Newbie questions?

[tinkbellshelley]

Hi we are planning a Florida trip next year (our first time!) and have a couple of questions for you all

1) Has anyone flew Uk to Newark and then Orlando, seems to take the same amount of time. Not sure about going with United over say Virgin though? There is about £1100 cost difference for 2 adults & 2 kids between the two not sure the price difference justifies the higher Virgin price (£3650)

2) We don't really want to drive when we get there, my partner doesn't drive and I am a bit apprehensive to drive abroad . we thought floridays would be a good location on i-Drive, using I-trolley and shuttles.

If any one an provide some helpful opinions on these two points that would be great

Thanks Shelley

 

[diddldonna]

Suggestion have you priced up disney direct and stay on site? We got free dining and lots of benefits plus you get the use of free buses. Free transport from the airport. We stayed offsite the first time we went and it cost us a fortune in transfers each day to the parks. It's great offsite if you can drive. If you want to just go to universal and seaworld it's easy to use the trolley but disney taxi is around $40 each way by taxi. So it really depends on what you really want to do. Also think about food costs as if you can stay on site and use free dining it might be better for you.

When do you want to go and how long for? How old are the children? As I am sure we can help you price up.

As flying indirect I will not do it too much hassle for my liking but that's just me.

 

[wayneg]

I fly more indirect than I do direct, I am not a fan of Virgin, they have improved with their new planes but the cost is not worth it when I price up. The last flights we did VA wanted £800+pp, American Airlines £450pp.
Indirect you get immigration done before you get to Orlando, this can be a big bonus, Orlando is not the best place to do immigration, although I have not been thru Newark for many years other hubs are far better, Chicago this past trip was so easy.
End of the day its something you have to try to find out, if I can save £100pp then its worth going indirect to me, to others its not.

As above look at the free DDP deals, I have priced up for next year, compared a basic offsite room with food for 3 adults, its only about £30-35/nt cheaper than staying at Disney's Old Key West with free dining, even taking into account higher tips onsite.
Driving is easy over there, personally if staying offsite I would only do it with a car, I know others will say its possible without but it does make it easier.
Many people don't realise the size of the Themepark area, a car is a must for us, even onsite. I know someone who stayed on iDrive last year, they tried the buses a couple of times but gave up and used taxis rest of holiday, cost them a small fortune but couldn't cope with the long bus journeys every day.

 

[queendisney]

I suppose you could try a split stay...maybe the week you are doing Disney stay on site or at one of the 'good neighbour hotels' at LBV then transfer to I-drive area for Universal and Seaworld. Personally I wouldn't stay on I-drive if you are mainly doing Disney and relying on taxi, bus or transfers as it will really eat into your day. We never bother with a hire car when in Florida as just don't feel the need for one. We don't have kids but if we did we might look into hiring as it is very hard going on little people. Like Wayne said, if you haven't been before you will be amazed just how big an area WDW alone is. I would do what the PP's have said and look into staying on resort at WDW. If you decide to stay on resort you can catch a lynx bus number 50 direct to Seaworld from Disney for a couple of dollars and its very quick but for Universal I would get a Mears shuttle from your resort hotel which is about $15 return as to catch a bus is a complete nightmere. The rest of the time you can just use WDW transport to all their parks.

 

[wayneg]

To give you an idea of timescale for travelling offsite I timed a few journeys earlier this month. We stayed at LBV right outside the gates of Disney, I am a very confident driver, drive a little faster than I should, push in last minute etc. From leaving our hotel to getting to the MK took 55 mins, 50 mins back. Compared to OKW on the bus which takes us 11-12 minutes from Millers Rd bus stop to the bus station at MK. Idrive you can add another 15-30mins on depending which end of Idrive.
Others parks are easier, MK is the extreme case as the car park is still 1.5mile from the turnstiles.
I have no experience with buses from Idrive, I just know friends could cope with them last year.

 

[tinkbellshelley]

Thanks for the feedback folks think we will go ahead and take the plunge with united and no car, if we find it really tricky we can always hire a car when over there

 

[Kath2003]

Thanks for the feedback folks think we will go ahead and take the plunge with united and no car, if we find it really tricky we can always hire a car when over there

You won't need a car if you're staying on I drive. The buses are great. That said, there's not much around the Floridays area - look into staying further up I-Drive. I'm doing my 6th carless trip in a few months and still don't fancy shelling out for a car.

