Staying at AKL: To Rent or Not to Rent (a car)

[michaela mouse]

Thoughts?

 

[drummer1616]

1st,we go off site for excursions( NASA,Sea World) and for groceries so we need one,but even around Disney Property on our earlier trips we found it handier for drives to Downtown Disney and Water Parks instead of buses.And I have to have a mini van for 6-7 people and they whack for that size,but its still worth it if you want to see other areas.

 

[thewesterberg]

I've stayed at AKL three times and have never had a rental car while staying there. I don't mind the buses... the longest ride to the parks is about 20 minutes (MK). Driving there takes awhile since you have to park, ride the tram, then ride the monorail or ferry. With the bus you're right there.

The only time I wished we had a car was when we went to DTD. I swear DTD is located in Atlanta for how long it takes to get there (but it's the same way from any of the resorts it seems!)

One trip we flew into Sandford so we had to have transportation and we rented a car. We were staying at POP for 3 nights and we were cramming as much park time into the 2.5 days as we could which involved hopping. The car did come in handy for that.

Don't know if that helps at all!

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I have two trips to AKV under our belt....we never rent a car and only take the buses. I think once or twice we have had to wait 15 min or longer--usually the buses at AKV are very good. At times you will have a stop at Blizzard beach to do--but honestly, they drop you at the gate so I do not get the expense of a rental. However....DH does not like the idea of ME so we do pay for a car service from MCO to AKL. The buses are just not an issue to us but everyone is different. I think it is strange that folks find it easier to drive, go throught the toll, park, walk to tram or TCC then make it over to the park, when the bus takes you directly to the gate--I would think that would count for something.

One on property we stay on property. If I wanted to go to WWoHP I would go to Dreams Unlimited to see if they had the deal where I could buy the transportation and tickets all in one for the day (they used to have something like that).

 

[Elmo007]

I like to split it. Using the Buses to the theme parks is generally a wash as compared to a car timewise (except MK). It does feel nicer though. A car is much better for DTD, going off property to get cheap food/souveniers and spending a night at the boardwalk (Flying Fish - Yummy). Even with a car, I take a bus to MK because the bus goes to the park and with a car you still need to do the tram/monorail/ferry thing.

I say split because what seems to work is to take the ME to Disney. Then get the car from Enterprise. They pick you up at the hotel and you pay much less in cost, taxes and fees. You also can only rent it for a few days of the trip and cut costs that way.

They dont always do this but last time, I sent the fam to EPCOT and returned the car myself. They dropped me at EPCOT so I did not have to take the bus at all.

 

[JennSaint]

We have stayed at AKL 3 times and always used Disney's transportation. Unless you want to eat/shop offsite there really is no need for one. When we don't feel like waiting for bus after dinner at a resort etc or visiting the Boardwalk we just get a cab.

 

[Dacky619]

We have stayed at AKL 3 times and always used Disney's transportation. Unless you want to eat/shop offsite there really is no need for one. When we don't feel like waiting for bus after dinner at a resort etc or visiting the Boardwalk we just get a cab.

Agreed, we are going back to AKL for our 2nd time this summer, and even having a car with us, we don't plan to use it except for a couple of ADRs at resorts and maybe a trip to DTD. We thought the bus service to the parks was good at AKL.

 

[bellebookworm9]

We stayed at AKV-Kidani last May for 12 days and did not have a car. We had excellent luck with all forms of transportation. The buses did seem to run every 20 minutes or so, and we had particularly good luck with DHS buses. We did wait a bit coming back from DTD, but we were in no hurry. Just allow plenty of time to get places and you'll be fine.

 

[tlenzendorf]

I was also wondering this same thing. My concern is for the "rush hour" in the morning. We are staying at a Jambo Villa, so I know that the busses all stop at Kidani first.

Would that maybe change anyone's answer about having a car?

 

[bellebookworm9]

I was also wondering this same thing. My concern is for the "rush hour" in the morning. We are staying at a Jambo Villa, so I know that the busses all stop at Kidani first.

Would that maybe change anyone's answer about having a car?

It seemed to me that the buses ran frequently enough that if, by some chance, everybody at Jambo didn't make it on, they didn't have to wait too long for the next one.

 

[puffkin]

I would definitely rent. We used to be hard core Disney Transportation, but we will now NEVER do Disney without a car.

