Onsite...I know I don't NEED a car...but...

[Pooh99]

how many of you have ever wished you would have had one? I figure it is going to save me about $120 not to have a car, but I don't know if I will be annoyed that I can't go to the store, go off of Disney property to eat out somewhere else, etc...

Need some opinions.

 

[Jestocost]

Never had one, never missed it. YMMV.

 

[ncbyrne]

On site or off, we ALWAYS rent a car. It makes it so much easier to get around. True, the bus/monorail is convenient for getting to the parks, and we do use it for those purposes. But, the WDW transportation is inconvenient and very time consuming if you want to visit DD during the daytime, or for a PS at a resort, or for visiting the Boardwalk, or Fort Wilderness, etc. And a car is always handy for going offsite for shopping, or visiting other attractions as well.

 

[sue1013]

We rented a car once and it sat in the parking lot all week. To us that is part of vacation not having to drive. Much different than at home where it feels like I live in my car. We like vacation to be different.

 

[girlsx2]

I'm not sure of when you are going but... we go in Feb. most of the parks close at 6:00pm each night. That gives us time to go do things around WDW after 6:00. We arrive on late Saturday night and spend Sunday's going to the outlets, the store, Bass Pro shop; places we don't have much of around here. We drive anyway...but I really couldn't imagine not having a car. However, if I were going in the summer or when the parks were open until 9, 10 or 11..I don't think I would care for the car as much.


Cya There!!

 

[m.pots]

don't forget the money you'll spend on transfers to and from the airport. When you put that $ toward the car rental it's not so bad. Everytime I've gone I've always rented a car. We like sometimes just exploring the area also.
Steph.

PS I'm looking for a great car rate if anyone knows any for Feb. 5-10. I found one on Alamo for about $170.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would agree with both NCBYRNE and GIRLSX2. I would always take a car, even when staying onsite.

Access to all the parks, except MK, is easier with a car rather than having to wait for Disney Transportation. If we were going to eat at a resort other than where we were staying we could go directly instead of having to change buses (unless we were at a monorail resort and going to eat at another monorail resort).

To get between any park and Downtown Disney requires a change of transportation, and without a car don't even think of going off property.

 

[wdwnutze]

We always rent a car while we're at WDW. I like to be able to check out different resorts and do some off site shopping. We prefer to avoid using the buses.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We have rented a car, taken Mears and used Your Ride.
The town car servioe was the best all the way around.
Most town car services allow a free half hour stop at a store. Just make sure you ask about that up front on the ressie, if you go that route. I always used my half hour stop at a Disney outlet store right outside of WDW. I can do a lot of shopping in one store in a half hour.
Rental cars are necessary if you plan to go off site.
If you don't know your way around, I think a rental is more trouble than it is worth.
It would also depend on when you go to WDW. If it was during a busy season, then I would be more inclined to rent a car. But even with that you still are taking shuttles to and from the parking lot/park.
Staying anywhere on property and taking a bus to and from DTD is a long trip and a hassle. Not hardly worth it.
To me, it would depend on how pressed for time I would be, how often I planned to go to DTD, and if I wanted to go outside of WDW.
Almost all my WDW bus experiences have been good. But the bus service for our May 2002 stay at POR was horrible. And a rental car would have been a godsend.
One January, we rented a car for a few days and we were happy to get rid of it. I think it really depends on many factors. And you may plan on going off site. But your days will be packed already at WDW.

 

[ceecee]

Never took one and never have missed it. 2 weeks without driving!

 

[Mom2Ben02]

We are going down 1/14 - 1/21. As stated above, we will be able to shop/eat dinner/etc outside the parks after they close. We are renting through the Sam's Club website (need a membership, but we already had one). $109 for a 4door (midsize? Can't remember) from Dollar for 8 days. We are saving the $54 + tip for Mears, the $10.50/day + tax for a fridge and money for groceries (stopping at SuperWalmart on the way in, buying a cooler). Yes, I know we can make a grocery stop with a towncar, but now we have a little freedom during the trip too. We are not driving to the parks everyday, unless it gets too bad on the buses, but we will use it at night.

I really want to visit other resorts and do the Campfire thing at FW, and shlepping a 14 mo old to a park and back on another bus to get to the resort we are visiting is not a thing I want to experience on my vacation!

 

[disneysteve]

We would NEVER go to WDW without our own car whether staying onsite or offsite. It is far more convenient, not to mention more comfortable and safer, to drive around property ourselves than to depend on Disney transport or offsite shuttles. Plus we always hit the supermarket at least once, eat some meals offsite, visit offsite locations like Old Town and Celebration, and go hotel hopping among the Disney properties (very difficult to do with Disney's own transportation).

