Staying onsite..do you really need a car?

[Minnesota!]

2 hours sitting on a bench waiting for a bus is no big deal? Half hour into it I would be going to the cab stand. And, in fact, we did just that (only...before waiting any amount of time) two separate times on our last trip. I'd rather be at my next destination for an hour and 15 minutes rather than watching humanity while waiting on a bench for a bus.

I think that most people want to chill and relax on vacation. But I think that many of those people want to be relaxing in the place where they want to be (next park, DTD, pool, room, restaurant, pretty lobby of hotel, etc); not while sitting at a bus stop.

Not a big deal for us. We are content to sit and people watch - ANYWHERE. Bus stop, in a park, at our hotel, at the mall, at a rest stop, etc.

We were at MK that night and Wishes had just finished. We fought the crowd and sat on a bench in Adventureland for a while, waiting for things to calm down. Then headed to Main Street where it was still crazy. So we sat against one of the shops and did more people watching. About 30 minutes later, went to the bus stop. It was the CSR stop, first one before you make the big loop towards where the Pop/CBR stops are. It was full, and backed up to past the vending machines. So we plopped on the bench by the vending machines to wait till it got shorter. Ended up sitting there well over an hour. Line barely went down. Got in line when the line "only" filled the queue area. Took another 30 - 45 minutes. It wasn't a big deal. We are not in any hurry to get anywhere. Our kids were sleeping soundly on us on the bench, we were enjoying the music, the weather, the vibe.

At WDW "NOTHING" matters to us. We are there to just roll with whatever comes. I have never, once, gotten frustrated with waiting for a bus. To me (us) the bus is part of the experience...no "time wasted" because it's part of the vacation. WE don't see the value in paying $$$ for a car. We truly enjoy the bus and consider it a part of our total experience. Others differ - they feel that the bus time is taking away from their vacation, where we feel the bus IS vacation.

 

[Sparkly]

I noticed you are from England, how comfortable are you (or your group) with driving in the US? If it would be stressful, then don't bother with the car. Lots of people visit disney world and rely exclusively on Disney transportation. If there are things you need offsite, I would try to only do one or two trips to get everything you need.

We usually stay offsite so we are comfortable with driving in the US. It frightens me though!

We're thinking of renting a car for part of our stay so we can get the Magical Express to and from the airport, but have a car to go offsite and if we want to go to DTD, to which I hear the bus service is bad.

 

[Q-man]

Done it both ways and prefer having a car. When we don't have a car we use a cab 2-3 times during the trip for those destinations we know Disney options are terrible for.

 

[aubriee]

Not a big deal for us. We are content to sit and people watch - ANYWHERE. Bus stop, in a park, at our hotel, at the mall, at a rest stop, etc.

We were at MK that night and Wishes had just finished. We fought the crowd and sat on a bench in Adventureland for a while, waiting for things to calm down. Then headed to Main Street where it was still crazy. So we sat against one of the shops and did more people watching. About 30 minutes later, went to the bus stop. It was the CSR stop, first one before you make the big loop towards where the Pop/CBR stops are. It was full, and backed up to past the vending machines. So we plopped on the bench by the vending machines to wait till it got shorter. Ended up sitting there well over an hour. Line barely went down. Got in line when the line "only" filled the queue area. Took another 30 - 45 minutes. It wasn't a big deal. We are not in any hurry to get anywhere. Our kids were sleeping soundly on us on the bench, we were enjoying the music, the weather, the vibe.

At WDW "NOTHING" matters to us. We are there to just roll with whatever comes. I have never, once, gotten frustrated with waiting for a bus. To me (us) the bus is part of the experience...no "time wasted" because it's part of the vacation. WE don't see the value in paying $$$ for a car. We truly enjoy the bus and consider it a part of our total experience. Others differ - they feel that the bus time is taking away from their vacation, where we feel the bus IS vacation.

Sorry, but I'm with Bumbershoot on this one. No way would I have happily waited two hours to get on a crowded bus. Rental cars are not that expensive and make getting around so much faster and easier. We were just down there May 10th-20th and spent ten nights at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a one bedroom condo. I spent $141.00 for a midsize car for the eleven days we were down there. BC is right next door to CBR, so within the Disney gates, just not Disney owned. In the two hours that you sat in the heat and crowds waiting to get on an overcrowded bus, I would have already taken a nice boat ride across the lagoon to the TTC, gotten into a nice, quiet, air conditioned car, driven directly to my resort in about ten minutes, gotten into my jacuzzi tub, sipping on a wine cooler, dried off, and been asleep all before you even left MK.

