Off site without a rental car???

[KCat]

After drooling over the trip reports for a couple of months, I finally registered to ask a question of my own. This forum is fantastic!

Anyways...

Is it possible to stay in a hotel off-site & get around without a rental car? I've been looking at the costs to rent a car & since I'm only 24, the "under 25" fee adds up quickly. Add the insurance & my low credit card limit to the mix & renting a car may not be an option anyways.

We're planning to go for 10 days & do a full tour of WDW, MGM, AK, plus Universal & SeaWorld & at least one waterpark day.

Since our trip will be end of November/early December, the parks shouldn't be too crowded so I thought the extra transit time might not hurt our touring too much. What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Maria]

I would say you can get by without it depending how off-site you are. I would suggest you getting a hotel near Lake Buenavista, if around State Road 535 or the Downtown Disney area, better. Most of those have complimentary buses to take you to and from the parks... just watch out for their schedules, because they don´t run all day like the Disney ones. If the worst happens, you could go to DD and walk from there (kind of a walk) or get a cab and it shouldn´t be that expensive. Taxis are kinda expensive though...

Don´t even dare to get on a public bus.... Orlando is not very famous for them... they are almost unexistant. It took me three hours to get to the Florida Mall once from SR 535. Good thing I did it just for fun, but I had plenty of time then.

I would suggest that you check with your hotel first and see how and where their transportation runs, then accomodate your days and places to go and rent a car only for those days you will need to get the car for. It´s always nice to be able to take a tour around Orlando and International Drive, specially at nights. :animwink:

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Originally posted by Maria
Don´t even dare to get on a public bus.... Orlando is not very famous for them... they are almost unexistant. It took me three hours to get to the Florida Mall once from SR 535. Good thing I did it just for fun, but I had plenty of time then.

PLEASE OH PLEASE don't take the public transportation. Schedules run ever 2 hours or so. so if you miss one bus you're totally screwed. I tried to goto Florida mall once and failed miserably. The first time i tried riding the bus I couldn't figure it out. I kept seeing a seven digit number and gave up after running around Sea World for an hour. (Later I found out it was the phone number to the company-I was looking on the wrong side :brick: DOH-OH-oh ). On my second attempt I only made it as far as Belz. I gave up after that.

Maria pretty much hit everything else on the head. Stay as close to the parks as you can.

 

[KCat]

So...if I take my hotel shuttle to MK, I should be able to take the Disney transportation anywhere else I need to go, right? (Avoiding the Orlando transit :animwink: )

 

[DisneyCP2000]

yip, Disney buses will bring you anywhere you want. Well almost everywhere, sorry you can't go backstage. :lol:

and yes avoid lynx (public trans) like all heck!!

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by KCat
So...if I take my hotel shuttle to MK, I should be able to take the Disney transportation anywhere else I need to go, right? (Avoiding the Orlando transit :animwink: )

Yep! Once you are in a park you can move around with Disney transportation to everywhere and catch your bus back from any of the places they deliver and pick up. Just be careful with their schedules and place where they park so you don´t miss it. :animwink:

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by DisneyCP2000


I kept seeing a seven digit number and gave up after running around Sea World for an hour. (Later I found out it was the phone number to the company-I was looking on the wrong side :brick: DOH-OH-oh ). On my second attempt I only made it as far as Belz. I gave up after that.

ROFLMAO!!! That was a good one! Me and my friend did it once leaving from backstage MK, and we were doing that to teach ourselves ot use the bus system there... we got to Florida Mall and the rest of my friends (around 6 other girls) who decided to get a cab to go, were sitting at the food court with thier bags eating and saw us come and asked "what did you buy??" We started laughing and told them "we JUST got here!" So they gave us some more time and then we all hired a van there and went to Walmart... to leave at almost midnight with gorceries and a huge TV for an apartment, while it was rainning, and the cast memeber shuttles were not running that night!!! It was hilarious! We had to call home and begged someone to come and pick us up in a Disney van... hehe :animwink: Long day we will never forget!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

2 choices - Stay offsite but get a car, or
Stay onsite = no need for a car.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there!!! OK to start, ask yourself, why am I staying offproperty?? If it is to save money, Id definitey factor in the cost of a rental car versus the cost of a hotel room on Property (Check the ALL Stars, specially if you are a Disney Club Member they are running great specials thru Oct 2, 2002 right now. With the special ($59 a night, I think but dont quote me) you may want to consider a Value resort on property and just get a taxi or Mears Bus transport for your other excursions. If yu are staying off property cause there is a few of you going and you'd have to rent more than one hotel room, Id say stay as close to the parks as you can do, and yes Disney handles all transport within its world!! Hope this helps. If you need information on the Disney club the number for them is 1888-347-6394. Good luck and have a great time.

