I am planning to take my family to Orlando for 8 days in late April 2001. I'll be travelling with my wife and our 2 boys (8 and 15). We are from Nova Scotia.

Accommodations: I have booked the Holiday Inn Maingate West for 44.00 a night. Is that a good rate for that hotel? Could I have done better? I booked with an online discount service.

Park Passes: I've been debating if we will need 4 or 5 day hopper passes. I was thinking maybe getting the 4 day hopper passes and alternate between Disney parks and other parks or area beaches. Can anyone advise if this is a good plan?

I've also been debating if I need to rent a car for our time there. How is the transportation from Orlando International to Kissimmee, where the Holiday Inn Maingate West is?

I appreciate any and all comments.
Thanks in advance,

Mike

Mike-$44.00 is a pretty good deal for a HI close to the main gate...there are a lot of motels in the area but for HI quality the price is about right.Having a car is probably a good idea,depending who you rented from.One thing though,be prepare for a possible lengthy wait if the car rental is off airport...have waited as long as 1hr 1/2 at Alamo's off airport facility.

We just returned from Orlando last week. We stayed at a Disney property but still found a rental a real advantage. A few years ago we stayed at a Days Inn which included a shuttle, however, we were one of several stops. I like being able to come and go as I please.

We rented from Alamo, which is indeed off site of the airport. However, Alamo shuttles are plentiful and frequent, and I didn't wait longer than a couple minutes in line oncewe got to the Alamo facility. It must depend on when you arrive. We came into Orlando at 6:00 p.m. on a Monday. Maybe weekends are worse?

You definately need to hire a car, it is so convenient, plus with parks closing late, you can come and go as you please. I found the 3day disney pass was sufficient enough to see everything. Don't miss out the beach, or any of the water parks. The kids will love it.
Thats a pretty good deal you have for the hotel.
Have a nice time!

Mike,

I suggest you check out a few (unofficial) Disney-related sites with great information and readers' posts: wdwig.com and wdwinfo.com. (People who post there tend to be a bit fanatical about the Disney experience, so prepare yourself!) You might find some info from people who have stayed at that particular hotel.

Definitely rent a car. We always stay on site and still have a car. That way you're in control of your transportation. You can also then take advantage of other stuff in Orlando, including non-theme-park stuff like Pirate's Cove miniature golf. (There might even be one in Kissimmee. However, now with Disney's Winter Summerland open, that's where we prefer to go.)

Regarding park passes--again, check out what the Disney sites above say. Some of the passes include water parks and some don't. If you want to go to a water park (we recommend Typhoon Lagoon), you'll need to assess whether it's better to get the kind of pass that includes it or to get a more limited pass and pay the water park admission fee. There are almost too many kinds of passes, in my opinion . . . .

I hope you enjoy your trip. (But, if it's in your budget, do consider staying on site, perhaps at a place like Dixie Landings. It gives you so much more flexibility. You could even stay there for the Disney part of your visit and then move to Kissimmee for the rest of your Orlando touring. We did that once and it worked fine.)