Do we need a car?

[Polybound]

Hi I had a quick q for evrybody. Me & DD4 are going on our 1st trip to Disney World this July! We are so excited. We just love Disney and everything Disney! I found myself having a lot of q's as I was trying to plan so glad I found this board!

The main thing I am wondering about right now is this. Do you think we need a rental car? I know about how they have their own busses and there is the monorail and all that but is it easier to just have a car? I can swing the xtra cash if it is going to be easier that way I want this to be a really special trip for us & I don't want to be thinking I wish we had a car all week.

Any help please. Thanks!

There are a large number of people on this board who say that having a car is the only way to go. There's no doubt that it gives you more flexibility and there are no bus waits. However, to us, there's something about having a car that takes away some of the magic of WDW. Driving, parking in giant parking lots, walking across hot giant parking lots, or waiting for shuttles. The Monorail and Disney buses are just part of the magic to us, and the wait times really aren't very long at all. They drop you off fairly close to the park entrance, which is also very nice. We, however hire a town car for our transfers from MCO to our resort and back. That usually cost around $120, but well worth it.

 

[seasidespences]

We are driving down so therefore we will have our own transportation...I think we will use both Disney transportation and our own. Mostly we plan to use our own vehicle for those ADRs that are pre-park opening...hopefully allowing us to sleep in a bit rather than waking up at the crack of dawn to allot for the hour or so that we might need for Disney transportation...also it should save travel time for those ADRs at other resorts. This will be our first time staying onsite so we don't have all the answers but this plan seems to make sense to us...I would vote for having your own car if you are planning meals like this...if you're just going to and from the parks...I might say the bus system should suffice.
Hope this helps...for what it's worth, this thread helped me confirm that we are making a good choice to drive to and from some of our other resort ADRs.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We have never rented a car at WDW and generally never regretted it. This trip we just returned from was the first time I wished we'd had a car. We ended up using cabs a bunch of times (including when we needed to go to an offsite pharmacy and that was a $40+ cab ride). Dollars and cents wise, the cabs still cost us less than a rental but it would've been more convenient to have our own car. By the time I thought of it a month or so before the trip rental rates were way too high to make it something I'd even consider. Maybe next time though if I plan better!

 

[lukikam]

We ALWAYS get a car. It is totally possible to do DW without a rental car, but it makes it so much harder, IMO. We have done it both ways, but when you take the Disney transportation, bus to park, it adds on more time than you would ever imagine.

Saying that, though, we do still park at Port Orleans to eat and take the boat to DD or take a boat to Magic Kingdom, but we don't need to rely only on their transportation.

We do take the magic express, and rent the car on site the next day.

 

[Minniesgal]

Personally we have never quite managed to persuade ourselves to do WDW without a car. Disney transportation is great but you can't beat the convenience of the car. We also like to eat offsite sometimes or go to Walmart etc. Every trip we start off saying no car this time but we always add it in and I'm always glad we do. I believe we save a lot of time with the car.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

One of the best things about WDW, IMHO, is you can plant yourself at your resort and never worry about where you are going or how you are getting there.

Definitely part of,the '’no car needed club".

 

[TwinkleKS]

We have done it both ways. Right now we have three young children that would need car seats in a car. We fly using the CARES harness and ME doesn't allow car seats so we use that and travel from park to park on Disney transportation. If we rented a car we would have to check the car seats or use them on the plane - another hassle IMO.

As many have mentioned it also depends on where you stay. The last two trips we have stayed at monorail resorts - Contemporary and GF. We know that MK is the kids favorite at this age and it is a short monorail ride away ... the kids consider riding the monorail another "ride" and get a kick out of it.

We have also stayed at AK. I wouldn't want to stay there without a car. The only part it is close to is AK I thought we were in bus hell when we stayed there. I know I am exaggerating and it has been a few years ... but I swear it took an hour or more to get anywhere.

If DH and I are going by ourselves ... we might even stay off property (I know ...shocking) and then use the car to go to Universal and the mall

 

[clapton]

We drive to WDW but we only use our car to go to DTD. The buses have never been a problem for us!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

If we stay deluxe then no rental car.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[DanInMN]

It surprises me that so many feel they need a car when excellent public transportation is provided for free.

We always rent a car when staying offsite. However, in January we stayed at POR and used ME and the buses which were very convenient and had no problems. It makes for a more relaxing vacation to not have to find my way around, no car rental to pay for, and no gas or tolls.

