Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
Recently I covered how we took our older son, Miles, to Disney for the first time, which was quite the adventure. During our trip, we spent three nights at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, and I’d like to share some thoughts on that stay.
The Four Seasons Orlando is a fascinating property, because it’s Four Seasons’ highest room count property globally, with 443 rooms and suites. But I think this property also perfectly captures what impresses me most about Four Seasons — the brand is remarkably good at delivering consistently high quality and friendly service (even at properties of this size), all while being spectacularly kids friendly, and having expansive amenities (a massive gym, an unbelievable pool complex, etc.).
Full disclosure — through his travel agency, Ford had a voucher for a complimentary Four Seasons stay to redeem before the end of the year, so that was used for this stay. All opinions expressed are my own.
With that out of the way, let me share some thoughts on the property, in no particular order…
In this post:
The Four Seasons Orlando is a huge, pristine hotel
The Four Seasons Orlando opened in 2014, and as you pull it certainly gives the impression of being a huge hotel (which I’m typically not a fan of, though we’re talking about Orlando and not Courchevel, so…).
Despite its size, the Four Seasons Orlando felt remarkably not crowded during our stay, despite being at high occupancy. I think that’s because while the main hotel structure is just one building, everything else is really spread out, including the huge number of amenities. On top of that, the hotel has a combination of conference guests and people visiting parks, so they don’t necessarily spend that much time in the main parts of the property.
The lobby has a lot of marble and feels grand, but still has a ton of personality, especially with a lot of holiday decorations during our stay.
The hotel’s rooms and suites are modern and luxurious. It’s worth noting that the hotel also has lots of rooms with views of Walt Disney World, where you can even see the fireworks from your room. That’s pretty cool!
Speaking of the parks, the Four Seasons is located in the gated Golden Oak community at Walt Disney World, and offers (very posh!) shuttle service to all the Disney parks, so you can be there within minutes.
The Four Seasons Orlando has flawless, family friendly service
If you ask me, the single thing that most sets Four Seasons apart from the competition is the consistent level of friendly and high quality service. There’s not a hotel group of this size that delivers so consistently in that regard. I was curious if Four Seasons’ highest room count hotel could deliver in that way as well, and it sure did.
In a word, I’d just describe Four Seasons service as frictionless. I know that sounds silly to some people, but so many hotels — especially ones of this size — struggle with that. This is even true of little things, like when you call room service, they pick up on the first or second ring, and they deliver the food exactly when they say they will, with everything exactly as requested.
Unsurprisingly, this is also a very family friendly Four Seasons, even more so than unusual. At check-in, they have kids do their own check-in “registration,” where they have to fill out a form with their preferences, and then they get a lollipop as a reward. Adorable.
In the room, they had a plush toy for Miles, as well as a bathrobe and slippers for his size. Like, how flippin’ cute for a three-year-old!
Housekeeping was also excellent, and in addition to being very detail oriented, it was cute how the plush animals were placed on the bed when the room was serviced. It’s all the little details that really add up.
The Four Seasons Orlando has expansive amenities
I imagine that most people staying at the Four Seasons Orlando are there to visit the parks, so it’s almost problematic how much there is to do on-property. The hotel has a five-acre water park, called Explorer Island.
If you want to get away from kids, don’t worry, there’s an adults only pool, which is beautiful.
Then there’s a massive pool for families.
Oh, there’s also a huge lazy river.
Then there’s a small splash pool of sorts, for kids.
Then there’s yet another pool at the kids club.
Oh, and there are also water slides (and rock climbing, and a pickelball court, and tennis courts, and…).
As usual, the hotel also has a huge gym, along with an expansive spa (which I didn’t even have the chance to check out).
The Four Seasons Orlando has impressive dining
The Four Seasons Orlando has several dining outlets to choose from, and a couple of things stood out. For one, breakfast is served at Ravello, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. It has an excellent breakfast, with the choice of an extensive buffet, or a la carte dining.
On select days each week, there’s even a Disney breakfast with Goofy and his pals, which Miles loved.
The Four Seasons Orlando also has a Michelin-starred rooftop steakhouse, Capa.
I also appreciate the little ways that Four Seasons tries to differentiate the experience, like complimentary coffee in the lobby in the mornings…
…and even a free basic happy hour for guests a few hours per week, with complimentary red and white wine.
The Four Seasons Orlando is priced at the top end of the market
It’s worth acknowledging that the Four Seasons Orlando is priced at the top end of the market, as is common for Four Seasons (though I think especially in Orlando, the Four Seasons really offers a differentiated experience). Rates vary massively throughout the year, but generally you’re looking at somewhere around $800-1,500 per night for a base room.
For what it’s worth, the best way to book any Four Seasons property is through the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program, which offers extra perks just for booking through an eligible travel advisor (Ford and his team are happy to help, and can be reached at [email protected]).
I’d say the “curse” with the Four Seasons is that so many people going to Disney are out and about morning to night, and only want a hotel room to sleep in. Like, confession time — we were so exhausted after our two days at Disney, and we were going to spend our last day enjoying Explorer Island with Miles. But I think Disney was so overwhelming and active that he got sort of ill on the third day, and just spent most of the day in bed (or he was just manipulating us for screen time, I dunno!).
