A Blanket Apology To All the Car Renters

[Turn the Page]

I have often seen people comment about how they will always rent a car and drive to the parks as they do not like Disney transportation or whatever their reason may be. I always thought that seemed odd. Sure, you sometimes have to wait for buses but all in all, Disney does a pretty good job of moving large amounts of people around reall very efficiently.

We also took Magical Express, got a grocery delivery from instacart or wherever, and went about our trip not having to navigate unfamiliar roads at all.

Since Magical Express is no longer free, it would have cost us approximately $150 to get our family to and from MCO. Still, not bad considering. But I told DH, in that tone that most people in relationships are familiar with, if we're going to spend $150 anyway, why don't we just throw a bit more money at it (ok 4 times but who's counting), and then we can just go to the grocery store ourselves and save lord knows how much over instacart and about the only time we have ever really resented the bus situation is at Disney Springs when we are headed back from the water park. We always seem to have a long wait there.

Now, we also own at Riviera and have been spoiled by the Skyliner. We are at AKV this time and are very much enjoying our stay buuuuttttt........buses are the only option and we have actually chosen to drive a few times. We were in Epcot yesterday and took the bus in the morning but when we went back in in the evening we drove since park close at Epcot is always the absolute worst for buses. It took exactly 15 minutes from walking out of the park to driving into the parking garage at AKV.

We are now officially car renters....at least for stays with the kids at resorts that are not on the Skyliner.

I see you car renters and I salute you as I am one of you.

Man, these DVC stays are really spoiling me.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I have often seen people comment about how they will always rent a car and drive to the parks as they do not like Disney transportation or whatever their reason may be. I always thought that seemed odd. Sure, you sometimes have to wait for buses but all in all, Disney does a pretty good job of moving large amounts of people around reall very efficiently.

We also took Magical Express, got a grocery delivery from instacart or wherever, and went about our trip not having to navigate unfamiliar roads at all.

Since Magical Express is no longer free, it would have cost us approximately $150 to get our family to and from MCO. Still, not bad considering. But I told DH, in that tone that most people in relationships are familiar with, if we're going to spend $150 anyway, why don't we just throw a bit more money at it (ok 4 times but who's counting), and then we can just go to the grocery store ourselves and save lord knows how much over instacart and about the only time we have ever really resented the bus situation is at Disney Springs when we are headed back from the water park. We always seem to have a long wait there.

Now, we also own at Riviera and have been spoiled by the Skyliner. We are at AKV this time and are very much enjoying our stay buuuuttttt........buses are the only option and we have actually chosen to drive a few times. We were in Epcot yesterday and took the bus in the morning but when we went back in in the evening we drove since park close at Epcot is always the absolute worst for buses. It took exactly 15 minutes from walking out of the park to driving into the parking garage at AKV.

We are now officially car renters....at least for stays with the kids at resorts that are not on the Skyliner.

I see you car renters and I salute you as I am one of you.

Man, these DVC stays are really spoiling me.

Protip: Drive everywhere except for Magic Kingdom.

 

[Turn the Page]

Protip: Drive everywhere except for Magic Kingdom.

We are headed to MNSSHP tonight. I was considering driving but then thankfully DH remembered the TTC. Bus it is.

 

[DVCjj]

I laughed because I totally agree with your post. DH and I have made fun of our DD/DSIL who have always rented a car. Always. We told them it was foolish and a waste of money with Disney transportation. All the more so when we stay at BCV & Poly (owners) and BLT when we stay there. They despise the busses and totally disagreed. Plus they are big Disney Springs people and loved driving back and forth at will.

Fast forward to 2 years ago when we snowbirded on the Atlantic Coast and rented a car to be able to go back and forth to Disney (55 min) when the mood struck, even though stayed on property 2 weeks each time.. Holy cow was it nice to have a car at Disney!!. We split stay a lot and to toss luggage in the trunk and move ourselves was a joy. Plus going offsite to any store (even my fave haunt....Dollar Tree) was great. DH still does not mind the busses I do more so as I'm not as patient as he is.

