WDW without a vehicle

[bouncingsquares]

My husband and I are planning a trip to WDW in February, and we are considering flying for the first time. It's just far enough away that flying only takes us slightly less time than driving would, and usually, driving is cheaper. This time, I found a really great rate that would make the flights cheaper than driving, and it's difficult to resist. However, we would not be able to afford a rental car. We are staying on-site, so we will have the Magic Express to get us to and from the airport, and of course all the regular Disney transportation. But I'm super nervous about not having a car. We already have dining reservations for two restaurants that are at resorts where we aren't staying, and I'm considering at least one more. (The ones we have are at Chef Mickey's and Ohana, so I assume they'll be relatively painless - take the bus from our resort to Magic Kingdom and then grab a monorail?) I just don't know! We have definitely used our car on our previous trips. We drove to our dining reservations, one time we had to run to the pharmacy, one time we went to Medieval Times. (That's not on the itinerary for this trip so far, but you never know.) I'm just having these visions of us sitting on buses for hours haha.

So. Have you done WDW without a car? Would you do it again?

 

[loves to dive]

I drive down, park my car and never see it again until I leave, so yes have and do do it without a car. If you are nervous about ADRs there are always taxis and Uber, there is a thread on the board with all sorts of info. about them. I think the buses get a bad wrap sometimes just because people have to have something to complain about. I usually stay at an Epcot resort since we spend most of the time at either Epcot or HS, generally the only time we use buses is for AK, we do monorail to MK but I have an AP and my kids get PH so going through Epcot is no big deal for us.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I do it all the time as I often go solo. Plus, I enjoy an "adult beverage" or two during dinner, so I don't like to drive home. Disney buses have work well for me over the years and now you can also use Uber. For the Contemporary ADRs take the bus to MK and then walk 5 minutes to the resort.

 

[siskaren]

I've done 10 trips to WDW, all solo, and never had a car. For your Chef Mickey's reservation, it's actually faster to walk to the Contemporary after getting off the bus.

 

[Alesia]

As far as I'm concerned, the only real reason to stay onsite is that a car is unnecessary.

 

[bouncingsquares]

As far as I'm concerned, the only real reason to stay onsite is that a car is unnecessary.

That's how I feel too. We did not stay onsite the first time we went because it just wasn't in our budget, and my mindset was that it was ridiculous to ever pay that much when you could get a much nicer hotel for much cheaper on various travel websites. Then we went in one of the cheaper seasons and I decided to just go for it, just to see if it was worth it. We both agreed that the difference in price is well worth it to stay onsite, if for no other reason than the transportation. I'm just feeling a little panicky since we've always had the car there if we needed it, but I know there's probably no reason to feel this way.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

I drive - park my car & take WDW buses everywhere. You are paying for that perk. As long as you budget at least 11/2 transportation time like they tell you you will be fine. I've never been late to an ADR or to rope drop yet & we've been going since the 80's & staying only onsite.

 

[alliecat523]

I've stayed at DTD and at the Bonnet Creek so not technically Disney property. I've never had a car and have always gotten around just fine. If you desperately need to go somewhere off property you can get a cab.

 

[goofy4tink]

Not having a car isn't going to be a big deal!!!! I've had a car several times...pretty much left it in the parking lot. Yes, it takes more time to get from resort to resort, but if you plan your days correctly, it isn't going to be a huge deal. Besides, I'm on vacation. I just don't want to stress about being on unfamiliar roads, with people who have no idea where they're going, and make stupid decisions, at high speeds!!!

 

[GreatLakes]

I've stayed onsite without a car many times and don't think I've ever not eaten at a resort I stayed at. Just make sure you add enough time to get to the resort if you are going directly from one resort to another because you'll need to make an intermediate stop in there.

 

[hsmamato2]

I enjoy not having a car...makes 'real life' seem a bit farther away.... for dinner res. we just plan accordingly,and allow enough time for bus switches,etc that are needed. Yes it takes a bit longer than a car, but nothing major,and hey,I'm on vacation! We usually allow an hour plus for travel between resorts,just in case....i.e. we stay at Dolphin,and have res. at Boma for dinner.... we take the bus to AK,then walk over to the AK lodge stop and get on there.... after dinner we take whichever bus gets us closer to our hotel,and switch.... never been a problem.

 

[jimandami]

We have never and would never consider getting a rental car at Disney...that's a huge part of the appeal of staying onsite IMO. Our family has always enjoyed Disney transportation and just look at the buses/boats/monorail as part of the experience. If you go into thinking that waiting on a bus is a hassle, then yes, you might be disappointed. If you go into thinking that isn't it great you don't have to worry about driving and parking, it makes the trip very pleasant. If you find yourself short on time before getting to an ADR or rope drop, use UBER.

 

[bouncingsquares]

We have never and would never consider getting a rental car at Disney...that's a huge part of the appeal of staying onsite IMO. Our family has always enjoyed Disney transportation and just look at the buses/boats/monorail as part of the experience. If you go into thinking that waiting on a bus is a hassle, then yes, you might be disappointed. If you go into thinking that isn't it great you don't have to worry about driving and parking, it makes the trip very pleasant. If you find yourself short on time before getting to an ADR or rope drop, use UBER.

Disney transportation is definitely the main reason that we're staying onsite. I've had no problems using it in the past getting from the resorts to the parks and from park to park. I've just never used it resort to resort. But after reading everyone's replies here, I feel pretty good about it. I'm typically a very on-time kind of person, so I'm sure if we plan accordingly, we will have no problem getting to our ADRs, even if it's a little more trouble than it would be if we could drive straight there.

 

[jimandami]

For CM, you can actually walk from MK...it's usually a quicker than the monorail.

 

[Accident]

i've never had a car at WDW. You'll be fine!