If you want the best resort in Orlando and appreciate the consistency and quality of Four Seasons, by all means stay here. Do everything in your power to build in a day or two to actually take it easy and enjoy the resort.
However, if you’re coming to Orlando to visit the parks, and if you’re deciding whether to splurge on the Four Seasons Orlando or another Four Seasons (or other luxury) property where you’re likely to spend more time actually on property, I’d go for the latter.
Bottom line
If you ask me, Four Seasons is the world’s most consistent major hotel group, and even the brand’s highest room count property, the Four Seasons Orlando, lives up to the brand promise. While this is a huge property with a lot of guests, I found the service to be just as good as at any other Four Seasons property.
On top of that, the resort had all the things you expect from Four Seasons — an extremely kids friendly vibe, great dining, and very impressive facilities, from five pools with waterslides, to an extensive gym. The resort is a destination in and of itself, so if you do stay here, be sure you leave enough time to actually enjoy the resort.
Having walked the property the property this past summer before dinner at Capa, I’d say maybe the renovated rooms gave you good vibes, but with the wife and I didn’t feel the FS vibe, property looks and feels old, was properly residential in the past (?). Great grounds, but I wouldn’t say immaculately kept.
I’ve stayed at this property about a dozen times between 2018 and 2025. It is, as Ben notes, solid. The service is the best part. Yes, the majority of the rooms are not “super fresh” in terms of design, but the hotel does a good job of keeping soft furnishings clean and replaced as necessary. Carpets have been changed and colors slightly modernized. Food and Bev is top notch. Especially Capa and the views of...
I’ve stayed at this property about a dozen times between 2018 and 2025. It is, as Ben notes, solid. The service is the best part. Yes, the majority of the rooms are not “super fresh” in terms of design, but the hotel does a good job of keeping soft furnishings clean and replaced as necessary. Carpets have been changed and colors slightly modernized. Food and Bev is top notch. Especially Capa and the views of the park during fireworks. Spa is great. So is the gym.
That said, I only went to Disney once or twice when I stayed. Usually it was for “staycations” as I was living part-time in Orlando.
When I did travel with family to Disney, we still selected the 4S. It feels like home. The couple times I stayed elsewhere (Ritz / JW Marriott) I was disappointed that I strayed from 4S.
We have family in Orlando but decided to stay at the Four Seasons Orlando for two nights with our four year-old. We absolutely LOVED it. Everything you said is spot-on.
I would say staying at a place like this only worth it when will exclusively stay in the resort and not actual park days. I say the same thing about the other Disney onsite premium properties such as Beach Club, Animal Lodge, etc. For park visit days, would choose some lower end place that serves the purpose
As someone who has spent a LOT of time at Disney with kids over the years (and without kids), I would argue that this hotel is a waste of money for most folks. Doing Disney, especially with littles, is exhausting and proximity is key. And I don't mean proximity as in on property or near property, I mean easy access in and out of the park. This is particularly handy when you need to take...
As someone who has spent a LOT of time at Disney with kids over the years (and without kids), I would argue that this hotel is a waste of money for most folks. Doing Disney, especially with littles, is exhausting and proximity is key. And I don't mean proximity as in on property or near property, I mean easy access in and out of the park. This is particularly handy when you need to take a child back to the room for a nap or just to get a break from all of the stimulation. For Magic Kingdom, if you can afford it, it is ideal to pay the extra money to stay at hotels on the monorail (Contemporary, Grand Floridian or Poly) or boat (Wilderness Lodge or Cabins). They are not points/miles hotels, but this would be a great time to use "eraser" type options. For Epcot or Hollywood Studios, stay at EPCOT area Disney hotels or one of the Marriott Swolphin hotels (Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve). Being able to easily access these parks is really important and can totally change the level of comfort of your stay. If you are going to Animal Kingdom...well, it will be hassle wherever you stay, even AK Lodge. All this said, another good option is to rent a place off site with a kitchen and bedrooms (and there are tons of these places in the area). At some point in your parenting journey it will be worth it to have the space and privacy, and that will win out over proximity. If you need to travel on points/miles, the EPCOT area Marriotts can sometimes be had for reasonable points; there are some Hiltons in the Disney Springs area that are walkable to Disney Springs, and Hyatt Grand Cypress makes for a lovely vacation. And, of course there are tons of tourist hotels off site in the surrounding areas that are reasonably close and often offer shuttles to the park (not all of these shuttles are good or convenient, though - sometimes you're better off driving). Last bit of advice: for those who live in Florida and can go more frequently, I suggest going for shorter trips where the focus is on just one park (or maybe 2), rather than spending a week and trying to cram it all in. And, make sure to account for a need to rest at the hotel, maybe even build in a hang at the hotel pool day in your itinerary.
There are a couple of FS with way more rooms than Orlando…..
