Do we need a car at Boardwalk?

[PaulaMurf]

We usually stay at OKW, so we usually rent a car - but - just booked BWV for our next trip and am wondering if I will need it.

At OKW we drive EVERYWHERE, but, with so many things walkable from BWV I am not sure what to do...

TIA
Paula in CT

 

[starbox]

It all depends - only MGM and Epcot are walkable/boatable from BCV and BWV, so if you want to spend a good portion of your time at MK and/or AK, you'd still need to use the bus system.

We always drive but never even get in our car - so it is easily doable if the bus transportation does not bother you.

 

[beccasmom]

Using the buses from BWV requires patience and some flexibility. Trips take longer than one would expect, so if you have ADRs and such, plan accordingly. Using the watercraft to access MGM/Epcot is a huge plus, as is the walkway. I believe a car would be very handy if many trips to the MK, AK and/or DTD are planned. The stops made by the bus on our trip last month were Swan/Dolphin, YC/BC, BWV. It can get old very quickly, especially with tired/hungry/cranky little ones.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

The bus trips to MK and AK take quite a bit more time from BWV than from OKW. As the bus makes mutiple stops you can be on there for a long time. We have found it quicker to just get off the bus at the Swan/Dolphin and walk the rest of the way back to BWV as BWV is the last stop.

 

[higleytownheros]

When going to the MK from BWV, does anyone walk over to Epcot and catch the monorail? Would this be a good way to avoid the buses, or is there more hassle involved than I'm thinking? ... we've never used the monorail before ...

 

[tss2]

We own at BWV but have stayed at other resorts. We have never rented a car and done just fine. You do learn a few trick....like getting off the bus at the swan/dolphin and walking the rest of the way, especially depending on where your room is located. Also, we do sometimes walk thru epcot to catch the monorail to magic kingdom, but it is a long walk. I know lots of people like a car, but we are sort of happy to have a break from driving for a week!

 

[browniemtb]

When going to the MK from BWV, does anyone walk over to Epcot and catch the monorail? Would this be a good way to avoid the buses, or is there more hassle involved than I'm thinking? ... we've never used the monorail before ...

You betcha.......We never rent a car while at BWV at we have little ones. MGM and Epcot are easy walks or boat rides and when we go to MK we take a stroll through Epcot and do a few things and hop on the monorail. We also used the buses for MK and AK and never had any real long delay. The only thing was from BWV to MK we made I think 3 other stops before we get there.
If you don't plan on traveling outside of Disney property take advantage of their transportation system. I know they have hiccups every now and again but it will save you some $$ on a rental car.
Now my problem this November is that we are planning trips to both Universal and Discovery Cove. How do we get there?? Taxi?? Does Disney offer any transportation services beyond their own property?
Brownie

 

[Nanajo1]

Sometimes while at BWV if we are going to AKL we'll walk/boat to MGM and get the bus from there instead of going to DTD to get the resort bus.

 

[DVCconvert]

When going to the MK from BWV, does anyone walk over to Epcot and catch the monorail?

Often!

 

[MiaSRN62]

When going to the MK from BWV, does anyone walk over to Epcot and catch the monorail? Would this be a good way to avoid the buses

We have....it's a decent walk. Figure on about a 10-15 min walk to get to the International Gateway at Epcot....then another 10-15 min walk to the opposite end of the park....then maybe a 5 min wait for a monorai......so you're looking at a good 30+ minutes (barring any delays on monorail/whatever) before you even step foot in the MK. But I'll do this over driving from any resort to the MK. We did find the busses took longer from BWV to the MK than from OKW.
For MGM, it's about a 20-25 min walk from BWV, but we preferred taking the boat over.
We always use the busses (even at OKW) for the main parks. We find it's the quickest/most convenient way. The only times we like to use our car, regardless of which resort we're staying at, is for the water parks and resort dining (and of course going off property). Especially for resort dining/shopping, we feel a car is the best way to go. So we prefer to have a car at any wdw resort we're staying at. Just found easiest access to our car at OKW. At BWV, we had some delays in getting our car from valet. Nothing major, but there were some wait times---and then tipping.

