RENTAL CAR vs. DISNEY TRANSPORATION

[tbickford]

My family of four (myself, dh, ds, dd ((twins almost 4 years old)) will be arriving at the Orlando airport on Friday, Nov. 22. We will be p/u a car at the airport and drive to the BWV resort. Our length of stay will be til Dec. 3rd.

I would like to know from the experience ones what should we do about getting to the theme parks, priority seatings, shows, etc. Should we just drive ourselves to each event daily or should be bus it with Disney? How difficult is it to get around if we drive ourselves? We will be lodged at BWV for the first 7 nights and ending with OKW for 4 nights.

Just to give a quick insite of our shows, priority seatings, etc...

Day 1 - arrive in Florida; shop at DD
Day 2 - 7:15 pm Hoop Dee Doo
Day 3 - 8:15 am Cinderella; 8 pm Fantasy in the Sky
Day 4 - 9:00 am Princess Story Book; 9 pm Illuminations
Day 5 - 5:45 pm Chef Mickey - birthday party for twins (4yrs)
Day 6 - 8:30 am Donald's Breakfastosaurus
Day 7 - 5:50 pm Whispering Canyon Cafe; 8 pm Spectromagic
Day 8 - Sea World
Day 9 - 5:30 pm LeCellier Steakhouse
Day 10 - 7pm to midnight MMCP
Day 11 - 8:30 am 1900 Park Fare; Osborne Light Show
Day 12 - check out

What is our best route for transportation around the world?

Thanks.

 

[Rpsemont]

Personally, I would drive everywhere. I have always found it to be quicker unless you happen upon perfiect timing with the busses. (The only exception might be MK) You should definately drive to other resorts. And I would always drive when you're going to park until closing. THEN take you time leaving so the big rush is gone and catch the tram to your car. If the kids are bushed they'll quickly fall asleep in the car. Waiting in the que at the end of a long day with tired kids and climbing onto a crowded bus is not my idea of fun! We have always found that getting around is easy. You can pick up a WDW map and the everything is well marked.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Well...

Anytime you go to the Magic Kingdom, it is always quicker to take Disney Transport... Always. Remember, when you drive... you have to go through the toll plaza... even though you park for free, you still have to wait in line. Once you park, you then wait for the tram, and take that to the TTC. (Although, sometimes they have you walk.) Once at the TTC, you then have to take the Monorail or Ferryboat to the MK.

For the mornings... they will hold you back at the TTC until 8:45... the bus drops you off right at the gate. At night... both the Monorail and the Ferryboat both have HUGE lines. Remember, everyone who drove must take one of them. Then, once you get to the TTC, you still have to go out and take the tram, and then find your car and drive back to the resort.

If you still are skeptical about it because you will have to fold the stroller, and potentially ride on a crowded bus... well... the monorail will be even more crowded, and you must also fold the stroller for the parking tram.

As for bus times... MK to BW -> 17 minutes
MK to OKW -> 12-15 minutes.
Driving would add at least 20-35 minutes, depending on crowds.

As for the other theme parks... Epcot is within walking distance... Studios wouldn't matter either way. Personally, I'd take the boat.

For Resort-to-Resort travel... unfortunetly, a car is the best way to go at this point. However, in the mornings, we do run Character Breakfast busses that will take you directly to your destination.

 

[Pluto4President]

Although Tyler brings up a good point about the MK, I for one always drive the rental. In an extreme rare circumstance I will use Disney transport. I just don't like to be dependent upon others. Sort of a control freak

 

[Kermit]

We drive to WDW so we have our own car, but we never use it after we get there. Driving is just a hassle. On the bus, we can plan our day while looking at a map, and on the way back, we can rest our eyes. The wait for the bus is in the shade, with a fan. I can't even imagine walking through a busy parking lot with 2 little kids. Plus, when you get to your car, it will be hot. The seatbelt will be hot, and it will take a while for the car to cool down. The buses are nice and cool the minute you get on.

There may be times when taking the bus adds a few minutes, but most of the time it won't, and when it does, it's worth it.

 

[Otisp]

We rent, if for no other reason that we don't feel "trapped" not having a way to get around (must be part of the psyche from living all my life in SoCal). The reality is that the car usually stays parked in the resort parking lot. Of course, we always stay in the Epcot area resorts, where Epcot and MGM are just a short boat ride or walk away. If you're staying somewhere else, I'd definately follow the previous posters' advice to ALWAYS take Disney transportation to MK. On the other hand, we alway drive to Downtown Disney, unless we're planning on getting sloshed while we're there......

 

[jxh1]

I'm another one of those people that thinks having a car at WDW is a must. Although the Disney transportation is usually top notch, I like the freedom of being able to come and go on my own schedule and not have to worry about waiting for a bus, monorail, etc. Usually when we go, we use the car a lot (last time I think we put 200+ miles on it and that was just around the Disney area!), but we do make use of Disney transportation some too. I think you'll probably get a pretty good 50/50 split from people here on whether to have a car or rely on Disney transportation - it really just boils down to your preference, your patience and whether or not you want the extra expense. Good luck!

 

[Dad of 5]

I'll chime in.

The only time we wished we had (and are now planning for) a rental instead of WDW transportation is with resort-to-resort trips.

In January, I carted my family of 7 (including kids from 16 to 2) using only WDW transportation - we used a Tiffany van to and from the airport.

It *can* be done, and without too much pain. Just think it through a bit first.

 

[beattyfamily]

We always rent for the freedom and easy of getting around.

We use the car for DD and for resorts and sometimes for parks. We stay at a monorail resort so we don't need it for MK.

We've used it for Epcot, MGM and AK but have also used the bus. It all depends on what we're doing and how long we're going for and just plain how we're feeling.

I love when I need something I can run to the store!

We also use it for a trip over to Universal!

 

[Uncleromulus]

You can add me to the rental car group--we always rent a car and always use it. It is especially useful in getting from resort to resort, miniature golf, DD, etcc.
I do agree about the MK tho--parking and the tram service is fine. But when you add the second trip from the TTC via monorail or boat, it adds up to a bit of a hassle. At the MK, the bus is probably the better way to go.