount of people and each bus goes to individual locations. Since there are less people staying at the hotel than at the resorts there's fewer buses. You will notice that one bus will be doing pick up and drop off for two parks (example; one bus heading to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom). With that type of process, the buses are scheduled to give plenty of time for people to get on or off, so if you get on the bus early there is going to be some more waiting. However, don't slack off on getting to the bus on time because you might miss it. If you have a tight schedule this may be something you'll need to consider when making your plans. Another thing to add, when you are staying at a Disney Resort you are in that Disney bubble. The theming is amazing no matter which resort you stay at and you are immersed in all Disney. For the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando, you don't have that all Disney atmosphere. They'll have a little Disney stuff here and there but overall; it's just a hotel atmosphere that is well put together and nicely decorated.

Overall, we had a great experience! In personal preference, I really do enjoy the Disney resorts and certain features make the extra dollars' worth it. Can I still have that great Disney experience without staying at a Disney resort? Yes, definitely! There were certain features that were better than staying at one of the resorts. I never had that incredible view at the Art of Animation or at Pop Century! If you are on a tighter budget for your trip, I highly recommend staying at the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando. So, check out the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando near Disney Springs and see if it is a right fit for you and your family. You may even like it better than a Disney resort. Midwest NoBounds, LLC gives a "thumbs up" Seal of Approval for Places to Stay.

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Location

2000 Hotel Plaza Blvd,

Lake Buena Vista, FL. 32830