Poly people-do use a rental car?

[thumpersfriend]

I just made reservations for 7 days at the Poly for April 27 at the Poly, soooo excited that I finally made a decision. I am thinking of doing the Tiffany Town car so I don't have to drive, it will be my DD 28, me and my mom 75. I really would like opinions if a rental car would be better. We are not doing commando parks and will concentrate on restaurants in the evening and taking it slow, and just relaxing. What do you think?

 

[disneyvoice]

We just got back from the Poly on Monday and my fiance and I discussed the rental car issue all the way home.

We rented a car but only used it for the areas that we couldn't reach by monorial - Downtown Disney, AK, MGM, and non-monorail resorts where we were eating dinner. In general the car stayed parked in the lot the majority of the trip.

I will say having a rental car made the trip from and to the airport a breeze. We were amazed but it took us exactly 30 minutes to get off the plane, get our luggage, get our rental car and arrive at the Polynesian!!! Same exact experience on the way home. I have done the Mears shuttle in the past and the rental car was a definate improvement.

The Poly has the bus transportation just like all the other resorts so unless you are planning on eating at a non-monrail resort, you would be fine without a rental car.

In the end we decided that when we stay at a monorail resort in the future we will probably not rent a car.

 

[thumpersfriend]

Thank you, I am thinking that if we go to the Flying Fish at the boardwalk, we could even rent a cab. I have waited over 1 hour at Orlando airport to get a rental car and then the tension of driving to the resort. I get lost easily and my DH won't be going with us this time. Just want to make sure that not having a rental would be a big mistake. But we have never been there without using a rental. However, we have only stayed at FW and really needed one there. Is it alot different at the Poly?

 

[steveanddonna]

Transportation at the Poly is awesome, but we always rent a car because DH gets carsick when he is a passenger. I admit - I've gotten pretty spoiled by the freedom, but we really don't use the car that much. Like the other poster, we use it mainly in the evening to get to other resorts and to DTD. Cabs are not terribly expensive, though, and pretty quick. If you're not doing a lot of resort-hopping or evenings out, cabs would probably be just fine.

PS - If you do decide to rent, we use National - you NEVER have to wait for your car and they run some pretty good discounts.

 

[lovesdumbo]

We're going back to the Poly for our 3rd time and getting a Limo instead of a minivan. My DH found the car rental stressful. Didn't want to have to worry about how to get there ect even though I was directing. I'm looking forward to arriving at MCO and being magically transported to Poly. The kids will love the limo and busses!

 

[thumpersfriend]

I think it would be nice to just have someone meet you at the airport and drop you off at the hotel. National took me over an hour last time. Is there somthing you have to get so there is no waiting to rent a car?

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I personally can't imagine ever doing WDW without a rental car again.

We stayed off site for the first time in Feb 2004. I was shocked at how much I loved having a car. I mean it made my life so much less stressful while I was there. I get claustrophobic and often have to wait for a bus or two to go by before one comes by that is un-crowded enough for me to feel comfortable on.

But that is not really an issue if you are not leaving for the parks first thing in the am and staying till closing time. We do that. We don't do commando style, but we do stay in the parks all day & night. It's just more convinient for us.

But it's really up to you.

 

[tlev]

Stayed at the Poly for our honeymoon and we took a Star towncar to and from the airport and they were great. Right on time in both directions with nice clean cars and very nice drivers. The monorail and busses work fine unless you want to go from resort to resort. We rented a cab when we went to the Boardwalk and it was about $15.00 with tip each way. The cabs are usually right outside the hotel so there is no waiting involved.

 

[ppony]

No matter what resort you stay at, even if it's on a monorail, renting a car just speed things up. For some resorts, it does by a LOT! We love it and won't do it any other way. I don't want to lsoe any time waiting for anything more than I have to and that includes buses. And especially if you plan on visting other area attractions like Sea World or IOA...you really need a car. Taxi's could get quite expensive. Car rental rates are just something we factor into our budget. So a huge thumbs up for car rentals!

 

[skiwee1]

We usually drive to WDW and once we park at the beginning we never use the van again until we leave. When we fly we just get a limo or towncar to take us to the Poly. I am on vacation and perfer not to drive. For getting to another hotel we use taxis. They are ready and waiting right outside the Poly or you could call down and have one waiting for you.

 

[disneyvoice]

We also used National, however part of the reason we had no wait at all for the rental car is that my fiance and I have one of the upgraded accounts with National through our employer. We make the reservation in advance, show up, pick out the car we want and basically drive away. I'm not sure if the general public is able to have that kind of account or if it's limited to corporate accounts. The nice part for us is that once you have the account it doesn't matter whether you are renting the car for business or pleasure - you get exactly the same perks. They also routinely upgrade you. We reserved a full size car and they told us we could just go out and choose an SUV if we wanted instead.

 

[BCV23]

We always get a rental car when we stay at the Poynesian or anywhere at WDW.

We use it to get to AK & MGM as well as to hotels for dinner (other than the monorail restaurants). We always drive to DTD and I use it for trips to Walgreens, Goodings, etc..

We almost always rent from Hertz or Avis. Very fast service.

But transportation at the Polynesian is awesome.

 

[wildabouttheworld]

We usually cant stay for 7 days at a time. Our trips to Disney are usually 4 or 5 days at the most so we dont miss having a car. We always use Tiffany Town car and it is great not having to worry about a car. I always put the ressie in my daughters name so when we go down the escolator at MCO there is a driver holding a sign with her name on it. He grabs our luggage and off we go passing lines of folks waiting for Mears and rental cars. We love the busses from the Poly. It is part of the whole experience and a chance to meet and talk to new people. It may take a few extra minutes than having a car but why be in a rush, its a vacation!

 

[DebbieB]

I have Emerald Club through National, which allows you to skip the counter and checkout in the garage. Never had a long wait. See mousesavers for info on how to get a free card.

I just made a reservation for December, it's $142 incl tax for an intermediate (priceless contract code, $20 entertainment coupon). When you include tips with a town car, it's going to be close to that.

 

[Mymatisse]

We just returned from the Poly and rented a car while we were there. It is so nice, not only to get to the parks that aren't on the monorail, but also when you may want to get a quick bite to eat that's non-disney. For example we went to Chevy's for lunch one day and we did breakfast a few days at Shoney's. We also made a few runs to Walgrees to get film developed and little odds and ends. I just like knowing that I can get up and go somewhere and not have to work on someone elses time table.

 

[steveanddonna]

We also used National, however part of the reason we had no wait at all for the rental car is that my fiance and I have one of the upgraded accounts with National through our employer. We make the reservation in advance, show up, pick out the car we want and basically drive away. I'm not sure if the general public is able to have that kind of account or if it's limited to corporate accounts

The general public can be Emerlad Club members (as are we) or you can reserve and pre-pay on National's website. This allows you to bypass the counter. You go right to the cars, pick one from the aisle with your reserved car class and proceed to the exit booths. How fast is that!? There are also some pretty good deals and coupons. Check mousesavers http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html for more info. You can even combine some of the contract discounts and coupons for better rates. I'm sure some of the other rental companies have similar deals.