WDW without a car (am I mad?)

[coppernob1971]

Heading to WDW in April 2025 (very excited!) from the U.K. for 11 nights at CBR. We last did a trip to WDW in April 2023, also staying at CBR. It’s a family trip with one child age 8.

Last time we hired a car but I query if it was worth it. Picking up at MCO was long and drawn out and wasn’t great after a long flight from the U.K. (we’d had a very long day travelling to Gatwick also!). We then didn’t really use the car as much as I thought we would. Getting to and from the airport was useful plus a trip to Walmart and Target of course!

My thoughts for 2025 is that we don’t hire a car. Instead we use Uber/Lyft for trips outside WDW and then rely on transportation for trips inside WDW. Has anyone done this? Any tips and guidance for me?

 

[Miffy]

You are not mad. This sounds like a great plan to me. We never have a car at WDW and when we want to go off-site, we use rideshares. This may turn out to cost as much as renting a car, but it is so so so much easier.

OP, just wait a few moments and you'll get completely opposite opinions!

 

[EACarlson]

If you're planning to stay mostly in the bubble it makes sense. I did the same for my 2019 trip, we did go over to Kennedy Space Center for one day and rented from the Disney Car Care Center for that day. I would figure on $50 each way to and from the airport and another $50 round trip for any other excursions. Think about how much you plan on doing off property and make the best decision for you. Good luck.

 

[OKW Lover]

You'll have plenty of company - lots of people do WDW without renting a car. Some good info above about getting to other attractions, particularly about perhaps renting a car to go the Kennedy Space Center for the day.

 

[jo-jo]

We never rent a car. Mostly because we if figure if we don't know where we are going, neither does a third of the other drivers and nothing like an accident to put a dent (no pun intended) into a vacation.

As far as groceries. Walmart etc deliver to resorts. Bell services will hold them. Will cost a few dollars more for a tip, but saves time on your part.

 

[gottalovepluto]

That’s how tons of people do WDW, my fam included. Second delivery services for your grocery needs, so convenient.

 

[reddog21]

I'm on the other side of the fence, we never do Disney without a car. The last place I want to be is on a crowed bus on the way to the park in the morning or a crowded bus going back to the resort at night. I like just walking right to my car and going straight to the park. The bus is ok in the afternoon, the skyliner is a homerun but it can be a bit of a hike to get to the station depening on which building you end up in(sometimes it's quicker to walk to The Riviera).

 

[jo-jo]

I'm on the other side of the fence, we never do Disney without a car. The last place I want to be is on a crowed bus on the way to the park in the morning or a crowded bus going back to the resort at night. I like just walking right to my car and going straight to the park. The bus is ok in the afternoon, the skyliner is a homerun but it can be a bit of a hike to get to the station depening on which building you end up in(sometimes it's quicker to walk to The Riviera).

My kids have driven to disney and then use the car getting to parks but that was a few years ago.
Does disney have the trams back yet? I thought they were back some but not fully.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Rarely travel by car in WDW. Used Uber maybe twice, once after a NYE dinner @ Disney Springs and once for another restaurant reservation. Love using Disney transport and finally something free, LOL.

Now that being said, we’ve only stayed at the monorail hotels and ones lining Crescent Lake. Not sure of the transportation available to CBR; sure the buses are available but does it have a Skyliner stop now too? If it’s only buses available does it make a difference what part of the resort you stay at as to accessibility and want of a car?
Questions to ask yourself when choosing a hotel and its costs not forgetting the daily resort parking cost now.
For us, having a multitude of transport options available made the difference and helped us edit out choices like other deluxe, most moderates and all standard resorts with lesser traveling choices.

Having said that I should point out that we live in a part of the US where it’s not necessary to own a car and are used to mass transit; most Americans live car-centric lives.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Not mad at all.
I never rent a car when flying.
I only have a car when I choose to drive my own car from home.
Uber/Lyft is cheap enough and without a hassle.

 

[coppernob1971]

Rarely travel by car in WDW. Used Uber maybe twice, once after a NYE dinner @ Disney Springs and once for another restaurant reservation. Love using Disney transport and finally something free, LOL.

Now that being said, we’ve only stayed at the monorail hotels and ones lining Crescent Lake. Not sure of the transportation available to CBR; sure the buses are available but does it have a Skyliner stop now too? If it’s only buses available does it make a difference what part of the resort you stay at as to accessibility and want of a car?
Questions to ask yourself when choosing a hotel and its costs not forgetting the daily resort parking cost now.
For us, having a multitude of transport options available made the difference and helped us edit out choices like other deluxe, most moderates and all standard resorts with lesser traveling choices.

Having said that I should point out that we live in a part of the US where it’s not necessary to own a car and are used to mass transit; most Americans live car-centric lives.

Thank you - I appreciate your views. CBR is a great resort for transportation, it has access to the Skyliner and also buses (and of course you can book taxis and Uber etc).

Car hire is looking really expensive at the moment as well!