With the two stops now, the busses definitely fill up faster with Kidani filling first. Many times the busses will not even stop at Jambo House. The busses do come frequently, but add in the time of the two stops and the distance to get to the parks and it really adds up. Then factor in additional time to load and unload scooters (there are always some at AKL) and it takes a long time.

If you are staying at Kidani, the parking is very close. We also don't care very much for the food offerings at AKL (Mara is ok, but we get tired of it after a few days) so we like having to car to get to other food options. And, if you are going to DTD, it is FAR FAR FAR from AKV, especially if you have to stand.

 

[michaela mouse]

Hi Puffkin- I think we will rent one. With DD8 and DS5, I'm thinking it might be easier and we'll be in less of a rush to catch the next bus. We've rented the past 3 trips but for some reason questioning it for our upcoming trip. The extra $300 would come in handy.
I feel there's so much wasted time waiting in lines. Sure parking in a lot and waiting for a tram can take time but waiting for 20 minutes for a bus, then 20 ride....then the choas at the end of the night at the theme parks is drama I can do without.
A car is great for the water park days. Many times you have to get there 30 minutes before opening and wait in line for the mad dash for a seat. The bus pulls up and there's already 300 people in line.

 

[puffkin]

I think you will be happy with your decision. We had rented for 3 or 4 trips and then December 2009 we wanted to save a little money so we decided to just use Disney transportation. It was awful and I was literally on the computer by Tuesday of our trip trying to find a rental. During a supposed slower time (which I definitely don't consider early December anymore after our last few trips) we had at least one if not two scooters on every bus. We always had to stand and several times we couldn't get on the first bus (we were at Kidani). Many times my 3.5 year old had to stand. I don't mind standing as an adult but it was really hard for him, because there is nothing for him to hold onto at his height but he is too big to hold. The busses did come frequently but it was just horrible.

I think I just don't have the tolerance for it anymore after being spoiled with our own car for so many trips. We will now never stay without our own transportation. 90% of the time it is much faster to drive rather than take the busses. Have you ever walked into Epcot from the far bank of bus stops? That is far! The parking lot is much closer. Plus my son still LOVES the tram rides. It is an extra ride for him, lol. I don't think Disney transportation is inherently bad, in fact I think it is extremely efficient. I just think that my precious vacation time is much better spent not waiting for busses.

 

[keishashadow]

we tend to almost always rent a car but skipped it our trip last summer as it was a short, last minute one & I couldn't find a good rental rate.

ME was far better that previous trips. Only once did I decide to splurge & grab a cab when running late to epcot, it's certainly a viable option along with just renting a car for a day or 2 offsite excursions.

 

[taymorel]

Last year we stayed at the Contemporary and I wish we had rented a car--I just personally like the convenience of having access to a car with my son. This year we are staying at AKL and are definitely renting a car.



caroline

 

[sharona]

We debated this for quite a bit before deciding to rent. The rates are a bit outrageous right now but eventually I found a deal via hotwire. $300 seems a lot for a rental if you only need room for 4 people but of course I don't know your dates/# of days.

Our rental is mid May 9 days and was $202 including all taxes and fees for a standard size.

 

[shoes99]

We take DME to the resort, then rent a car from the Disney Car Care Center.
Our next trip is April 6th, 2011 pre-cruise at AKLV. We arrive on property after 3PM, so we scheduled a car rental for the next AM and will keep the car for 3 days, returning to CCC, then on April 10th take the DCL bus to the DREAM. DH likes the car to go to DHS, AKL and Epcot. We don't mind paying the extra $$ for the car, we like the convenience. DH has a bad back, so sometimes its difficult for him to climb on and off the bus so a car works for us.

 

[taaren]

We have stayed at AKL 3 times and always used Disney's transportation. Unless you want to eat/shop offsite there really is no need for one. When we don't feel like waiting for bus after dinner at a resort etc or visiting the Boardwalk we just get a cab.

How much is a cab fare from Boardwalk or DTD to AKV? Trying to think in advance for Orlando next year, since VGC is walk-into-the-parks convenient but we like to eat at restaurants on Harbor and bring our own cars for that. Kind of don't want to drive as its unfamiliar territory and we'll have a party of 8, but if the cab to DTD is cheap enough we might do just busses to resorts and cab from DTD - even 3-4 trips might be cheaper than a car rental (with DS4 T-Rex Cafe is going to be a must).