This guide contains affiliate links to Booking.com. If you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Drury Plaza vs Holiday Inn Disney Springs comes down to what’s included versus how close you sleep to Disney Springs. Both are Official Walt Disney World Hotels on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, both get Disney’s 30-minute Early Theme Park Entry, and both run buses to the four theme parks. The Drury includes a hot breakfast, an evening 5:30 Kickback and its shuttle with no resort fee. The Holiday Inn is the shorter walk to Disney Springs and charges a $39 nightly resort fee that covers its shuttle.
The two sit about a quarter mile apart, the Drury at 2000 and the Holiday Inn at 1805 Hotel Plaza Boulevard. We compared them using the hotels’ own websites, Disney’s pages and each hotel’s Booking.com listing in October 2026. Fees and shuttle times change, so confirm them before you book.
Quick answer: For most families the Drury Plaza is the better deal. Breakfast, the Kickback and a walk-on park shuttle are included, there’s no resort fee, a standard room sleeps five and a suite six, and dogs and cats are allowed. Pick the Holiday Inn for the shorter walk to Disney Springs, balcony rooms sold by view, or Kids Eat Free, and budget for its resort fee plus tax and a shuttle you must reserve.
Check prices at hotels near Walt Disney World
On this page
Drury Plaza vs Holiday Inn Disney Springs side by side
| What matters | Drury Plaza | Holiday Inn |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 602 rooms | 324 rooms, 14-story tower |
| Walk to Disney Springs | About 0.85 mi, 18 min | About 0.6 mi, 13 min |
| Room types | King, 2 queens, terrace rooms, 2-room suites | King or 2 queens, sold by view |
| Most per room | 5 (standard), 6 (suite) | Not published |
| Pool | Heated saltwater pool, whirlpool, splash pad | Heated zero-entry pool, hot tub, games lawn |
| Breakfast | Free hot breakfast daily | Paid unless your rate includes it |
| Evening food | Free 5:30 Kickback, popcorn and soda | Cookies and lemonade (resort fee) |
| Kids Eat Free | No program (breakfast included) | Ages 11 and under, with a paying adult |
| Early Theme Park Entry | Yes, any park, every day | Yes, any park, every day |
| Park shuttle | Free, no reservations, posted schedule | Hourly, reservation required |
| Disney Springs bus | Yes, at set times | No (you walk) |
| Resort fee | None | $39 + 12.5% tax per night |
| Parking | $28 per night (FAQ: $25 + tax) | $27 standard, $31 preferred, + tax |
| Pets | Dogs and cats, $50 a day + tax | Service animals only |
| Minimum age | 18 to reserve | 21 to check in |
Both have 4 p.m. check-in, 11 a.m. check-out, free Wi-Fi and a microwave and fridge in every room. Rates vary by season, availability and how far ahead you book. For other areas, see our guide to the best hotels near Disney World by area.
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando: breakfast, dinner snacks and the bus included
The Drury Plaza is the larger of the two, a 602-room, smoke-free hotel beside Lake Buena Vista, toward the State Road 535 end of Hotel Plaza Boulevard. Its pitch is everything in the rate: a free hot breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m. (eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fruit and Mickey waffles), all-day lobby coffee, popcorn and soda from 4 to 8 p.m., and the 5:30 Kickback.
The Kickback runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every evening with a rotating menu of hot food plus beer, wine, mixed drinks and soft drinks; guests 21 and over get three free alcoholic drinks. Our full Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando review covers every room type and restaurant.
These are from the hotel’s own photo gallery. Tap any photo to enlarge it, or see the full gallery and current rates on Booking.com.
See prices and availability at Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area
Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area: the shorter walk
The Holiday Inn is a 324-room, 14-story tower at 1805 Hotel Plaza Boulevard that calls itself the only Holiday Inn inside the Walt Disney World Resort. Rooms come with two queens or one king and are sold by view, and its rooms page says most have a balcony. Palm Breezes Restaurant and Lounge serves all three meals, and Kids Eat Free covers children 11 and under.
The trade-off is a $39 nightly resort fee plus 12.5% tax, charged on all transient reservations. It pays for the hourly park shuttle, two welcome drinks, morning lobby coffee, afternoon cookies and lemonade, bottled water, local calls and a golf-rental discount. Our Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs review goes through the rooms and views in detail.
Check your dates for Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area on Booking.com
Location: which hotel is closer to Disney Springs?
