car/no car at OKW?

[sparkysfriends]

We'll be leaving for our 2nd trip home on Nov. 3rd. We bought aresale at OKW in June of 2000. We stayed last year for the same week at the BWV. Believe it or not, OKW was full but we were able to get into BWV. Go figure. Anyway this year we ar staying in a 2 bedroom at OKW and since this is our first trip there I have a few questions regarding a car.
Do we need to have one? We'll be flying in. In the past we've just taken Mears to the resort. My husband loves the idea of not having to drive on WDW vacations. We never have in the past. Is it really inconvenient to do this? We will have car for the first few days as my inlaws will be driving up from Tamarac, FL to join us for Sat. - Tues. late morning.
In addition to the parks we do like to visit some of the other resorts for dinner during our stay. I was thinking Artist Point at WL and Boma at AKL for this tip. How difficult would this be without a car?
Also, I love the food and Wine festival at Epcot. We'veonly experienced it while staying at BWV. While I know OKW is not as convenient, is it fairly easy to navigate with the Disney transportation?
My husband would rather not get a car if he doesn't really need it, but I don't want to spend a week with him being frustrated because he can't get to all the things we want to do.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks-
Alyson

 

[Lew]

We have always rented a car while visiting WDW. It gives you a freedom to move about that you can't have by depending on WDW transportation.

We also like to visit other resorts and, as you may know, getting to other resorts is not easy without a car. We like to eat at Coronado, Dixie Landings, All Stars food court, ESPN Club, Wolfgang Puck's, etc.

Since you will have the use of a car for part of your visit, perhaps you could plan your visits to hard-to-get-to locations during that time. When the car is not available use WDW transportation and taxis. Even if you use a taxi a couple of times a day, it's still less expensive than renting a car.

 

[walter]

My wife joined Nationals' Emerald Asile Club and the discounts on the website have been awesome. We would book the rental car soon after making our ressies, and then periodically check the website to check the rates. For the end of Oct., we have a full size vehicle for approx. $100 = taxes for a week.

 

[DebbieB]

We always rent a car. It's so convenient to have it, we like to go to the outlets & some dinners off-site. I also don't have the patience for crowded & slow busses. I also belong to Emerald Club and can usually get a car for under $120 for the week. Mears will cost you about $50, so it's not much more.

 

[RobDoc]

We always use Disney transport- even if we have a car. We normally stay at OKW and find the bus system very convenient. It does take some planning to visit other resorts- as there are no direct connections, but with some help from the bus drivers, you can easily figure out the fastest way to get from place to place.

We look at the buses as another attraction and enjoy the ride. Make sure to ask the drivers for approximate schedules and for suggestions about travel times to/from other resorts.

BWV is certainly very convenient to Epcot, MGM, S&D, B&Y- plus you have the option of using the monorail from Epcot to get to the MK resorts.

You can plan to try all of the travel options in site- there are many.

Have great trip!

 

[Pluto4President]

Well I agree and disagree with Doc. I for one always rent a car while at WDW. That's just me. I definately would want one at OKW. However, last trip to OKW we played the transportation game. It was kind of fun. Drove to MK, monorail to Epcot, Boat to MGM, bus to WL, ferry to CR and monorail back to TTC. Occupied some time and got do see it all.

 

[WOW]

Vacation to us means no cooking and no driving!!! We have stayed at OKW many many times and have never rented a car. The bus transportation is very adequate---and when there is a wait we just sit and enjoy!!! I agree that getting to other resorts can be a hassle sometimes but you can always take a taxi if you are short on time. If you want to go to a monorail resort you can go to the MK and hop on the monorail, this has always worked well for us. Have a great vacation!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chuck S]

I almost always have a car for convenience. We stay 8 to 14 days per trip, and like the freedom of coming and going as we please. However, Disney Transportation is certainly do-able at OKW...there have been a few occasions where we didn't have a car, or our party has split up and gone separate ways. It really is a matter of personal choice, if you've used Disney transport on previous trips, you know what to expect. The main problem is going from resort to resort for dining or dinner shows.

 

[BobBrazeal]

I go to WDW two to three times a year and stay about 10 days each time. I haven't rented a car there since 1994. My last trip was my first stay at OKW. In the past I've stayed at all the different moderate resorts, mostly at POFQ so I've always been in the same area of the property. I had no trouble at all with the buses to/from OKW.

 

[Dean]

This is a personal call so no right or wrong answers here. We drive (only 4 hrs away) so do not have to make the decision about rentals. While at OKW, we drive everywhere except MK. I find getting in the car and going much more convenient and less stressful than walking to the bus stop, waiting on the bus and then the reverse at the end of the trip. Places like DD can be difficult to get to as the bus there tends to less frequently than it should. The boat to DD can be nice but it tends to stop early and again, you can wait a while on it. It's very difficult to get from one resort to another with the Disney system. You end up with having to go to one location (like one of the parks or the) and waiting on another bus, boat, etc. If your looking at Mears or one of the Towncars, the price between that and a rental would not be that much anyway.

We find it very convenient to whip to another resort or one of the parks. That also gives us our car where we can leave a cooler and the like. If we decide to split up, that's where we use the Disney Transportation system.

