Initial planning: even feasible without a car?

[LizzieBananas]

Hi all.
I’m new to the forum so apologies if this has been asked a million times before...

I can’t drive for medical reasons and so I am hoping to use your knowledge to see just how feasible it even is to do Disney (and the other famous Florida attractions e.g. universal and Cape Canaveral) without a car .

Don’t know if this affects it but I would be travelling on my own but would have to travel in British school holidays.

 

[Weather_Lady]

It's very doable, so long as you have a sufficient budget for rideshares or other (taxi, towncar) hired transportation. We never rent a vehicle: unless we're able to use Disney's complimentary Magical Express to/from the airport (this will no longer be an option after 2021 except as a paid service), we rent a towncar for trips from the airport to our hotel (to ensure sufficient space for luggage, and a timely and comfortable ride), and rely on rideshares (e.g., Uber and Lyft, which are easy to find in the Orlando area) for transferring from Universal to Disney, or for other off-site jaunts to local attractions. (*In the COVID age, you will have to consider how you feel about hired transportation.)

While at Disney, you can go anywhere around the property (between parks, Disney Springs, onsite hotels) using complimentary Disney transportation. Similarly, at Universal, the two parks and CityWalk are all within walking distance from one another, and all of the onsite hotels have walking paths or complimentary bus/boat transportation to the parks.

Personally, assuming you want to spend multiple days/nights at each destination, I'd stay onsite at Disney during the Disney leg of your trip, and then change hotels to stay onsite at Universal for that portion. Cape Canaveral is some 60 miles away from Disney/Universal, so you'll want to price out different transportation options if it's a day trip.

If you opt to stay off-site, you might want to focus on hotels that offer complimentary shuttles to Disney World and/or some of your other intended destinations.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Disney is one of the best vacation spots you can be at for ease to get around with reliable modes of transportation. If you are staying onsite, each resort has bus areas with clearly marked signage so you know where to ready yourself for the ride to each park or resort. You can see timetables for when buses are due to arrive. They run all throughout the day and evening. Other options which may be pricey for you are Lyft/ Uber/ or taxi (which is more expensive) There are boats/ ferries that transport you over the waterways as well.
I drive to WDW now and once I arrive, the car keys are locked up in the room safe and I dont touch them again until we are ready to leave.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Others have covered most of the below:

Staying Disney Property
- allows you to use Disney’s transportation for all Disney Parks, Disney Springs, etc....that will suite all of your Disney needs

Offsite Stays
- Many have shuttles to Disney, Universal and SeaWorld

Rideshare, Uber and Lyft can fill in the gaps of either on property or offsite

Cape Canaveral might require a little more research (I’ll edit later with what details are available), but there has to be busing, or public transport of some type

This Forum has many knowledgeable members who are happy to help;sometimes you’ll have to sift through differing recommendations as well as some more “passionate “ responses

 

[aliceismad]

Cape Canaveral might require a little more research (I’ll edit later with what details are available), but there has to be busing, or public transport of some type

This Forum has many knowledgeable members who are happy to help;sometimes you’ll have to sift through differing recommendations as well as some more “passionate “ responses

Pre-covid there were tours/shuttles from Orlando to the Kennedy Space Center. Something like this might be an option. https://www.grayline.com/tours/orlando/kennedy-space-center-transportation-only-5873_40_12130_1212/

 

[Disdude71]

I am not a driver either, and I have gone many times. I usually stay on Disney property just to make it easier to use their transportation. If I go to Universal as well, I just switch over to a Universal hotel or something within walking distance to the parks. I do not live far from Orlando so I take the Amtrak there, use Uber or Lyft to get to and from my resort, and as I said I use Disney transportation around the resort. I have never really had any problems with this system. I do travel by myself so that helps as well. It is defintely do-able

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

As others have said, getting around within both Universal and WDW is easy. If possible, stay onsite at Universal, and ideally at one of the 3 deluxe hotels. Sapphire Falls is a great choice. All the rest have busses, and are doable, but those top 4 are especially easy- and 3 of them come with express pass.

Cape Canaveral is a little more of a challenge, as it is a ways away. On the other hand, if you want to visit a beach, there are some fun options, where you could stay right on the beach (Daytona comes to mind) and perhaps have walking access to a number of food options.
If you stayed in Old Town St. Augustine, the central area is also walkable. (though Old town isn't on the beach). I don't recall where we stayed, but I recall being able to walk to quite a few places, and tons of dining.

There's also places like Margaritaville that's supposed to have a ton in one, but I have been there yet. Many folks like Bonnet Creek (within WDW property). Some of the offsite WDW hotels have iffy shuttles. They only come once an hour or so. Some of the options near Universal though are within a short distance and have regular shuttles. We had a car, but we liked staying on (or near) Major Blvd for Universal. It was close enough to walk if we wanted.