I also apologize to all the car renters.

PS: Though I must admit, our home airport (O'Hare) is crazy nutsy busy and we keep noticing that MCO is trying to do the same, We go a lot to MCO and notice it more and more each trip.

 

[tjkraz]

Our last 2 Magical Express arrivals were very bad. If nothing else, seeing the service discontinued removed the temptation to use it.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Yeah, we are car people, as well. We do still use some Disney transportation but if ain't walking from point A to B, then driving yourself is the only way to go.

Only exception to that rule is Magic Kingdom....maybe.

 

[Jangles]

But you can’t have a tipple.

 

[BeachClub2014]

But you can’t have a tipple.

We use a DD rotation

 

[zumfelde]

We usually do split stays so having a car is essential. We also make a trip to grocery store. It is just so much better to have the choice of using the bus or driving.

 

[Turn the Page]

But you can’t have a tipple.

Well.....I can. DH can't. Which sounds like a whole lotta HIS problem.

 

[limespy]

Curious about the "do not drive to MK" talk on this thread. Tell me more?

 

[CarolynFH]

Curious about the "do not drive to MK" talk on this thread. Tell me more?

If you drive to MK, you park in the MK parking lot, then walk or tram to the TTC, then have to take the ferry or monorail across/around the lagoon before you get to the MK entrance plaza. The bus drops you off right outside the MK entrance plaza, meaning you enter the park much quicker.

 

[Nursemanit]

I can get rental cars for under 250/week due to a work discount but I still don't think it is worth it. I was expecting the bus to be horrible this week. I was surprised to see they were back to the efficient days like in the 90s

One driver mentioned they Onboarded a ton of new drivers and we saw drivers on training runs all week. My longest wait was 10 min and that was VGF - SSR was less than 8 min.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I have often seen people comment about how they will always rent a car and drive to the parks as they do not like Disney transportation or whatever their reason may be. I always thought that seemed odd. Sure, you sometimes have to wait for buses but all in all, Disney does a pretty good job of moving large amounts of people around reall very efficiently.

We also took Magical Express, got a grocery delivery from instacart or wherever, and went about our trip not having to navigate unfamiliar roads at all.

Since Magical Express is no longer free, it would have cost us approximately $150 to get our family to and from MCO. Still, not bad considering. But I told DH, in that tone that most people in relationships are familiar with, if we're going to spend $150 anyway, why don't we just throw a bit more money at it (ok 4 times but who's counting), and then we can just go to the grocery store ourselves and save lord knows how much over instacart and about the only time we have ever really resented the bus situation is at Disney Springs when we are headed back from the water park. We always seem to have a long wait there.

Now, we also own at Riviera and have been spoiled by the Skyliner. We are at AKV this time and are very much enjoying our stay buuuuttttt........buses are the only option and we have actually chosen to drive a few times. We were in Epcot yesterday and took the bus in the morning but when we went back in in the evening we drove since park close at Epcot is always the absolute worst for buses. It took exactly 15 minutes from walking out of the park to driving into the parking garage at AKV.

We are now officially car renters....at least for stays with the kids at resorts that are not on the Skyliner.

I see you car renters and I salute you as I am one of you.

Man, these DVC stays are really spoiling me.

100% car renters. Granted I usually have a few free days earned through business rentals, but the time saved in the morning and evening is worth it to us. Even saving 30 minutes each way during busy times is an extra hour every day and that's significant.

What did it for me was getting out after a long day at a theme park and having to slog it back to the resort. We ended up taking an Uber or Lyft more often than not, and the rideshare costs started to add up and make the rental car even more appealing. Then, of course, we started to rideshare when we park hopped, to avoid the middle of the day bus crowds.

Transpo to and from MCO, then the rideshares during the stay and we could easily hit $300.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I can get rental cars for under 250/week due to a work discount but I still don't think it is worth it. I was expecting the bus to be horrible this week. I was surprised to see they were back to the efficient days like in the 90s

One driver mentioned they Onboarded a ton of new drivers and we saw drivers on training runs all week. My longest wait was 10 min and that was VGF - SSR was less than 8 min.

