A Blanket Apology To All the Car Renters

[WilsonFlyer]

We drive down so rental isn't even part of the equation with us. As to the continued arguments against my defending driving to the MK/TTC, I said what I said. What is true to you isn't necessarily true for me.

 

[jimim]

People focus on getting TO the park and ignore the ride home. While I have enjoyed getting to MK on a bus, 100% of the time on the way home the wait is absolutely interminable. I'm always wearing a running watch and have an easy time-keeping device in it, and I know that I consistently have to wait far longer than getting to the car would be. Standing is the killer for me. I want to be moving. Especially since I only go to WDW anymore for rundisney events, and everything feels better when I'm moving.

I focus on the exhausted, painful end of the day when I want to be on the move and on a ferry, vs the start of my day when every part of me is happy and chipper.





Aw man. Go to Universal. Let someone else drive you if that goal is really that important to you. I personally don't understand it; Florida is fine as long as you aren't in Miami.



AKL is my least favorite resort so far. Unfortunately, DVC stuff keeps making me stay there. And I've taken the busses there when it's not my choice. From experience, they are very slow.



I think "wow people are super-rude" when I hear that.



$800, zoinks!

I have stayed at mambo house at least 20 plus times. 1 trip the busses were bad. Every other time. No issues.

 

[DVC Sue]

We usually stay at BWV. We use Friendship Boats to Epcot and HS. We rent a car to go everywhere else. To be fair though, my husband gets amazing rental car rates through his work.

 

[pixieprincess925]

I have been renting cars for years now - especially since the last time I took ME it took 2 hours+ to get to our resort...

When I'm staying at a Skyliner resort I typically don't drive to HS and Epcot. However - I was staying at Pop about 6 months ago when a really big thunderstorm came through while I was at HS. Guess what - the skyliner shuts down. At the time, busses were only coming by every 30+ minutes (1 bus for PC). There were about 200 people in each line for both AoA and PC. we ended up paying way too much for an Uber to take us back to the resort. I've started reconsidering driving from Skyliner resorts also now...

 

[DonMacGregor]

Staying at BRV. Realized we were out of Brita filters and 1/2 and 1/2. Hopped in car this morning, over to Target at Flamingo Crossings and back, in 35 minutes.

 

[supersnoop]

Yes, I've rented a car ever since the Magical Express discontinued, with the exception of my trip this last weekend where I stayed at BWV and walked to Epcot every day.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

When we lived in California and would fly to Florida, my husband always insisted on a rental car. I'd plead with him to just use Disney transportation because it would save us money. Nope. Wouldn't have it. Had to have a car. I must admit, he eventually converted me. Having a rental car for ADR's was a game changer. Using it from time to time for AK and Epcot, etc....again, game changer. We have since moved and now drive to WDW so rental car no longer needed. Really like having the car now.

 

[mgarbowski]

A common explanation for why many people prefer to use Disney transportation is they enjoy the vacation from driving and logistics- let Disney handle the transportation. And that's great. Meanwhile we live in NYC, take public transportation regularly, and as my daughter said a few years ago, "I spend enough time waiting for buses in real life. I don't want to do it at Disney."
To each his own.

 

[kanerf]

If you do have a car, AKL Kidani is great because of the parking garage under the resort. The car does not have to sit in the hot Florida sun all day. That said, even if I had a car, which I usually don't, I would still use Disney transport to the parks. When you drive there you have no idea where you will be parking and how far you will have to trudge to the entrance. Worse yet, the walk back to your car and the end of the evening and the dreaded traffic jam getting out the park.

 

[808blessing]

We used to be car renters for the first few trips but the DVC locations we stay in are walkable so we like to be in the bubble and the everyday driving is not an issue. The times we have used disney transport, we are resting on the "limo-like" bus ride hahahaha as we are finally forced to slow down and have energy to explore or swim when back at the resort.

 

[ambrosatb]

We started renting on our trip in January, and won’t go back, DW and I find it worth the extra money to get our DD3 and DS1 back to the room, to prevent any meltdowns after a long day…… it also makes it easier to go back to the resort for an afternoon nap to keep the littles full of energy!

 

[howardlee2]

we have always rented cars dating back to 1994 I think. while Disney transportation will get you to/from places it is not very time efficient in most cases. The exception could be Magic Kingdom with the extra layer of getting from the lot to the park which tends to be a wash.

