No Car Hire - Have we made the right decision?

[Lucysmith]

Hi all

We are due to fly out on the 15th (Aug) and have made the decision not to hire a car. Have we made the right decsion, we are staying on site at Pop Century so are hoping the bus system is convenient enough.

It's our first visit so any other tips etc would be most appreciated.

Great website and forum btw!

Cheers

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Lucy you have done the right thing. Especially if this is your first visit it will be easier on you to take Disney transporation. Now the system is not perfect that are time when waits are a little bit longer but that is why you are on vacation. To take it easy and relax.
When you check in you will get a transporation booklet that will tell you the different routes to take to get from one point to another.

 

[taliategan]

It can be different for each person-but for 1st time visit I think it is better not to hire a car. WDW is very large and spread out, and it will be one less thing to worry about trying to find your way around. If you are planning to go off-site to other parks like SeaWorld or Universal it would make more sense to have a car or if you would like to explore around the Orlando area. If anything comes up where you would need to go to a type of store that is not located on Disney property, you could always take a cab.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> ... right decision ...

Yes.

You will have a most magical as well as carefree time. Except that if you are using Magical Express back to the airport you should aim to be back at your resort an hour before your bus time despite the sadness of being about to leave, and be all ready to board 15 minutes before your bus time.

While buses can be crowded notably at park closing, getting back to the parking lot especially at Magic Kingdom involves big crowds at that time too.

Disney used to use the word "pamper" a lot in past years. Now Disney pampers you (using Magical Express) when you arrive at Orlando International Airport, no car required.

The true answer to the title statement is, "Not enough information to answer the question; you need to define "right" in more than 25 words."

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

If it's your FIRST trip - you will not know any better.

My opinion.....


Once you have a rental car for your Disney trips (like your first balcony cabin on a cruise) .... you will never consider going back.

Hands down you cannot beat the flexibility, speed of travel and convenience of a rental car for a WDW holiday.

We never travel without one.

 

[TheWog]

You have made the right decision and will probably find you would do it again if you decide to return. We have never used a car for getting around Disney and see no reason to. Disney does a great job of moving people from A to B and it works just fine. Enjoy and don't worry. Have a great trip.

 

[uva185]

You have definitely made the right choice!

Disney transportation system is great and it is not worth the hassle to drive anywhere. If you do need to go from one resort directly to another resort just grab a taxi. There are usually a bunch waiting in front of the hotels but if not the bellhop can call one for you.

I do not hesitate to rent a car when I travel to certain places in the world and driving in new unfamiliar places does not bother me the least bit, but in Disney I have never rented a car nor had the desire to. It's just so much nicer to let Disney take you around during your vacation.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

You have made the correct decision. Unless you plan on leaving WDW property there is absolutely no reason to rent a car.

The best tip I can give you is do not try to leave any park right at closing time. Walk around, shop, window shop, anything you can think of doing while the hoardes of people storm to the exits. We did this on our last trip at the MK. When "Wishes" concluded we simply sat on a bench right across from the castle and watched the crowds storm down Main Street. After 20 minutes or so we slowly walked down a deserted Main Street to an equally quiet bus station.

Have a great trip!

 

[Lewisc]

You don't need a car.

You've been driving on the wrong side of the road for so many years it may take getting used to driving on the right side of the road.

A car would be useful if you were planning on also visiting Universal. Are you planning on having a meal in other resorts? Match it up with a theme park. Have dinner in the POLY the same day you visit the MK. Don't go back to your resort first, you'll waste too much time.

 

[Missytara]

Hands down agree; on my first trip I was headed back to my car at the airport and I realized I had not driven in eight whole days. What a wonderful vacation to not have to worry how to get from point A to point B.

I have never even considered renting a car down there. There is so much fun transportation. Every year, I find some new route to take or some new for to try....

 

[scammermom]

You don't need a car.

You've been driving on the wrong side of the road for so many years it may take getting used to driving on the right side of the road.

A car would be useful if you were planning on also visiting Universal. Are you planning on having a meal in other resorts? Match it up with a theme park. Have dinner in the POLY the same day you visit the MK. Don't go back to your resort first, you'll waste too much time.

Maybe it's my mood, but you post struck me as funny!
Maybe we here in America are driving on the wrong side of the road! LOL!

I personally love having my own car. However, this is a valid point that you have been driving differently (not that there's anything wrong with that) and it may be a challenge plus navigating around. On our last trip, we met a family from the UK who were having issues adjusting.

Since this is your first visit (assuming there will many others!), I think you have made a good decision. Maybe next visit, you'll decide something else and that wouldn't be wrong either.

 

[Lewisc]

We don't drive on the left side of the road, we drive on the right side of the road.

Maybe it's my mood, but you post struck me as funny!
Maybe we here in America are driving on the wrong side of the road! LOL!

I personally love having my own car. However, this is a valid point that you have been driving differently (not that there's anything wrong with that) and it may be a challenge plus navigating around. On our last trip, we met a family from the UK who were having issues adjusting.

Since this is your first visit (assuming there will many others!), I think you have made a good decision. Maybe next visit, you'll decide something else and that wouldn't be wrong either.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> ... right side ... (no pun intended)

A second Yes to answer the title statement.

Just noticed you are from the UK. Without a car you won't have to worry about the rest of us driving on the wrong side of the road while you are trying to enjoy your vacation.

In other words having to take off your vacationer's hat and put on your driver's hat. Don't forget you also have to take off your vacationer's hat and put on a photographer's hat if you want serious pictures as opposed to just snapshots. And wear just a parent's hat most of the time if you have children with you.

 

[WillCAD]

I am a DIE-HARD renter and a tremendous advocate of always renting a car at WDW.

However, I readily acknowledge that it is entirely possible to get around quite well at WDW without a car, relying entirely on WDW transportation and not even using cabs.

I like having a car for the flexibility, but mostly I like the ENORMOUS time savings I get from self-driving.

Being from the UK, my guess is that your holiday will be close to 14 days (quite common for UK Guests at WDW), so time savings is not as big an issue for you as it is for those on shorter holidays.

In short, you made the right decision. Of course, had you made the other decision, that would have been right, too.

As Pauly Shore once said: "It's a win-win situation!"

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

I think you'll be fine without the car, especially if it's your first time.

Sometimes we rent a car, sometimes not, but we always use Disney transportation to get to the parks. When we do rent a car, we might use it for going off-site, going to Downtown Disney and eating at different resorts.

I enjoy not having to drive while on vacation.