Ramada I-Drive without a car?

[torsie24]

Good morning!

I'm not sure if you remember but a colleague of mine was asking my advice for their upcoming Orlando holiday.

He won't be renting a car, and has a young daughter, so I said go for onsite (Pop) as they will mostly be at Disney.

Over the weekend he's been researching himself and has found a Ramada on I-drive that's £300 less than Pop and includes breakfast.

He was lured in by talks of a free shuttle to the parks, which on further inspection by me seems to only drop off/pick up at the TTC. But he can't understand why I see this as problematic, and I don't want to insult his hotel choice, as he's nt very good on computers and was really proud of himself to have found a hotel for £300 less than Pop.

I can't help but think he could get an Idrive hote cheaper than that, and that a £300 saving isn't worth the hassle that travelling to Disney from I drive daily is going to cause.

I've suggested now that he does a week onsite, or at a DTD hotel, and a week on IDrive, as the low prices are really now preventing him from even considering my recommendations.

So where should I suggest on I-Drive? Is the Ramada good?

(Now I see why you all called me brave for helping him! )

 

[WiganTony]

Perhaps if you explain to your colleague the size of Disney for starters, and the times involved getting around between the TTC and theother parks, may be a starting point.

Plus you can always add-in that he could be wasting several hours a day by using shuttles.

Another option for accommodation may be to look at the Downtown Disney Hotels, potentially cheaper than staying on-site, but with a frequent bus service to each of the parks (and within easy walking distance of DTD and Crossroads).

 

[torsie24]

Thanks Tony....I have tried....

 

[Marks281172]

Its certainly possible to be car-less on idrive but its not easy by any means. In my experience hotel shuttles are a bit infrequent, not always the most comfy rides in the world and may go to several other hotels rather than direct so you could lose a sizeable chunk of the holiday sitting in mini-coaches.

As wigantony said new visitors to Orlando never seem to appreciate the shear scale of the place and although i-drive sounds perfect with so many restaurants and attractions on one 'street' you really need to understand that most things arent walking distance from each other.

The Trolley is great though and for getting up and down idrive is perfect, but if the focus of the holiday in Disneyworld then for the sake of £300 i would definately go onsite. Breakfast platters at Pop/All stars are pretty reasonable so not a huge added expense, specially with a little one.

Unless the £300-£500 extra really is an issue (including the breakfast) i would definately push for on site as Disney Transportation is priceless.

 

[irishthemeparkfan]

Another thing you need to tell him is that last year the Ramada Inn did not have any transport to any of the non-disney parks. We walked to universal a few times, but it might be a bit far for small children.

 

[izzie-wizzie]

If its the Ramada Lakeside on I Drive (beside Wet and Wild) then run a mile!!!!

Thats where I Stayed last October and it was probably the worst hotel i have ever stayed in, the staff so rude, the housekeepers breaking things, and bed bugs.

 

[Kath2003]

Good morning!

I'm not sure if you remember but a colleague of mine was asking my advice for their upcoming Orlando holiday.

He won't be renting a car, and has a young daughter, so I said go for onsite (Pop) as they will mostly be at Disney.

Over the weekend he's been researching himself and has found a Ramada on I-drive that's £300 less than Pop and includes breakfast.

He was lured in by talks of a free shuttle to the parks, which on further inspection by me seems to only drop off/pick up at the TTC. But he can't understand why I see this as problematic, and I don't want to insult his hotel choice, as he's nt very good on computers and was really proud of himself to have found a hotel for £300 less than Pop.

I can't help but think he could get an Idrive hote cheaper than that, and that a £300 saving isn't worth the hassle that travelling to Disney from I drive daily is going to cause.

I've suggested now that he does a week onsite, or at a DTD hotel, and a week on IDrive, as the low prices are really now preventing him from even considering my recommendations.

So where should I suggest on I-Drive? Is the Ramada good?

(Now I see why you all called me brave for helping him! )

We've done it to Disney from around the same area; either use the hotel shuttles or the Lynx buses (8 to Sea World, free transfer to the 50). Takes about 30 minutes. No hassle whatsoever. $2 each way or a 7-day unlimited pass for $16. They will mail bus passes to the UK at no charge.

We do it because it saves more than £300 because you can eat off-site too (and we prefer the dining choices off-site). Staying somewhere nearer to Sea World would mean they don't have to transfer. We like the Four Points up near Universal Studios but that's quite far north if you're going to Disney every day.

Try tripadvisor for reviews of various hotels; I've always wanted to stay in the Doubletree Castle personally I'm sure his daughter would love to stay in a pink castle!

 

[EvertonCJ]

We stayed off site on International Drive in 2003. The hotel we stayed in advertised free shuttles to all of the parks, but it was a nightmare. They would have a 15 seater bus turn up and there would be 40 people waiting to get on it. At the end of the day we could never find the bus pick up point so ended up spending money on taxis. Since then, we have stayed on-site on 7 different occasions and there is no comparison to how convenient staying at Disney actually is. Tell your friend for £300 extra, Disney is well worth it.

