Disney Holiday (Orlando), question about a few things

[Dujith]

So this summer we will be flying to Orlando (MCO) from The Netherlands to then spend 2 weeks in Disney.

Last time i went there it was just with my wife and now with our 2 kids, now that they are old enough so the ticket isnt a waste.

The oldest really wants to see a Walmart as we just have "normal" supermarkts here.

 

I have 3 questions for anyone from Orlando or a frequent Disney fan.

1. When we land at Orlando International and want to go to one of the Disney hotels i see the Bus is suspended since covid. Is my best bet a taxi or Uber? I have 0 experience with both in Orlando.
2. Which of the Walmarts in Orlando is our best bet? i can see 3. But have no idea which one would be the best for a tourist trip 
3. Is renting a car worth it? i have no idea how the prices are now and never drove in the US.

Thanks for reading.

[seanondemand]

I love that your kid wants to see a wal-mart. Although to be fair to him, they really are ridiculous. All the walmarts in the area are similarly sized, you've got two in pretty easy driving distance.

 

For a family of 5, taking an uber or a taxi will probably be the most economical option as the (non-disney) shuttles are charged per-person. There are a few taxi stands at the airport (follow the signs) but your uber app will work too. Car rental pricing will depend on the days, so it might be worth a look - it will make your wal-mart excursion a little more convenient BUT the disney resorts do charge for parking, so maybe for a day or two? There is a car rental place on property, apparently there are complimentary shuttles from the hotels.

[P e r s e p h o n e]

LOL I'm uniquely qualified to answer this since I used to study at a university in that city.

 

1 & 3. When I was there, I used to uber around everywhere or bum rides when I needed to. I hate driving in that city because the roads are awkward. Many sudden right turn only lanes, heavy traffic across several lanes, etc. It's a pretty popular tourist destination so there's a lot of decent uber drivers, but there are some few that are unprofessional. Had a few uber drivers just cancel last minute for seemingly no reason or drive around in circles ignoring my messages. Renting a car isn't a bad idea, it's more cost effective if you plan on visiting a lot of out of the way areas, but Florida has some of the worse drivers in all the 50 states. That said, I've only ever witnessed one accident in the 4 years I've stayed there.

 

2. LOL that's a funny thing to hear as an American. Though I suppose I was just as odd when I was visiting The Netherlands. Most Walmarts are pretty consistent and won't be dramatically different. However, since you're going for touristy reasons, you'll want to make sure you go to Walmart Supercenter. If you go to a Walmart Neighborhood Market you might not see as much. That said since you're doing it for touristy reasons you might want to try out both. The Walmarts near Winterpark and around the University tend to be the best in my experience when I lived there. Who knows now though, it's been awhile.

 

[wanderingfool2]

1 hour ago, Dujith said:

So this summer we will be flying to Orlando (MCO) from The Netherlands to then spend 2 weeks in Disney.

Last time i went there it was just with my wife and now with our 2 kids, now that they are old enough so the ticket isnt a waste.

The oldest really wants to see a Walmart as we just have "normal" supermarkts here.

 

I have 3 questions for anyone from Orlando or a frequent Disney fan.

1. When we land at Orlando International and want to go to one of the Disney hotels i see the Bus is suspended since covid. Is my best bet a taxi or Uber? I have 0 experience with both in Orlando.
2. Which of the Walmarts in Orlando is our best bet? i can see 3. But have no idea which one would be the best for a tourist trip 
3. Is renting a car worth it? i have no idea how the prices are now and never drove in the US.

Thanks for reading.

Depending how many days you intend to visit the parks, staying on property might be worth it for you as well.  It can be more expensive but you get to get into the parks slightly earlier and if you stay at a deluxe resort there is occasionally after hours from my understanding.

 

From what I've seen Uber/taxi will be cheaper as @seanondemand said they charge by person now for the bus.  If you do plan to go to multiple places other than Disney (like Universal, Cape Canaveral, city, etc) then a car might just be the better option.  If you stay on Disney property they have buses between the hotel and Disney parks (or monorails/sky liner/boat) but you have to find transport from airport to hotel and hotel to other non-Disney stuff.

 

Agree with @P e r s e p h o n e Walmarts are pretty much the same except make sure it's a supercenter.  If you are at all into space given you are staying 2 weeks there is a high probably of a Falcon 9 being launched between your stay.  It's not anything spectacular but I do know some people like that stuff.

 

The biggest thing is be prepared to pay extra for things and to be knowledgable about Genie+ and lightning lanes (all at extra costs).

DFBGuide - Youtube channel has breakdowns on things and what to know for first timers

 

If you haven't looked into it, definitely look at Genie+ and figure out the Disney app as well.  Disney has switched things to virtual cue systems as well.  I would download the regular app ahead of time, seeing wait times etc and what rides might require Genie+ to get the special reservations (note that Genie+ is purchased daily and lasts only for the day and some of the extra special cues you get access to pretty much book up at 7am in the morning)

[Dujith]

@seanondemand Seeing your and the others their reply i'll make an inquiry about rental for a few days. Depending on how much it cost i might just take it for the whole vacation. I also see that all 3 Walmarts i found are supercenters.

@P e r s e p h o n e I'll have a look at the 2 you suggested. 

@wanderingfool2 We will be staying at one of the Disney certified hotels, that one has a shuttle bus to the parks. So regardless of renting a car we will be using the busses anyway. Will also be looking at whatever system they have now. Genie+? Last time there was the fastpass system.... We will figure it out.

 

Thanks you all for the tips. 

As an extra afterthought: Since both the wife and my oldest are Harry Potter fans they might want to go to Universal studios. But i see if you want to ride the train you need to pay for 2 parks? Bit steep for 1 day 164 Dollar per ticket. (And yes, Disney aint cheap  )

[wanderingfool2]

6 hours ago, Dujith said:

We will be staying at one of the Disney certified hotels, that one has a shuttle bus to the parks.

Disney charges for parking, or at least they did.  I think they announced they are going to make it free again but I don't know when (I haven't looked it up).  So factor that in when costing a rental car.  Like for my trip it's just cheaper doing Uber too and from the airport with my family (but we are mainly just going to the Disney parks and not venturing out to other areas).

 

6 hours ago, Dujith said:

Genie+? Last time there was the fastpass system.... We will figure it out.

Yea, last I was at Disney it was the fastpass system as well (I know just know more at the moment because I've been planning a trip like you and have been asking relatives who went recently).  I think fastpass is essentially like lightning lanes and Genie+ now (all of course at extra cost)

 

Genie+ is essentially Disney's way of ripping off, I mean "enhancing the user experience" for customers.  It can potentially be a waste of money and apparently the pricing fluctuates per day.  There is the standard queues that you can do, and also watch out...they sometimes "suggest" going to specific rides during specific times by saying like this line is short but they sometimes do that to essentially try pushing more traffic to those areas and away from the more popular ones.  I do recommend that YouTube channel and looking at some of the tricks and tips for DisneyWorld...things have changed a lot (and most of them not for the better).

 

6 hours ago, Dujith said:

As an extra afterthought: Since both the wife and my oldest are Harry Potter fans they might want to go to Universal studios. But i see if you want to ride the train you need to pay for 2 parks? Bit steep for 1 day 164 Dollar per ticket. (And yes, Disney aint cheap  )

Haven't looked into it much, since I'm not personally doing it on my trip...but I think there is a park-to-park universal ticket which should cost less than buying 2 tickets...but yea, agree not exactly cheap   (Yea, looks like there is similar things to Disney's park hopper)