Planning March trip- Never stayed offsite

[AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk]

Help!! I've been to WDW several times but always stayed onsite. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip in March. Money is tight right now, so looking at rates on Expedia it looks like offsite is the only option. Can anyone recommend a good hotel very close to WDW property, with reliable shuttle service. (we probably won't be renting a car) Honestly we don't spend a lot of time in the room so a clean room and a shower is all we need.

 

[Suzyq9241]

You might want to try Skyauction...

You can bid to win for 7 nights or a bid per night ....

It might be cheaper in the long run...

Also try to rent a condo (timeshare) from someone from one of the timeshare rental sites...

vacation timeshare rentals
sell my timeshare - which has rentals
my resort network

You can also check out ...

orlando info dot com and look for the magic card....

Orange Lake studio with them is 157.00 per night....

Its only about 15 - 20 minutes down the road from WDW


If you have any other questions I will be glad to answer them...

We go to Orange Lake every year for the past 11 years or so and we always rent from the timeshare places....We always get a great price....

We are going 3/30/07 - 4/6/07 ( 6 of us) and its costing 300 per couple ( 3 bedroom by the river island... we got a great price...

And I won a bid per night at a 4 star hotel for 113.00 a night ( it costs 240.00 a night regularly)... so I am leaving on the 29th of March and coming back the 7th of April....

This whole trip is only costing my dh and I 700.00 for the flight and the places to stay...

We will only eat out 2xs while we are there also going grocey shopping for the rest of the nights...

So all in all the whole trip including car rental, food, flight and stay it will be around 1200.00

I think that is good...

 

[blsx3]

Help!! I've been to WDW several times but always stayed onsite. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip in March. Money is tight right now, so looking at rates on Expedia it looks like offsite is the only option. Can anyone recommend a good hotel very close to WDW property, with reliable shuttle service. (we probably won't be renting a car) Honestly we don't spend a lot of time in the room so a clean room and a shower is all we need.

before you look at expedia, they are not always the cheapest, i would call a travel agent,,you do not pay them a fee, they are paid through the "destination" where you are going for getting you booked....the online sites do not always have the lowest rate because disney will not share their discounts with expedia, hotwire, travelocity, etc.....

example:

my wife and i are going value season Jan 20th,,,this was in the plans back in Oct...i booked my flight first...then started the internet search for WDW ANYTHING...i came across a site that had special codes that disney did not post to the public, until the week before the offer closed....you can always keep checking back with them, or see if they'll give you something extra for staying on site....

we are staying on resort (mod) and because i booked before the closed date of the special we saved $400.00,,,,we got park hopper, water park and more including pleasure island and a couple more perks that i can't remember right now...

www.wdwVacations.com

moral of the story,,,Disney is about customer service/satisfaction, they know they are the #1 destination....do not rely on the internet for pricing,,,i almost booked through www.disney.com, until i found out about the special offer,,then i called the travel agent....

do not depend on the computer,,,people are more interesting anyway,,,,

 

[spiceycat]

there is not a reliable shuttle service off site.

now the hotels in DD have a nice shuttle service - but sometimes the value resorts onsite at Disney is better.

lots of place for March are already full.

you can get a economy car for around $150 - sometimes even less - although for spring break you might not. go look on the transportation board for hints on discounts on rental cars.

now these places offer a shuttle service - but you might be sharing with others. So getting on the bus and arriving in the parks could easily be an hour or more apart.

look at each ad before you look at the price and see what it says about shuttles
http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en...t_day=-1&srp=RACK&nadult=1&nchild=0&x=13&y=12


this is a hotel that actually posted their shuttle service and times
http://www.bestwesternlakeside.com/

here is their parent website
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/selectHotel.do
most of these hotels are in Orlando and not close to WDW (in the above link)


always check the rates with
www.hotelkingdom.com
www.hotelmartusa.com
www.expedia.com


but you are late - so you might not find a good deal - especially without a car

skyauction is nice - but you might find yourself at a condo that does not have a shuttle or one with a shuttle for a price - generally renting a car is cheaper.

 

[spiceycat]

oh forgot - if you can change your trip to May or Sept - you got a much chance of finding a much better rate.

 

[spiceycat]

with pop at $133.88 for your stay - I would go with it.

you get free transportation from the airport and free transportation around Disney world.

I compared it to $76.70 per night at CYpress pointe - where you would need a rental car.

while Pop was $669.40, Cypress pointe was $435.27 add $200 for a rental car and it is $635.27 for 5 nights.

plus if you are determined to go without a car - then don't plan on any night shows.

the last bus is the last bus if you miss it - you need to take a taxi. taxis can and do get expensive after a while.

some people last year were saying how wonderful Howard Johnson was - so I really expected them to come back and say it was wonderful. well they didn't come back. but it is definitely one of your choices

http://www.hojo.com/HowardJohnson/c...numberChildren=0&rateName=Best+Avail&rate=000

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

For about $70-75 a night you can stay at the Comfort Suites Maingate East which is close to Disney Property. It's no 4-star resort but the rooms are spacious and clean. They offer a free breakfast buffet which saves you a few dollars each day. They also offer free shuttles to WDW, Universal, Sea World, and even to Busch Gardens in Tampa. Their shuttle schedule is quite limited though so you really have to base your park planning around their schedule if you want to rely on the shuttles. If you're interested here is their website: http://www.comfortsuitesfl.com/

 

[f7prez]

Start here http://www.downtowndisneyhotels.com These 7 hotels are on Disney property, very close to Downtown Disney and offer a very good shuttle service to the Disney theme parks. Check the many discount internet sites for cheap rates at these locations.

Expedia has POP for $119 mid March.

 

[spiceycat]

expedia site is without tax.

i forgot and someone mentioned the magic card.
http://www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard/index.cfm?act=offers

the grosvenor resort is a dd resort. so it has pretty good transportation. so the $89 for peak season is probably the best rate you will find with good transportation.

this hotel does NOT get good reviews.