 

[Graniteland]

I just returned from a stay at the Disney Beach Club. We used Magical Express and Disney transportation to all the parks. No issues at all and our longest wait was 15 minutes for a return ride from AK to the BC. We ate at Boma one night and took a taxi from the BC to AKL and paid $16 with tip each way. Worth the $ for a quick ride without using buses. We didn't need or a car nor did we wish we had one.

 

[Missyrose]

It surprises me that so many feel they need a car when excellent public transportation is provided for free.

We always rent a car when staying offsite. However, in January we stayed at POR and used ME and the buses which were very convenient and had no problems. It makes for a more relaxing vacation to not have to find my way around, no car rental to pay for, and no gas or tolls.

Yes, Disney provides pretty good transportation for free. But with a car, you don't have to account for a 60-90-minute cushion to get anywhere. Let's say you're staying at CR and want to go to Epcot. It easily takes 45-60 minutes via monorail (between waiting for a monorail, changing platforms at TTC, waiting for another monorail then getting through security). When driving it will likely take 20-25 minutes to drive to the park, park your car, walk to security and get in the park.

 

[msp2mco]

If staying on property, I am in the camp of almost always wanting to rent a car. However, if it were me and my DD4, I may rather use Disney transportation. That way I could be focused on my child the entire time and enjoy riding around with her instead of focused on driving.

 

[ZoZo]

We're definitely in the "no rental car" camp. Especially since Magical Express has been offered. No need to hassle with transportation to and from the airport, don't have to handle our luggage, and it's free! I figure you're going to wait in line for either ME or a rental car, so either way you have to wait. But I love sitting back and letting someone else drive to my resort.

While at the resort, I find WDW transportation works just fine for us, with two main exceptions. To get to DTD, there's no direct WDW transportation between the parks and DTD, which is inconvenient. But I generally only go to DTD once per trip, and have learned it's easiest to go from my resort to DTD - that's just how I plan it now. I usually go in the evening, after AK closes. Head back to the resort to freshen up, then head to DTD. (Or if I'm in a hurry, might take a taxi from the park to DTD).

Another time it would be handy to have a car would be if you wanted to resort-hop. But we don't generally do that much.

And because I always go at uncrowded times of the year, I find I don't ever have to deal with super-crowded buses or long waits. I've been enough times that I have some knowledge about when bus lines tend to be long (like right after the last parade or fireworks show), so I know that its a good idea to dawdle through the shops afterward to let the crowds thin out before getting in line for the bus.

 

[Graniteland]

Another advantage of using Magical Express as opposed to renting a car assuming you stay in the Kingdom is the airline check in at your hotel. We got our boarding passes and checked our luggage at the hotel and were able to go straight to security once we got to the airport. This was SO easy, stress free and convenient.

 

[Missyrose]

Another advantage of using Magical Express as opposed to renting a car assuming you stay in the Kingdom is the airline check in at your hotel. We got our boarding passes and checked our luggage at the hotel and were able to go straight to security once we got to the airport. This was SO easy, stress free and convenient.

Resort airline check-in has nothing to do with Magical Express. RAC is available to all Disney resort guests, whether you take DME or not. Plus, you can take DME to and from the airport and pick up a rental car on Disney property. The rental car companies have shuttles that will pick you up from your resort and drop you back off before/after the rental.

 

[SA mom]

We LOVE not having a car. We love just going and not having to drive. It is so much more relaxing. There have been occasions when we took a cab to a resort for a meal, but it was only about $10 one way.

 

[DebbieB]

Another advantage of using Magical Express as opposed to renting a car assuming you stay in the Kingdom is the airline check in at your hotel. We got our boarding passes and checked our luggage at the hotel and were able to go straight to security once we got to the airport. This was SO easy, stress free and convenient.

You don't have to take Magical Express to take advance of Remote Airport Check-In. I've used it when I had a rental car. You do have to take Magical Express to get luggage delivery on arrival, but not on departure.

I prefer having a car. I stayed at BLT last month and planned to use Disney Transportation but at the last minute decided to get the car. I wanted the freedom to have the car to go grocery shopping, go to the outlets. I also used it to go to Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. I had wished I used it to go to DHS one morning, waited over 25 min for a bus.

 

[SA mom]

Did you know you could rent cars at the Dolphin? If you decide you really want one, you could rent one on site.

 

[Graniteland]

Opps...my mistake.