Emerald Island Resort – A beautiful resort, right next to Disney World

A shuttle is available from Emerald Island Resort to take you to the main theme parks and shopping. It is run by Maingate Transportation of Kissimmee and it can cater for all your taxi or shuttle needs.

Where do they go to?

Currently, Maingate Transportation operates the following shuttle stops:

• Universal Studios
• Islands of Adventure
• Wet n’ Wild
• Sea World
• Orlando Premium Outlets
• Disney’s Magic Kingdom
• Disney’s EPCOT
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

When do they operate?

The regular shuttle service runs to a schedule which changes according to the season and anticipated demand for the service. Typically there is one shuttle run in the morning and one in the evening, however during the busy season, they may run additional times. The latest schedule can be obtained from the Emerald Island Clubhouse or from Maingate Transportation directly.

Where is the shuttle stop at Emerald Island?

At Emerald Island, the shuttle stop is at the clubhouse.

How much does it cost?

At time of writing, the shuttle costs from $10 - $14 per person, return, depending on the destination. (The Disney parks are on the lower end of the scale with Universal/Wet N Wild being on the upper end). Obviously these rates can be subject to change anytime by Maingate Transportation and you can contact them directly for the latest rates. The latest rates are also available at the Emerald Island Clubhouse.

How do I book the shuttle?

Good question! If there are no guests booked on the shuttle, it may not turn up to the community so it is always better to book it at least the day before. This can be done at the Emerald Island Resort Clubhouse or by calling Maingate Transportation directly.

Benefits of a resort shuttle service.

Smaller Groups

This is a great option for smaller groups of perhaps up to 4 people. It can work out cheaper on a daily basis than renting a car and paying for parking at the theme parks.

Larger Family Groups

For larger groups with teenagers who want (or demand) more independence from the rest of the group, the teenagers can go to a different park from the rest of the group.

Disadvantages

For larger groups, the cost for everyone to catch a shuttle can be expensive.

The pick up and drop off times work on a schedule and may not suit your plans.

The shuttle pick up point is the Emerald Island Resort Clubhouse and getting everyone ready and up to the clubhouse on time can be a challenge.

If you have younger children, the flexibility to go back to your vacation home when the children could do with a break is not available.

Its not easy to go out for dinner (outside of the theme park that you are visiting) or purchase groceries.

Other options

Maingate Transportation operate a taxi service and can provide a personal shuttle service to you directly. For larger groups, there may be a good cost savings over the regular shuttle option. A private shuttle / taxi can come and go on your times and pick you up from your vacation home directly for more convenience.

Renting a car is my favorite choice when in Kissimmee. It gives maximum flexibility, we can purchase groceries when we need them, we can travel to the parks on our schedule and we can go out for dinner to local restaurants in the evening. We can also visit the other attractions in the Kissimmee / Orlando area that are not on the shuttle route. We have had good service and rates from LM Car Rental (also known as EZ Car Rental) who are located on airport at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Contacting Maingate Transportation

Website:
www.maingatetaxi.com

Office Address:
15 South Hoagland Blvd.
Kissimmee, FL 34741
USA

Phone Number:
407.870.5553
Fax:
407.870.1616

–Kay
- Providing special vacation home rentals and advice for over 5 years to families and friends wanting to make the most of their time and money while visiting Walt Disney World.
- Windsor Palms Resort Vacation Rental http://www.windsorpalmsorlando.com
- Emerald Island Resort Vacation Rental http://www.emeraldislandorlando.com

This is the closest shopping plaza to Emerald Island Resort.  It has restaurants, grocery store, mini golf, UPS store and more.  It also has a new website at http://formosagardensvillage.com/

Some of our favorite restaurants on the Formosa Gardens Plaza are TGI Fridays, Outback Steakhouse and Cracker Barrel.  Other people love Giordano’s Pizza which is also in the plaza.

Very convenient location from Emerald Island and you more or less have to drive by it on your way home from the attractions.

A notable place on the plaza is the the Centra Care office.  I hope you never need it, but it is nice to know that it is there should you have a medical need.

