Staying off property.

[GrumpyMom25]

Just wondering if anyone can tell me if they've used the buses to Disney from hotels off Disney property? Most hotels say that they offer transportation to places like Disney, Universal and Sea World but wonder what kind of schedule they have and where the drop off/pick up point is?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Also wondering what the current parking charges are for the Disney Parks?

 

[WillCAD]

I've never taken the buses from off-site resorts. Most of the hotels don't have their own buses; there is a service used by many hotels that makes multiple stops on a set schedule, something like Mears.

It's the set schedules that would put me off. At some hotels there are only three runs per day, and if you miss the bus, you're stuck and have no alternative but a taxi.

I always rent a car in Orlando for convenience and time-savings, but I would never even consider an off-site stay without one.

Parking is $12 per day at the WDW parks. You can move your car from park to park as much as you want without additional charge; just leave the parking pass on the dash and you'll be waved through for the rest of the day.

 

[Robert P]

I've never taken the buses from off-site resorts. Most of the hotels don't have their own buses; there is a service used by many hotels that makes multiple stops on a set schedule, something like Mears.

It's the set schedules that would put me off. At some hotels there are only three runs per day, and if you miss the bus, you're stuck and have no alternative but a taxi.

Agreed. When we have stayed off-site, the set bus schedule seems very limited, and you could easily get stuck and need a taxi. Also, that same thing can happen when a bus gets there, and is already full to the gills from a previous hotel stop.

 

[beccasmom]

I agree that a car would be pretty much a necessity at an off-site hotel. From what I have heard, off-site hotels nearly all offer shuttles, but at different schedules and some charge a fee. Some even stop at other nearby hotels. My mom once stayed at a great off-site hotel for one night and was really disappointed with the shuttle service.

If you decide to stay off-site, check out their shuttle policy carefully to avoid disappointment. Of course you could rely on a cab, but that would get expensive. A car would make life much easier.

 

[Brian Noble]

I stay offsite about half my trips. I would never stay offsite without a car. If you are flying in, you have to pay someone to get you between the airport and the hotel, and at that point the modest additional expense of a car is well worth it.

In my experience, staying offsite plus paying for a rental car, gas, and theme park parking is often cheaper than staying onsite in anything better than a single Value Resort room without a car. I tend to visit during Peak Season for resort pricing, so YMMV.

 

[Edd]

Most of the hotels off-property say they offer transportation, but really it is the Mears shuttle or some independent and you can schedule them to pick you up. It is definitely not as good as just staying on the Disney property and using their transportation. The travel time between the hotel and WDW should also be considered. 1/2 hour to an hour on a crowced hotel bus or van can tax your patience after a day at Disney.

Most hotels off property do not offer free transportation to WDW no matter what they write or say.

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

I've never used the Hotel/Resort Buses, I've always driven to the parks. No Problem !!!
To repeat what everyone else is saying;
All offsite Hotels/Condos offer some sort of Theme park shuttle, sometimes free and sometimes there's a charge. They run about every hour to and from the parks depending on where you're staying offsite. Otherwise you pay a $12 Theme park parking fee for the day, there's no charge to park at any of the other Disney places, Water parks, Downtown....

Now for the good news about staying offsite.
Delta Non-stop from Boston to Tampa for the 3 of us during Spring School Break, $717
Cadillac for the week, waiting for us at the Airport (About an hour from our Condo at Orange Lake C.C.), $293
2 bedroom, 2 bath, full Kitchen, luxury Condo at Orange Lake C. C., a Gold Crown Resort, $600
5 days use of our Disney 10 Day Theme+10 Day Water parks+No experation +++ Tkt, $375
Oh Yah, 3 day Theme park parking fee (about 1/2 hr drive and walk from our condo door to putting our tickets in the turn style), $ 36
This years total for our 7 day Sat. to Sat. Disney Spring Break week, $2,021

Don't try this on Disney Property, I tried it before and it doesn't add up the same way.

Good Luck All,
Joe

 

[Brian Noble]

you can schedule them to pick you up

Bonnet Creek is a little better than this---it has a regular schedule, but it is not as frequent even as the DTD resorts, let alone the disney ones. If you search around the boards, you'll find some PDFs of the schedule from last summer.

Even so---there's no way I'd stay there without a car (and I'll be there---with my car---in just 9 days!)