AJMelheim

First of all let me say, this would NOT be my choice of a trip, but my sister and I are taking our two teens (my DS, her DD) who are the both 17 and good friends, on a trip together. We let them choose the destination (with budget parameters). They have chosen to spend one day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP), then do a 3 night Bahamas cruise.

So we will fly into Orlando on day one, spend day two at WWHP, day three we need to get to Port Canavarel where our cruise departs at 4 pm. Days four and five are on the ship. Day 6 we disembark at 7 am and need to get from Port Canaveral to the Orlando airport for flights home.

No reservations for the cruise or flights or hotels have yet been made.

My main question at this point is the best/cheapest options for ground transportation:
Day 1 airport to hotel
Day 2 hotel to WWHP and back at the end of the day
Day 3 hotel to airport to Port Canaveral
Day 6 Port Canaveral to airport

Should we just rent a car or can we piece together shuttles and buses and other ground transportation that will be cheaper?

Do you know of any hotels with free shuttles to WWHP? Hotels that provide free airport shuttle service?

Thanks so much for your assistance.

eeyorelvr

There are several hotels on Universal's property that have shuttles/boats and within walking distance to the park, not sure of your price range, these may be more than you want to spend. If so there are several 8-10 right across the stree from Universal, and although I do not consider those to be within walking distance (road is dangerous to cross) they too run buses (not all day, at specific times) but would be easy/cheap to access a cab back and forth.

If you choose to stay at a Univeral hotel, I would call and ask if they have transportation from the airport when you arrive

Not sure how to get to the cruise port.

When you book your cruise, you can let them know you need transportation from the cruise line to the airport and they too have shuttles.

persimmondeb

I would bet good money that Mears runs transport to the cruise terminal. Sometimes you can make arrangements for that kind of thing through the cruise line, too. For one or two nights, I would think that a Universal hotel was your best option, not only for convenience, but for the front-of-the-line privileges accorded to resort guests. I don't think that Universal has a pick-up service (like Disney's Magical Express), but there should be decent transfer options.

doug_stallings

No hotels in Orlando offer free airport transportation except for those in Walt Disney World. And for my money, the "free" shuttles to theme parks aren't worth the money they cost. They typically run only once a day and limit you to a very rigid schedule that may or may not meet your needs.

I'd look into renting a car for the entire stay and the drive to Port Canaveral (I'm assuming you are leaving from there ... though you don't say); it may be favorable even with the drop-off fee. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL offer cruises from there, but you need to check the schedules to make sure everything matches up.

Universal Hotels cost more but offer huge advantages if you are only going to be in the park one day. You get a fast-pass, which you can't get anywhere else, in addition to the free park transportation. And having a car will allow you to eat off-site.

There are shuttles from the Orlando airport to the port, but I don't know if there are any shuttles from the hotels. But with 4 people, it could be a wash; you could simply arrange private shuttle service. But I think it will cost more for the airport and Port Canaveral shuttles than renting a car (without checking prices, however).

AJMelheim

Thanks everyone. I'll look into car rental and its associated costs (gas, parking, traffic headaches, getting lost, etc!). I'll also look into shuttles and the like and then compare all costs.

Still looking at hotel options in or near Universal/Islands of Adventure/Harry Potter.

I'm hoping that once the Harry Potter portion of the park opens, there will be chatter with tips, etc. from people who have been there. I KNOW it will be crowded, but like I said, this is not my choice, it is my son & niece's choice. My sister and I are just along for the ride.

doug_stallings

FYI: Not all the rides in Harry Potter are new, by the way. Dueling Dragons has been around since Islands of Adventure opened. Many other areas and rides have been re-themed, but there are definitely new things.

I'd give serious consideration to staying on site. Take a look at the Universal Studios policy about Express Pass. Only on-site hotel guests can use it (and it might actually allow you to do much much more in your single day at the park. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is just one small part of Islands of Adventure ... not a separate park of its own, so your kids may want to ride the Hulk coaster and some other rides. And if you get a park-hopper option, you can go to the other park for some pretty cool rides (though not as many as at Islands of Adventure).

AJMelheim

Thanks, Doug. I'm wondering about the possibility of Universal doing a "this Express Pass is good for all attractions at Islands of Adventure EXCEPT the new Harry Potter attractions." It that possible or likely?

AJMelheim

This is what the Wizarding World of Harry Potter portion of the Universal website says about the Express Pass privileges if you stay on site:

"Express ride access available during normal theme park operating hours only. Some attractions excluded. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice. Access may be restricted during certain times at certain attractions."

Since the Harry Potter attractions are so new, I'm concerned they might restrict those from Express Pass.

I'll check the hotels' cancellation policies and if they are liberal I might book one on site and one off site. Then once people start posting AFTER they have been to the park, I can make the final decision based on information from people who have actually been there. How does that sound?

doug_stallings

Express Ride usually applies to particularly busy attractions (the big coasters, newest attractions); minor rides with fewer lines don't usually get the Express Ride treatment. So I'd expect the opposite.

Either way, this will certainly save you tons of time if you have only one day (it's like a Fast Pass at WDW). But if you can't afford to stay on-site, then don't. Ultimately you have to decide what's more important to you, and you do seem to be pinching pennies. There are many cheap hotels near I-drive, and I think you can park in the garage for $10 or $12.