 

[rpbert1]

Never stayed Ramada, but a few years ago, friends where planning to stay there, and asked if we could have a look. We went to the desk and asked if we could check a room out as we where planning a family stay the following year. the rooms where ok, nothing special, but for £300 more for Pop, he should stay there, i would not pay more than $35 a night at Ramada even with free breakfast

 

[wideeyes]

It is hard planning a trip when you don't know the area, I remeber first looking at brochures years ago and not understanding all the areas and distances.

Just to add if he does stay on Idrive My aunt stayed on Idrive without a car (with kids) and didn't have anything bad to say about the buses. They were amazed they could also use disney transport to get between the parks. If he is budget minded like my aunt he may prefer being near the restaurants on Idrive. If he is set on it I would just help him get a better deal on Idrive.

 

[Kath2003]

Just to add if he does stay on Idrive My aunt stayed on Idrive without a car (with kids) and didn't have anything bad to say about the buses. They were amazed they could also use disney transport to get between the parks. If he is budget minded like my aunt he may prefer being near the restaurants on Idrive. If he is set on it I would just help him get a better deal on Idrive.

This. The buses are easy enough but then I don't have kids (but I guess it's not much different to taking the bus around Disney - perhaps quicker in some instances ). The public buses drop off and pick up at several stops around Disney including DTD & the TTC. Like I said, there are other reasons for wanting to stay off-site also, so if that's what he wants, I would suggest getting him an I-Drive hotel nearer to Sea World.

Tripadvisor rates - in the SW/I-Drive area and relatively similar to the Ramada - the Hilton Garden Inn at Sea World; Fairfield Inn & Suites at Sea World; Holiday Inn Express (7276 I-Drive); Doubletree (10100 I-Drive - I think this is formerly the Sheraton World Resort) and the Radisson (8444 I-Drive). Have a look around; there are deals to be had and if he wants I-Drive, let him go for it. It's great fun

 

[irishthemeparkfan]

If its the Ramada Lakeside on I Drive (beside Wet and Wild) then run a mile!!!!

Thats where I Stayed last October and it was probably the worst hotel i have ever stayed in, the staff so rude, the housekeepers breaking things, and bed bugs.

I stayed last May and never encountered any of this. The rooms were basic but seemed fine to us.

 

[rpbert1]

get some prices of other resorts on IDrive like others said, i saw the Peabody for £54 a night, whic is a steal at that price.

 

[izzie-wizzie]

I stayed last May and never encountered any of this. The rooms were basic but seemed fine to us.

I actually thought the rooms were nice - and the view of wet and wild cool!

Unfortunately, their service / cleanliness was just shocking on a number of matters that I wont go into (and im usually the least fussy / complainy person in hotels). But luckily we had such a good time at the parks it didnt ruin our trip

 

[Red-Snapper]

get some prices of other resorts on IDrive like others said, i saw the Peabody for £54 a night, whic is a steal at that price.

The Peabody is in the middle of a huge expansion/building project and the current reviews on Tripadviser are awful - that is probably why there is the cheap price at the moment.

 

[Dollyrar]

At the end of the day Torsie, you've tried to help the guy and he doesn't want to listen. I think this may just be a case of leaving him to it, and letting him make his own mistakes.

A lot of the fun with a holiday for me (and the other people on these boards) is the planning and preparation. As hard as we find it to accept, some people just don't want to know about that stuff, and just want to book and go. I find it utter lunacy that they would spend that much money, and not potentially make the most of every day. However, you just need to accept that you're not responsible for them making the most of their vacation, and it sounds like it will just frustrate you in the long run if you take any more responsibility in this regard. I would just let him pick the cheapest hotel he can, and then you won't be worrying about him blaming any issues on you.

The only reason we get like this, is because we know how special WDW etc can be if done properly. I hate hearing people talk negatively about Florida, just because they didn't make the effort to read a book or do any research before they went

For the record, I would be chuffed to bits if someone like you was helping me with a trip to somewhere I had never been before

 

[rpbert1]

The Peabody is in the middle of a huge expansion/building project and the current reviews on Tripadviser are awful - that is probably why there is the cheap price at the moment.

They are due to be finished in OCTober, apparently people who stayed there this year said it never had any effect on their stay, but that it was practically finished.
I take trip advisor with a pinch of salt, as some people are quick to complain about the slightest thing , and blow it out of proportion, probably to try and get something for nothing for their next trip.

 

[Lizzybear]

I've stayed on I-drive twice without a car (family trips... I didn't have my license then and my mum wasn't keen on the idea of driving in the US) I have to say I found getting to local attractions such as Seaworld and Universal very easy but as for Disney we found the shuttles rather inconvenient, they had something like 2 drop-offs and 2 pick-ups and it wasn't to each individual park so it was nigh on impossible to get to most of them for opening. We just adapted to the circumstances and took it easy in the middle of the day but I much prefer being able to take a break which is hard if you're not staying onsite or driving. We did the Lynx bus thing from Disney once but found the journey too long. Also, these trips were when me and my sister were teenagers or older, not as children. I think a week onsite and a week off is a good compromise for those who can't or don't want to drive