Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

Bow

Has anyone stayed at the Econo Lodge inn and suites? If so do u recommend it?

I have seen a fairly cheap deal staying here. If anyone has stayed do u need a car or could you managed without?
It does say free shuttle to universal and disney.

We are not planning on going shopping just visiting the parks as we have young children.

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

bow friends of ours have stayed there they said its basic but clean
its on I-drive which we have stayed and you can get about fine without a car from there

blue_monkey_2

spoonk1 wrote: »

Just had a quick look on the tomson site as you said and flights going from gatwick on the 1st june to the 15th june are £291.98 each. for 4 plus taxes and charges that's still only £1,167.92

Apologies, i am confused as to who did and did not want a car so I thought I would tag it onto this thread.

Thompson and other cheaper Airlines fly into Sanford so this is just something to be aware of. Sanford is further north than MCO and is around an hours drive from International Drive/WDW.

Disney Magical Express will NOT collect from Sanford, just Orlando International. Taxi will be around $200 each way with tip, there is no Downtown Disney Check in and you will most definately need a car to get to and from there. I think that there is no shuttle service from the airport like there is MCO, too. Travel City Direct used to operate something out of LBV shopping but I am not sure if they still offer this.

Just so that you are aware of this really. It would be all very well to book a cheap flight only to find it was going to cost a fortune in extra taxis and lost time on your holiday, to get to and from there if you was not hiring a car.

meer53

blue_monkey wrote: »

Apologies, i am confused as to who did and did not want a car so I thought I would tag it onto this thread.

Thompson and other cheaper Airlines fly into Sanford so this is just something to be aware of. Sanford is further north than MCO and is around an hours drive from International Drive/WDW.

Disney Magical Express will NOT collect from Sanford, just Orlando International. Taxi will be around $200 each way with tip, there is no Downtown Disney Check in and you will most definately need a car to get to and from there. I think that there is no shuttle service from the airport like there is MCO, too. Travel City Direct used to operate something out of LBV shopping but I am not sure if they still offer this.

Just so that you are aware of this really. It would be all very well to book a cheap flight only to find it was going to cost a fortune in extra taxis and lost time on your holiday, to get to and from there if you was not hiring a car.

Travel City Direct do the check in thing from LBV but i've never noticed a shuttle to the airport from there. Have been with TCD twice before.

meer53

blue_monkey wrote: »

I know you did but you was making it sound impossible without a car but we do not really go on holiday to drive, I get enough of my husband tutting and sighing about driving in this country let alone why on holiday in another country!!

As for well behaved, no not really. My son has Autism and ADHD but as long as we go with his flow we are usually fine, we also go when the weather is much cooler. We have a plan for the day and that helps him though. We have mever left early, we'll stop for an ice cream and then get on our way again. I cannot justify spending 7k to sit by a pool anyhow - luckily we all love being on the go.

Besides, it means you can eat loads and all the walking means you never put weight on.

We only do the parks with the odd day shopping (which the kids love of course, LOL) and we are out every day. We do not even do pool days or going to the beach, we just find that boring and like to be on the go all day and fall into bed exhausted. We was going to the pool in the evenings on the last visit though so we are going back this time when it is hotter.

Florida is very much an indivual experience and it depends on what you want for a holiday to be fair. We go for rides, rides and more rides. My kids are not really into waiting for the characters so that is a bit of a bonus but we like the parades and see them several times.

DLP is not Florida - the parks are different, the people are different, I've been loads of times and I love it for different reasons every time I go. Off again in 3 1/2 weeks time.

Blue_Monkey, you should do what we do, don't take any men :rotfl: It's much better without them. I'm a single mum and i go with my niece (also a single mum) and her daughter. Fabulous girlie holidays !

7K sounds an awful lot of money for your holiday ? And that doesn't include car hire either ? Last year we went to Florida, 2 adults, 2 kids, one 12 one 9, and for 3 weeks (car hire, villa and Virgin flights) i paid £2900 with spending money it was less than £5000. Admittedly, part of the holiday was in term time (1 week) but it saved so much money and there were no exams etc i felt it was worth it.

blue_monkey_2

meer53 wrote: »

Blue_Monkey, you should do what we do, don't take any men :rotfl: It's much better without them. I'm a single mum and i go with my niece (also a single mum) and her daughter. Fabulous girlie holidays !

7K sounds an awful lot of money for your holiday ? And that doesn't include car hire either ? Last year we went to Florida, 2 adults, 2 kids, one 12 one 9, and for 3 weeks (car hire, villa and Virgin flights) i paid £2900 with spending money it was less than £5000. Admittedly, part of the holiday was in term time (1 week) but it saved so much money and there were no exams etc i felt it was worth it.

LOL, that would be nice but there would be NO way I'd be getting away with that!!

Yes. 7k for the last one for 2ad 2kids roughly. We went for 3 weeks and wanted to fly Virgin for the V-room.