The Holiday Inn is, by about a quarter mile. Our OpenStreetMap foot routes over the Hotel Plaza pedestrian bridge to the Marketplace end of Disney Springs (by Rainforest Cafe) measured about 0.6 mile, or 13 minutes, from the Holiday Inn and about 0.85 mile, or 18 minutes, from the Drury.
The hotels quote shorter figures: 7 to 10 minutes in the Holiday Inn’s FAQ, and half a mile on Drury’s brand page (its own Disney page says 0.8 mile). With small children in summer heat, the extra quarter mile each way is noticeable.
The Drury softens it with a free Disney Springs bus: its schedule for October 12 to 18, 2026 listed 10 departures a day between 9:55 a.m. and 8:05 p.m., with returns until 10:55 p.m. (one Drury page says “every 30 minutes”, which the schedule doesn’t match). The Holiday Inn has no Disney Springs shuttle, but Disney Springs parking is free. See our Disney Springs guide for garages and hours.
For the theme parks, location is a draw: the two are within a few tenths of a mile of each other on every route.
| Destination | Drury Plaza | Holiday Inn |
|---|---|---|
| EPCOT main lot | About 5.5 mi | About 5.3 mi |
| Hollywood Studios | About 6 mi | About 6 mi |
| Magic Kingdom (TTC lot) | About 6.3 mi | About 6 mi |
| Animal Kingdom | About 7 mi | About 7 mi |
| Universal garages | About 9 mi | About 9 mi |
| Orlando airport (MCO) | About 18 mi | About 18 mi |
These are rounded OSRM road distances to each park’s guest parking, without traffic; Drury’s brand page lists 5 to 8 miles, and the Holiday Inn puts the airport at 17. Neither hotel runs an airport or Universal shuttle; both suggest Mears, a taxi or rideshare.
Rooms: five-person rooms and suites vs balconies and views
The Drury suits bigger families: its pages allow five people in a standard room and six in a suite, not counting a child in a crib. King rooms sleep three and two-queen rooms five; the Disney Springs hotels’ site also lists terrace versions of both. The two-room suites have a bedroom behind a door and a living area with a queen sofa sleeper: the King Suite sleeps five, the Queen Suite six. Drury doesn’t sell rooms by view, although its Booking.com room names mention nightly fireworks views.
The Holiday Inn sells nine king and two-queen categories by view: Walt Disney World Fireworks View (select floors on the northwest-facing side of the tower), Disney Springs View (two queens only, on the top floors), Pool View, Standard View and Non-Balcony Standard View. Its FAQ gives an average room size of 357 square feet, and every room has a Keurig.
What the Holiday Inn doesn’t publish is a maximum occupancy. Its Early Entry page says its system defaults to four people per reservation (two adults, two children), and it has no rollaways. IHG’s page also lists Suite and Premium categories that the hotel’s own room list doesn’t show, so a party of five should call first.
| Your group | Drury Plaza | Holiday Inn |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 3 | King room | King room |
| 4 | Two-queen room | Two-queen room |
| 5 | Two-queen room or King Suite | Ask the hotel first |
| 6 | Queen Suite | Two rooms |
Drury lends Pack ‘n Plays free (request one when you book) and rents rollaways for $15 a day plus tax, although its Booking.com house rules say cribs and extra beds aren’t available, so confirm. The Holiday Inn offers free cribs with advance notice. For other ways to sleep a family of five, see our guide to rooms that sleep 5 or 6 at Disney World and Universal.
Pools and things to do
Neither hotel lists waterslides or a lazy river. The Drury’s lakeside deck has a saltwater pool that its FAQ says is heated year-round, an outdoor whirlpool and a splash pad, open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a pool lift. Indoors there’s the 24-hour Level Up Arcade (pay to play).
The Holiday Inn has a heated pool with a zero-entry shallow end and a whirlpool hot tub, next to a games lawn with ping-pong, cornhole, jumbo Connect Four and hopscotch, plus a game room. The zero-entry end suits toddlers, but only the Drury has a splash pad.
Both hotels have a 24-hour fitness center and coin laundry. Neither lists a spa or a kids’ club.
Breakfast, the 5:30 Kickback and Kids Eat Free
Food is the biggest difference. At the Drury, breakfast and the Kickback are included for every registered guest. Paid options fill the gaps: the lobby Kitchen + Bar (from 5 p.m.), the poolside Lakeside Bar & Grill (its hours differ between the hotel’s pages), a Starbucks Coffee Bar and the Market Place with Pizza Hut Express.
