happytweety5

We are an Egyptian family, we were visiting Orlando as tourists 2 months ago. We really enjoyed the place and everything was lovely.
The main problem that we faced, and definitely other visitors face, is PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!
ITrolley is ok though it stops running at10:30, which is not reasonable in a
touristic city like Orlando where people want to enjoy nightlife! Also you have to wait for quite a
long time for the trolley.
As for Lynx it is very hard to find a direct bus to the attractions or to other different places. Strange enough they stop running early in weekends, when people are supposed to stay late!
I believe even the people of Orlando themselves are confused about the schedule and the routes.We faced this when we asked for guidance!
The strangest thing is the hell and confusion we faced when we wanted to go to Downtown Disney which is a main attraction! We had to transfer to buses from Epcot to Disney Hotels, then another bus to Downtown! Also monorails and different buses from one park to another.
I cannot believe, that Orlando where people visit all year round mainly to visit Disney and enjoy shopping and nightlife,we had to face such problems!
We were so nervous all the time and running here and there to catch a bus to be able to return and not miss the last bus! Or else we should have used a taxi which we cannot afford during our several visits to Disney and other places.(it happened several times though we were staying in International Drive area) and we paid a lot.

Finally we really loved Orlando and hope to visit again soon, though, we really spent a long time waiting and moving from a bus to another, as well as being stressed during our stay only because of the TRANSPORTATION system.
We hope transportation would be easier next time we visit.

nytraveler

Unfortunately most places in the US simply don't have very good public transit. (Governments don't want to pay for it - public funds are put towards road construction and upkeep since that is the way almost everyone travels. And the federal government provides only minimal support to Amtrak - the national train system.)

Although you will find fairly extensive transit systems in a couple of the larger cities (NY, Boston, DC, Chicago, SF - which are supported by local funds, not the federal government) most other places have very limited public transit options since it is assumed that everyone will be traveling in their own car (owned or rented).

We would never attempt to visit Orlando without renting a car unless doing only Disney and staying on the property.

NewbE

<We hope transportation would be easier next time we visit.>
Unfortunately, given state and local government, I doubt it will be. Uber is a good alternative to taxis.

happytweety5

NewbE
Thanks for your advice

NewbE

You're welcome! I wish it had been in time for your visit. And I wish Orlando had better transportation options. I agree that it's very inconvenient. I wonder if you should share your experience with Disney? They can use visitor complaints to lobby the state for solutions. It's a shameful situation for such a heavily touristed city.

nytraveler

Part of the trouble is that it isn't really a city - but a collection of different neighborhoods with very different constituencies. And as in much of FL, the fact that there are so many retired people on fixed incomes means that support for public works/facilities, and the taxes to pay for them, is virtually nil.

A lot of people seem to feel that since Disney and Universal are making so much money they should be responsible for providing more support for tourist facilities.

Orlando_Vic

You are absolutely correct. Our public transportation system is poor. I always recommend that visitors rent a car so they can travel freely beyond the "Disney bubble."

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie
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NewbE

I agree, but the OP's point is that it's hard to travel within the Disney bubble without a car, too, isn't it?

NewbE

Also, Orlando is one of the fastest growing cities in Florida, with an increasingly younger population. Doesn't fit nyt's stereotypes about The state.

persimmondeb

The Disney bubble is pretty easy, but it's a hub and spoke, and I think the original poster was kind of flummoxed by it.

I would never try to stay off property without access to a car, but we usually park it and leave it while we're actually at Disney.