one last decision... to rent car or not...

[tooraloora]

now that I am reading about the new bus systems, maybe the Disney transportation will be fine... hmmm... we will be in a cabin, with me, dh, 10, 6, and 6 kiddies. Planning about 3 days in parks, one day at water park and one day at DTD, one day off.

Pros to renting -- can easily do grocery runs, go to Belz for souvenirs, have more freedom, not wait for trans
Cons for renting -- cost, may not be needed, stress of driving
Pros to Disney trans -- relax and let them get us around, free
Cons -- how will we get the grocs we need, can't do offsite shopping

Anything I haven't thought of? We have never been... so advice from you BTDT folk is so appreciated.


12 days to go!

 

[fortwilderness]

I have stayed at Fort Wilderness 7 different times and have never moved the car from our drive way once we got there. One of the main reasons we stay on Disney property is not having to drive anywhere. It may be faster sometimes to drive yourself to the parks but in my family's opinion it is worth it to take a little extra time and just ride the Disney transport. Relax - afterall you are on vacation Plus you are paying for your Disney transport with your room cost so might as well take advantage of it.

I don't ever fly to WDW but I have read that there are some airport towncar services that include a 30 minute grocery stop on your way in to WDW. That could be a solution to your grocery problem. You could also take a taxi down to the CrossRoads (I think that is what it is called) across from Downtown Disney and go to their grocery store.

If you don't plan on eating a huge amount of food in your cabin - and if you and your kids are not extremely picky about brands - you could just shop at the Meadow and Settlement trading posts inside Fort Wilderness. The selection is not huge though and the prices aren't exactly cheap either - but it is still not highway robbery or anything. The prices are high on some things but in my opinion staples like milk and bread are reasonable. The first couple of times we stayed at Fort Wilderness we brought all of our food with us assuming that the prices at Disney would be extremely high. But now we have learned better and just bring our sodas and a few groceries - like canned pasta, snack foods and condiments - but buy our bread, meats, and dairy products at the trading posts. It just works out better for us doing that.

As for the off-site shopping - why in the world would you want to do that ? Seriously though - I have never been to the Beltz outlet but I personally wouldn't waste my precious Disney time with a trip offsite to buy Disney merchandise. I understand it may be cheaper but it is possible to find clearance items inside the shops at the theme parks and in the resorts. Just look for the red and white price tags for bargins I have been very succesful at getting very nice bargins inside "the world" several times by looking at the clearance items.

It looks like you have analyzed your rental car pros and cons just like I would have. I think it is really just a personal preference about driving. Some people swear to driving themselves around WDW and others - like me wouldn't even consider it. Good luck in your decision

 

[Bob NC]

We have stayed in a FW Cabin and had our own car.

Pros to Disney trans -- relax and let them get us around, free

If you find sitting on benches, (or standing), in the heat for long periods of time relaxing, then Disney transportation is for you.

We have done Disney with and without a car. I say we save hours, yes hours, EVERY day by driving our own car.

If you can fit it in your budget, you will be thankful you rented a car.

 

[Rhonda]

Another vote for NOT renting a car! We go to FW every year and we park our car at our site and never move it!

If you fly in and use a towncar service, they will do a grocery store stop for you on the way to WDW!

 

[North7]

We have only ever used our vehicle once to travel to a destination within WDW. That was for a supper at Olivia's. We have found that travelling from one resort to another can be time consuming as you first have to travel to the TTC or one of the major parks to catch a bus to the resort you are headed to (at least from FW anyway). We have never found the wait to be very long if you are travelling to one of the main parks and now with direct routes from FW to the parks, I would think the wait will be even shorter.

The car might be nice to travel offsite, but is it worth the expense when you can stop for groceries on your way from the airport (as others have mentioned above)? That may be what you have to decide. As far as travel within WDW, my family enjoys the Disney transportation and we never use the vehicle for that (other than the 1 time).

Have fun

 

[Plan Man]

RENT -- It is so nice to come and go as you please.

 

[campingcorgi]

You can even have it both ways--rent a car for a day or two during your vacation. The on-site National car rental will send a van to pick you up at FW and take you back after you return the car. We don't use a car for going to the parks, but that trip to TL can be forever when you are wet and tired after swimming. Now I've been to the Beltz outlet store, and I wasn't that impressed. Some out of date stuff at not such great prices--not worth another trip there (just for that) for us. But I'm glad I could check it out once.

 

[Grumpy92]

If you decide you dont want the car you can arrange with the front desk to use their shuttle bus to go for groceries. You will need to call the FD ahead of time and make arrangements and they will only take you to Goodings, which is the nearest grocery store. Depending on how many trips you plan to make off property, I would rather get the golf cart for the campground instead.