Hello all
My family of 3 (me, hubby & 5 mth old) have a chance to fly from Australia to Florida in Nov this year, and we would like to explore the parks. Hubby & I spent 4 days in DL in 1998 and loved it - so we would like to try out DW. Because of the cost of travelling, we would like to get the most value for money for accomodation, food, entry fees etc. :)

I have read the discussions on staying on / off resort and I have a few queries:
1) How regular are the shuttles from the main hotels (Holiday Inn) to the parks?
2) If we stay in a self cater place, how do we get to the food stores as we will not have a car, and what would it cost?
3) We would also like to do a tour of the Kennedy Space Centre - can we organise that from any "in park" hotels?
4) I have read a lot about the baby care centres in DW - are there similar centres in the other attractions, as I need to express breast milk for baby and that cannot be done discreetly. ;)
5) Is it true DW hotels charge for hire of a fridge, even if I need it to store breast milk?

thanks heaps

Aussie Mum

I don't know the answers to most of your questions but I can take a stab at one and ask for clarification on another :)

2) If we stay in a self cater place, how do we get to the food stores as we will not have a car, and what would it cost?

If you hire a car service to take you to your hotel from the airport, many include one stop at a grocery store in their fee. Top One Tours & Transportation (http://www.mouseplanet.com/mp/showcase03.htm) is a car service that does this and is also a MousePlanet Sponsor.

5) Is it true DW hotels charge for hire of a fridge, even if I need it to store breast milk?

Your earlier question asked about a Holiday Inn which would be an off-property hotel, just to clarify. I don't know the answer to this question for either off- or on-property hotels though, sorry!

Also, to avoid confusion, (and I sincerely hope this doesn't come off as rude because I'm not trying to be!!!) WDW is usually the more commonly used abbreviation for the Florida resort. I keep thinking, Is she talking about Arthur's sister? ;)

I'm sure other members will be more helpful with your other questions.

Adrienne

I can help out with some things -

With the offsite hotels (like Holiday Inn), the schedule of transportation to the Disney parks is usually a set schedule, NOT continuous. For example, at the Holiday Inn I stayed at, their schedule to go to Animal Kingdom was leaving at 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM, coming back at 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM. The park was open that day 7-5. Those were the only times for transportation. The other parks were the same type of deal.

If you stay offsite, there are lots of places for groceries along Highway 192. But, realize that this is a very busy road. Not easy to cross.

Quite honestly (and not trying to make you spend any more money), I'd seriously stay at one of the Disney Value resorts. You won't have a car and the transportation is much more reliable. There's also some decent food courts and other options onsite. Each resort has their own little section of snacks and drinks. It's at Disney prices but so much more convenient.

With a five month old, you'll want to be able to come back to the room during the day in case you need a rest, the baby is getting cranky or whatever. Especially since you won't have a car.

Not sure about Disney charging for a refrigerator if you need it for breast milk. I know they don't charge for any medical reasons. I haven't had to worry about that for 22 years, sorry!

To get to Kennedy Space Center (which is highly recommended), you can set up something with Mears Shuttle. You can do that if you stay onsite or offsite. Another alternative is to rent a car for just that day. That will give you the flexibility to come and go as you please. You can rent a car (or hire it, I think you guys call it?) at the Car Care Center or over at the Dolphin resort. If you stay offsite, check at your hotel - lots of place have car rentals within their hotels.

Thanks all for your suggestions..

Yes, I am trying to decide between staying on site (which I would love) and 'saving' money by staying off site at another hotel (of which there seems to be LOTS).

When we went to DL in 1988, hubby & I stayed in a 2 star place on Katella Dve, walked to the grocery store (2 mile?) then catered our own breakfast, some lunches & some dinners. We would be prepared to do the same now (by staying in a cheapish motel & catering) , but for the advice I have read on your sites about returning to the hotel for a rest during the afternoons with baby.

Renting a car is not an option as Aussies drive on the LEFT of the road - hmm - busy roads, confused Aussie drivers, on-coming traffic - not good :rolleyes: :eek:

It is good to hear we can still book tours to other attractions, say Space Centre from any WDW hotels as it will probably be many years before we come back.

If we stay at the 'budget' WDW hotels, like All Stars, how often do the shuttles run to the different parks?

thanks

The Disney standard line for how often buses run to the parks is "about every twenty minutes". That's for ALL Disney resorts, not just the values. For you, I'd highly suggest Pop Century since it has it's own dedicated bus line.

