Walt Disney World Hilton and Busing

MickeyMaz · #1 (**permalink**) 07-05-2009, 10:22 PM

We are thinking about staying at the Hilton near Downtown disney for this upcoming trip. I know they are the only non-disney that let's you have extra magic hours. Here is the question. Does that disney hotelness allow you to use the Disney buses? We would like to take the bus to the Poly instead of driving the car up. What do you think?

Oh Pooh · #2 (**permalink**) 07-06-2009, 03:33 AM

If I am not mistaken yes you can but someone might know more about this. I did it when I stayed at Universal one year & took a taxi to Magic Kingdom & then took the bus or monorail. So I would say yes..MHO

BellTinkR · #3 (**permalink**) 07-06-2009, 12:22 PM

If it was me, I would just walk over to Downtown Disney and take the bus from there to the Poly. I don't know if Disney Transport is restricted to on-site guests only, but I think if they wanted to restrict it, they would have to put some sort of ID process in place when you board. In the absence of such a process, nothing prevents non-on-site guests from boarding.

It would be a shame to restrict usage of Disney Transport. Considering the price of gas, the need to conserve and the need to show kindness to the ozone layer, it probably makes more sense to take the bus than it does to drive your own car.

IWantToGoToDisneyWorld · #4 (**permalink**) 07-07-2009, 01:28 PM

I'm an avid reader of the Mom's Panel on the Disney site, and the buses are definately FOR EVERYONE, you don't have to be a guest at a Disney hotel.

MickeyMaz · #5 (**permalink**) 07-07-2009, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by IWantToGoToDisneyWorld

I'm an avid reader of the Mom's Panel on the Disney site, and the buses are definately FOR EVERYONE, you don't have to be a guest at a Disney hotel.

Thanks for the updates.

go2WDW · #6 (**permalink**) 07-08-2009, 09:33 AM

We haven't stayed at the Hilton since 2003, but when we were there they had a bus schedule that ran to the parks--not as regularly as Disney buses, but certainly on a schedule. Once you are at the parks, you are just like any other Guest and may use any Disney transportation option that is available to Disney resort Guests.

Oh Pooh · #7 (**permalink**) 07-08-2009, 12:58 PM

Ed, I see you are using it to go to the Poly which is fine. Just a note the downtown buses only goes to the resorts now not to any of the parks

MickeyMaz · #8 (**permalink**) 07-08-2009, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Oh Pooh

Ed, I see you are using it to go to the Poly which is fine. Just a note the downtown buses only goes to the resorts now not to any of the parks

Thanks for the heads-up. I hear that all the time on a lot of the podcasts. I would like to take the bus to the poly and then hop on the monorail to do the Epcot loop and get back in time for the Electrical Water Parade on the beach. That beats parking at the TTC and paying the cash for a couple hours parking. And as quirky as it sounds, just riding the bus for even that first night will give us a taste of staying on site.

Oh Pooh · #9 (**permalink**) 07-08-2009, 06:45 PM

That would work

And if you need to go to another park from the Poly other than Epcot you can still use the bus but then would have to go to a nearby resort to go back downtown, confusing isn't it?

IWantToGoToDisneyWorld · #10 (**permalink**) 07-08-2009, 09:22 PM

Hi, Ed,
Don't forget that you could walk to Saratoga Springs from Downtown Disney, (or the reverse). I didn't do it, but on the Mom's Panel they say they can do it in less than 10 minutes. You could get a bus from a park to SSR, and then get off at the Congress Park stop and walk to Downtown Disney.

kathiewe · #11 (**permalink**) 07-11-2009, 09:17 PM

We just staid at the Hilton this week and it was great. I love being so close to DD and the kids loved the pools. Yes you can walk across to the DD bus stop and take the Poly from there. You can also have buses to the Ticket and Transportation Center, but IMHO, the Disney buses are better.

Jamapak · #12 (**permalink**) 07-12-2009, 06:28 PM

I have stayed at that Hilton, and they have their own bus that runs to the parks, or at least they did when I was there last year. You could also walk about 100 yards and pick up the actual Disney buses at Downtown Disney. The hotel busses run every 20-30 minutes if I remember correctly.

MickeyMaz · #13 (**permalink**) 07-12-2009, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by kathiewe

We just staid at the Hilton this week and it was great. I love being so close to DD and the kids loved the pools. Yes you can walk across to the DD bus stop and take the Poly from there. You can also have buses to the Ticket and Transportation Center, but IMHO, the Disney buses are better.

That's the trick, is it worth it to bounce around busses to get to a park? We have the car so we'll probably park and pay the three days and use the bus on the first. We'll see, nothing's in stone on our trips.

Give me some more info on the hilton. What do you show for EMH? Can I also ask where you got your tickets? I expect the price to go up soon so I was going to go this week to the disney Store. How was the pool? And did your room have a fridge? Also, where do you cross the street into Downtown disney? I have not been as psyched about a none disney hotel in a while. Should I be?

kathiewe · #14 (**permalink**) 07-12-2009, 07:08 PM

This was an impromptu trip and got a great rate at the Hilton so we decided to go for it. Here are some answers --

What do you show for EMH?
-- I would say your room key, but not sure since we didn't use this feature

Can I also ask where you got your tickets?
-- We are passholders

I expect the price to go up soon so I was going to go this week to the disney Store.
-- I have heard that rumor too, if you have the money than go for it. Its not like you will waste them. Right?

How was the pool?
-- There are 3 pools -- 2 large main pools and 1 kiddie pool. They are nice and big, but do not have any extras. Then again the extras don't matter much to me and the kids loved them!!!!

