I'm planning a trip in December to Orlando to Visit all the theme parks in Disney and at Universal Studios.
I would like to rent a car but the only thing stopping me are the parking fees at each park. The hotel that I plan to stay at is Royale parc suites. (haven't decided between that or Crowne Plaza universal orlando)
Taking the taxi to and from my hotel will probably run around $30 a person round trip. If I rent the car (we're under 25), we would probably have to pay an under 25 fee, and we also have to consider filling up the gas for the car.
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posted: Sep. 18, 2009 @ 3:02p
jadeey
New Member
posted: Sep. 18, 2009 @ 3:15p
I am not requesting anything. I just want an opinion
MatthewTabor
Wacky Member
posted: Sep. 18, 2009 @ 6:57p
I'm actually in Orlando right now. I guess it really depends on your preference. I'm the type of person where I want to be able to go when I'm ready to go. I usually find a rental car useful when in the area. As far as the underage fee you can find contract codes to avoid those fees on the forums here. I am 28 but used to rent frequently before turning 25. The parking at the parks does suck! Do you know how many days you're going to each park? The Disney parks are a bit of a ride from the Universal / Sea World area. I've noticed that many hotels offer shuttle services - the only problem is the very limited drop off / pick up times.
If you stay in a Disney resort hotel you can get transportation to / from the airport for free via Disney's Magic Express.
jadeey said: I am not requesting anything. I just want an opinion
You will get lots of different opinions on this! Your best bet might be www.disboards.com in transportation area. People will post things like this all the time. It all depends- you will have to do a cost comparision of the car rental (did you check prices using codes in the rental car matrix?) along with the parking vs. the cost of a cab. There are some codes that waive the underage fee (do a search in the matrix and it will come up).
Since you asked for an opinion I would rent. We went last year and stayed on-site and Disney World. We drove to all the parks except the Magic Kingdom (which you have to take the boat, monorail or bus to). We didn't have to pay for parking since we were resort guests. It was much easier.
Try those and then determine which is more cost effective for you. Decide if it is worth waiting for a cab, trying to get one when a park closes, etc. No one can really make the decision for you.
When we have gone to Orlando we have only gone to DisneyWorld and always stayed on property. We have used Tiffany Town Car pick us up and drop us off. About $120 with tip round trip. Coupon in one of the Disney planning books so the cost was a bit lower. They will make one stop on the way there so you can pick up groceries. Disney bus system is pretty good for getting around so you really do not need a car if you don't want to drive. Not sure if Disney is still offering airport pick up if you stay on property. Their pickups are way too early when departing if you have an early flight. So as the previous poster pointed out you need to do some more research and weigh the cost/benefits for yourself.
I live near orlando and seems like every year they try to balance the budget without hitting taxpayers who vote. They do this by raising the rental fees and taxes. So whatever you do make double sure the taxes and fees are included with cost comparison.
jeffscott
Tired Member
posted: Sep. 21, 2009 @ 1:09p
I would choose renting over using taxi's, if you are going to use it every day. We will be going for the 4th time in Nov. with our kids, and we have always rented and stayed off site. We stay at places with kitchens and usually plan on cooking in the evenings and packing some food into the parks (food allergy issues), so we also like the added convenience of having a car. A car also comes in handy when you have younger ones who need to go back to the room for some rest in the middle of the day.
If you aren't worried about flexibility, then the resort's free shuttle service to/from the parks in the Orlando area is impossible to beat.
Here's the deal with Orlando...the public transport system is abysmal and we're definitely not a taxi town, so you're going to pay out your rear for a cab. I'm a native, a car is definitely a necessity here, so it's very inconvenient to go without one.
I'd check your hotel to see if they have a shuttle service to and from the airport and to and from the parks and go from there. It might actually work out in your favor to pay a little extra for a hotel that does provide these services and augmenting that with limited taxi use. The hotels in the Disney area are more likely to provide this service, fyi. Otherwise, you're going to need to get your car rental quotes and go from there. Personally, if I was going to both the Disney and the Universal parks (especially if I was staying nearer to Universal than Disney), I'd probably want a rental car so I could come and go as I wanted, go to the grocery store (probably won't be in walking distance), etc.
Also, this is going to sound cheap, but this is fatwallet . Depending on how small your budget is, bringing your own car also opens up the option of bringing a cooler and eating lunch in the parking lot. Theme park food isn't cheap and you can make a sandwich, turn on the ac, and sit down for a few minutes. That's how we did it when I was a kid. The only park you can't really do this with is the Magic Kingdom (travel time to parking lot is long). Universal parking lot cops might come over and hassle you, but they're mainly checking for booze. Also, water bottles and drink mixes are your friend. You can easily save $20 a day in food expenses doing stuff like this.