 

[KNWVIKING]

To my DW and I it only makes sense to always have a car,but we have driven to WDW more times then we have flown and we have gotten to know our way around the Orlando-Kissemee area very well. We also feel very comfortable driving in areas we've never been too so for us it's fun just to hop in a car and drive. Some people feel intimidated driving in unfamiliar places and enjoy the security of the WDW transportation system. NOTE: I'm not saying all people who prefer WDW transportation do so for this reason. If you have no intentions on pool hopping,dining or just visiting other WDW resorts then the bus,mono or boat system would be fine. Going from resort-to-resort though is time consuming. Even though we always have a car we like taking the boats and monorails just because they are fun. The buses on the other hand- at the end of a long day I'm really not in the mood to be poked by a stroller the size of a Buick.

 

[downontheBW]

When we're on vacation, I don't cook and my husband doesn't want to drive. We have always rented a car just in case we need it but it mostly sits in the parking lot. We only use it when going to other resorts or a water park. On the last trip, I decided that we wouldn't rent a car any more. We just booked 3 nights at OKW for December and we will be getting a car, this time for a different reason. We had flown to Chicago on Sept. 10th and were supposed to fly home on the 11th. Needless to say, we were stuck there so we had to wait 2 days to get a rental car and drive home. This time we're getting a car just in case - just call it insurance. Otherwise we wouldn't. I don't mind flying, I just don't want to be without all means of transportation again.

Since you'll have use of a car for the first few days, I suggest you try it out to see if you can get by without one for the rest of the trip. I think you can rent a car right on property at WDW, can't you? You could do that for a couple of days if you wanted to or just take taxis (probably cheaper). Use Mears or whatever you usually do for airport transportation. That way you won't have to deal with getting the car and dropping it off, and your husband won't have to drive from and to the airport. You still need it to feel like a vacation.

 

[Candace]

We have done it both ways at OKW since '94. At first, we always took Mears to the resort and then used WDW trans. exclusively. I learned you had to allow PLENTY of time to get to other resorts for dinner, etc. Getting to a PS on time can be challenging, and like someone else said, DD buses can be few and far between when returning to OKW from there. During the last few years, we have always rented a car for at least part of the time. I still use the bus to MK (never park there), but for going to other hotels, visiting the BW or DD, we use the car. It's great also for heading to the grocery store when you get to WDW, and going to the outlet malls, or eating offsite. It's a personal choice, but for saving time, I usually rent.

 

[lionqueen]

I just returned from a quick 5 day trip at OKW and rented a car. It was our first time home and I don't think I'll over go without a car. We rented the car because there are 5 of us and it was cheaper to rent a car than pay Mears or any other limo service. We thought we'd use disney transportation after that but that only lasted one day. The bus transportation to a park is not that bad. We waited a maximum of 15 minutes for a "park" bus. But a bus ride to anywhere else,(other resorts, DD, typhoon lagoon.....) was ridiculous because there is no bus that goes directly between these places and OKW. There is always a transfer somewhere and then you have to wait for another bus. Each time we went from resort to resort, on a bus, it took us over an hour of traveling and waiting which to me is a waste of time since I could drive a car to the same destinations in less than 15 minutes. So I guess it is personal choice but my vote is for a car!

 

[Disney Doll]

We've done it all different ways. We have gone there when we have rented a car...actually that's the way it's been the last few times we've gone. Somehow, not having to have all that money saved to pay a big chunk of change for the resort makes it much easier to justify renting a car!!! And it certainly is convenient to have a car, if you want to go to the grocery store off property(where everything is MUCH cheaper!), or go to some of the places on property that are not easily accesible by bus. We use the car for the mini golf, DD(it's great to be able to go back to the car and stow your purchases in the trunk, so you don't have to lug around heavy packages!!!), and to go between resorts. There is no easy way to go between resorts by bus. You have to take the bus from your resort, to a park or DD, and get on the next resort's bus there.(Kind of like the train to the plane to the boat thing!! )

Another poster mentioned National's Emerald Aisle Club. We HIGHLY recommend it!!!!!! The prices you get for renting cars are phenomenal, and you basically walk to the Emerald Aisle at MCO and pick whatever car you want. Plus National has a rental site right in WDW, so if you have a problem they are right there and can deliver a car to your resort or pick you up in their van and get you to the rental site so you can pick out a new car.

All that being said, if you don't have a car at OKW, the bus service is generally good, and if there's a time when the busses are running a little slow, I sit at the stop and enjoy the "ambience" of Disney, look at the landscaping etc. If you don't have a car and want to go resort to resort, I would recommend a cab, or leaving yourself a good 1- 1 1/2 hours prior to your reservation or whatever to get to another resort from OKW if you're doing it all by bus. It has it's limitations resort to resort, and one of those limitations is convenience. You will not be able to make a PS at the Contemporary for 7PM and catch a bus at OKW at 6PM and get there on time. If you plan it so you're not rushing under the gun, it's not a problem at all.

 

[stings]

We always rent a car at WDW/OKW. The freedom it gives you to move about is priceless. We used the Emerald Aisle service through National Rental Car during our most recent trip two weeks ago and it was Fantastic! The entire check-in/check-out proceedures took an aggregate of 15 minutes at most. It was the most efficient rental car process I have ever gone through. The price was good as well, we paid less than $200.00 for a full size car for 9 days.

 

[ErinC]

In case anyone is interested, registration for the Emerald club is free right now, if you register online. According to the mousesavers site it normally is around $50 to join the club. I registered my DH and myself this morning, just in case we need to make use of this perk in the future.