SSR - I know this has been discussed before..

[We_love_WDW]

Do I need a rental car? I know people have said yes or no, but I did not find people commenting on a rental car during the busy season. We are going the end of July/first week of Aug. We requested the Springs Section and we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. We never rented a car before, but I am scared of the long bus waits and all the stops or not getting on and waiting longer. Or is driving and parking yourself just as much of a headache? Oh I am so confused, I cannot make up my mind Any expert advice is grealty appreciated.

 

[Chic]

You will not need a car. My family stayed in the Springs section at Saratoga Springs during Christmas, which is the busiest time of year for DVC, and the bus service was excellent. We actually missed a bus to Animal Kingdom as we were approaching the bus waiting area one day and within 12 minutes, another one came along. We had read nightmares regarding bus service at Saratoga Springs and were a bit worried but everything ended up being above our expectations. We recently stayed at Wilderness Lodge Villas during Spring Break and waited almost an hour for a bus to EPCOT. I really think the bus service can be hit or miss but I would be willing to bet that you will be pleasantly surprised. We loved Saratoga Springs and will definitely stay there again.

 

[backyardponder]

If you don't rent a car, and you really don't want to deal with a bus when the kids are tired, you can always grab a cab. I never get a car when at WDW unless I plan to leave the property a lot.

 

[tjkraz]

We usually rent a car for the flexibility. Disney bus service is inherently flawed in that it offers only point-to-point service from select destinations. For instance, you can't go directly from SSR to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can't go from Epcot to Downtown Disney.

So we drive/rent. IMO it's worth the cost...but admittedly that's a personal decision.

If you rely on the buses, IMO service is about the same no matter where you're staying. No, you can't walk from SSR to a theme park. But I don't see bus service from, say, BWV to the Animal Kingdom being significantly better than SSR to AK.

In short, if you're familiar with the WDW bus system and are comfortable with past results, SSR is likely to be about the same.

 

[tink'smom2B]

We just got back from a 10 day trip to SSR over Easter. It was crowded! We rented a car just in case we needed it for groceries. We only used it twice the whole time. We went for groceries once (used Gardengrocer to deliver before we got there) and went off property for dinner one night. It wasn't worth the trouble! The bus service was excellent and we stayed at The Springs. Have a fun trip!

 

[ljcrochet]

We stayed at SSR at the being of December without a rental car. Had no issues with the buses at all (except for one early morning when we went to epcot but the epcot bus was not running yet but still was on time for our 8:30 ADR)

 

[Dean]

You don't need a car but one is preferable for many. We normally drive to the parks except for two situations. We take the bus to MK and if we are changing resorts during the day without a stop in between. With the little ones I probably wouldn't because then you've also got to deal with 2 car seats either in rental or transport. IF ME is no longer free again, the pendulum swings the other way in favor of a car rental.

 

[disprincessatheart]

WE just got back from SSR - the week after Easter though so crowds were much lower than the first couple of weeks of April. We had our own car and didn't drive to any parks - we find even when we have to wait and possibly stand, it's just simpler to take a bus. We were in the springs section and only once was the bus full enough on the way to the park that we had to stand. Our longest wait was about 15 minutes for a bus - that included going to the parks in the morning and leaving the parks at night. The system isn't perfect, but it's not that bad either - it's just not the instant "go as soon as you're ready" that you have with your own car.

 

[gkrykewy]

We have never (and will never) rent a car for an on-property Disney trip, and I would suggest that you never *need* to rent a car unless you have some sort of physical disability. Now if you just *want* access to a car because it's what you're used to or whatever, that's another thing.

Personally I enjoy Disney bus service - it's part of the convenience, and part of the relaxation for us (not to mention the cost savings).

 

[jlewisinsyr]

My partner leaves in two weeks and will be staying at SSR (due to Developer Point restrictions), he doesn't drive (can, just doesn't like to) so he'll be using the bus system. I arrive 6 days later and will be renting a car. I'm sure he'll let me know how it was without a car for the first part of vacation.

For me, unless I was desperately attempting to save money, I wouldn't go to Disney without a car, its too much of an inconvenience in my eyes.

 

[FindTheMickeys]

We usually rent a car for the first night at SSR, to go off property for groceries since the store at Artist's Palette is a little pricey for a whole week's worth of groceries. Last year, since we had the car for 24 hours, we went off property for a few souvenirs after our park stops and on our way to return the car to Alamo. Other than that, we use the buses. I have stayed in the Springs and twice in Congress Park. Congress Park was nice because of the beautiful view of Downtown Disney at night and also it was close enough to walk over to DD for an ice cream cone from McDonald's Going back in September but we are driving down this year because it has been 31 years since I have driven to Florida... I usually fly. So we will have a vehicle if we need to go off property for anything, but will use the buses to go to the parks.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Do I need a rental car? I know people have said yes or no, but I did not find people commenting on a rental car during the busy season. We are going the end of July/first week of Aug. We requested the Springs Section and we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. We never rented a car before, but I am scared of the long bus waits and all the stops or not getting on and waiting longer. Or is driving and parking yourself just as much of a headache? Oh I am so confused, I cannot make up my mind Any expert advice is grealty appreciated.

I would normally agree with what others have said about the overall efficiency of bus service. I have never felt the need to rent a car at SSR.

However, I notice that you have 2 small children. If your request for Springs is granted, you will be getting on at the last stop before leaving the resort... this can be good, since you will be on your way to the parks straight away, but bad, because the buses may be very crowded...2 little ones plus strollers can be tough. Also coming back from the parks you will be the last off, so you will have to ride through the entire resort with presumably very hot, tired and cranky kids.

As I said, I normally would say you don't need a rental at SSR but I'm wondering whether you can find some parents out there who have stayed in Springs with little ones and what their bus experience has been.

Whatever you decide, I hope your trip is filled with magical moments!

 

[allison k]

For the most part, we always just used the bus system. On our last vacation, I was only going to get a rental car for the last part from WDW to Vero. I got such a great deal for a minivan, that we rented for the whole trip. Our son was 18 months at the time and DD was 6. It was so convenient to just walk out the door to the car and get to where we needed to be without waiting, standing, sweating, etc.

If we were on a very tight budget, then I would be fine doing the bus system. But, if we can afford it, we'll probably be getting a rental car whenever possible. It was just so convenient for us!

 

[Sandisw]

We always rent a car when we are there. On our first trip in 1994, my DH had to stand 45 minutes on the bus, carrying our sleeping 1.5 year old on his shoulder. That was it for him!!!LOL

We find that it is just so convenient having to come/go from the parks when we want, especially when the kids were little. We are also AAA members and get a parking pass from them that allows us to park near the front of the lot so we don't even have to mess with the trams.

I think it also depends on when you go. We are there in the summer so its hot and when we are ready to leave, we just want to get back to the room. Last time, we were on the DDP and it made it very easy to get to the resorts we had chosen to eat at for dinner. No transferring buses to get there.

But I agree with everyone else, it really is a personal preference.

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[Silver Queen]

We stayed at SSR in December and found the bus service to be excellent. We were also at OKW this past weekend and once again appreciated and enjoyed the bus service. Perhaps someday if we take a trip with a lot of off property activities we may rent a car, but for now we're very happy with the Disney busses.

 

[Sue's Mum]

We stayed at SSR at Easter, and although we did have a car, we did not use for travelling around on Disney property. We used it just to shop for groceries. We found the Disney transport very satisfactory for our needs.