The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando: What You’ll Really Get Near Disney

You’re trying to thread the needle: lots of space for the family, a kitchen to tame food costs, and a true pool day between park marathons. That’s the promise of The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando in Winter Garden, roughly six miles from Walt Disney World’s gates. It’s not on Disney property, so you’ll trade a few on-site perks for square footage and a built‑in water park. Here’s what that trade actually looks like on the ground, with the fees, hours, and little frictions that shape a week-long stay.

How far is The Grove from Disney, and how does the shuttle work?

The Grove sits at 14501 Grove Resort Ave, Winter Garden, FL 34787, west of the theme parks. In typical traffic, you’re looking at a 15–20 minute drive to the Transportation and Ticket Center or Disney’s western entrances. If you’re not driving, the resort runs daily shuttles to Walt Disney World, plus service to Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. The catch is timing and reservations: you must reserve shuttle times up to 48 hours in advance and no less than two hours before departure, and schedules are posted and updated monthly through the concierge. Pickups happen by the main lobby at the bus stop next to Garage 1.

Plan for a transfer if Magic Kingdom is your destination. The Grove’s materials direct guests to take the resort shuttle and then continue by monorail or ferry from Disney’s Transportation and Ticket Center to reach the park gates. If you prefer absolute flexibility for mid‑day breaks, having a car makes that easier. Just remember The Grove charges $35 plus tax per vehicle, per night for on‑site parking, which is not bundled into the resort fee.

On days you’re not shuttling anywhere, just staying on property is a real option. The water park and pools fill by late morning. By early afternoon, plan on a bit of a line for the big slides and the surf simulator, and a quiet hour in the lazy river if you float away from the main activity area.

What do the suites actually include, and what are the fees?

Every unit at The Grove is a condo‑style suite with a full kitchen and in‑room laundry. That’s the main draw. A standard two‑bedroom comes in around 1,266 square feet, and the three‑bedroom layouts start at 1,396 square feet with a larger option at 1,544 square feet. Each has a separate living and dining area and a screened balcony, which is handy for drying pool gear without turning the living room into a laundry rack.

Check‑in starts at 4:00 pm. If you arrive early and a suite is ready, the front desk offers an early check‑in from 1:00–4:00 pm for $75 plus tax, subject to availability. Check‑out is 10:00 am across the board. If you need more time, a late check‑out to 1:00 pm can be purchased for $100 plus tax when available. The resort authorizes $100 per night for incidentals at check‑in, capped at $350 for longer stays.

Housekeeping follows a condo rhythm. You’ll get trash removal and amenity refreshes every other day starting the first full day, with a full stayover clean automatically at night five on stays of eight nights or more. Want an extra full service on a shorter stay? The Grove lists a $45 plus tax fee per extra full cleaning arranged by 5:00 pm the prior day.

The Grove is essentially cashless. You’ll receive colored wristbands at check‑in that match your building; you can charge purchases with the wristband at dining and activity outlets. Keep track of them. Replacements run $35 per band. Pool towels aren’t handed out at the deck; they’re stocked in your suite. Bring them with you and bring them back, because missing towels get charged to the room.

Surfari Water Park at 2 pm: crowds, hours, and the not‑so‑obvious rules

The Grove’s signature amenity is Surfari Water Park, and it’s included for registered guests. Hours shift seasonally, but the posted regular schedule is 10:00 am–5:00 pm Sunday through Friday and 10:00 am–7:00 pm on Saturdays. Expect the wave simulator and slides to have the highest demand mid‑afternoon. If your kids want repeats on the big slides, line up before lunch or after 4:00 pm. Day visitors can also buy water‑park wristbands when capacity allows, which is a tell that close‑to‑full weekends are common.

The layout hits all the family notes: a 695‑foot lazy river, dual slides, a zero‑entry family pool, and one of the area’s few FlowRider Double surf simulators. Life jackets are available right at the water park; the resort lists them as a $5 per day rental, with a fee if unreturned. The zero‑entry pool maxes out at 4 feet, 6 inches. Lazy‑river tubes are covered by the resort fee and don’t cost extra. Safety quirks to know in advance: masks or goggles aren’t permitted on the FlowRider or slides, and activity pauses if lightning is within three miles; staff notify guests by text when weather clears and operations resume.