 

[leebee]

We are headed to MNSSHP tonight. I was considering driving but then thankfully DH remembered the TTC. Bus it is.

For us, the parking lot tram and ferry/monorail is part of the fun. I am SO OVER standing in a bus line for an hour at park closing, then packing into the bus like sardines with other sweaty, tired, foot-sore people. I have never waited as long for a monorail/ferry as I have for the bus, and I find it easier to "wait" if we are moving (onto a monorail or boat) than just standing in line. Now that the trams are back in service, driving even to MK is, for us, a no-brainer. We've also gone head-to-head coming out of Epcot, DH going by bus and DD and me trekking to the parking lot and driving back to our resort. Car always wins and we try to leave a cooler in the trunk, so we have a somewhat-cool drink for the ride. We've found it always faster, even at MK, to drive... and besides, where ELSE can you ride a monorail??

 

[ITGirl50]

We also started renting cars when they cancelled ME. We typically stay at a MK resort so we don’t have to drive to that park. Parking is close at HS and Epcot if you go at rope drop.

AK parking at rope drop is so stupid. They park from back to front so later arrivals get to park closer than rope drop people. We made a mistake and took a tram to our car at AK and they dropped us further away from our car than if we would have walked there. I was so mad. What idiot runs the AK parking lot?

 

[sssteele]

We drive to WDW from PA, and use the car occasionally to access the parks. However, we hit Publix on check-in day, buying breakfast items, snacks, and most importantly adult beverages. Big savings on a 7 to 14 day trip. We also eat a lot of sit-down dinners off property, saving even more money. Obviously we pay for hotels and gas to drive down, but our Mini Cooper gets 40 mpg or better on the interstates.

 

[Jayunit09]

We stayed at BLT as our first DVC and first onsite stay. With six and two year old kids, I will never not rent a car until carseats/strollers are out of the picture. So far we have fixed the driving to MK problem by staying close to MK for the days we want to go there!

I may rent even when the girls are older, I just love being on our own schedule. I also think it matters how often one goes. We go every other year so its not an annual cost, or a multi week a year cost.

 

[Jayunit09]

Also when we stayed at BLT, it was almost an hour going to EPCOT each ways with the monorail. We drove the car the next time and it was 1/3 the time. Never again.

 

[Artemis Fowl]

I laughed because I totally agree with your post. DH and I have made fun of our DD/DSIL who have always rented a car. Always. We told them it was foolish and a waste of money with Disney transportation. All the more so when we stay at BCV & Poly (owners) and BLT when we stay there. They despise the busses and totally disagreed. Plus they are big Disney Springs people and loved driving back and forth at will.

Fast forward to 2 years ago when we snowbirded on the Atlantic Coast and rented a car to be able to go back and forth to Disney (55 min) when the mood struck, even though stayed on property 2 weeks each time.. Holy cow was it nice to have a car at Disney!!. We split stay a lot and to toss luggage in the trunk and move ourselves was a joy. Plus going offsite to any store (even my fave haunt....Dollar Tree) was great. DH still does not mind the busses I do more so as I'm not as patient as he is.

I also apologize to all the car renters.

PS: Though I must admit, our home airport (O'Hare) is crazy nutsy busy and we keep noticing that MCO is trying to do the same, We go a lot to MCO and notice it more and more each trip.

Have you ever considered flying out of Midway? Depending on where you live, it might even be more covenient because of how calmer it is and cheaper to park.

 

[DonMacGregor]

While I feel like I’m giving away a secret, a quick trip to that new mini Target store at Flamingo Crossings is quickly becoming a part of our arrival routine. Once we open our Owner’s Locker and assess our needs, a trip over there to grab essential groceries and whatever we need for the locker is now part of our arrival.

It’s cheaper than ordering for delivery and we don’t need to worry about where our order gets dropped off or when, if we realize we forgot to order something then we can grab it while we’re there, and time-wise it’s faster then getting something delivered (go figure). It’s not a Publix, so you’re not going to get everything you’d get from a full supermarket, but it IS convenient and it’s Target so there’s other stuff there you might need that you won’t get from a grocery store.

By the way, it’s only about a 10 minute drive from BRV, which is probably the resort furthest away too.

 

[DVCjj]

Have you ever considered flying out of Midway? Depending on where you live, it might even be more covenient because of how calmer it is and cheaper to park.

No on Midway. Too far.