1 Night Disney Pre-Cruise

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

Our flight gets in MCO at 4:30 pm the night before the cruise. I am trying to decide if it would be possible to spend a few hours at Hollywood Studios until it closes. I know I can do the whole Magic Express bus to take us to a DW hotel and then transport us in the am but would a 1 night stay include at least some tickets to the park? Which hotel would you choose if you wanted to go specifically to Hollywood Studios (son is a wheelchair user so close and convenient access is important especially on such a tight schedule).

[moki'smommy]

I am not aware of any one night hotel stay that includes tickets. Of course, you can add a ticket to any stay. However...you don't have time. That's my opinion, anyhow.

 

Flight lands at 4:30 IF on time. You wait for the wheelchair to be delivered to you in the jetway or for the HA assist person at the airport to appear with their chair, then you collect your checked luggage. Your transportation to WDW property will take at least an hour whether you go on Magical Express or pay for transportation. And you will be at rush hour. You could be having a grand tour of the "expressway." Your park tickets will cost $100 per person. Closing time will depend on season of the year. And somewhere along this time line, you will need to get something to eat.

 

If you stay at the EPCOT area resorts (Beach Club, Boardwalk), you would have the option of taking the boat to Studios as well as using the bus.

 

I can't see you getting to WDW property till at least 6 pm, and you still need to eat. And that 6 pm may be optimistic.

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

I am not aware of any one night hotel stay that includes tickets. Of course' date=' you can add a ticket to any stay. However...you don't have time. That's my opinion, anyhow.

 

Flight lands at 4:30 IF on time. You wait for the wheelchair to be delivered to you in the jetway or for the HA assist person at the airport to appear with their chair, then you collect your checked luggage. Your transportation to WDW property will take at least an hour whether you go on Magical Express or pay for transportation. And you will be at rush hour. You could be having a grand tour of the "expressway." Your park tickets will cost $100 per person. Closing time will depend on season of the year. And somewhere along this time line, you will need to get something to eat.

 

If you stay at the EPCOT area resorts (Beach Club, Boardwalk), you would have the option of taking the boat to Studios as well as using the bus.

 

I can't see you getting to WDW property till at least 6 pm, and you still need to eat. And that 6 pm may be optimistic.[/quote']

 

Thank you! That was my thinking-however, the kiddo this is a special birthday present for keeps asking ;) I was thinking---well, if I could at least get 2 tickets with the hotel rate I would ante up the other 2 even if it is just for a few hours but I REALLY don't want to pay all the Magical Express stuff, a DW hotel rate and 4 one day passes on top of the crazy $12K I am paying for the cruise. Thank you for talking some sense into me. I think we will just rent a car and drive out to the port!

[moki'smommy]

Thank you! That was my thinking-however, the kiddo this is a special birthday present for keeps asking ;) I was thinking---well, if I could at least get 2 tickets with the hotel rate I would ante up the other 2 even if it is just for a few hours but I REALLY don't want to pay all the Magical Express stuff, a DW hotel rate and 4 one day passes on top of the crazy $12K I am paying for the cruise. Thank you for talking some sense into me. I think we will just rent a car and drive out to the port!

 

Couple of ideas.....you can visit the new Springs area of Downtown Disney. No charge for that unless you eat or shop.

 

We prefer to stay in the MCO area, particularly when we arrive late in the day. The hotels in the MCO area are a bit less costly than those by the port. Boarding on the ship doesn't start till late morning, so you have plenty of time to have breakfast, drive to the port, return car, etc. in the morning. I always feel like we've had a long day of travel and prefer to have dinner and get to bed (or watch TV, play on the internet, swim, or whatever.) There are LOTS of good hotels in the MCO area, 5-10 minutes from the airport. All have complimentary shuttles to/from MCO, but that's not an issue if you have a car.

 

My top choices are the Hyatt Place NW (different from Hyatt MCO). BEST hotel breakfast I've ever had, pool, internet, business center. Across the road from TGI Fridays, but tons of other eating places in the area. It's a little more expensive than some of the others, but very nice. Country Inn and Suites--complimentary cookies, coffee, and tea available in the lobby. Not quite the quality of the Hyatt Place, but totally acceptable. Good breakfast. Outdoor pool, good internet. HA rooms in both places were quite good--DO call the hotel in advance to be sure your reservation has the HA room (don't trust the on line system...at least I don't.)

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

Oh good idea! We haven't seen that Springs area so that would be a good (inexpensive) option to scratch the park itch! I love the few Hyatt Places we have stayed at so will go look that option up! THANK YOU again. I don't post much but your answers have ALWAYS helped me to plan our cruises. I really look forward to them because I know I can trust them and you travel with a similar situation to ours.

[moki'smommy]

Oh good idea! We haven't seen that Springs area so that would be a good (inexpensive) option to scratch the park itch! I love the few Hyatt Places we have stayed at so will go look that option up! THANK YOU again. I don't post much but your answers have ALWAYS helped me to plan our cruises. I really look forward to them because I know I can trust them and you travel with a similar situation to ours.

 

Have a great trip! Hyatt Place is near the airport, not near Disney...but you have to go past there on the way to the cruise terminal. If you don't hit traffic, it is about 30 minutes from Downtown Dis to the hotels near MCO. If you do hit bad traffic, it can literally be 2 hours. My concern would be your driving about 6 pm....but you can get your luggage and stuff, go over and check in at the hotel, and then decide whether to hang out at the hotel or head to the Downtown Disney area. You shouldn't have any problem on the way back to the hotel.

 

Thanks for your kind words. We've done far too many DCL cruises (if there is such a thing). If I can help with anything, let me know. This board doesn't seem to have a private message function, but I'm happy to help on the boards.

[cruiseonthebrain]

That does sound like a tight timeframe to go to HS. If you are willing to splurge on the cost of the Disney resorts near HS, then I would recommend the Boardwalk Inn. Even if you don't go to one of the parks, there is plenty going on in that area. The pool area is nice and there is an arcade. There are "street performers" doing magic shows, etc. on the Boardwalk. You can also see the fireworks from Epcot if you head down to the end of the boardwalk furthest from Epcot.