Luxurious Experience at Waldorf Astoria Orlando
The Waldorf Astoria Orlando provides a luxurious experience at Walt Disney World. Attentive service and first class amenities set this hotel apart from the other Disney Good Neighbor Hotels.
Disney owns 25 hotels but has agreements with over 40 Good Neighbor Hotels. Good Neighbor hotels meet certain Disney standards, provide transportation to the parks, and can be booked as a resort package.
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Location
The Waldorf Orlando is located in the Bonnet Creek area. The Bonnet Creek resort area also has the Hilton Bonnet Creek, the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek, and Wyndam Grand Resort. The Hilton and the Waldorf are sister properties and guests of each resort can access both amenities.
Source: Hilton
The Waldorf is located near Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The resort is close Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Springs. The Waldorf is a short drive to Riviera Resort as well.
The Waldorf and the Hilton Bonnet Creek share transportation. When you check in, they provide you with a link to the transportation schedule.
Source: Hilton
The bus schedule varies depending on the park you are visiting. In the morning the buses run about every half hour but the in the afternoon some of the buses only run every two hours.
The coach buses are complimentary and included in the $45 per night resort fee. The resort only offers valet parking which costs $40 a night.
Dining
The Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Bonnet Creek offer plenty of dining options. The two resorts are connected via an indoor convention center making walking between the two resorts an easy process.
Source: Hilton
The two resorts are home to 2 signature restaurants, The Bull and Bear at the Waldorf and La Luce at Hilton Bonnet Creek. We ate at the La Luce during our recent trip and had excellent service and food. The prices were comparable to Disney table service restaurants.
La Luce at Hilton Bonnet Creek.
Source: Hilton
The resorts share 8 casual dining locations. The two resorts also have several bars and lounges on property. Both pools have a pool bar. Not all dining locations have reopened post COVID.
Both properties are owned by Hilton and if you have Hilton elite status you can take advantage of benefits and perks. We are Hilton Diamond members so we received free breakfast and a free room upgrade upon arrival. The free breakfast was served at Oscar’s Brasserie each day.
The breakfast buffet included fruit, pastries, cereal, yogurt, coffee, juice, and cold meats. If guests received free breakfast with Hilton status they could upgrade to receive the hot breakfast for $15. The service was Oscar’s each day was attentive and gracious.
Recreation
The Waldorf and Hilton Bonnet creek both have their own pools. The Hilton has a lazy river, slide, and zero entry pool. The Waldorf pool is more serene but luxurious. The Waldorf pool does not have a slide.
Hilton Bonnet Creek Pool.
Source: Hilton
The Waldorf pool is zero entry and the pool had an attendant that help to set up your lounge chairs. The attention to detail and first class service sets the Waldorf apart as a luxurious hotel experience.
Source: Hilton
The Waldorf had a small mini golf area for children along with outdoor games such as Connect Four, Jenga, and cornhole.
Source: Hilton
The resort has a spa, golf course, private cabanas, a fitness center, and an arcade. The arcade is located at the Hilton next door. Unlike the Disney Resorts, the spa was open.
Accommodations
The Waldorf offers traditional hotel rooms and suites. Some of the rooms feature a view of the Disney parks. Our room had a view of Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. We could see Spaceship Earth, The Tower of Terror, and Expedition Everest from our room.
Unfortunately the rooms do not have balconies but you would be able to see fireworks from some of the rooms. The standard rooms do have a separate shower and bathtub.
The service at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando was impeccable. All of the staff members were attentive and friendly. The resort also offered a text service in which you could text the front desk for any needs throughout your stay.
Source: Hilton
The only negative of the resort was the transportation schedule. During our visit, we had our vehicle and drove to the parks. The resort is also not as highly themed as a Disney Resort and has an expensive daily parking ($40) and resort fee ($45). But it’s an excellent option for families wanting a deluxe experience for a smaller price tag than Disney’s Deluxe Resorts.
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