staying off site? best choice?

[Tammy296]

I'm new to staying off site. This will possibly be my first off site visit and I'm doing it solo (or with a friend).

Here's what I'm looking for for amenities /options:
nearby restaurants - either by walking or trolley, or on site - easy access to places to eat

transportation (free shuttle) to hotel from airport. From airport to a combination of parks/attractions. The more the better!

pool - something very nice. Bar on site preferred.

Possibly a jacuzzi in the room? and if not, I'd prefer a place that does have a hot tub somewhere.

If the room has a fridge and mic - all the better but not necessary. If it does have them, then a store nearby (walking distance or shuttle) would be preferred also.

Help make my solo trip a memorable one!!

Can anyone help?

Thanks
Tammy

 

[Tammy296]

I forgot to mention a free breakfast each morning would be nice too...

 

[spiceycat]

transportation (free shuttle) to hotel from airport. From airport to a combination of parks/attractions. The more the better!

sorry only Disney has that great transportation system.

most of the others won't even take you to WDW. If they do - it is generally only once of twice in the morning - and you come back in the evening.

the one that comes closest in Wyndham bonnet creek - but with the new charges think you will be better off with a rental car.

you can look at Floridays - it gets some great reviews

there are other timeshares - but you definitely need a rental car

 

[Upatnoon]

I'm new to staying off site. This will possibly be my first off site visit and I'm doing it solo (or with a friend).

Here's what I'm looking for for amenities /options:
nearby restaurants - either by walking or trolley, or on site - easy access to places to eat

transportation (free shuttle) to hotel from airport. From airport to a combination of parks/attractions. The more the better!

pool - something very nice. Bar on site preferred.

Possibly a jacuzzi in the room? and if not, I'd prefer a place that does have a hot tub somewhere.

If the room has a fridge and mic - all the better but not necessary. If it does have them, then a store nearby (walking distance or shuttle) would be preferred also.

Help make my solo trip a memorable one!!

Can anyone help?

Thanks
Tammy

A 1 BR at Wyndham Bonnet Creek is closest to your wish list. You will need to pay for transportation there from the airport and they now charge $5 a round trip for shuttle service to the parks.

Still, you will likely pay less than a Disney value and have that Jacuzzi tub.

 

[loinsley]

We are looking for a clean cheap hotel within walking distance to Downtown Disney? Any suggestions?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

sorry only Disney has that great transportation system.

most of the others won't even take you to WDW. If they do - it is generally only once of twice in the morning - and you come back in the evening.

That's not quite true, but the buses are usually only once an hour...and if they get full...usually if you are goiing to stay offsite - your best bet is to have your own rental car. The plus of a rental car is that you can eat anywhere offsite and even stop at a grocery store or even Walmart/Target. Soemtimes it's easy to get a great rental car deal, but you'll pay for parking at WDW.

All of the DTD resorts have a common bus. I think it runs once na hour. At least it did last time I stayed there. I can't say specifics, but some often include a breakfast included deal of some kind (kids eat free). one includes EMH access. I don't know about jacuzzis.

Some places further out - like I-Drive- are probably less reliable in terms of frequency. In theory, they are all walking distance to DTD, but the amount of time it takes to do that walk is usually going to be prohibitive. Also, the grocery store that's in Crossroads (the plaza just past the DTD resorts) has a reputation for being very expensive. Across from DTD is a Hess Gas Station. It has a mini-mart.

The Marriott World Center- again- at least the last time I stated there- had a decent park bus. It also has amazing pools. (check dates though; they are remodeling pools.) The MWC does not serve free breakfast though. It has it's own food court, and some high priced TS places. There's also a MArriott Time share very close- which may also offer much of what you seek. Very close to WDW.

I know of some places that include free breakfast, (or at least used to do so) but not the shuttle bus, and mostly they are not very close to WDW. That's your other BIG consideration. How LONG it takes to get to WDW.

The other part of your request- that they have dining or marketplace options - is pretty easy to find. However, in most cases, they are not going to be very budget friendly places to shop. More or less, you can count on every large resort to have food for guests to buy.

One option that pretty much fits your bill - actually two options- are the Swan and Dolphin. They have excellent free transportation to the parks (just as good as Disney, since they SHARE transportaion with the BC/YC/Bwk). The Dolphin has a 24 hour food court that's not too bad. It also offers refillable mugs, in-room fridge. The only thing not offered is transportaion from the airport. Tehy have really nice outdoor hot tubs, and fun pools. You get easy access tot he whole BWK/BC/YC area, including the WS of Epcot and HS.

Still one more potential option....the Hyatt right at the airport is pretty nice. It won't serve your needs for the duration of your vacation, but it is an option for your first/last night. You don't get free breakfast, but it's right at the airport, and you have access to the full in-airport mall, including several TS dining choices and a food court, so you don't need a car. I did not see the pool, but I think it's pretty nice- up on the roof. I don't know abouta jacuzzi. The rooms are very nice.

There's also the Caribe Royal (no bus, some food options, close, BIG rooms, fridge, great pool complex). The Gaylord (great pool, intersting interior Market place- but $$$, not sure about bus). Anything on I-Drive will have food options inside, but may not be especailly close to WDW. Some are very clsoe to Universal-but not really walking distance.

