Could I get your opinion on lodging and transportation options?

[bcbmommy]

We're spending our first 2 1/2 days of vacation at Universal, and staying at PFB, March 11-13. Then, planning on going to Discovery Cove, Seaworld and Aquatica the 14th, 15th, and 16th. We don't have lodging yet for those days. I was planning on finding a SW hotel, as they give you SW express passes if you stay there. However, I'm wondering if it would be easier to just stay at Universal the entire time? We could move to a Cabana Bay room for those nights, since we wouldn't be doing the theme parks, thus not needing the express pass that a deluxe provides.

Now for the transportation.. We have 6 people in our family. If we stayed at Universal the entire time, could we get away with not renting a car? Would we be able to find transportation from the airport and back at a reasonable rate?

Ideas? Suggestions? Thank you!!

 

[Kivara]

When we go (we only do Universal) we never rent a car.
It's cheaper for us to hire a transportation company for to/ from the airport than renting, gas, and parking fees at the resorts.
But we like to stay onsite and never leave.
We love the deluxe resorts, and express passes, but the cheaper rooms are up to five people. Usually getting two cheaper rooms is cheaper than one larger room, but that's if you're ok with splitting your group.

We call the resort a week or two out and request adjoining rooms. They can't guarantee it, but they try hard to please.

 

[Kivara]

BTW, we are a group of 7, and our transport is around $100, that's round trip & a grocery stop. Orlando Intl Airport to/from Royal Pacific. Tip makes it more, but still cheaper for us than renting.

 

[bcbmommy]

BTW, we are a group of 7, and our transport is around $100, that's round trip & a grocery stop. Orlando Intl Airport to/from Royal Pacific. Tip makes it more, but still cheaper for us than renting.

Wow, that's awesome!! The cheapest car rental I can find is over $300, and then like you said, there's the parking fee, etc. What is the name of the place you use? Thank you!!

I was able to get a decent rate on the deluxe for the first two nights ($259x2 rooms). WAY better than what we normally pay at the Beach Club over at Disney! They didn't have the same rates for the last 4 nights, though, so I'm up for trying the Cabana Bay. I think.

 

[Kivara]

I booked transport with Tony Hinds.
You have to call or email him for a quote and to reserve a spot with him.
His email is aobh607@gmail.com

 

[bcbmommy]

I booked transport with Tony Hinds.
You have to call or email him for a quote and to reserve a spot with him.
His email is aobh607@gmail.com

Thanks so much!!

 

[bcbmommy]

In trying to decide what to do, I need to figure out what times the Universal shuttle takes people to SW/DC/Aquatica. We need to be at DC a little before 7:30, so wondering if it will work to take the shuttle.

 

[bcbmommy]

So, I went ahead and booked Cabana Bay for the last 4 days of our vacation. But now, I'm stressed about getting to Discovery Cove. I've heard some people say they get a taxi, but what if you have a child who is still in a car seat? Ugh. Maybe we should just rent a car, or cancel Cabana Bay and stay at a hotel closer to Seaworld.

 

[sharona]

Have you checked out mousesavers.com for tips on getting a good price on a car rental? Your dates are a little close to find bargains but you could get lucky. We love the freedom of having a car when in Orlando since there are so many options for restaurants and shopping. I do not like being "trapped" at my resort whether it's WDW or Universal.

For lodging, if you won't have a car then switching to Cabana Bay is a good option since you will have City Walk for meals but I find the choices there a bit limited.

Also, re tickets - what are you buying? I believe there is a combo park ticket that includes Universal, SW and Aquatica.

 

[bas71873]

When we did our Discovery Cove, Aquatica, SW vacay, we stayed at the Renaissance Marriot which is a SW partner hotel. It was fabulous. It's right across the street from SW so we just walked there. We got our express passes the night before each night. They have a GREAT pool area....one for kids & one for adults. A great bar by the pool. Places to eat, a Starbucks, an ice cream place. There were also a few places to eat that were within walking distance of the hotel, I just can't remember what they were. We were very happy there.

Here is a link to the website. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcosr-renaissance-orlando-at-seaworld/

You would need two rooms, but they have good AAA rates. You could book one of the rooms with the AAA that includes free self parking (well, I'm sure the rate is built in to the AAA rate, but at least it's not a separate charge). They do not have shuttle service, but it would be a very short cab ride to Aquatic and Discovery Cove. I don't think those are walkable, although I didn't check because we did rent a car because we were doing some other things and liked to eat "off property" at places along I drive. I personally can't imagine NOT having my own transpo, but that's just us.

