Car vs. no car.... the eternal debate

[Jen D]

First of all, I know good and well there are people who swear by having their own car, and others who find it insanity to bother with a car on a WDW vacation. I am a first-timer, and I don't know what to do. Here is my situation.

1) I am inclined to do no car because-- we are not really "car people", here in NYC we don't own, nor do we need a car, and I am not likely to be surprised or upset by the unpredictabilities of public transportation like not getting a seat. I take my 3-year old on buses and subways all the time. Not a big deal to me.

2) When I first planned a WDW vacation, a big selling point was-- we don't have to have a car!!

but....

3) If we don't rent, we'll use Tiffany-- I need that grocery stop, we have a BWV Studio. So that's what--- $80 plus tip? So $100?

4) Furthermore-- our anniversary dinner that week is at California Grill, at the Contemporary, and since the Harbor Club is closed that night, we'll be stowing the kid at one of the monorail hotel kids' clubs. I shudder to think of doing all that with Disney transport, so I'm budgeting for taxis.

5) We are also planning trips to water parks, PI-- again, I know buses get mixed reviews. And on PI night we'll be stowing the kid again (this time at the Harbor club) so we don't want to spend half our paid babysitting time on buses.

then again

6) Since we are at the BW, we can walk to Epcot and MGM.... and I understand MK is always better reached by bus than car-- so the only major park we'd drive to is AK. Furthermore, our itinerary is tight, I doubt we'll ever leave the world once we're in.

but

7) With a car I can dine at Boma. I have heard such good things.
:tongue:

But in the long run:

My primary concern is FINANCIAL. I am budgeting each penny carefully and if a car is even a little bit more, forget it. Right now
I am holding a compact ressie for a weekly rate of $84 plus tax and stuff.

thanks for reading. Thoughts?:tongue:

[Beverly Lynn]

add the ttl of all that up against the ttl for the car and see which is better financially! I always have to get a car I would go nuts without one......

[Basser]

I think that you'll do fine with Bus system at DW. I would suggest that you take the boat to MGM with children it's a nice ride and saves on the little ones feet. It is quite a walk to MGM from BW for the children.
I hope this helps.

[Poly Pal]

But after waiting 45 minutes in the sun in a wet, sandy bathing suit with a cranky wife and a crankier 3 year old for a bus to take us from Typhoon Lagoon back to the Polynesian, we rent a car. You mention that your schedule is tight. Keep in mind that the bus system will keep you waiting at times, even though the actual trips themselves are relatively short.

It used to be easy to give advice when all there was was the MK and EPCOT - stay at a monorail hotel and don't bother with a car. Now that the property is so developed and spread out, a car can be a real convenience and timesaver.

I say stick with the rental car - just don't drive like a NY'er! (Just kidding - LOL!):p

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I second what BL said. Total up how much you have budgeted for the Tiffany and for the two cab rides you mentioned and compare with rental car rates.

I did a little checking. You didn't say when you were going or for how long or what kind of car you needed, so I just played with a couple of different weeks on an intermediate. National was pricing at $154 for a week in July and November, and $130 in September. There were some that were more, some that were less.

Good luck, and whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!!

[robinb]

I'm also a car person, but then again I live in Wisconsin and not NYC ;). I drive everywhere except the MK which is easier to get to by bus. Also, having a car will allow you to eat off-site at some of the less expensive restaurants, thereby saving you money.

This is a bit off-topic to the car discussion, but will your 3 year old be 4 by the time you go? The children's clubs only take kids 4 and over who are potty trained. You may have to bring in a nanny instead.

[Mish]

I am for a car. We are renting one when we go in November. I figured by time we payed for Mears to and from the airport and to and from Universal we would be better off. (2 adults 2 children) I also want to stop at a store for pampers and juice. The difference for the car was only $50 to me it will be $50 well spent to know i can come and go as i please. Michelle

[Laz]

Everyone on this board knows that I hate the bus system, so I am a bit biased:rolleyes: While staying at the Dolphin, the wait to and from Downtown disney was an hour+:mad: Combine this with hot, tired, & cranky kids and adults, and it turned into a virtual riot. People got so mad they paid for taxis.

To get to MK, we always take the car to EPCOT, and then ride the monorail. We always plan our day to include a little of EPCOT, because it gets us away from a crowd. Good Luck!

[Jen D]

Thanks for noticing Robin! Yes, my 3-yr old will be four by September.