At the Holiday Inn, Palm Breezes serves a breakfast buffet from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. (11 on weekends) with made-to-order omelets and Mickey waffles, per the Disney Springs hotels’ site, then lunch and dinner until 10 p.m. Breakfast is extra unless your rate includes it: for our sample November dates, Booking.com priced it at US$24.95 per person per night on rates without it, and its fine print says breakfast-included rates cover up to two adults, with guests over 11 booked as adults.
Kids Eat Free narrows the gap for young families. Under the hotel’s terms, children 11 and under eat free from the kids’ menu at any meal in the restaurant when a registered adult orders a full-priced main course, up to four children per family or two per adult. It excludes room service and group, travel-industry, corporate and employee rates.
If you’d eat breakfast at the hotel every morning, the Drury saves more, especially with teens or several adults. For other family dining deals, see our list of Orlando hotels where kids eat free.
Park shuttles: walk-on schedule vs reserved hourly bus
Both serve Magic Kingdom (via the Transportation and Ticket Center), EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, in different ways.
Drury Plaza: free, no reservations, first come, first served, boarding under the front canopy. The hotel calls it hourly, but its schedule for October 12 to 18, 2026 listed 13 (Animal Kingdom) to 19 (Magic Kingdom) departures a day at irregular intervals, the first between 6:35 and 7:15 a.m. Magic Kingdom returns ran until 11:30 p.m. or later, up to 1:35 a.m. on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights, and one daily round trip went to Blizzard Beach. Buses make at least two stops and take two wheelchairs or scooters but no luggage.
Holiday Inn: hourly buses covered by the resort fee, but every member of your party needs a reservation. The hotel’s site says you book at the front desk or with a QR code from check-in, up to 48 hours ahead (its operator’s booking page says 7 days), with same-day seats if space allows; IHG’s page says at the front desk. An app tracks the bus. The hotel shares the schedule by QR code at check-in; the operator’s online calendar showed Magic Kingdom buses on the hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 20, 2026. Buses don’t run for marathons or after-hours parties. Wheelchair and scooter users pick the ADA option when booking.
Early Entry starts 30 minutes before opening, so check the first bus against your park’s hours. Drury’s FAQ says its buses start 1.5 hours before opening and the Holiday Inn’s Early Entry page says 1 hour (the Disney Springs hotels’ shared site says 2 hours for its members), but the Holiday Inn’s shuttle operator listed 7 a.m. first buses to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on October 17 and 20, when those parks opened at 8 or 9 a.m. If you’d rather drive, Disney’s standard theme park parking is $35 a day, on top of hotel parking. Our list of hotels near Disney with free breakfast and a shuttle compares the Drury with other hotels that include both.
Disney perks: the same at both hotels
Disney’s Early Theme Park Entry page lists both hotels among the select non-Disney hotels whose guests get 30 minutes of early entry at any theme park, every day of the stay, including check-in and check-out days, through 2027. You need valid admission, a theme park reservation may be required, and you link your hotel confirmation in My Disney Experience or ask the front desk for a voucher.
The rest is also identical. You can buy Lightning Lane passes 3 days before each park day; the 7-day window is for Disney Resort hotels and a few others, such as the Swan, Dolphin and Shades of Green. Neither hotel gets Extended Evening Hours or free theme park parking. Both hotels’ sites also promise a 60-day dining reservation window for your whole stay (up to 10 nights); confirm it once your reservation is linked in My Disney Experience. Our full list of non-Disney hotels with Early Theme Park Entry covers the other 13.
Resort fee, parking and the real cost per night
| Charge | Drury Plaza | Holiday Inn |
|---|---|---|
| Resort fee | None | $39 + 12.5% tax per night |
| Self-parking | $28 per night | $27 standard, $31 preferred, + tax |
| Oversized vehicle | Not listed | $50 per day + tax |
| Pets | $50 per room per day + tax | Not allowed |
| Early check-in / late check-out | $50 each, if available | Not listed |
With tax, the Holiday Inn’s resort fee comes to $43.88 a night ($39 × 1.125), or $219.38 for five nights, before parking. The Drury adds nothing beyond tax unless you drive. Booking.com’s price breakdown for a sample two-night stay matched: a $78 resort fee plus 12.5% tax at the Holiday Inn, only the 12.5% tax at the Drury (whose fine print adds a US$50 refundable damage deposit). Compare final totals, not headline rates.
