Orlando & Florida - Questions & Answers (Part 1) *CLOSED*

Josie_Jump_3

cheepsk8 wrote:

My girlfriend and I are wanting to go to florida after christmas sometime, but neither of us are old enough to drive over there being 19 years old. Do any companies you travel with provide transport from and to the airport when you arrive in Orlando? Also has anyone stayed at a hotel in Orlando which has provided good shuttle services to most/all of the main theme parks?

Most tour operators will arrange transfers to and from the airport and once you're there most hotels have transport to the various parks, I would suggest that staying on International Drive would be your best bet as there is alway to I-Trolley (?) which goes up and down International Drive.

amandathepanda

We drive but never bother when we go to Orlando, we book a company called Orlando Carriers.com to pick us up from the airport, and use shuttle buses for going to the parks. We usually stay on I-Drive which is good for eating out at the evening time, and also make use of the I-Ride trolley. We stayed at Homewood suites on 8745 I-Drive, excellent shuttles, room,and free breakfast. Just look on Tripadvisor.com for great reviews.
PM me if you want to know any more.

jnd

Someone posted a link on the Argos board to clearance 2-way radios (walkie-talkies) for £8.73. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=702862&postcount=1

Although they only have a range of 1.8 miles (3km) and wouldn't reach across Disney parks they would be good for use within the same park to keep in contact with your fellow travellers.

Poppy9

Nice spot JND the advantage with buying them over here is that if they don't work you can take them back. Disadvantage is they may not fully charge in USA (I had problems getting my mobile to charge).

Walmart sell them for about $11 if I remember correctly but if they break when you are back here I don't know whether Asda would refund.

jnd

They do come with rechargeable batteries. Maybe someone knows which exact ones. For recharging non-phone batteries on holiday I bought the dual voltage Uniross Sprint. Best of all it comes with a 12-volt adapter as well so you can recharge them in the car.

Never had any problems charging my Nokia mobile in the States.

I checked out the Walmart website and didn't see any as cheap as $11. Maybe not everything is online. They do stock the perfect ones for use in Disney. Motorola T6530's with a 10 mile range. $59 (£33).

Poppy9

Jnd where do you get the dual voltage charger? My nokia took forever to charge in US even though it should have been fine through a travel plug.

The walkie talkies we bought were in a basket in the walmart shop. Cheap and cheerful. Don't know if they still work as we have never used them since

If you are in a hotel on room only accomm. consider buying a cheap kettle and toaster in Walmart - they are both less than $10 each. Nice to have tea & toast for brekkie and you can just leave them there or pass on when you leave if you wish.

jnd

I bought mine new off Ebay but I waited for someone to post them as an auction rather than a buy it now. You can get them here as well http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/uniross-sprint-ultra-fast-charger-rc103152-inc-2300-mah-batteries.htm

I charged my phone overnight no problem. Maybe to be sure you should take a 12-volt adaptor for it so you can charge it in the car's cigarette lighter as you go.

I did the same for a hairdryer/straightener for mrs jnd when we were on a fly-drive holiday in California. It didn't matter that the hotel/motel we had to stop at in the middle of nowhere didn't have a hairdryer. Means you can leave your own and the travel adapters at home.

Picking up on a previous topic on the opening of suitcases, my local Tesco have a doublepack of padlocks in the clearance section which are TSA approved. They can open them with their override keys and re-lock them. I think they were around £4.

mikejames42

Hi,

Can anybody give me some tips of a good hotel for my wife and I near the Downtown Disney area (ie within walking distance)

Cheers

Chris25

Poppy9 wrote:

If you are in a hotel on room only accomm. consider buying a cheap kettle and toaster in Walmart - they are both less than $10 each. Nice to have tea & toast for brekkie and you can just leave them there or pass on when you leave if you wish.

Another good item to buy is a nightlight - the basic ones are really cheap in all the supermarkets and useful whether you're in a villa or hotel. If you place it on the landing, in the hall or in the corner of the room, you won't have to wake everyone if someone gets up in the night.

Edinburghlass_2

mikejames42 wrote:

Hi,

Can anybody give me some tips of a good hotel for my wife and I near the Downtown Disney area (ie within walking distance)

Cheers

Is this within walking distance of Downtown Disney or walking distance of Disney?

Just back from Florida and stayed onsite at a Disney resort but met up with friends who got a last minute deal to the Mariott Courtyards which is near to Disney Downtown/Marketplace.