View Full Version : disney to universal without a car
a friend of mine is honeymooning in florida for 3 weeks, but they arent hiring a car. they are staying at port orleans hotel in disney but also visiting universal at least.
they do drive, but someone advised them they wont need a car and i am concerned that they wont get the best out of the experience.
having visited many times ourselves i think they will have great difficulty getting to places like busch gardens tampa, universal drive, sea world etc. apart from evenings out to restaurants olive garden carrabas texas de brazil etc and shows - dolly partons/arabian nights etc.
i know the disney buses are great and taxis are available but for me its a lot og anging around after a tiring day or if you wnt to change plans or are in a hurry but what experiences do others have. also how easy is it to get from disney to universal. is there a bus link, can taxis easily get into the parks to pick you up
CERICROWLEY
03-06-2007, 19:10
Trev
If they only hire the car for a couple of days, to go around places, it would certainly be cheaper than getting a taxi service to and fro to Universal at least. It will certainly widen their horizons a bit for food etc.
caroline
03-06-2007, 19:35
You can pick up taxis really easily outside the parks, however and it's a big however, it will end up costing them a fortune, they would be much better off hiring a car for at least one week so they can venture out to malls, restaurants, universal etc
CarolAnn
03-06-2007, 20:41
Totally agree with caroline here, I wouldn't personally entertain 3 weeks without a car, if only wanted Disney and sunbathing, then sure use the buses, they are good...but experience wouldn't persuade me to be without a car these days..too much to see and do, especially in 3 weeks [msnwink]
mfairhurst
03-06-2007, 20:59
Better to hire a car for a few days here and not there as a lot dearer .
It is not like UK all the top ups are very expensive and need lots of insurance .
They can hire cars from this web site and cheaper to do fully inclusive .
Hope they enjoy their honeymoon lovely place to spend a special time in your life .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx
Trev,
I would agree with your concerns, although Port Orleans is only a boat ride away from Downtown Disney, so there would be a god selection of evening stuff readily available. Looking at Lynx's website to go from Disney to universal would take about an hour and need one change.
I was just wondering if your friends maybe also didn't realise that they didn't have to get the car hire from the airport, so they could hire a car for 10 days and pick it up and drop it off at Lake Buena Vista. Three weeks is too long to be without a car and they would miss out on so much.
yes i full well know and believe that to get the most out of florida you need a car. i dont know their itinerary but i would want to visit key west, tampa, cocoa beach etc apart from all the local parks and fab retaurants on a night. i know its honeymoon time so a tv movie pizza and wine bottle is more than acceptable but every person we have spoken to over the years who has had to use public transport seems to have made an adverse comment. i have made them aware of this site and will txt the hyper link for them to read. the good thing is that they can easily hire a car and i have told them to take their licence.
still even with no car they will have a great time and i'd rather be in floridia than englandland!![msnsmile2][msnsmile2]
CarolAnn
04-06-2007, 12:41
Good idea to at least have their driving lic Trev, well done:)
Hi, I am the new bride who is honeymooning for 3 weeks from next week. I have been to Florida 3 times in the past, all without a car and have never had any problems with transportation whatsoever.
Those people who have only been to Florida with the use of a car may not be aware of all the transportation that is available to those not driving. In addition to the free Disney buses, monorails and boats, a lot of tour operators (ours does) provide a number of free shuttle services to places such as Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Florida Mall, International Drive etc, or coach transfer can be booked in with a package, say to Kennedy Space Centre.
Trolley buses are also a great form of transport which only cost a few dollars, you don't just have to rely on taxis.
I agree there can be long waits for Disney buses etc, but having been before, I know that we can time our departure to avoid long queues, or even if there is a wait, this won't bother us.
We personally would feel more tied having a car, having to plan routes etc (and we're not the best at directions in the UK!). It also means that my husband can have a drink wherever we go, such as at Anheuser Busch brewery, which he wouldn't be able to if he were driving, which to us would spoil a trip out if one of us couldn't drink during a meal or night on the town on our honeymoon.
