OKW/BWV.... Do I need a car???

[littlestix]

I'm thinking of trying to rent some points for Old Key West or Boardwalk Villa's. If I stay at one of the resorts do I need to rent a car?? Would it be better to use Disney transportation??

Thanks

 

[RobDoc]

We always use Disney transportation when staying onsite at WDW - even if we have a car. At BWV you can easily walk or take a boat to both Epcot and MGM- OKW will require bus transport to all parks.

We just think of the buses, boats and monorails as another attraction and don't mind the (usually) short wait. It will take a little extra planning if you wish to go from a resort to another resort, but it is very doable - even without personal transportation.

Many insist on renting a car to avoid any wait time, but I'm very content to sit back and enjoy the ride. (After all, you ARE on vacation!)

Enjoy!

 

[DebbieB]

You don't NEED a car, but we prefer one at both resorts. We like to go offsite for groceries, outlets, off site restaurants. I hate being dependent on the busses. They can be crowded, you may have to stand, you may have a wait. I just like jumping in the car, turn on the AC and the radio and go. When we stay at OKW, we use it for all parks except sometimes MK. At BWV, we walk or boat to Epcot and boat to MGM, bus to MK sometimes and drive the rest (especially AK and DTD). I can usually get a car from National for around $110 to $120 total for the week. That's Emerald Aisle with a contract code and $20 Entertainment coupon. Almost everytime I got an upgrade to a full size. The last 2 times I got nice Impala's.

 

[DVC Mary]

IMHO--I would not get a car for BWV, but I would consider one for OKW. We thought our wait times for the bus were horrible at OKW. It was so bad one night, that a VERY sweet CS, drove us (he offered) to the Contemporary so that we would not miss our PS at Chef Mickeys. Our two boys were so grateful they went looking for this CS constantly to say hi to him.

But I only stayed at OKW once in Dec. of 2000.

 

[CarolMN]

We always stay at BWV when we visit WDW and only get a car if we will be spending part of the time off site visiting other locations in Florida. When we have a car, we use it to drive to AK, DD and the MK resorts (for dinner). We walk (or boat) to EPCOT & the Studios, and always bus to the MK.

FWIW, renting a car for the two of us for a week is often comparable (or even less) than the cost of a RT (MCO - WDW) in a towncar. We won't do Mears - takes too long, LOL). We may try the new complimentary Magical Express, though. Maybe the "complimentary" part will take the sting out of the time I anticipate it will take to get to the resort and then back to the airport.

Anyway, I like having a car at the BWV to drive to some locations, but you need to know that self-parking at the BWV can be a royal pain. Too many people use the BW lots to go to EPCOT. It is often difficult to find a parking spot in the late afternoon/early evening. (The lots clear out right after IllumiNations). I wish the BW management would reserve some parking for guests of the BWI/BWV hotels.

All that said, you absolutley do not need a car at BWV, but it can be very convenient if you plan to spend much time at DD, a waterpark or eating at any of the non-EPCOT resorts.

Best wishes -

 

[3DAN]

Carol, When I stay at OKW, I feel like I'm at home. At home , I drive all over and Will want to run errands. At the other resorts, I don't feel at home and don't feel the need to have a car as much. Farther walk just to get to the car. I don't believe I have stayed at OKW yet without a car.
Bill

 

[palmtreegirl]

We just got back from OKW and I would definitely get a car to stay there, we had one and it was so convient.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Base it on your plans, not where you are staying. Are you going off site a lot? Do you have priority seatings at a lot of WDW hotels that are hard to get to by bus? If yes to those questions then get a car. If you only need a car to get groceries, use one of the grocery services and save the car rental money.

HBC

 

[AFMom]

We stayed at OKW for 8 days, and other than getting groceries on the way to the resort, we never moved it out of the parking place. We thought the buses were reasonable - it never took us more than 20 minutes to getto a park after leaving our room. The only time the bus transportation was a bit of a pain was trying to get from OKW to BWV to pool hop! Have fun!

 

[lllovell]

I don't have much experience with the bus system as we almost always drive down and have a car and use it while at WDW.

I have stayed recently at AS..sports (hahaha - I just used the letters the first time and got censored ) and had no problems with the buses (longest wait was 20 minutes - which is not terrible but hard to keep the boys entertained for that long when they wanted to be AT the parks). I have also used the bus system from OKW and that is one LONG ride through OKW for drop-offs and pick ups. I missed my car that trip.

We are new DVCers and trying to take LONGER, more restful trips than we have in the past and this might change our opinion of waiting for the bus. If you are not trying to cram too much into a few days, a little wait here and there can be relaxing.

 

[vernon]

I'd agree with Happy B'day cat, it depends more on what you're planning to do than where you'll be staying. IMHO a car is slightly more use at OKW than BWV, but you can get by without a car pretty easily if you're only planning to visit the Disney attractions and wouldn't be doing much "resort to resort" travel. IMHO it matters little which Disney resort you're staying on, if you plan to visit many of the other resorts it can be time consuming.

When staying at OKW I generally use WDW transportation for MK, Epcot and MGM studios. AK I would usually drive to, but that is because I would generally then go on to another attraction/DTD or to eat at a resort. In those cases it's easier to have access to a car, if you're just going to AK and then back to your resort the WDW transportation system will do the job fine.

