Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Review (Disney Springs)
If you’re looking for a hotel near Disney World that offers more amenities than a typical moderate resort, the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is worth considering. In this review of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, we’ll cover what it’s like to stay here, including the rooms, dining, transportation, and amenities.
One of the hotel’s biggest advantages is its location. This off-site hotel is within walking distance of Disney Springs, making it convenient to enjoy the shopping, restaurants, and entertainment without driving or relying on transportation. Compared to a Disney Resort, we would say it’s most like a moderate resort, especially in price. However, the hotel has a few amenities, especially at the pool, that you wouldn’t find at a moderate. Of course, every hotel has drawbacks, and we’ll cover those along with what we enjoyed during our stay.
When we arrived at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, I immediately noticed how the hotel’s mirrored windows reflected the sky. It was impressive. After we pulled up to the front entrance, the valet told us to park to the side while we checked in. It was early, so I was elated to find our room available. I don’t know about you, but early check-in will surely win me over. I note when a hotel has our accommodations ready when we arrive.
Unfortunately, the bell services team was short-handed, and it took some time to get luggage assistance. However, when someone arrived, they immediately took our luggage to the room. So, by the time we parked and made it to the room, our belongings were waiting.
The first thing I do when I get to a hotel room is walk through and ensure the room is suitable. We are picky about where we stay and always want to make sure we’re reviewing hotels where we feel safe and clean. We drive by many hotels in areas where we would not stay. Many are less than ten minutes from Walt Disney World. Before we moved to the area, I drove by hotels during the day and sometimes again at night. We never wanted to spend money on a hotel only to arrive and find it wasn’t in an area where we felt comfortable.
After inspecting the room, I tucked our belongings out of the way and began taking photos. Our room was on the 21st floor and had a king-size bed. It was so high up! We had a standard guest room with a resort view. The room’s unusual shape made it feel larger than most guest rooms. It was a sizable space offering plenty of room to spread out. The bathroom was also substantial. One portion had a vanity area and a closet, and the water closet featured a walk-in shower.
While the view was incredible, I would request a lower floor on a return visit, or a room in the island section of the resort near the pool area. This was too high up for this gal. If you want to learn more, we have a separate photo post that includes more details about our king-size bed tower room at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace.
After photographing the room, I had some time to kill before heading out to Epcot. So, I decided to tour some of the resorts as I made my way to the park. I also needed to decide how to get to Epcot. Hilton Buena Vista offers a complimentary shuttle service to the Disney theme parks. A schedule was posted near the bus stop. During our stay, the buses ran on this schedule:
- From the park’s opening until noon, buses run every 30 minutes. They begin running one hour before the early theme park benefit begins.
- From 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.: Buses run continuously every 60 minutes.
- From 6:00 p.m. until Park Close: Buses run every 30 minutes until 90 minutes after the park closes.
The shuttle bus drops guests off near the front of Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Compared with taking the bus from a Disney Resort, you won’t find any significant difference in drop-off and pick-up points. However, off-site guests are dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center when traveling to Magic Kingdom. You’ll have to take the monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom. This will take extra time, so factor it into your plans.
Hilton uses the Mears bus service. Complimentary bus service is a huge perk, and the schedule is more than reasonable. You may also notice it mentions early entry theme park benefits. Hilton Buena Vista Palace is eligible for early theme park benefits extended to Walt Disney World Resorts and other select hotel guests. This benefit allows eligible guests to enter the theme parks 30 minutes early. It applies to all four parks each day. Eligible hotel guests can enter Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom up to thirty minutes before the official park opening each day.
Since I had extra time, I walked to Disney Springs to check the distance. From there, I knew I could catch a bus to the Beach Club and enter Epcot at the International Gateway. (This is a long route I took for leisure and to check the distance between the Palace Hotel and Disney Springs. So, I don’t want it to be construed as a recommendation for traveling to a park.) The walkway to Disney Springs is beyond the Buena Vista Palace bus stop. It also leads to the island building, a separate part of the hotel.
It was 1:06 p.m. when I entered the walkway from the hotel to Disney Springs. The walkway continues toward the street, where you’ll exit the hotel grounds and continue on a sidewalk toward the pedestrian bridge ahead. It’s pretty straightforward, but there are directional signs. All the sidewalks in the area have a fence to keep pedestrians from crossing the road.
You can take an elevator or stairs to reach the pedestrian bridge. On the opposite side of the bridge, you can take the stairs (or elevator) to the security area at Disney Springs Marketplace. I went through security at Disney Springs at 1:17 p.m. It took about 11 minutes to walk from Buena Vista Palace to Disney Springs.
When I returned to the hotel later, I decided to finish touring the resort and see what other amenities were available during our stay. Most of the resort’s amenities are on the ground level. Here are a few photos of the arcade. I don’t know of a hotel in Orlando without some sort of arcade.
