Catholic churches/mass near Disneyworld?

[Cyrano]

Please do not take the thread regarding religious ceremonies elsewhere.
The OP is asking for advice on the nearest Catholic Church for a current trip

 

[Emme]

Please do not take the thread regarding religious ceremonies elsewhere.
The OP is asking for advice on the nearest Catholic Church for a current trip

THANKS!! I really need to find this info out by this weekend!

 

[buffettgirl]

Just bumping this for a few answers. Some on another thread say there is a "quick route" to the Shrine and to tell the cab driver; it will cost about $10 less does anyone know this route?? Is it shorter taking the cab from DTD to the Celebration church? We will be there this weekend and could use any help...thank so much!

I would maybe just give the shrine a call. I bet they know the best route. If you do find out, would you please post it?

Also, I've often thought that if would be nice if there could be some sort of ride share/shuttle service that they'd provide to guests at wdw. Even for a few $$ I think many people can easily get somewhere like TTC or DTD to wait for a bus.

 

[chartle]

I would maybe just give the shrine a call. I bet they know the best route. If you do find out, would you please post it?

Also, I've often thought that if would be nice if there could be some sort of ride share/shuttle service that they'd provide to guests at wdw. Even for a few $$ I think many people can easily get somewhere like TTC or DTD to wait for a bus.

There was a huge thread awhile back and it just wouldn't really work for Disney to offer this service since there are so many places to go how do you choose.

If there is a need for this it would be better if the churches themselves organized it and found someone like Mears to operate it.

 

[gk90]

Just bumping this for a few answers. Some on another thread say there is a "quick route" to the Shrine and to tell the cab driver; it will cost about $10 less does anyone know this route?? Is it shorter taking the cab from DTD to the Celebration church? We will be there this weekend and could use any help...thank so much!

Where in Disney are you staying? If you're in the All Stars then the ride to the Celebration church is not really long and if you're at Pop and Caribbean Beach you're about the same distance from either one, but from all of these hotels the cab ride is longer than the ride from Downtown Disney. Also be forewarned that what you'll save in $$ by busing to DTD you'll pay for in park time. It takes forever to get from a lot of the hotels to DTD by bus--one time we took a bus from AKL to DTD and it took us 40 minutes because we stopped at OKW and Caribbean beach.

The only time we went to Queen of the Universe from WDW, it took us 20+ minutes to drive there from Coronado Springs. I'm looking at the map and I'm not sure what the "quick route" would be--from DTD it's fairly straightforward and I can't see a route that could save as much as $10. If you plug the DTD address (Downtown Disney, East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL) and Queen of the Universe address (8300 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821 (Mary, Queen of the Universe)) into Google directions you'll see it gives 2 routes, 1 takes 3.5 miles /10 minutes and the 2nd is 6 miles/13 minutes.

FWIW if it were me I would do the Saturday vigil (4:30 at Corpus, 6 at Mary Queen) or Sunday evening (5:30 at Corpus, 6 at Mary Queen), since that would mean not missing Sunday rope drop and taking a park break at a busier time of day.

Good luck with getting there, I'm always happy to see other families who take the Sunday mass obligation seriously. We're never-miss people ourselves and always work Mass into our vacation plans--it can also be an interesting way of getting to know different places around the country and the world.

 

[Emme]

Where in Disney are you staying? If you're in the All Stars then the ride to the Celebration church is not really long and if you're at Pop and Caribbean Beach you're about the same distance from either one, but from all of these hotels the cab ride is longer than the ride from Downtown Disney. Also be forewarned that what you'll save in $$ by busing to DTD you'll pay for in park time. It takes forever to get from a lot of the hotels to by bus--one time we took a bus from AKL to DTD and it took us 40 minutes because we stopped at OKW and Caribbean beach.

The only time we went to Queen of the Universe from WDW, it took us 20+ minutes to drive there from Coronado Springs. I'm looking at the map and I'm not sure what the "quick route" would be--from DTD it's fairly straightforward and I can't see a route that could save as much as $10. If you plug the DTD address (Downtown Disney, East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL) and Queen of the Universe address (8300 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821 (Mary, Queen of the Universe)) into Google directions you'll see it gives 2 routes, 1 takes 3.5 miles /10 minutes and the 2nd is 6 miles/13 minutes.

Good luck with getting there, we're never-miss people ourselves and always work Mass into our vacation plans--we look at it as part of getting to know different places. FWIW if it were me I would do the Saturday vigil (4:30 at Corpus, 6 at Mary Queen) or Sunday evening (5:30 at Corpus, 6 at Mary Queen), since that would mean not missing Sunday rope drop and taking a park break at a busier time of day.

We are actually staying at POFQ so we have the direct boat right to DTD...so that would be a blessing! We will go to the 6:00 pm Sunday evening as that would be a wonderful relaxing way to end out first full day in WDW. So I guess a cab it is. Is there a particular cab I should grab? Are some more favorable than others?

Thanks again. I so apprecaite all the info on this thread

 

[gk90]

Some links with taxi and Mass info:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2382419
http://www.mousesavers.com/taxi.html
http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Orlando

 

[Emme]

Some links with taxi and Mass info:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2382419
http://www.mousesavers.com/taxi.html
http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Orlando

Seriously thank you so much! You have been more than helpful

 

[buffettgirl]

There was a huge thread awhile back and it just wouldn't really work for Disney to offer this service since there are so many places to go how do you choose.