Someone on another thread commented that as someone who doesn't own a car, I might need to buy the insurance. If that is true, it makes the budget much too high for me. It runs $12-$20 more a day for insurance.

Thanks Obi Wan. I am going 9/23-9/29. I did find some dirt cheap compact rates (compact is fine for our needs) from $85-100. I reserved the $85 one.

I am so conflicted on this issue, I change my mind every day.

[Riverview]

Jen some credit cards usually gold or platinum give you insurance if you use them to pay for the rental. I don't know if that is just supplemental to your own insurance or not. It's worth checking into.
Riverview :smooth: :bounce: :p :bounce: :wave:

[threeboysmom]

Hi Jen, I can't really offer you any advice because I am going through the same kind of decision. Should I or shouldn't I??? I just had to write because you sound just like me....

If I rent, I can do this.......

If I don't, then this....

Then again.....

But ......
But......
But......

LOL! Hopefully we will make up our minds soon!! We are also going in September! Happy Limo costs $90 with tip and a full-size rental for 4 days cost $91 (not incl. tax and gas though). It may be worth spending a little extra for the convenience. BUT with a car, I'm afraid of getting lost.....without a car, I'm afraid of a long wait for a bus..... The debate is endless.....and maddening as you know so well!!

Kimberly

[VickiVM]

I wouldn't get a car simply to avoid bus waits. This is just me, but I know the kind of luck (or lack of) that I always have. Let's say you get up early, go to bus pickup area - perhaps a few minutes walk - then wait around for 15 min, then 30 min, then you decide to take the car instead, and so you walk back to where car is parked (or wait for valet to retrieve it) and by the time you drive to whichever park you're visiting and actually park the car and walk/tram to entrance....well, you may have used as much time as you would waiting for bus to begin with. HOWEVER...if you plan on going to other resort for meals or intend to go offsite then all things being equal, then get the car.

[skeezixspud]

You can skip the insurance if your credit card offers coverage. It's also much easier to drive in FL than it is around NY :)

Seriously, I would not go without it, if I were contemplating much resort-to-resort movement at night. We use the busses in the morning, but drive after dark unless the destination can be walked, especially for getting home after major events like the MK fireworks. This is where BW location comes in handy, you can walk back after Fantasmic and Illuminations; but take your stroller if you don't want to carry your kid all that distance, a 3 yo is guaranteed to poop out after those shows! Crowded busses can wear very thin on the nerves when you are very tired.

Priceline can work pretty well for car rentals, and may save you quite a bit in the end, especially if you stick to a smaller model. Remember that cabs in NY tend to be much cheaper than they are in areas where people normally drive. (Just about the only thing that is cheaper in NYC!)

[RoseNJ]

I lean towards a car too for you for two reasons. First, you are taking a 3 year old, which I did last summer too. When they are tired, they burn out fast waiting an long time for a bus. I saved money by driving from the airport to a local shopping mall and buying a cheap stroller, some little snacks, pull-ups(he was still in them) and baby wipes on the way to BWV. The other concern is the waiting time for some buses, especially to Downtown Disney area. I don't want to waste a couple of hours of my vacation time waiting for buses. Last year I was almost 2 hours to and from the marketplace because I used the bus. I also don't like sitting in a wet seat because that bus also stops at Typhoon Lagoon and people do get on wet.

[Jen D]

Well, apparently as of 7/16 Disney is charging $6 a day for valet parking. Another car charge. Of course, I could self-park, but I hear that's really a drag at the Boardwalk.

All your comments have been useful, but I am leaning toward not renting. Maybe I just want to get off the plane and see that smiling Tiffany driver carrying a sign with my name on it. If it all goes badly, I'll come back and post about it so the car people can say "I told you so."

Don't hold me to this, I'll change my mind ten more times before September 23.

[frost5000]

Hi Jen! I grew up in NYC, my sister still lives in Queens (I'm in Philly now). My sister and I are taking my 2 kids to Disney in Sept. also. After much debate, we just decided to go without a car. Here are our reasons:
1. My children are older (9+11) and we are all used to public transportation. In fact I prefer it because I can spend time with my kids while someone else worries about traffic/schedules.
2. If you are concerned about cost of mears/towncar, we're taking the city bus to Disney. It costs about $1.10 per person, stops at the airport every half hour, and takes about 1 and 1/2 hrs. to get to disney (one bus change at the Orlando Transp. Center). Can't beat that for cost (Less than $10 total round trip) - and I hear they are very efficient. I'm still trying to find if anyone knows a grocery store near the Orlando transp. center, so we can do that also.

