Hi, I'm planning a trip to Disney World in May, and I'm definitely on a budget. Ideally, I'd like to find a relatively cheap hotel that offers a shuttle service to any of the parks, as to avoid the $14/day parking fee. I've tried a lot of travel sites (Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, you name it) and some say that they offer the service, but then I've read the reviews saying that the hotel didn't have anything. Anyone have any recommendations? Thanks! Mary
The DTD hotels have buses to the parks, but I believe most of them have parking fees at their hotels, so it wouldn't really save you much parking wise. I think most of the preferred and other hotels listed on Mousesavers.com, include a shuttle service. I don't know how frequent and/or convenient any of them are. As Disney is not the only destination for many people staying around Orlando, transportation to/from isn't a priority for most of the hotels. My suggestion would be to call and ask questions about the shuttle services before you settle on a hotel.
keep in mind about the value resorts, you get transportation to and fro the airport, and bus service to the parks, and they have fairly reasonable room rates. good luck in your choice!
Definitely check into the Disney value resorts - they're really nice and you get a lot of great benefits not to mention the extra dose of magic. If you still decide to stay off property and want to book through one of those travel sites, why not just call the front desk of the hotels you're interested in to verify if they have shuttles to Disney. Just be aware that often times these shuttles run on a very limited schedule. Most of the ones my family stayed in before we started staying on property only run on the hour. So if you are running late and aren't ready until 9:03 am, you'll have to wait until 10 am to get on the shuttle. Be sure to ask how frequently their shuttles run.
The value resorts are just as cheap, if not cheaper, than alot of the off site hotels. believe me, I researched just about every hotel that was fairly close before we took our last trip. Anyway, cheap is relative. all the hotels that are close ( within a mile or two) are not really cheap. in fact, some are very expensive. yes, you have the rare 30 dollar a night motel thrown in, but I would be afraid to stay in one of those. Value resort would be your best bet IMVHO.
The off-site hotels tend to have only three trips in the morning, one trip around noon, and three trips in the evening. They will normally go to one park, and you have to take Disney transportation if you want to go to other parks. And if you miss your bus your only option is taxicab.
Was going to bring this up. If you book offsite just make sure you understand where and when the shuttles run. Any savings could poof if you have to take a cab to get back (depending on how far you are). They dont run buses all day all the time like WDW does.
Offsite shuttles can be VERY limited. I stayed offsite (ONLY because it was paid for by DH's work) and the shuttle was terrible. This was at a Marriott near the convention center. They had 4 shuttles - 8am, 10:30am, 6pm and 10:45pm. The shuttle was first come first served, and shared with 4 other hotels, so it filled up quickly. You had to sign up in advance. The morning shuttle was always full to capacity days ahead. The shuttle was packed with people, and it took almost an hour to get to WDW because of stopping at the other 4 hotels. It only dropped off & picked up at Epcot, so add in travel time to then get to your final destination. I used the 10:30am shuttle and then the return shuttle at 10:45, which was always running late. Thankfully I was travelling solo, no kids, because this never would have worked with them along. The one day I couldn't get a shuttle (both am shuttles were full) so I had to take a taxi - $55 one way to MK. OUCH! Follow the advie of others - please look at the Value Resorts rather than off-site - they are often cheaper than off-site (the Marriott we stayed in was $145/nt - more than a Value at Rack Rate sometimes). You'll have hassle-free FREE transportation within WDW and FREE transportation to/from the airport. We paid $50 each way to get from MCO to the Marriott.
i agree that you should defintaly check into the value resorts. we once stayed off property and what a mistake. we stayed at the holiday inn sun spree and the shuttle service was horrible. {maybe beyond horrible} you definatly always have to be watching your watch or a clock just to make sure you don't miss your shuttle. not what i want to be doing on my vacation at all.
The value resorts would be about $70/night with the current discount for 30% off room-only for 4+ nights in May, plus then you wouldn't need a rental car *or* to pay parking, *and* you'd get Extra Magic Hours. I'd seriously consider that.
You have to be extremely careful with "scheduled shuttle service to the Disney parks". Because what they have could be like the following schedule from an offsite hotel: Leave the car keys in your room and enjoy a hassles-free day of Walt Disney World® magic! Our complimentary shuttle bus provides transportation to the Walt Disney World® Transportation and Ticket Center, which provides transportation to all 4 Disney Theme Parks. The shuttle departs and returns from our hotel at the following times daily: Departs Returns 8:15 AM 5:00 PM 10:55 AM 9:30 PM 12:30 PM 11:00 PM Additional return on 12/30-31 at 12:00 AM and 12:50 AM This hotel is a Good Neighbor Hotel and does provide shuttle service. However, what you are going to get is only to the TTC where you will have to get another bus to any other park (except Magic Kingdom but you'll have to get the monorail or ferry). Also, look at the arrival and departure times. Say you want to make a 9:00 rope drop at Epcot. Your shuttle only leaves the hotel at 8:15 so you aren't going to be at the TTC until 8:30 at the earliest then will have to transfer over to the Epcot monorail. I highly doubt you'd make rope drop. And if a park opens earlier, same thing. You are forced to stay at Disney World until 5:00 at the earliest. And you have to make sure you are at the TTC by that time. If you miss that bus, you have to wait another 4-1/'2 hours for the next one. Quite honestly, if you want to stay offsite, you better have your own car and be willing to pay the $14 per day. In my opinion, you'd have to plan your day extremely carefully just to save some $$$. And this is actually a good schedule for an offsite place. Most of them have one bus in the morning and one at night. If you truly want to rely on offsite shuttles, pick up the phone and have someone from the hotel tell you their schedule. Do NOT rely on the internet and a general "we have shuttle service".
