car vs disney transportation

[jimmytammy]

We have flown all trips except the last one. That one was the only time we had a car. The car was useful for 2 purposes. Going to DTD, having a vehicle is great cause transportation from any of the resorts to DTD and back isnt so great. We also went to a Braves game at WWOS and it was useful then. If you are going offsite for any reason a car would be handy also. But if none of these things are in your agenda you probably dont need it. If DTD is in your schedule every day, a minivan would be nice.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by doubletrouble_vb
Sure it does. EPCOT is still open until 9PM under those conditions so you could still use it as a transit point since their restaurants close sometime after 9PM. The reason I noticed this is because I think after AK closes the AK busline merges with AKL. We were staying at AKL and it trundled right into AK at 9PM. Granted this was in October...but EPCOT is definitely open until 9 in Jan & Sept.

True, but how often are you ready to leave a first class restaurant in time to be back to Epcot to catch a bus to the resort. It's possible, but not practical for us. We rarely use the car for anything other than the occational resort/restaurant trip and grocery runs. Our main use is for getting back and forth to the airport.

 

[zulaya]

I guess I'll be the lone person who drives just about everywhere. I haven't ridden a bus yet. Mostly because I am a control freak and I don't like giving up control of my transportation to anyone, even Disney. Especially when bus service can be hit or miss in terms of timing.

When I read about people waiting 20, 30, 45 minutes for a bus, that just reinforces my want to drive. In that 20, 30, 45 minutes, instead of standing in one place waiting for a bus, I could be walking, taking a monorail, whatever to my car and driving back to my resort. I much prefer to be in motion than sitting there waiting, wondering when the bus for my resort will make an appearance.

That and since I am at BCV mostly, the whole loop having to share that bus doesn't inspire me to want to take it.

 

[crisi]

Originally posted by Mickmse2002
We have gone carless before and have rented cars before. As a family of five it can be expensive to use cabs/shuttles to get around. For going between resorts or to/from DTD you can't beat the convenience of the car. We normally stay at BCV and obviously walk to Epcot and MGM. We use our car to go to Animal Kingdom and the bus to go to Magic Kindom in order to bypass the ticket and transportation center.

FYI, Disney has plenty of taxi minivans that charge the same rate as a regular 3/4 person cab does. You will need a minivan "towncar" to get from the airport to Disney - which is a little more expense - but then with a family of five, you are probably renting a full size car - which isn't cheap either. There were six of us last trip - and shuttles and cabs were significantly cheaper than the minivan rental we'd done with six of us the time before.

 

[disneymom3]

Went without a car for the first time in March and will never do it again! Staying at the Poly, waited 25 minutes (at 7:30) for a bus to AK on early entry day. It came and was standing room only as it had already stopped at the Contempo. Not fun with a two and three year old.

One evening we wanted to go from the Poly to the Beaches and Cream and then to the Boardwalk to ride the surrey bikes. Getting there was iffy at the time of night we wanted to do it, getting home was going to be a nightmare. We gave up and didn't go.

We like the control and freedom of our own car. Usually drive down anyway, but if we fly again, we will still rent a car.

 

[drogerstn]

At the same time I would not use the mini-van to go to theme parks unless you've got special parking (I think AAA had it one year) you'll spend just as much time waiting for the tram as you will for the bus.

Most of the times we have driven to MGM and EPCOT we were able to park close enough to the entrances that we did not use a tram; just a short walk. We usually arrive prior to park opening or mid-afternoon after earlier guest have departed leaving empty spaces.

I like having a cooler in the car with cold drinks waiting for us when we leave the park. It's nice to leave the parks in a car where we can cool off and talk; many times we have to sit (or stand) apart from one another when riding the buses. A car can really come in handy when visiting the water parks and shopping; its like a portable locker.

 

[sotoalf]

So, the bottom line is: you'll only need a car if you're traveling to DTD fairly often or visiting other resorts fairly often. If all you're doing is going to the parks, then Disney transportation will do the job.

 

[crisi]

And even then, there are plenty of cabs.

It really comes down to personal preference. Some people hate to drive. Others think ten minutes waiting at a bus stop and then standing on a bus is their personal purgatory. Plenty of folks combo it - rent a car and leave it parked except when doing other resorts - or maybe going out to AK or something.

You can't even make blanket statements like "a rental car is always more expensive" as some incredible deals have been had on rental cars, or "a rental car is always faster" as, if you have a charmed trip, you could find the bus always there when you get out to the bus stop - which is almost always closer than where you'd park your car, and the dropoff point is almost always closer as well.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Others think ten minutes waiting at a bus stop and then standing on a bus is their personal purgatory.

This cracked me up
For me, 10 min is fine......it's the experiences I've had where I've waited 30-50+ minutes (i.e. from WL to MGM.....from PO Riverside to MK.....etc), just to name a few, over the years. One year ('98), my dd was so sick while at MGM with a high fever and ear ache. We were staying at (then) Dixie Landings, and waited 35 min for the bus from the park back to the resort so we could get her to bed. By the time it was all over, we were back in our room 1 hr and 10 min later from when we first began waiting for the Dixie bus outside MGM Studios. It was a horrible experience with a sick, crying 5 year old. Had we had our car, we would have been back to Dixie Landings in 20 minutes.
Lately, we use our car at least 50% of the time if not more because we have experienced first hand how inconsistant Disney transportation can be. When it's good...it's very good, but when it's bad.................
Just my personal insight & I'm sure many will disagree. I think it all depends on each individual's personal experiences.

 

[fairytinkerbell]

Otherwise it's $20-30 each way (i called a local taxi co. in orlando)
by the time ur done w/ a few trips u could have rented a car and go wherever u want 24/7.

Plus it's faster than relying on disn. trans

 

[crisi]

I've taken a LOT of cabs at Disney and have never had more than a $15 fare after tip one way. Most trips from the BW were between $10-$15 (MK, AK, BB, GF, AKL).

I believe the bell station can give you a chart of expected cab fare from place to place.

(Mia, we've had a couple of LONG waits, too. And they aren't fun. In fact, watching a bus pull away from the stop as we got there and knowing that the next one was twenty minutes away when we had a schedule - dinner reservations - started us on our cab trips).

 

[DisneyChris]

I think that the issue about renting vs not renting has more to do with the kind of holiday you want.

If you don't expect to get out of WDW, then there is no need to have a car, WDW transportation and the odd taxis would be sufficient.

However, we do rent since we usually stay about 10-12 days at WDW, and while we do not use the car when going to WDW parks (4-5 days), we want to go to US and IOA, spend a day or two shopping and touring, go out at night for supper on Int'l Drive, getting groceries, etc, and I think that, if we are not having a car, this would be more difficult, and certainly less enjoyable.

As far as cost, our rental in October will cost us $251 for 11 days.

DisneyChris