car at WL?

[missypooh]

All you WL fans - do I need a car for 8 days? And, if I have a car, how's parking? Can I park at any of the resorts whenever I want?

Here are some things I am thinking of: Can I drive to contemporary, park and then walk on the path to MK? I am thinking that this will be easier to get back at night after parades or fireworks- no waits.

And in the AM, can we drive to the poly early and then take the monorail (just for fun)?

Has anyone stayed at WL without a car? all thoughts and advice welcome.

thanks - I appreciate all the excellent advice on this board.

 

[Stitch Inside]

I would take a car. We just returned from a week at POFQ and our last night at WL. Parking was plentiful, but that was the first week of May. You cannot park at the CL and walk to MK unless you can do it after breakfast within 3 hours of your PS. We went to Chef Mickeys for their character breakfast and were given a 3 hour parking pass. We did park in the MK lot in the AAA Diamond parking and found this easy access to the Monorail. We also had PS at O'hana's one night and were not given any kind of parking pass when we showed up, we were just waved on through, no questions asked.
We have also been to WL before without a car and found the buses tolerable. The boat is still the best way to MK.

 

[oogieboogie]

In Feb 04, we stayed at WL for 3 days. Not once did we use our car. We went to MK by boat, to EPCOT by monorail. We didn't go to MGM or AK during those 3 days. That was later after we split stay.

I personally would get a car just because we like to resort hop and we like to try the different resort restaurants, and getting from one resort to another is bit of a pain. If you're just focusing on getting to the parks, then you probably won't touch your car at all.

You don't need to park at CR or Poly at all just to get to MK. Just get on a boat straight from WL to MK. The boats come often and it only takes about 10 minutes to get there, plus they drop you off right in front of the gate.

To Epcot, we love going on the monorail. We take the boat to MK, take the monorail to TTC, then monorail to Epcot. Lots of changing, but riding the monorail is the highlight of the trip for the kids.

Other than that, WL is serviced by very good busses. Waiting times were short and they were never full.

 

[mickeycw]

No car is needed at WL........boat available to MK. Also there is another boat that goes to the Contemporary and FW. From the Contemporary you can just take the monorail to whever you want to go. The bus's ran fine too. We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything. We never rent a car...it's just a waste instead we use Prestige Town Car....$80 round trip from the airport including a grocery stop...you can't go wrong

 

[CEDmom]

We stayed at WL for 5 nights last May. We rented a car but except for the drive from/to the airport we never used it. We only went to MK and Epcot so the boats and monorail worked at great. If we had gone at AK we may have used it then. We weren't in the parks at closing since we have a small child that doesn't enjoy fireworks so that made a big difference as well.

All the being said I still think we'd probably rent a car again if we could get it cheaper than a car service. I just like the idea of having it just in case. Especially when traveling with children.

 

[missypooh]

Thanks Stitch Inside and to others! The information available on this board is just so great!

Are there any other resorts where you need a ps to park? or where you are given a certain amount of time? What if I don't have PS and I just want to go to a resort to walk around or shop or something? Maybe its just the contemporary am? has anyone had this experience? Also what would happen if my pass said 3 hours and we were late? It certainly gives me something new to consider in renting a car.

Still undecided on the car - but leaning towards it.

All info on parking situations at resorts is most appreciated!

 

[oogieboogie]

Whenever we stay on-site and then resort hop, we've never been given a 3hr limit. The security guard takes a look at our parking permit, then lets us right in, even at the Poly. We then park at the guest/check-in parking spaces. We've gone more than 3 hrs before.

We always tell the security guard that we're just visiting and want to see the resort. Never had a problem.

When we stayed off-site and went to the resort, they did give us a 3hr parking permit.

 

[las3888]

We really find that a car is the way to go for us...at any resort at WDW. It is nice to have the flexibility. We haven't had too many issues with parking at the different resorts...all I can say is there don't seem to be any hard and fast rules...we have been waved through once they see our resort tag in the car, and we have been stopped...it seems to depend on the day, the resort, and who is guarding the gate. Maybe they have put more consistency to it lately though.

As somebody mentioned that it costs them $80 for round-trip town car, we usually rent a car for not much more than that. We just get an inexpensive compact car...for example our coming trip at the end of this month we will pay $116 including all the taxes. We used a coupon from our entertainment book to help get the rate down as well. It is well worth the extra $ to at least check out the deals online. We really love the freedom and don't like to rely on Disney transportation (not that it's bad, but it's difficult to resort-hop). We also like to go to the Disney discount stores at Belz Factory Outlet.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[laurens mom]

If you want the flexibility of eating at the other resorts, rent a car. It is too time consuming to try and use the bus system. Of course you could always take the boat to the Contemporary or Magic Kingdom and then use the monorail to dine at either the Poly or GF. If you are just planning on visiting the parks, eating at the parks, or dining at the WL, use the free Disney transportation system.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[missypooh]

I am glad to hear no other parking restriction stories - was concerning me. We need to get there from the airport anyway (so that's $50).

we are cruising so we also need to get to the port. But we were thinking of returning the car at the disney car center and bussing to the port - I figure the car will add about $150 net to the cost of the vacation.

All parking at resort experiences are so much appreciated - as that is not the kind of thing you can find in guides or from disney!.

Missy

 

[missypooh]

Hi Laurens mom - just wanted to say thanks for helping. Hope its ok to mention here -- I bought your book a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed it (great job on the concierges - we did poly GVC last year, thanks to FTP!). thanks again - I am really looking forward to this trip.

missy

 

[raparker13]

Don't you spend enough time in your car during your normal non-vacation days? We never drive around; except if we stay at OKW. And even then we usually use the buses.

But for WL, I would park the car and forget it. Take the small boat to the Contemporary and walk to MK. What's the rush? Or take the other boat directly to MK. For Epcot, take the boat to the Contemporary and then grab the monorail.

 

[Stitch Inside]

The main reason we liked having our car was getting around with two DSs 8 mo.s and 5 yo and a stroller full of goodies (cooler, diaper bag, snacks, etc). It is a pain to get on and off of buses and boats that make you unload it and fold it up. But it also helped when we needed Children's Motrin and a pharmacist's recommendation on dosage. Walgreens pharmacy is just off property.
And as previously posted, it's easier to get to other resort's restaurants by driving rather than switching buses here and there. Also for those with picky eaters, the big McDonalds near the All Star Resorts was very nice.

 

[laurens mom]

So glad you are enjoying my book Missy. I just returned last week from the Wilderness Lodge. Had a quick but wonderful stay at the WL Villas for one night and then moved to the Wilderness Lodge to a Honeymoon Suite. Enjoyed everything as usual. Had a super meal at Artist Point. And I did use Disney transportation for most of my time there.

Have fun on your trip. It sounds great!

Best,

Cara