Fall is upon us and soon it will be Halloween.  But in Orlando, Halloween goes on for most of October (and for a little of September as well).

What kind of Halloween do you and your family like?  If you have teenagers, then you may be interested in Universal Studio’s offering “Halloween Horror Nights“.  As the name suggests, Halloween Horror Nights is not for the feint of heart, but if you like to be scared witless, then you will probably enjoy it.  It is a separate  ticketed event held on certain nights in October (usually Thursday - Sunday) and is promoted as “the best in the business” “the ultimate halloween horror experience”.   Universal Studios is open for business as usual during the day so you can still plan your regular day visit to Universal, but you will see the sets and decorations for the Halloween Horror Nights.   Regular tickets are $69.99 plus tax, but Universal are offering a frequent fear pass - 13 nights for the price of on which may work out better value for you if you are staying in the area a while.

Obviously that is not an option if you have younger children.  Thankfully there are other altenatives.

For Disney fans, you have “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party”  also known as “MNSSHP”.  Again, this is an after hours ticketed event.  It is held at the Magic Kingdom and is halloween with a sprinkle of pixie dust!  There is a special parade, fireworks, costumed characters.  Trick or Treats stations are set up around the park as well as some craft activities.  Most of the rides are open and on most days there is usually little wait for the rides.  Kids and adults are encouraged to dress up.  There are very few times that the whole family can dress up and wander round The Magic Kingdom - get into the spirit of it and enjoy!  We did!

Just a few things of note.

• If you plan to visit The Magic Kingdom on a day that MHSSHP is scheduled, the park is closed early to guests without event tickets.  Take that into account when planning your day.
• Prepare for a late night!  MNSSHP finishes at midnight.  By the time you get back to Emerald Island, it will be at least half an hour later, if not more.  I recommend planning a lazy day for the next day - no early morning starts for the parks!
• MNSSHP is scheduled to start at 7.00 p.m. but in previous years other guests have reported being able to get into The Magic Kingdom at 4pm - this essentially allows you to have an extra few hours of Disney fun.  Its worth checking with Disney if this is still available.

We took our two children and our neice and nephew one year and had a great time.  We walked on to almost all of the rides with no more than a 5 minute wait.  Yes, we did dress up, and it was great fun.  The kids had a great time and all managed to stay awake until midnight (with the exception of our youngest daughter who was only 5 weeks old at the time!).  I just wish I had known about being able to get in earlier than 7pm when we went.

Find out more about MNSSHP here and here.

Our last spooky park is Seaworld’  During October, they hold their Halloween Spooktacular.  Unlike the other two offerings, Seaworld’s Halloween Spooktacular is included in your regular park entry ticket.

They also offer Count Von Count’s Spooktacular Breakfast - a character breakfast with your favorite Sesame Street Characters.

If you have stayed at Emerald Island before, you will almost certainly have driven past the Splendid China Theme Park, but perhaps didn’t realize it.

Splendid China was a recreation of some of China’s landmarks in Kissimmee.  The park unfortunately closed a few years ago and the site has been sold a couple of times since. The first time I drove past the junction of Funnie Steed Road and the 192 after the artifacts had been sold I was saddened.  The landmark dragon had gone.  OK, it was past its prime, but it really made a nice feature of the junction.

The location is prime for development and rumors are that it is one of 3 sites being considered for a sports complex in the area.  Time will tell what will eventually happen to the land.  My hope and wish is that it is something to benefit the thousands of visitors to the area.

During 2009, Walt Disney World is offering free admission on your birthday.  You will need to provide proof of the birthday to get the free admission (even for children).  Full details are available on Disney’s website.

So you are thinking “I have an annual pass, so I can’t take advantage of this offer” or “Oops, I already have a multi day ticket for my upcoming trip”  Don’t worry, Disney have a couple of other offers for you including a birthday fastpass.

Even better, they have allowed you to register in advance to save time filling out paperwork at the gate - but you still have to bring your proof of birthday with you.  To register for your birthday trip to Walt Disney World  go here.

