first night off site & DME

[LandChildWorldAdult]

OK, so ... given flight times/prices and the craziness of traveling with kids , we are considering flying in the night before our CR reservation begins and staying in a (flea bag?) Days Inn or similar.

What is the best strategy? Do we stay at a close to the airport motel and go back to the airport to get DME in the AM, or do we get to a near WDW motel the night before and take their transportation to WDW (trans center?).

Ideas?

Many thanks!

 

[prncess674]

There is no need to stay at a Flea Bag hotel. There are a plethora of safe, clean, well appointed, inexpensive hotels in the MCO area. Realize if you stay near WDW you will be responsible for your own transportation costs and responsible for collecting your own bags.

Have you looked into a one day / one way rental where you drop the car at the car care center at WDW. By doing that you could stop and buy snacks and bottled water for the room and then just drive yourself to the CR in the morning.

Whatever option you choose I would pack one bag for the whole family for the first night that way you aren't opening a bunch of suitcases.

It would be cheaper to stay at a hotel near MCO, but realize you will have to put all your bags on the hotel shuttle
shuttle to the hotel,
stay,
get up the next morning,
put bags on hotel shuttle,
take bags off hotel shuttle
take bags to ME shuttle,
wait for ME shuttle
ride in morning traffic to WDW.
wait

 

[kda]

Did you consider staying at POP or All Stars the first night and having Disney transport all your luggage the next day. (pack everything you'll need for the first night and the next day in one bag, for convenience). And remember that you may not have a room until 3-4 PM the next day. This will cost more $$$ than staying off site, but the convenience factor may be worth it, and you wake up at Disney! You can still use ME and they will get your luggage to Disney.

If you want to check into the CR early, just take a MK bus and walk ~ 8 minutes to the CR (or take the monorail); check in; and then take a bus or monotrail from the CR to whichever park you choose. (only one person needs to do this, so someone else can get the kids up and have breakfast and meet at a park).

 

[goofy4tink]

You may be able to get a really good rate at the Hyatt right at MCO...many have. Then you can take DME right to CR in the morning. Or, if you would rather, take a shuttle to one of the cheaper hotels close to MCO and then return to MCO early in the morning and take DME to the CR.
If it were me, I would book a value resort for that night (POP, or an AllStars), and take DME there as soon as you get to MCO. You wouldn't have to worry about bags. Just pack what you need for the night/next morning in your carryon, get a decent night's sleep and then start out nice and refreshed in the morning. You can do one of two things then....take a cab, with your luggage, to the CR, or let Disney move your bags and you head to MK for some fun and then walk over to CR and check in later in the morning.

 

[seashoreCM]

Do we stay at a close to the airport motel and go back to the airport to get DME in the AM, or do we get to a near WDW motel the night before and take their transportation to WDW (trans center?).:

A near airport motel with airport transportation is better.

Unless the near WDW motel has free transportation from the airport!

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/magicx.htm

This subdiscussion leaves out the in-airport hotel i.e. the Hyatt, and the in-WDW hotels, all of which have their own unique advantages and disadvantages already discussed above.

 

[LandChildWorldAdult]

There are 5 of us, which means that I did consider the values, but they aren't a value for us

I think that we may have found a combination of clean, decent, free transportation from the airport and cheap transportation to the transportation center at WDW. I will certainly let everyone know how it goes.

If I get there ... My 90 days is very, very soon I'm pretty frantic at the moment.

Must not forget to book legs of the trip individually on Southwest in case of a fare sale

Again, many thanks for your ideas. If *you*, dear reader, have another, please share

 

[clkelley]

There are 5 of us, which means that I did consider the values, but they aren't a value for us

I think that we may have found a combination of clean, decent, free transportation from the airport and cheap transportation to the transportation center at WDW. I will certainly let everyone know how it goes.

How will you get from the the TTC to your resort with all your luggage?? Disney transport is not designed to handle luggage.

 

[LandChildWorldAdult]

How will you get from the the TTC to your resort with all your luggage?? Disney transport is not designed to handle luggage.

Not to be snarky, but I guess the same way we get it on a city bus or from where we park at the airport to the terminal, by carrying it????

If we have to hire a taxi to get from the transportation center to CR, I think that is a bit silly, but I haven't been to WDW in almost 11 years and I didn't have kids then.

Maybe it would be simpler to add a night in a family suite or two rooms at a value ... I'm still thinking. Starting to think that the whole thing is just too much hassle to go through.

I know, no pixie dust on the transportation board ... sigh.

If, indeed, we are going to be told to hoof it or hire a taxi, better I know now than in the moment.

Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

Not to be snarky, but I guess the same way we get it on a city bus or from where we park at the airport to the terminal, by carrying it????

If we have to hire a taxi to get from the transportation center to CR, I think that is a bit silly, but I haven't been to WDW in almost 11 years and I didn't have kids then.

Maybe it would be simpler to add a night in a family suite or two rooms at a value ... I'm still thinking. Starting to think that the whole thing is just too much hassle to go through.

I know, no pixie dust on the transportation board ... sigh.

If, indeed, we are going to be told to hoof it or hire a taxi, better I know now than in the moment.

Thanks!