There's also the Mariott Village- which has several places owned by Mariott. I have never styed there, but it's close, offers buses, has several resort options (probabll a jacuzzi option among them), and it has it's own markeplace with even more nearby- including the big outlet mall.


There are also publoic buses in Orlando that are inexpensive...but they take a long time.

Mears offers a shuttle bus...and most towncar services will aloow a quick grocery stop. There are also several resorts (Dolphin/ Caribe Royal) that have car rental options INSIDE the resort. you can doa one day car rental, but don't expect good deals. Usuallly I find I can get a week-long rental at MCO for about the same as a two day rental.

 

[spiceycat]

to my knowledge only DISNEY offers airport transportation plus buses to their parks.

if any other (besides the airport hotels) place offers FREE transportation back and forth to the airport - please say.

disney buses run every 15 to 20 minutes.

ddh buses will be every 30 to 45 minutes.

WBC is now charging for their buses - so no longer free.

is the Marriott bus free? the one at Marriott's Grande Vista or Cypress Harbour was not.

if the transportation is not free - for this OP it does not count.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

["Does not count" is a bit strong. For me, it's always a choice of weighing cost vs. value. "Free" is almost always somehow added to the cost, even at WDW resorts.

When last I used the shuttle buses at the MWC they were free, before the Great Recession. (see below)

Also-Orlando is served by several airports, namely MCO, and the smaller Sanford (Allegiant Air) (Tampa and Daytona are also reasonably close). Disney's free shuttle only runs to MCO, so even Disney's free shuttle has a important limit, if you live near an airport served by Allegiant.

Again I'll say, I when I stay offsite I get a rental car. I offset part of the cost by including a grocery store trip. Any free shuttle bus/transportation- even Disney's - cost time. It is quite a bit faster to get from MCO to a hotel using an on-airport rental car place than it is to take the Magic Express shuttle (Which is basically Mears). One time we rented a car, and half of us took the ME. The rental car got to AKL over an hour faster. Since getting to Orlando is not free, and vacation time is finite, cost is always a factor. I also would not put any of the Marrriott properties in the 'budget' price range.


Here's what I found, which is probably pretty typical:

From Marriott's website:Transportation at Orlando World Center
Airport:
Mears Transportation operates shuttle service to/from the resort and the Orlando Airport. Tickets may be purchased at the Mears desk on the baggage level of the airport and cost $34.00 round trip per adult and $23.00 per child (ages 4-11) ($21 adult and $15 child one-way). Children under 4 ride for free. Reservations from the resort to the airport are required four hours prior to airline departure time. Reservations from the airport to the resort are not necessary in advance as shuttles operate 24 hours per day and leave every 15-20 minutes. The World Center is the first stop from the airport.

Walt Disney World Theme Parks:
Shuttle service from the hotel to the Disney attractions is available by 90-minute advance reservation for scheduled morning departure times. The cost is $15.00 roundtrip for adults or children. Children under four years are free.

As I said before, generally speaking, if you don't have a car, and don't want to pay for a taxi/towncar, then Mears is the other well known game in town.

From the Swan Dolphin website:

Yes, there is transportation to/from the Orlando International Airport. The fees are listed below*.

From airport to hotel (one-way fee*): Approximately
Sedan (up to 4 people) $82.00
SUV (up to 5 people) or VAN (up to 8 people) $97.00
Taxi Service $70.00
Limousine (up to 8 people - includes 15% gratuity) $219.75


From hotel to airport (one-way fee*): Approximately
Sedan (up to 4 people) $67.00
SUV (up to 5 people) or VAN (up to 8 people) $67.00
Taxi Service $60.00
Limousine (up to 8 people - includes 15% gratuity) $189.75

Note: While our limousines hold 8 passengers, large amounts of luggage may require an additional vehicle. (WOW!)

Mears Transportation - Shuttle Services to/from Orlando International Airport: Approximately
Per Adult $21.00 (one-way) $34.00 (round trip)
Per Child (ages 4-11) $17.00 (one-way) $27.00 (round trip)
*All prices are approximate and subject to change.

Mears is the preferred service provider for transportation for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. To make your transportation reservations, click here.

There's also SuperShuttle.

From Mousesavers.com: about the buses offered at the DTD resorts:
Royal Plaza is one of the Downtown Disney resorts, which operate their own bus system to the theme parks. The Downtown Disney buses run all day (from before park opening until after park closing) about every half-hour, and are much better than the transportation offered by most non-Disney resorts around Walt Disney World. In fact, the buses are more comfortable than Disney’s own buses! However, be aware that the drop-off point is slightly further from the theme park gates than the Disney resort bus drop-off, so there’s a little extra walking.

Also- looking at the Marriott Village hotels, it IS possibleto get a 'package deal' which includes 'free' transportation to the parks- for up to four guests, and breakfast. On the general info page for Springhill suites: Alternate transportation: Mears Transportation; fee: 40 USD (one way) ;reservation required
Estimated taxi fare: 50 USD (one way)