Car rental when at OKW

[MzCohen]

I have resevations for OKW in Nov. We are planning on going to Epcot for the FWF. Now are we going to need a car to get us to and from the parks? Is the bus transportation pretty convenient?
please help me decide? rental car for 5 days or Disney Transportation?
Thanks

 

[DeeP]

OKW is doable without a car, I have stayed at OKW both with and without a car, but it is much easier at OKW if you have a car. The resort alone is huge and if you are in a building in the back and are someone that will go to the store, restaurant, Community Hall, exercise room, main pool etc a lot, it is much easier to have a car just within the resort alone, and also because the only mode of transportation to anywhere but DTD from OKW is bus and while OKW is not located any further away than any of the moderate or value resorts or AKL are, it is still not right next door to a park, numerous restaurants etc, like all the other deluxe resorts are; bottom line it is much easier to have a car while at this resort. Also you can self park in front of your villa in the parking lots that are located in front of almost every building and when you use your car a lot and there is no valet service this is a BIGGIE.

 

[dianeschlicht]

First, let me say that we ALWAYS have a car for travel to and from the other resorts, but we NEVER take it to the parks. When we have had guests with us who preferred to use the car, we always found we got back faster on the bus than they did in the car. We have rarely had any issues with the OKW busses in 7 years, and they have been especially good the last couple.

 

[jaysue]

OKW bus transportation is great - just request to be near a bus stop or Hospitality House and everything should be grand - it is nice to let someone else do all the driving and you get to meet people on the bus too (if you want to)

How are you planning to get to WDW - for example if you taking a limo from the airport (about $85) you might find it better to rent a car.

thanks
jaysue

 

[KNWVIKING]

Like another poster stated, compare your transportation cost from MCO to WDW. Maybe a few dollars more gets you a rental right out of National or Alamo- very easy to get and return. But if not, you won't have any trouble with the bus system.

 

[KyBill]

We will also be at OKW for the W & F festival. We always have a car. If your main interest on this trip is Epcot, the buses will be just fine. We like to go to restaurants such as the CG and Jilko and when you go to these resorts a car is almost a must.

 

[hulagirl]

We just came back from OKW and we found it such a plus having a car. We could come and go whenever we pleased and the bus stops always seemed crowded to me. We tried it a couple of times and then just used the car. We did notice that alot of folks seemed to be using the internal transportation system so when we parked in the lots we were getting very good parking spots within walking distance of the parks. We didn't have to use the trams if we didn't want to which we found very surprising since we didn't even roll out of bed and get there until around 10:30 or 11:00. We even got a space close enough to walk to the TTC! intead of taking the tram. The freedom of having a car - especially at OKW where you can park so close to your unit - was wonderful for us...

 

[Mrs.Milo]

When we stay at OKW, we always get a car. We drive to MGM & Epcot (very close), but take the bus to the MK, to avoid parking lot & then either ferry or monorail over to MK.

 

[dbond]

It's all a matter of personal preference like the above posters mentioned. We are OKW members and we always rent a car. On our last trip, we tried to cut our costs a little and ate the majority of our meals in our room. DH ran out to the store at least 3 or 4 times for things I forgot to get during the big grocery run. After a long hot day in the park, we find riding a bus back to the resort as a downer. You have to wait, we're tired, you may or may not have a seat on the bus, the kids are tired and cranky, we much prefer the quiet space of our own car and it may or may not take a little longer depending on what park you go to but after dealing with people in the parks all day, the peace & quiet of our own transportation is a nice ending to a great day. One of the reasons we like OKW so much is the park at your door convenience. We can hop in the car and go on a whim. We are halfway to our destination by the time others walk to the bus stop and wait. DH knows his way around the property very well by now. I will admit that early on he used to get lost, turned around or disoriented often, but we had fun during the exploration. Now he knows his way around just like home. If you decide to rent, check out the discount codes for rental cars on Mousesavers.com. I always shop for the best deals.

 

[DebbieB]

We always rent a car no matter where we stay. Last time I only paid $110 for the week with National, full size. You have to be patient to get the best discount. We just prefer to use the car, don't like the busses. I once timed it from our OKW room to the MK front gate, parking and using the express monorail, it was 25 minutes. I don't think the bus would have been much faster. Until you wait at the stop, it goes to the other stops and then finally on the road, I bet it would be 25 min.