Cheapest way to get from MCO to Kissimmee Hotels

[jwlnroe]

We are surprising our kids with a trip to Disney over their spring break. We are staying offsite and only going to Magic Kingdom and Sea World. What is the best/cheapest way to get from the airport over to our hotel? There will be 4 of us. Shuttle or taxi? I think a taxi might cost like $60 each way wondering if there are any other cheaper options. Thanks!!! Very excited I haven't been to Disney since I was a kid and now i'm taking my kids!

 

[Missyrose]

We are surprising our kids with a trip to Disney over their spring break. We are staying offsite and only going to Magic Kingdom and Sea World. What is the best/cheapest way to get from the airport over to our hotel? There will be 4 of us. Shuttle or taxi? I think a taxi might cost like $60 each way wondering if there are any other cheaper options. Thanks!!! Very excited I haven't been to Disney since I was a kid and now i'm taking my kids!

You're not renting a car?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We are staying offsite and only going to Magic Kingdom and Sea World.

How are you getting to Magic Kingdom and SeaWorld?

When staying off-site, I always get a rental car. The rental car provides transportation between your off-site hotel and the airport, theme parks, restaurants, and any other place you want to go in the Orlando area.

If, for any reason, a rental car is not an option, you are usually much better off staying on-site at WDW and using Magical Express and WDW Transportation (although not to SeaWorld). By the time you add the cost of cab fares every day, an off-site bargain hotel turns out not to be a bargain.

 

[Alesia]

Rent a car.

There is no way I would consider staying off-site without a car. Cabs are very expensive and the shuttles at off-site hotels are less than adequate.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The price you will be paying for a taxi to take you to/from MCO you could get a rental car for cheaper.

 

[jwlnroe]

our hotel has shuttles to the parks.. a rental car is showing between 400 and 500 dollars so that is way too expensive for the time we are going. the $120 r/t taxi fare is cheaper just was wondering if there were airport shuttles that might be cheaper.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

our hotel has shuttles to the parks.. a rental car is showing between 400 and 500 dollars so that is way too expensive for the time we are going. the $120 r/t taxi fare is cheaper just was wondering if there were airport shuttles that might be cheaper.

Cabs in Orlando are metered. The fare is based on distance and time. For example, a cab ride from the airport to a hotel near Sea World will cost much less than a cab ride to a hotel on Hwy 192 west of World Drive. I don't believe you've told us where you're staying.

Alternatives to taxi cabs include Mears Transportation, livery services (including DISboards sponsor FL Tours), and van service from SuperShuttle.

What do you know about your hotel's shuttle service to the parks? Is it a free service or a pay service? How frequent is the service to each park? Does it go to SeaWorld or only to WDW parks? Is it operated by your hotel or it it just "available" from a different provider?

You wrote that you're only going to MK and SeaWorld, so I assume it's a short vacation. For a few days, a rental car should be available for much less than "between 400 and 500 dollars."

 

[Missyrose]

our hotel has shuttles to the parks.. a rental car is showing between 400 and 500 dollars so that is way too expensive for the time we are going. the $120 r/t taxi fare is cheaper just was wondering if there were airport shuttles that might be cheaper.

It's much too early to find good rental car rates for late April. Keep checking. Those shuttles from the offsite resorts are typically very restrictive. So for the amount of moving around you want to do, a rental car will be far more economical in terms of time AND money.

 

[Darcy03231]

We tried staying at an off-site hotel with a shuttle service once. By day 2 we ended up renting a car. A lot of the shuttle services have limited pick up/drop off times and some of the hotels share a shuttle so you have several stops to and from the parks.

I've gotten some great rates by using codes found on this board and on www.mousesavers.com. I've also had good luck using priceline about a week out from my trip. I've never paid more than $200/wk and that was for a minivan. Most times its been between $100-$130 for the week and a couple of times its been less than that.

 

[Lyndarella]

When we stay off-site we take Mears from and to the airport (about $20 each way) and use the resort bus to the parks and other places. Off-site resort busses don't run all day long like the Disney busses, but usually give you a couple of choices. They used to go to each of the Disney parks but I believe that Disney has restricted all off-site resort busses to the Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Most resorts have other destinations as well.