 

[bcbmommy]

Have you checked out mousesavers.com for tips on getting a good price on a car rental? Your dates are a little close to find bargains but you could get lucky. We love the freedom of having a car when in Orlando since there are so many options for restaurants and shopping. I do not like being "trapped" at my resort whether it's WDW or Universal.

For lodging, if you won't have a car then switching to Cabana Bay is a good option since you will have City Walk for meals but I find the choices there a bit limited.

Also, re tickets - what are you buying? I believe there is a combo park ticket that includes Universal, SW and Aquatica.

Thank you! I haven't bought our Universal tickets yet, actually. But I did purchase the SW/Aquatica annual passes when they were B1G1. We have a family of 6, but only had to purchase 3. We got a discount on DC because of the SW pass (169 instead of 319). It ended up saving a little over $100. Not too big a deal, but now we also have annual passes.

 

[bcbmommy]

When we did our Discovery Cove, Aquatica, SW vacay, we stayed at the Renaissance Marriot which is a SW partner hotel. It was fabulous. It's right across the street from SW so we just walked there. We got our express passes the night before each night. They have a GREAT pool area....one for kids & one for adults. A great bar by the pool. Places to eat, a Starbucks, an ice cream place. There were also a few places to eat that were within walking distance of the hotel, I just can't remember what they were. We were very happy there.

Here is a link to the website. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcosr-renaissance-orlando-at-seaworld/

You would need two rooms, but they have good AAA rates. You could book one of the rooms with the AAA that includes free self parking (well, I'm sure the rate is built in to the AAA rate, but at least it's not a separate charge). They do not have shuttle service, but it would be a very short cab ride to Aquatic and Discovery Cove. I don't think those are walkable, although I didn't check because we did rent a car because we were doing some other things and liked to eat "off property" at places along I drive. I personally can't imagine NOT having my own transpo, but that's just us.

Thank you! I was looking at their website last night, actually! They showed not having vacancies, but I think I'll call today to make sure. It does look like a beautiful hotel!

 

[bas71873]

Thank you! I was looking at their website last night, actually! They showed not having vacancies, but I think I'll call today to make sure. It does look like a beautiful hotel!

When I plugged in the dates you referenced in your OP I got availability. But yeah, call. VERY convenient hotel. We'd stay there again in a heartbeat. I'm guessing you will need 2 rooms for 6 people, but their rates, at least the AAA rates are very good IMO. Good luck.

 

[bcbmommy]

When I plugged in the dates you referenced in your OP I got availability. But yeah, call. VERY convenient hotel. We'd stay there again in a heartbeat. I'm guessing you will need 2 rooms for 6 people, but their rates, at least the AAA rates are very good IMO. Good luck.

That's weird. I just checked, and you're right! Either I wasn't looking at the right hotel last night, or they had a lot of cancellations. lol. Here's my dilemma. With the AP discount, I was able to book Cabana Bay for $130 per night x 4 nights. That is crazy cheap! However, my family is a bit spoiled, and likes to only stay in deluxes. We've never been to UO, so I have no idea the feel of CB. There's a part of me that's nervous, because our first two nights are at Portofino, and it may be difficult for them to move down to CB. Anyway....what do you think? Is it worth it to pay double to stay at the SW hotel?

 

[bas71873]

That's weird. I just checked, and you're right! Either I wasn't looking at the right hotel last night, or they had a lot of cancellations. lol. Here's my dilemma. With the AP discount, I was able to book Cabana Bay for $130 per night x 4 nights. That is crazy cheap! However, my family is a bit spoiled, and likes to only stay in deluxes. We've never been to UO, so I have no idea the feel of CB. There's a part of me that's nervous, because our first two nights are at Portofino, and it may be difficult for them to move down to CB. Anyway....what do you think? Is it worth it to pay double to stay at the SW hotel?

That's a tough call but I would lean toward no. Do you need 2 rooms at CB for 6 people or can you all stay in one room? I've never stayed there so I don't know. I would say if you stay at CB, rent a car. That would make life a lot easier getting to and from the SW parks.

 

[bcbmommy]

That's a tough call but I would lean toward no. Do you need 2 rooms at CB for 6 people or can you all stay in one room? I've never stayed there so I don't know. I would say if you stay at CB, rent a car. That would make life a lot easier getting to and from the SW parks.

Normally, we need two rooms, but the CB room is a suite, and it says that it'll hold 6 people. I may go look at one of the suites when we arrive at UO, though, to see if we'll need a second. With a teenage dd, we sometimes feel like she needs her own room! lol.