Originally Posted By sherond We are staying at a WDW resort. We are traveling without a car. There are two children and two adults. I looked on Mears website, but it seemed quite high to ride over to Universal to WDW on their shuttle. I may have looked at it incorrectly. Has anyone ever taken a cab? If so, approximately what will cost? We are trying to get all of our ducks in a row. Thanks so much!
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Are you looking to go to Universal for just a day? If so, I think your best bet would be to rent a car for the day. There are a few places to do so on Disney property.
Originally Posted By Tiki1 I took a cab from the Royal Pacific to Wilderness lodge and back in Spring of 2011. The charge was approximately $50.00 each way.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Sometimes a shuttle service has a lower rate if you are traveling from airport to hotel or hotel to hotel. I just checked mousesavers.com and sometimes they have a coupon . I notice they have a link to taxifare-estimator on the Mears site. Maybe you should try your WDW hotel to the Hard Rock Hotel for round trip service. It is the closest Universal Hotel to the theme park and you can take a water taxi or walk to the parks very quickly . The reason i would recommend a taxi is: You are only there for one day. You need to enter as early as possible and not be stuck on a shuttle service making many hotel pickups before you arrive. Basically Mears owns all the taxi cab and shuttle services. I am not familiar with very many independents on WDW property and they sometimes have to pay to enter Disney property which would be added to your fee.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 To be able to transport people on a daily basis on WDW property, an outside company like Mears has to go thru several steps to be approved to do so by Disney, including providing insurance information directly to Disney corporate. Any of the other shuttle buses from hotels off property have to do the same. My understanding is that an independent cab (not a Mears one) can pay the parking fee and drop off a fare, but cannot park and try to pick up another fare on property
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS We used Mears shuttle Oct 2012 to go to IOA and Horror nights. It was $18.00 per person round trip. With three people, this worked out for us to be cheaper than taking a cab.
Originally Posted By KCCHIEF I just got off the phone with Mears....407 422 2222....they answered Yellow Cab and she told me for up to 7 people....in a cab....they will drive you from Port Orleans Riverside to Universal for 35.00....one way. I asked her twice...are you Mears?....she said yes
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Can you offer more advice than just rent a car? A one day car rental would probably not be discounted. And How can that be vacation fun for the person responsible for driving? How far away are the parking lots for guests? If your car has one small nick on it when it is returned you could be sitting and waiting to fill out some long legal forms because they inspect every inch upon return now. For an out of town guest that is not familiar with the area ; just suggesting Rent a Car needs more helpful advice; Which we would all appreciate because this" ?" seems to come up all the time. i am not trying to be disrespectful because I need to understand why renting a car is the fun reasonable thing to do . What happens before and after? Do you get to pick up the car before the Universal day? Is that an extra day? What are the opening and closing times for returns? What about the lines at the rental counters for pick-up and return? I would have to factor all kinds of things before I would want to rent a car!!! Sorry for being all weird but I tend to worry about all the details...
Originally Posted By KCCHIEF For my family.....the cab thing is going to work out best... Universal already has their December hours out and the day we are going is from 9 to 9.... I can get there early and be one of the first thru the door...thus be one of the first lining up for Harry Potter...plus, when we are done with Universal and City Walk....I can just call for a return cab...not have to worry about parking nor a shuttle that only runs at certain times...
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS Renting a car for one day is not very convenient, and could be a big waste of time and money after insurance, etc, depending on if there aren't any really good one-day deals. For a big group of people, the cab sounds like the way to go.
Originally Posted By elene We rented a car at the Swan and Dolphin hotel to go to Universal one year. I think it was about $40 (that was a few years ago though). I think it was one of the big rental car places like National or something like that. I think I had a coupon from the Entertainment book. You also have to pay to park at Universal so add that to your car rental fee to make the best choice. Car rental is very convenient though and you can go other places on your way back (like a grocery store or food) if you so choose.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn Renting a car is best, because if you need to go, you can go ~immediately~. You don't have to wait for other forms of transport that would have to be called ahead of time. If you decide to leave something in you car, you'll have a car to leave it in.
Originally Posted By KCCHIEF I hate driving in cities that I know nothing about...I travel pretty lite and I usually do not buy souvenirs... I guess I just like being carefree when on vacation.
Originally Posted By LadyandtheTramp Seconding elene, parking at Uni is $16/day, and the parking garage is about 3/4 mile away from either park's entrance. Four people in a cab seems to be the cheaper alternative, and cabs are readily available when you're ready to leave.
Originally Posted By MinnieSummer To go to uni I would take a cab but FYI I rented a car last fall when I had to take my DD on several appts in the Orlando area. I was staying at POFQ, the concierge gave me the phone number for the car rental at MK. I made the reservation and they picked me up at the hotel, took me to get the car then when I was done later that day they returned me to my hotel. It was pretty painless but I still had to wait for the shuttle to show up at the hotel and then to show up to take me back to my hotel.
Originally Posted By CDF2 Call the cab company number, tell them what hotel you are leaving from and ask for the quote to and from Universal Orlando Resort - there should be a cab dropoff at the resort where you can arrange a return cab to meet your or you can catch a cab in a cab line at one of the Universal resorts. Once did a dropoff of a rental car from Tampa at WDW resort and it took way too long as well as a bus ride from the Hilton at Downtown Disney back to my hotel. Save yourself the time and grief and take the cab.
Originally Posted By standor You are better off taking a cab. It is very hard to get in and out of the parking structure at Universal. The last time I was there, the cab driver told me to call and he told me whee to meet the driver. It worked very well. When I go on vacation I leave the driving to others and enjoy myself and look at the scenery.
