Beuna Vista Palace to MK before park opening

[disneylovr1]

Hi,

For the first time we will not have a car on our long weekend trip, and are staying at the Buena Vista Palace instead of on property. The Buena Vista Palace is on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, directly across the Street from Saratoga Springs and Downtown Disney. I have an 8 AM reservation at the Crystal Palace on a day the park opens at 9 AM, and am having difficulty figuring out how to get there on time the easiest. There will be 8 of us - 7 adults and a 2 yr old.

We cannot use the hotels free transportation, b/c it doesn't start early enough and then takes us only to the TTC, so we woud still have to take the monorail or boat.

I thought about a taxi, but can we take a 2 yr old without a car seat in a taxi? Also, that still only takes us to the TTC and that would add quite a while to the trip (I am now seeing the benefit of staying on property for transportation, particularly for the MK).

My last thought was walking to Saratoga Springs and taking a bus from there. The BVP is directly across the street from SS, so that wouldn't be hard, but do you think we would be able to get to the MK on time for our reservation that way? When do the busses start on a non EMH morning? I thought 90 min before park opening, which would be 7:30, but if I'm wrong and the bus was later we would be late for the reservation.

Any other thoughts, how would you do it? I was excited to get the reservation for before opening, it's always fun to be in the park when it's empty, but then I started to realize the logistical problems since we got a great rate staying off property this time.

Thanks

 

[Lewisc]

How are you getting from MCO to your hotel? It might be easier to just rent a car. You want to take a taxi. Consider having the taxi drop you off at the Contemporary then walk to the MK.

 

[disneylovr1]

I haven't made plans from MCO to the hotel yet, that's next. Thinking about a town car, but I have to look into doing that with a toddler. It would be easier to rent a car, but probably a lot more expensive for the 4 days, and it wouldn't be used much - just to and from the airport and for this, and we would still have to go to the TTC and then get the car at night after park hopping to who knows where. My husband wanted to try a trip without renting a car and lugging a car seat. The taxi to the Contemporary is a great thought, I just have to find out if we can take a taxi without having a car seat. I know in NYC you can, but haven't found out about Florida yet.

 

[SteveMouse]

On request, the taxi can provide one (most/many taxis on property have one, albeit not the greatest or necessarily the cleanest).

 

[kaytieeldr]

And then have the taxis - because you'll need two - drop you at the Contemporary, and walk over to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Lewisc]

Consider switching to a Disney Value Resort. You can use DME and avoid the cost of a car service to/from MCO and won't have to worry about how to get to the MK in time for your breakfast.

 

[Brian Noble]

I haven't made plans from MCO to the hotel yet, that's next. Thinking about a town car, but I have to look into doing that with a toddler.

Once you've spent the money on a towncar, for a weekend trip, a rental car isn't that much more money, will probably be cheaper than cabs, and will be insanely more convenient.

Or, just move to a Disney Value.

 

[chartle]

You will need a carseat for the 2 year old and unless you can arrange for a small full size van you will need two taxis.

It looks like you right in the middle 'of how do get places when staying "off site" and not have a car'. Its not that simple and most people who have posted back after such a trip generally either eventually rent a car or take a lot of taxi's.

Normally most would suggest to rent a car, even though it will sit, when you add up the trip to and from the airport and just getting around it may be cheaper. The issue is yes you can get an 8 passenger mini van but then what do you do with your luggage.

good luck

 

[Alesia]

Your 2 year old will need a car seat in a taxi. You can request one from the taxi company, but there's no guarantee that it will be clean or safe. Cab fare for the two taxis will be around $55 to $60, plus tax.

Buses start at 6:30 every morning. You could walk to SSR and take the bus, but you're going to need to be at the bus stop by 7:00 am. You're also going to have to cross a road with no crosswalks or sidewalks. Also, you should be prepared for SSR DVC owners being less than thrilled with the idea of non-guests using the buses at SSR.

If I were you, I would look into switching to a Disney value resort or renting a car.

 

[disneylovr1]

Well, we aren't going to switch to a value resort. We're paying $70 a night for each room (4 rooms), with a downtown Disney View in their tower. It's actually a nice resort with plush rooms and balconies, it just isn't Disney. My brother planned the trip based on the flash room sale he came across a few months ago- a long weekend for us that is essentially a "bonus" Disney trip. Also, what we like is that even though it isn't Disney it is just across the street from Downtown Disney Marketplace, literally a 5 minute walk. So, unlike when we have stayed at Value resorts, there is a convenient location to walk to other than the resort. There is a crosswalk to downtown Dsiney and Saratoga Springs, it's a very busy pedestrian area, so we won't be dodging cars or anything. I would never do a week long trip without a car, or stay far offsite without a car. But for 3 nights, plus they do have transportation to the parks that works fine in "normal" circumstances, we're giving this a try.

I think the cab idea will work fine, as long as they can provide a carseat. I'm not overly worried about the cleanliness, he'll be touching everything else under the sun that day. I don't like the safety aspect - but like I said, in NYC you don't even need a carseat in a cab, so it's not like it couldn't be worse. For one car ride I'll be ok with what they provide.

How would 2 cabs end up being $50-$60 dollars? We've taken cabs before to go from resort to resort, and I'm pretty sure one cab ride was never $30 even with tip. Maybe we just never went that long of a distance? I know we've done POR to WL, and that's not that much shorter.

I will, however, at least peruse rental car prices to be sure I can't get a great deal. Maybe I should just cancel the breakfast reservation, that seems to be the simplest solution. Then we can use the provided free transportation to the parks and just take a towncar from MCO. I really don't think a rental car could possibly be cheaper than a just the towncar.

 

[Alesia]

How would 2 cabs end up being $50-$60 dollars? We've taken cabs before to go from resort to resort, and I'm pretty sure one cab ride was never $30 even with tip. Maybe we just never went that long of a distance? I know we've done POR to WL, and that's not that much shorter.

You can look up cab fare estimates here. Cab fare in Orlando is ridiculous.

 

[kaytieeldr]

That's a great site, Alesia! Fare from Hotel Plaza Boulevard to Contemporary Drive averages $22.84 plus tip, depending on traffic and exact addresses. $60 for two cabs wouldn't be surprising.

 

[disneylovr1]

Yep, I put in Saratoga Springs (b/c I couldn't find BVP offhand) to Contemporary, and came up with estimate of $20.88 with 10% tip, so it would be almost $50 if you tipped more. I guess when you're on vacation and used to spending money that doesn't seem as bad, I don't remember cab fare being that much. Also, doubling it for 2 cabs really adds up.

We have a week long trip over Halloween at the Poly, I think I might just try to do breakfast during that trip only unless no resservations available. Then getting there will be easy!