Resort cost vs off site hotel

[dreamfinder]

Thanks guys you have been great.
I forgot to mention I'm in Fort Lauderdale and have to get to Orlando. Might play a part in what you recommend.

The Sheraton Vistana seems like a good hotel. It has the freedom of being able to cook your own meals as well as a mini supermarket to be able to make breakfast or tea so that's a plus.

For those who have stayed at a Disneyworld resort. How much does it usually cost to get to :
Universal
Seaworld
Outlet Malls
And maybe just to one of the main malls there.

Via shuttle. Bus or Taxi.

If you need to go from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando, then the DME doesn't come into play as that goes to/from Orlando only. How were you planning on getting from point A to point B? It's like a 3 hour drive, which would be a very very expensive cab ride. Heck, Google is showing you can get a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando for $80, while Mears is quoting $600+ for shuttle service (http://www.mearstransportation.com/global/Orlando) or $525+ for a cab. While the number of people in your party obviously affect the total cost, even at the $80 each way to fly one person, that $160 would very possibly cover your car rental.

While being able to cook your own meals is nice, if you have to buy food at their "supermaket" those prices may be a sticker shock. I can't speak to the prices here specifically, but I know the prices I have seen at other hotels while on business trips are pretty inflated. $5+ for a frozen microwavable dinner that you can buy at the grocery store for $2. And if you want a full selection of food you either need to get a taxi (yet again more costs) or deal with one of the grocery services and pay their service charges. If you look you can probably find another hotel that includes breakfast for the same cost (or possibly less) if that is your biggest concern.

The Mears site I linked to has a taxi estimator with several outlets/malls as well as the parks listed to give you a good idea of what it would cost each way via Taxi. Depending on who you buy your Universal/Sea World tickets through, some resellers offer a package deal that includes shuttle service for a reasonable price. But relying on a taxi to get you to all the places you want to go will probably run you $20-40 each way, so $40-80 round trip. When you consider you can often get a rental car for $20 or less per day those few trips can easily make the rental cost worth it.

What about staying on site and renting a car for the three days needed off site?

It's doable, the rental rates for the onsite locations at the Car Care Center or Swan/Dolphin are usually a little more than the airport, but there are also rental locations at most of the hotels just outside of Downtown Disney that you can easily walk to from there.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

In the past, we either got to Florida a few days early or extended our stay a few days, and stayed at Embassy Suites, Lake Buena Vista in a Lanai Room. It was fantastic! They had shuttles to the park, free.. a wonderful breakfast, and a Manager's reception. I do, miss staying on site though. BUT... this is a fabulous option.

 

[Disnee4Me]

Is renting a car a possibility for you?

But the cost of renting a car and paying for parking since he would not be staying on property, wouldn't that add up to quite a bit of $$$$???

 

[dreamfinder]

But the cost of renting a car and paying for parking since he would not be staying on property, wouldn't that add up to quite a bit of $$$$???

It might, but compare it to the costs of using taxis/shuttles to get to anyplace. A $15 cab ride is what one can often find a rental for. Also matters how many in the party. A $30 shuttle to/from Uni may be less than a rental and parking for 1 person, but a party of 3 or 4 people the shuttle costs more than offset the cost of a rental. And the tidbit they mentioned in a recent post about having to get from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando really skews a rental in their favor.

 

[dadddio]

What about staying on site and renting a car for the three days needed off site?

That's what we'd do.

Driving on the wrong side of the road (and car) will be kind of a pain, but it's not too bad as long as you pay attention and constantly remind yourself of where you are supposed to be.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

But the cost of renting a car and paying for parking since he would not be staying on property, wouldn't that add up to quite a bit of $$$$???

Possibly, but you could be saving $100+ a night by staying in a decent off-site hotel compared to a Disney Value.

You have to weigh it all up really, for me the convenience factor of having the car is great - plus it means I get to go different places for means and not stuck with the hotels offerings.

 

[projectaero]

The car hire is $140 for three days.
Parking at Outlets Universal Seaworld Ripleys is about $100 plus $40 fuel. So $280.

Shuttle bus or Taxi to all of these is about $140 but then at the mercy of the times available etc.

Also from what I can gather staying off site with car for 8 days is about the same as pop resort with car hire for 3 days.

I'm thinking if stress free means a care for 3 days and let Disney do the rest then it might be the better option.

Maybe.. I'm still weighing it up. Or as I'm coming from Fort Lauderdale get a car hire from there then do all off site first and then once done just do all Disney so the final 5 days I can relax.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

The car hire is $140 for three days.
Parking at Outlets Universal Seaworld Ripleys is about $100 plus $40 fuel. So $280.

Shuttle bus or Taxi to all of these is about $140 but then at the mercy of the times available etc.

Also from what I can gather staying off site with car for 8 days is about the same as pop resort with car hire for 3 days.

I'm thinking if stress free means a care for 3 days and let Disney do the rest then it might be the better option.

Maybe.. I'm still weighing it up. Or as I'm coming from Fort Lauderdale get a car hire from there then do all off site first and then once done just do all Disney so the final 5 days I can relax.

Depends, you can easily get a decent motel for under $50 a night and a car for around $30 a day.

