Wow, do I have some questions....

[wdwrookie]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the whole Disney thing and just booked my first trip yesterday for my husband and I. I am going blind on all of the info out there, so bear with me if I ask a few questions that have been asked a million times.

We are staying at the POFQ. I could not resist the newness and cleanliness aspect of it and it looks really nice. What I am wondering is:

1. Walking distance: is this resort within reasonable walking distance to any of the parks (on the map is looks close to Epcot, but that can be deceiving)? I realize the bus system is great, but I was curious.

2. Are shuttles available for Universal at all, or would we take a taxi (we are not renting a car)? If so, has anyone done this and is it really expensive?

3. Speaking of shuttles, reagrding the boat system, I see you can take the boat to DT Disney/Pleasure Island. How long is the boat ride? Also, when is the last boat back to the hotel? I was curious if we got caught up at the clubs how early we would have to leave to get back.

This is a start to my questions anyway, but I'm sure there will be more to come! Thanks in advance for any help you could give us...

 

[#1hockeymom]

You'll be using bus transportation to all of the parks except DTD and PI. POFQ and POR are sister resorts, there is a boat that goes between them, or the walk is very nice and next to the river. That being said, you really have two food courts when it comes to meal time at the resorts.

There are no shuttles to Universal. You might want to check on taxi prices and towncar prices for transfers.

I wish I could answer your boat questions. I don't remember how long the DTD boatride was, or when the last boat leaves for the resorts. I do know you can also use bus transportation back to your resort from DTD and PI so that will be another option.

Welcome to the DIS! Enjoy all of your planning!
Debbie

 

[CBRorBust]

I know there are way more people on here that can help, but I'll throw in my two cents.

1. Walking Distance-I do not think that anywhere on property would be a good walking distance to get to a park. Except *maybe* the boardwalk area hotels and Epcot. Maybe also the Swan/Dolphin to MGM. The bus system will get you there in no time, and are VERY easy to use!

2. I do not know of any shuttles that will take you to Universal from Disney Property, but there are a ton of towncar services that will take you for either cheaper or around the same price as a taxi. Check out www.tiffanytowncar.com for rates from your hotel to Univeral. Taxi is another option if you want to go that route.

3. The Boat rides, Bus rides, etc. anywhere on property are I'd say 20 minutes max time. That is just me. There will be some people that will say they have been on a bus longer than that, but I really just don't see it lasting longer thant 20 minutes at MOST. In regards to the boat ride back, I have no idea what time the boats stop running, I'd like to say around 10pm. The busses on the other hand will run up to I think a half hour-1 hour after the last club at PI closes. You will have pleanty of time to leave the club and get on a bus back to your resort.

Feel free to ask a million and five more questions! That is what this whole DisBoards is all about!

 

[jimmiej]

I've done this twice. The boat ride is about 20 minutes & it's very scenic & pleasant. I believe bus service runs at least until PI closes at 2 AM, so I assume the boats would too. However, call the hotel and ask them to be sure.

 

[KathyTX]

Welcome to the DIS, WDWRookie! You've asked some great questions.

For getting between WDW and Universal, I checked the website for a towncar service, FLTours (www.fltours.com), and they have a round trip rate of $55, or a one way rate of $35.

Also, we have a terrific Transportation Forum right here on the DIS. The folks there are great at figuring out how to get around WDW, helping with bus and boat schedules and the like.

I know that you and your DH (dear Hubby) will love your stay at POFQ!

 

[Desnik]

Welcome to the DIS!!
Do a search on the bottom of this page and you will finda ton of info about POFQ.
Here's a link to another site that has a ton of info and photos of the resort, as well as maps:
www.allearsnet.com
As far as walking distance to parks, no you cannot walk to any of the parks from that resort. From BW, Y&BC, Swan, Dolphin you can walk or take a boat to Epcot and MGM and a bus to MK and AK. I believe that at the Poly and/or the Cont. you can walk to MK. These are all Deluxe resorts and are more expensive. You can sometimes get a really go discount at Swan/Dolphin. But, it is not a Disney owned resort so some say it has a more "hotel" feel with less "Disney" theme.

I believe the boat ride to DtD is about 10-15mins. Don't worry about getting back to the resort if it's late. The buses run up until 1 hour after the clubs close.

You will have to use the buses for transportation to the parks.

As far as getting to US, we have never done that while staying on Disney property. You definately could take a taxi not sure what that costs though. Try posting that question on the transportation board.

Ask all the questions you want. That's what we are here for!

 

[wdwrookie]

Thanks for all your help. I posted my Universal question on the trans. board. Even the boards are extensive! I cannot believe how much information is out there...it can be a little overwhelming!

 

[Gary M]

The Mears shuttle will take you from WDW to Universal. We took it a couple of years ago and the cost was $12 per person r/t plus tip.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by wdwrookie
Even the boards are extensive! I cannot believe how much information is out there...it can be a little overwhelming!

No worries. Just leave a trail of breadcrumbs in case you get lost.

 

[Momto8]

The only other resort that you can walk to a park is the Contemporary Resort, which is about 5 minutes to MK.

 

[memymomonica]

We stayed at Old Key West last year. They also have the boat service to DTD. It was a great ride. The lastest the boat ran was 10pm. We were there end of Sept-beginning of Oct. Not sure if it runs later during different seasons. We took the boat there, then rode the bus back to the resort. Never waited long for a bus no matter what time it was.

 

[S. C.]

welcome to the dis.

You also can ride in the front of the monorail with the driver. just ask the cm & If there are other families in line first then just wait for the next one, the cm"s are great about remembering who asked first. We love to ride in the front of the monorail from MK to Epcot.

 

[beglluvr]

POFQ is a beautiful resort... my DH & I stayed there on our honeymoon and loved it (very romantic). Our favorite part about staying there was the boat to DTD. It's such a peaceful ride and a nice change from taking buses. It's especially nice if you get a driver that gives a commentary during the ride. We learned a lot about the area and the new Saratoga Springs Resort during the ride and each driver does a different spiel. If I remember correctly, the last boat is just after midnight, but the buses run much later.

There's really nothing within walking distance (except POR), but we've always found the bus transportation to be great. There is never a long wait and we found them to be very efficient.

Enjoy your trip, I know you'll love POFQ!

 

[philaround]

I believe I saw on another thread that you could get a public trans bus from the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) for Seaworld and Universal. If you don't have a lot of baggage tp drag around this would probably work for you.