Those Who Drive/Rent a Car

[mello]

Got a couple questions for you. Besides convenience, what are the perks? And can you tell me a bit about the logistics & how the benefits actually work?

We're considering "moving up in the world" for our fourth trip home, lol. We are weighing renting a car vs. budgeting extra for taxi service in December because of recent not-so-good reports about bus service (and a few not-so-good bus experiences we had in May). So, I need to find out about some things we've never really looked into before.

I've read about the free valet parking for DVC members - how exactly does it work? It's at all the deluxe resorts, right? And only for the duration of a meal, correct? (ie; no parking at the GF while you're in MK all day, right?) Do you present your member card on drop-off or pick-up? Or do you get charged and later go to your resort to have the charge removed? (I've read snippets that conflict on this). Do you tip both at drop off and pick up, or just one or the other, and how much is customary?

What about parking at the parks all day? I don't recall any DVC benefit there, but isn't there one for AP? Or maybe just for staying onsite? (I suppose I could go look all this stuff up, but sometimes a conversation is more fun )

Also, when parking at the parks, is traffic a pain in the neck? (DH hates to drive on vacation, so we don't want to stress him out ) Overall, is it easier to just get a cab? Or does the wait on the front end even out with the parking your car hassle?

Basically, I'd just like you all to share any info and experience you have with avoiding Disney buses!
Thanks!

 

[bsusanmb]

I watch the transportation thread here on the Dis board. I find GREAT rates for rental cars. $113 for 7 days, and we got a midsize to full size when you join National's Emerald Club for free...through a link on mousesavers.com

We get our luggage at the airport, walk into the parking garage and just pick our car. No lines, no hassle, then go through the exit with our paperwork. On the way to the hotel we stop at Walmart for anything we need, including soft drinks and bottled water.

I don't use valet parking, but I think it is only free at Boardwalk, BeachClub and WL...exclusive of the tip, but I could be wrong.

Our time is very valuable. There is no way we could get to all of the restaurants taking buses. We love to go to Beaches and Cream at the BC and we just pull in, and park. We can go from any park and any hotel without any wait. We are able to dine at all of the resorts without waiting for a bus or cab. I think the price of cabs used to be reasonable, but not since the price of gas has gone up.

We also will go off property if we can't get a good ADR...like at the Olive Garden which is just out the Main Gate. Also, we have had all kinds of situations that we needed to get to a pharmacy in the middle of the night and we had a car to get to Walgreens which is also just out the main gate.

There is no "benefit" at the parks with a car.

Driving in WDW is a breeze. We have never had problems with traffic. I would think that during major holidays it would be hectic. Parking at DTD can be difficult. But other than that, we enjoy the freedom of having a car.

 

[JaxFLBear]

DVC members get free valet parking at DVC resorts only. You need to show your membership card on arrival. Please tip them.

If you have the Tables in Wonderland card (formerly DDE), you can use the valet free at other resorts if you are dining there. You will need to show your TIW or DDE card with your dinner receipt. Again, please tip.

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you get free parking at the theme parks. The parking pass from your resort gets you in to those parking lots.

If you are staying off property and are an AP holder, you also get free parking at the theme parks.

 

[DebbieB]

I always rent a car and don't find it to be a hassle at all. I love to jump in car rather than standing around waiting for a bus. Plus I always get a seat!

 

[mello]

So far it looks like the general concensus is that parking is not a problem, either at the resorts or the parks. We're staying onsite and have APs so we should be good for park parking. Preliminary research looks like the cost for car rental would be roughly equal to what we'd spend on taxis, except I need to figure out how much cash to bring for valet tips - it goes without saying we would tip, but I'm not sure what's customary these days, and don't want to be a cheapskate or a flashy spender either one! So, basically it comes back around to convenience. More input anyone?

 

[Cruelladeville]

When you tip at valet, it is generally a couple of dollars when you pull up to drop people/luggage off, and again when they deliver the car to you in the loading area. Basically, it's about $4. If it's raining, we add another $1.00. DH says it's worth $1000 during a storm, but we don't have that kind of money.

