5 Days Orlando: Disney & Universal Plan?

[kwanbis]

Hello everybody. First post here, so be gently

Sorry for the newbie questions, but there is so much to choose at orlando, so many options, that i keep reading and reading, and i can't decide on what to do.

Me and my wife are planing a 5 or 6 days at orlando.

Our main interest is Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, MGM, and Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Both have been to disney about 12 years ago.

We would be going from MIAMI to Orlando the 9 of march, and would be staying there for 6 days, returning then to Argentina.

I have some doubts i would love people to comment on.

1st question is how to move in orlando. We have thought at first of renting a car. I got an avis special for 7 days at 150 dollars. I have to add gass from miami to orlando and back (no idea), the parking fees (about $10?). All in all, i was told i would spend another 110 dollars, so that would be 260 dollars. Sounds about right?

Or, we can take a bus from MIAMI to orlando, for about 70 dollars each. That would be 140 dollars, but we then either have to move using taxis, or using the hotel buses or such. And if we want to go to an outlet, it would be more.

So, are my numbers about right? Is it worth it to rent a car?

2nd question, hotels.

We want to spend as little as possible, and we only need the hotel to be clean and dry. We were thinking about 30 dollars per night. That would make it about 150 dollars. Obviously that would be an off site hotel.

Any recommendation on that range of prices? Maybe rent a timeshare? Any discount coupons we can use? Or any Disney hotels for about 60 final?

Also, we have been offered some hotel discounts, but we have to watch timeshare presentation. Some say is worth it, some don't. Any comments on good hotel w/timeshare options?

Finally, tickets. I have got this offers:

Universal + Island = 86
3-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket = 180

Both look like good prices, any better ones?

Thanks, and again, sorry for asking too much.

 

[Darcy03231]

Personally, I would rent a car. You'll spend a lot more money relying on taxis. Also, since you plan to stay off-site it will give you more flexibility for restaurants.

For the hotel I would use www.Hotwire.com. I stayed at the Sheraton Studio City last year which is about 1/2 a mile from US/IOA. Its a 3* hotel and I got it for $60/night. As I recall they had some 2* ones that were less. Another option would be to bid on Priceline.

 

[kwanbis]

Any recommendations on the 30-40 dollars range? As stated, we only want it clean and dry. We don't need any pools, bbqs, gym, etc. But internet would be a very big plus.

 

[Darcy03231]

Sorry, I can't help with that one. Maybe someone else can. I do know that if you go to Hotwire they do have hotels listed in that price range.

 

[tinaluis]

I, too, would rent a car. Relying an shuttles and taxis would be a bit much, especially for the amount of time you'll be spending in Florida.

Sure, you can find a hotel for $30-$40 a night but you might have a hard time finding a CLEAN place for that price. Case in point, DH, the kids and I were down in September and staying at a timeshare for two weeks. We'd planned on driving down, so the timeshare accomodations began on a Sunday. We ended up finding incredibly inexpensive airfare and flew down on a Saturday. We needed a hotel for one night and didn't want to pay too much because we were only going to sleep and shower there and move on to the timeshare the next morning. We got a place for $32.xx with tax and it was a DUMP! I mean it was such a dump that I didn't even shower there the next morning -- it was THAT BAD!

Try to go the timeshare route if you can as far as accomodations. If you don't mind sitting through the presentation, you can usually stay at a very nice place for not too much $$. In fact, I had a friend who stayed at a timeshare for a low rate and she was offered the option of paying $95 more for three nights so she didn't have to attend the presentation.

Another option is Skyauction which many here use and we have used in the past. You just have to make sure they have availability for the time period you're looking at.

Have a great trip!

 

[kwanbis]

do you have info on what timeshare promotion that was?

 

[tinaluis]

The timeshare she stayed at was Westgate Lakes. Westgate is known to be VERY aggressive in their presentations, so she just skipped the presentation altogether and paid more for her room.

 

[Fred!]

I'll attempt to answer your questions.

Q: 1st question is how to move in orlando. We have thought at first of renting a car. I got an avis special for 7 days at 150 dollars. I have to add gass from miami to orlando and back (no idea), the parking fees (about $10?). All in all, i was told i would spend another 110 dollars, so that would be 260 dollars. Sounds about right?

A: A round trip from Miami to Orlando is about 460 miles. Assuming you will have a car with 30 miles per gallon, you will need about 15.67 tanks of gas to travel. Gas is about $3.10-$3.20 in Florida, so your round trip gas cost will approach $50. Add about $10 to $15 for driving around Orlando.