We were also able to use that car to make a grocery run, to go shopping out at the outlet mall on Vineland, to go over to Universal for a couple of days, to eat several very good meals offsite for much cheaper than we could have eaten at WDW, and was able to hop resort to resort or over to different parks much faster than if we had used WDW transportation. I love being able to just hop into a nice quiet, cool car, knowing I'll always have a nice comfortable seat at the end of the day and will be at my resort in just a few minutes, without having to wait for a bus to make multiple stops and not have to fight the masses of sweating, stinky people on a bus with their crying kids. Disney has excellent signs and even with out a GPS makes getting around down there so easy, even for people like me that have no sense of direction. Sorry, but to me renting a car is a no brainer. Last Sept I got a midsize for $123.00, then in Oct/Nov I got a premium car for $210.00, then earlier this month I got a midsize for eleven days for $141.00. That's money well spent!

 

[Suzanne74]

We are staying 10 days and that costs about $350-400 in rental car fees. That is a lot of money that can spent elsewhere. When I had a super young one and stroller, the car to OKW's room door was great. Now, we are totally fine with Disney transportation. After waiting 45min to get a rental car at the airport and having to gas it up and drop off, I much rather not deal with it.

I do see how it can work for many people. I think couples who dine a lot, families with young ones/strollers, and maybe elderly would benefit from a car. If you rather save money with a value but use the extra for a car. Another good idea.

Families with 3 or more kids that are older, teens, and large gatherings benefit from transportation. Those on the monorail loop or Boardwalk area, I think it is a waste of money.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've taken 48 trips to WDW over the years, we've flown, taken the train (regular Amtrak) and driven... It all those trips we've never used our car nor rented one to get around... Always relied on Disney transpiration ...

Thus said, we just returned this past week, we drove down and left our car in the lot all week... We were at POFQ, never longer than 20 minutes to anywhere...decent deal for us ..

Other state it's so easy getting around property with a rental... I'll beg to differ, we ventured out on our arrival day to a Publix for groceries and drinks.... Worse bunch of traffic, idiots behind wheels lane changing and people literally not knowing where they were going... To do this at night... No thank you... Board a Disney bus, boat or monorail, after a few drinks, it's AC'ed, close and someone else can worry about directions and traffic... Plus the money savings...

Never had the inkling to use a car in WDW, one of the reasons for many return trips... A car is not needed to get around!

 

[Minnesota!]

Sorry, but I'm with Bumbershoot on this one. No way would I have happily waited two hours to get on a crowded bus. Rental cars are not that expensive and make getting around so much faster and easier. We were just down there May 10th-20th and spent ten nights at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a one bedroom condo. I spent $141.00 for a midsize car for the eleven days we were down there. BC is right next door to CBR, so within the Disney gates, just not Disney owned. In the two hours that you sat in the heat and crowds waiting to get on an overcrowded bus, I would have already taken a nice boat ride across the lagoon to the TTC, gotten into a nice, quiet, air conditioned car, driven directly to my resort in about ten minutes, gotten into my jacuzzi tub, sipping on a wine cooler, dried off, and been asleep all before you even left MK.

We know that But, for us, the jacuzzi/wine cooler, etc. isn't our version of a vacation. We enjoy just sitting and watching the sights. We don't go from ride to ride in the parks, either. We will ride one, then find a bench and relax for a while. We are never in a hurry. We could have got in line and waited from the get go - but we truly love people watching And, I will add, my kids (9 and 6) are the same way. So it works for us!

And we have ABSOLUTELY no desire to go off property for ANYTHING at WDW. It's part of the all inclusiveness for us. We both ABHOR driving. Being able to avoid getting behind the wheel for 10 days - that is vacation right there. No way, no how. I will take sitting on a bench for hours vs. having to drive anywhere. It's just how we roll!

 

[Minniesgal]

I would hate to stay onsite without a car

 

[pepe of ohio]

We know that But, for us, the jacuzzi/wine cooler, etc. isn't our version of a vacation. We enjoy just sitting and watching the sights. We don't go from ride to ride in the parks, either. We will ride one, then find a bench and relax for a while. We are never in a hurry. We could have got in line and waited from the get go - but we truly love people watching And, I will add, my kids (9 and 6) are the same way. So it works for us!

And we have ABSOLUTELY no desire to go off property for ANYTHING at WDW. It's part of the all inclusiveness for us. We both ABHOR driving. Being able to avoid getting behind the wheel for 10 days - that is vacation right there. No way, no how. I will take sitting on a bench for hours vs. having to drive anywhere. It's just how we roll!

You're my kind of people... What's the rush, it's a vacation and I don't want to drive.... Hampered or delayed without a car.... Never, Disney transportation is top notched !!

