I am thinking of staying off property but with no car. Wondering how the hotels that offer shuttles to the parks end uo working out? Do they come often, is it frustrating? Do they accommodate ECVs?
So not a good option for ECV? Can't rent a car this time.....will have the ECV for a few days only but if it's not possible I will stay on site for this trip
Getting most offsite hotels to accommodate an ECV is pretty iffy. Supposedly, you need to call in advance and make arrangements; so, a proper bus will come. It's not automatic. I've read other posts where this doesn't always happen even if you are diligent. Besides, most of the shuttle services are not like Disney. They have very limited pick up times back and forth. Some will leave you at Epcot or the central hub and then it's up to you to reach the park you want using Disney transportation.
With a car it's doable to have a scooter and stay offsite. We've done it this way and it's fine.
Now, if you are willing and able to rent a Disney scooter then you might be able to do it, but you have to be able to make it to the rental area on your own.
So not a good option for ECV? Can't rent a car this time.....will have the ECV for a few days only but if it's not possible I will stay on site for this trip
It's been a long time since I've stayed offsite. But from what I remember , the bus service from offsite location is highly variable from decent (every 1/2 hour or so) to horrible (1 or 2 trip in the morning to TTC and 1 or 2 trips back in the evening). Even without an ECV I would want to contact the hotel directly about the busing situation.
In the past, the best "offsite" hotel bus service wise were the DTD hotels (although they are technically onsite). They offered nice tour busses that ran on a regular schedule you could almost set your watch to (if I remember every 1/2 hour).