I had the opportunity to stay at the Lake Buena Vista Best Western this past week (May 12th-19th), I wasn’t sure if I would like staying at a Downtown Disney resort. I’ve always stayed at a Disney resort before and didn’t know if I would miss staying at a Disney owned resort. Well my fears were put to rest the first night we got there!
We arrived around 5 or so in the evening and walked right up to the desk and checked in without a problem, we got our room keys and headed for our Disney view room 1613. The elevator was already down at the lobby so we walked right on and a short time later we were getting off on the 16th floor. We opened our room door and walked in to see a beautiful view of the Disney property! We could see all four theme parks in parts and we could see Illuminations and Wishes from our balcony every night! I was in awe of the view and the space in the room we had! It defiantly was bigger than what we are used to staying in a Disney value resort. I knew we were going to love it here.
After unpacking and checking the room and resort out, not to mention the view also, we headed down to Trader’s Island Grill for some dinner. The food was good and the service was great! The resort had several choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you wanted a big breakfast or dinner, Trader’s Island Grill is for you. But if you are looking for something quick Parakeet Café is best for you. They offer on the go style breakfast, lunch, and dinners for your convenience. They also offer Flamingo Cove Lounge for drinks and a pool side lunch. Or if you would like room service they offer that as well from early morning to late night. There were also several restaurants nearby if you have your own car or walk down to Downtown Disney.
The transportation was nice also, very quick and on time. Unlike some Disney resorts where you need to walk a ways to get to a bus stop for the resort, Lake Buena Vista Best Western’s bus stop was right out the front doors of the lobby. We stopped two other resorts before heading to a park each morning. Being the first stop on the B line bus you get first choice of seats, by the time the bus got to the last resort on the line most people needed to stand. You were also the first to be dropped off on the return trip! At the parks the busses drop you off in the charter bus lots so it is a bit further than a Disney resort bus drop off locations. At the Magic Kingdom they drop you at the Ticket and Transportation Center and you can catch a monorail or ferry boat over to Magic Kingdom. After 6pm they offer transportation to Downtown Disney till 3 in the morning if you didn’t want to walk.
I would love to stay here at Lake Buena Vista Best Western again if I was heading back down to the Disney Resort property. Thanks to all the staff at the hotel for a great experience and relaxing vacation!