Magical Express worked well for us. If you really won't be using a car once you are on Disney property, it's a no-brainer. The bus ride was clean, comfortable and quiet. Also very efficient (although they did make us catch an EARLY bus on the return; plenty of padded time). I would use it again if I were staying solely on Disney property.
And just a quick ps to the Contemporary suggestions....I personally prefer the Wilderness Lodge (though not on the monorail, they do have a boat that will take you to the Magic Kingdom) and also prefer the Polynesian. Both of those usually run about the same price per night as the Contemporary.
And just a quick ps to the Contemporary suggestions....I personally prefer the Wilderness Lodge (though not on the monorail, they do have a boat that will take you to the Magic Kingdom) and also prefer the Polynesian. Both of those usually run about the same price per night as the Contemporary.
...the Hyatt Grand Cypress is the only way to go in my opinion. This has been a great one for the longest of times. This is definitely one of Hyatt's Crown Jewels. Plus the same architect designed Hyatt Maui at the same time, so it will leave you wanting to go see Maui. If you are Diamond with Hyatt, you will pay for it with Regency Club alone... We were just there, so be sure to say hi to Shirley!
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THAT explains why I had a feeling of deja vu when we walked into the GC for the first time Originally Posted by BoulderHyattHopper
...the Hyatt Grand Cypress .........the same architect designed Hyatt Maui at the same time, so it will leave you wanting to go see Maui.
Keep in mind, if you stay on property (Swan/Dolphin or any Disney owned resort) you can get into one park an hour earlier. This makes a HUGE difference if you're willing to wake up early. The extra hour shuffles between parks based on the day of the week.
I was in Orlando for a trade show in Octorber and by staying at the Swan I was able to use the early entrace to beat the crowds. Within 90 minutes I had ridden every ride and seen all but one attraction at Epcot. I then went to Animal Kingdom and saw everything. Same thing with MGM and the Magic Kingdom the next day. I basically rode every ride (some repeated times) in all 4 parks over a 2 day period.
I was in Orlando for a trade show in Octorber and by staying at the Swan I was able to use the early entrace to beat the crowds. Within 90 minutes I had ridden every ride and seen all but one attraction at Epcot. I then went to Animal Kingdom and saw everything. Same thing with MGM and the Magic Kingdom the next day. I basically rode every ride (some repeated times) in all 4 parks over a 2 day period.
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I was in Orlando for a trade show in Octorber and by staying at the Swan I was able to use the early entrace to beat the crowds. Within 90 minutes I had ridden every ride and seen all but one attraction at Epcot. I then went to Animal Kingdom and saw everything. Same thing with MGM and the Magic Kingdom the next day. I basically rode every ride (some repeated times) in all 4 parks over a 2 day period.
This schedule varies, too. Some days it's a park staying open later instead of earlier, often 3 hours more; sometimes you can ride a favorite attraction, like Splash Mountain, over and over and over and over and over and over and over without getting off.Originally Posted by BigBopper
Keep in mind, if you stay on property (Swan/Dolphin or any Disney owned resort) you can get into one park an hour earlier. This makes a HUGE difference if you're willing to wake up early. The extra hour shuffles between parks based on the day of the week.I was in Orlando for a trade show in Octorber and by staying at the Swan I was able to use the early entrace to beat the crowds. Within 90 minutes I had ridden every ride and seen all but one attraction at Epcot. I then went to Animal Kingdom and saw everything. Same thing with MGM and the Magic Kingdom the next day. I basically rode every ride (some repeated times) in all 4 parks over a 2 day period.
Not that I did this personally at 11 pm one night, of course.
Yeah, this benefit seems to have changed recently. They're calling it "Extra Magic Hours" or something like that now. Most days a park is open 1 hour early and a different one is open 3 hours later for onsite guests only. We were there last week and on the day we arrived the MK was open from midnight until 3 am!
Passed on that one.
Passed on that one.
The trick to Extra Magic Hours is to visit any of the other 3 parks, NOT the one that's open early or late. Remember, you've got tons of other Disney resort guests who all want to maximize their time as well, so they swarm on those benefits. In my rather extensive experience, the other parks will be relatively empty all day because most people don't park-hop within a single day and will instead stay at the "Extra Magic" park.
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I agree. Used the Magical Express about three weeks ago. It is smooth. They even took care of some delayed luggage for me.Originally Posted by flyerwife
Magical Express worked well for us. If you really won't be using a car once you are on Disney property, it's a no-brainer. The bus ride was clean, comfortable and quiet. Also very efficient (although they did make us catch an EARLY bus on the return; plenty of padded time). I would use it again if I were staying solely on Disney property....
I also agree with the comment about the return trips to the airport being early -- as in 3+ hrs before the flight. But depending on time of day, you may need most of this time as the security lines at MCO are looonnngg.
To avoid luggage hassles, most of the WDW hotels have on-site check-in for the your flights (with 7 or 8 airlines) operated by a company called Bags, Inc. I used their service and was very pleased.
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The extra hours for resort guests is a nice perk if you wake up early or stay up late. Unfortunately, if you have young kids, staying out that late isn't going to happen unless dragging lifeless bodies around is your idea of fun 