Indirect is easy too - and so much cheaper...

 

[2Tiggies]

I wouldn't hesitate to book United. We loved that route and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

There is this misconception that indirect flights are a hassle but it all comes down to the times and connections. Yes, some do make for a long day but the flight via EWR is about 6 hours so 3 hours less than going direct. You clear immigration there and we found it incredibly quick and efficient - far more so than at MCO. To give you an idea we had a 90 minute window between flights and we did immigration, bag drop, had time to walk around the shops, go through security for our connection and then had time to get something to eat before heading for our gate.

And once you get to MCO you get off the plane, collect your luggage and you're on your way.

 

[wayneg]

if we find it really tricky we can always hire a car when over there

As Kath has posted some have no problems without a car, it would be my worst nightmare, we wouldn't even go to Florida without a car but I haven't been on a bus in the UK since 1983, I would hate using them out there.

You can rent out there but you pay 2-3 times UK prices. Here in UK we can rent from around £75-100/wk inclusive, out there the same would cost you around £200/wk. I have rented out there once when stuck with the ash cloud but used Expedia.co.uk if you have access to a computer rent from a UK agent rather than walking into a car rental office.

 

[Kath2003]

As Kath has posted some have no problems without a car, it would be my worst nightmare, we wouldn't even go to Florida without a car but I haven't been on a bus in the UK since 1983, I would hate using them out there.

I hate and actively avoid UK public transport.

But it's nothing like the system in Orlando which is cheap, friendly, clean and efficient.

A 7 day unlimited pass for the I Ride trolley costs £7. You'd be lucky to get a day ticket for that here...

For us, it works. We like to walk to a restaurant in the evening and have a few drinks. We never, ever drink and drive - not even one drink - so having a car means one of us has to be the driver and that sucks

 

[wayneg]

I hate and actively avoid UK public transport.

But it's nothing like the system in Orlando which is cheap, friendly, clean and efficient.

A 7 day unlimited pass for the I Ride trolley costs £7. You'd be lucky to get a day ticket for that here...

But I still wouldn't be behind the wheel, I really struggle to be a passenger in a vehicle.

 

[MrRomance]

Hi we are planning a Florida trip next year (our first time!) and have a couple of questions for you all

1) Has anyone flew Uk to Newark and then Orlando, seems to take the same amount of time. Not sure about going with United over say Virgin though? There is about £1100 cost difference for 2 adults & 2 kids between the two not sure the price difference justifies the higher Virgin price (£3650)

2) We don't really want to drive when we get there, my partner doesn't drive and I am a bit apprehensive to drive abroad . we thought floridays would be a good location on i-Drive, using I-trolley and shuttles.

If any one an provide some helpful opinions on these two points that would be great

Thanks Shelley

Hi Shelley,
Flying indirect will save you a lot of money so if getting the best price is your primary concern, then an indirect flight is the way to go. However, if you favour convenience over price, direct with Virgin or BA is definitely a lot easier especially when travelling with kids. One of the concerns with indirect is missed connections. As International travellers you have to go through immigration and customs at your port of entry into the US. If you fly into Newark and immigration is backed up (which frequently happens) you may miss your connecting flight Orlando and have to wait for the next one. Direct to Orlando is definitely better but connections can work out well.

Other considerations (for Virgin flights) are that you get the Downtown Disney check in on departure day. This will be particularly useful if you are not driving!

On the subject of being non-drivers. First of all, I'd say driving really isn't as bad as people think. It is much harder to drive in the narrow roads in the UK than it is to drive in Florida. However, I know this is a common concern so I'll give my advice based on that! The absolute best thing to do if you are not going to drive is to stay on site. It will save you a lot of headache and prevent you from being tied to shuttle times.

If you stay on-site (which again is more expensive but worth it) you can get the Disney Express Bus from the airport to your hotel. Your bags will be taken to your room for you (which is great when you're exhausted after a long flight!) Transportation around WDW is all free and runs regularly. If you book through Disney Travel Company which we always do, you'll get other benefits too (preferred viewing for fireworks, discounts at stores, free dining, 14 for the price of 7 tickets etc).

I have stayed off-site (when money was more of a factor than it is now) and on-site in 2 moderate resorts and a deluxe and once you stay on-site you really understand why it's worth paying the extra. That is particularly the case for non-drivers because everything is right there for you and you don't have to worry about what time the shuttle leaves!