Need advice quick re: Fountains & Disney

[kimbell4 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kimbell4]

Ok... my first post here..

Quick question.. we (my husband & I, my in laws & my 3yo & 5yo) are flying into Orlando in 2 weeks to stay at the Fountains.
Obviously we will be hitting Disney up at least 4 days out of 6. My question is this: I understand there is a shuttle that goes from the Fountains to EPCOT - how reliable is this shuttle? How often does it run? Is it still running when the park closes? What about on the special nights when the park closes early in October for the halloween parade, etc?
We are trying to save $ by not renting a car (or 2) but I am not sure if it would be too much of a hassle not having one in the first place.

Any thoughts, advice, help etc would be most helpful Thank you.
BTW... we are staying in the presidential suite! So excited!!!

[akparsa Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close akparsa]

Here is the phone number for The Fountains

When I first went to The Fountains in Oct 2008, there was no shuttle. By our second trip in June 2009, there was a shuttle. We had a rental car so I didn't pay much attention other than to note that I'd prefer to have my own car because the shuttle struck me as limiting. I think they had 3 different pick up times in the morning, and 3 different return times in the evening.

To contact the Fountains, call 1-407-905-4100.

Anita

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

In my opinion unless you are staying onsite in DVC you need a car to fully enjoy the area. Offsite shuttles tend to be very inconvenient. Vistana is close by but still far enough that you definetely can't walk to much. Have fun.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Sounds like you are in a bit of a tough spot..

I'd also recommend the rental car (although the in-laws will make it necessary to get a bigger vehicle- which probably doubles your cost or more..)....

Fountains has a shuttle to Disney, but I also think it is currently limited to only two pickups- and with the young kids it may be difficult to work with that schedule. Add to that the possible frustration from being in close quarters with the in-laws, and this could quickly turn into a "working" vacation for mom!

(Let it be said that I truly cherish my in-laws, but spending a week trying to coordinate both grandparents and kids would leave me exhausted!)..

The rental will probably cost you around $700, while a standard car would only be around $300. or so.....

For a family of four, the rental car is always a good idea since the costs normally even out- and the extra $200 or so is well worth the freedom and flexibility... Don't forget you'd still have the cab fare to and from the airport, which itself can be pretty pricey. (Around $40 each way not including tip), plus added cab fares to grocery, restaurants, etc at around $15 a pop..

Orlando does have a trolley service along I-Drive which picks up in front of the Fountains about every 30 minutes or so and will give you some help. The links below take you to that info...

Good luck and enjoy!

If you eat at the Denny's on the corner of I-Drive and Central Florida Pkwy, my office is just across the street.. Stop by if you need anything.

http://www.iridetrolley.com/pdf/marker.pdf
http://www.iridetrolley.com/pdf/service.pdf

[BerryQueen Member Find all posts View Profile Close BerryQueen]

plus you can drive to the beach one day everyone loves the beach
I'm canadian so thats normally the hit for us it maybe different for you guys