I'm not saying that I think it's a bad idea to hire a car, just that it's not always the best option for each couple or family travelling to Orlando, it all depends on where you want to go and how you want to spend your time. I just want to let people who haven't been before know that they shouldn't be worried and feel they must get a car as there are so many free/cheap alternatives available that are a lot easier and less hassle than you might think.
kaine187
04-06-2007, 19:21
After reading comments regarding this person who is travelling to Florida I am a little surprised that people seem to be promoting the use of a Car within Orlando as essential.
I have been to Florida numerous times and have always relied on the use of Taxi's and public transport for getting around. Each time I have been I have secured the services of one taxi firm who supplied us with the same driver each time and we had no issues with it what so ever. The fact that you can have a drink when you like and not have to worry about the car is much more enjoyable.
Busch Gardens can be done on a coach, through your hotel, and each time I have done this I have always gone straight in rather than qeueing.
For the price of what car hire costs and the extra flexibility it gives you I (having been going to Florida for 14 years) feel car hire is an essential part of the holiday. Without a car you are very restricted in what, where and when you can go to.
Taxi's are expensive and it would be interesting to compare the costs to car hire. A return trip to Sanford will cost you over £80 alone.
One thing that puts some people off of getting a car is driving in the US. It is not daunting at all, in fact I find it easier driving over there than I do in the UK.
Pegasus928
05-06-2007, 00:59
I think one of the important points to remember here is that, although this is a Florida forum, it does tend to attract villa owners and renters more than resort and hotel guests. This alone does make the use of a hire car essential in my eyes.
I know people who have stayed in the Disney hotels everytime they have been and haven't hired a car for any of their trips (one couple are in the vacation club and go twice a year for the last 5 years at least. However, you try having a conversation with them about Old Town, Clearwater, Boggy Creek etc. Ask them which places they go to eat at in the evenings. The answer is always the same - hotel/park.
Another family we know actually paid for Universal tickets but then never went because it was too much hassle using the Disney transport - that wouldn't have been the case if they had a car.
It all comes down to what you want out of your holiday, and if you are happy to spend your time being ferried around on full to bursting transport - after waiting god knows how long to get on it in the first place (but we're British so that shouldn't be a problem). Also if you don't mind eating in the same places all the time and not experiencing the REAL taste of Florida, and if all you want to see in Florida is what Mickey and friends have to offer then I'm sure you will have a great time.
On the other hand however if you are a bit more adventurous, want to spread your wings and see beyond Disney/Universal and get more out of your holiday than eating, sleeping and playing in the vacinity of the hotel then a car is a must.
Kenny
Vive la différance!
The forum is great for just exactly this, an exchange of views, suggestions and ideas.
I think that it is more reassuring, Celia, knowing that you have done this before and you know what to expect and I am sure that this could work for many people. Having a car, however, doesn't mean that you have to use it and with readily available sat-nav hire then directions are not a worry.
The main thing is to have a fantastic wedding and honeymoon and another brilliant Florida vacation.
Best wishes.
Well. we're back from honeymoon now and just wanted to add a note about our experiences.
I think a previous post made a good point, this forum is mainly for people staying in villas, however, me and my husband were staying in a Disney hotel where free transport was readily available. Contrary to what other people have written, this transport is not 'full to bursting' and we did not wait 'god knows how long' to get on any buses. If you drive a hire car then you would not know what Disney transportation is like. Maybe we just picked the right hotel or went at a really quiet time, but the we always got a seat and never waited long for a bus (we also had a riverboat from our hotel to Downtown which was really nice).
The comment 'try having a conversation with them about Old Town, Clearwater, Boggy Creek etc. Ask them which places they go to eat at in the evenings. The answer is always the same - hotel/park' is a bit insulting to me as it implies we weren't doing the 'right' thing on our holiday and weren't adventurous?? What is wrong with doing the whole 'Disney' experience? We ate in our hotel 2 or 3 times in 3 weeks. Yes we ate in the parks and at Downtown Disney, which has some fantastic restaurants, but we enjoyed every minute of it.
We did go on other trips and nights out outside Disney, with transport included (and the cost of the transport was minimal) and were able to enjoy them even more because we were both able to enjoy a drink (not that we're alcoholics but it was our honeymoon and don't think that having a romantic meal with a glass of coke is all that good!)
All in all, it's each individual's choice whether to hire a car, if you're in a villa then it is a must, but if you are in a resort and want to be 'boring' and do Disney, then you don't need one.