And did your room have a fridge?
-- Yes the room had a fridge

Where do you cross the street into Downtown Disney?
-- There is a crosswalk that connect the pool/main lobby area right to DD. Its super easy and very accessible. It is so easy that after a late night swim the kids and I went to DD for a snack. So cool!!

I have not been as psyched about a none disney hotel in a while. Should I be?
-- This was my second visit to the Hilton (went to a conference there 2 years ago) and I really like it. The rooms are clean and well done. The lobby is well set up. There are 2 sets of elevators which makes it convenient to all room areas. I also love the accessibility to DD. It doesn't have the character of a Disney resort, but is a very good choice for a non-Disney hotel with Disney amenities.

Enjoy!

Gabe1 · #15 (**permalink**) 07-14-2009, 12:43 AM

My DH & I took a very last minute trip when my kids were out of town and we stayed at the Hilton since the moderates were all filled and we too got a great deal. The bus to the parks was great, right on schedule. I was not a fan of the return trip. We took a bus back to POR and transferred to a DTD bus or took POR River Ferry back to DTD.

The rooms were much bigger than the moderates as were the beds and all the lines and towels were a deluxe quality. We enjoyed our stay.

Jamapak · #16 (**permalink**) 08-23-2009, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by kathiewe

This was an impromptu trip and got a great rate at the Hilton so we decided to go for it. Here are some answers --

What do you show for EMH?
-- I would say your room key, but not sure since we didn't use this feature

Can I also ask where you got your tickets?
-- We are passholders

I expect the price to go up soon so I was going to go this week to the disney Store.
-- I have heard that rumor too, if you have the money than go for it. Its not like you will waste them. Right?

How was the pool?
-- There are 3 pools -- 2 large main pools and 1 kiddie pool. They are nice and big, but do not have any extras. Then again the extras don't matter much to me and the kids loved them!!!!

And did your room have a fridge?
-- Yes the room had a fridge

Where do you cross the street into Downtown Disney?
-- There is a crosswalk that connect the pool/main lobby area right to DD. Its super easy and very accessible. It is so easy that after a late night swim the kids and I went to DD for a snack. So cool!!

I have not been as psyched about a none disney hotel in a while. Should I be?
-- This was my second visit to the Hilton (went to a conference there 2 years ago) and I really like it. The rooms are clean and well done. The lobby is well set up. There are 2 sets of elevators which makes it convenient to all room areas. I also love the accessibility to DD. It doesn't have the character of a Disney resort, but is a very good choice for a non-Disney hotel with Disney amenities.

Enjoy!

I know that you can get your tickets right at the Hilton in the gift shop. We use Hilton points for the stay for the rooms and had the tickets charged to our room and payed for that with Hilton points as well...nice little trick if you travel as often as I have and build up a ton of Hilton points. I still prefer to be at the report properties, but this is the next best thing to being there. Certainly better than other non-resort properties.

As far as driving, there are advantages to driving, but if you plan well, you can do that easily. For instance, regular parking last time I was there was something like $13. If you go to the Contemporary and have them valet park for you, it is $13. We did that on days when we were going to eat at Chef Mickey's. When you pull in the gate, tell them you are going to Chef Mickey's and they let you park, and it doesn't even cost anything for three or four hours. You can do the same thing with Poly if you are going to eat there, they will give you a parking pass. At Boardwalk, you can go to ESPN Zone and that gets you walking distance to Epcot. We were told by the people that work there, that you don't get towed even if you are there for more than 3 hours, but we never risked it. I would suspect that Disney would not tow a guest because they would not want to lose a guest, but that is just my suspicion. I always played by the rules, but made the most out of them too.

AnastasiaB1 · #17 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 11:14 AM

one of my girl friends stayed the the hilton and she got around just fine, im pretty sure the shuttle can take you anywhere, if you really want to stay somewhere with a shuttle, yu should look at the resorts at orlandosavings webpage they have many discounted resorts to choose from and most of them have shuttles to the parks and more, hope this helped!

valleyfan · #18 (**permalink**) 08-31-2009, 09:28 AM

We own a timeshare through Hilton and are staying at the Hilton Parc Soleil this December 24th through January 2nd, can we use the extra magic hours?
If we can, how does it work?

Jamapak · #19 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by valleyfan

We own a timeshare through Hilton and are staying at the Hilton Parc Soleil this December 24th through January 2nd, can we use the extra magic hours?
If we can, how does it work?

You will have to check with that resort, but I don't think so. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it is very nice, but is not a "Disney Property" officially. The Hilton at Downtown Disney is considered a "Disney Property" and I think that is the key ingredient. The Extra Magic Hours are for the benefit of those who pay the extra cost of staying on property. There are pro's and cons of staying on and off property. We have done both and had a good time with each. We have figured out that for us, staying on property is a much better fit for our situation. There is some extra magic that you get by leaving your keys with the valet, or at the airport and being at Disney en toto. For me it definitely makes the rest of the cares of the world vanish into thin air.

valleyfan · #20 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Jamapak

You will have to check with that resort, but I don't think so. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it is very nice, but is not a "Disney Property" officially. The Hilton at Downtown Disney is considered a "Disney Property" and I think that is the key ingredient. The Extra Magic Hours are for the benefit of those who pay the extra cost of staying on property. There are pro's and cons of staying on and off property. We have done both and had a good time with each. We have figured out that for us, staying on property is a much better fit for our situation. There is some extra magic that you get by leaving your keys with the valet, or at the airport and being at Disney en toto. For me it definitely makes the rest of the cares of the world vanish into thin air.

You have the wrong resort in mind because this one just opened this spring, but I took your advice and called and was told that we can take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. The woman on the phone didn't sound real sure but she asked someone else that said yes.

Thanks

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Walt Disney World Hilton and Busing

Walt Disney World Theme Parks