It's been a while since I've been to Disney World (7 years), but we used the hotel's shuttle service to the Park when we were there. We used Disney's free shuttle service to move between the Parks. The hotel we used back then was embassy suites.
jadeey
New Member
posted: Sep. 21, 2009 @ 5:09p
The only thing stopping me from renting a car is the parking fees at each park. I'm planning to go to 5 different parks and Renting a car plus paying for parking fees each day would be alot of money. I wont be staying at a disney resort.Royale parc suites does offer free shuttle to disney world and universal. I was thinking of just taking the shuttles for disney world and then take a taxi to universal.
That is a GREAT time to go. Holiday decorations up, and crowds should be manageable and room prices reasonable. Depending on how much time you plan to spend where, you might want to consideer renting on property at WDW. You MIGHT even still be able to get in on a free dining deal. There should be a few deals to be had- check Mousesavers. They will pick you up at the airport and get you everywhere you need to be in WDW. For Universal Days, you can cab over and/or rent a car for the day or two on Dis property.
There is also a public bus system (Lynx) which I have never used, but is worth asking about. I believe you can pick one up at the Disney Ticket and Transportation Center.
riaesq said: ...There is also a public bus system (Lynx) which I have never used, but is worth asking about. I believe you can pick one up at the Disney Ticket and Transportation Center.ProppaT said: ...Here's the deal with Orlando...the public transport system is abysmal...That's a matter of opinion, sure we don't have a subway or rail line (because of all the tighta**, selfish politicians and taxpayers), but the #50 goes through the parts of the I-Drive/Sea World area, then Lake Buena Vista, and ends at the Ticket & Trans Center (TTC). The #111 runs from the airport, past Florida mall, through the I-Drive/Sea World area, Downtown Disney, EPCOT Blvd, and to the TTC. If you end up in Kissimmee, then #56 goes right down 192 in Kissimmee (with a stop in front of Old Town) to the TTC. Plus there are a bunch of routes that circulate Disney, then head north to Universal or I-Drive/Sand Lake Road hotel areas.
All these Lynx routes run every 1/2 hours, from 6am to midnight (mas o menos), and cost $2/Ride or $16 for a 7-Day pass.
I've been to Orlando a few times. I can not imagine not having a rental car unless I was staying at a resort that provided to me all the transportation I would require at the times needed. Even then, if the resort-provided transportation only takes you to the parks, you are going to be captive to the food and beverage options provided at the parks or your resort, which tend to be very pricy.
I would suggest to the OP that he/she contact the hotel for transportation details, and to start pricing and making reservations for rental cars. The OP will also need to factor in the hotel parking fees, if any.
I've been to Orlando a couple times. You definitely will need a car if you plan to wander away from the Disney parks. But with only 6 days there, I doubt you will have time to even finish all the parks. You won't need a car, the shuttles will suffice. When you get to the parks, if I remember correctly, they're all connected by Disney shuttles (free) that go from park to park. So all the parks are interconnected by shuttles that run pretty frequently iirc. I remember going off the Disney parks to meet up with a high school friend on a cab, and it ran me about 70 dollars for a 25 mile ride.
FragOut
Member
posted: Sep. 25, 2009 @ 3:11p
I live in Orlando...ya don't want to ride the Lynx...it ain't worth whatever you will save to deal with the others on that bus/hassles of waiting
TomE711 said: I live in Orlando...ya don't want to ride the Lynx...it ain't worth whatever you will save to deal with the others on that bus/hassles of waiting"...with the others"? Care to elaborate what you mean?
The route down 192 is 70% (or more) tourist the "other" are mostly Disney workers, is that what you mean?
Stinkah
Senior Member
posted: Oct. 14, 2009 @ 5:16a
Since you are staying off property from park, def. Rent a car.
I use Priceline, and I can usually negotiate a $15-$18 day for a mid-size or full-size. THe only problem is, some rental companies are out of terminal, meaning they shuttle you to an off-site lot to get your car. It starts your vacation on a real downer, and is just an added hassle. My last Priceline booking stuck me with Hertz, which is out of terminal.
Since Orlando is the mini-van capital of the world, there are usually extra minivans parked in the midside & full-size aisles, and in the past, I've simply grabbed one. So you could gamble on renting a mid-size, and end up with a mini-van.
Does anyone know the list of rental companies that are in-terminal at MCO?
Stinkah said: ...Does anyone know the list of rental companies that are in-terminal at MCO?Typing the following secret code -- "on airport rental companies orlando, fl" into Bing Search, revealed this page!
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