cheap transportation options? advice needed!

[aphasia83]

Hi everyone, please help! I'm stuck.

Last night I searched for 5 hours online to find a hotel off-site - we just need it for two nights. I'm arriving on a Thursday, and my parents are arriving on Friday night... so basically I need to get myself from the airport to our hotel, and then in the morning to WDW and back to the hotel. From that point, my dad will have a rental car and everything will be fine.

Looks like taxi rates will KILL me!! I will pay it if I have to, but I was wondering if anyone had ideas on cost-effective ways for me to do this. Is there a bus or something? You guys seem to have all the inside info!

So you know, the hotel I've fallen in love with is at 8504 Universal Blvd. Unfortunately, they don't offer a free shuttle to airport or WDW, but they do offer an extensive breakfast so I'm saving money that way.

I am open to suggestions about other hotels though. I mean, so I get a free breakfast at this place, maybe saving me $10. If another hotel offers free transportation, it might be worth looking into.

Thank you SO much!

 

[pumpkinboy]

Have you considered the HUGE advantages of being on-site? For only a little more per night than you're probably paying off-site, you could book one of the All Stars or Pop Century, and get free (yep, that's free) transportation from the airport to your hotel (via Disney's Magical Express, starting 5/5), and then full free use of the Disney transportation system from you hotel to the parks.

I expect when you take the costs of transportation into account (and the hassle of being off-site), that the free breakfast and cheap room will get trumped by a Disney hotel.

Good luck!

 

[aphasia83]

Thanks, that's useful. Except, if what you mean by 5/5 is May 2005 then I am out of luck, because we'll only be there from April 28-30! Could someone please clarify?

I don't know, I just haven't heard many nice things about the cheapie Disney hotels... honestly, they don't look very nice, especially for the price - looks like if you stay offsite for the same price you can get much more comfortable accommodations. And I'm wary of the idea of little children running around and being noisy, which I'm sure will happen at Disney hotels...

 

[aphasia83]

I just confirmed for myself, the Magical Express only starts a week after I arrive

 

[ducklite]

You can take Lynx from the airport to either the Sea World area and get a hotel there and then take Lynx back and forth to the TTC each day, or take Lynx from the airport to a hotel on 192 that offers shuttle service to the parks.

www.golynx.com

Anne

 

[CarolA]

Mears will take you to any hotel in Orlando. SInce all you give is the hotel address it is hard to make other hotel suggestions, we have no idea what kind of hotel you are looking at.

 

[ducklite]

I don't know, I just haven't heard many nice things about the cheapie Disney hotels... honestly, they don't look very nice, especially for the price - looks like if you stay offsite for the same price you can get much more comfortable accommodations. And I'm wary of the idea of little children running around and being noisy, which I'm sure will happen at Disney hotels...

If you think ANY hotel in the Orlando area is going to be child-free, then

You might find the Ritz-Carlton and Peabody to be a little quieter and have less kids, but the La Quinta you're staying at will be over run with them, and that general area is far from quiet to begin with!

Anne

Anne

 

[aphasia83]

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful. And no, I'm obviously not expecting a hotel to be child-free, that would just be silly. I was simply assuming that as Disney is mostly a place where families bring their young children, and I bet many choose to stay on site, the Disney hotels should have more children in the general vicinity than other hotels might. A fair assumption, n'est-ce pas? Anyway, I ended up booking at the Quality Suites just off International drive, and it turns out that there is a bus stop one block away!

 

[CarolA]

Your child assumption does NOT hold water in Orlando. LOL! Any hotel is catering to families and liable to have LOTS of them. Assume you will be sharing your "free" breakfast with lots of kids. If there is a major convention going on and you stay at a convention hotel (which neither the La Quinta or the Quality Suites are) you might have fewer children.

Orlando is one of the places where I stand out when I travel on business... no kids LOL!

If you want a low child ratio vacation..... don't go to Orlando!

 

[aphasia83]

People, I think you are overreacting hahaha ... I am not very concerned about children, aside from the noise they tend to emit when you're trying to sleep, but even that is a minor concern. I just have never felt inclined to stay on site at Disney. My vacation is not entirely centred around that. And I'm not assuming that I'm going to be in an all-adult hotel by any means. I have been to Orlando before, I know what it's like but I truly appreciate the help you've given me.