Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Review (Disney Springs)

Hilton’s Orlando Buena Vista Palace Hotel is within walking distance of Disney Springs. This hotel is comparable in price to one of Disney’s moderate resorts. However, it has a few extra amenities that you wouldn’t find at a moderate.

This article reviews the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace at Disney Springs. We’ll discuss our experience at the hotel, including rooms, dining, transportation, and amenities.

As you can imagine, one of the biggest perks of this hotel is its proximity to Disney Springs. It’s convenient for enjoying nearby shopping and dining options at the venue. But like every hotel, there were a few negatives—nothing I would consider a deal-breaker.

Below, we’ll discuss the positives and negatives so you can decide whether this hotel is the right option for your vacation. I’ll also share some thoughts on how Buena Vista Palace ranks compared to nearby hotels.

When we arrived at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, I immediately noticed how the hotel windows created a mirror reflection of the sky. It was impressive.

After we pulled up to the front entrance, the valet instructed us to park to the side while we took care of our check-in details. 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 would drive by hotels during the daytime and sometimes again at night. We would never want to spend money on a hotel only to get there and find out 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 had an unusual shape that made it feel larger than most guest rooms.

It was a sizable space offering plenty of room to spread out.

Our bathroom was also substantial. One portion had a vanity area and a closet, and the water closet had a walk-in shower.

It felt strange to have a balcony so high up.

While the view was incredible, I would request a lower floor on a return visit or stay in the island section of the resort, which sits 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 Hilton Buena Vista Palace.

After photographing the room, I had some time to kill before 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 the park at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Compared to taking the bus from a Disney Resort, you won’t find any significant difference between the 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 take that into account when planning.

Hilton uses Mears bus service. Complimentary bus service is a huge perk, and the schedule was beyond reasonable. You might also note that it mentioned 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 each of the four parks daily. 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 some extra time, I decided to walk to Disney Springs and 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 that I took for leisure and the purpose of checking 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 bus stop at Buena Vista Palace. 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 directionals are in place. 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 was through security at Disney Springs at 1:17 p.m. So, it took approximately 11 minutes to walk from Buena Vista Palace to Disney Springs.

After returning later in the day, I decided to finish touring the resort and check out what other amenities would be 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 that doesn’t have some sort of arcade.

The gym was pleasant. It had a wall of windows that looked out to this courtyard.

Here are a few photos of the fitness center with the exercise equipment available. Flat-screen TVs were hung on the walls throughout the gym.

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. So that means someone was available to prepare your order before you. During the busier times of the day, several staff members worked in the area.

A couple of sandwich and pizza options were on display. However, they are all made 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 had a variety of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and croissants for breakfast.

Here are photos of other items like various sodas, energy drinks, and mineral water.

They had an excellent selection of fruit juices, sports drinks, and other waters.

This cooler contained various beer and wine options.

Another display had a few bottles of red wine. Starbucks coffee is also available.

This station had a few fruit selections and the soup of the day. Behind it were several cereals, breakfast bars, and oatmeal cups.

Below are grab-and-go salads, fruit cups, and items geared toward children, like Uncrustables.

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.

These Mini Melts are similar to Dip n’ Dots.

Hand-scooped ice cream comes in a cup or cone.

A toaster and an electric oven are available near the condiments should you need one.

Letterpress is the resort’s primary table service breakfast. This location used to have a Disney character breakfast on Sundays. However, that breakfast has not been offered in years as of this update.

Inside, the restaurant has a gorgeous dining room that offers scenic views of the lake.

We had breakfast here during our visit. They have a breakfast buffet daily between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Brunch menu items are available from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Then the restaurant closes and reopens for dinner between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

After previewing the buffet, I ordered avocado toast with chicken sausage, potatoes, and fruit. This option ended up being a quality meal. That said, Disney Springs has many excellent brunch options on the weekend. In most instances, I would make reservations at one of those over having breakfast at the hotel.

Related: Letterpress Breakfast Buffet Review

In addition to the Letterpress, Sunnies is the hotel lobby bar open daily from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. They have 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 location with a full bar and restaurant menu and a wide variety of seating.

Here is a view of the pool from the poolside bar and lounge. You can preview the menus for each restaurant here on Hilton’s site.

One of the best attributes of the Hilton Buena Vista Palace is the resort’s lush grounds and pool areas. If you plan a stay here, I recommend intentionally planning 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 in this area.

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 anticipate low crowds. This entire area was packed the night before, which led to me waking 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 splash zone for kids.

The splash zone has sprinklers and plenty of inner tubes.

You should be able to 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 begins opposite the feature pool and is almost 550 feet long. 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 is a photo of the resort’s feature pool.

Here are a few more photos of the hotel’s grounds.

Per recent legislation, resort fees are now included in the room’s price. So you will be aware that the hotel has a daily resort fee when you book the room. The resort fee at Buena Vista Palace includes the following: internet access, Disney Parks shuttle, daily sun-care product, float lagoon access including inner tubs, DVD rentals, notary services, 10% off food and beverages (room service is excluded), and 10% off cabana rentals.

Mentioning these items is important because you are paying for them, so make sure to take advantage of any discounts that apply to you. Self-parking is an additional cost per night. Valet parking is also available.

Hotel Address: 1900 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Final Thoughts on the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace

We enjoyed our stay at Buena Vista Palace. My main complaint about the resort’s interior is that it feels somewhat dated, even though it’s been fairly recently updated. But we enjoyed the pool area, and the proximity to Disney Springs was a huge benefit.

The resort also has a convention center attached. During this visit, a large cheerleading group was staying at the hotel. Thankfully, these young ladies were very well-behaved. However, I have stayed at hotels in the area where a conference has negatively impacted my stay. Of course, those things can happen anywhere, and most hotels in the area have a convention center.

Overall, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace is an excellent option for those who will enjoy the pool area and spend a reasonable amount of time at Disney Springs. However, a few options with comparable pricing are newer and nicer, like the Wyndham Grand Orlando and Signia by Hilton at Bonnet Creek. But those hotels are not within walking distance of anything.

If price is a factor, you might also consider the new Drury Hotel at Disney’s Springs. That option is a longer walk to Disney Springs but has several perks, like complimentary breakfast and dinner. They do things differently at the Drury.

Here are a few corresponding reviews of off-site hotels close to Disney World:

• Drury Plaza Hotel Review at Disney Springs
• Wyndham Grand Orlando at Bonnet Creek Review
• Signia by Hilton Bonnet Creek Review
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando Review
• JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Review
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Review

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts on this review of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace? Would you enjoy a week’s stay here or maybe a long weekend? Was this article helpful? Share your thoughts and opinions below in the comments.