Driver?

[jacquellie]

I got caught in a thunderstorm on I4 ten years ago in a rental car. It was my first trip to the US and it was terrifying, so I don't want to drive at Disney. However, I've heard animal kingdom is isolated and transportation unreliable. Is it possible to hire a driver at disney to run us about? Or are there taxis? How efficient are taxis? I don't want to spend my whole holiday trying to get places, but am dead set on animal kingdom. Thoughts or advice?

[goofy4tink]

You really can't hire someone to drive you around WDW. You can use a towncar service to get from point A to point B, or take cabs.
But in all reality??? Getting to and from AK, or AKL, is not a big deal. Buses run to and from AK park as frequently as other parks. Same thing for buses at AKL. Yes, it takes longer to get there due to it's being the furthermost park, but it really has the exact same transportation that every other park has.
It's nothing I would worry about. Just take the buses.

[karly05]

I've never used a taxi (at WDW or anywhere), but they are apparently fairly easy to get at WDW.

That said - I would just relax and use the Disney bus. Yes, you'll hear Bus Horror Stories, but I think those are more the exception than the rule. Now, I've only been to WDW 3 times, and I'm sure you'll get answers from posters with much more experience, but in 3 trips, I can remember only 2 cases of having a significant wait for a bus. One was in 1999 going from Beach Club to AK, but it was 3 pm on a day when the park closed at 5, and my sis & I ended up being the only people on the bus! The other long wait was in 2004 trying to get back to the Poly from Downtown Disney - but getting a bus back to anywhere from DTD seems to be a persistent issue.

This year's trip, I had no problem at all getting a bus from BC to AK in plenty of time for the 8 am EMH open, or getting back to BC mid-afternoon.

[dburg30]

Depends on where you are trying to get to AK from, or where you are trying to go.. From AKL / AK to other places will be quicker for some places, and farther for others.. Same with every resort on property.. It is just as reliable as any other, and honestly, probably more reliable buses then some of the resorts.. Just listen to stories of people trying to get from the magic kingdom resorts to places on buses.. usually not really good stories.

IMO, not something to worry about.

As far as taxis go, they are almost everywhere. If at a resort and you need one, bell services will get you one.. If somewhere else, you can call mears at 407-422-2222 and get one..
Taxis will average $15-20 could go as far as $30 from extreme sides

[dburg30]

As the above poster said, consider the time of day you will be needed transport also.. If it's close to opening, there will be buses galore running from resorts to parks.. If at the closing, they have tons running from park to resorts.. NOW, if you happen to need to get to a park close to closing, it's going to probably take longer for a bus to show up, shouldnt be horrible, but since they wont have many people heading TO the parks at closing times, there wont be as many buses dispatched..

During mid day it's just hit and miss, I think I've only waited more then 20 minutes for a bus 2 or 3 times, and only one time was more then 30 minutes..

Now transport to / from Downtown disney to resorts... that's just the luck of the draw, and how traffic is flowing

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Originally Posted by goofy4tink

You really can't hire someone to drive you around WDW. You can use a towncar service to get from point A to point B, or take cabs.

If you are willing to pay, you can certainly hire a car and driver for a day.

[TheWog]

I had heard horror stories about AKL as well, but was pleasantly surprised. We stayed there and the longest bus ride to MK was 16 mins door to door (shortest ride to MK was 12mins). DTD was hit or miss as you had to wait for the bus to come and that could sometimes take a while if you just missed the one leaving, but other than that I was pleased with the AKL bus service. I say just go with it and you will be fine.

[goofy4tink]

Originally Posted by lost*in*cyberspace

If you are willing to pay, you can certainly hire a car and driver for a day.

Well, I guess you can if you want to pay enough. I know there are some who have hired a car service to get them to a park in the morning and then to pick them up at night and get them back to the resort. But it would be incredibly expensive to have someone at your beck and call....if you wanted to park hop or head somewhere to eat.
But you're right..if you are willing to pay, you can do it. I stand corrected.

[mowatm]

Taxis are VERY easy to come by at WDW, but I totally recommend just taking the bus!! They aren't that bad, and it's part of the Disney "experience!" ...and cheaper!