If there is a need for this it would be better if the churches themselves organized it and found someone like Mears to operate it.

yes, I meant the church itself, not Disney.

 

[gk90]

You're welcome Emme, say a prayer for us at Mary Queen of the Universe, and if you have kids (or if you're a wildlife fan yourself) stop and look at the fish and turtles in the pond as you walk over the bridge on the walkway into the church--we saw a turtle there that was around 3 feet long.

 

[buffettgirl]

You're welcome Emme, say a prayer for us at Mary Queen of the Universe, and if you have kids (or if you're a wildlife fan yourself) stop and look at the fish and turtles in the pond as you walk over the bridge on the walkway into the church--we saw a turtle there that was around 3 feet long.

and also, don't be afraid to bring your camera!!

 

[Emme]

You're welcome Emme, say a prayer for us at Mary Queen of the Universe, and if you have kids (or if you're a wildlife fan yourself) stop and look at the fish and turtles in the pond as you walk over the bridge on the walkway into the church--we saw a turtle there that was around 3 feet long.

I will certainly say a prayer for you!! I printed out the info and we are ready!! Thanks again

 

[marhs]

Thank you all for the fabulous tips and info. It seems that if time isn't too much of a factor, taking a cab from DTD is the best way to go. And I guess, based on some of those other links provided that there should be cabs lined up to the left of the Shrine to hop into after mass too? Then back to DTD it will be. Thanks again!

 

[kaligal]

They still do Easter mass at the Contemporary.

Another vote for Mary, Queen...

More shorts and t-shirts there than any mass I've ever been to, lol. But I don't suppose God cares much what we wear.

 

[MHSweb79]

My SIL was able to share a cab with someone else to go to Mary Queen of the Universe from Wilderness Lodge. I think the concierge put them together.

She said it worked out great since they not only split the cost of the cab both ways, the guy was able to stop the cab driver from going the long way around just to run up the meter. She wouldn't have known if it was a 3 mile trip or a 10 mile trip, but this guy did. (You know, thinking about that, how bad a person are you to try to rip off someone GOING TO CHURCH?? )

 

[Emme]

She wouldn't have known if it was a 3 mile trip or a 10 mile trip, but this guy did. (You know, thinking about that, how bad a person are you to try to rip off someone GOING TO CHURCH?? )

Seriously that's really not very nice to put it mildly~

 

[buffettgirl]

My SIL was able to share a cab with someone else to go to Mary Queen of the Universe from Wilderness Lodge. I think the concierge put them together.

She said it worked out great since they not only split the cost of the cab both ways, the guy was able to stop the cab driver from going the long way around just to run up the meter. She wouldn't have known if it was a 3 mile trip or a 10 mile trip, but this guy did. (You know, thinking about that, how bad a person are you to try to rip off someone GOING TO CHURCH?? )

ah, see now that is a good idea too.

Or we could do taxi / ride share thread in one of the other forums. There are shares for everything else. LOL. So it would go like this:
I have a rental car and I have room for 1 (or 5 or whatever) on XX date and I am leaving from xxx hotel (or can pick up at xxx hotel)

Or I'm getting a taxi at xx time at DTD or yyy Hotel.

 

[jlevis]

We attended Mass at the Poly for years. It was nice to not have to travel off property. There were two Sunday Masses and they were packed!

Masses were discontinued more because of insurance liabilities than priest shortages. Such a shame. ;-(

An excellent review of the Disney masses can be found here:

http://www.maryqueenoftheuniverse.org/disneymass.html

Still, the masses at Disney continued. But time was running out. The priest shortage would create problems. We wanted to continue the Disney masses, but it was not to be. Their time had passed. In late July of 2002 we experimented with offering one mass within the Disney complex. But the double numbers that showed up at the single mass caused discomfort to guests, and with no other suitable place available the Disney Company and the Shrine came to a mutual agreement. The masses would be discontinued, and Disney would direct Catholic guests to the Shrine.

...

Something else needs to be remembered too. When we began in 1975 the average age of priests in this ministry was under fifty. Today that average age has escalated to around 65. The Director of the Shrine will be 73 in February 2003. Most lay persons are long retired at this age! For the small minority who took umbrage at the closing of the masses, we have this to say: the time is coming when Catholics will have to make much larger sacrifices to get to mass, because short of an outright miracle the priest shortage in this country will continue to worsen. Prayers for priestly vocations far exceed in value than any complaints! Be kind to your aging priests! They may soon be all you have!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Corpus Christi Catholic Church is located in Celebration, and just a stone's throw away from Disney property. We went to Mass at this lovely parish this past October. It was nice to take a little tour of Celebration..some nice shops, and restaurants.

I concur with this one. Very nice church and no gift shop at the church like the shrine.

 

[larryz]

...and no gift shop at the church like the shrine.

Just so you're aware, the Shrine has no regular congregation on which to rely for financial support, depending solely upon the mass offerings of tourists, their generous additional gifts, and any revenue it can garner from the meager sales at the gift shop.

As for how to get there, I'm only aware of one way -- leave the WDW resort at 535, then head east, turn left at Vineland, and proceed past the infamous Shell station until you get to the Shrine.