Car needed or not? Opinions, please...

[lisatx04]

This trip, 12/18-12/26, will be our second as DVC members. Our first trip was to our home resort, OKW. We had our own car since we drove to WDW. This trip we are staying at BWV, and our flying.

My question is about having a car. I have arranged for r/t transportation from the airport, but I am thinking having a car would be nice. We plan on resort hopping to see all the decorations, going to DTD for some shopping, as well as go to all 4 theme parks, although a majority of our time will be at Epcot and MK. Having never been to WDW at holiday time, I have no idea what crowds will be like. I can only imagine that Disney transportation will be very crowded!!

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[dsmith]

We've never had a car while "home". But then we're never in a hurry and are content to wait for Disney transport. On the rare occasion we need to get some where at a certain time we just take a cab. If you plan on doing a lot of resort hopping you'll probably want your own car. One of the biggest problems with Disney transport is the difficulty with getting from resort to resort.

 

[TCARON]

We always rent a car, usually the cheapest, so that we can travel from BWV or BCV to other restaurants, AK, MK. We also usually purchase the family boat plan at Contemporary. Having the car is great. If you are AAA member you should be able to get a preferred parking pass from them for the parks also which gets you closer to the parks.

 

[tjkraz]

We usually have a car and prefer to have a car. I'm not going to use this as a forum to slam WDW Transportation. We've all had our bad experiences...but overall they do a very good job. It just happens to be personal preference that we drive a car.

At BWV I think it's a lot less necessary than at a resort like OKW or SSR. In fact, as one with a driving preference, one of the things that didn't appeal to me about BWV was the location of the self-parking lot. Valet is nice (and free, sans tip for DVC members), but just the couple of times we valet parked the car we were left waiting fairly long either dropping off or returning. In fact, the first time I valet parked the car, I pulled up to the entrance and stood by the car for over 5 minutes as a number of valets walked past me. I thought perhaps I was in the wrong area or not following protocol, so I walked up to the desk. The CM there simply told me to go back to the car and wait, and someone would be with me shortly. Probably just bad luck on my part.

One other thought since you're staying at the BW. The Dolphin resort has an Alamo reservation / return desk. In the past we've rented a car just for our arrival day and departure day. It costs about the same as towncar service, but gave us the freedom to visit some of the off-site outlet stores and other destinations. It was very easy to drop off the rental at the Dolphin and then pick up a new car on the day we left. Unless you can get a great weekly rate, it should only cost you two standard days' rental fees to do this--Alamo doesn't have any surcharges for returning a car to a different location.

 

[Chuck S]

We've done Disney with and without a car. For Theme park transport, the Disney bus system is fine.

If you like going from resort to resort, I would recommend a car, plus we like to go offsite for groceries and an occasional meal. Parking at DtD can be a hassle, so you might want to use a bus for that.

 

[DrTomorrow]

We always rent a car; we just like the freedom and convenience it offers. We still like to take the buses to the parks when we're not in a hurry, but when it comes to resort hopping - or we want to eat off-site - it adds a lot to the trip. And like tjkraz says, that's one of the benefits of SSR: you park right in front of your building....

 

[MrShiny]

If you are resort hopping, a car is a must. Otherwise it can take you up to 45 minutes resort to resort!

I know some have had trouble with them, but we've often rented from L&M at the airport.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

As said earlier, a smaller car is relatively inexpensive. Without question you will be happy you forked over the bucks.

Have fun!...

MG

 

[Doctor P]

We always drive to WDW and we almost never use our car, including our stays at OKW. The only time we ever used our car was a night where we had a PS for dinner at Boma, followed by a fireworks cruise at WL. Otherwise, I really don't think you need a car, especially if you want to take and experience the wonders of the season and the decorations. Yes, it does take some extra planning, but it is not hard to do and is really kind of fun. AKL and the All Stars are very easy hops from AK. OKW and SSR are easy hops from DD and Epcot. Staying at BWV means that BC and BCV, YC, Swan and Dolphin, and BW are easily accessible as well as MGM and Epcot. When you go to MK, the monorail resorts, WL, and FW are easily accessible. In fact, for MOST resorts, dealing with the parking issues adds enough time and logistics to give some advantage to the buses or other WDW transportation. PLUS, the WDW transportation gives everyone, including the person who would be driving the car, the opportunity to look around and take in the sites. You can always use cabs if you absolutely need to get some place quickly.

