Resorts and need for a car

[bababear_50]

This question comes from reading other posts about staying at OKW and SSr,,
Which resorts did you need a car? For me renting a car after a flight to Orlando from Toronto would be the last thing I'd want to do.Is having a car a must at these resorts?

 

[rayzke]

It really depends if you mind waiting for the shuttle buses or not....

We had good luck in June; waited no longer than 20 minutes for any bus we needed. In December though we waited at least 20 minutes for any bus...not necessarily the bus we needed.

The buses are scheduled by computer so there is no set bus at set time. This time when we come "home" in April we are renting a car simply because we do not want to risk it.

One idea I was going to look into was taking the Magic Express from teh airport to the resort and then have Enterprise rent a car pick me up at the SSR to rent a car.

If you are not familiar, Enterprise will pick you up and drop you when renting/returning a car from them. This way we will not be dependent on the shuttles and we can use the Magic Express service.

 

[Questforthemouse]

This question comes from reading other posts about staying at OKW and SSr,,
Which resorts did you need a car? For me renting a car after a flight to Orlando from Toronto would be the last thing I'd want to do.Is having a car a must at these resorts?

Hello my fellow Ontarion...

As the previous poster suggested...If you decide you need a car then taking the ME from MCO to SSR or OKW and having the rental company pick you up/drop you off at the resort is something many do and works well. Is a car a must? Generally speaking it is not a must but can certainly be a preference for some. I've only stayed at SSR and found the bussing system very effecient. We were there over Christmas/New Years and never waited more than 10 mins for a bus to the particular park we were heading for. If you want to go to the main pool or the restaurants at SSR then you can hop on any bus at the numerous stops throughout SSR and get off at the Springs section which is right across from the "downtown" SSR area. Depending on which section you are staying in it could be a 2 minute, 5 minute or 10 minute walk to the downtown area of SSR. If you wish to go to DTD it could be a 5 - 15 minute walk or an 8 minute boat ride (from behind the carriage house) not including the waiting time for the boat. Many people that like to go for dinners at other resorts prefer to have a vehicle as resort busses do not go directly to other resorts. If you are staying at SSR you can walk over to DTD and catch a bus from there to another resort (although this will take more time than driving your vehicle). Really it depends on your plans while at WDW and your families preferences.

 

[OKW Lover]

For us, waiting for the bus after being in the parks all day is the last thing we want to do. We much prefer to rent a car no matter which resort we are in. As the previous poster wrote, it all depends on if you mind waiting for the buses or not.

 

[zev]

Just wondering how far away the car rental companies are?? Its a great option to use ME from the airport and then rent for one of those days to go off property.

 

[mzzbuzzlightyear]

Usually we fly, but even when we have had a car at OKW, we haven't used it. We found the buses, boats, monorail, etc, to be very efficient.

This has been with various combinations of family! Sometimes 4 Adults and 4 Children, sometimes, 4 Adults and 2 children, and the last time we stayed there, DH and I with our 15 yr old DGSon. We've done this with strollers and toddlers...not bad at all. We have been very lucky with the transportation system.

So. as far as I am concerned, a car is not necessary.

June

 

[bobbiwoz]

We usually have a car for Sunday church, but just a one day rental, from Enterprise or Car Care center. We had a car at OKW because that was only 1/2 of our vacation, we headed for the coast after OKW. We didn't use the car around OKW or WDW, we relied on buses/boats and did just fine. That was in June.
Bobbi

 

[fishermouse]

This question comes from reading other posts about staying at OKW and SSr,,
Which resorts did you need a car? For me renting a car after a flight to Orlando from Toronto would be the last thing I'd want to do.Is having a car a must at these resorts?

Unless you plan on leaving WDW we have never found the need for a car, especially with ME. Bus transportation has always been good no matter where we stayed (mostly SSR). The hassle of driving to park, parking getting tram from parking spot etc. the bus is IMO just as quick or quicker.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Depending on what we plan to do, we'll rent a car for the duration (I find it easier to rent for the whole period rather than just a few days - I usually get a good enough deal to make it acceptable).

Anyway - we survived SSR without a car one trip fairly well, but we really only wanted to go to the parks. The other SSR trip, we really enjoyed the car - but there was a lot of resort visits and a couple of grocery runs, too.

I won't stay at OKW without a car.

We stayed at BWV without a car, and I vowed 'never again.' I just can't stand the 5 stops the buses have to make for the Epcot resorts, and getting to another resort for dinner, took 85 minutes.

