Please help me out - going in January...

[jaysue]

Have some options to consider - want to have 3 days at USF/IOA - would be Thursday/Friday/Saturday

Accomodations - arriving Wed night, leaving Sun morning for WDW

1) I can stay at DVC in WDW and commute to USF/IOA

2) I can stay off-site near USF/IOA

3) Stay onsite - you will need the FOTL priviledges to avoid wait times

Never having drove from WDW to USF/IOA, is this something I should be contemplating or too much hastle/traffic

How close are the "off-site" hotels to USF/IOA - i.e. can you walk across the street?

Is it busy around Jan 22 or so when I am thinking of going and thus should stay on-site for FOTL?

Sorry my questions but I am a WDW freak and thought I should diversify my experiences in Orlando

Thanks
jaysue

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

Can't help MUCH...but here is what I can tell you.

There are some fairly close hotels to US/IOA, however I hear the commute back and forth to the park is horrendous. You have to worry about lots of traffic.

I would stay away from the Disney hotels only because it would most likely be more of a hassle.

Staying onsite at Universal is probably the way to go...though depending on your budget. Saving up for a trip and staying on site can get pricy, but the FOTL is definately worth it...and NO TRAFFIC! Big plus there. You do have to pay for parking at the hotel (even if you have an annual pass or something), but that's not a big deal.

January, I have found, is one of the LEAST busy times of the year. Maybe because it's "too cold?" I use "too cold" loosely, because this is Florida and those up north would find this weather rather warm! But I had gone to US/IOA in January and found the longest line 15 minutes long...Express barely any benifit. However, that may not always be the case...besides saving 10 - 15 minutes isn't too shabby....

Hope this helped..at least a little...

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Originally posted by jaysue
Have some options to consider - want to have 3 days at USF/IOA - would be Thursday/Friday/Saturday

Is it busy around Jan 22 or so when I am thinking of going and thus should stay on-site for FOTL?

Expect to see long lines at rides like Jimmy Neutron and Shrek, which will only have long lines because they're newer. And by "long" I mean 20 minutes.

It'll be super slow from around Jan 5 - mid/late Feb.

 

[tinaluis]

We went this past January (approx 1/18-1/31) and stayed off-site. The parks were practically empty on weekdays and only slightly more crowded on weekends. Of course, staying on-site and FOTL would be great, but if you're willing to consider off-site, I think you could get a great bargain at many of the hotels near Universal.

 

[cinamin27]

jaysue,

did you plan on staying onsite at Disney? if you want to stay in the same hotel for your entire trip, then I would recommend a hotel in the Palm Pkwy area. This road runs alongside I4 & allows a "short cut" from the downtown Downtown Disney area to SeaWorld & Universal so commuting would not be a hassle. I love this short cut when I stay around the SR 535/Palm Pkwy area. there are quite a few hotels to choose from & there is at least one resort (Cypress Pointe). Downtown Disney would be less than 5 minutes away & Universal 10-15 minutes max & there is hardly any traffic traveling this road!

We did a trip this past January and are AP holders & did not need front of the line. It is just my 10yr old daughter & I that visit the parks so we utilize single rider for rides that offer it so if you are not a big party & dont mind possibly having to split up, you would almost end up walking onto rides as a single rider. We always use it on Spiderman & MiB.

If you wish to stay offsite near Universal, then I recommend the Fairfield Inn Universal Studios on Vineland Rd. Thats the hotel we used in January & the rate was only $49 per night & was VERY clean, fairly new (built in 2000 or 2001 I think) & provided a free continental breakfast. They also have king suites with a micro & fridge for about $25-30 more per night. This hotel about a 1-2 minute drive to the parking garage entrance to Universal & is with in walking distance to several restaurants (Fridays, Carrabas, Ponderosa, BK) & shares shuttle service with the twin Raddisson's.

 

[alvernon90]

We have gone twice in slow season (September and January) and each time the traffic to USF was not an issue at all. I-4 had hardly any cars between Kissemme and USF, and the drive was about 10 minutes or so IIRC.

I had read stories about the terrible traffic and hassle, but even going in rush hour both ways was not a problem.