Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs: Our Honest Review
*This post provides an honest review of the Holiday Inn Oralndo Disney Springs and may contain affiliate links, meaning we may receive commissions for purchases made through those links, at no cost to you.
Planning a trip to Orlando and wondering where to stay? Check our review of the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs.
This article is about our stay at the Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs hotel in Walt Disney World.
There are a MULTITUDE of hotels in Orlando, which can sometimes make choosing the best hotel for your family more difficult. On one of our most recent family trips to Walt Disney World, we chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs. We chose this hotel because it was affordable and offered a good number of services.
In this article, we share our experience at this hotel and describe the main services available. At the end of this post, you will find our final recommendation on whether you should book a stay at this hotel.
This article will help you decide if the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs is the best hotel for your next trip to Orlando.
What you need to know before you book: some facts about the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs
Proximity to Orlando attractions
Here’s the approximate distance from Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs to Orlando’s top family attractions:
- Disney Springs: 10-15 min walk
- Typhoon Lagoon Water Park: 30 min walk / 5 min drive
- SeaWorld Orlando: 15 min drive (5 mi / 8 km)
- Hollywood Studios (Disney Park): 15 min drive (6.2 mi / 10 km)
- EPCOT (Disney Park): 10 min drive (4.3 mi / 7 km)
- Animal Kingdom (Disney Park): 15 min drive (8.2 mi / 13 km)
- Magic Kingdom (Disney Park): 15 min drive (7.8 / 12.5 km)
- Universal Studios: 22 min drive (9.4 mi / 15 km)
The fact that the hotel is within walking distance of Disney Springs is a major advantage for families. There are a number of shops and restaurants, including the famous Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex, for the whole family to enjoy.
Discover 10 Amazing Family-Friendly Restaurants in Disney Springs
Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs services and facilities
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Hot tub
- Outdoor ping-pong table
- Outdoor bean bag toss games
- Giant Connect Four outdoor game
- Arcade
- 24-hour fitness centre
- Computers
- Café
- Restaurant and bar
- Shuttle service to Disney theme parks and Universal Studios
Disney benefits at Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs
- More time in the theme parks: Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs guests can enjoy an extra 30 minutes in the theme parks before they open to the general public.
- Shuttle service: A shuttle service is available to hotel guests. Guests must make a reservation up to 48 hours before the desired date. Buses run to all four Disney theme parks.
Our stay at the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs
In all honesty, we had originally booked an 8-night stay at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, a hotel we had stayed at in the past and really liked. However, a few weeks before our departure for Orlando, we were informed that the Hilton pool would be closed for the duration of our stay. For this reason, we decided to cancel our booking and choose a hotel where the children could enjoy the pool during our vacations – we wanted to get away from the snow and cold after all!
Needless to say, hotel choices are pretty limited just a few weeks before a trip to Walt Disney World. After analysing the various options available, we finally opted for the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs for its pool, Disney benefits, affordable rate and proximity to Disney Springs.
We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of this hotel. Our expectations weren’t particularly high, given that Holiday Inn hotels are generally entry-level and don’t offer the same level of comfort and service as other, slightly more luxurious family hotels.
Rooms at Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs
Overall, we were pleased with the rooms we stayed in. They have recently been refurbished and are more than adequate for a family visiting Orlando.
As we were travelling with other members of our family, we had two connecting rooms. Both had two large beds and a cot was provided in ours. The beds were comfortable, and the bedding was clean.
The rooms were spacious and well equipped. In particular, we had access to a microwave (which is extremely useful when travelling with children) and a mini fridge in which we could leave snacks and milk for the kids.
Our room had a balcony overlooking the pool. We had breakfast there several mornings.
The rooms were not particularly noisy – they were fairly well insulated. My mother and brother slept in the room next door and couldn’t hear our children playing and/or crying.
The decor is fairly simple, but tasteful and modern all in all.
In short, these are beautiful, spacious and well-equipped rooms that are perfect for families planning a trip to Walt Disney World with kids.
The bathrooms
The bathroom in our room had also recently been renovated. It was equipped with a bath/shower. When we travel with our young children, we are very happy when our hotel rooms have baths. It’s much easier to wash our children and it allows them to play in the bath and have fun just like at home.
The bathroom was clean and modern.
A few products, such as shampoo and moisturiser, were available. We didn’t use them as we had brought our own products from home.
Customer service
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted warmly by staff. We were able to check in as soon as we arrived at around 4pm.
