Internet Access options ?

[Mickeysduck]

We just returned from a 2 week stay at BWV and SSR. Internet access at all Disney Vacation Club resorts are $10 per day. If you were to stay a total of a month per year, that would be $300! (Just about the cost of a discounted annual pass!)

Free Internet access would have been great not only for picking up our email and keeping in touch with whats happening at home and posting our photos, but also for checking Disney sites for what's happening, park times, special events, etc. We looked for the events listing in the lobby on Monday, and they were all out and were not getting any more for the week. It would have been nice if they at least had a free intranet just for Disney info.

We found an Internet Cafe just outside Disney in a mini mall at the entrance to Cellibration called PJ's Cafe that served wine and coffee. This worked out pretty well as we had a car. The coffee was great and the owners were very pleasant. Also in the mall was a UPS store and a Goodings that was not yet opened among other small shops.

Does anyone know of any other cafes that offer free internet access in the area? I understand that free access at our Vacation Homes is "a work in progress". But until it happens, it would be nice to have a few other options.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

It would have been nice if they at least had a free intranet just for Disney info.

They do. When you go on-line with their system, you can check out the Disney site without having to pay. I'm not sure if you have unlimited access for the whole time you are there or if it's just some type of trial, but I was able to go to it without buying the service. It gave me that option when I turned the machine on.

The second point you make of free internet access I disagree with. I like to use the internet when I'm on vacation but I really don't want other members to subsidize my use. If I want it, I pay for it. If I don't want it, I don't have to.

The way they have the "pay for 24 hours of use", it makes it possible to time things so that you don't have to have it every day of your vacation for every 24 hour period.

HBC

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Does anyone know of any other cafes that offer free internet access in the area?

Whether free or not, is internet sevice available at Disney or VERY nearby even if you do not have your own computer?

 

[LIFERBABE]

We stayed at WDW last summer for a month, and I definitely had to take my LT. I had to do banking etc.

I used AOL's BYOA (bring your own access) and used dial up for .35 a call. It worked out great and I would do it again.

Ill give up a little speed to save $9 a day.

 

[Paul in CT]

Regarding the $9.95 per 24 hours fee for internet access at BWV, this topic was raised at the annual association meeting last December in the context that many hotels offer it free now. Jim Lewis, Senior VP and DVC General Manager, stated that this possibility was being considered once the infrastructure for providing connections was paid off, but there was no commitment made.

Thanks for the tip about PJ's.

 

[MikeSquared]

I have the "office kit" for my Verizon phone and use it as a cellular modem. The kit was $60 and the service is an additional $5 a month. It's slow... but it works great for mail, directions, or poker.
A cellular PCMCIA card would be faster and shouldn't cost much more if you want to invest in something like that.
Also, the last time we were at BCV we both had laptops. I brought a D-Link wireless access point, DWL-800AP+ if anyones interested, and we could both use the high speed in the room wireless at the same time.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

I have the "office kit" for my Verizon phone and use it as a cellular modem. The kit was $60 and the service is an additional $5 a month. It's slow... but it works great for mail, directions, or poker.
A cellular PCMCIA card would be faster and shouldn't cost much more if you want to invest in something like that.

I have a Verizon phone (LG VX7000) and the data cable (which can be found on the web for cheaper than what Verizon charges for the kit - the only thing needed in the kit is the cable). It's pretty fast because it's one of the phones that has 1xRTT ("3G") - faster than dial up. I get 100K with my phone, and EVDO phones are even faster.

It connects to my laptop and works like a modem, except dialing takes a second or two and it automatically disconnects and reconnects as it needs to, so minutes aren't wasted on idle time.

However, a cellular card wouldn't be any faster and would definitely be more expensive. Most cellular providers (including Verizon) treat a cellular card as a separate device with a separate plan/account (an expensive data plan). So you'd be paying $30 - $40 a month for your cell phone, plus another $50 - $60 a month for the cellular card account.

It would be nice if they worked off the same plan, but if you think about it, there would be nothing to stop you from using the cell phone and cellular card at the same time, so they charge separately for each.