As for getting to your resort from the airport, check into a town car service. Tiffany Towncar or check out allearsnet.com or this site for more options. There is a lesser expensive option with Mears shuttle (the same line that will take you to Kennedy Space Center) but with the baby and needing to stop at a grocery store on the way in, a towncar is the way to go. You will be the only ones in the car, you'll be able to make a 30 minute stop at the store, and then taken directly to your resort. With the Mears shuttle, you could be on a bus and stopping many times before you finally can get off. And no grocery stops. Also, with a towncar, going back to the airport is a breeze with no worries about getting there in enough time to make your flight.

2) If we stay in a self cater place, how do we get to the food stores as we will not have a car, and what would it cost?

4) I have read a lot about the baby care centres in DW - are there similar centres in the other attractions, as I need to express breast milk for baby and that cannot be done discreetly. ;)



We are going in October for our daughters 1st time she will be 7 months. Our son is 4 and he had been to WDW already 4 times.
#2 - You could have the things you want from the grocery store brought to you. There are many services such as this available. One is www.wegoshop.com - you give them a list of what you want and they will get it for you. Their service fee is resonable.
#4 - There are baby care centers in all 4 of the parks. They are very nice and have all kind of things such as rockers and high chairs.

One thing to keep in mind is WDW is much larger than DL. Everything is spread apart and it takes some time to get from here to there. With little ones, we prefer to stay on site at WDW b/c it is time consuming and sometimes challenging to get around. I don't know what type of transport off Disney properties off, but Disney buses make things a lot easier to get off and on with all the "stuff" (baby, stroller, diaper bag) you end up having with you.

I'd like to second that comment that WDW is much bigger than DL! It is two times as big as Manhatten I think. When we stayed at DL, going back to the hotel was easy. But even within WDW, you can loose a lot of time getting back and forth. If you expect to get back for meals, that will be tough. I went to WDW with a baby too, and I know that a afternoon break is important (although the picture of our son sleeping on a bench at Epcot is my favorite). So if you stayed onsite, asked if you can get a refrigerator for the breast milk, and stocked up on grocerys for breakfast, lunch and snacks- you might be at the same cost as offsite. I also took a cloth cooler which squished in to my suitcase. I filled up a gallon ziplock bag with ice in the morning and evening, and that worked fine in the room. We ate cereal, milk and fruit each morning in the room. I'm not sure if that would be sufficent for breast milk- it would depend on how long you stored it for.

I also recommend for saving money on the meals that you do eat at the park, checking out the menus on http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm It made a huge difference for us to see what the prices really were and what you got for it. I think with some planning, you can eat at WDW and spend a lot less than just stopping when you are hungry. The meals are frequently huge and can be split- with maybe an extra sidedish to spread it out (or a desert :D )

Hi Aussiemum,

I am heading to Florida in 2 1/2 weeks with my husband and son (nearly 3 yo). We are renting a car from Orlando airport for the whole 2 months in America as we are driving from Florida to Ohio and back! Husband has never driven in America before - my Dad drove 10 years ago and if he can do it then anyone can! The cost of hiring a car is quite reasonable and very convenient. How long are you staying in Florida? We bought Fun-in-the-Sun tickets which you can only buy in Australia. Gives us unlimited entry to all WDW parks for 30 days plus admission to Kennedy Space Centre and other places plus one character breakfast - cost $500 Australian each for my husband and I. I would seriously (now) consider getting an annual pass because they are not that expensive in comparison and you might get 2 years out of it if you go back to Florida next year! I've tossed up the stay onsite offsite thing a billion times. We have reserved accommodation through the choice hotels website. We are staying at Quality Suites Maingate East on I 192 for the 6 nights. Got a special for $60 US for one bedroom suite with living room and kitchen. If you give me your email address I'd be happy to email and let you know if it was suitable and what else is over there in the way of groceries stores etc from an Australian's perspective! I've also been reading the Unofficial Guide to WDW with kids - it is fantastic. I bought it online - can't remember where from now. As for the breast milk - yes Disney charges for fridges so I've read and you aren't always guaranteed a fridge even if you request one! Check out the official WDW website because they have accommodation specials listed at different times - so does choice hotels.

Ok, hope this helps you. Keep in touch. Karina