The gym was pleasant. It had a wall of windows overlooking the courtyard.
Here are a few photos of the fitness center and the available exercise equipment.
I was impressed with the dining options at Buena Vista Palace. Citrus 28, the resort’s quick-service restaurant, is open daily from 6:00 a.m. until midnight.
If only the resorts at Walt Disney World had such a classy offering. They had an area where you could have a custom sandwich made with Boar’s Head brand meats and several bread and cheese choices. That meant someone was available to prepare your order before you. During busier times, several staff members worked in the area.
A couple of sandwich and pizza options were on display. However, they make everything fresh-to-order and customizable. (Nothing pre-made here!)
We ordered sandwiches for dinner and were impressed with the quality. It was so nice to be able to order something, have it freshly made, and then take it back to the room to enjoy. They also had a variety of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and croissants.
The quick service offered an excellent selection of fruit juices, sports drinks, water, various beers, and wine. Starbucks coffee was also available. A cooler case had fresh fruit and salad options. We also found grab-and-go breakfast items like cereal, breakfast bars, and oatmeal cups. The pastries looked as delicious as pastries should, especially those giant cookies. One end of the quick service was set up like an ice cream shop. A toaster and an electric oven were available near the condiments if you needed them. Here are a few photos I took of what was available.
Letterpress is the resort’s main table-service breakfast restaurant. The restaurant has a gorgeous dining room that offers scenic views of the lake. We had breakfast at Letterpress during our visit. They offer a breakfast buffet daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Brunch menu items are available from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Then the restaurant closes and reopens for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
After previewing the buffet, I ordered avocado toast with chicken sausage, potatoes, and fruit. This option turned out to be a quality meal. That said, Disney Springs has many excellent weekend brunch options. In most cases, I would make reservations at one of those rather than have breakfast at the hotel.
In addition to the Letterpress, Sunnies (the lobby bar) was open daily from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. They offer a tapas and crafted-cocktails menu.
Blue is the restaurant’s sports bar, a few steps off the lobby. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open during our stay, so we didn’t get to experience this location.
Shades is the resort’s poolside bar. It is another exceptionally popular spot with a full bar, a restaurant menu, and a wide variety of seating.
Here is a view of the pool from the poolside bar and lounge.
One of the Hilton Buena Vista Palace’s best features is its lush grounds and pool areas. If you plan to stay here, I recommend setting aside time at the pool.
A vast green space sits directly behind the tower hotel. Someone at the resort told me they sometimes have live music here.
Here is a photo of the island building that sits toward the back of the pool.
For the record, I woke up around 7:00 a.m. to get these photos with almost no one in them. So don’t expect crowds. This entire area was packed the night before, so I woke up early the next day.
The lazy river at Buena Vista Palace is called the Float Lagoon. It has a zero-entry area and a kids’ splash zone.
The splash zone has sprinklers and plenty of inner tubes.
You can find lounge chairs around the pool. Private cabanas are available at an additional cost.
Here is a view looking toward the island building. We’ll try this area on our next stay and plan a day at the pool.
The lazy river starts opposite the feature pool and runs for almost 550 feet. It has several places to enter. Here are a few more photos.
A hot tub spa sits between the lazy river and the feature pool. Here are a few more photos of the pool area.
Here are a few more photos of the hotel’s grounds.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our stay at Buena Vista Palace. My main complaint about the resort’s interior is that it feels somewhat dated. But we enjoyed the pool area, and the proximity to Disney Springs was a huge benefit. It’s also worth mentioning that this hotel (like many) has an attached convention center. During this visit, a large cheerleading group was staying at the hotel. Thankfully, these young ladies were very well-behaved.
Remember that this resort charges a daily resort fee. The resort fee is included in the room price during booking. So you shouldn’t encounter any hidden charges. If you drive or rent a car, you will also have to pay for parking. Parking is a separate charge that will be added after your arrival.
Overall, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace is an excellent option for those who enjoy the pool area and plan to spend a reasonable amount of time at Disney Springs. We would stay here again, but I think next time we’d try the island building. I wouldn’t want to stay on such a high floor again.
We hope you enjoyed this review of the Buena Vista Palace. If you’re looking for a hotel near Disney Springs, you might also enjoy these individual reviews:
For other hotels, see our guide to the best off-site hotels near Disney World. If you’re undecided about staying off-site, see our comparison of on-site versus off-site at Disney World.
To learn more about the resorts, see our guide to the Disney World Hotels. You might also like our overview of dining at Disney World. Need to know how to get around? Our beginner’s guide to transportation options at Disney World is one of our top resources.
For touring the parks, see our Disney World Rides and Attractions guide. It links to attraction guides for all four theme parks. If you’re just getting started, you might like our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. It brings together the resources you need to plan your visit. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.
In the Comments
What do you think of this review of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace? Would you enjoy a week here, or maybe a long weekend? Was this article helpful? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments.