 

[MikeSquared]

My phone's not 3G so a cellular card would be faster.
Our plan is some kind of family share thing, I don't know the specifics, but we'd probably get a discount on the card for a new activation. I also believe the monthly fee is around $20 for each additional phone or something like that. I might be wrong, but I thought that's the way our plan worked.

 

[Paul in CT]

Whether free or not, is internet sevice available at Disney or VERY nearby even if you do not have your own computer?

I do not know for sure, but since BW is a convention center hotel, I suspect that they have some computers available to access the internet in the convention area. I am certain there would be an hourly charge. If not, the Dolphin has a 24 hour work center with computers for high speed internet access.

 

[CarolA]

There are business centers at the CR, Yatch Club and CSR.

There is also a Kinkos in Lake Buena Vista that I have used.

Other posters have posted that several of the DTD hotels have business centers.

 

[Mickeysduck]

I have also heard that the Mariott and the Bonnet Creek lobbys provide free wireless. Does anyone know if this is true, and has anyone actually gone there just for this ? Bonnet Creek is very close by, but I couldn't get up the nerve to try it... I think I'll stick to PJ's Cafe for the time being.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

I do not know for sure, but since BW is a convention center hotel, I suspect that they have some computers available to access the internet in the convention area. I am certain there would be an hourly charge. If not, the Dolphin has a 24 hour work center with computers for high speed internet access.

Thank you.

I'll be staying at BW, so I'll check them out and/or the Dolphin.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

There are business centers at the CR, Yatch Club and CSR.

There is also a Kinkos in Lake Buena Vista that I have used.

Other posters have posted that several of the DTD hotels have business centers.

Thanks for the info.

 

[ikey]

Is it 10 dollars a day, or 10 dollars for 24 hours of use, consecutive or not? Need to have access, but 70 bucks is ridiculous for our stay.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

Is it 10 dollars a day, or 10 dollars for 24 hours of use, consecutive or not? Need to have access, but 70 bucks is ridiculous for our stay.

The cost (at all WDW resorts) is $9.95 for 24 consecutive hours. The charge will be added to your room charge based on the "agreement" when you start using the service. A cable is provided in the room if you don't have one. Some will bring a wireless router and can then use their laptop wherever they want instead of being tethered to the provided modem.

Dialup is also an option - just make sure you use a local service number so you don't end up with prohibitive long distance surcharges.

 

[DebbieB]

When I was there last month for 7 days, I was able to stretch it out to only pay for 3. For example, if the 24 hours is up in the morning, not sign on again until late night or the next morning. I also lucked out because the person in the room before me must have paid for it the morning they left because the billing screen did not come for me until the next morning. The connection was pretty good, better than when I used it last fall.

 

[Shadeaux]

I'm on Bellsouth dial-up at home (we live in an area with no high speed options ). I found a Bellsouth number for Orlando and was able to use that for the 10 days we were at OKW this month. I called the operator when we got there...he verified that the number I had was local. Local calls from the resorts are now free!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Whether free or not, is internet sevice available at Disney or VERY nearby even if you do not have your own computer?

Yes. I've been to several of the centers-Contemporary, BW, and YC. They all charge $10 for 15 minutes, and they're only open during the day (I'm thinking it was 10:00-4:00). However, I must admit that YC is the only place that actually charged me. At the Contemporary, the family in front of me were loudly complaining to the CM about how expensive/ridiculous it was, and they stormed out. Of course, they acted as if the poor CM was the one who set the price, so I think she was more than glad they left. Although I thought it was expensive, I smiled and asded "Do I pay now, or after I'm done?" Well, afterwards, she just said "Oh, don't worry, you're all set-have a nice day." I think the poor woman was so greatful I didn't complain. So be nice-it may be a lot of money, but the CM sitting there is just the messenger-don't shoot!

 

[Margie J]

I bring an extra phone line for dial-up service. Just plug into the data port on the side of the phone. It was free all week and fast enough for what I needed to do.

 

[bwvBound]

One of my timeshare properties charges a mandatory $9/day "resort services fee" to inbound exchange guests. The fee is waived for owners. (I was surprised to learn it is also waived for owners who exchange back into the resort using other properties. Nice!)

The "Resort Services" include: daily newspaper, in-room internet (both cabled and WiFi), a business center in the lobby, several social events throughout the week, etc.