Hi all,
I won't be hiring a car as my age then (24) will require me to pay an extra $25 a day - and I'm scared of driving an automatic.
I would stick to not driving - I drove with my DH giving directions and that was scary enough - would never do it without him!
For the rest of the holiday I plan to be in a very budget hotel with shuttles to the other parks.
When I went with my sister for our first trip, we stayed off site, thinking it would be much more expensive onsite, however since I've been going with DH we've always stayed onsite and find it SO convenient. At a WDW resort hotel you get the complimentary buses to and from all the parks (and Downtown Disney) and they run at much more flexible times than the hotel shuttles off site, which gives you much more flexibility. The offsite shuttles tend to have 1 or 2 collections to take you to the park in the morning and then 1 or 2 pick ups in the afternoon / evening... the WDW resort buses pick up everywhere every 20 mins so you can organise your day much better. Also simple things like drinks - you can buy a mug at your WDW resort for $12 (ish) and then have free refils the rest of your stay - this makes for big savings over 2 weeks! Consider one of the all star resorts, or pop centuary.
Anyway...-I've heard that it takes about 5 days to do Disney justice - is that correct?
We always go for 2 weeks, and I think for your first visit you could easily spend most of that time in WDW without getting bored. If you subscribe to Tour Guide Mike, or get one of the guide books others have recommended you will learn how to get the most out of your trip. I highly recommend TGM
-Would you recommend to be at a disney hotel when you dont have a car to look around disney?
YES
-What are transfers like from Orlando Airport to hotels? Prices?
Stay onsite and use the magical express for free. Otherwise consider using virgin holidays through a travel agency, and they will book all that for you - if you want to stay offsite!
-How easy is it to get around Orlando if you dont have your own car? Any taxi quotes or buses?
When my sis and I stayed offsite, we used some public transport. I was amazed that no-one in the hotel or anywhere could tell us about buses but they do exist. The Lynx system picks up every block, and once you get on a bus you can get a timetable. You can also download timetables from their website... you can google it. We generally use Mears taxis bookable at reception of your hotel
-How much does food generally cost in the parks? I'd plan to buy the meal plans whilst in WDW because I found them incredibly useful in DLRP but what about elsewhere?
I think DH used to budget $50 a day...
-How long do the other parks take that I have mentioned?
-Are there standard restaurants near most of the hotels? I'm quite a happy meat and two veg girl so will be fine with simple food (good though
) if its cheaper than paying much more in the hotels.
And again finaly;
Does anyone have any low-priced hotels (sort of like English Travelodges/Premier Travel Inns) they know about nearby with shuttles that they could recommend? When I was in DLRP I barely saw my hotel room as I was out of the place at 6.30am and not back until 10.30pm so all I need is a bed and a bathroom!
We went to a travel agent and picked a lowprice hotel... and that was really nice, don't remember what it was though
And does anyone have any idea when off-peak (quietest) season is around November-February? I've always been lucky with DLRP and hit it at its quietest so I have avoided the masses - and pretty much walked on to every ride. Are there such off-peaks with WDW?
We've just been in January and that's pretty quiet once the new years celebration crowds leave. Once again I recommend Tour Guide Mike, who will also suggest which day to do which park - and also which rides to do first etc so that you get the shortest queuing time possible!
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