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Disney World and HGVC

fernow

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Looking at a trip to Disney World with 4 "kids" ie 30 somethings, and 5 grand kids, 2-8 yo. Been to Disneyland multiple times but never to Orlando. Tuscany the best? Would love to go without renting a car, would need at least 2 for 11 of us, but looks like transportation from Disney World to Tuscany is not that simple. Tried searching since this can't be the first time such a question has been asked but couldn't find much.

Would appreciate advise and experience.
 

Luanne

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I don't know what timeframe you are looking for, but you might want to be sure you can get tickets for Disney before booking.
 

brp

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I don't know what timeframe you are looking for, but you might want to be sure you can get tickets for Disney before booking.

Tickets are pretty much available these days, except for Annual Passes, which would not seem to apply here. There are several rules about park reservations, though.

A good ticket source is Undercover Tourist.


A really good resource for All Things Disney is www.mouseowners.com
Cheers.
 

Luanne

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Tickets are pretty much available these days, except for Annual Passes, which would not seem to apply here. There are several rules about park reservations, though.

A good ticket source is Undercover Tourist.


A really good resource for All Things Disney is www.mouseowners.com
Cheers.
I should have been more clear. You can get a ticket, it's the reservations that are harder to get. I'm going by what my friend who lives in Florida has told me. Her daughter and son-in-law have passes, and they've even had trouble getting reservations.
 

dvc_john

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Park reservations come from three buckets: Theme Park tickets, Disney resorts guests, and annual passes.
(Although new annual passes are not currently available, current annual pass holders are allowed to renew their passes.)

It looks like the OP would be using the Theme Park tickets bucket. While there is plenty of availability from August on, the problem is that you would only be allowed to make 3 park reservations. As 1 park reservation is used, you could make another one. But that would mean you would be making that reservation on very short notice, which could be a problem.

Of course, who knows when they will eliminate the park reservation system. They currently are accepting reservations thru mid January 2023.
Here is a link to the park reservation availability calendar:


Correction: the maximum 3 days of reservations applies to Annual Passes not staying at a Disney resort.
For 4-day or more tickets I think, but am not sure, your can make reservations for each day of the ticket.
 
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fernow

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Looking at late September, but if this trip doesn't work out, maybe next year. Park tickets are indeed an issue, but more interested in learning which HGVC is "best". Stuff to do at the resort with small children; transportation to and from Disney/Epcot/other area attractions; general advise for travel to that area. Went there years ago to play golf with friends but never been there as as a HGVC member or to do the entertain grand kids thing.
 

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We toured Parc Soleil. They showed us how you can see Epcot and Magic Kingdom from some of the upper balconies. We stayed at HGVC Seaworld. Loved it, but we had a car to drive to Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs. We appreciated that the balconies there were screened in and it was walking distance to Seaworld. I read something about a Universal shuttle, but I don't know how easy it would be to do Disney with no car. But our 2.5 yr old and 5 yr old enjoyed it there.
 

bnoble

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I almost never visit Orlando without renting a car---and that's true even when I am staying "on property" at either WDW or UO. Orlando is big, and the shuttle services typically leave a lot to be desired.
 

elaine

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Parc Soliel is closer and an easier drive IMHO than others. I like Seaworld travel to WDW 2nd. You will need to drive/uber using an offsite HGVC. Parc is 2.5 miles away from Disney Springs area mainly down a backroad, but nothing easily walkable. There is also a cluster of restaurants (Olive Garden, etc.) down that same backroad 1.3 miles away. Without a car, I might get Parc, knowing I could get a quick uber to Disney Springs where there's tons to eat/shop/etc. Parc also appears to have a shuttle to WDW (below). But, you'd want to call PArc (or any other HGVC) to confirm still running due to Covid.
Seaworld is a bit farther, with same issue for walking--yes, it's possible to walk to a few eating places--but farther than my family would want to walk. Tuscany is adjacent to a large outlet mall and walkable to several eating places. If you don't want a car/uber, you'd need to stay at a place with a good shuttle service. The SW location had a shuttle to Epcot for $10 pp RT that ran in AM and mid-morning and then in the evening. My older teens used that once. It was 20 minutes late for pick up which was just outside the resort gate.
I've stayed at Tuscany and SW and both had great pools and very nice units.

https://stayhgv.com/Orlando/ParcSoleil/doc/MCOMDShuttle.pdf
 
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Jason245

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Looking at a trip to Disney World with 4 "kids" ie 30 somethings, and 5 grand kids, 2-8 yo. Been to Disneyland multiple times but never to Orlando. Tuscany the best? Would love to go without renting a car, would need at least 2 for 11 of us, but looks like transportation from Disney World to Tuscany is not that simple. Tried searching since this can't be the first time such a question has been asked but couldn't find much.

Would appreciate advise and experience.
There are 4 resorts to chose from each with plusses and minuses.

Tuscanny is one of my favorites due to its location (publix across the street and next to the mall), but the drive to the parks is slightly more complicated, and parking at the resort can be a challenge.

Sea world has a very easy drive to the parks and has an added perk of the access to sea world if you plan on going there as well.

Parc Soliel feels a little isolated, and feels less nice to me than the sea world and Tuscany design.


The other resort is a converted hotel... it has a nice water slide and feels like a converted hotel, and the location is not ideal for disney (but works).

Between Seaworld and Tuscanny I don't think you would be disappointed Parc Soliel seems nice on paper, but I had a terrible experience there (including the fact that people literally all seem to hide the luggage carts in their rooms)...

