The words “Disney” and “budget” don’t usually go together. Heck, even Walt Disney World’s so-called Value resorts can be pricey. However, there is a way you can stay on property, be close to Disney amenities, and somehow not spend a fortune: the Disney Springs Area hotels. Recently, I had a chance to check out one of these hotel options, staying at the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area.
So, what does this Walt Disney World hotel have to offer, how affordable are we talking, and what did I think of my stay? Let’s get into all of the details.
Full disclosure: I was hosted with a complimentary room at the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area as part of an event I covered for my other job. However, the opinions in this review are completely my own.
What to Know About the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area: My Review
Booking, Rates, and Fees
With Holiday Inn being an IHG brand, you can book this property directly on the IHG site. Third-party sites and portals are also an option.
The property has rooms with either two Queen beds or 1 King bed. There are also a few different view options: Pool View, Disney Springs View, and Fireworks View.
As I mentioned, I received this stay for free, so I can’t speak to the total cost. However, I did punch up some random weekday dates in September to see how much that would be. In doing so, I was able to book a Standard room for $120 per night. Even better, that includes the $39 resort fee! FYI, that resort fee entitles you to 2 welcome drinks upon arrival (valid for soda, juice, well cocktails, house wine, or beer), complimentary coffee in the lobby each morning, and more.
Location
You may have gathered from the full name of the property, but this Holiday Inn is located near Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. Specifically, you can find it on Hotel Plaza Boulevard between the Renaissance Orlando Resort and Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista. To get to Disney Springs from Holiday Inn, you’ll just walk toward the Hilton and then take two connected pedestrian walkways.
I decided to put this to the test and timed my walk. From the time I exited the lobby until I got past security at Disney Springs was 10 minutes. Granted, I do walk pretty quickly, so you might want to call it 15 minutes. Still, this was surprisingly fast.
The Lobby
With this being on Disney property, you’ll notice some “magical” touches in the lobby. When I was there, this included a life-sized R2 unit with a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge backdrop.
However, what I liked even better was the atrium around the corner where colorful spheres were hung at different levels. Apparently, these are usually kites, but the property has been experimenting with different themes and items. Regardless, I really liked the way these looked.
Now is also a good time to say that I appreciate how “compact” the Holiday Inn’s layout is. After a long day in the park, the last thing you want is a long walk back to your room. Not only was it a quick walk back to the elevators from the entrance, but even when staying in the room in the furthest corner from the said elevator bank, it was a short walk
Elevators
Speaking of the elevators, they passed my standards. This means that they moved at a good speed and the number of working elevators accommodated the hotel’s capacity. Through the week, I only ended up sharing an elevator with someone a couple of times — and never missed out on a ride due to a full car.
The only thing is that, while you’ll notice three elevators in the main bank, there are seemingly really only two available to guests. That’s not a big deal, obviously, but it is a bit of a psych-out.
The Room
I have to say, I thought that the room was tastefully decorated, combining a sophisticated color palette with some fun art pieces. As for furniture, the desk was very useful for this work trip while the bed and chair were both quite comfy.
But perhaps the best part of this room is that it comes equipped with both a mini-fridge and a microwave. This was immensely helpful for keeping and reheating leftovers. There’s also a coffee maker in the room, but I opted to go downstairs to grab a cup in the morning instead.
I’ll also say that the room’s A/C managed to keep up with the rough Florida heat while also avoiding that clammy feeling that sometimes happens in humid climates.
Meanwhile, the bathroom was… fine. It’s about what you’d expect from a property like this. At least the water didn’t smell too much of Flordida, so that’s a big win in my book. I also liked the bath products they offered, which were dispensed from the larger containers attached to the shower wall.
Finally, my room had a fireworks view. Sure enough, I could see the nightly fireworks from the balcony — and hear them too. That said, I was pleased that the fireworks noise wasn’t too loud, so you should hopefully be good if you decide to head to bed early.
Overall, I think this was a perfectly pleasant room (especially for the price).
Dining
The Holiday Inn houses the Palm Breeze Restaurant, which serves a breakfast buffet. Next to that is the lounge area that offers a lunch and dinner menu as well as drink options. There’s also a grab-and-go section that includes some drinks and snack options — including some items like Easy Mac that you can “cook” in your room. These items can be paid for at the bar if it’s open or at the front desk after hours.
Of course, if you want many, many more options, then Disney Springs has you covered. Personally, my favorites there include Chicken Guy and Pizza Ponte for quick service, The Boathouse for table service, and Summer House for cookies.
However, there are some solid dining options even closer to Holiday Inn. At the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, you’ll find a Benihana! Meanwhile, on the other side, the Renaissance is home to the (admittedly unimaginatively named) American Kitchen Bar & Grill. As part of the event I was at, I had a chance to sample their food and thought it was delicious! In particular, the Crispy Chicken Gnocchi Mac & Cheese (Crispy Chicken, Gnocchi, Smoked Gouda Sauce, Sun-Dried Tomato Parmesan Foam) exceeded all my expectations.
So, whether you want to walk as little as possible or explore the greatest number of options, the Holiday Inn has you covered.
Park Shuttles
Since Holiday Inn knows that most people staying at this property are heading to the Walt Disney World theme parks, they offer complimentary (or technically included in your resort fee) shuttles. While this is a great amenity, if you’re used to Disney Resort Hotel shuttles, there are some important differences to point out.
For one, you’ll need to make a reservation for these shuttles (although it doesn’t seem as though they’ll fill up, so this is more of a means of confirming you’re actually a guest). Second, unlike the Disney buses that will drop you off at the gates of Magic Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom stop for these buses is the Ticket and Transportation Center. That means you’ll need to take a monorail or ferry boat to the park from there.
Something else to note about my experience using the shuttles is that understanding the route and stops is key to planning appropriately. For example, Holiday Inn was the first hotel pick-up of three on the street — and the bus going to EPCOT stopped at the TTC first. That meant that it took me more than 40 minutes to get to EPCOT in the morning. However, on the way back, I made it in just 12 minutes since we went directly from EPCOT to the Holiday Inn.
Final Thoughts on the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area
Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this property before arriving. But I was pleasantly surprised and had a delightful stay. Most importantly, I was honestly shocked by the rate when I looked it up. To me, this seems like a tremendous value — even if you don’t get all of the conveniences of staying at a Disney-owned hotel.
Now that my wife’s family no longer has the Club Wyndham membership we often relied on when visiting Walt Disney World, I’d definitely consider staying at this Holiday Inn again on future trips. Of course, there are a few other Disney Springs Area hotels worth a look as well (though I suspect this one might be the most affordable). So, if you really want to do Disney on a budget, I’d recommend one of those hotels generally or this enjoyable Holiday Inn specifically.