First WDW visit should I rent a car?

[5hawks]

So our family has just became DVC members and we have planned our first trip to WDW. We are staying at AKL Kidani villas over the Christmas week. I have 2 small kidos and a teenager. I have read many nightmare stories of the bus transportation around WDW. Do most of you rent cars or do you think these are isolated stories?

 

[dudspizza]

So our family has just became DVC members and we have planned our first trip to WDW. We are staying at AKL Kidani villas over the Christmas week. I have 2 small kidos and a teenager. I have read many nightmare stories of the bus transportation around WDW. Do most of you rent cars or do you think these are isolated stories?

Welcome to the DIS and the Transportation Board!

First off, you will hear way more horror stories than good ones. It is the nature of the Internet, people love to complain.

Personally, I always use the buses and enjoy doing so. You will get opinions on both sides, but I enjoy the buses, monorail, and boats. Even when we rent a car, we still use Disney transport to get us around property...... riding the buses, monorail, and transport allows me to soak in the entire trip instead of worrying about street signs, cooling the car, parking, etc.....

The only crowded times are near park opening and closing. The buses run way below capacity during the middle of the day.

Essentially, it is up to you. If you rent a car, still give the buses a try, you may like them. If you don't, then you still have the car.

Duds

 

[deedeetoo]

We've never rented a car for a stay on property. We used to rent before we started staying on property and we got lost all the time. I find driving around WDW to be very confusing. Now, we like to just relax and leave the driving to Disney.

 

[rie'smom]

For a first trip, I would take ME to and from the airport. The roads around Disney World can be confusing so I would suggest taking taxis to the parks and the buses from the parks. We rented a car last time and honestly, the taxis are sooo much easier. If you do what I suggest, the cost for a taxi will more than likely be less expensive than renting a car. Rentals have become very pricy.

 

[Cleocat]

I'd suggest if you plan on staying on property and not taking a trip to say Sea World or Universal just use Disney transportation. You would be wasting money on a car and honestly probably would not save much time using it. You will see what I mean when you see where a bus drops you versus parking, the tram, and walking to the entrance. Plus as said it can be confusing, go a couple of times and learn the layout of the land. Have fun on your trip.

 

[skelooch]

I am one who would never consider being without a car. I can't justify wasting that much of my vacation time waiting for or riding on buses or boats, and over the course of a week it will be a considerable amount of your time.
We prefer the flexibility of being able to come and go, where ever and whenever.

Another factor to consider is if you are planning ADRs at other resorts or DTD, it can be even more time consuming getting to and from them.

JMHO

Enjoy your trip.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Welcome to the DIS and the Transportation Board!

First off, you will hear way more horror stories than good ones. It is the nature of the Internet, people love to complain.

Personally, I always use the buses and enjoy doing so. You will get opinions on both sides, but I enjoy the buses, monorail, and boats. Even when we rent a car, we still use Disney transport to get us around property...... riding the buses, monorail, and transport allows me to soak in the entire trip instead of worrying about street signs, cooling the car, parking, etc.....

The only crowded times are near park opening and closing. The buses run way below capacity during the middle of the day.

Essentially, it is up to you. If you rent a car, still give the buses a try, you may like them. If you don't, then you still have the car.

Duds

I second your welcome to the OP. Good information.

 

[katesorad]

I know there are some good responses already, but I just figured I'd put my 2 cents in.

I say rent a car! My hubby and I took our first trip together (his first, I've been there 15+ times), and we rented one of the new Mustang convertibles. Obviously we had a blast driving it, and it just flat out came in handy. The second day of the trip, I got kidney stones and had to go to the ER. While we did end up taking the ambulance there before we had no clue where the hospital was and I was in severe pain, the car came in handy the next day when we went to pick up medication for me at the CVS. We did stay at the Poly, which was very convenient to the monorail and the TTC, but the car still made a huge difference in getting place quickly. We did Downtown Disney one night late (it was a last minute decision), and it only took us 10 or 15 minutes to get there and we didn't have to figure out a bus situation.. it was just really easy. Also, on our last day, we were able to maximize our time at the Magic Kingdom until 2 hours before our flight, rather than having to leave much earlier taking the Magical Express. It was really helpful to have the car.. and super fun too If you can get a good deal, rent one! It's worth it!

 

[Tara]

After many trips to WDW without a car, I decided about 5 years ago to never go without a rental car again. It makes a huge, positive difference in our vacations.

 

[Magicbus]

I say rent. It's good for the economy because you'll be putting more money into circulation. It's good for the WDW bus system because the buses will be far less crowded during peak times. And it's especially good for the bus drivers because they won't have to listen to you complain and whine about how awful the WDW bus system is. They don't care that you feel that way, they really don't. They're just trying to do the best they can under the circumstances. So please, please, rent a car, for the drivers sake.

 

[Tara]

And it's especially good for the bus drivers because they won't have to listen to you complain and whine about how awful the WDW bus system is. They don't care that you feel that way, they really don't. They're just trying to do the best they can under the circumstances. So please, please, rent a car, for the drivers sake.

Not everyone who rents a car is a whiner. Some people just like the freedom it affords. I don't know why people have a chip on their shoulder about other people's choices. Who cares what others do?