The best way to travel between Miami and Orlando is the Florida Turnpike. Tolls will cost around $18-$20, depending on where you enter the Turnpike in Miami.

Parking at the Disney parks is $11. Universal parking is $11 for self-parking, about $15 for Preferred parking (a rip-off, in my opinion), and $18 for valet.

Q: Or, we can take a bus from MIAMI to orlando, for about 70 dollars each. That would be 140 dollars, but we then either have to move using taxis, or using the hotel buses or such. And if we want to go to an outlet, it would be more.

A: I would take the car. You have the flexibility of going to outlet stores or other attractions around Orlando. Most hotels in the Orlando area do have complimentary shuttles to the area parks. Some have shuttles to the popular shopping pavilions.

Q: 2nd question, hotels.

We want to spend as little as possible, and we only need the hotel to be clean and dry. We were thinking about 30 dollars per night. That would make it about 150 dollars. Obviously that would be an off site hotel.

A hotel for $30 a night in Orlando is generally a "Roach Motel." If you want a cheap place to stay and you really don't care where you stay, try Priceline. I've seen people bid $25-$30 for a one- and two-star hotel. They obtain rooms that are pretty nice. The Howard Johnson's on 6051 W Irlo Bronson Hwy. in Kissimee, FL generally prices at $35 to $40 a night, depending on your dates of stay. A Motel 6 in Kissimmee runs around $30 to $35 a night, depending on the time of year.

As a side note, when are your dates of visit?

Q: Any recommendation on that range of prices? Maybe rent a timeshare? Any discount coupons we can use? Or any Disney hotels for about 60 final?

A: AAA or CAA discounts are plentiful. You can also find Internet Only deals when you book your room on the hotel's website. Many other websites offer discounts, like Hotels.com, Expedia.com, or Travelocity.com. Remember the old addage: "Only fools pay rack rate at hotels." You are not a fool.

Q: Also, we have been offered some hotel discounts, but we have to watch timeshare presentation. Some say is worth it, some don't. Any comments on good hotel w/timeshare options?

I have never done a timeshare presentation, but I hestiate to recommend it. You will have to listen to a high-pressure sales pitch about life in the timeshare. You will spend a few hours out of your morning to listen to this. If you want to do a presentation, stand firm and keep on saying "No" if you do not want the product.


Q: Finally, tickets. I have got this offers:

Universal + Island = 86
3-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket = 180

Both look like good prices, any better ones?

The 7 day, $86 Universal ticket is the best deal in Orlando. Ticket discounts for Disney are few and far between. You might be able to obtain ticket discounts at AAA or ticket brokers like Ticketmania, but they are generally a small amount of dollars off the retail value of the ticket. Still, I'd rather have a dollar off than no dollars off.

Good luck and have fun on your holiday!

 

[kwanbis]

We are staying from the 9 to the 15 of march.

We are from argentina (actually, my wife is colombian), so we don't have AAA.

Thanks for your help.

 

[englishteacha]

The Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista sometimes has low rates and have gotten decent reviews on TripAdvisor.com . They run lots of specials and are very close to WDW and not a far trip to Universal. The other option would be to look into renting a condo from VRBO.com or vacationrentals.com . The condos in the Lindfields Area in Kissimmee are quite reasonable. We got a 3 bedroom condo for $50 a night this past August. We were able to eat breakfast and snacks in our condo and save money that way. I also recommend renting a car. It's easy to get from Kissimmee to WDW and Universal. We liked Universal and IOA, but our favorite is WDW. If you haven't been in 12 years, you may want to do Animal Kingdom. It's a lovely park. It's quite affordable to add a couple days to a Disney ticket. Check Undercovertourist.com and ticketmania.com for deals.

 

[Fred!]

We are staying from the 9 to the 15 of march.

We are from argentina (actually, my wife is colombian), so we don't have AAA.

Thanks for your help.

If you want a hotel deal, try Priceline. I would bid $25 for a 1-star hotel in the Walt Disney World area. You will probably have a hit and obtain a decent property. You can bid $5 to $6 higher if you want a 2-star property.

http://www.biddingfortravel.com gives great information on bidding on Priceline and what other tourists have obtained with their bids.

 

[rdevine10]

I would look on hotwire and use the betterbidding.com forums for help as well. I just looked and there are a few options under $40 per night. Id research them and see the better biding site can help you identify the hotel to make sure you want to stay there.

HTH!