Renting a car even though staying atdisney!

[tinkerpea]

Ok so I've been seriously thinking about renting a car, due to the fact the way we your the parks will be really different this time around, due to us going in June and one of our wks being July 4th wk,

With us staying at SSR and knowing we are going to go to the parks early and then come back at lunch time most days for a good 4/5 hours to swim and rest, I was thinking using a car would be quicker and more bearable then waiting for buses in the extreme heat!

I would prob use disney transportation for what ever park we visited in the evening.

My concerns are the walking from the car parks to the park, my mum has a disabled placard she is 81 and will be traveling with us, she does use an ECV but won't want to take it every day!

Do they have disabled parking nr to the entrance's?

Would you use a car in the summer? We will prob only be doing disney in the 2wks we stay on property as we are doing universal etc the wk before, Is traffic bad?

Thanks

 

[orangetiggs]

Disabled parking is right at the front

We always have a car even though stay on site. We use it in the morning if we go early and our girls normally sleep on way back home and we use a double stroller so hate taking that on the bus esp if girls are asleep

 

[Elise79]

Always have a car and drive to the parks!

Wouldn't be without it now

 

[penlanspice]

Some people stay on site every trip and have never had a car and it works for them.
For us it drives us a little nutty without a car, I remember a few years back we used Magical express from the airport and had not planned to have a car for the first 5 days (we were then due to pick up on the 5th day) after 3 days we really missed our car and went and picked one up!! we like to pop out to the shops or have a meal offsite, even when on the DDP we like having a car to get to resort reservations as the buses can be a nighmare, although if your at SSR you can easily hop on a bus to DTD and get on the right resort bus.

 

[pampat]

We always have a car, staying on site or not. However, perversely this year we are staying on site again and for the first time not hiring a car! I thing we will end up hiring one for a couple of days as we want to visit Universal and do some shopping, but it will definitely be a first for us.

Pam

 

[queendisney]

Personally I don't see the point in having a car while stay on resort. But we don't have children with us or a person with limited mobility etc. For us it would just sit there. Only you know if its worth the money etc for you.

 

[chmurf]

We always use a car and stay onsite

I also have a disabled parking placard. So here's a piece of advice.

Disney will honor the UK parking placard, no questions asked, at the parks and hotels. Just display it like you would in the UK.
If you wish to park on disabled bays outside of Disney, it's hit or miss. Some parking enforcement will see your UK placard and leave it at that, others (ofter elderly rent-a-cops) will fine you $250 for parking violation (to avoid the risk you can request a temporary FL placard for $15 trough Osceola Tax Office.

At Disney park parking lots, you'll see a blue line painted on the road, follow that line to the disabled parking.
When you get to parking lots like at TTC or EPCOT, CMs will direct cars to enter one row of cars. The CM will notice your placard (and if they don't, just point towards it) and allow you to drive past them, to the disabled lot.

But also be advised that disabled parking lot spots come in a limited number. It's on a first come, first serve basis. So when that lot is full, CMs try to send cars in a parking lot that's not too far from the entrance, but sometimes it's still a distance for a disabled person.

(If you go to Universal, flash your Hazards as you enter the parking building and keep them flashing, it will inform the Team Member that you're going for Disabled lot and they will direct you there)

If your mum does not take her ECV, then you may also want to consider the trams which will pick you up in the parking lots and drop you off at the park's entrance.

here are a few pics I've made for another forum (sorry I'm no artist, lol)

EPCOT (blue zone = disabled parkings, blue star = the farthest I've had to park at when going late to the park, october/november, so slow period)

MK

DHS (you sometimes have to park in the regular parking, ten rows or so into the regular parking on the right of the top disabled lot)

DAK

 

[tinkerpea]

Thanks all for the advice!

It looks like we will be going for renting a car! I'm a little nervous but I know that I'd really like to be able to just hop in the car and pop to the mall or to Walmart and not have to think about taxi costs

Plus I really think we will benefit when it comes to driving to resorts for dinner, and those early morning adrs I've made!
Also helps that I won't have to wait in the baking hot sun to get home from the parks at lunch time and I can know that we will be in the pool 30mins from leaving the park instead of an hour or more

I was always in the boat of never seeing the point in a car if only staying on Disney property and I've always found the transport to be more then adequate, but this summer trips fills me with dread and I think a car will def benefit us

Now to look for prices and any good deals,

 

[wayneg]

For us having a car is part of a holiday to Florida. We use Disney transport a little (although regretted it more than once when sat next to a child screaming all the way to the park at 8:30am) but most of the time far prefer to use a car. Plus as you say it makes trips to Walmart & malls so much easier.
I haven't booked our car for July yet but in the last Holiday Autos sale an SUV worked out at £249, £15.56 per day to me £15/day is peanuts for the convenience, even if its just sat there a couple of days doing nothing its worth every penny to us.