<p>Ok, so here is the thing that is keeping me up at night this week:</p>
<p>ZG is going on a trip to Disney with a couple of girl friends in a few weeks. On such short notice (she was just cleared by doc), they couldn’t get a room in Disney, so are staying outside at a hotel with shuttle buses.</p>
<p>I have convinced myself that they will miss the last bus to the hotel, ZG will get separated from them while trying to call someone to fix the problem, and run into a serial killer – never to be heard from again.</p>
<p>Anyone know anything about this? (Shuttle buses to Disney, not my neuroses!)</p>
<p>Almost all of the off site hotel/motels have regular shuttle bus service to and from the parks. Even in the official Disney hotels, you need this to get to all of the different areas (Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, Animal Kingdom, etc.)</p>
<p>The serial killers mostly congregate in the Ripley Museum.</p>
<p>They have cell phones, right? Cell phones are what keeps me from being totally terrified in these situations. If she gets separated, have her call someone - even you, and stay on the phone till she’s back together. (If they all don’t have cell phones, make them get them now.)</p>
<p>Make sure they carry the address of the hotel with them, and make very clear plans about where and when to meet if separated. Make sure they all know which park they are going to at any given time. They aren’t really that close together!</p>
<p>We went to Disney over Christmas and stayed off site - much cheaper! We drove, but there were tons of shuttles everywhere. Disney is very good about being “friendly and helpful.”</p>
<p>(By the way, I assume we’re talking Florida? Not California?)</p>
<p>Well if you are so very worried, give her some money in a sealed envelope (or a card, if taxis take cards there) for a taxi in case of emergency.</p>
<p>I am going to give her money. I just hoped that among the varied experiences here on CC, someone would have personal knowledge. We’ve never stayed off premises and my hubby is over 25, so we usually rent a car!</p>
<p>I thought that you lived in the NYC area, but didn’t follow your posts about what your daughter’s been through. Sorry. We live 1 hour from Disney (originally from NYC) and went there quite often when the kids were younger. I think a city kid would have no problem there.</p>
<p>We stayed off site once and the shuttle bus system worked well. </p>
<p>Cell phones should be a requisite to keep in touch with her friends.</p>
<p>And I have to add that Disney does has security; if she should have a problem, she can pretty much let a Disney employee know and the wheels will be set in motion.</p>
<p>(When d was in first grade, she was not feeling well the morning of our flight to Disney, but I assumed it was the early flight time and just general grumpiness. Long story short - by the end of the day it was obvious that she had strep throat; called my pediatrician from Orlando and he prescribed an antibiotic over the phone. Dr worked with the concierge to find the nearest after hours pharmacy to call in the prescription and the concierge drove me to pick up the antibiotic so that d could start on it. I tried to tip him generously and he refused saying that it would not be right to take any payment; he just hoped that the antibiotic worked quickly and we had a wonderful stay. D did see him a day later well and thanked him personally. I am a big believer in Disney making sure that bad things don’t happen. Of course, it goes without saying that your d should be cautious no matter where she goes - no picking up any serial killers.)</p>
<p>When we went to Disney, we stayed off site and used the shuttles exclusively and never had any problems. This was several years ago. The plus to staying off site was that the hotel offered shuttles to a couple of other attractions too. Staying onsite without a car limits you to Disney.</p>
<p>We stayed off-“campus” several years ago and our kids, all pre-college teenagers, went back and forth to the various Disney attractions without us most of the time. It was never a problem. It’s very easy to get around and in addition to being the “happiest” place on earth, it’s also the “friendliest” place on earth. If she has any problems, there are lots of people to help.</p>
<p>Armed with money and a cell phone and minimum of common sense, she’ll have no problems and have a great time. </p>
<p>We stayed off site and shuttled without any problems and we stayed until parks closed. The hotels that shuttle are very in tune to late night Disney. we also had to call the hotel once as we could not find the shuttle at Animal Kingdom. They sent a van for us!!!
What is the age in Florida for car rental? My son just rented a car in CA and he is only 20.</p>
<p>If you know where they are staying, you can probably figure out that hotel’s shuttle schedule. Imprint firmly in your D’s mind the time that the last shuttle leaves for the return to the hotel. Review the “buddy system” rules and the “what ifs” in case one person is still MIA come departure time. Come on, a savvy New York girl should be able to talk a shuttle driver into lingering a bit until the straggler shows up.</p>
<p>Worst case - they are all late for the shuttle. Get the shuttle phone number from the hotel in the morning so they can call and alert the driver that they are on their way and PLEASE oh PLEASE kind driver wait a few minutes!</p>
<p>Sigh - what more can a diligent mother do? But I feel your pain. I would be having the same thoughts if it was my D!!</p>
<p>Oh, and request a text message once all are safe and sound and heading back to home base.</p>
<p>Hey ZM! The shuttle system is great for off site hotels! We have used it many times. The drivers are used to stragglers and Disney is quite good at clearing the parks and making sure everyone is safe. Cell phone are good for rendezous points. Have her add the concierge/front desk number to her phone just in case. Believe me…Disney does not want anything to happen on site or on the way to their hotel. Glad to hear she is feeling better! The trip will be good for her.</p>
<p>If you really want the whole group to stay together, modify the Buddy System a bit (depending on how many of them there are) - they stand in a circle. Each girl looks to her right. That’s the girl she’s responsible for - knowing where she is and when she’s supposed to be back. That way, a pair of “buddies” can’t just be left behind.</p>
<p>Shuttles work well, and usually if one is on board and the others aren’t (and it’s the last shuttle), the driver will wait for the others. (This happened to us pre-cell phone era - the bus waited. Passengers were mad, but the bus waited.)</p>
<p>One other question - are they wedded to the Mouse, or would they consider doing Universal? It’s much cheaper as a park, and they might actually get on-park reservations at Universal.</p>