 

[senecabeach]

LisaTX04....

National car rentals are available @ the Dolphin. While @ the BC in May, I rented and returned a rental there. It was very convenient..just took the boat back to the BC..nice perk.

 

[DebbieB]

I'm at BWV right now and always rent a car. I got a car from National, my final total is $112 for the week. About the same as town car (including tips). I got a nice Chevy Impala (emerald aisle). We used it last night to do our grocery run, we'll probably go offsite to the outlets and perhaps some restaurants. At BWV, we hop the boat to MGM & Epcot (or walk). We'll use it to AK, Downtown and perhaps MK. When we came back with our groceries last night about 6:30, there must have been at least 20 to 30 people at the bus stop, most going to MK I presume for Spectro & Wishes. I just don't have tolerance for crowded busses on vacation. I'd rather hop in the car.

 

[mowog]

I agree with most posters and say get a car. You'll pay for at least half the rental with the money saved from the taxi/shuttle. We rented a car October 2003 and loved it. You get free valet parking and can zip from one place to another. I don't think I would do it during peak periods as traffic and parking would be horrible- those time I would use busses/monorails. You can also check out Celebration and do grocery runs if you like. We are going to DVC mid January and have the car already rented.

 

[rufusrex]

We usually get a car. We go in January and the rates are pretty reasonable. I justify it to DW breaking it down by subtracting what the cost of transfers (Mears or a towncard service) from the rental cost. For example, we are going for 15 days this January and a towncard would be around $100. We were able to reserve a mid-size through Dollar for a total (including all taxes and fees) for $285, so to me the cost is $185 for 15 days. So, the long-winded answer to your question is, Yes, we usally rent a car. We only use it roughly every other day, but it is convenient.

 

[Dean]

You can easily do Disney, except maybe OKW, without a car. However if one wants to resort hop or go off property, I'd recommend a car. And, as already pointed out, the costs of the town car will cover most of the cost of the car anyway.

 

[DiznEeyore]

We've only been without a car once -- it was a short trip and we didn't think we'd need it. Actually, we didn't *need* it, but we missed having one. We very much enjoy the convenience of being able to go wherever we want at a moment's notice -- it's soooo much better than having to wait for a bus or navigate the WDW transportation system if there's not a direct way to your destination.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We just stayed a week at OKW in November and never used our car except to dine at the resorts. We drove one night to the Poly and the other to Boma's. We found it very easy to do the WDW parks using the OKW bus system and really only felt the need for our car when visiting the other resorts. We also drove offsite just to visit a nearby friend. Since you're going at a pretty busy time, I think you'll find a rental car well worth the cost. We got our Boma reservation over the phone only 45 minutes prior to getting there. I don't think the bus system from any resort can get you to another resort that quickly. We were glad to have our car for that purpose.

 

[Doctor P]

Since we always drive, I neglected to consider the round-trip transportation costs to and from the airport. Having considered those, I would rent a car to give yourself more freedom and to cut the wasted time getting to and from the airport.

 

[rocketriter]

We rented a car once and it sat in the parking lot for the whole week. At the Epcot resorts you're pretty well situated for Disney transportation. It takes a little more patience, but you never get stuck in one of those auto queues that sometimes form during peak season.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

We always either have our own car or rent. rentals in Florida are so reasonable, I just cant see paying to be shuttled to and fro the airport when that money can go towards the rental.

Combine that with the fact resort guests park for free at the parks and

combine those with the fact your scheduling is completely open to anything you may want to do and you dont have to second guess yourself or worry about how you are going to get somewhere and back

 

[ahoff]

Here is another vote for a rental. It is pretty equal in cost for our family as to either paying for round trip transport from MCO to WDW or getting a rental. And as noted it is nice having it if you need it.

Having said that, I should add we use Disney transport for trips to the parks. Especially for MK! Your own car is nice for water parks, DTD, and resort hopping.