SpringHill Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings

SpringHill Suites by Marriott opened on 12 February 2016, the same day as the neighbouring TownePlace Suites. They were the first two hotels at Flamingo Crossings Town Center in Winter Garden, less than two kilometres from the western entrance to Walt Disney World Resort. It holds 248 suites and shares several facilities with its twin.

The suites

Two formats, both studios. The king studio runs about 30 m² and sleeps up to three. The two-queen studio runs about 38 m² and sleeps up to five. Every unit has a sofa bed and separates the sleeping, working and lounging zones.

Marriott advertises a renovated studio category with a view of the Disney fireworks. If that appeals to you, ask for it by name when booking: categories like this go early in high season and are hard to confirm afterwards.

One point to know before booking for a family that plans to cook: SpringHill Suites provides a small refrigerator and a microwave, with no cooktop and no dishwasher. Residence Inn, Homewood Suites and TownePlace Suites, all a few minutes away on foot, do have real kitchens.

The pool and the shared facilities

The heated resort-style pool covers about 435 m² and is shared with TownePlace Suites, with an outdoor hot tub and towels provided. The area's water slide is at the pool shared by Home2 Suites and Homewood Suites.

Two facilities stand out for an Orlando hotel: batting cages and a sports practice field. They exist because of the nearby ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and they fill a rest afternoon usefully. Add a game room and a picnic pavilion.

The fitness room, at roughly 158 m², is open around the clock and shared with TownePlace Suites. A laundry is on site, with dry cleaning and valet service.

Eating on site

A hot breakfast is included each morning, six-thirty to nine-thirty on weekdays and seven to nine-thirty at weekends, with a Mickey waffle station, eggs, sausage, cereal and yogurt. Flamingo's Bar and Grille serves an American menu into the evening, the kitchen closing at ten Sunday through Thursday and eleven on Friday and Saturday. Flamingo's Coffee Bar pours Starbucks drinks, and The Market convenience store covers the rest.

What Gateway Hotel status gives you, and what it does not

The Walt Disney World Gateway Hotel designation allows the hotel to be booked directly through Disney in a package with park tickets, with a guest services desk on site.

It confers no park access benefit. SpringHill Suites appears neither on the official early theme park entry list nor on the extended evening hours list. Your dining reservations open at sixty days one day at a time. Your Lightning Lane purchase window opens three days before arrival, against seven for a Disney Resort hotel guest. Theme park parking is charged to you, and so is hotel parking. Pets are not accepted.

Getting to the parks

The free shuttle departs from here, and this is also where TownePlace Suites guests board. Sign-up is required from twenty-four hours before departure, seats are limited, and the shuttle drops at the Transportation and Ticket Center rather than the park gates. The last return generally leaves before the fireworks, which is worth noting when you have booked a studio with a view of those same fireworks.

By car, allow about ten minutes to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios, around fifteen to Magic Kingdom Park.

Who this hotel suits

It suits families of four or five who want a spacious studio and a real restaurant on site, travellers with a rental car, and anyone coming for a tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

It suits you less if you want to cook, if you travel with a pet, if you want a water slide, or if you plan to rely on the shuttle alone. Your Voyages AquaTerra advisor can compare the real cost of a stay here, parking included, against a Disney Resort hotel, at 1-866-628-6241.