When going to the water parks I usually take a car, that's because I generally have a bit more stuff to carry and when exiting the parks I don't want to wait around for the bus if I'm sandy,oily, tired or more to the point a little sun burnt. Again the bus system will do the job, but it is just a little more convenient to use a car.

 

[PaulaMurf]

We like to have the car at OKW - especially with DS 3, I have found its just easier for us to cart along the stroller, etc etc if we are driving, and then when he has had it, or if he falls asleep on the way back, I find it much easier to move him into and out of a car then the busses.

Also, we use the car to drive around the resort, LOL, (lazy, YUP, but it IS vacation...) To/from HH as necessary -

However, if we are staying at any other resorts then OKW, I dont rent a car. I really like the ability to park right in front of the unit we are staying in. Plus when we stay at OKW we always do more resort hopping/pool hopping or check out some off property stuff.

My .02

Paula in CT

 

[littlestix]

Hi everybody---- Thanks so much for all of your input. I'm planning on doing all Disney. I would like some groceries and I don't know anything about using a service that delievers them to you. I don't plan on doing any of the waterparks ( my son is scared of the water) but, I would like to eat at Chef Mickey's and possibly O'hana's.
It sounds as though I can get by without a car. I'm use to taking things slow at Disney because my son, who is 3, moves at a slow place. I don't think I'll mind waiting for the bus. Can you take a stroller on the Disney bus?? I would like to bring my own so I don't have to pay for the rental. I don't know anything about the Disney resorts or transportation. I've only been once and I stayed off-site. Will it be hard to get the campground?? The campfire is something that I think my son would enjoy.

Thanks again!!!

 

[Deemarch]

We always rent a car. Doesn't matter where you stay. If you plan on dinner at other resorts, WDW transportation is not as convenient.

As for having your own stroller with a 3 year-old...I'd still vote for a car.

 

[CarolMN]

Hi everybody---- Thanks so much for all of your input. I'm planning on doing all Disney. I would like some groceries and I don't know anything about using a service that delievers them to you. I don't plan on doing any of the waterparks ( my son is scared of the water) but, I would like to eat at Chef Mickey's and possibly O'hana's.
It sounds as though I can get by without a car. I'm use to taking things slow at Disney because my son, who is 3, moves at a slow place. I don't think I'll mind waiting for the bus. Can you take a stroller on the Disney bus?? I would like to bring my own so I don't have to pay for the rental. I don't know anything about the Disney resorts or transportation. I've only been once and I stayed off-site. Will it be hard to get the campground?? The campfire is something that I think my son would enjoy.

Thanks again!!!

You can bring a stroller on Disney buses. Many parents do.

It's very easy to get to the CR (Chef Mickey's) and O'Hana's (Poly) as long as the MK is open. You just take your resort bus to the MK and then jump on the resort monorail. Simple!

You can also use the MK as a transfer point to get to the campground. From the MK, you just take a boat. If the MK is closed when you want to get back to your resort, you take a bus to Doiwntown Disney and transfer there. That way does take quite a while - as long as 60 -90 minutes if you just miss a bus and have to wait. You can always grab a cab - costs about $15, but sometimes, it is worth it.

How do you plan to get to the resort from the airport? If you take a towncar service (about $100 RT), they will stop for 1/2 hour or so at a grocery store so you can pick up some items there. The DVC resorts all have basic food stuffs available at the resort store. They are a little more expensive there than the grocery stores, but the convenience can make it worth while.

HTH. Best wishes -

 

[Disney Doll]

You can certainly get by without a car...your biggest challenge will be going from resort-to-resort...it will require some planning, as none of the buses go between resorts...they go between parks and resorts. This would mean that you'd have to take a bus to a park (or DTD or a water park), get off that bus and get on a bus bound for the hotel you want to go to. Not horrific, but you will need to leave yourself at least an hour for the trip, if you include travel and wait time. For example, if you have a 6PM priority seating at Chef Mickey's, leave your hotel no later than 5PM. Of course, you can also call a cab, but that can be expensive if you plan on doing it a lot. To be honest, if DH and I are busing from resort to resort, we tend to take a bus to the resort and then call a cab for the ride back to our resort. For some reason, "schlepping" on the buses after we have had a lovely meal just doesn't do it for us.

You also have to think about if you will want/need groceries in your unit. The DVC properties gift shops do have a fairly good grocery selection, but they are on the expensive side. There is a Publix and a Winn-Dixie relatively close to WDW (just outide the gates in both cases), where the prices are more reasonable. If you were just thinking you wanted "snack" type foods, and maybe some toast or English muffines in your unit, then you could probably be OK using the resort gift shop. If you want a more extensive selection of food for your unit, then I'd suggest off property grovery stores. You"ll save some $$ that way. If you are taking a car service, you can make arrangements to have a grocery stop on your way to WDW (I think they give you 1/2 hour), and when you get to your resort, they will store/refrigerate all of your grocery items along with your luggage. I also think there are grocery stores or services in the area that will deliver your order to your resort, but I have never used them. We usually have a car and go ourselves.