So say $250 for a car and $350 for the motel. That's $600, 8 days parking say another $120 and $80 (assuming return trip to Ft Lauderdale in this). Easily under $800 for everything.

For the same dates, Pop comes up at bout $1050 (UK prices converted) and Caribbean Beach for $1550.
Assuming you would rent a car for the days at Universal and the airport journey, that's going to add $350 easily.

My view that is with the parks open until so late, the hotel room is really just for sleeping, the way you plan to pack in the parks each day - you really are not going to be spending any waking time there.
$800 vice $1400(pop)/$1900(cb)......I know what I would take. That's a significant chunk of spending money or tickets.

Staying off-site doesn't affect the holiday for me at all, to be honest, in the main it enhances it as I like to get away from the bubble for a short time. Nor would I find it enjoyable knowing I was paying significantly over the odds for a motel like Pop or smarter motel like CB.
The thought of being stuck on a Disney bus each day, yuk that's not magical at all.

 

[tigger1968]

So my first thought is that you are potentially biting off way more than you can do in the length of your stay. So far, you have mentioned staying 8 or so days, and plan to do Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and/or Typhoon Lagoon, Universal (two parks there), Sea World, outlet mall shopping, plus maybe a traditional mall. This doesn't take into account a visit to Downtown Disney. You also mention wanting to cook meals and make your own breakfasts. Simply put, I don't think there is any way you can do all of this in the time frame you mention. You don't mention any downtime/off days. Arguably you could do some half day trips (waterparks, Animal Kingdom, Studios, shopping) but the reality is that Sea World is more than a half day, and Universal is at least two days, and seeing all of MK and Epcot in a day each is challenging unless you skip a fair amount. Staying offsite involves travel time to each of these locations, and if you plan on cooking any meals yourself, you would be cutting short any nighttime touring. I would really suggest looking at your plans and revising them, or perhaps extending your stay. I realize you are coming from a very very long way away, and that this may be a one time trip for you, so I get the urge to see everything you can, but I worry that you can cram all that in to the time you have. Just my opinion of course.

I vote on property. I think you will get a better value given the transportation issues you may have. We have stayed on property and rented a car for some offsite needs before from the service center on property. Although with your having to travel to Orlando, perhaps renting a car in Fort Lauderdale for the length of your trip is your best bet.

 

[dreamfinder]

The car hire is $140 for three days.
Parking at Outlets Universal Seaworld Ripleys is about $100 plus $40 fuel. So $280.

Shuttle bus or Taxi to all of these is about $140 but then at the mercy of the times available etc.

Also from what I can gather staying off site with car for 8 days is about the same as pop resort with car hire for 3 days.

I'm thinking if stress free means a care for 3 days and let Disney do the rest then it might be the better option.

Maybe.. I'm still weighing it up. Or as I'm coming from Fort Lauderdale get a car hire from there then do all off site first and then once done just do all Disney so the final 5 days I can relax.

I think your parking estimate is a bit high. The outlets I have been to parking is free, and it is also free at Ripley's. Parking at Universal, Seaworld and WDW is all $17 per day. If you end up staying on property at WDW, there are no parking fees if you choose to drive to the parks instead of taking the bus.

I'd agree with @tigger1968 that you do seem to piling it on pretty heavy. Especially seeing a mention of Ripley's. While this may be a once in a lifetime type trip, or you may just be really trying to maximize your vacation time, I'd second revisiting your plans.

 

[BigRedDad]

OK, I will give you a lot of advice and you can take it for what it is worth.

1. Staying offsite can save you $1000s and get accommodations up there with Bay Lake Tower and Grand Floridian. The only thing you give up is Extra Magic Hours and when you can reserve FastPasses
2. If going to Universal, I cannot recommend enough the benefit of staying on site. Their FastPass system is more of "Go to the front of the line and laugh at all the people that are waiting in line" pass. You literally walk to the front of the lines and only have a few minute wait. I would never go to US without staying on site.
3. Timeshare rental places are your friend. You can get some excellent accommodations for less than $1000 a week.

What you save in staying offsite easily covers the cost of renting a car and purchasing an Annual Pass. Having the Annual Pass will be necessary to avoid the ~$20 a day parking fees. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to visit again within 12 months to make it worth it.

You can PM me for some other advice that I can't post here because of site sponsors.

 

[jaklgreen]

Why don't you first stay closer to Uni and Sea world and go to them first. Then move to a WDW hotel and do those parks. It is a lot to do in such a short period of time.

 

[Myamos]

Did that price maybe include your park tickets? I have never stayed in the summer, but room only prices are usually much lower than that. We always stay onsite BC I have never found a better deal for what you get. We also go in off season, as I mentioned, and until this year have always gotten the "free" dining plan so maybe my advice doesn't apply to your vacay time frame. The shuttle thing sounds complicated and stressful, especially in a diff country. Have you considered trying a quote from a US travel agent? I know the 2015 discounts were just released so maybe that will help.

 

[Disney Coco]

I was wondering how busy the disney parks are in June?
Average queue times?

Thanks

 

[Tuvalu]

I was wondering how busy the disney parks are in June?
Average queue times?

Thanks

The parks are very busy in June. Headline attractions can have wait times of an hour or more.