Where Are NBA Players Staying at Disney World?

by Ray Keating

News/Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 17, 2020

The NBA has provided information about how the league will operate while playing hoops at Walt Disney World starting in July. The New York Times, for example, has served up some points from the 113-page NBA handbook provided yesterday to team personnel focused heavily on safety and health protocols.  That’s fine, but I’m more interested in the part of the story regarding where NBA teams will be staying at Disney World.

As noted by Yahoo Sports, for example, the Gran Destino Tower at the Coronado Springs Resort will host the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Miami Heat.

Among the guests at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will be the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Orlando Magic.

And the Yacht Club Resort will host the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards.

So, what will players and staff have to look forward to at each of these resorts? Here are key descriptions from the websites of each hotel.

Coronado Springs Resort: “Celebrate the unique blend of Spanish, Mexican and Southwest American cultures at the newly re-imagined Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. This beautiful lakeside oasis offers classic influences, Disney touches and modern comforts to energize and inspire as you delight in an array of new features, eateries and enhancements.”

As for the Gran Destino Tower in particular, when it opened in July 2019, it was described as follows: “The new tower rises dramatically on the southeastern shores of Lago Dorado (‘Golden Lake’). It offers 545 modern guest rooms (including 50 suites and club-level services), a grand two-story lobby, new meeting venues, new lounges and a rooftop restaurant with spectacular views. The distinctive tower is the stylish new gateway to the 2,385-room resort.”

Check out dining options here. And read DisneyBizJournal’s review of one of these restaurants – Toledo – and the Gran Destino Tower.

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: “Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish Disney Resort hotel. Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Unwind outdoors, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch evening fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle. Just one stop to Magic Kingdom park on the complimentary Resort Monorail, this timeless Victorian-style marvel evokes Palm Beach’s golden era.”

Check out dining options here.

Yacht Club Resort: “Delight in the formal grace of a grand New England-style yacht club at this lakeside hotel. Relax in the inviting elegance of a plush lobby replete with nautical touches, explore the whimsical Stormalong Bay and rent a variety of watercraft from Bayside Marina. Sharing many amenities with its pastel-toned sister, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is walking distance to Epcot and a convenient boat ride to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”

Check out dining options here. And read DisneyBizJournal’s review of Cape May Café. 

My message to NBA players? Enjoy, even if you’re unable to take advantage of all of the amenities given pandemic restrictions. 

What about the rest of us? On the one hand, there will be more sports to watch on television, which is great – though I admit to not exactly being a big NBA fan. I’m a baseball, football, hockey and golf aficionado. But beggars can’t be choosers. So, perhaps I’ll be watching some NBA basketball for the first time in a very long time.

At the same time, though, could the NBA at these Disney resorts feed an ugly jealousy in this overweight, older guy sitting at his laptop who not only can’t hit a free throw but wishes he was in Disney World? Let’s hope not.

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See related...

“The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World”

“Major League Soccer Returns; Disney to Host July Games”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.