Orlando Sanford to Disney??

[Michguy04]

My wife and I planning on taking our 2 boys (who will be 6) to Disney for the first time next April.
Unfortunately the local Airline we will be using only flies to the Orlando Sanford Airport, so we cannot utilize the "Free" Magic your way transportation

What will be the best (and economical) way to transport the 4 of us to On-Site Disney and Back?

Thanks in advance-
Guy

 

[DisTwix]

My wife and I planning on taking our 2 boys (who will be 6) to Disney for the first time next April.
Unfortunately the local Airline we will be using only flies to the Orlando Sanford Airport, so we cannot utilize the "Free" Magic your way transportation

What will be the best (and economical) way to transport the 4 of us to On-Site Disney and Back?

Thanks in advance-
Guy

Hiya!

OK - I have done this... and really, here's what you have to weigh... you have to figure the cost of using limo/van/taxi service vs. the cost of renting a car. I don't know about now, with the silly cost of rentals, but when we went, I got a car for $15 a day - for our trip, renting a car ended up being almost $100 cheaper than taking a service, AND we then had the luxury of a car onsite.

Bonus --- this is a teeny airport - it is a breeze to get in and out of, while walking to the rental counters seemed to take forever, the transaction was really quickly managed... checking in thru security was also a breeze.

One note - I always rent the absolute cheapest, smallest vehicle available. Most of the times, I have been upgraded because that car isn't available. At Sanford, I have never had a harder counter upgrade-sell in my LIFE - to me, it was a clear indicator that they didn't have the car I'd rented. The nice lady at the counter handed me the keys, told me the spot location and number, but no indication of what kind of car (either by her or on the paperwork). So, we trooped out to the car (my girlfriend and I, her two kids at 4 & 7) and got to the spot where the car was.... and to our wondering eyes did appear a convertible Sebring. For $15 a day. Whoo HOO!! Of course, this meant the kiddos had to sit with the luggage stuffed all around them, but they were so wiped out, they slept all the way to the hotel anyway.

Also - the airline we were flying folded the day of our return flight... but that's another story for another day...

 

[rhiansmom]

Just learn from my mistake... if you are using a GPS make sure the "Avoid Toll Roads" isn't marked or you will be driving all over Flordia to make it to WDW.

 

[Michguy04]

Thank you for the advice, but I have no desire to drive a car in Orlando. I don't do well in "heavy traffic" areas and don't want my boys learning any new words on the way to WDW

I did find a Stanford Transportation Company that offers Round-trip transport for $149.00. That appears to be the best out there from what I can see.

 

[DisTwix]

Thank you for the advice, but I have no desire to drive a car in Orlando. I don't do well in "heavy traffic" areas and don't want my boys learning any new words on the way to WDW

I did find a Stanford Transportation Company that offers Round-trip transport for $149.00. That appears to be the best out there from what I can see.

I love it! See, to me, living in Columbus, having lived in Nashville and having driven in NYC, the Sanford Airport to WDW is a breeeeeze!!

The $149 seems like a decent deal --- the way rental rates are, you're probably saving money! One thing I would check is if they do a "grocery stop" -- I used a service before and they did a half hour grocery stop for us - we were able to get some basics for the room at a fraction of the cost (and without having to pack them).

 

[jsantini]

I'm jumping on this thread as well if it's alright. I didn't realize the flight I booked was flying into Sanford instead of MCO until today when I called to arrange Magical Express--I can't believe I made that mistake!

Now, I need to arrange round tirp transportation for 4 adults to Coronado Springs, and I don't think we'll want to rent a car either.

I'd love to hear what company/ies people have used that worked well and were a good deal. I'm so frustrated that I made this mistake and now have to hire transportation--makes the savings I got on the tickets rather bleak. I just didn't pay attention in my Disney-excitement-induced-haze. Just picked "Orlando" from the dropdown menu, saw the good rate, and booked.

Thanks for any input.

 

[MattM]

Thank you for the advice, but I have no desire to drive a car in Orlando. I don't do well in "heavy traffic" areas and don't want my boys learning any new words on the way to WDW

I did find a Stanford Transportation Company that offers Round-trip transport for $149.00. That appears to be the best out there from what I can see.

