Best off site hotel w/free park shuttle

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

I swore up and down I would never rely on a hotel shuttle to get me to and from the parks, but we are trying to weigh all of our options.

I need a place that will sleep 6, so this will either be a suite somewhere or 2 rooms.

We like to be at the parks from open to close so we don't have to worry about mid day breaks.

What off site hotels have you used that had great shuttle service?


Sarah

 

[stargazertechie]

None have great shuttle service. I don't know of a single off-site hotel that will get you to any of the parks in time for Rope Drop.

When they say they have convenient Disney Transportation, what they mean is that 2x a day the drop off at the TTC, and 2x a day they pick up at the TTC in most cases.

Just dish out the money for a rental van. Seriously, it's money well spent.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

There is no such thing as a good offsite location with good provided transportation, free or not.

Usually they have two buses in the morning, one each way around noontime, and two each way in the evening. They run on their schedule, not yours. Generally they will go to either the TTC or the Epcot Charter Lot; you have to get to other parks on your own. They generally are shared between multiple resorts, and if you miss the last bus back, or it is too full to take more passengers, taxis are not cheap.

 

[GatorMama]

I haven't used the transportation, but I have an E-mail from guest services at Buena Vist Palace Hotel. We were going to stay there but found a better deal somewhere else... Unfortunately our new place doesn't have transportation at all. Oh well. Win some/lose some. PM me if you'd like me to E-mail you the information I have.

The E-mail says that they have buses to each of the parks picking up/dropping off every 30 minutes, but they do share a bus with two other hotels in the DTD area.

 

[disnut8]

From what I've seen of offsite shuttles, you have maybe a couple of choices of leave times from the hotel (usually right at park opening or right after) and a couple of return times to the hotel (usually before park closing). So if you are relying on this to get you to a park for rope drop and bring you back after the last firework has gone off, you would be much better either staying onsite, renting a car, or cabbing it for the trip.

I've stayed onsite and offsite and would not recommend staying offsite without a rental car. Just doesn't make sense with time wasted.

 

[t_catt11]

I have yet to see the first person come on here and talk about the excellent shuttle service they had at an offsite hotel. It could be that I have missed them, or that they are very quiet, but literally 100% of the posts that reference offsite shuttles talk about them being late, being crowded, being infrequent, and about them telling bald-faced lies as to the number and frequency of available shuttles.

If you must stay offsite, rent a car.

That being said... two rooms at Pop or one o fthe All Stars would accomodate your whole family, plus give you full transportation at no extra fee. Just sayin'.

 

[goofyernmost]

My suggestion is to rent a car. They usually are pretty cheap in the Orlando area and, believe me when I tell you, they are so handy. You can come and go as you please, you don't have to waste time waiting for shuttles or buses or have to leave early or arrive late because of their schedules.

If you are going to stay off site, the savings alone will afford you the cost of a rental car. You will be very happy you did.

The good thing about renting a car is that you don't need to guarantee it. That means you can keep shopping for the best deal right up to when you leave for Orlando. I don't think I have ever spent over 150 dollars for a weeks rental in all the years I have been going there.

 

[jgates]

I like Springhill Suites in the Marriott Village at Little Lake Bryan, but again, very limited scheduled service to the parks. (Also has a continental breakfast).

 

[2forMe]

I thought I read that downtown disney holiday inn had a continuous shuttle. I would suggest looking in the orlando forum

 

[xbonnie38]

Royal Plaza and the Best Western Lake Buena Vista both have shuttles to the parks. Royal Plaza is located across from Downtown Disney so you could actually walk across the street and catch a bus to the parks from there if the bus schedules offered from the hotels are not to your liking. Best Western is 4 blocks away from DD so you could also utilize the bus system. We will be doing this on out up comming trip. I suggest you look on www.tripadvisor.com they give really good reviews on hotels and distances of them and also on the shuttle service offered by these hotels. Keep in mind that alot of people really prefer to stay onsite because of convienance and base opinions that way so it is wise to read all you can on review sites and then decide. Good Luck!

 

[goofyernmost]

Just for the point of clarification...you cannot catch a bus from DTD directly to the parks. You have to take a bus to a resort and then catch a bus to the parks and return the same way. Not real conducive to easy park touring.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The Resorts on Hotel Plaza Boulevard (plus the Buena Vista Palace) are on Disney property. They do have their own bus system which does run constantly as the Disney buses do. But they do go to the TTC and the other Park Charter Bus areas; just not as close in as the Disney buses. I know they also go to and pick up at TL.

 

[baketank]

The Hilton in Downtown Disney has a continous shuttle every 30 minutes. It runs to the ttc and the charter lots as Cheshire has outlined above. You can walk to Downtown Disney and it offers Extra Magic Hours. Great choice for a non-Disney hotel.

 

[Mickey2013]

With 6 people, I vote rent a 3 Bedroom condo and rent a van. The price is still less than Disney on-site. Condo around $100 per night, rental depending on the discounts $300-$500 for the week.

www.vrbo.com

 

[dolphindan1]

Wyndham Bonnett Creek Resort rented thru Ken Price...we have use him the last 3 years and have loved...last year 2 bedrom/2 bath with Illuminations and Epcot view for 80 a night...this past year 3 bedroom/ 2 bath...100/nite....great location right next to Carribbean resort...its on property but not Disney

Here is Ken's site...call him he is very good to deal with

http://www.vacationupgrades.com/

 

[OnlyDisney]

Wyndham Bonnett Creek Resort rented thru Ken Price...we have use him the last 3 years and have loved...last year 2 bedrom/2 bath with Illuminations and Epcot view for 80 a night...this past year 3 bedroom/ 2 bath...100/nite....great location right next to Carribbean resort...its on property but not Disney

Here is Ken's site...call him he is very good to deal with

http://www.vacationupgrades.com/

I've heard good things about this resort near the Caribbean Resort. I have a friend staying there next month who'll give me a report.

Here's a link to the disboard thread about the resort.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2114303&highlight=bonnet+creek

In the thread is this bus sample bus schedule.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv2/kelsstuffbucket/ShuttleSchedule.jpg

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

We stayed at Nickelodeon Suites and rode the shuttles. It wasn't super-convenient, but it worked. We stay at Shades of Green now, because our kids are older and not so into Nickelodeon. One thing I would recommend if you use the shuttles is to make darn sure you know where to meet the bus. Usually it's just a marked spot in the middle of a huge parking lot and the buses are sometimes not marked. I've seen a lot of people standing in the middle of the lot with confused looks on their faces!

 

[Balt ravens fan]

Go to Booking.com and rent at a timeshare near the parks - Vistana, Orange Lake, Orbit One, Parkway International, etc..., etc... and then rent a car.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our Orlando hotels board.