When booking our latest Disney vacation, my family first looked to Disney World’s available resorts for our accommodations. However, the cost of staying during the Holidays at the Disney World resorts proved both expensive and difficult as many of the rooms were unavailable. We found that we could get a room at the DoubleTree Suites for a very reasonable price for a suite. After reviewing the hotel’s website as well as a few other sites (such as TripAdvisor), we felt comfortable with a stay at the resort.
The DoubleTree Suites is located on Disney World property though is not included in the Disney bus system. However, guests are offered free services to the theme parks by way of the Downtown Resort bus system. These buses run (roughly) every thirty minutes from the resort to the various theme parks. We did not experience the use of the buses, though, as we did have a rental car.
As we arrived at 8 pm, we were met by someone who offered to help us with our luggage and vehicle. We declined, though appreciated being welcomed so quickly upon arrival. We checked in and got our resort keys without any wait at guest services. We parked our car, then walked the very short distance back to the hotel and to our room. The entire hotel’s rooms are located inside the resort, accessible by way of the hall and elevator (as opposed to Pop Century, for example, where the resort’s room doors open to the outside). 
We entered our key and were excited to see the amount of space we had available in our suite. The suite included two rooms, one a den/kitchenette and in other the bedroom/bathroom. The kitchenette included a table, microwave, refrigerator, large counter top area, coffee maker and sink. There were also 4 glasses available.
The den furnishing included a pullout couch, which you could make a queen sized bed, and a chair. Across from the seating was a flat screen television mounted on a chest with a drawer. The television services included many television stations (including Stacy Aswad’s Must Dos), movies on demand and video games.
The bedroom included 2 double beds and a chest of drawers with a mounted flat screen above. The bathroom was spacious including a large bathtub/shower combination with the curved shower rod. The sink for the bathroom was located inside the bathroom as well. My family had hoped to have a sink also located outside of the bathroom area to help with time management when getting ready.
My family enjoyed the spaciousness of the room. My son was able to play in the den area while my husband watched a television show to his liking on the bedroom television. We enjoyed the kitchenette, using the microwave to heat our breakfast daily. We found the beds to be heavenly after a very long day in the parks. There were plenty of available pillows which was great! (In my household, we use both feather and foam pillows and all of us were happy with those available at the Resort!) We found that the room was cleaned very well. In fact, one day we returned to the Resort for a swim in the heated pool. As we were about to enter the room, the lady who was to clean the room told us that she was so upset that she had not got our room cleaned yet. She explained that the maintenance man had been in the room changing out the air filters so she had had to skip cleaning our room. She was truly upset that she had not gotten the work accomplished before we had returned to the Resort. We went out to the pool and found the room cleaned when we returned.
The pool is located outside and offers a large, heated pool for everyone, as well as a small baby pool for the little ones. The area includes comfortable lounge chairs and a bar. Around from the bar was a workout facility that included several high end machines (which we should have used, but did not during our stay!)
We stayed on the top floor of the resort and found the elevators to be extremely quick. We also found the use of the downstairs convenience market to be a great help. The market included medical items, snacks, meal items, and beer and wine. In addition, the lobby includes a store offering Disney souvenirs. And the best of the best were the hot, fresh cookies available upon request at the front desk. These chocolate chip cookies were amazing! (And I do not even like chocolate.) Upon arrival from the parks, my family would walk to the front desk and request three cookies. The would hand them to us, each in a brown bag. They were hot, gooey and fantastic.
Our stay was wonderful. We enjoyed the location, the beds and the cookies:) The resort offers something for everyone. Be sure to check keep it in mind when you are looking to book your next vacation’s accommodations when visiting Disney.
Contributed by: Natalie Henley (NDM#268) Natalie is the DDL Resort Blogger. She is also the creator of Meet the Magic.
Natalie grew up in Nashville, TN. Married with one son, she lives on a farm. As if this weren’t enough to keep her on her toes, Natalie also works around the clock due to being self-employed .
Natalie often travels to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, giving her a vast knowledge of the Disney Resorts which she shares in her posts on The Disney Driven Life. She loves the research on the resorts and appreciates input for these articles as well.
In recent trips, Natalie has begun making a habit of meeting people while in the parks. This habit inspired her personal website, Meet the Magic, http://meetthemagic.com. This site helps her connect to others as well as hold space for Disney fans to post information about their Disney related sites. Her goal with this venture is to help people to “Meet the Magic” of their choice.
