Please help me understand off site DRIVING.

[KBecks]

Hi Everybody!

I am working on planning our family's 2nd trip to Disney World! Last year we went on a company trip, added days and had a fabulous time. We were on site at the Boardwalk and it was.... GREAT!

We would LOVE to return to Disney and are currently sorting out dates and options and how to get the best value and best experience out of our 2nd trip.

We have a family of FIVE, which makes our on-site options very limited. We are looking closely at the Dolphin because we loved the Epcot area and the easy transportation.

I have done some basic looking into off site options, but it is SCARY. I am not sure about driving ourselves into the parks. Realistically, I guess it is not that hard to rent a car and go wherever we want, but I am curious about how you manage the traffic and the parking and... well, how does it feel compared to staying on site? How long does it take to get to the parks and park you car and get into the various parks. Our favorite parks are Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I have looked a little at Windsor Hills condos and DTD area and we are interested in anything that is 1) close and convenient... and 2) sleeps 5 for a decent price... and 3) has a nice pool if we go in a warm month.

THANKS SO MUCH! I am trying to get my head around driving... It can't be that hard, but it makes us a little nervous. With GPS all might be very easy.... I would love to hear your feedback, any recommendations. How much do you pay for a rental car? Does parking eat up a lot of your savings?

OK, so many questions! Thank you so much!

 

[KBecks]

Right now we are looking at dates also -- maybe.... December 2012, May 2013, October 2013 or December 2013.... so many choices!

I am also all ears for any great ways to save money on lodging or cars or airfare. Learning how to be a smart traveler!

We have considered driving to/from Disney but are leaning toward flying to maximize our time at the parks. Let me know if you have any deep thoughts about driving v. flying. Thanks again!

 

[bankr63]

I wouldn't worry about the driving at all. GPS will really help you get around, but it isn't mandatory if you plan out your route on Google Maps in advance. If you have a GPS get the POI file from mousesavers.com, gets you into the parks quicker.

One question to ask your resort, is there a charge for parking? Some do, some don't. We stay at Sheraton Vistana with free parking, so only the $15/day (might be $16 now, seems to go up a dollar a year) parking at the Disney parks. You only pay once per day for parking at all parks. Just plan that in your budget.

Getting into parking is an absolute breeze. The signage to the parks is very good, and you just follow the leaders to the lot. It is amazing to see how quickly they guide you into your spot - there is no driving around looking for parking, they guide you. Remember where you parked! We always snap a photo of your row marker so we can remember.

MK is the only one where you might lose a little time over resort transportation. The buses drop you at the entrance, but you need to take a ferry or monorail from the TTC over when parking onsite. This can add an extra 5-10 min, but it is pleasant and adds to some the excitement "build" for our kids.

On the way back home I think if you compare the tram to your car in the parking lot to waiting for the bus, you'll probably come out ahead. And your car will certainly get you back home quicker than any of the buses.

Without knowing your exact resort, it is hard to estimate the time, but the Sheraton resorts (our home resort) in the LBV area are about 10-12 minutes to the parking lots of the 4 Disney parks. WH and the resorts on the West Gate side of the park might be 2-3 minutes more, but quicker to the AK which is nearer to them. It really is no hassle driving there; signage is great.

Spend a couple of hours reading the transportation board here for the low-down on getting the best car rental rates. I spend more time on getting the best rate on a vehicle than anything else I plan, but we usually get a mid to full size SUV for our crew. They can be a bit harder to find deals on. If you only need a car, then deals are pretty easy to swing. With a bit of hunting, I don't think Orlando is any more expensive than any other city.