That's awesome and I am glad to hear it. Having the rental car at our disposal is definitely worth it, to us.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Protip: Drive everywhere except for Magic Kingdom.

Double Protip: If you DO drive to MK (which I wouldn't do because the ferry and Monorail back to TTC are the worst part of the journey) pay to park in preferred parking. They only charge you the difference, and you can walk to the TTC and avoid trams.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I've been trying to explain this to anybody that would listen for 25 years.

 

[drusba]

The modern problem with taking a car to the parks is that for a long time after the parks reopened from the Pandemic, there was no tram service from the parking lot to the front gate area (or TTC at MK). The walk from car to gate or TTC could be very long. There is now tram service at MK and it was recently added at AK, but I have not seen anything to show it has been reintroduced yet at Epcot or Studios. The lack of parking lot tram service is a reason to use the bus, even if you have a car and even if staying at SSR.

Using a car to go to MK has a dual problem. Once you park and take a tram to the TTC, you still have to take a boat or monorail from TTC to the MK front gate area.. The second problem that has mainly developed in the last several years is that you can get bumper to bumper traffic for a long time, particularly in the morning, just to get to and through the car entry booths before going into the parking lot. In essence, it can take 30 to 40 minutes from your resort to just get into the parking lot and another 30 minutes or more to get from where you park to the MK front gate. When not staying at a near MK resort, buses from your DVC resort are the better option than driving.

We have traditionally rented a car and pre-pandemic did not usually use it to go to MK. Whether we used it for other parks just depended on circumstances. Obviously, from BWV or BCV you can just walk or take a boat to Epcot and Studios but a car can often be a good choice for going to AK (although we sometimes still take the bus). When we stay at AKV (and trams are running at the parking lots) we often drive to Epcot or Studios but very often take the bus to AK, which is a very short trip once you are on the bus.

For us the car has been more important for going other places, such as to the golf courses, to Disney Springs, to stores like Publix or Target, to a dinner reservation at a Disney resort other than the one in which we are staying, and doing off-site excursions such as to Universal and SeaWorld

 

[DonMacGregor]

The modern problem with taking a car to the parks is that for a long time after the parks reopened from the Pandemic, there was no tram service from the parking lot to the front gate area (or TTC at MK). The walk from car to gate or TTC could be very long. There is now tram service at MK and it was recently added at AK, but I have not seen anything to show it has been reintroduced yet at Epcot or Studios. The lack of parking lot tram service is a reason to use the bus, even if you have a car and even if staying at SSR.

Using a car to go to MK has a dual problem. Once you park and take a tram to the TTC, you still have to take a boat or monorail from TTC to the MK front gate area.. The second problem that has mainly developed in the last several years is that you can get bumper to bumper traffic for a long time, particularly in the morning, just to get to and through the car entry booths before going into the parking lot.

We haven't had to park far enough out at HS or Epcot to need to take a tram since reopening. Granted, we're extremely active and an extra five minute walk added to the hours we'll be walking anyway doesn't really move the needle that much, but even if it WAS an additional 5 minutes (or a little longer), I still like the expedience and freedom having a car gives us.

100% totally agree on MK though. NEVER park there as we only want to see the TTC as we pass through it on the loop or when we transfer to the Epcot line.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We'll just agree to disagree on MK/TTC. Maybe it's the time of day I go, but I have never been behind more than 2 or 3 cars. We're not rope drop people. I'm sure that factors in. I can walk to TTC from any parking space in that lot in < 5 minutes and the most I've ever waited for a monorail was basically the next one. Even late night, I've never gotten jammed up getting out either. The exit strategies out of all the parks move traffic, as they should. I could basically modify this paragraph for any of the 3 other major gates, in our experience.

We drive everywhere and I can be thru any turnstile on property in < 30 minutes. Usually < 20. Maybe it's just the times we go, but it beats the heck out of the buses which I haven't been on in over 25 years.