stupid question - distance from WDW to Orlando hotels

[Treesie]

My fiance and I are planning a wedding at WDW, but some of our guests will be staying outside of WDW. How far is it for them to come to WDW. I mean, if they flew .. do they need to have a car, or are there shuttles? Also, what about going to downtown Orlando at night for the nightlife after the park has closed?

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[kilee]

First, WELCOME TO THE DIS!!! And congrats on your disney wedding!!!

There are 100's of hotels all over the area. So, driving distances will vary greatly. I would never recommend staying offsite and depending on hotel shuttles. They are 99% of the time very unreliable. They usually only run 1-2 times in the morning and 1-2 times in the evening. Not always in coordination w/ park hours either.

 

[Motherfletcher]

There are over 100,000 hotel rooms in Orlando. Which one are you coming from? I would recommend that you pick up a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" by Bob Sehlinger. They have researched and list not distances but drive times from several hotels. If you plan on going downtown you will need to rent a car.
WDW internal transportation is good but outside shuttles aren't.

 

[Brian Noble]

But, no matter where they stay, they'll want a car if they are offsite. (For many people, that can make an on-site Value category resort more appealing.)

 

[GrandFloridianGirl]

If your guests are staying anywhere around WDW offsite, the travel time (depending on where the hotel is) to downtown Orlando is about 25-30 minutes also depending on what bar/restaurant they are going to.
I also wanted to welcome you and wish you best of luck on your wedding!

 

[spiceycat]

some hotels have shuttles - but these are only 3 or 4 times in the morning and 2 or 3 times in the evening... if they stay to see the party closing - their buses will be gone and they will have to take a taxi.

they are not good transportation.

so they would definitely need a rental car.

most of the hotels don't offer tranportation to the airport. Disney does!!!!

the DME is a big selling point, too!!!

so is EMH - if they are going to the parks.

Congratulations!!!

Kissimmee area and Lake buena Vista (where WDW is located) are much closer than Orlando.

 

[ducklite]

As far as downtown nightlife, there's basically two places to go. One is Church Street Station which is boring and most locals no longer bother. The other is Wall Street Plaza. $5 buys a wristband and you can get into I want to think 6 clubs. There's also a band on a stage outside--usually some of the best local bands. You can walk across the street and pay an additional cover and see a band at the Social--one of our "lovely" rock dives. A lot of people go back and forth between the two--it's still cheaper than a wristband for CST or the PI clubs.

From the Wall Street Plaza area it's a cheap cab ride to the downtown hotels, you could actually safely walk to the Embassy Suites from there. The area around Church Street Station is iffy at best, and not one you'd want to walk around in.

From that area to WDW, expect cab fare to be minimum $25 depending on the time of day and where in WDW you are going. If you get hung up in traffic it could easily be $75. I got stuck in a traffic jam leaving Wall Street Plaza last weekend and it took me almost 15 minutes to get onto I-4 from the parking garage around the corner from WSP.

Anne

 

[spiceycat]

okay I disagree - I think PI in DD and Citywalk in US/IOA can be fun at night - so can BW....

BW and PI are on Disney property. Citywalk is on US/IOA.

I even at times like Old Town

the last time I looked Church Street Station was gone. It got gone when the merchandise complainted about closing that street....

 

[ducklite]

okay I disagree - I think PI in DD and Citywalk in US/IOA can be fun at night - so can BW....

BW and PI are on Disney property. Citywalk is on US/IOA.

I even at times like Old Town

the last time I looked Church Street Station was gone. It got gone when the merchandise complainted about closing that street....

Disagree with what? The OP asked about DOWNTOWN ORLANDO nightlife--and that's what I gave her. CSS still has a small handful of clubs open, but nobody goes there except tourists. If you've got transportation, Wall Street Plaza is by far the most cost effective place to party at night. $5 to park, $5 to get in, and much cheaper drinks than any of the clubs at DTD or UCW.

Anne

 

[spiceycat]

so sorry!!! I need to read more carefully!!!