My kids like the waterslide at the converted hotel one... but we have had many wonderful stays at seaworld and tuscany. HGVC is a great product and no matter which one you go to you will have a great time.

As for transport, your best bet is to rent a couple of mini vans IMHO. Given your party size (it sounds like there are at least 10 to 12 of you). Orlando doesn't have good public transit and limiting yourself to certain return times with shuttle buses has never worked for me with my young kids.

Even factoring in the mini van rental cost, you will still end up saving a small fortune compared to staying on property. (insider tip... you can bring your own food to the parks, including bottled water and snacks which is a HUGE savings when dealing with kids).
 

Janann

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I would run the math on the HGV shuttle and see if it works for you. At a minimum, it would be $110/day to shuttle everyone to and from the parks. Then you also need round trip airport transportation, and one or more trips to the grocery store. (If you opt for grocery delivery for 11 people, you will likely pay a premium compared to driving to the store yourself.)

If you rent two cars, you'll have the car rental expense, gas, tolls (maybe), and parking at the theme parks for $25/day per car.

And then there are the convenience factors and personal preferences to consider. There isn't any easy answer to which transportation method you should choose.
 

Cyberc

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Another option is to, look for an exchange in RCI. Depending on the number of rooms you need you might have luck getting an exchange for a Disney DVC resort.

Have in mind there will only be 1bedrooms and you will most likely get SSR or OKW. Both have recently been refurbished, SSR not totally finished yet.

If you need 1 or 2 rooms for the same dates it is possible but if you need more, it requires some luck
 

elaine

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other option is to get one minivan, and have the others mears/uber/taxi from airport to resort. Does everyone want to go to the same place at the same time?Then use minivan to shuttle people to/from WDW with others ubering or shuttling. If not, such as some want to go to WDW at 8 am, others at 10am, then one minivan might be fine. Same for going to Disney Springs--some could be dropped off earlier/stay later to shop and then another group comes later for everyone to eat together. I agree with others, relying solely on HGVC shuttle option (not HGVC-but outside vendor), assuming it's even running, for a whole week would not be my choice.
 

fernow

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Thanks. Looks like Sea World, rent some cars and see if we can get tickets...
 

elaine

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see if we can get tickets...
Tickets are easy, but you must buy in advance to also make (more importantly) a park reservation--which can only be done on disney.com website or Disney APP. Even if you buy date specific WDW tickets, you still need that separate reservation. You can check before buying tickets to see what parks are available. I suggest buying tickets ASAP and making reservations once you finalize your trip. Do NOT wait until a few week out. If you get park hoppers, you can go to any park after 2pm, but you must go to your reservation park 1st, even if it's at 1:30pm for 5 minutes.
SW is an excellent choice. We've stayed several times for WDW trips. Use Palm Parkway backroad to get to Disney Springs area. There's a Bonefish Grill right down the street and Mellow Mushroom pizza and great Thai food restaurant nearby. Publix grocery is in the area, as well.
 

dioxide45

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Tickets are easy, but you must buy in advance to also make (more importantly) a park reservation--which can only be done on disney.com website or Disney APP. Even if you buy date specific WDW tickets, you still need that separate reservation. You can check before buying tickets to see what parks are available. I suggest buying tickets ASAP and making reservations once you finalize your trip. Do NOT wait until a few week out. If you get park hoppers, you can go to any park after 2pm, but you must go to your reservation park 1st, even if it's at 1:30pm for 5 minutes.
SW is an excellent choice. We've stayed several times for WDW trips. Use Palm Parkway backroad to get to Disney Springs area. There's a Bonefish Grill right down the street and Mellow Mushroom pizza and great Thai food restaurant nearby. Publix grocery is in the area, as well.
YOu can even go to your reserved park after 2pm then hop to another.
 
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Looking at a trip to Disney World with 4 "kids" ie 30 somethings, and 5 grand kids, 2-8 yo. Been to Disneyland multiple times but never to Orlando. Tuscany the best? Would love to go without renting a car, would need at least 2 for 11 of us, but looks like transportation from Disney World to Tuscany is not that simple. Tried searching since this can't be the first time such a question has been asked but couldn't find much.

Would appreciate advise and experience.


I’ve taken public buses from International Drive to the TTC. Fare cost $2, I think. On the way back make sure you get off before the bus gets on the interstate. Otherwise you’ll end up in downtown Orlando.
 

owentc

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Park reservations come from three buckets: Theme Park tickets, Disney resorts guests, and annual passes.
(Although new annual passes are not currently available, current annual pass holders are allowed to renew their passes.)

It looks like the OP would be using the Theme Park tickets bucket. While there is plenty of availability from August on, the problem is that you would only be allowed to make 3 park reservations. As 1 park reservation is used, you could make another one. But that would mean you would be making that reservation on very short notice, which could be a problem.

Of course, who knows when they will eliminate the park reservation system. They currently are accepting reservations thru mid January 2023.
Here is a link to the park reservation availability calendar:


Correction: the maximum 3 days of reservations applies to Annual Passes not staying at a Disney resort.
For 4-day or more tickets I think, but am not sure, your can make reservations for each day of the ticket.
Correct. The AP limit is 3 days, which is presumably because Disney doesn't know that you plan on coming for many consecutive days and can't guarantee you aren't just booking as many reservations as you can get in case you're able to go. With resort stays and multi day tickets, they know you're gonna be there so they let you book as many days as you want
 

Bailey#1

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Thanks. Looks like Sea World, rent some cars and see if we can get tickets...
Good choice! Seaworld would be my pick if I was in your shoes..
 
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