Voice of Travel

Even though Walt Disney World is a lot of fun, if you’re going for a week or so, there’s a good chance you’re going to want to go to one of the “other” parks in Orlando.

If you want to go to Universal Studios or SeaWorld from a Walt Disney World Resort and don’t have a car, you may think that it would be a big pain (or really expensive!).

It can be pretty easy though, as you have multiple methods to do so.

Here are your best options:

1. Rent a car for the day. You can actually rent a car ON Disney World property, and they’ll even come to your hotel on property to pick you up. The costs of course can vary.

1. Take a taxi. This usually ends up costing $30 – $45, depending on traffic, and what hotel you’re staying at as well as where you want to be dropped off. You’ll also have to add in the price of a tip.

1. Use Mears Transportation. This usually ends up being the best price-wise if you have 3 or less people, but it’s also the easiest.You call (407) 423-5566 about 24 hours before you want to go, and book a reservation for them to pick you up the next day.

   They usually come to the hotels about once an hour. You then call them about an hour before you want to be picked up at Universal Studios (or SeaWorld) and they’ll come pick you up. Again, they pick up at the parks about once an hour.The negative? They don’t drop off or pick up between 10am – 3pm, and you’ll probably have to make several stops to drop people off or pick them up from other Disney hotels.

   To me it’s the easiest since I don’t have to worry about driving, and it’s also less expensive than a taxi for my family. I always want to get to the parks soon after they open and stay until the evening, so them not dropping off or picking up in the middle of the day doesn’t bother me at all.

   The biggest “inconvenience” I’ve had is when I called to schedule a pick up from Universal Studios was that the next shuttle would be available in one and a half hours because of when I called.   You can schedule a pick up time when you get dropped off if you already know when you want to be picked up though.

   This method costs $20 per person.

The only method I’ve used out of the above is Mears. I’ve now gone with them 3 times – twice to Universal Studios, and once to SeaWorld. This is the method I’ll be taking on my next trip to either Universal or SeaWorld.

If you’d like to see other tips as they become available, check out 365 Days of Disney World Tips!

Enjoy,