Review of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Lake Buena Vista East, Florida

This hotel, located off the beaten path in nearby Kissimmee, Florida, was my choice as it offered a continental breakfast and sounded like a good deal for the money - with a free Disney shuttle.

Upon first arriving, we really liked the layout of the lobby and how clean and stylish everything was presented. The check-in staff was friendly, and our room was available early and very neat and clean.

However, our initial happiness soon turned to disappointment - during our first night we realized how uncomfortable the beds were, and that we had walls so thin that you could hear our next door neighbors sneeze or cough during the night. The free shuttle was dangerously overcrowded in the morning, and arrived about 40 minutes late as it was picking up from too many hotels ( I counted 10 during the drop off). That evening, the poorly maintained shuttle broke down, and what should have been a short ride back took two hours as we changed buses.

I had to add taxi fare to my already stretched Disney budget the next morning - but had counted on the 6:15 shuttle bus to pick us up. After the morning's breakfast experience which included limited food items and watered down orange juice, I was really upset when the 6:15 bus never came, and the shuttle service never picked up my cell phone calls. We ended up taking a city bus and asking hotel staff to direct us as to where to get off. We were directed to an unsafe street for walking with a 10 year old in tow - and ended up walking about 3 miles back to the hotel from the bus stop. When we discussed this with the attendant at the front desk, she said that the shuttle was a "courtesy" and not part of our package.

We asked to speak to the manager at least three times and were told that a note was left for him - we were never contacted and no one ever addressed our concerns. Others we spoke to in the hotel shared our concerns,and vowed never to come back.

A Disney vacation can be a great experience or a poor one - depending on your accommodations. Do not make the same mistake we did!

The next time I visit Walt Disney World, I plan to stay at a well-run Disney hotel with efficiently run Disney buses that pick up every 20 minutes.