1st Time in Orlando

[DebbieG3]

At the age of 53, I will be going to WDW for the very first time, since I have to be in Orlando for work. My husband and I are staying for 4 days (5 nights) at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I want to see and do as much as I can for my very short visit.

Would you recommend renting a car to make it easier (and cheaper) to park hop and resort hop?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[wdwmagic]

I think it depends on the individual.

If you are confident driving and navigating around in unfamiliar places, go wit the car. It is certainly quicker and more efficient than any of the WDW transportation. Although going to the MK, I would take the bus. It drops off right at the park entrance, and not at the Transportation and Ticket Center, which is where you would be parking the car. You would then need to take e about or Monorail to get to the park, which can take a while depending on time of day.

But for someone who doesn't want the hassle of dealing with that, go with the WDW transportation.

Welcome to WDWMAGIC!

 

[Jess G]

One of the things I love about staying at a Disney resort is the transportation they provide.

 

[DisDadWoz]

Welcome to the boards! If you are trying to get in as much as possible going to and from different resorts/parks/etc. then maybe a rental car will save some extra time but will cost $$$. Getting to MK via Disney transportation then taking the monorail to those resorts around the monorail line and eventually heading off to EPCOT will get you a lot of WDW bang for your buck. Even getting to Disney Springs and taking boat over to those resorts is fun and entertaining. Either way have fun!!

 

[danlb_2000]

I personally would stick with Disney transportation. If you were trying to squeeze a lot into one or two days you could probably benefit from the car. Four days will give you time to see quite a bit.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Hooray and congratulations on making your first trip at 53 yo. Let that kid inside you escape and have the time of your life. Although it may save time driving, we like taking Disney transportation just because after a long day at the parks, I just want to sit and let someone else do the driving. I put my keys away when we arrive and dont touch them again until we leave the Disney property to go home.
After waiting 53 years... what are your most desired things to see & do at Disney ??? You can do a lot in 4 days...plan well and take advantage of all the EMH's you can. Just dont wait another 53 years to make your second trip back.

 

[Gaston's gal]

WDW is so spread out, I would also recommend you taking advantage of the Disney transportation. It will give you the opportunity to really see the outside of each resort instead of having to watch the directions to each resort. You will love the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I highly recommend using the night binoculars one evening. It's a fun way to see the animals at night. Enjoy your trip!

 

[DManRightHere]

At the age of 53, I will be going to WDW for the very first time, since I have to be in Orlando for work. My husband and I are staying for 4 days (5 nights) at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I want to see and do as much as I can for my very short visit.

Would you recommend renting a car to make it easier (and cheaper) to park hop and resort hop?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

It may just be late, but I am not understanding how renting a car is cheaper.

Anyways, different resorts seem to inadvertantly have different levels of bus service. We've stayed at AKL 2 times and always have great bus service (we always use Disney Transportation). Usually no longer than 15 minutes waiting for a bus, I don't think the buses are slower than cars. They go fairly straight to your destination. They are nothing like city mass transit busses. Also no walking across huge parking lots, finding the car, sitting in traffic...

The only reason I sould ever really consider taking a personal vehicle is if I had kids.

 

[DebbieG3]

It may just be late, but I am not understanding how renting a car is cheaper.

Anyways, different resorts seem to inadvertantly have different levels of bus service. We've stayed at AKL 2 times and always have great bus service (we always use Disney Transportation). Usually no longer than 15 minutes waiting for a bus, I don't think the buses are slower than cars. They go fairly straight to your destination. They are nothing like city mass transit busses. Also no walking across huge parking lots, finding the car, sitting in traffic...

Thanks for the reply, DManRightHere! Everything I'm assuming comes from websites and guidebooks! I had read in one guidebook that AKL is so far away from everything that renting a car should be seriously considered. I am little worried about a couple of transitions between parks on certain days. For example, a tour called Backstage Animal Tales at AK ends around 10:30 am, then a Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot FastPass+ grace period expires at 12:05 pm followed by our Garden Grill dining reservation @ 12:30 pm!

I also thought that without a car, I may be needing to call taxis for 2 early morning private treks (Backstage Tales and Wild Africa Trek) as well as to have time to visit AKL for naps or pool time. If I had to pay for taxis more than a couple of times, I thought that car rental may make more sense, especially since work has me staying at Avanti Resort on International Drive for 3 nights before the WDW fun begins.

I also read that at closing times, you may have to wait an hour for buses to get back to the hotel. We will need to use such an hour for resting to keep up with the ambitious schedule I have planned! I know nothing and am probably trying to pack too much in.

