NeverlandClub23
AKV & OKW DVC Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
- Messages
- 5,830
Hello! We just got back from a long weekend where we, for the first time, relied solely on public transportation and free shuttles.
Where we stayed: DoubleTree SeaWorld, but this could work for any hotel within walking distance to SeaWorld
When: Thursday, February 12th through Monday, February 16th
Where we went: SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, MK/EPCOT/DHS, Busch Gardens
Total Transportation Cost for two people: $28
Thursday: Arrival
We arrived at MCO about 12 p.m. We made our way to Ground Transportation in Terminal A. It was very easy to find. The Lynx busses pick up right outside the doors by the escalators. We waited on a bench until the Lynx bus 111 showed up promptly at 12:30. We paid our $4 ($2 per person) and got on the bus. Since we were just doing a long weekend, we only had carry-ons. I could see how travelling this way could be cumbersome if you had a lot of luggage or stuff! We were planning on getting off at the SeaWorld stop and walking the short walk to our hotel. However, there is a bus stop directly in front of the DoubleTree so we departed there. Our arrival time: 1:15 p.m. We walked over to SeaWorld after checking in to spend the afternoon.
Friday: Discovery Cove
We walked the short walk over to SeaWorld at 8:30 a.m. To the left of the entrance is where all the shuttles/buses depart. Note: there is an I-Ride Trolley stop at SeaWorld. There is a phone stand on the sidewalk in this area with a sign telling you to pick it up and it will directly link you to Discovery Cove. We called and they asked how many were in our party (2). We ended up waiting about 15-20 minutes for a shuttle to come. The drive is approximately 5 minutes. When we left Discovery Cove at 5:30, we checked in with an employee standing out front of the Discovery Cove lobby with a clipboard. She wrote our names down and said we'd be on the next shuttle. The shuttle came about 15 minutes later and we were back at SeaWorld in no time.
Saturday: MK/EPCOT/DHS
Our hotel included a free shuttle to Magic Kingdom (technically the Ticket & Transportation Center). The schedule we were given when we checked in had the times that the shuttle picked up. We chose the earliest one at 8:10 a.m. It was confusing where the pickup area actually was so we just got in line for a bus with a bunch of other people. A Town & Country Transportation dark green van was parked beside us. On a whim, my husband asked where the van was going since we hadn't been able to get on the bus yet to ask the bus driver. The van driver stated that they were the Magic Kingdom van. We quickly jumped on and the entire line we were waiting with were going to the same place! They had too many people for the van (a 20 passenger van) so they were calling for another one when we left. We arrived at the Ticket & Transportation Center at 8:45 a.m. We were asked to choose a time to be picked up before we departed the van. The times available were in approximately 2 hour increments. We chose the latest time of 11:00 p.m. and were given a slip of paper to keep to get back on the return shuttle. We tipped the driver $5. We used internal WDW transportation to get around WDW. We arrived back at the T&TC around 10:50 p.m. This time a shuttle bus pulled up instead of a van. He waited until 11:10 p.m. before leaving and we were almost on I-4 when he got a call to turn around and come back for more people. He refused and we kept going. We arrived back at the hotel at 11:40 p.m. We tipped the driver $5.
Sunday: Busch Gardens
We had registered for the shuttle prior to our trip at https://secure.mearstransportation.com/MearsExpress/BuschGardens.asp. It is a free shuttle from SeaWorld to Busch Gardens. We walked from our hotel to SeaWorld and arrived at the bus area at 9:00 a.m. Our bus was already there and the driver checked our names off and gave us return tickets for the bus. He was very friendly and the bus was clean and nice. He played Ice Age 2 on the TV's. We arrived at Busch Gardens at 10:30. Since we had the same bus driver for the return trip, we waited to tip him at the end. He also stated that you could leave extra belongings on the bus, but that you wouldn't be able to get them throughout the day. We were given a time of 5:45 p.m. to be back on the bus (the park closed at 7 p.m.). He played Shrek 2 on the way back. We arrived at 7:15 p.m. We tipped the driver $10.
Monday: Departure
We went to the same bus stop that the bus dropped us off at on Thursday. The Lynx 111 bus arrived promptly at 1:30 p.m. and we were back at the airport at 2:15. We paid $4 ($2 per person) for the ride.
Summary: Since we typically stay at WDW resorts or have a car for our longer trips, I was nervous about not having a car and that the shuttle service and public transportation was going to be confusing or feel unsafe. It was none of those things. It was efficient and economical. We will be doing this instead of renting a car for our weekend getaway trips in the future! Hope this helps someone who may have been on the fence about going on a trip without a car.