Finally for accomodation for a good sized crew, I think you have two reasonable offsite options; I don't think a standard hotel room for 5 is an option at all. You can look at the condo type accommodations at WH and the like - lots of posts on this thread about those. Second option is a timeshare resort, get a 2BR unit. Bonnet Creek is the pick of the litter here on DISboards, but all the major chains have luxurious options with excellent access to the parks. As long as your December dates don't include Christmas, you are in low season. You should be able to get a nice big 2BR villa or condo (sleeps 6-8) for about what you would pay for a single tiny room at a Disney Value resort. Do stick with a brand you trust for offsite stays. There are a million hotels in the area, and there are some real dives; the big brands run good operations. Search on this thread for opinions on your specific options; they are usually more reliable than the bellyaching over on tripadvisor.

Good luck with your hunting!!

 

[KBecks]

Thanks so much for the reassurance and the info! I appreciate your feedback and will spend more time digging into the off-site possibilities and try to narrow it down to what might work really well for our family. Thanks again!

 

[swilshire]

We have stayed on-site a couple of times and off many times. When you factor in the waiting times for the Disney buses or boats, you can often drive from park to park with very little difference in time. The Magic Kingdom is really the only exception, since the bus drop off is much more convenient. If you parked a long way from the entrance, the tram time would also add a bit of time when staying off-site.

When you factor in the extra space for a larger family for the dollar, off-site is a much better option for our family of six. We often stay at Mystic Dunes, which is right behind Windsor Hills. We also like Sheraton Vistana. Both are very convenient to the parks with only a couple of turns and very clear signage. Disney DOES have terrific theming and activities at their resorts, but if you're spending most of your time in the parks, you'll never miss it. If you were planning several days to just relax at the resort, you might.

As for driving, once you figure out which side of I-4 you're on and whether you're east or west of Disney, the signs will lead you to any Disney property with no problem. Most of the major rental and timeshare areas are also off a main drag, so you just memorize what your turn into the resort looks like and you're good to go. We don't get our GPS out the whole time we are in Orlando.

I drive in a lot of cities and Orlando around the Disney area is one of the easiest.

Sheila

 

[mjohnson96]

Check out Bonnet Creek Resort (not the hotel) you can rent timeshare points and be able to get a really nice 2 or 3 BR condo for a lot less than staying onsite and at Bonnet Creek you are basically still in the Epcot area since it is right next door to Caribbean Beach Resort

We will be there in a few weeks and have requested a Fireworks View room so looking forward to the trip!

Another friend of mine went with a package through travelocity and choose the Sheraton Vistana Resort and it also looks like a ton of fun and really nice.

Hope you guys have a great trip!

 

[Rosebud123]

Stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek! Gorgeous resort, super close to the Boardwalk and Epcot (and HS!) It is simple to drive around WDW. We've always done that, even when we've stayed on-site. We just came back from 10 nights at WBC. The ONLY traffic we ever encountered was a 10 minute backup coming home from DTD on a rainy Saturday.
Pretty sure I'll never stay onsite again. $120 for a gorgeous 2-bedroom in the middle of everything can't be beat!

 

[cyndik1111]

Here's a vote for windsor hills.
We have stayed off site and onsite a few times.
for short trips (2-3 days) we spring for Port Orleans FC- they just redid all the rooms, new queen sized beds.

But for a week or more, it's windsor hills all the way. You can get a 2 or 3 bedroom condo for $300 for a week during low season. They condos are spacious and we equiped. The resort is great- great pool! It takes about 5-10 minutes to get to the parks. Disney makes sure you find the parks! Parking was $15/day. I had no problem with that, since we were saving $100 per night on hotel.

In oct 2012 we are renting a 5 bedroom/5 bath townhome for $1300 for the week + 1 extra night. I couldn't get a moderate WDW room for 8 nights for that price. And we will have our own pool, grill, kitchen, game room, washer dryer, etc. Can't wait. Two families are going, and this trip is gonna be the cheapest yet!