 

[iloveokw]

For your first visit I would use ME and the bus system. We have been going to WDW for over 30 years so yes we do rent a car. Just my two cents.

 

[bumbershoot]

... because they won't have to listen to you complain and whine about how awful the WDW bus system is. They don't care that you feel that way, they really don't.

That's too bad. Seems you might want to switch to a new job, as it sounds like you're really burned out, to not care about your passengers anymore.

The people DH called the other night when they waited 40 minutes for a bus to OKW, and finally an SSR bus showed up to take them, after dropping their passengers first of course, and several of the passengers had missed their dining reservations b/c the restaurant had closed by the time they got on the bus....the people DH talked to certainly seemed to care!




OP, this is our first WDW visit, and we opted for a car. We are staying at OKW then AK Jambo, and we have already been to the store twice to stock up on tasty treats for the kitchen, and to Costco for water. We also went over to the outlet place, and a few other trips out. We have taken the buses a few times, though DH and my aunt's experience (aunt couldn't deal with the idea of walking to the car, DH stayed with her, it was supposed to be a competition about who would get to the villa first...we won by well over an hour) really soured us all. But we're mostly driving, and are happy about it.

Ask the concierge desk people for a really good map (each person has given us progressively better and better maps LOL) and they also have the ability to give directions to wherever you want to go. They aren't perfect, and WHATEVER you do do NOT trust a GPS unit entirely...ours keeps wanting us to go down CM and bus entrances, and ours isn't "smart" and doesn't give an overview so that we can say yes or no to its chosen route...

 

[yxe dad]

I rent a car for my trips now. The only park I take the buses to is the MK, it's quicker by time you factor in the monorail/ferry ride at the TTC. We've used the car for the outlets, picking up supplies, replacing meds that got lost, costco run, avoiding the bus to/from the airport.

 

[5hawks]

Thank you for the welcome and the info. We are going to use the bus for now. I like the info on the taxi. That is cheaper than a rental car. I do think we will rent a car on our next visit when we take on some of the off WDW attractions. Thank you all again and I will post about our trip when we return.

 

[Elmo007]

I like having the car but I use teh bus to MK as it gets you up front of teh park without using the ferry/monorail. for other parks, car is usally faaster than bus

 

[Brian Noble]

Do most of you rent cars or do you think these are isolated stories?

I usually rent a car, AND I think these are mostly isolated stories.

Even though I almost always rent a car, I do take the bus system from time to time, depending on mood and whether or not I plan to have a BEvERage or three with dinner. For the most part, the bus system is efficient and effective. I have had one or two instances where I had to wait more than 30-35 minutes for a bus. I have had more than a few instances where I had to stand (or, more accurately, chose to stand so that others could sit.) But, generally the bus system gets you between the resorts and the theme parks without undue waits or hassles.

Some folks will tell you that AKV is super far from everything, and you should drive. I think that is perception more than reality. AKV never shares a bus with any other resorts (VWL, BWV, BCV, and BLT all do from time to time), only has two internal stops (OKW and SSR both have five or so). And, it might be an extra five minutes or so each way than some of the closer resorts---a little longer, but it comes out in the wash vs. the extra stops the others sometimes make.

Now, it is true that, on average, a car is a little faster than the buses to most parks not named "Magic Kingdom". A car (or a taxi) is a *lot* faster between two resorts. But, if you take a cab for your few resort-to-resort trips (if you even have any) a car is not going to save you hours of time during your trip.

I think, for most people, the way to decide is to ask yourself this question. What sounds more like a vacation? Never having to touch your car keys, or never having to wonder when the bus will come? The answer to that question will tell you whether you will find the expense of a car worth it or not.

I say rent. It's good for the economy because you'll be putting more money into circulation. It's good for the WDW bus system because the buses will be far less crowded during peak times. And it's especially good for the bus drivers because they won't have to listen to you complain and whine about how awful the WDW bus system is. They don't care that you feel that way, they really don't. They're just trying to do the best they can under the circumstances. So please, please, rent a car, for the drivers sake.

Someone had a bad day at work...

 

[LSZFagan]

We always used the WDW transportation system with success. But now that we have a child we rent a car at the airport.

 

[Tara]

I usually rent a car, AND

Now, it is true that, on average, a car is a little faster than the buses to most parks not named "Magic Kingdom". A car (or a taxi) is a *lot* faster between two resorts. But, if you take a cab for your few resort-to-resort trips (if you even have any) a car is not going to save you hours of time during your trip.

We find having a car saves us time as we do a lot of resort dining. But there are a lot of other factors that matter to us aside from time. One is that we enjoy the privacy of our car - and we always have a seat on the way "home." We enjoy being able to make our own grocery store run or go offsite for some Chick-Fil-A (which we can't get at home). Plus we like the flexibility of being able to get in our car at a park and go offsite for something, or just hit up the McDonald's by the All Star resorts, which is why we usually take our car to MK if we aren't staying at an MK resort.

Everyone's needs and wants are different, though - this is just what works for us.

 

[dudspizza]

I like having the car but I use teh bus to MK as it gets you up front of teh park without using the ferry/monorail. for other parks, car is usally faaster than bus

I totally agree.......

BTW, could I recommend proof reading your posts before posting? Maybe spell check?