louise1928
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 27, 2001
Hi everyone
I just wanted to express my opinion to those who can't decide whether
to rent a car vs using the disney transport system..I have not been to disney
in years, however, I will be their in June..My husband and I did not hesitate to decide
that we are definitely renting a car,
Reason #1 WDW is not our main focus, we will be visiting other attractions
(We will probably only spend 2 full days at Epot, Animal Kingdom or MGM) Its just the two of us!
Reason# 2 We are staying at the Marriott Grande Vista which does not offer shuttle services
Reason# 3 We plan to not eat at the disney parks at all, and will venture outside near our resort for dinner, if only to save money.
If Disney was our main focus, and nothing else mattered, we would either stay onsite or one of the downtown disney hotels, without or without kids and use the shuttles, but it would also depend on how long we are there...For a short stay, definitely no car, but a week or longer, either way, onsite or offsite, we would probably rent a car...
I think it all comes down to what your plans will be while in Orlando...If your main focus is Disney, then by all means stay on site (if you can afford to), or look for a hotel/resort that offer
shuttle service...The downside to that is the amount of time you wait for the shuttle, or you may not wait very long at all....The time of year you are there will make a big difference.
Of course there are pros and cons to every situation, but it depends on the parties involved..With children, it becomes a bigger issue, due to the fact that they become restless, and some (especially toddlers) require afternoon naps, 2nd, if you are or someone in your party is handicapped, renting a car may cause an inconvenience, so the onsite or offsite shuttles may be better if they are handicapped accessible.. If the weather is hot, that could make a difference as well...Fortunately we had great weather at Universal, so we were there from sun-up to sun-down, just very tired when the day ended...This time around, Our days will have to be split due to the heat in June.
When we were in Orlando this past December, we were there for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, and Citywalk for 3 nights..A car was not necessary, we were fine without it...We stayed at the Holiday Inn universal and used their shuttle or hailed a taxi for a 5 minute ride..There was no reason to stay further away from the parks, not for that short period of time. We have already decided when we return to IOA/Universal December 2003, we will stay at the Portofino Bay Hotel, why?? Because we felt the hotel transporation would have suited us much better for New Years eve night, which was very very busy..., but otherwise the Holiday Inn was fine.
For those of you who have never been to Disney, go with works best for you and your family and budget, and once you are there, you can see for yourself what works for you, and what will work on your next trip...It really comes down to budget, size of family, time period you are there, and what itinerary you have planned...What works for others may or may not work for you...
But these boards are a great source of info!!!!!!
Just wanted to add my two cents!
Thanks
I just wanted to express my opinion to those who can't decide whether
to rent a car vs using the disney transport system..I have not been to disney
in years, however, I will be their in June..My husband and I did not hesitate to decide
that we are definitely renting a car,
Reason #1 WDW is not our main focus, we will be visiting other attractions
(We will probably only spend 2 full days at Epot, Animal Kingdom or MGM) Its just the two of us!
Reason# 2 We are staying at the Marriott Grande Vista which does not offer shuttle services
Reason# 3 We plan to not eat at the disney parks at all, and will venture outside near our resort for dinner, if only to save money.
If Disney was our main focus, and nothing else mattered, we would either stay onsite or one of the downtown disney hotels, without or without kids and use the shuttles, but it would also depend on how long we are there...For a short stay, definitely no car, but a week or longer, either way, onsite or offsite, we would probably rent a car...
I think it all comes down to what your plans will be while in Orlando...If your main focus is Disney, then by all means stay on site (if you can afford to), or look for a hotel/resort that offer
shuttle service...The downside to that is the amount of time you wait for the shuttle, or you may not wait very long at all....The time of year you are there will make a big difference.
Of course there are pros and cons to every situation, but it depends on the parties involved..With children, it becomes a bigger issue, due to the fact that they become restless, and some (especially toddlers) require afternoon naps, 2nd, if you are or someone in your party is handicapped, renting a car may cause an inconvenience, so the onsite or offsite shuttles may be better if they are handicapped accessible.. If the weather is hot, that could make a difference as well...Fortunately we had great weather at Universal, so we were there from sun-up to sun-down, just very tired when the day ended...This time around, Our days will have to be split due to the heat in June.
When we were in Orlando this past December, we were there for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, and Citywalk for 3 nights..A car was not necessary, we were fine without it...We stayed at the Holiday Inn universal and used their shuttle or hailed a taxi for a 5 minute ride..There was no reason to stay further away from the parks, not for that short period of time. We have already decided when we return to IOA/Universal December 2003, we will stay at the Portofino Bay Hotel, why?? Because we felt the hotel transporation would have suited us much better for New Years eve night, which was very very busy..., but otherwise the Holiday Inn was fine.
For those of you who have never been to Disney, go with works best for you and your family and budget, and once you are there, you can see for yourself what works for you, and what will work on your next trip...It really comes down to budget, size of family, time period you are there, and what itinerary you have planned...What works for others may or may not work for you...
But these boards are a great source of info!!!!!!
Just wanted to add my two cents!
Thanks