I know to some it is not a vacation if they have to drive. To us, it is not a vacation if we have to stand around waiting for buses and boats, crowd in with everyone else, worry about being unrestrained on the buses, and being severely limited in where we can and can't get to.

Steve

 

[Alicnwondrln]

we always use a car
the buses are good but there ar times when having a car is just easier we foudn it better then the buses in MAy 2003
especially for PS and we do the parks open to close and the car came in handy late at night and then we didnt have to wait also to get to Downtown Disney it was sooo much easier

 

[#1hockeymom]

We finally went car-less in June and we wish we would have done it years earlier. Getting r/t reservations for a towncar/limo made our vacation start and end at the airport, instead of in the parking lots. We all agree we saved money and our sanity by getting rid of the rent a car!

Debbie

 

[DiznEeyore]

We've gone without a car one time, but that was a 4-night trip for just dh and me. We'd never do that again!

It's really important to us to have the freedom of our own vehicle, especially since we like to park-hop. We're also DVC members and do a lot of cooking in the villa, so having the ability to go get groceries, get film developed or even pick up meds at Walgreens is something we wouldn't want to be without.

 

[Lisa P.]

With DH & kids, we've had to visit a medical clinic on several trips. They've had strep throat, ear infections (all that swimming!) & asthma flare-ups. We've picked up forgotten items at normal prices rather than Disney prices. A car brings us to Wal-Mart, grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, other attractions, wherever we want, when we want. Even visiting other resorts is easy with a car (not so easy without one).

Since we always stay for at least a week (up to 13 days), DH & I don't care to be without a car for most or all of a trip. For a 2-3 day solo trip (meeting up with friends) only visiting Disney parks and with a relaxed touring plan, I haven't missed it when I didn't have a car with me.

 

[sgtdisney]

I have to have a car when I go to Disney World. I enjoy taking side trips off property every once in a while. You can save a lot of money dining off property for one or two meals not to mention if you plan on buying souvenirs. You can visit one of the nearby Disney Outlets and save money there.

I really like to have freedom to come and go as I please. The busses are great for going from resort to themepark, but you have to do transfers if you want to resort hop. I am impatient and would rather hop in my car than to stand in line and wait for a bus, even if the wait is only a couple of minutes. It really is a decision that only you can make though as to what is best for your family and for what your needs are.

 

[jkovick]

We have done it both ways. We prefer to go without for these reasons:

1. On vacation we don't want to drive.
2. No navigational headaches.
3. No parking headaches.
4. We don't care to venture offsite for meals.
5. No keys to carry around.
6. No pumping gas.
7. No hassling with car rentals.

 

[arminnie]

I think it's a very personal decision - no one right way that fits everyone. Some people just hate driving and are not comfortable with strange places - for them having a rental car would be a big hassle. For others buses are reminiscent of junior high school - crowded, waits, etc. I think it really depends on what you dislike more - driving or buses.

I am definitely in the anti-bus category. I like the monorail and boats, but I just hate buses. When I'm in NY or London I love to ride the trains and subway but I really try to avoid the buses. Of course I would not drive in those cities either.

I love to shop and having a car makes it so much easier. It would not be a complete trip for me if I did not get to go to the Outlet Malls and the Florida Mall. I love going to DTD and resort hopping - way easier by car.

I used to travel on business all of the time so renting a car and driving in a strange city is no big deal to me. I was born in CA so I guess a car is like part of my body!

I would definitely recommend Disney transportation if you are planning on consuming alcohol though. Those of us who do choose to drive (and the bus drivers) don't need tipsy lost guests causing danger to others.

 

[frannn]

There are certain luxuries we pass up at WDW, but these are not one of them. I would never be able to carry all the stuff I buy at the outlets onto a bus (guess I could ship it all home), but how would get to the Disney outlets? DH would be thrilled to leave the driving to the WDW buses and monorails, but there are times it is very difficult and inconvenient, like going to RFC once AK is closed and the buses stop running...or eating at CM when we are staying at the AS...or grabbing the 5 way chili at Steak N Shake...or running over to DTD at 10:45 pm for the Playhouse Disney cd we couldn't find anywhere else. I figure staying at the AS is not giving up a lot, but not having a car takes away my sense of freedom. Once you deduct what transfers to and from the airport would cost, and figure in the time and fare you are saving during the trip, the price of convenience is not that high. Also stinks having to drag that bulky stroller onto the bus every single time (we did that on this last trip & it stunk a LOT). WDW could never be a drag, so no matter how you do it, just do it & have a great time!