Would you hire a car for Disney?
Discussion
I believe Disney have now started to charge for parking at the hotels, previously you got free parking and didn't have to pay to park at the parks which meant a saving of $20+ per day.
One option is to use the busses / monorail etc for a few days then hire a car. Disney have a hire car pickup centre near Disney World, you can get a free bus from your hotel there and pick the car up. We did that for the second week then dropped the car back at the airport. The busses are pretty convenient and go between all the parks, only pain is coming back after a late night when they can be very busy - they are well organised though.
Coming from the airport is easy on the Disney Magical Express and saves the hassle of picking up a car and driving while knackered after the flight.
We spent our first week doing most of Disney then hired the car and went off to Universal, Seaworld, Busch Gardens etc.
Try to get over to Busch gardens, it has great rolller coasters and animal exhibits. Best park in Florida IMO.
One option is to use the busses / monorail etc for a few days then hire a car. Disney have a hire car pickup centre near Disney World, you can get a free bus from your hotel there and pick the car up. We did that for the second week then dropped the car back at the airport. The busses are pretty convenient and go between all the parks, only pain is coming back after a late night when they can be very busy - they are well organised though.
Coming from the airport is easy on the Disney Magical Express and saves the hassle of picking up a car and driving while knackered after the flight.
We spent our first week doing most of Disney then hired the car and went off to Universal, Seaworld, Busch Gardens etc.
Try to get over to Busch gardens, it has great rolller coasters and animal exhibits. Best park in Florida IMO.
RammyMP said:
Check your parking charges though, I stayed in a Disney hotel over Christmas and was charged $30 a day.
Where you using valet parking?Self parking is still free for UK residents until 2020. For everyone else it's:
Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night
OP's resort is a Moderate.
I've been loads of times and wouldn't dream of not having a car, even though it's sometimes unused for a few days at a time. The ability to 'escape' at will is invaluable. Yes, POFQ has a boat service to Disney Springs but it gets very busy.
The busses are pretty random too - we've had whole trips where the busses have been great with short waits and direct runs from resort to park, and others where they've been a nightmare. From POFQ in a car you can be at any park in about 10mins, which is great if you want to be at the park early for "rope drop" or if you're just popping back for a couple of hours in the evening.
rufmeister said:
RicksAlfas said:
For two weeks? You might think that now, but when you get there...
I second that! If it's the 1st time the OP has been I think there is plenty to keep the family occupied within the Disney Parks. IMHO.
OP - if you're staying onsite and not intending on travelling out and about theen I'd not bother hiring a car.
We usually stay in a Villa as it works out much cheaper (plus we do tend to go into Orlando and to universal) so we normally get a hire car.
Countdown said:
I unsecond that
If it's the 1st time the OP has been I think there is plenty to keep the family occupied within the Disney Parks. IMHO.
Me as well. Stay onsite and do a Disney foucused holiday and you don't need to do much else. Big advantage is you can take it easy and pop in and out of the parks for a few hours at a time - get fast passes for the key rides, do those and wander around for a bit. If you try and pak too much in and do parks in a day you'll spend a lot of times in queues, and get very tired.If it's the 1st time the OP has been I think there is plenty to keep the family occupied within the Disney Parks. IMHO.
I said earlier I disagree about having a car though - it's generally a lot quicker to get around Disney by car, the possible exception being Magic Kingdom as parking is more remote and involves a shuttle and a monorail ride.
Sheepshanks said:
RammyMP said:
Check your parking charges though, I stayed in a Disney hotel over Christmas and was charged $30 a day.
Where you using valet parking?Self parking is still free for UK residents until 2020. For everyone else it's:
Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night
OP's resort is a Moderate.
I've been loads of times and wouldn't dream of not having a car, even though it's sometimes unused for a few days at a time. The ability to 'escape' at will is invaluable. Yes, POFQ has a boat service to Disney Springs but it gets very busy.
The busses are pretty random too - we've had whole trips where the busses have been great with short waits and direct runs from resort to park, and others where they've been a nightmare. From POFQ in a car you can be at any park in about 10mins, which is great if you want to be at the park early for "rope drop" or if you're just popping back for a couple of hours in the evening.
RammyMP said:
Yes, valet at Contemporary. $30 is a drop in the ocean TBH.
It's $33 but it's going to be no-brainer when you've got to pay $24 to self park.Only the deluxe resorts have valet parking - it doesn't make sense in most of the others as the resorts are spread out and you can usually park pretty close to your room.
4Q said:
skilly1 said:
Thanks for the reply. We don’t have to pay for parking due to staying at a Disney hotel.
I'm sure I had to pay for parking at the hotel when I stayed at a Disney Hotel last summer Parking definitely still free for UK residents. We are doing Port Orleans Riverside in July and have booked a car. We are starting and ending in Miami so need one anyway, but we want to do things like KSC so will want a car, plus as others have said everything I have read suggests apart from Magic Kingdom you will be quicker driving to the parks. Disney residents get free parking at the parks as well.
Day trip: Go to Mount Dora which has an old time town centre, no chain stores. It's a lovely place to have a wander round if the kids are old enough to take a lazy day shopping and mooching around.
Food: the best meal I've ever had in Florida was at the Disney French restaurant in Epcot. Food is exceptional and if you book for the evening and get a window table you can watch the evening fireworks, have a brandy, and walk out through a deserted Epcot.
To do: if you can afford/justify it have a hot air balloon flight. We used https://www.thompsonaire.com/
Food: the best meal I've ever had in Florida was at the Disney French restaurant in Epcot. Food is exceptional and if you book for the evening and get a window table you can watch the evening fireworks, have a brandy, and walk out through a deserted Epcot.
To do: if you can afford/justify it have a hot air balloon flight. We used https://www.thompsonaire.com/
skilly1 said:
ideas for restaurants and days visits please......
We had a good meal in Teppan Edo, Epcot.The seats are positioned in a horse shoe arrangement around a large grill area. The chef has a routine he goes through to chop, prepare and cook the food in front of you. I thought it was good entertainment and something which is a little different.
You will need to book well in advance as it is very popular.
Liberty tree tavern is at the other end of the scale in terms of flashy dining, but also worth visiting. Simple, "thanksgiving" type dinner. Get the ooey gooey toffee cake at the end of the meal.
Sci-fi dinner in Hollywood studios is worth a visit, just for the unusual design. It is made to look like a US drive-in theatre. So there is a "cinema" screen showing clips from classic 1950's films, and the tables are mock-ups of 1950's open top cars. The food is burgers/chips/beer type food, so nothing exceptional. but perfectly edible.
In terms of excursions, I would go to Discovery Bay for the dolphins. It is expensive, but creates lifetime memories for the kids.
Not sure if you are going to Universal Studios, but if you like water parks, Volcano Bay is the newest (and in many ways) the best with some super rides.
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