Think about what you want to do, and then decide. If it's just a couple of resort dinners, it may be better to take a cab those 1-2 times rather than renting a car. For us, it takes 7 resort cab fares to = 1 week car rental.

Dirk

 

[Deemarch]

It's not the transportation, but we like to have dinner at the resorts. It's very inconvenient to get from resort to resort, unless you take a cab. And we'd rather not do that.

 

[Inkmahm]

We ALWAYS rent a car when we go to WDW. I hate waiting for buses and we tend to eat outside of the parks for dinner at resort restaurants like Jiko's California Grill, etc. It is really hard to get to other resorts without wasting hours on Disney transportation.

I use Dollar rental and pick it up right at the airport. No shuttle needed. And Dollar has a GREAT rate special going on for Florida for all of 2007! Check out the really low weekly rates:

http://www.park-and-fly-hotels.com/dollar.html

 

[sjdisneywedding]

as you can see from the other posts its really a personal preference. You absolutely do not need a car, but it really can be an asset depending on how you vacation.

If you are strictly doing the normal Disney thing, resort to park and back and similar then you are fine, but if you like to bounce from resort to resort and from here to there then you just cant beat a car

rentals are so reasonable down there, we almost always have a car. it opens up so many possibilities in planning out your days and for the overall vacation.

 

[SaratogaShan]

If you want to travel to other resorts fromm SSR, remember that you can walk to DTD (takes about 10 minutes) and then take a direct bus to any resort. Very easy to do IMHO. Save your rental car money for souveniers!

 

[MagikMom]

We have rented a car before but only if we were planning to Drive to visit my cousin who lives close to Orlando. We would only rent for a day or two. You can rent a car at the Swan and Dolphin and at one of the Hotels near DTD which is very close to both SSR and OKW. If we are just going to the parks or dinner, we do not need a car. If we are planning a dinner at one of the other resorts we just take a taxi. There are so many means of transportation at WDW that a car just isn't necessary for us. My advise....save your money. If you get to the resort and find that you really want a car, you can always rent one close by.

 

[byoung]

To us we only rent if staying offsite. Onsite the Disney's transpertation is part of the majic to us.

 

[tillerman233]

It is all about waiting. Sometimes if you take ME you may go to several resorts before yours. Making a long day traveling even longer. Then you have to check in, and wait for your bags which can also take quite a while. If you rent a car you can get it at the airport, check in at SSR and drive your car with your bags to your room instead of waiting hours for them to bring them. Again it depends on if you don't mind riding around and standing around. The buses to the parks are pretty regular but can be full at peak times.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

We rented a car when we stayed at SOG, because they don't have ME. We thought we would drive everywhere - free parking and everything - but we left the car in the parking garage every day except once to go to Epcot, once to go see what AKL looked like, and then we needed it to leave. I really felt like we wasted the $$. It would have been cheaper to take a town car or something at arrival, I think.

Now with SSR, we are going to just count on the ME and the transportation system. I know we may need to wait some, but I also think that waiting in parking lines, then waiting for trams or walking way from the back of the lot about evens out the time issue. Have a great trip however you get there!

 

[Lady V]

Unless you plan to do other stuff than Disney there is no need for a car in my opinion. I have stayed at OKW and SS and both had great bus service. At least as good as the other places. and the nice thing is...you don't have to go to the front of the hotel (like BW) to get your bus. The stop is right in front of your building. Very nice. While it is nice having a car incase you want to go somewhere I really think it is great without one as well. Have fun!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Unless you plan to do other stuff than Disney there is no need for a car in my opinion. I have stayed at OKW and SS and both had great bus service. At least as good as the other places. and the nice thing is...you don't have to go to the front of the hotel (like BW) to get your bus. The stop is right in front of your building. Very nice. While it is nice having a car incase you want to go somewhere I really think it is great without one as well. Have fun!!

I see you are going "home" in 5 days Have a great trip!!!

 

[buzz5985]

Last summer we went "Car Free" for the first time. LOL It was a great experience for this gal from Boston who drives everywhere. We stayed at OKW and had dinner reservations at Boma one night, and in the Contemporary another night. We took the boat to DTD, and took buses from there. I don't think I ever waited more than 10-15 minutes for a bus.

My only complaint about OKW is we were in a building accross from the hospitality house - and there were really no sidewalks to walk on to get across the street to the bus stop. You had to cut through parking lots. For myself, DH, and DS it wasn't a problem - but my Father didn't like it - he is 76

As for groceries - we used gardengrocer several times during the trip and they were awesome. I had no problem letting them leave the groceries with bell services. I felt no need to go over the order.