 

[SalandJeff]

We always rent a car because we like to go to restaurants at all the different resorts. We have found that we end up using it quite often. It is very easy to use the valet parking at the resorts. Just tell the attendant you are DVC members. You may or may not need to show your card. You won't get charged anything.

We also use the car to go to Downtown Disney, the outlet mall (and Disney outlet store ), and Walmart for food and drinks to keep in the room. It is just so convenient. The only park that we usually take the bus to is MK. I hate driving to the TTC and then having to get on something else to get to the park.

 

[photobob]

We always drive but don't use our car while there. We've always found that not driving is a part of our reality escape. I hope that the transportation service doesn't degrade to the point that we must start driving to the parks. We had one bad experience our last trip, an hour and 15 minute wait for a bus.

 

[dis2cruise]

DVC members get free valet parking at DVC resorts only. You need to show your membership card on arrival. Please tip them.

If you have the Tables in Wonderland card (formerly DDE), you can use the valet free at other resorts if you are dining there. You will need to show your TIW or DDE card with your dinner receipt. Again, please tip.

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you get free parking at the theme parks. The parking pass from your resort gets you in to those parking lots.

If you are staying off property and are an AP holder, you also get free parking at the theme parks.

what resorts with the dde(table in wonderland) card??

 

[JaxFLBear]

what resorts with the dde(table in wonderland) card??

Any resort that has valet as long as you are dining there.

 

[jerseygal]

Since we book our vaca 7-8 mos out, I always try to reserve a car then.Then I watch the rates...Literally, I found the rates to be almost double if I tried to rent the same category car within 3-4 weeks before the trip...

I love the convenience of jumping in the car for ADR's on my timetable, not a bus timetable...Alot of folks disagree..they want an escape from the daily driving routines!

I also am very paranoid about lost or misplaced bags at airport...If that happens I want to deal with that immediately at the carousel!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[JimC]

Keep in mind that there are on and off airport property rental cars. Hertz, Thrifty and Enterprise are off the airport and you must take a shuttle bus. Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar and National are on airport property and no shuttle is required.

Also the drive to WDW (either route) involves toll roads so bring ones and quarters. We recommend the south exit from the airport and 417 to WDW. It is usually faster but the tolls will be a bit more.

 

[eporter66]

Got a couple questions for you. Besides convenience, what are the perks? And can you tell me a bit about the logistics & how the benefits actually work?

There are no real benefits or perks to renting a car. We began renting a car when we had our daughter. After seeing people with kids melting down, we thought that having a car might be a huge benefit. Imagine waiting for a bus for 10-15 minutes and then the ride back to the resort with a kid who is screaming and crying. We have been lucky, our daughter has always done well, and we dont go commando through the parks pushing to do everything. Now we are so used to having a car, it would be hard to not have it. We stop and do our shopping on the way to the resort, drive back for fireworks shows etc... we love having it. Plus, we get to the airport, I get the luggage while my wife goes to get the car. The lines are no often long, and we are at our car in no time and on the way to WDW.

We're considering "moving up in the world" for our fourth trip home, lol. We are weighing renting a car vs. budgeting extra for taxi service in December because of recent not-so-good reports about bus service (and a few not-so-good bus experiences we had in May). So, I need to find out about some things we've never really looked into before.

We have never used Taxi service, so I can't help you there.

I've read about the free valet parking for DVC members - how exactly does it work? It's at all the deluxe resorts, right? And only for the duration of a meal, correct? (ie; no parking at the GF while you're in MK all day, right?) Do you present your member card on drop-off or pick-up? Or do you get charged and later go to your resort to have the charge removed? (I've read snippets that conflict on this). Do you tip both at drop off and pick up, or just one or the other, and how much is customary?