That poster was asking a perfectly reasonable question. The vast majority of bus drivers at WDW will not allow you on board the buses with luggage. It is supposed to be against the rules for them to transport luggage.
And there is the problem that there are no buses that go to the resorts from the TTC..not one. You would have to get your luggage to a park, most likely MK. And that would entail dragging your bags onto the monorail or the ferry..again, against WDW policy to transport luggage. For getting to the CR, you would have to board the resort monorail and do it that way...but, you may very well find that you aren't allowed to bring those pieces of luggage with you.
Wouldn't it just make more sense to stay close to the airport, at a place that has a shuttle between it and the airport and then go back to MCO in the morning, and use DME to the CR, with your luggage?
Using the Lynx bus system to the TTC isn't a bad idea....it's just a problem getting to your resort, bags in hand, from there.

 

[tjmw2727]

Not to be snarky, but I guess the same way we get it on a city bus or from where we park at the airport to the terminal, by carrying it????

If we have to hire a taxi to get from the transportation center to CR, I think that is a bit silly, but I haven't been to WDW in almost 11 years and I didn't have kids then.

Maybe it would be simpler to add a night in a family suite or two rooms at a value ... I'm still thinking. Starting to think that the whole thing is just too much hassle to go through.

I know, no pixie dust on the transportation board ... sigh.

If, indeed, we are going to be told to hoof it or hire a taxi, better I know now than in the moment.

Thanks!

Luggage is not allowed on WDW Transportation. There were signs at every CBR bus stop and yet we saw two families try and bring luggage onboard - neither family was allowed. This was just a couple weeks ago - our trip was 8/20-8/29.

Unfortunately I think you will have to figure out another way to get from the offsite hotel to the CR. No sense getting to the TTC with all your bags and 3 kids only to be stuck! Perhaps a hotel by the airport that has a free shuttle? You could take the shuttle to the hotel when you arrive and then back the next day to use DME.

Honestly, if I were in your situation I would just want to let DME handle the bags and head straight WDW. Everyone is going to be tired and excited!

POR is a moderate that sleeps 5, you could do one night there to save a little $ over CR. You can head straight to POR via DME when you land and let DME bring you bags later. The next morning you can hit the parks and let WDW transfer your bags from POR to CR while you have fun.

TJ

 

[dgaston]

When we arrive late at MCO, I bid Priceline for 3 1/2* and get hotels that have a shuttle. With 5 in the family, you would have to bid on 2 rooms. Lately bids of $43 have won both the Marriott and the Hyatt.

For transportation, we shuttle back to MCO in the am and then take DME.

On one upcoming trip I bid $21 on a minivan thru Priceline and got accepted by Alamo (list price on their web was over $750 ).

Another option is to check out Mousesaver rates on preferred hotels like Lake Buena Vista and Caribe Royal which sleep 6. Some rates include breakfast. Between Mousesavers, and a 1 day rental you might be ok.

HTH

 

[dgaston]

Oops! double post *shames her computer*

 

[LandChildWorldAdult]

It is really funny. A CM said she didn't know how to get DME if you aren't arriving on that day. I'm pretty sure that it can be done, given the number of people who I've heard talk about it.

She did say though that I *can* get a taxi at the transportation center. Which is probably about the best way to do it, I think, if cost is my primary concern (that and getting to AK at a decent hour in the morning).

Still thinking Not enough sleep, online reservations did not work for me at 3:30, 4:30, 6:20 or now But I did get most of my dining reservations.

When we arrive late at MCO, I bid Priceline for 3 1/2* and get hotels that have a shuttle. With 5 in the family, you would have to bid on 2 rooms. Lately bids of $43 have won both the Marriott and the Hyatt.

For transportation, we shuttle back to MCO in the am and then take DME.

On one upcoming trip I bid $21 on a minivan thru Priceline and got accepted by Alamo (list price on their web was over $750 ).

Another option is to check out Mousesaver rates on preferred hotels like Lake Buena Vista and Caribe Royal which sleep 6. Some rates include breakfast. Between Mousesavers, and a 1 day rental you might be ok.

HTH

 

[richmo]

If you wind up staying near MCO, you might want to give Priceline a shot. I was able to stay at a beautiful Marriott near MCO for $29 a night (this was 6 years ago, so don't think you'll get that good a rate). Check one of the bidding for travel sites and you'll get an idea of the going rate.

 

[pamjb]

Another vote for using Priceline "Name your Own Price". I got 2 rooms (my kids are waay too big to sleep together) at the Hyatt inside the airport for $101 total. It was great. We landed in Orlando at 10 pm from Philly, retrieved our luggage and checked in.
We rented a car, but I have seen threads suggesting to find a flight number that arrives at MCO the next morning and make your DME reservation using that.

 

[tjmw2727]

I know for sure that you can use DME anytime during your stay. Some of the reservation CM's don't know (or need to) as much about DME.

If you call DME directly they can take care of your reservation regardless of how or when you arrived at the airport. The easiest thing to do however is just pick any flight that arrives at the airport about the time you want to head to WDW.

Congrats on your ADR's and good luck with the rest!

 

[clkelley]

Another easy thing to do is to make DME reservations, but tell them you don't have your flight info yet.

That will get you in the system, you will get a DME boarding pass and luggage tags sent out to you.

The ONLY reason they want your inbound flight information is to help them with scheduling buses and personnel. A few folks without specific inbound flight info is not going to gum up the works.

THEN, when you arrive at the DME desk with your reservation in hand, you can give the DME folks your departure flight info and your return DME bus will be scheduled appropriately.