Originally Posted By I_Heard_A_Tink My upcoming trip in August will be the 1st time I've ever been to WDW without a rental car. I am a little nervous about relying on Disney transportation. We will be using Disney's Magical Express to get to & from the world. What do you think about DME? Also, is using the buses, boats & monorails pretty conveinient? We've used them maybe 5 times in the past 7 trips. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions when it comes to Disney's transportation? We are staying at the Beach Club, WL & then AK (originally were at the Swan but switched due to them not participating in DME). What is the transportation like from these resorts? Also, what if I need to go off property? Do I take a cab? We like to buy water bottles & snacks (I can probably fit some snack in the suitcases).....where should we go to get those? Or should we just purchase everything in the parks? How do you do it? Thanks in advance! Jenna
Originally Posted By disneydad109 if you get a limo service rather than the express {not really that express}yoyu will spend appox $100 round trip and they will stop in route to let you shop at the market. Pease review posts about how slow the express is with you and uour time
Originally Posted By Coachbagfanatic1 We never rent a car when we go to WDW. Sometimes the buses can be slow but you get used to it and we make sure we have enough time to get to where we need to go. The monorails and boats from the MK resorts run fairly smoothly and timely. Never had a problem there. As far as getting out to the real world, never had to do that so I can't comment on that part.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I've done most of my trips relying on Disney's own transportation. While I prefer having my own car, Disney's buses and such are fine. Some situations it takes a fairly long time to get where you want to go. There is one grocery store on-property near DtD, at the Crossroads shopping center (or whatever it's called.) I haven't been there in years and don't remember the name of the grocery store, but I hear it's more expenisve than other grocery stores in the area. But that extra cost may be offset by the fact that you wouldn't have to go as far in a cab to get there.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss FWIW, I never buy water from Disney at least not at DL. I carry a Camelbak hydration backpack and keep that topped off by going to the various buffeteria restaurants that have self-service drinks and load it up with ice and water. The water that comes from those sources tastes better than the water from the drinking fountains. You could do something simlar, using a regular water bottle, and filling up at the resort at the start of the day.
Originally Posted By LuLu We just got back and found Disney's transportation to be really great. There were one or two times where we had to wait a long time (maybe 1/2 hour) out of at least 20 uses. I'd never bother with a rental car based on my experience, even with a couple waits, overall it's just way more convenient. Regarding snacks and water, we brought snacks with us on the plane, and a water bottle that had a filter in it, and cup for a lid. When you squeeze it out into the cup, it filters the water. This worked fantastic and I'll never bother with water bottles again. We used it mainly in the room and at the water parks. In the theme parks, we just asked for a cup of water at any place that has soda on tap. If they don't have filtered water, they're happy to give you a cup of ice. It worked great and was better than carrying bottles around. Have a great trip!
Originally Posted By LuLu And DME is amazing! You get your boarding passes home right at your hotel, and if you check bags, they deliver them to your room, you don't even need to pick them up upon arriving (allow lots of time for that tho). I give it 5 stars! We may have had a better experience than most by staying at Pop. We were the first stop in and last one out. So no waiting at other resorts.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad I would never go to WDW without a rental car...but then I have 6 kids, three stroller age. (Looking for RoadTrip as my next stroller victim....muhahahaa)
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Why rent a car when going to WDW? I never rent. When I fly I rely on Disney Transportation. Its very reliable and I just get to relax! I found DME to be great. No hassels there ( I carried my own luggage onto/ off of the bus ). Use the money you would have spent on a car rental toward gifts for your LP friends < hint, hint> << Just kidding>>.
Originally Posted By I_Heard_A_Tink Thanks to everyone for you comments & suggestions. Where would I find one of those water backpacks or the water bottle with the filter in it?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <a href="http://www.rei.com" target="_blank">http://www.rei.com</a> Really, any store that sells camping equipment, or a bike shop should have these.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Even the times I have driven to WDW. I always <pak da ca> ( thats Rhode Island lingo ) at the resort. And then don't climb into the car till its time to leave.
Originally Posted By LuLu Seychelle's bottoms up: <a href="http://www.seychelle.com/Prodselect.asp?RepID=10001&CategoryID=374&BasketID=" target="_blank">http://www.seychelle.com/Prods elect.asp?RepID=10001&CategoryID=374&BasketID=</a> Good for 1,000 refills (200 gallons) - worth the price!
Originally Posted By beamerdog We always rent a car for the convenience. I only went without one right after 9/11 when I went to the park without my family. It was so empty that lots of times I was the only one on the bus.
Originally Posted By Crazy4WDW Thanks LuLu. I was at our local Dick's Sporting Goods today and was checking out what they had. I read somewhere that Brita makes one. Anyone seen those??
Originally Posted By DisneyJen057 Is there any place near the resort that you can rent a car? I might want to rent a car for just 1 day durning my stay.
