Kickback at Drury Plaza Hotel at Disney Springs
Our Friend, Alex, at Second Dad to the Right recently stayed at The Drury Plaza Hotel at Disney Springs. He wanted to share his experience and a great “extra” available to hotel guests:
The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando- Disney Springs Area is one of the newest hotels in the Disney World area. The hotel was originally a Travelodge that is almost as old as Disney World itself, opening in 1972. However, Drury purchased the property a few years ago and massively renovated it, opening in late 2022.
The Disney Springs Drury has generated a lot of buzz (no pun intended) because not only does it offer free breakfast (which many Good Neighbor hotels have), but it also offers free drinks and a light dinner. Drury calls this the kickback, and you can find it at any Drury around the country.
We stayed at the Drury Disney Springs, and here’s everything you need to know, as well as our experience.
How the Drury Plaza- Disney Springs Kickback Works
The Kickback lasts from 5:30-7:00PM every night. The free dining area is located on level 2, probably to dissuade non-guests from trying to sneak in. They have two bars, one at the very back of each side, and the buffet sits in the middle.
Upon check-in, each guest over drinking age is given a punch card with three squares for each day of your stay. Every time you get a drink, the bartender marks off your card. As you’ve probably guessed, each guest gets three drinks.
They will allow you to get drinks for other people if you have their punch card if you can verify their existence to the bartender. What this meant for us was that my wife had to wave at the bartender so that she could stay with the kids while I ordered drinks. Otherwise, they’ll think you are double dipping.
The buffet for the dinner items was all-you-can-eat with several different options. There are also soda machines that offer unlimited soda, juice, and water. Finally, they have a popcorn machine with unlimited popcorn. No need to purchase a bucket at the park.
Drury Disney Springs Kickback Drink Menu
The drink menu is small, and the drinks are small. You get maybe 8oz beers, 5oz wine glasses, and small cocktails. This was a little disappointing, but again, it’s free. And considering that drinks range from $10-20 at Disney, I made sure to get my free supplement.
My biggest complaint is that they didn’t have any bourbon. They had Jack Daniels, but that doesn’t count. And they know it doesn’t count because they called it whiskey instead of bourbon. But yes, I’m a snob.
Apparently, at other Drurys (Druries?), they have bourbon on the menu but not at Disney Springs. My wife opted for the chardonnay every time, while I rotated around between vodka tonics, mojitos, and beer. I never really found anything that stood out, but they also weren’t terrible.
Drury Disney Springs Kickback Food Menu
The free drinks get all the press, but it’s also fairly unusual for a hotel to offer free breakfast AND light dinner. Each kickback from 5:30PM-7:00PM has hot dogs, baked potatoes (and toppings), and nachos every night. They also have a different protein, soup, and assortment of vegetables each night.
A sample night might be an Asian salad, broccoli soup and chili, and tacos. The next night might be a chef salad, chili and baked potato soup, and chicken tenders. Since it’s all you can eat, this can easily be a full meal. It won’t be as good as a table service restaurant, but it’s free!
The food was hit or miss with my picky kids. Neither like hot dogs, and one of them likes nachos. Therefore, if chicken tenders were on the menu, they were elated. If Swedish meatballs were on the menu, they begrudgingly filled up on popcorn and chips.
Further Reading
If you’re looking for an economical way to do Disney while still staying in a nice resort, check out The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando- Disney Springs Area. I’m still reeling from the idea that a hotel would offer free breakfast, sodas, alcohol, popcorn, and dinner while the Disney hotels down the street will charge you $8 for a bowl of cereal and milk.
I hope you learned everything you need to know about the kickback at the Drury in case you decide to stay there. If you plan on being at the parks until close, you may not be able to benefit from it, so that’s something to consider.
Another thing you might want to know is that the hotel does have two bars/restaurants (one in the lobby and one at the pool) as well as a gift shop that has a Pizza Hut express. We found all of these options amazing as well, even though they aren’t free.
If you’d like to know more about this hotel, all of it’s amenities, and how nice the rooms are, check out my review and explanation of the Drury Disney Springs.
Have you stayed at the Drury at Disney World? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Want to learn more about Alex and Second Dad to the Right? Listen to our interview with him!
