You have a few options for getting from the Orlando International Airport to a resort or hotel, both inside and outside the Walt Disney World Resort.
If you are actually booked and staying at a Disney Resort, you can use their Magical Express bus service for free. But keep in mind that it has mixed reviews, and some reviewers said they waited hours to get their luggage at the hotel. If you are able to do it with your airline from your particular departure point, you can check your bags with special WDW luggage tags and you don't even have to pick them up on the baggage carousel in Orlando. Otherwise, you do, but at least you have your luggage (hopefully) with you to board the Magical Express to your resort. If you are able to check your bags through to the resort, be sure to pack a carry on luggage with items you will need such as swimsuits and towels, just in case you can't check in right away and/or your luggage is not there waiting for you upon arrival.
If you aren't staying in a Disney Resort (even on WDW property) you cannot utilize this ME service. That was the case with us on our last two trips. Through my research I discovered town car service as an alternative. It works like a limousine, except that they meet you at the baggage area, help bring your bags to the car and even provide car seats. However, I did not know that I had to install the car seats for my three year olds myself, and they were not very good ones at that. One of the best aspects was the fact that we could stop at a grocery store on the way to the hotel and buy drinks and snacks for the week, such as bottled water (which is expensive in WDW). My wife had decided to pack some snacks to bring into the parks because, while security does check all bags entering the parks, they turn a blind eye to food and drinks. So there was me at the grocery store, dressed in my Canadian winter jeans and sweatshirt in the Florida heat. On our return trip to the airport, we wanted to avoid the car seats so we instead opted for a Mears shuttle which didn't require them.
On our most recent trip, we decided to use the Mears shuttle in both directions, which was cheaper and quicker, and we didn’t need the car seats. In fact, even young children can apparently safely travel in the shuttles without car seats or boosters. I was able to reserve my shuttle tickets online in advance, and actually saved some money. The shuttle service was very prompt and it made one other brief stop each way. Of course, there is always the option of renting a car, from from any one of the various companies' kiosks in the airport. Other options include the inexpensive Lynx public transit buses, which service certain areas, or taxis.
There is one other thing to remember, no matter which mode of transportation you choose (other than a rental car) if you are on an international flight. The Magical Express, town car, or shuttle will insist on scheduling your pick up time at least four hours ahead of your flight. The reason for this, given to me by one of our Mears shuttle drivers is that traffic to the airport can be slow, and security in the airport can be especially so. On our most recent trip, the latter was the case, but the trip previously, we went through so quickly that we were sitting around with our kids for nearly two hours waiting for our flight to board. Luckily, we had a compact DVD player with Disney movies to amuse them. But that is a blog topic for another day.
For more Disney World planning tips blog posts click here.
For blog updates and more planning information posts, please Like my Facebook page, Top 10 Planning Questions for Walt Disney World.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment