Do we need a car?

[molenda]

This might seem like a really dumb question, but I'm confused about whether we might need a car while staying at the Poly. Obviously, getting to the parks will be a breeze... but what if I wanted to go the WL for dinner? I haven't been to WDW in 25 years so I don't really know what it is like to stay on Disney property. Would be limited to where we can go? Are other resorts accessible?

Thanks!

 

[Scoootch]

You are correct that getting to the parks is a breeze...getting from resort to resort is another story. If you'll be at the Poly...getting to the GF or CR won't be a problem. Just hop on the monorail. As for all the other resorts it will be a matter of going to a park and then transferring to a bus going to the resort you are trying to get to. Or you can call a cab to come get you from your resort. A cab would be a little pricey but if you only need it for one night or 2 would be worth it as compared to having the expense of renting a car for the week. Having a car though would definetly make it easier for resort to resort trips. Personnally, I wouldn't want to spend the extra $$ though.

HTH's

 

[LindaR]

I always rent a car. Just my preference. We hop around alot and visit other resorts for meals.

It IS possible to use Disney transportation to travel between resorts. It is VERY time consuming and frustrating, but it can be done.

To me, and with our budget, renting (usually 9 days) is well worth the $130-150 I usually pay.

 

[TLinden16]

Welcome to the DIS, Molenda!

I never rent a car when I go to Disney. You can get from one resort to another, but in most cases a tranfer at a park would be required. For example, if you wanted to go from the Poly to the Port Orleans Riverside, you could take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, and get a bus to the POR.

When I stayed at the Poly a couple of years ago, we got to the WL by walking to the T&TC, and catching a bus to the WL from there. Perhaps someone who has been there more recently can confirm if the WL still has buses that go to the T&TC. If the MK is open, you could also take the monorail to the MK, and then get a boat to the WL.

So, you can get from resort to resort, but it may take a little time. Give yourself an hour to get from point A to point B.

You could also take a taxi. Going from the Poly to the WL by taxi wouldn't cost too much money (I'm guessing under $10).

Karen

 

[dawgfan]

We never take a car after getting to the resort. We use only Disney transport. It is as simple as using a resort or park as a transfer station. If at the poly I would simply go to TTC or MK and transfer to boat or bus to get to WL. Seems like a pain but it is not. I certainly would not rent a car for that. If I had the car with me I may be tempted to take it over for the short drive but no real reason to absolutely do so. You have to build in a little time here when transferring but it is vacation and we usually take a more leisurely pace.

 

[WDWFAN9]

Back in the olden days when I was still driving to WDW from IL there were many trips where the van did not move during our entire stay. Our usual vacation is 8 nights and many, many times we have never rented a car. We did rent for one day to take the kids to Kennedy Space Center, but if you are planning on staying on property, you don't really need a car.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We have never rented a car at Disney. We enjoy not drivng for the week. It is very relaxing, taking a towncar, to our resort, and with the free grocery stop, it almost pays for itself.

The transportation to other resorts take some thought, but it is not that difficult.

We are, however getting a rental car this trip. Only because, we found a great rate- $139.00/ 8 days. We are arriving late on Friday, and did not want to make the grocery stop. That meant, using a delivery service, which added more $$, to our trip.

We are ahead this time, by getting a rental, which has never happened before.


Have a great trip.

 

[kirbsam]

I have never rented a car at wdw. When you stay at the Poly there is very little need. To get to WL, monorail to MK or CR, and hop a boat to WL or FW. To get to boardwalk resorts, plan your day at epcot and take monorail there, and then walk to resorts or boat from international gateway. If you plan on resort hopping to others, then you may find a need to rent a car, but if you are mainly concerned about dinners, other than AKL, the resorts mentioned above are easy to get to.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

We never rent a car when we stay at WDW. Disney transportation is easy and convenient. It can be a little harder to get from one resort to another, but what I tell people is to plan your eating around your park trips. For example, if you want to eat anyplace on the Boardwalk you can easily walk from the International Gateway of Epcot to this area in five minutes. There are a lot of good restaurants in the Boardwalk area. You can also get there from the Studios by walking but it is at least a 15-20 minute walk. The Friendship boats travel from Epcot to the Studios stopping at the Yacth/Beach clubs, Boardwalk, and Swan/Dolphin. They are a little slow, especially with all the stops, but a nice relaxing ride. If you don't try to get from one resort directly to another it will be much easier. Use the theme parks as your point of origin to eat at any Disney resort.