Fly Drive was £2100 (was cheaper than flights believe it or not and we did not take the car hire), Disney tickets £1000, Flex & 2 park tickets £700, Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim and private cabana £850, 1 week in Hilton Timeshare Exchange Fee £175, 1 week TS exchange to AKL apartment (accomodation we had was worth 4k in itself had we paid outright) £175, 1 week OKW with free dining £1000. We spent about £1500 while we was there on food, crap (LOL, as you do), gifts and taxi's in 3 weeks. We had character meals every day for a week too so there was a lot in tips there (although i did begrudge paying that much when we was having buffet).

To be honest, we did a lot, we did not scrimp on what we wanted to do and we did not go there on a budget, however, had we not had free dining and the timeshare to exchange with we would have paid an extra 4.5k+ for the holiday we had and it was what we wanted.

This time we are hoping to get another 2 weeks in Disney accomodation (Bay Lake and Boardwalk or Beach Club villas but dates not released yet) and it has cost us £2900 for the flights and car (convertible for a week) will be £1600 for the park tickets, accomodation £370 timeshare exchange fee. We will not do DC this time and we are doing 2 weeks and not 3. So under 5k again for 2 weeks in Disney Apartments, flights, car, all tickets and car hire. A week in Bay Lake Tower costs around £4k a week and BW/BCV £3k a week so we consider the holidays we get an absolute bargain!!

To be honest, the MSE in me *could* stay much cheaper and we could holiday for less but because we get the Disney Deluxe Villas accomodation for DVC members so like staying there and it does cost more for that than for a villa. We get to feel posh for the week Oh yes, we also paid around £350 for Xmas and Halloween parties at Disney. We do like the whole Disney thing, food, hotels, tec... and I do think you pay more for it.

It will be the last time for a while though as we do not like to go and do the same rides year after year, have to wait for the kids to get a bit older so they can go on the next ones.

Bow

Has anyone stayed here?

Is it possible to stay here and not have a car?

cheers

blue_monkey_2

Bow wrote: »

Has anyone stayed here?

Is it possible to stay here and not have a car?

cheers

Yes, it's on International Drive, you'll be fine for Seaworld, Wet & Wild, Seaworld and Universal. Disney is certainly do-able without a car, get the I-ride or bus to Seaworld and then getting the Lynx Bus from Seaworld (number 50 I think) as that goes to Downtown disney and then the Ticket & Transportation Centre which is the main car park/bus stop for the Magic Kingdom.

trello

Has anyone done a stay then cruise in Orlando and would you recommend?:beer:

meer53

blue_monkey wrote: »

LOL, that would be nice but there would be NO way I'd be getting away with that!!

Yes. 7k for the last one for 2ad 2kids roughly. We went for 3 weeks and wanted to fly Virgin for the V-room.

Fly Drive was £2100 (was cheaper than flights believe it or not and we did not take the car hire), Disney tickets £1000, Flex & 2 park tickets £700, Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim and private cabana £850, 1 week in Hilton Timeshare Exchange Fee £175, 1 week TS exchange to AKL apartment (accomodation we had was worth 4k in itself had we paid outright) £175, 1 week OKW with free dining £1000. We spent about £1500 while we was there on food, crap (LOL, as you do), gifts and taxi's in 3 weeks. We had character meals every day for a week too so there was a lot in tips there (although i did begrudge paying that much when we was having buffet).

To be honest, we did a lot, we did not scrimp on what we wanted to do and we did not go there on a budget, however, had we not had free dining and the timeshare to exchange with we would have paid an extra 4.5k+ for the holiday we had and it was what we wanted.

This time we are hoping to get another 2 weeks in Disney accomodation (Bay Lake and Boardwalk or Beach Club villas but dates not released yet) and it has cost us £2900 for the flights and car (convertible for a week) will be £1600 for the park tickets, accomodation £370 timeshare exchange fee. We will not do DC this time and we are doing 2 weeks and not 3. So under 5k again for 2 weeks in Disney Apartments, flights, car, all tickets and car hire. A week in Bay Lake Tower costs around £4k a week and BW/BCV £3k a week so we consider the holidays we get an absolute bargain!!

To be honest, the MSE in me *could* stay much cheaper and we could holiday for less but because we get the Disney Deluxe Villas accomodation for DVC members so like staying there and it does cost more for that than for a villa. We get to feel posh for the week Oh yes, we also paid around £350 for Xmas and Halloween parties at Disney. We do like the whole Disney thing, food, hotels, tec... and I do think you pay more for it.

It will be the last time for a while though as we do not like to go and do the same rides year after year, have to wait for the kids to get a bit older so they can go on the next ones.

Discovering my husband was having a affair was fairly traumatic at the time but i'm now reaping the benefits big style !! No more dread at the thought of 2 weeks with him moaning about everything and everyone. A litre of Gin and a litre of Vodka at duty free and we're sorted after a quick visit to Publix for tonic and a lemon on the way to the villa. (well for the first week at least !):rotfl:

I'm a HUGE Disney fan too, i'd go every year if i could afford it but am managing every other year at the moment. I suppose as you stay in a lot of Disney accomodation your prices are quite good. We've always stayed in villas, i love pretending they're mine for a few weeks !