Parking is close. Drury’s brand and hotel information pages say $28 per night, but its FAQ still says $25 plus tax, so confirm at check-in. The Holiday Inn lists $27 standard and $31 preferred, plus tax, and IHG’s page also shows $27. Annual Passholder and Florida-resident discounts at both hotels are for direct bookings, not Booking.com. For how other Orlando hotels compare, see Orlando resort fees explained.
Choose Drury Plaza if… / choose Holiday Inn Disney Springs if…
Choose the Drury Plaza if:
- You want breakfast and a light evening meal included and no resort fee.
- You’re five in one room or six in a suite.
- You want a park bus you can board without a reservation.
- You’re bringing a dog or cat, or you’re 18 to 20 and booking the room yourself.
- Your kids love a splash pad.
Choose the Holiday Inn Disney Springs if:
- You’ll be at Disney Springs most evenings and want the shortest walk.
- You want a balcony and a room booked by view (fireworks, Disney Springs or pool).
- You have young children who will use Kids Eat Free at Palm Breezes.
- You prefer a smaller hotel and don’t mind reserving the shuttle.
- Your Booking.com rate includes breakfast or parking, which narrows the cost gap.
Still undecided? Our Disney Springs Resort Area hotels guide compares all eight hotels with Early Entry on and around Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
Frequently asked questions
Which is closer to Disney Springs, Drury Plaza or Holiday Inn Disney Springs?
The Holiday Inn. Our foot routes over the Hotel Plaza pedestrian bridge measured about 0.6 mile (13 minutes) from the Holiday Inn to the Marketplace end of Disney Springs and about 0.85 mile (18 minutes) from the Drury. The Drury makes up for it with a free Disney Springs shuttle at set times; the Holiday Inn has none.
Does Drury Plaza or Holiday Inn Disney Springs charge a resort fee?
Only the Holiday Inn: $39 per night plus 12.5% tax ($43.88 in total), covering its park shuttle, welcome drinks, lobby coffee, bottled water and a few other extras. The Drury Plaza says it has no resort fee. Both charge for parking, $28 a night at the Drury and $27 to $31 a day plus tax at the Holiday Inn, at the time of writing.
Do both hotels get Disney’s Early Theme Park Entry?
Yes. Disney lists both among the select non-Disney hotels whose guests get 30 minutes of early entry at any Walt Disney World theme park, every day of their stay. You need valid park admission, and a theme park reservation may be required. Neither hotel gets Extended Evening Hours or the 7-day Lightning Lane window; guests can buy passes 3 days ahead.
Which hotel’s Disney shuttle is easier to use?
The Drury’s. It’s free, needs no reservation and follows a posted weekly schedule, with first buses before 7:30 a.m. in mid-October 2026. The Holiday Inn’s hourly shuttle is covered by its resort fee but needs a reservation for everyone in your party, up to 48 hours ahead, and the hotel quotes first buses an hour before park opening, although its operator listed 7 a.m. starts in mid-October.
Which hotel is better for a family of five or six?
The Drury Plaza. Its standard two-queen rooms sleep up to five and its two-room suites up to six, not counting a child in a crib, and rollaways are available for a fee. The Holiday Inn doesn’t publish a maximum occupancy, has no rollaway beds and says its system defaults to four people per reservation, so call the hotel before booking five.
Is breakfast included at Drury Plaza and Holiday Inn Disney Springs?
At the Drury, yes: a free hot breakfast runs from 6 to 10 a.m. every day, plus the free 5:30 Kickback in the evening. At the Holiday Inn, breakfast at Palm Breezes is extra unless your rate includes it, although children 11 and under eat free from the kids’ menu with a paying adult under the hotel’s terms.
Bottom line
The Drury Plaza wins on value and simplicity: free breakfast and Kickback, a walk-on park shuttle, no resort fee and room for five or six. The Holiday Inn wins on the walk to Disney Springs, balconies and views, and suits young families who’ll use Kids Eat Free, if you budget for the fee and book the bus. Rates vary by season, availability and how far ahead you book. Compare rates for Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area or see available rooms at Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area.
Sources checked in October 2026: Drury Hotels: Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area, Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando transportation, Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area FAQ, Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area transportation, Walt Disney World: Early Theme Park Entry