If you prefer a quieter soak, the three “Springs” pools sit away from Surfari’s energy. They’re listed as open 8:00 am–10:00 pm daily, and at dinnertime they’re usually calm enough for a conversational swim. Food follows you either way. The water‑park grill, Longboard Bar & Grill, is generally posted as 11:00 am–6:00 pm, and the Springs side has Springs Bar & Grill running 11:00 am–10:00 pm.

One more water‑adjacent thing families appreciate is Lake Austin Pier behind the resort. The posted hours are 10:00 am–5:00 pm daily. If you bring your own rod, you can fish from the pier with artificial bait. Rentals and guided activities vary by day, but having a pier on site gives you a low‑effort, non‑park “something to do” for under an hour.

Dining on site: what’s actually open when

The Grove has five food and drink outlets, but they don’t all run late, and that matters after fireworks. Valencia Restaurant in the main building opens for breakfast daily 8:00–11:00 am, with a weekend breakfast buffet posted as 8:00 am–12:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Valencia’s all‑day menu runs 12:00–9:00 pm. If you get back after that, hop over to Springs Bar & Grill for a later bite until 10:00 pm.

Alfresco Market functions as a coffee bar, convenience store, and quick‑service counter. It’s listed as open daily 7:00 am–10:00 pm, serving Starbucks coffee and stocking groceries, beer, and wine. If you plan a park rope drop, that 7:00 am opening is just early enough to grab pastries and cold brew before the first shuttle departure. Around the water park, Longboard Bar & Grill handles lunch and early dinner. Valencia is the only venue with proper indoor seating and a broader menu, so it’s where you’ll want a table for a birthday or a break from the heat. There’s also Elements Bar in the lobby for a nightcap when you swing back from Disney Springs.

Kid breaks and rainy spells are easier with the indoor arcade. Flip Flop’s Family Fun Center sits across from the water park and is listed 10:00 am–9:00 pm Sunday–Thursday and 10:00 am–10:00 pm Friday–Saturday. It’s 6,600 square feet with video games, ticket redemption, and glow‑in‑the‑dark mini golf, which gives you a built‑in Plan B if lightning pauses outdoor fun.

Where The Grove beats similar Orlando resorts, and where it doesn’t

The Grove wins on space for the dollar. Even a standard two‑bedroom suite has a full kitchen and in‑suite washer/dryer, and three‑bedroom options can reach 1,544 square feet. That setup makes a week feel residential, especially when you can do laundry mid‑trip and keep breakfast costs down. Its biggest hidden cost isn’t the room; it’s the stack of mandatory fees: a $49 plus tax nightly resort fee plus $35 plus tax nightly parking if you bring a car. Those charges are common across Orlando resorts, but at The Grove they’re real money for longer stays.

If you want a point‑by‑point comparison to two popular non‑Disney alternatives with pools and suites, here’s how the numbers and inclusions line up right now:

Where The Grove clearly pulls ahead is the combination of multi‑bedroom layouts, included water‑park entry for overnight guests, and the convenience of a full kitchen plus laundry in every suite. Where it trails is price creep on add‑ons. Parking is pricier than many off‑site competitors, and the resort fee sits near the top end for the area. The shuttle is useful if you travel light and plan full park days, but the reservation requirement and set times make spontaneous hops back to nap‑time or the pool harder than Disney’s constant buses.

Little logistics that matter more than the brochure

Arrival flow is straightforward. The front desk is 24 hours, but the concierge that handles shuttle reservations operates 8:00 am–4:00 pm. If you’ll need early shuttle slots on day one, call the resort ahead or hit the concierge as soon as you arrive. Wristbands are issued at check‑in and tied to your building color. Keep them on you; they’re your payment method around the resort, and losing one is a $35 fee.

Pool days work better with a small routine. Because pool towels live in your suite, grab a stack in the morning and toss a couple in the dryer after lunch to reset. If lightning shuts down Surfari, you’ll get a text and the team will reopen as soon as county guidance allows. For evenings, the water park quiets early as it closes at 5:00 pm most days and 7:00 pm on Saturdays. The Springs pools are open until 10:00 pm; that’s the window for a night swim once you’re back from the parks.