If you're not driving in Orlando, then traffic isnt really an issue at all, just like any other city. If you're really worried about it, you can take the 417 (toll road) all the way from Sanford Intl to Disney World. Its a really easy drive.

I'd have to recommend renting a car...opens up so many more options for you.

 

[Edd]

You get what you pay for. The $149.00 price turns into $177.00 when you pay the 20% that is requested. The company, listed as vehicle-for-hire not shuttle, has had complaints about transporting more than one family at a time and being late for pick ups and returns.

 

[budbeerlady]

Thank you for the advice, but I have no desire to drive a car in Orlando. I don't do well in "heavy traffic" areas and don't want my boys learning any new words on the way to WDW

I did find a Stanford Transportation Company that offers Round-trip transport for $149.00. That appears to be the best out there from what I can see.

DO NOT USE THEM!!!!!

I booked with them for our Aug 21-31 trip. They were 15 min to pick us up to take us to Disney, they didnt show to take us back at 6am. I called 5x, given the run around and at 6:40 jumped into a cab! The cab fare was $129 plus the $149 I paid Sanford. They will NOT return my calls or emails and I want my money back.

AVOID them at all costs!!!!!

 

[mickey1717]

I live in Maine, we have no traffic. The drive from Sanford to WDW is a breeze. You'll save a fortune by going to the local grocery store and the resturants less than a mile from Downtown Disney vs eating in the parks. It will be busy in April and your two boys, and maybe even you will probably need a break. Having a car gets you back to your room a whole lot quicker (except Magic Kingdom) for that dip in the pool or short nap.

 

[Edd]

I am trying to warn you to be careful when you book Sanford Transportation. They are cheap yes, but there have been a awful lot of problems concerning that company.

The father and the son have supposedly split up and both are fighting each other. The son is supposedly running STS Sanford Transportation and the father is running the All-about-Transportation. I would be wary of both companies as they do not have a good track record in the airport.

The previous posters story about that company confirms my suspicions.

 

[Alesia]

Thank you for the advice, but I have no desire to drive a car in Orlando. I don't do well in "heavy traffic" areas and don't want my boys learning any new words on the way to WDW

I did find a Stanford Transportation Company that offers Round-trip transport for $149.00. That appears to be the best out there from what I can see.

I have never, ever heard a single good thing about Sanford Transportation. If you really don't want to drive, get a town car service.

 

[disneydiz]

We also use Sanford -- it is so easy to get in and out and the drive on the toll road is very, very easy! We rent a car at Sanford and then return the vehicle the next day to one of the Downtown Disney hotels. We sometimes rent 1 car from the hotel rental and then return to Sanford -- much cheaper than renting from Sanford for the whole week.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Driving in CA and BOS, I can tell you there's nothing remotely stressful about driving in Orlando, especially from the airports to Disney. WDW is nothing but wide open spaces and parking places. Love it.

 

[idontknow]

Here's another vote for renting a car for the first 24 hours and the last 24 hours. I priced Budget and came up with $88 total for "both" rentals. We will be returning the car just down the street from our hotel. The site says our return location has drop off and pick up, but I'm not holding my breath. LOL Make sure the rental company does not charge to drop the car off at another location. Alamo used to be bad about that, but that was years ago and they may have changed by now. Just something to watch for. I was really nervous the first time we rented a car in Sanford, but it really is a smooth drive. I googled our route with the satellite/hybrid feature and was completely at ease by the time we left.

 

[Sandi]

We flew Allegiant to Sanford when Allegiant flew out of Lansing. Both times we did it, I rented a car. The drive to our resorts (Pop and POFQ) was not difficult or stressful (and that's coming from a mid-Michigan driver). I had my Google maps prepared in advance and everything was fine. The Sanford airport is nice -- similar to Lansing and Grand Rapids.

 

[Edd]

Thought I might mention. I was in the Sanford Airport this afternoon and a family came up to me asking if I knew Sanford Transportation. The family had been stranded in the airport heading to Disney for the past 30 minutes. This is an example of some of the problems the cheap transportation is causing for itself in the airport. When the passengers called the phone number they had, no one nanswered.

I left wishing them well and suggested they might pay that company 1/2 of the fare to make sure they showed back up on the return. The airport officials also are not pleased with the reputation that STS Sanford Transportation and All-About-Transportation is developing. Be careful if you should decide to book this company from Sanford to WDW.