We hope that you can take advantage of this special offer on during your stay at The Manor at Emerald Island.  A luxury 7 bedroom home that is perfect for family re-unions, birthday gatherings and multi-generational vacations.

One of my favorite things at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the Fantasmic Show.   It is an attraction filled with special effects; fire, water, movies, characters and more.  My family and I love it.  A classic good versus evil type thing, although it can be too intense for some smaller children.  It is, however on one of my list of things that we must do but from 2009 it will be harder to do.  Harder, but not impossible.

From January 2009 the Fantasmic show will be cut from a nightly show to just two days a week.  Monday and Thursday.  This is rumored to co-incide with the new American Idol show schedule.

What does this means for visitors to Walt Disney World?

Firstly it means that if you want to see Fantasmic in 2009, you have a choice of Monday or Thursday.  If you don’t want to see Fantasmic, then avoid Disney’s Hollywood Studios on those days as the crowds will be higher than on the other days.

Secondly, it means that the number of guests wanting to view Fantasmic will be heavy on both those days - seating is limited in the theatre and I would strongly recommend the Fantasmic Dinner Package.  Basically it is dinner in a selected restaurant and seating in the theater.  Please note that the seating is not guaranteed (Disney’s words, not mine) and you still are asked to line up an hour before the show.  But it beats having to wait up to two hours before the show - and that is before they restrict the number of shows.  I only expect the lines to get worse.

Lastly, if they retain the Fantasmic Dinner Package, it may become harder to get a slot.  More people in the park on those days would mean more people booking dinners and possibly more people booking or trying to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package.

Two quick notes on the Fantasmic Dinner Package.

1.   Currently you choose a restaurant - there is a choice of 3 or 4 - for dinner and once you have had dinner, you get a pass for the back entrance to Fantasmic.  There isn’t much of a surcharge for the package (if any - when I last looked, we had a buffet meal and the meal and the Fantasmic Package were almost the same price).

2.  As mentioned earlier, the seating is not guaranteed and not specifically allocated.  If you turn up late and the seating area is full you are out of luck.  Also the seating is not the best view.  The view is fine, but it is not center stage.  It is however the first block of seats as you enter the theater, which means you should be able to get out of the theater before the majority of the crowd.  Another plus is that if you have a stroller, it is parked on the exit route from the theater, whereas if you enter through the regular line, you may have a slight detour to collect your stroller.

My concern with the reduction in hours is that Disney may change the Fantasmic Dinner Package.  In Disneyland they have a Fantasmic Dessert Package which was $90 per person.  - I sincerely hope that they do not follow that route.  They may place a hefty $ premium on the package because it will become more popular.

Provided Disney do not raise the price of the dinner package greatly, I would still recommend booking that if you want to see Fantasmic.  My touring schedule would, if possible, either have Fantasmic as late night entertainment for one evening and spend the day either in the pool at The Manor or doing another type of lazy day.  If I has limited entries for Walt Disney World, I would consider spending the morning at one of the other parks and then going to Hollywood Studios for dinner and the show.  For example visit Animal Kingdom in the morning and then head to Hollywood Studios for a 5.30pm dinner.  When visiting the parks, we tend to have an early start (a.k.a being there BY opening time) to avoid the crowds and therefore end up with an early lunch and early dinner.  Trust me, in conjunction with the fastpass system, it works - even at the busy times of the year.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios used to be called MGM Studios.

Winnie the Pooh has a thoughtful spot, I have a rambling spot!  This is the first post in my blog relating to our home at Emerald Island Resort in Kissimmee.

My husband, Neil, and I have owned The Manor since 2003.  For us this home is a really special place.  We got to choose the location, all the upgrades, the furniture and more.  We put all the things in this home that we believed that large family groups would benefit from.  We love the home, we love the location and we love the magical memories that are created at our home, not just for our family, but for others too.

In this blog, I hope to pass on useful information to everyone, about our home, about the community, about the attractions in the area, about things that I think may be interesting to read.  I hope you enjoy my rambling spot.

–Kay