Comming from NYC we shouldn't have a problem with the Disney transport.

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

For 6 nights, I got a National car, Full size, for $113! this as my Dh says, is a no brainer!

[RweTHEREyet]

Although WDW is fairly easy to navigate, until you get the feel of the land, it can be intimidating, especially when you are not used to driving and dealing with the traffic. Since this is your first trip, you would probably waste as much time figuring out where you are going and could save time with a taxi. With the limo service and taxi service, you could sit back and relax on the drive and leave the driving to someone else. It can be very stressful if you are not sure of what you are doing.

I would opt for taxi's to and from resorts and use the bus to the Parks.

I will also ad that we love having a car, but we know where we are going and when to drive and when to use WDW transportation. I still say for a first-timer, don't go with the car.

[ThePotatoHeads]

We have always avoided hiring a car and have been more than happy with the Disney transport. Twice we have been at WDW with a child under 1 yr old and the only hassle has been having to lift a sleeping baby to fold the stroller when boarding a bus. (You can take a stroller on the MGM boat without having to fold it ). We have never experienced long delays for buses. However, driving would be a bigger issue for us, as we drive on the L.H.S. at home! Good luck, whatever you choose.

HoJo LBV - May 97
Dixie Landings - May 98
All Star Movies - Nov 99
All Star Sports - April 00
(Pop Century - Mar 02)
:)

[Diznut84]

Be sure to find out the TOTAL cost of renting. There are very high fees in Orlando. I believe our $79 weekly rate went to $125.

Our situation is that I like to drive and my wife likes to use WDW transportation. Now we have begun using timeshares so we drive all the time. She doesn't mind anymore, largely because we can go to many of her favorite restaurants a lot cheaper than eating at WDW... LOL

[JSG]

We JUST got back and I thought I'd add my recent experiences with the buses.

I am also from NYC (don't own a car, totally rely on public transport) and also debated renting a car vs. not renting a car FOREVER. In the end, renting (with gas, tolls, tax) probably would have cost double what Tiffany cost ($95 with tip) and I opted to save the money. My husband and I had been before and relied on Disney transport . . . this time we were with my cousins, 11 and 13. We stayed at All Star Sports, and I had always heard that the All Star resorts have very active bus service.

In the end, I probably would still have chosen to not have the car . . . but we did hit a few very unpleasant waits and I did hear a lot of complaints from my traveling companions.

Most of the time, when we were traveling with the flow of traffic (to a major theme park in the morning or back to the resort at night) the buses generally came quickly. Especially at closing time the All Star buses just kept coming one after another to accomodate the large crowd. We did have one or two very annoying waits, almost always in the morning . . . but generally buses were pleantiful when we were going in the same direction as hundreds of others. The buses picked us up right at the hotel and took us as close to each park's entrance as possible . . . no trams back and forth, no parking lot lines. That's always a plus.

We also had a very easy time on the day we started in the MK, then took the monorail to EPCOT, then took the monorail to the Contemporary for dinner, then finally back to the MK to catch a bus back to the All Stars. If you're going from one monorail resort to another, it's really not hard at all.

The one disaster we had was on our first afternoon when we weren't with the general flow of traffic. It was terrible, too, because it was our first experience (other than lunch) at WDW and the kids were tired. We went from All Star Sports to Typhoon Lagoon and probably waited 45 minutes-1 hour for the right bus to finally arrive . . . then when it did the loop it made was endless.

We thought that was horrid, but it was even worse when we went from Typhoon Lagoon to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. Buses came for EVERY OTHER RESORT except AKL. I had heard that the AKL bus service is terrible, and it seems to be true. It was really bad and by the time we got to dinner everyone was in meltdown mode and it really put a crimp in dinner (we took a cab home). That was the one time we really, really would have benefitted from the car . . . otherwise, the waits were small or nonexistent and the longer waits were not THAT bad.

[DisneyKidds]

My vote is for the car if you can afford it. We always rent one and would never go without - whatever the cost. We like to go from resort to resort, hop to different parks, go to waterparks - sometimes all in the same day. Can't imagine doing that with the bus system.

As for getting around with a car, you may need a day or two to get your bearings - but other than that it is not too difficult.

As for self parking at the Boardwalk, it is not bad at all - a short walk really.

Good luck with your decision.