$50 range or less hotel with good shuttle service??

[2forMe]

I am debating between staying on-site, just before Xmas, with my 2 kids, with free dining...or staying off site. This needs to be a budget trip, so am looking into all options. If staying off site I would not be renting a car.. so good, free shuttle service is a must.. does such a thing exist??

 

[ducky_love]

If you can provide dates I can be of more assistance...

Rates change so often that it makes a big difference, especially weekend vs. weekday.

 

[Brian Noble]

does such a thing exist??

No. There simply is no offsite location that has what I would call "good" shuttle service.

Don't get me wrong, I love staying offsite---I do for about half my trips---but I would *never* do it without a car.

 

[ducky_love]

No. There simply is no offsite location that has what I would call "good" shuttle service.

Don't get me wrong, I love staying offsite---I do for about half my trips---but I would *never* do it without a car.

I also tend to agree with this. You must be VERY patient to use offsite bus service. Generally they are too expensive for a hotel to fund on their own so your bus will stop at 6 or so hotels before taking you to the park. It is scheduled service so you have to be there at an appointed time... not a bus every 20 minutes like staying onsite.

 

[Lewisc]

The DTD hotels have decent shuttles. Technically they're on Disney property. Some charge a resort fee. I doubt you'll get one for $50.

Offsite is fine if you rent a car. Disney with free dining gives you a better deal.

 

[RichmondTiggerFan]

Unless you're renting a car, I would definitely recommend you stay on-site. For the most part, the off-site hotel shuttles are not very flexible & may not suit your needs. As others have said, the shuttle may be shared with multiple hotels and they may only go TO the parks a few times in the morning and go FROM the parks a few times in the evening. Whereas with Disney transportation, you can go to & from the parks anytime throughout the day.

 

[happymommy]

If staying off site, and not renting a car, you'd need to factor in transportation TO your hotel as well. I usually use a towncar when staying on site, and either that or a cab is over $100 round trip, plus tip. Sometimes you can get a good rate on a car rental, but you need to check now and keep checking (our week before Christmas is way up now, but I got a killer deal many weeks ago).

I'd say weigh all your options. If you can get free dining at a value resort, you may be better off than off site, paying for meals, paying to get to and from the airport, and the whole convenience factor.

Do you already have tickets? That is one of the biggest expenses, but if you don't have them already, then the free dining is also good since you have to buy at least one ticket for each person.

I'd take a good look at your budget and go from there - you may be surprised.