luxury - The Family Holiday Guide

Top luxury hotel review and tips – Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Disney World

by Victoria Pollitt | Nov 9, 2022 | Accommodation, Top Story, USA

We spend two sumptuous days with our children in one of America’s top luxury hotels fabulously located within Walt Disney World Resort

Name

Four Seasons Resort Orlando.

Where is it?

It is within the grounds of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, US, a short ride from the Disney parks themselves.

What is it?

Four Seasons Resort is one of the top luxury hotels in America – widely considered the best in Orlando with a price tag to match.

The AAA Five Diamond Award property has 443 rooms (68 are suites), fabulous restaurants and a small water park.

The lazy river

Guests staying here are able to get into any of the Disney parks 30 minutes early. And travel there and back by free shuttle bus.

Is it family friendly?

Oh yes, yes, yes. Our children adored this hotel, thoroughly appreciated the luxury and special touches and were thrilled with the water park.

Water slides at Four Seasons Resort Orlando

Staff were so good with them. When we checked in, they received a bag containing a scavenger hunt.

This was a great opportunity to explore the hotel and find our bearings while they searched for various points to have their booklets stamped.

And the prize at the end? Free ice cream in a fabulous café/ice cream parlour on site, prettily named Lickety Split.

There’s also a great, free kids’ club for children aged four to 12, with enthusiastic staff and brilliant facilities.

The rooms

Our room was spacious and luxurious. It was a park view room which meant we could watch the Disney fireworks and lights displays from our balcony.

Our spacious room

It had two queen-sized beds, the largest hotel television we’ve ever seen and an iPad for contacting reception, booking restaurants, ordering extra pillows etc.

The big bathroom had two sinks, a bath, separate shower and a large mirror with a television in the centre, a great novelty, plus Bose surround sound.

Bathroom mirror television

There was a very useful changing and wardrobe area with space for luggage between the bedroom and bathroom.

Plus, there was seating, a mini fridge and a present waiting for our daughter on the bed.

Food and drink

There are six places where you can eat at the hotel. We dined at Ravello restaurant, a modern Italian, with exquisite food and helpful, knowledgeable staff who called us by name.

This is also where the delicious buffet breakfast is served and it was lovely to be eating such quality fare.

We also enjoyed a lovely lunch around the pool, a server collects your order and delivers it back to you where you are sitting.

Nearby

The Disney World Parks of Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are just a 10-minute ride away.

Hotel guests can enter the parks 30 minutes early – a huge bonus to be able to start exploring and queuing for the most popular rides when it’s a bit quieter – and travel there and back by free shuttle bus.

Our highlights

*The staff: From the moment we pulled up in our hire car and multiple staff appeared to help with our luggage and park the vehicle, through to those on reception, the concierge service, the Disney desk, those around the pool and the restaurant staff, we have never experienced such diligence and care.

*The Explorer Island water park: you can swim or float on rings along a lovely lazy river which loops around the grounds, there is a small pool off it with a volleyball net and basketball hoops.

There is a big infinity pool, which from a distance, blends into a lake behind it. There are two water slides in a separate area plus a big splash zone.

The main pool

An adults-only pool in a separate area looked especially peaceful and inviting.

*Games and sports: There’s a games room called The Hideout with pool table, games consoles, a tv and more. There are also pool and table tennis tables dotted around in other places along with a basketball court.

The Hideout

*Seating: It is invitingly placed around the pools and is a mixture of sunbeds, cabanas and egg chairs. And there are towels available on tap.

Anything else to note?

We didn’t have time to use them but there’s also three tennis court, a golf course (Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club), a spa with 18 treatment rooms and a fitness centre.

Splash zone

Top tips

*Be sure to check Disney park opening times and shuttle bus times the night before, the timetable comes out every evening. The buses usually run every hour. The Disney desk opposite reception can link your tickets to your resort booking so you can great straight into the theme park in the morning

*On set days, there are Disney character breakfasts at the hotel – The Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and Pals or you could even pay for a private breakfast or private meet and greet character experience with Mickey.

*Ask at reception for the times of Disney fireworks to watch, especially if you have a park-view room.

*This hotel isn’t cheap, rooms can cost up to $2,000 per night. That doesn’t include breakfast ($40 per adult and $20 per child). It is clearly aimed at the top end of the market but you are paying for an exclusive experience. There are no hidden costs here unlike other resorts with no resort fee and no costs for the kids’ club.

Sun lotion and water are freely available

The cheapest meals available on site were from the poolside restaurant with the most expensive at the top floor Capa steakhouse, which has two terraces with views across Disney World.

As it’s so expensive, it’s best to plan your days here when you can use the facilities and enjoy the tranquillity away from the crowds of places like Disney World.

Video

More information

Address

Four Seasons Resort Orlando, 10100 Dream Tree Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, 32836, USA.

How to book

Four Seasons at Walt Disney World Resort

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