Park Shuttles from Gaylord Palms??

[Rachie0507]

Has anyone ever used the park shuttles from the Gaylord Palms resort? DH is working a conference there in July and the kids and I are going down to have some fun I'm not crazy about renting a car on my own but will do it if necessary. The hotel's website says that the shuttles only run every hour to hour and a half. I'd like to get to the parks before they open and not go back to the resort til late in the day. I'm wondering if it will be a complete pain in the rear to do that! Does anyone have any experience with that?? TIA for the help!

 

[Rachie0507]

I promise I'll only give it one "bump" before I give up. I'm just curious is anbody from the workday crowd might know!

 

[Lewisc]

I don't remember the exact schedule but your description sounds about right. My guess is you'll wind up supplementing the shuttle buses with taxis. It's not a long cab ride. If you're on a budget take Disney transportation to POP then grab a cab.

 

[spiceycat]

you don't want a rental car - then you have to pay parking at Gaylord - I think $10 or $12 per day - and then parking at WDW - $10 (might be $11 because US went up)

sometimes the excess parking from Gaylord went to Pop....

 

[Rachie0507]

you don't want a rental car - then you have to pay parking at Gaylord - I think $10 or $12 per day - and then parking at WDW - $10 (might be $11 because US went up)

sometimes the excess parking from Gaylord went to Pop....

Thanks for that info! I knew that there was a parking charge for Gaylord--I think it is $10 per day. I have an AP so I'm all set for the parks. You said that excess parking goes to Pop--do you mean that the lots get filled to capacity? If that is the case, I don't think I would bother with a car. I'm still on the fence but that would be a big negative for me. If I don't get a car, I will rely on the hotel shuttle first thing in the morning but have a back-up plan of a taxi for returning, as the previous poster had suggested. I currently have a car reserved with Budget at a decent rate, I just need to decide if it is worth it for me.

Thank you so much for all the advice so far!!

 

[Lewisc]

Gaylord Palms has a large convention center. My understanding is the lot in the unfinished section of POP is used for overflow parking for convention (day) guests.

AFAIK registered hotel guests aren't sent to POP for parking.

The question is how much more will you have to spend renting a car vs the cost of ground transfers from MCO to Gaylord Palms. A cab one direction might not be any much more expensive then the daily parking charge at GP.

Thanks for that info! I knew that there was a parking charge for Gaylord--I think it is $10 per day. I have an AP so I'm all set for the parks. You said that excess parking goes to Pop--do you mean that the lots get filled to capacity? If that is the case, I don't think I would bother with a car. I'm still on the fence but that would be a big negative for me. If I don't get a car, I will rely on the hotel shuttle first thing in the morning but have a back-up plan of a taxi for returning, as the previous poster had suggested. I currently have a car reserved with Budget at a decent rate, I just need to decide if it is worth it for me.

Thank you so much for all the advice so far!!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

I was just there for a conference a few weeks ago. Like other posters have said, I wouldn't rent a car because parking there is very expensive. The good news is the hotel is just around the corner from the main Disney entrance! Included in your bill is a $10 a day resort fee that covers pool access, fridge, 2 bottles of water a day, and shuttles to and from all the Orlando area parks. It's nice the shuttles are "free" (you're paying for it whether you use it or not) but they do not come and go very often and there is no DTD shuttle. You can pick up a transportation schedule at the conceirge desk or the transportation desk. If you take a cab it should be under $10 plus tip because it's so close to the parks.

The resort itself is beautiful but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for food. I'd recommend eating at the sandwich shop or the Villa del Floro buffet, I found they had the best values. The H20 sports bar and grill was good too but it's self seating and no waiting list so the line was very long and while the food was good the service was very slow. Your kids will love the pool though they have a big one with an octopus fountain and slide right next to the convention meeting rooms.

 

[Rachie0507]

I was just there for a conference a few weeks ago. Like other posters have said, I wouldn't rent a car because parking there is very expensive. The good news is the hotel is just around the corner from the main Disney entrance! Included in your bill is a $10 a day resort fee that covers pool access, fridge, 2 bottles of water a day, and shuttles to and from all the Orlando area parks. It's nice the shuttles are "free" (you're paying for it whether you use it or not) but they do not come and go very often and there is no DTD shuttle. You can pick up a transportation schedule at the conceirge desk or the transportation desk. If you take a cab it should be under $10 plus tip because it's so close to the parks.

The resort itself is beautiful but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for food. I'd recommend eating at the sandwich shop or the Villa del Floro buffet, I found they had the best values. The H20 sports bar and grill was good too but it's self seating and no waiting list so the line was very long and while the food was good the service was very slow. Your kids will love the pool though they have a big one with an octopus fountain and slide right next to the convention meeting rooms.

That's all very helpful--thank you! I wondered how much taxi service would be--I'm from a small city and have never been in a cab in my life!! Since DH is busy working, I'm the only adult making decisions. I want to make sure I'm doing it all properly!

Thank you to all who have posted. I really appreciate the help!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

you're welcome, I hope you all have a great time. Anything else you want to know about the Gaylord let me know! I was there for 5 days and even though I stayed at another hotel my friends had a room there so I got to know the place pretty well.

 

[Kimberle]

Here is a lot of good transportation info:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=962377

Here is a link to Mears (taxi):
http://www.mearstransportation.com/TaxiFareEstimator.asp