Where we stayed: DoubleTree SeaWorld, but this could work for any hotel within walking distance to SeaWorld
When: Thursday, February 12th through Monday, February 16th
Where we went: SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, MK/EPCOT/DHS, Busch Gardens
Total Transportation Cost for two people: $28
Thursday: Arrival
We arrived at MCO about 12 p.m. We made our way to Ground Transportation in Terminal A. It was very easy to find. The Lynx busses pick up right outside the doors by the escalators. We waited on a bench until the Lynx bus 111 showed up promptly at 12:30. We paid our $4 ($2 per person) and got on the bus. Since we were just doing a long weekend, we only had carry-ons. I could see how travelling this way could be cumbersome if you had a lot of luggage or stuff! We were planning on getting off at the SeaWorld stop and walking the short walk to our hotel. However, there is a bus stop directly in front of the DoubleTree so we departed there. Our arrival time: 1:15 p.m. We walked over to SeaWorld after checking in to spend the afternoon.
Friday: Discovery Cove
We walked the short walk over to SeaWorld at 8:30 a.m. To the left of the entrance is where all the shuttles/buses depart. Note: there is an I-Ride Trolley stop at SeaWorld. There is a phone stand on the sidewalk in this area with a sign telling you to pick it up and it will directly link you to Discovery Cove. We called and they asked how many were in our party (2). We ended up waiting about 15-20 minutes for a shuttle to come. The drive is approximately 5 minutes. When we left Discovery Cove at 5:30, we checked in with an employee standing out front of the Discovery Cove lobby with a clipboard. She wrote our names down and said we'd be on the next shuttle. The shuttle came about 15 minutes later and we were back at SeaWorld in no time.
Saturday: MK/EPCOT/DHS
Our hotel included a free shuttle to Magic Kingdom (technically the Ticket & Transportation Center). The schedule we were given when we checked in had the times that the shuttle picked up. We chose the earliest one at 8:10 a.m. It was confusing where the pickup area actually was so we just got in line for a bus with a bunch of other people. A Town & Country Transportation dark green van was parked beside us. On a whim, my husband asked where the van was going since we hadn't been able to get on the bus yet to ask the bus driver. The van driver stated that they were the Magic Kingdom van. We quickly jumped on and the entire line we were waiting with were going to the same place! They had too many people for the van (a 20 passenger van) so they were calling for another one when we left. We arrived at the Ticket & Transportation Center at 8:45 a.m. We were asked to choose a time to be picked up before we departed the van. The times available were in approximately 2 hour increments. We chose the latest time of 11:00 p.m. and were given a slip of paper to keep to get back on the return shuttle. We tipped the driver $5. We used internal WDW transportation to get around WDW. We arrived back at the T&TC around 10:50 p.m. This time a shuttle bus pulled up instead of a van. He waited until 11:10 p.m. before leaving and we were almost on I-4 when he got a call to turn around and come back for more people. He refused and we kept going. We arrived back at the hotel at 11:40 p.m. We tipped the driver $5.
Sunday: Busch Gardens
We had registered for the shuttle prior to our trip at https://secure.mearstransportation.com/MearsExpress/BuschGardens.asp. It is a free shuttle from SeaWorld to Busch Gardens. We walked from our hotel to SeaWorld and arrived at the bus area at 9:00 a.m. Our bus was already there and the driver checked our names off and gave us return tickets for the bus. He was very friendly and the bus was clean and nice. He played Ice Age 2 on the TV's. We arrived at Busch Gardens at 10:30. Since we had the same bus driver for the return trip, we waited to tip him at the end. He also stated that you could leave extra belongings on the bus, but that you wouldn't be able to get them throughout the day. We were given a time of 5:45 p.m. to be back on the bus (the park closed at 7 p.m.). He played Shrek 2 on the way back. We arrived at 7:15 p.m. We tipped the driver $10.
Monday: Departure
We went to the same bus stop that the bus dropped us off at on Thursday. The Lynx 111 bus arrived promptly at 1:30 p.m. and we were back at the airport at 2:15. We paid $4 ($2 per person) for the ride.
Summary: Since we typically stay at WDW resorts or have a car for our longer trips, I was nervous about not having a car and that the shuttle service and public transportation was going to be confusing or feel unsafe. It was none of those things. It was efficient and economical. We will be doing this instead of renting a car for our weekend getaway trips in the future! Hope this helps someone who may have been on the fence about going on a trip without a car.