I’m thinking we’ll do without a car for this trip but will check back closer to the time to see if there are any car hire deals!

 

[_19disnA]

We fly to Disney and have always rented a car. Gives us more flexibility if we decide to go shopping or off-site to a non-Disney restaurant. Using those on-line taxis gets expensive and if you do several trips, the cost will probably be more than having your own car. Disney is HUGE and with all of the vehicle traffic they really haven't designed it to facilitate walking. Even if you want to go to someplace like Disney Springs, having your own car makes things far more convenient.

The free DME has been eliminated by Disney and replaced with a pay service. In the past if you were staying on the property and not planning for any side trips, then perhaps using DME without a rental car might make sense. That option is only available for a fee now.

 

[jeepwreck]

We have never used a car, we use the bus to and from the airport and after that we stay in the bubble, one trip we did go out to the outlets but we used uber and it was very easy.

 

[kylenne]

Rarely travel by car in WDW. Used Uber maybe twice, once after a NYE dinner @ Disney Springs and once for another restaurant reservation. Love using Disney transport and finally something free, LOL.

Now that being said, we’ve only stayed at the monorail hotels and ones lining Crescent Lake. Not sure of the transportation available to CBR; sure the buses are available but does it have a Skyliner stop now too? If it’s only buses available does it make a difference what part of the resort you stay at as to accessibility and want of a car?
Questions to ask yourself when choosing a hotel and its costs not forgetting the daily resort parking cost now.
For us, having a multitude of transport options available made the difference and helped us edit out choices like other deluxe, most moderates and all standard resorts with lesser traveling choices.

Having said that I should point out that we live in a part of the US where it’s not necessary to own a car and are used to mass transit; most Americans live car-centric lives.

Amen. The last time I rented a car was in 2016, we were staying offsite at the Sheraton Vistana and absolutely nothing is less magical to me than fighting crowds to the TTC and traffic out to and on I-4. It quite literally ruined my entire night I was so stressed out. Granted I am not fond of the end of night bus situation at MK either, which is why I stay at monorail resorts when I can (if I can't I always walk to CR and get a rideshare back). But the buses are still infinitely preferable to me than driving to or from that park. (Not so coincidentally that also my last trip offsite, despite it being so close to property; I said never again after that trip, and will only do Swolphin if not a Disney resort.)

Being a New Yorker as well, I am used to taking public transit my whole life and for all people complain about Disney buses I wish the MTA ran as well as Disney's system! If I'm honest, most of the complaints I see about it boil down to people unused to the quirks of public transit.

We see no need for a car when we stay on site and have access to Disney transportation that we enjoy. But, we are also just staying in the bubble, and have no interest in other attractions. Personally I would price out the cost of rideshare from your resort to the places you plan on visiting with a online calculator as a guesstimate for how much to budget and compare that to the cost of a rental car.

 

[NYCgrrl]

If I'm honest, most of the complaints I see about it boil down to people unused to the quirks of public transit

It’s so nice to have someone sit in the same corner with me.

 

[MICKIMINI]

If you're planning to stay mostly in the bubble it makes sense. I did the same for my 2019 trip, we did go over to Kennedy Space Center for one day and rented from the Disney Car Care Center for that day. I would figure on $50 each way to and from the airport and another $50 round trip for any other excursions. Think about how much you plan on doing off property and make the best decision for you. Good luck.

Renting a car does has it benefits but if you can get around on WDW transportation, it is less responsibility but will take a bit more planning.

I like the idea of getting a 24 hour rental early in your trip. Disney Car Care Center folks will pick you up and drop you off at your resort. Plan to do your groceries and perhaps a dinner that is difficult to get to like Boma or take a drive to the beach.

Enjoy!

 

[tguz]

I wouldn't rent a car. We go for a week generally and we drive. We park the car when we get there and don't get in it again until we leave. We let Disney do the driving or use the Skyliner. We do some things off property on our arrival day before we check in to our resort and then start our park days the following day.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I just drove down to Disney for the first time after finally moving close enough for that to work. I thought having my car would make me drive more. Nope, I used my car exactly once in the week I was there and that was only to get to the wedding rehearsal and the after rehearsal hang out because I didn't want to have to go to a park to get a bus to a different resort for the rehearsal and then go to a park to get a bus to the place we were hanging out and then go to a park to get a bus back to my resort. Otherwise, my car stayed parked and I used the Disney transportation system for the entire week. Of course, I didn't need to go offsite for anything because I simply brought my groceries/water/etc with me on the drive down. But, even when I used to fly in, I never did a rental car and relied on Mears/Uber/Lyft to and from the airport and a grocery delivery service.

 

[jimmymc]

This is normally what I do. I find it's usually cheaper and more convenient to use Uber/Lyft around property and when going to nearby locations. The only place I might recommend a car is if you're doing multiple days at Universal, since getting a rideshare around closing time can be tough.

 

[serenitynow]

To us, driving in and around Disney drains the magic out of a Disney Vacation. So much traffic ans stress.