The hotel lobby is modern and welcoming. A Disney-coloured hopscotch (with pictures of the castle as a bonus) is drawn on the floor near the reception desk. After a few hours on the plane, the hopscotch was a delight for our daughter, who played there while I was checking our family in.
A concierge is available at the front desk to answer guests’ questions – including assistance with hotel services, Orlando activities and attractions, and the logistics of visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.
Swimming Pool and Outdoor Courtyard at Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs
The swimming pool is a very important feature for our family when we travel to Orlando with children. We usually travel to Florida in winter, to get away from the snow and cold for a week. In short, we want to be able to enjoy a nice pool.
When we cancelled our booking at the Hilton Signia Bonnet Creek, we were a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to enjoy their superb pool and lazy river with the kids. However, once again, we were pleasantly surprised by the pool and outdoor courtyard at the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs.
In fact, the pool has an original shape that can almost give the impression of being in a Caribbean resort. The pool is large and has shallow sections, ideal for children.
The hotel’s outdoor courtyard is very pretty. It is colourful and well laid out. There is a small play area set back from the pool. These include a giant Connect Four game; bean bag toss games and a ping-pong table.
There is also a sanitary block in the courtyard. It has toilets and changing rooms. At the time of our visit, the toilets were clean. Towels were also available for guests who wanted to take a dip in the pool.
Several sun loungers, parasols and small tables are set up around the pool.
Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs restaurants
The Palm Breezes is the only restaurant on site. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here. There are plenty of tables in the dining room and a cute small terrace outside by the pool.
Children eat free: for every adult who orders a meal, a child is entitled to a free meal and drink.
The restaurant has a children’s menu.
We had a couple of lunches there and one dinner – on the night we arrived. The menu is American – burgers, chicken fingers, nachos, etc.
From the terrace, you can access a counter to order drinks and meals. This is perfect for guests who want to order a drink or snack to take to the poolside without going inside the hotel.
For breakfast, we had bought food which we ate in our rooms. However, when we left the hotel in the morning for our activities, we noticed that the restaurant was very busy. Many families chose to eat at Palm Breezes before taking the shuttle to the Disney theme parks.
The Grab And Go is a small convenience store, located right next to the restaurant, where you can buy products such as milk, cereals and snacks.
Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs shuttle to Disney
A shuttle service is available from the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs hotel to all four Walt Disney World theme parks.
To take advantage of this service, you must make a reservation for everyone in your group up to 48 hours in advance. To make your reservations, you will be given a QR code when you check in at reception to download the necessary application.
Transportation to Walt Disney World is provided by comfortable, air-conditioned passenger buses.
If you are travelling with young children or babies, make sure your pushchairs fold easily so that they can be stowed in the compartments under the bus.
The shuttle timetable is based on the regular opening hours of the theme parks. Transportation is not provided for special events taking place outside of regular operating hours.
The journey is fast – the hotel’s guests are the first to board. The bus then continues to pick up guests from a number of neighbouring hotels, all located nearby on the same street. On the return journey, Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs guests are the last to disembark.
Frequently asked questions about the shuttle service can be found here.
Is the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs close to Disney Springs?
As the name implies, the hotel is located in the Disney Springs area. In fact, it’s easy to get there on foot. Disney Springs is about a 10–15-minute walk from the hotel.
We found the location ideal. With our children, we had planned a few days off during our stay to recuperate from the busy and exhausting days in the theme parks. On these days we were able to easily get to Disney Springs for food and shopping – make sure you stop off at the largest Disney shop in the world for some souvenirs.
Our verdict: should you stay at the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs with your kids?
We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs. Our expectations weren’t particularly high, given that Holiday Inn hotels are generally entry-level and don’t offer the same level of comfort and service as other, slightly more luxurious family hotels.
We were very pleased with the quality of the rooms: they were clean, comfortable, spacious and had everything we needed for our stay with young children.
Overall, the hotel is beautiful and well renovated. The staff are friendly and welcoming.
Our kids really enjoyed the pool and outdoor courtyard – they loved playing with the giant Connect Four game and the bean bag toss game.
We really appreciated the shuttle service to the Disney theme parks – we hadn’t rented a car for our trip. This service simplified the logistics of our days.
Finally, we found the location of the hotel to be really ideal. Being only a few minutes’ walk from Disney Springs, it’s very easy to get there on foot to visit ‘Downtown Disney’ and enjoy a meal with the family.
Finally, for such a well-located hotel, the price is quite reasonable.
In short, the Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs is certainly not a luxurious hotel where you will be completely overwhelmed by the décor and the abundance of services, but it offers excellent value for money and perfectly meets the needs of families on holiday at Disney.
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