Orlando- car vs no car?

[Beebeeeight]

Can't decide whether we should get a hire car-please help!

Staying on I-drive for 2 weeks doing 5 Disney parks plus universal & IOA.

Hotel does shuttle to U/IOA.

Flying to MCO.

We have 'free' car hire but it will be $390 for CDW & infant seat.

So add on parking of $20pd plus fuel/tolls car seems more expensive.

BUT

There's 5 of us so I-trolley and Lynx passes will be $200 plus airport transfers and will probably need big taxis home sometimes if bus queue is too long and we are all exhausted.

Also when we've looked it up it says 2hr journey door to gate on public transport vs 20 min drive!!!!

I don't think that will work with a toddler!

Mners help me choose!

Car. Make it easy on yourselves. Unless the budget is really tight.

You can get shuttles to the parks from most hotels on the drive for 10 dollars each .kids free under 5.
I have not long returned with my DH , ds10 and newborn daughter.
We took a car seat / pram combo and got on fine ,musing taxis when we needed to.

X

Most parks from I drive are half hour.

X

I'm sure under 9 go free on irked. They are so frequent, we got on well using the, the shuttles to parks and the odd taxi home.

The taxis from hotel vary. Often private ones black taxis more expensive.

Call for the yellow meats taxis they are about 25 percent cheaper and offer good return fixed price deals.

*i-ride

*mears taxi
Damn predictive text

Definitely need a car

taxi from universal to disney is about $70 (but will you all fit on just one taxi?).

We always stay on site at disney for the free transfers and free on site buses and then get taxis to universal and stay there for a few nights. Never bother with the car even when it's "free"

I've got international car hire insurance for an annual cost of about £40.

Hotel shuttles aren't always free and not usually frequent. Driving in Orlando is very easy. Parking at Disney water parks is free - and these were my kids favourite parks when they were young.

I'd say take the car.

Can't do US without CDW insurance and that's $25pd min it seems.

The problem is 5 of us won't fit in a normal taxi so we'd need 2 or a bigger one.

We have already booked I drive accommodation so saying disney's more convenient doesn't help. We know that. It was too expensive. We are broke and may need a loan to afford car hire! But I don't want to ruin the holiday by having 4 hours of journeys a day on public transport. Our accommodation doesn't do Disney shuttles.

Car for sure. Don't you want to go to NASA and a few other places outside the area?

Yes, but don't have time- 13 full days with toddler in tow

Plan is

2 days for each of Epcot, MK, Universal, IOA

1 day each for TL, BB, AK, HS

That leaves us with 1 spare day.

Income has dropped and £ is down so budget is vv tight- we'll be having picnics & eating in.

Can't do US without CDW insurance and that's $25pd min it seems

Still better with annual insurance. CDW is included . Can you take a car seat rather than hire one? (We took car seats when we went)

Having a car will let you stock up on snacks and food at the nearest Publix or Target. Freeze bottles of water and put in the boot of hire car so you'll have cold water to drink later in the day.

Buffet breakfasts are cheap and can set you up for the day. Food in the parks is expensive and not great. All disney outlets will give you free drinking water if you ask. If you look at www.thedibb.co.uk you'll get tips for eating out on a budget.

If you avoid snacks and drinks in the parks you should be able to do Orlando quite cheaply.

Thanks I will look into annual insurance.

When I say we have zero budget I mean it!

Finances have changed dramatically since booking. We have no more than our normal monthly budget eg c. £500. We still have to get one passport and travel insurance and summer clothes/sunglasses/sunscreen etc. Souvenirs are going to be one per child.

I don't see how we can do it without me taking out a loan to pay for transport and food.

We have cooking facilities in accommodation thankfully.

If you've not been to Florida before, there's enough at Disney. Especially if you'll want some lie ins or pool time. I'd drop the universal tickets. Depends on the hotel whether you need the car. Good luck.

I suspect car will be cheaper & (definitely) more convenient

Groceries are expensive to buy - think $3 for a loaf of bread

Halifax clarity card doesn't charge for foreign currency purchases

We have done Florida twice with no car shuttle from hotels and the trolly bus runs along we got a taxi back from universal wasn't expensive and we got an excursion to bush gardens. You don't need a car we got about fine

There is a massive Walmart just off I drive it really isn't that expensive

Take own car seat, will save hiring.

Won't food be cheaper from a supermarket if you're self catering than from a shop at the accommodation? If so, you'd need the car for that.

I was forgetting about using the car for supermarket shops!

Can you order online from uk for wal mart to deliver to accommodation?

I was planning on taking a fair bit of food with us but then saw the restrictions on imports! Can't take much at all. Dont know how fussy kids are going to survive! Think they will be eating chips for 14 days straight.

Car seat- yes we can just take ours. Will they allow that as one piece of luggage?

And I assume that the buggy is allowed as extra luggage?

Epcot is one day only I'd say

Can you order online from uk for wal mart to deliver to accommodation?

Beebeeeight, drive to Walmart yourself, and let your children help choose the food.

summer clothes/sunglasses/sunscreen etc.

Buy them all at Walmart.

Is it cheaper to buy things like autograph books etc here rather than in Disney? It was for us for DLP.

We took Disney t-shirts & hoodies from primark.

I thought I posted this were $8 for a taxi to Walmart it's literally 5minutes off idrive you could probably walk and get a taxi back it is so cheap to eat out though