Holiday Inn FS -Car or Not???

[bobojenny]

I am planning a stay in Sept. with my husband and 2 kids. I don't want to do the whole car thing, but my husband is afraid the shuttles from the hotel may be slow and even slower when we go at value season.. Is this the case? How is the shuttle service??

Any other helpful info appreciated...

Heard mixed reviews on the breakfast.. How can a full buffet breakfast be bad???

Jennie

 

[Branwes]

From reading these boards, most suggestions are to rent a car.

 

[jesse]

By the time you've paid for roundtrip transportation from the airport, you could be halfway to the price of a cheap rental. You could make up the additional fee by shopping for snacks, soda and other food at a real grocery store. Eating out isn't limited to Disney or HIFS. (there are no restuarants within walking distance of HIFS at this time). It's alot easier to drop in on Downtown Disney on a whim if you have a car. So even if you use the shuttles to go to the parks, you might still want a rental car for other quick trips. Check the transportation and budget boards for tips on how to get a cheap one Oh, and if driving in confusing traffic is putting you off, it's very easy to get from the airport to HIFS (use the directions on their website) and it's so close to WDW, with an easy route to slip in and out from the back of the property. Concerning the breakfast, it's OK, but since the food sits in steam trays and is not cooked to order, it's not as good as some buffets. But you should still be able to find something you enjoy.

 

[Robinrs]

I stayed there in January and I really wished the whole time I had a car! The shuttle was great but the times sometimes did not match my schedule. We had to use a taxi twice and it was very expensive!

I'd REALLY advise it if you plan to go to Universal or to eat anywhere besides the hotel.

 

[verycool]

If you are staying at the HIFS or anywhere for that matter, I say get a car, you have no limitations- even if I bunked with Mickey (staying on site) I love having my own wheels in case we want to do other things. ( We live in MD, and drove to Florida. (just got back last week) We are planning to go in late March, we are flying, however we will rent a car, to me it's worth it.

 

[pdzabe]

We stayed off site and rented a car which I believe was the right move. The best thing is coming and going as you please. Another couple we talked to told us of a problem they had without a car that I had never thought of. They had reservations for dinner somewhere, so they had planned to take a shuttle back to their hotel which was leaving at 7:30 p.m. that evening. However, something unplanned occurred when they were stuck on a ride along with us (at Space Mountain) that malfunctioned. They wound up missing their shuttle and of course, their dinner reservation as well. That made me think we did the right thing renting a car, since things like this will happen at Disneyworld.

 

[Slink]

We too were thinking of staying at the HIFS for our trip next year. We were going to give the shuttles a try hoping we wouldn't have to rent a car. What are our options if this doesn't work out? Is there a car rental on-site?

 

[Slink]

Just to answer my own question. I was just at the web site for HIFS (see link below) and noticed they have a Budget rental on-site.

http://www.hifamilysuites.com