Acommodation

[yereverluvinsis]

Hello Everyone, please forgive me if I am asking what seem daft questions but it's our first time (as a lot of people seem to be saying!). We (husband myself and 3 sons, 11, 13, 15) are arriving second week of July and still haven't booked anywhere. We have a healthy budget, but my problem is transport. My husband is only coming to Orlando for the children and won't be coming to the parks every day, in fact maybe only once or twice and that will be later in the day for perhaps supper and fireworks but he will come in the hire car - I can't drive.... I need to book somewhere very very close to the parks so I can get a bus. I was about to book a resort which advertised a shuttle but on Emailing them found out it had been withdrawn and taxis are very expensive I was told. So please could somebody give me the pros and cons of maybe 2 or 3 locations. They seem such better value than the hotels although obviously they are further away. Thank you very very much! (quite desperate now). Emma

[mfairhurst]

Emma Your husband can take you to the parks in the morning and the either pick you up later or park and go into the parks at night for a meal and you can all go back .
Villas as you say are a better value and much more privacy ,May be when you gat there you do not want to go out everyday as you will have your own pool and your sons will enjoy it better [msnsmile2]
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx

[ncmurray]

Emma,

As Maureen already suggested, you can get your husband to drop you off in the morning, and then join you in the evening. It might make things a little easier to buy a couple of mobile phones to make it easier to contact each other. I bought a moblie for $20, and this included $10 airtime, so it isn't an expensive option.

Also, your husband may change his mind and come to some parks with you when he get in to the whole "Florida" thing[msnsmile]

Have a great holiday!

Nuala

[sammibabe]

We used walkie talkies when we were there (although I did end up talking to some chap as he was on the channel we were using ans said my name!) I think the range was 2 or 3 miles. The first time we went we used shuttle buses but the down side with those was the last bus back was earlier than the fireworks but that was nearly 20 years ago so don't know what it is like now.

[domster]

The walkie talkies are a good idea, I would get dropped off in the morning and then meet up later in the day. You can use the walkie talkies to get in contact with each other to meet up.

Many villa locations are only 10 minutes away from Disney, so not too hard to do first thing and later in the day.

Have a good trip.:)

[andrewandcarole]

Many villa communities still do offer a shuttle bus service - if you put out an enquiry on the sites here and specify that you need a shuttle bus service, I'm sure you will find a villa to suit.

Have a great time!

[Solana]

Would be real easy for your husband to drop you all off, he may even change his mind and join in, especially if you start with Animal Kingdom and Epcot which has something for everybody.
But don't leave it too late two weeks in July is going to be hard to find soon.

[glasgowmary]

a villa is so nice to stay in , space , your own pool etc. your husband may enjoy this if he is spending time alone, however I don' t think it is that good to be dropped off each day , we always take radios but still as much as i love a villa not sure how this would if your are not driving yourself.still you will have a great time as i love orlando

[Nina A]

Hi Emma, Welcome to the forums. There is so much more to Orlando than just the main theme parks. There truly is something for everyone, whatever their age or interest. Although your boys will want to do the parks for part of the time, there are also plenty of things you can do as a family that will please everyone.

Take a look at the guides on these sites, they are written by forum members and have some great suggestions. You can also ask for ideas on the forums, just as you have here. A good guide book will also be very useful.

As others have said it will be easy for your husband to drop you off and collect you later. The occasional taxi is probably not as expensive as you've been led to believe either.

A villa will give you all space and privacy, plus home comforts not available in a resort. A common 'complaint' from guests is that they can't get their children out of the pool to go to the parks!

If you put out a request to home owners via these links;
http://www.orlandovillas.com/
http://www.villasflorida.com/
http://www.onlinefloridavillas.com/
you'll soon find the perfect location for a holiday that ALL the family will enjoy [msncool]

[yereverluvinsis]

Thanks Guys!

[jackiecoats771]

[edited out as it's against forum rules to offer your home to a guest like this on the forums]

[millie]

We love staying in a villa - it really does give you flexibility and privacy but I would check on a map where the villas are before you book. If your DH is going to drop you off and pick you up he is not going to be happy driving a long distance. Try to book a community as close to Disney property as you can. Although some adverts say 10 mins to disney we have found that the driving time is underestimated sometimes. Best to be as close as you can get to stop DH getting annoyed.

You could always stay on disney property which gives you access to their transportation system which is free. Lots of cons compared to a villa but they do have their good points too. It would mean you are independant from your DH and he doesn't have to ferry you around all the time and if he wants to join you he can.

Whatever you decide to do I would do it soon. The villas book up early and I would imagine the hotels do too.

Good luck.
L

[Jill]

We often spend our days working on our villa but our adult children still like to go to the parks so we still operate the Mum and Dad taxi service. Dropping off and collecting from the parks is very easy and you have the choice of setting a meeting time for collection or if you are going in the parks using walkie talkies to meet up.

The first time we visited Florida we knew no better and thought it would be a good idea to stay on site at Disney in a hotel. Yes, there are some 'perks' with staying in a hotel on site especially if you do not have a car but then if you want to visit SeaWorld or explore the shopping malls it is not so convenient. We only did it once and then found villas which give you a complete home with lots of space, all your own facilities on hand and no walking 5 or so minutes, as we had to, to the dining hall, and your own swimming pool - so no more cramped conditions for our family.