I have never used valet parking. We have stayed at SSR & OKW where you can park right outside your building. When we stayed at the Boardwalk, I would drop my wife and daughter off at the front and go park the car. Not a long walk back either.

What about parking at the parks all day? I don't recall any DVC benefit there, but isn't there one for AP? Or maybe just for staying onsite? (I suppose I could go look all this stuff up, but sometimes a conversation is more fun )?

Parking is free at the parks when you are staying as a guest, I guess that is the only benefit. What I do like is being able to drive over to the Boardwalk at night and watch the fireworks from there while enjoying the activities on the Boardwalk.

Also, when parking at the parks, is traffic a pain in the neck? (DH hates to drive on vacation, so we don't want to stress him out ) Overall, is it easier to just get a cab? Or does the wait on the front end even out with the parking your car hassle?

We usually get to the parks when they open, as our daughter is up by 7:00. It is usually not too bad getting in. We also have always gone off-season, so I am sure that makes a difference.

Basically, I'd just like you all to share any info and experience you have with avoiding Disney buses!
Thanks!

Our experiences have been all positive with renting a car. It certainly is not a necessity, but we are used to having it now. We may do SeaWorld or Universal during our trips, so that is another reason.

E

 

[DisneyHog]

I have a slightly different car question. We are staying at SSR for the first time. BWV is our home resort and I booked too late to get in. We love to run on the boardwalk in the morning and I was hoping they would let us go park at the BWV early and run as we are DVC members. Do you think this will be possible? It will be long before park opening. Thanks!

 

[Tink6666]

Does anyone know if there are typically disability parking spaces available at the parks? We were at Sea World in San Diego last summer and they only had a couple partial rows of disability parking spaces and we went around and around until a security person said we could park in the preferred parking area without a pass.

 

[Bribrittmom]

I have a slightly different car question. We are staying at SSR for the first time. BWV is our home resort and I booked too late to get in. We love to run on the boardwalk in the morning and I was hoping they would let us go park at the BWV early and run as we are DVC members. Do you think this will be possible? It will be long before park opening. Thanks!

I believe that as long as you show your DVC card and have a parking pass for SSR you should be able to do this with no problems.

 

[bsusanmb]

Does anyone know if there are typically disability parking spaces available at the parks? We were at Sea World in San Diego last summer and they only had a couple partial rows of disability parking spaces and we went around and around until a security person said we could park in the preferred parking area without a pass.

Yes, they are called medical parking. There are signs and arrows pointing the way to them. I have to park there due to a knee problem. I can't climb on and off the tram.

 

[JimC]

Does anyone know if there are typically disability parking spaces available at the parks? We were at Sea World in San Diego last summer and they only had a couple partial rows of disability parking spaces and we went around and around until a security person said we could park in the preferred parking area without a pass.

All of the parks and resorts have H/C parking. The park spaces are typically quite full by afternoon. You will need to bring your H/C parking placard to use in the rental car.

 

[bsusanmb]

All of the parks and resorts have H/C parking. The park spaces are typically quite full by afternoon. You will need to bring your H/C parking placard to use in the rental car.

My experience is that the handicap signs were taken away. There are none in the parking lots at the parks, just the poles that once held them, like at AK. If you tell the CM directing traffic that you need handicap parking, there are no questions asked. The CM's have asked us, "Do you need medical parking?" Some folks don't have a placard, they have a license plate and you can't take that with you. You don't need a placard, you just have to ask.

 

[JimC]

My experience is that the handicap signs were taken away. There are none in the parking lots at the parks, just the poles that once held them, like at AK. If you tell the CM directing traffic that you need handicap parking, there are no questions asked. The CM's have asked us, "Do you need medical parking?" Some folks don't have a placard, they have a license plate and you can't take that with you. You don't need a placard, you just have to ask.

That is true in the parks, but the placard makes identification easier for the CMs directing traffic. You will need a placard for H/C parking outside of the parks. PA offers placards, and I believe all other states do as well. If you rent cars even once a year, it is worth having the placard issued.