 

[MK2010]

We'll be at Bonnet Creek for 12 nights in September. I've never stayed there before, but I'm super excited! I went through Vacation Strategy, but lots of people go through Ken Price and love him. In Jan. of 2011 I went with some friends and they stayed at Windsor Hills. I was really nervous, but getting to the parks was a breeze. We did get turned around a couple of times coming out of the parks late at night and we were just exhausted and not paying attention to signage. In Dec. 2009 we stayed onsite at ASMu with my family of 6 (myself,DH, and 4 DK). We loved it there also. But for this trip we got super discounted ticket prices through the YES program and our offsite hotel is way cheaper too. We're saving $2000 on this 12 day/night trip over our 6 day/night trip 2 years ago.

 

[TheKatie]

I don't think I'd ever do the parks without my own car. We stay at the Sheraton Vistana and its super easy -especially with a GPS -- I think our longest door to door time was 15 minutes. last Tuesday night we had dinner in Epcot at 800- started walking to our car at 920 ..we were in our car by 925 and in our condo by 931. I will NEVEr wait for a bus again even if I stay on site

if you have AAA go get the diamond lane parking pass which lets you go to the preferred lots.

We also did Universal, IOA, Sea World and Discovery Cove and I don't think we spent more than 15-20 minutes in the car on any one trip.

 

[Spunky946]

We stayed at Hilton Grand vacations cllub at Sea world, which is a beautiful resort, over christmas. We rented a car through Priceline and did name your own price. we got a car for about half off.

Driving on Disney is really not all that bad. There are signs pointing the way and we did it without a GPS.

 

[rrobin3051]

it is so easy to drive...i am going down the end of may and staying 11 days. I rented a condo at Windsor Hills for $790. It was 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I will let you know how it is when I get back. I usually rent a 4-5 bedroom home in Indian Creek and have loved it. This year waited to long to plan, but found this wonderful condo. I am going alone with 3 children 6 and under. I say anyone can do it. With GPS it is so easy and I think it beats the buses. I have not stayed on site in forever because I love the freedom of space. Good luck and you will have a fabulous time.

 

[*disgal*]

As you can see from my sig. we have stayed at all levels at WDW and more than a few places offsite.

Driving is no problem with a GPS. Even with that, sometimes a couple of mistakes are made but nothing major. You get to know your way around after a while.

Like previous posters said, we actually prefer driving over the buses. Even when we stay on site we usually drive. I love exploring Orlando.

(oh, and by the way, if you are offsite you HAVE to go to Flipper's pizza....trust me on this )

 

[rellinge]

Like many others have said here, driving in the area is pretty simple and straightforward. Here's a link to some tips on how to save money on your car rental.

 

[brownhaired_girl]

I see you are in Wisconsin. I don't know how far you are from Appleton but you might want to watch Allegiant flights from Appleton. I see they are flying in May this year. Allegiant from Appleton may have only seasonal flights to Orlando but you may get some nice prices. We just returned from a trip flying out of Grand Forks for $161 RT. This is about half of what the flights were running out of Minneapolis. Allegiant flies into the Sanford airport but it is just about 30 minutes further than MCO. Car rental runs a bit higher but the savings was worth it. For our car rental I looked up what it should cost on Hotwire and then bid at least 25% less on priceline. I also found that Allegiant tickets might run a bit cheaper if you split up your group with one adult with one child and one adult with the other two instead of all five together. I agree with other posters, You should definitely check out Bonnet Creek. We just stayed a week at Mystic Dunes which we got on Skyauction for $305/week. Although it was a nice resort it was a letdown after staying at Bonnet Creek.

 

[aussieGeorge68]

Last time we were at Disney World, we got a car despite staying onsite. It was a great choice allowing us to get to and from the parks and gave us a much better choice of dinning options.

Driving in Orlando is a snap, in Australia we drive on the left, despite the challenge of being on other side of the road we fine.

I would recommend buying a cheap GPS and setting it up and saving your destinations before travelling, we purchased a cheap $200 USD Garmin and it was fine. Taking your own GPS takes the stress out of it as you can learn the controls and how it works before your vacation.