 

[KCat]

Thanks for everyone's input. A couple of other thoughts...

I'd much rather stay off-site than stay at the All Stars. They just look so garish & tacky to me. The other hotels are all so beautiful but those ones look like they were designed with kids in mind.

But, if I were to spend the extra money to stay on-site at a hotel like Dixie Landings or Caribbean Beach, I would still want to get out of WDW to eat once in a while & save some $$ on meals. Plus buying grocery store snacks for the hotel room is a must for me. So, I think I'd be even more likely to want a car.

Maybe I just gotta make some more money so that it won't matter!

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey KCat I have been to Disney 9 times in the last 6 years and have stayed at either a Value or Moderate resort. As far as the Moderates, I have recommended the Moderates for several people I know and I like all of them. I have my favorite things within each, for example the main pool area in the Coronado is my favorite, but the sit down restaurant in PO Riverside I adore. As far as their Values, I think they are actually very cute. I tend to avoid them simply because they are usually crowded and have a lot of kids around. I stayed in the AS Movies and Music. Once with kids and once without. If it is a choice of staying offproperty in a hotel I dont know versus staying with Disney Id prefer Disney. I have a certain level of expectation and I know that Disney will deliver!!! I know I sound like a snob but I have heard some horror stories about hotels off property. Of course you should stay someplace that you are comfortable. And my original suggestion still stands as far as the disney club. The special they are running is for the Moderates for $369 for room and passes for three nights/ four days. That is based on 2 adults sharing one room. Dont know if that is in your budget though!! Good luck and anything else I can help with please ask!

 

[Disneynutcase]

KCat, you really need to do some research on the off-site hotels. Almost all of them say that they "offer" shuttle service to all the parks, including Sea World and Universal parks. However, we discovered that some shuttles aren't free, and, in fact, will charge you a certain sum per ride per person. Even if it's $2-3.00 a ride per head, it will add up. But if that's more within your budget, them go for it.

But I think some of the bigger chains actually offer free shuttle services to the parks. Try getting a AAA Florida guide or inquire thru a Travel Agent to find out which ones do and don't charge you for rides to the parks.

Years ago, I stayed at the Days Inn Suites on HWY 192 (I think it's called "Main Gate" area). They had a free shuttle service to WDW. Not sure where it exactly went, though. I think it was just to the TTC. But from there, you could hop on WDW busses and monorials to take you everywhere you needed to go. But if you go this way, you'll be devoting a decent amount of extra time to just getting you from hotel to the parks and back again.

The only red-flag in some of these free shuttles, like the one Days Inn offered, is that a lot of the people who stay in resorts that offer free shuttles are in the same boat as you. AND some of these shuttles are used by guests from more than one hotel in the area. Thus during park opening hours (from about 8:15 til 10:00am), these shuttles get pretty darned full, making you have to wait for another one or two to arrive before there's enough room for you to ride.

I agree with the cost effectiveness of staying "on site," especially if you can't land a moderately priced rent-a-car. Where have you tried to get a car from? Every rent-a-car company in the world--and a lot you've never heard of--have lots at the Orlando airport. If a certain company is giving you the "under 25" hassle, try another one.

And if you're looking for a good overall source of the available rent-a-car companies, try logging onto Orbitz or Travelocity and you'lll get a good idea of who and what is available AND for what price. I booked a car via Orbitz last April and I don't even recall them asking my age. Of course, I'm 37 and do not look under 25 so it was never going to be a factor--as in, no way they'd even question my age.

If I were staying off-site (and it's how I prefer to do WDW), I'd definately work hard to find a good rent-a-car deal. And there's no way I'd rely on taxis, alleged hotel shuttles, or public transportation to get me anywhere. Who needs the extra hassle and the extra waste of time? It's supposed to be a vacation, right?