 

[cdtommie]

We usually get a car but it's mostly due to our dining choices and grocery/drink shopping and not due to park location. It's too much of a pain to use the bus to get to the restaurants we like. We went without a car for the first time in January and I felt it restricted our dining choices to the Epcot area.

 

[disneyobessed]

Is valet parking the only available parking for BWV?

 

[EdDome]

Using the buses from BWV requires patience and some flexibility. Trips take longer than one would expect, so if you have ADRs and such, plan accordingly. Using the watercraft to access MGM/Epcot is a huge plus, as is the walkway. I believe a car would be very handy if many trips to the MK, AK and/or DTD are planned. The stops made by the bus on our trip last month were Swan/Dolphin, YC/BC, BWV. It can get old very quickly, especially with tired/hungry/cranky little ones.

Amen to that!!! It always seem like the longest bus ride you could imagine.

 

[PaulaMurf]

I decided to rent one - and actually got a decent rate through National picking up at the Dolphin and with since my DH often acts like a cranky child i figure its best for everyone if we just get a car.

Do I get to valet park? Thats cool too!

 

[drusba]

So you can evaluate. Walk or use boats for MGM/Epcot and among the Epcot resorts. Bus to MK also serves Swan/Dolphin, usually now picks up at BW first so you stop at S/D going and drops off at BW last; however, it is probably still not worth driving because you have to go get your car at BW, go to MK lot and then take boat or monorail to MK. Walking through Epcot to monorail is usually the slowest of any trip because walk is about 20 to 25 minutes to get to monorail, and then you have to take it and transfer to MK monorail or boat.

Bus to AK usually serves BW, S/D and YC/BC, and also stops at Blizzard Beach during the day (both going and coming back). Driving is the significantly faster option for that trip.

Likewise for Downtown Disney, which bus usually serves the entire Epcot resorts, and then during day stops at Typhoon Lagoon.

If you want to go anywhere else than the above (on site or off), it is also best to drive.

 

[Lora]

When we've not had our own car, we've only rented (pick up Nat'l at Dolphin) to do grocery shopping. It's handy if you're going to DTD or the Water Parks also, but I wouldn't rent a car just for that. I don't think the bus rides to MK and AK are super speedy, but they're not so bad that I'd rent a car.

We got a very good rate with Nat'l last Sept. using our Entertainment book coupons for a weekend and also one other time for a one-day rental. It ended up being less for the one day than a taxi to the grocery store.

 

[byoung]

We have no problem without a car anywhere in Disney. To us the transportation is part of the majic.

 

[scootert]

BWV is home for us and we seldom, if ever use a rental car. We're walkers so for us the walk to MGM is quick and allows us access to resort buses, etc. We often walk through Epcot to catch the monorail. We've never had a problem with bus service from BWV to MK or AK, but we always allow plenty of time. If we're going to dinner at California Grill in the Contemporary, we usually take the bus to MK and then just walk over (although once the driver noticed we were dressed up and told us to stay on board. He took us to the Contemporary after the MK stop - a little touch of Disney Magic!!)

The only place we've found difficult to reach is Downtown Disney - frequency of buses from BWV to DD is hard to predict.

 

[jekjones1558]

We're in the minority on this one. We always get a car. We like being able to come and go when and where we please. If we decide at the last minute to go to DD or to a restaurant off site or to a shopping mall or to the beach, no problem. We also like to have the car for church. We only use the bus for MK and those buses seem to take forever by the time they have made all of their stops. A car is NOT necessary.

 

[thelobstershanty]

One of BWV's biggest assets is it's superior location. BWV is a very easy resort to stay at without a car. There are many things within walking distance including parks, restaurants, shopping, mini golf, nighttime entertainment, which includes park night time firework shows etc., as well as resort entertaimment.
There is even a mini mart at the gas station, that is within reasonable walking distance from BWI/BWV. The mini mart has a larger selection and lower prices then the WDW resort stores have.
We have stayed at BWV many, many times, both with and without a car. We usually have a car because we go off property to visit family and friends. But we have had equally pleasant trips without a car at BWV; then we just have our family and friends pick us up at BWV. LOL!!!