Food timing is predictable and that’s a plus. If you want a sit‑down breakfast, Valencia’s posted hours are 8:00–11:00 am daily, with a Saturday–Sunday buffet until noon. If you’d rather hit the parks early, Alfresco Market opens at 7:00 am for coffee and to‑go items. Back at the resort, count on Longboard Bar & Grill 11:00 am–6:00 pm by the water park, and Springs Bar & Grill 11:00 am–10:00 pm near the quieter pools. That’s your late fallback if fireworks run long. For rainy afternoons or a break from the sun, Flip Flop’s stays open until 9:00 pm on weeknights and 10:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Two final fee notes that surprise a lot of first‑timers. The resort fee is $49 plus tax per night, and it explicitly includes entry to Surfari Water Park, Wi‑Fi, fitness center access, and the shuttle program. Parking is a separate charge of $35 plus tax per vehicle, per night. If you don’t bring a car, you avoid that line entirely. If you do, build it into the budget. Also, The Grove’s minimum check‑in age is 21.

All in, The Grove is strongest for families planning downtime on site. The water park is the headline, but the unsung heroes are the in‑suite washer/dryer and the extra bedrooms when naps and early bedtimes are non‑negotiable. If you’ll be out from rope drop to close every day and you don’t need a kitchen, a closer‑in hotel with lower parking and a simpler shuttle might edge it on convenience.

Key things to know before you book

• Location and transport: About six miles from Disney. The resort’s shuttle requires advance reservations and departs from the bus stop beside Garage 1.
• Fees you will pay:$49 + tax nightly resort fee, plus $35 + tax nightly parking if you bring a car. Incidentals hold is $100 per night up to $350.
• Water‑park timing: Regular hours post as 10:00 am–5:00 pm Sun–Fri and 10:00 am–7:00 pm Sat. Lazy‑river tubes are included; life jackets rent for $5/day.
• Rooms and cleaning: Suites include a full kitchen and washer/dryer. Housekeeping is every other day; an extra full cleaning is $45 + tax if you request it.
• Check‑in/out: Standard 4:00 pm check‑in and 10:00 am check‑out. Early check‑in 1:00–4:00 pm is $75 + tax if available; late check‑out to 1:00 pm costs $100 + tax.
• Dining hours that matter:Alfresco Market 7:00 am–10:00 pm, Valencia 8:00–11:00 am breakfast with weekend buffet to 12:00 pm, water‑park Longboard 11:00 am–6:00 pm, and Springs Bar & Grill 11:00 am–10:00 pm.
• Small frictions: Wristbands are your payment method and pool access; a lost band is $35. Pool towels are in‑suite, not at the deck.

Reader Q&A

Does The Grove charge for parking, and is it part of the resort fee?

Yes, parking is a separate charge of $35 plus tax per vehicle, per night. It is not included in the resort fee. The $49 plus tax nightly resort fee covers items like Surfari Water Park entry, Wi‑Fi, fitness center access, and the theme‑park shuttle program.

What time does Surfari Water Park open, and is it free for hotel guests?

Registered guests get complimentary entry. The posted regular hours are 10:00 am–5:00 pm Sunday through Friday and 10:00 am–7:00 pm on Saturdays, with seasonal and weather adjustments. Lazy‑river tubes are included, and life jackets are available to rent for $5 per day.

Is the shuttle frequent enough to skip renting a car?

The resort runs daily scheduled shuttles to Walt Disney World and other parks, but you must book times in advance and the schedule is fixed for each month. It works well for full park days. If you expect mid‑day breaks or last‑minute plan changes, having a car gives more flexibility, but it adds the $35 + tax nightly parking cost.

What are the most useful on‑site hours for planning meals?

Alfresco Market opens at 7:00 am for coffee and grab‑and‑go. Valencia serves breakfast from 8:00–11:00 am daily with a weekend buffet to 12:00 pm, and its all‑day menu runs noon–9:00 pm. Around the pools, Longboard is generally 11:00 am–6:00 pm, and Springs Bar & Grill stays open until 10:00 pm for a late bite.

If you value space, an in‑room laundry, and guaranteed water‑park time, The Grove’s fees tend to buy you real conveniences across a week. If lower nightly surcharges and a simpler shuttle are the priority, compare your dates against Margaritaville’s lower parking cost or Caribe Royale’s included Disney‑area shuttle, then decide which set of trade‑offs fits your plan.

Published: September 28, 2026 · Reviewed by the Visit Orlando editorial team