 

[rwdavis2]

As some have said you should be able to rent a car for a week for far less than the price you quoted. There are threads hear that discuss rental cars, KLM had/has a discount code for National once you sign up for the KLM FF number.

You will not regret spending money on a rental car. We rent one even if we stay on site.

 

[jwlnroe]

Staying at the Howard Johnson Lake Front in Kissimmee. Website says shuttle service to Disney World, Universal and Sea World. I will call and check times. When I was growing up we stayed off site and had no issues with the hotel shuttles but that was so long ago. We are going for 6 days but 2 of those days are traveling days so 4 days but only 2 of those days will be at parks.. the other two will just be downtown disney, old town theme park or hanging at the hotel. I can get hotel/rental car discounts but right now nothing is showing for that time yet. . still pretty pricey so I will keep checking. Going March 31-April 5th.

we would stay onside if we could believe me.. but my hubby and I are going on a cruise in 40 days so our funds will be a little tighter for that trip and I really want to take my kids to Disney even if its a short trip this first time around.. someday in the future we will go and do it all but just not right now :-(

Thank you for all the advice I appreciate it. .

 

[jel0511]

Staying at the Howard Johnson Lake Front in Kissimmee. Website says shuttle service to Disney World, Universal and Sea World. I will call and check times. When I was growing up we stayed off site and had no issues with the hotel shuttles but that was so long ago. We are going for 6 days but 2 of those days are traveling days so 4 days but only 2 of those days will be at parks.. the other two will just be downtown disney, old town theme park or hanging at the hotel. I can get hotel/rental car discounts but right now nothing is showing for that time yet. . still pretty pricey so I will keep checking. Going March 31-April 5th.

we would stay onside if we could believe me.. but my hubby and I are going on a cruise in 40 days so our funds will be a little tighter for that trip and I really want to take my kids to Disney even if its a short trip this first time around.. someday in the future we will go and do it all but just not right now :-(

Thank you for all the advice I appreciate it. .

I could be wrong, but the website for the hotel notes that the local transportation, which I'm assuming includes the park shuttles is for a fee. I'd definitely call. Those fees per day could really add up especially if you have 3-4 people. Also, those off site places usually only run the shuttles once or twice in the AM and the same in the PM, VERY limited in terms of service. So if you find yourself needing to go back say at 1pm, and no shuttle until 8pm, you might have to them spring for a taxi negating any kind of savings. Also with a car you'd have the ability to go to off-site restaurants to eat saving you significant money from eating in the parks. It might come out even at that point. Using the KLM code you can get a compact car at National for 206 for your dates. A midsize is 216 and midsize SUV is 244.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

our hotel has shuttles to the parks.. a rental car is showing between 400 and 500 dollars so that is way too expensive for the time we are going. the $120 r/t taxi fare is cheaper just was wondering if there were airport shuttles that might be cheaper.

You are looking too early for rental car. Looking this far out will produce high rates. The closer your trip the lower the price. Look at the Dec rental car thread you will see on there that folks posted months ago that rates were very high but as their trip got closer the rates droped.

We have NEVER paid more that $130 for a weekly rental of a midsize car. So keep looking on here for discount codes because the rental car will be your cheapest mode of transporation.

here is the link to the Dec rental car thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3055826

 

[jwlnroe]

ok thanks for all the info.. will keep checking after the new year for rentals.. did someone post the KLM rental code?

also another question.. how much does it cost to park at disney and sea world?

I called the hotel and it is a free shuttle but limited hours so we would just have to deal with that if we end up not getting a rental car but I will for sure be checking constantly after the 1st of the year and hopefully we can snag a decent deal.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

$15 at Seaworld, 14or 15at MK.

Call mears and they will give you a quote for both the shuttle service and taxi service.

They may even have service to Seaworld. I Know they have a shuttle that's 19 RT from any Disney Hotel to seaworld per person. Don't know about offsite hotels.