QUESTIONS - Staying Offsite

[LaughinPlace289]

My wife and I are entertaining the idea of taking a last minute trip this December. Due to the number of Marriott points I have collected through my job we are thinking about staying offsite at the Courtyard Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre in order to save money (resorts in December are OUTRAGEOUS!). For anyone who has stayed offsite before, what transportation methods worked best for you? My initial thought was that we could try leaving our car at the hotel and walking to Disney Springs but it is a bit of a hike. I would prefer to utilize Disney Transportation and drive as little as possible but I know staying offsite we will have to make sacrifices in that department.

Any tips would be much appreciated!

 

[erionm]

The resort operates a shuttle. You might want to contact the hotel directly to verify shuttle hours during your dates.
http://www.marriott.com/hotelwebsit...Fs/OP_24586_CYLBV_Shuttle_Flyer_CO_1small.pdf

 

[wdwrich]

Using Disney Springs as a transportation hub to the parks is not a good idea. There are no buses between Disney Springs and the theme parks, so you would need to bus to a resort hotel and transfer. Also, the buses at Disney Springs don't start running very early, so you're going to miss a good chunk of the early, less crowded, hours in the parks. Shuttles from off-site hotels are notoriously inconvenient as you are locked into their schedule and some of them only drop off at the TTC. Honestly, your best option is to drive to the parks.

 

[ars0525]

I stay offsite & drive my own car everywhere. But I have an AP with free parking. Not sure what your tickets are? I'm not sure how much I would want to use Disney Springs as my "hub" for transport. The bus system/schedule there isn't like at the hotels. Plus I haven't been over that way in awhile, but it was very much under construction the last time I was which meant traffic everywhere.

Usually I am a big believer in the Disney transport system, but not staying on-site I have gotten very used to having my car & going where I want when I want. I even drive my car between Epcot & MK rather than monorail it cause I find it faster & easier to have my vehicle with me.

 

[Tink575]

Your best bet by far is to drive to all the parks. Disney Springs is a real mess and no buses from there go to the parks. If your are using points the savings on the hotel stay should make up for parking fees. You can still park hop, just save your parking receipt.

 

[loves to dive]

If you don't want to drive you might check out Uber, there is a thread on the boards started by a driver that has everything you could possibly want to know.

 

[gofordrew]

I 2nd the Uber suggestion. Your first ride is free, so everyone that has a smart phone = 1 free ride each. On top of that it looks like it will be about half the price of Disney parking, maybe even a little less than half.

 

[starsweeper]

We stayed at the Marriott OWC for one trip. We used the savings to pay for taxis to and from the park.

 

[rwdavis2]

We drive, even when staying on site.

 

[NorthshoreTigerFan]

Count me as another driver. I have always stayed off-site because I have a timeshare through RCI, but our last visit we stayed on-site. I actually prefer having my own car and driving myself...I found the Disney buses to be slower and not as convenient. Having said that, I don't mind driving at all and I understand that some/lots of people don't like to drive and especially when on vacation.

I agree with avoiding the transportation at downtown disney....it's a hot mess there and you can't get anywhere easily or quickly.

 

[LaughinPlace289]

I will look into the Uber suggestion. We have both used it in the past so we would not qualify for the free rides but if it works out to be cheaper than paying for parking every day it sounds like a good plan to me. We will be driving all the way from Kentucky and would prefer to touch our vehicle as little as possible once we arrive!

This is all great info. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[HopperFan]

Drive.

Stay offsite a lot and always drive. Driving saves TONS of time and you are free to come and go on your own terms. Walking to DS is not a good option and you would loose a ton of time in the morning until buses start running then there is no direct buses to parks.

 

[danielleburns]

Use the hotel shuttle

 

[powellrj]

We also drive. I love having our own car and not relying on anyone to get us around. Its easy to get around and you really aren't in your car that much.

 

[jsmla]

If we're planning on adult beverages we sometimes use the public transportation (Lynx 50) which takes you to the TTC.