 

[bumbershoot]

Sorry, but I'm with Bumbershoot on this one. No way would I have happily waited two hours to get on a crowded bus. Rental cars are not that expensive and make getting around so much faster and easier. We were just down there May 10th-20th and spent ten nights at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a one bedroom condo. I spent $141.00 for a midsize car for the eleven days we were down there. BC is right next door to CBR, so within the Disney gates, just not Disney owned. In the two hours that you sat in the heat and crowds waiting to get on an overcrowded bus, I would have already taken a nice boat ride across the lagoon to the TTC, gotten into a nice, quiet, air conditioned car, driven directly to my resort in about ten minutes, gotten into my jacuzzi tub, sipping on a wine cooler, dried off, and been asleep all before you even left MK.

We were also able to use that car to make a grocery run, to go shopping out at the outlet mall on Vineland, to go over to Universal for a couple of days, to eat several very good meals offsite for much cheaper than we could have eaten at WDW, and was able to hop resort to resort or over to different parks much faster than if we had used WDW transportation. I love being able to just hop into a nice quiet, cool car, knowing I'll always have a nice comfortable seat at the end of the day and will be at my resort in just a few minutes, without having to wait for a bus to make multiple stops and not have to fight the masses of sweating, stinky people on a bus with their crying kids. Disney has excellent signs and even with out a GPS makes getting around down there so easy, even for people like me that have no sense of direction. Sorry, but to me renting a car is a no brainer. Last Sept I got a midsize for $123.00, then in Oct/Nov I got a premium car for $210.00, then earlier this month I got a midsize for eleven days for $141.00. That's money well spent!

Whew, I was starting to think I was alone.

We've still only stayed onsite, but still like going OFFsite, so we love the car. And while we haven't gotten it as cheap recently, the car budget has been basically the same as our total tip budget (TS, bell services, etc), so it's just a bit more into an envelope, basically. Sweet Tomatoes for food...Publix and Costco for waters and beer and groceries...Gift Land for shirts in DH's size (they sell the exact shirts you see at the Disney stores, but in bigger sizes that Disney refuses to stock) and cheaper sleep shirts, etc, for me... Gotta go offsite in my family, even if we're staying onsite.




But it does sound like Minnesota! is completely different from my family. And that's fine, as long as we acknowledge that in our replies. I like people-watching, but if it's longer than the time it takes to drink a latte, I'm over it. And we LOVE driving. I'm still considering a road trip from WA all the way to San Diego and back this summer, to see the sights, see friends, see my brother, and to just take the time to take that drive. I got scared of driving long distances back in '02 (driving in a Beetle in Montana shortly after they'd gotten a speed limit and all the other drivers were ANGRY, yikes!) but it's finally starting to lift, and I'm looking forward to it again.

I also have to assume that there are no disabilities or age-related issues in their family. My aunt had to wait (with DH) for absolute ages once at DHS, and there was NO bench in the line, and she was in absolute agony from the standing. And even if she had sat, sitting for that long would have been hard on her when it was time to get up and get going again.

 

[Minnesota!]

You're my kind of people... What's the rush, it's a vacation and I don't want to drive.... Hampered or delayed without a car.... Never, Disney transportation is top notched !!

I agree We went to a local zoo this weekend and the parking was mad house. We both got frustrated and went and parked a few miles away and took a shuttle in. So so nice to have someone else do the driving, manuvering, etc. We sat back and relaxed. We cannot do that if one of us is at the wheel.

Whew, I was starting to think I was alone.

We've still only stayed onsite, but still like going OFFsite, so we love the car. And while we haven't gotten it as cheap recently, the car budget has been basically the same as our total tip budget (TS, bell services, etc), so it's just a bit more into an envelope, basically. Sweet Tomatoes for food...Publix and Costco for waters and beer and groceries...Gift Land for shirts in DH's size (they sell the exact shirts you see at the Disney stores, but in bigger sizes that Disney refuses to stock) and cheaper sleep shirts, etc, for me... Gotta go offsite in my family, even if we're staying onsite.

But it does sound like Minnesota! is completely different from my family. And that's fine, as long as we acknowledge that in our replies. I like people-watching, but if it's longer than the time it takes to drink a latte, I'm over it. And we LOVE driving. I'm still considering a road trip from WA all the way to San Diego and back this summer, to see the sights, see friends, see my brother, and to just take the time to take that drive. I got scared of driving long distances back in '02 (driving in a Beetle in Montana shortly after they'd gotten a speed limit and all the other drivers were ANGRY, yikes!) but it's finally starting to lift, and I'm looking forward to it again.

I also have to assume that there are no disabilities or age-related issues in their family. My aunt had to wait (with DH) for absolute ages once at DHS, and there was NO bench in the line, and she was in absolute agony from the standing. And even if she had sat, sitting for that long would have been hard on her when it was time to get up and get going again.

If I never had to get behind the wheel of a car, or in the passenger seat of a car again...I would be happy. I hate traffic, hate the claustrophobic feeling of being a little vehicle amongst the busses, semis, etc. I could do a road trip - but it would have to be months long (so we could really really take our time) and in an RV or coach bus. Nothing small. Luckily, I married someone who feels the exact same way