Stayed here several years ago. Loved the hotel itself, though found the shuttle times to be restrictive. We were living in Florida at the time, so drove there and used the valet parking. When they brought the car back at the end of our stay it had a flat tire, which was not the case when they took the car upon arrival (we had driven 3+ hours to get there and there weren't any issues...
Stayed here several years ago. Loved the hotel itself, though found the shuttle times to be restrictive. We were living in Florida at the time, so drove there and used the valet parking. When they brought the car back at the end of our stay it had a flat tire, which was not the case when they took the car upon arrival (we had driven 3+ hours to get there and there weren't any issues with tire pressure on the turnpike). The hotel refused to take any accountability (cited the T&Cs for valet parking) -- had to have the car towed to the dealership and stay an additional night
(since it was a Sunday and the dealership was closed). It wasn't until we left and I corresponded with the GM that we got any kind of (far from satisfactory) resolution; the experience left me with a very negative impression of the hotel.
I'd say this review has a little bit of "kid" colored glasses on it (that is, your son had joy, so it could make a Courtyard feel special). Not that it looks bad, but at least from the photos, nothing screams Four Seasons to me. I've stayed at the Gaylord Palms and it appears to be on that level. Plus that has more on site attractions. Orlando really doesn't have any true luxury properties, but...
I'd say this review has a little bit of "kid" colored glasses on it (that is, your son had joy, so it could make a Courtyard feel special). Not that it looks bad, but at least from the photos, nothing screams Four Seasons to me. I've stayed at the Gaylord Palms and it appears to be on that level. Plus that has more on site attractions. Orlando really doesn't have any true luxury properties, but that's not the idea anyway. You're there for Disney. If this was in a major city, FS would have already abandoned it and moved to newer digs like they did in Philadelphia.
@Ben How are you traveling with the two kids right now in hotels? Would be curious about room preferences, gear, etc.
We had our second recently and now have two under three. Are you doing double pack and plays? Is Miles in a bed? Do you prefer adjoining rooms vs a larger suite? Any other tricks you could share? One was easy enough to request a crib but looking at a trip to NYC and can't figure out the best way to make it happen.
Our kids are two years apart, and when they were approximately 3 and 1 we'd normally try to get one bedroom suites or something similar if possible, and our older son would usually sleep in a bed with one of us, and we would get a crib for our younger son. I think you could also do adjoining rooms, but like I said, we would have done one adult in the room with the crib,...
Our kids are two years apart, and when they were approximately 3 and 1 we'd normally try to get one bedroom suites or something similar if possible, and our older son would usually sleep in a bed with one of us, and we would get a crib for our younger son. I think you could also do adjoining rooms, but like I said, we would have done one adult in the room with the crib, and the other adult with the older child.
We did occasionally put them together in the same room, but at that age they would wake each other up constantly, and it would lead to more unpleasant nights.
The Four Seasons Sydney has 531 rooms and the Four Seasons Macao has 649 rooms, if you include the Grand Suites Tower.
If one must be in Orlando, and wants to over-pay, sure, why not. But, yeesh, these days, no thanks, if you can avoid it. (I know, Ben, you're already in Miami, but, like, oof, central Florida, yikes.) Glad Disney went well for you and yours, regardless. Happy holidays.
I mean it’s not necessarily overpaying given its proximity to WDW. The “on-site” Disney-operated “Deluxe” hotels can easily cost as much, if not more, than the FS Orlando and the FS is far nicer in terms of quality than the Disney competition while still offering most of the same perks in terms of park access.
From my perspective, it's totally overpaying. For the cost of staying here you could stay at the Grand Floridian on the monorail and probably would save money by doing so. The Four Seasons, while technically on property, is still a hike to the parks.
chasgoose, there are ample alternatives nearby, many of which are 'fine' quality, and far more affordable, so depending on the family and the budget, I'd recommend against FS here. For instance, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, is an easy 85K certificate redemption most of the year. Also, it depends how many nights you're looking at (weekend getaway, or a week).
It's very much worth noting that (based on the photos) you got one of the updated rooms. They are still in process of doing this refresh and if you get an older room, they are extremely tired. I tend to agree with all of your reviews but in this case, I think you got a bit lucky (pun not intended). Having been there earlier this year and I frequently have clients there, I rank it...
It's very much worth noting that (based on the photos) you got one of the updated rooms. They are still in process of doing this refresh and if you get an older room, they are extremely tired. I tend to agree with all of your reviews but in this case, I think you got a bit lucky (pun not intended). Having been there earlier this year and I frequently have clients there, I rank it towards the bottom of the barrel in their portfolio (not even accounting for the high rates). Their concierge team is incredible, and I enjoyed the Ravello and Capa, but that was the extent of it. If you're there for the parks, you're quite a long way from them (the fireworks views are ok, but way in the distance). The service overall is just okay, and the food outside of the two main restaurants was very mediocre. There's also a ton of construction taking place while they build the residences, though that will go away soon. While the rooms have undergone a refresh (at least most of them), the property itself felt very tired to me.
He has to give a great review if the stay was comped directly by FS to his husband ….
I totally agree with you! If u got an old room is just not worth it