 

[DebbieG3]

WDW is so spread out, I would also recommend you taking advantage of the Disney transportation. It will give you the opportunity to really see the outside of each resort instead of having to watch the directions to each resort. You will love the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I highly recommend using the night binoculars one evening. It's a fun way to see the animals at night. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the reply, Gaston's Gal! The opportunity to sit back and look around like the tourist I am is definitely a plus for the Disney transportation side! I hope to use the the night binoculars on our first night at AKL!

 

[DManRightHere]

Thanks for the reply, DManRightHere! Everything I'm assuming comes from websites and guidebooks! I had read in one guidebook that AKL is so far away from everything that renting a car should be seriously considered. I am little worried about a couple of transitions between parks on certain days. For example, a tour called Backstage Animal Tales at AK ends around 10:30 am, then a Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot FastPass+ grace period expires at 12:05 pm followed by our Garden Grill dining reservation @ 12:30 pm!

I also thought that without a car, I may be needing to call taxis for 2 early morning private treks (Backstage Tales and Wild Africa Trek) as well as to have time to visit AKL for naps or pool time. If I had to pay for taxis more than a couple of times, I thought that car rental may make more sense, especially since work has me staying at Avanti Resort on International Drive for 3 nights before the WDW fun begins.

I also read that at closing times, you may have to wait an hour for buses to get back to the hotel. We will need to use such an hour for resting to keep up with the ambitious schedule I have planned! I know nothing and am probably trying to pack too much in.

When are you going? We always go in end of May/early June. We do not go in the peak of season, but we've never had major issues except staying at the Boardwalk Resort (some busses took 30-40 miniutes to arrive, they're supposed to be no more than 20 minutes).

I've heard of an ADR bus for early dining reservations. You ask concierge to set up the busses for you. I would assume they would do the same for extra tours.

Busses are supposed to come every 20 minutes all day long and well after park closing. Probably the worst for value resorts as they seem to have much more people capacity. You should make an AK to EP from 10:30am end tour to spaceship earth by 12:05 quite easily. Though you likely need to be on spaceship earth by 11:40 to make your 12:30 pm dining. The ride is about 15 minutes and there are lots of interactive exhibits after the ride.

We have stayed at Disney in moderate and deluxe and always used DT.

I guess I'm just trying to convince you the busses are sufficient and efficient if you know what to expect. Free transportation is definitely the cheapest way to go.

Since your work is paying for some at an offsite hotel, I guess I can not help there. I would assume work would pay for a rental car or taxis for those days, and you could take magical express back to the airport. Just my suggestions to save the most money. Some people like the absolute freedom of their own car, and think it is much faster, but I just like sitting back and trying to relax and let them drive. I really don't think the time it saves is minimal.

 

[RMichael21]

Thanks for the reply, DManRightHere! Everything I'm assuming comes from websites and guidebooks! I had read in one guidebook that AKL is so far away from everything that renting a car should be seriously considered. I am little worried about a couple of transitions between parks on certain days. For example, a tour called Backstage Animal Tales at AK ends around 10:30 am, then a Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot FastPass+ grace period expires at 12:05 pm followed by our Garden Grill dining reservation @ 12:30 pm!

I also thought that without a car, I may be needing to call taxis for 2 early morning private treks (Backstage Tales and Wild Africa Trek) as well as to have time to visit AKL for naps or pool time. If I had to pay for taxis more than a couple of times, I thought that car rental may make more sense, especially since work has me staying at Avanti Resort on International Drive for 3 nights before the WDW fun begins.

I also read that at closing times, you may have to wait an hour for buses to get back to the hotel. We will need to use such an hour for resting to keep up with the ambitious schedule I have planned! I know nothing and am probably trying to pack too much in.

What I would recommend is pick one park per day and stick too it, but if you've finished everything that you wanted/planned to do, then you can park hop to another. That way, you don't waste as much time in between the parks. Both a rental car and Disney transportation will take you anywhere from 25-30 minutes (between Epcot and DHS for example) to more than an hour (from MK to DAK).

Also, I would try to set expectations that you can't possibly see and do everything. This is especially apparent because you'll be using two of your mornings at Animal Kingdom on special tours. Now, you may want to do these things, but rope drop (right when the parks open) is EXTREMELY valuable ride time. Especially at MK and then DHS and Epcot because of the way the attractions are tiered, it's impossible to avoid long lines especially when you're not at the park for rope drop. At Animal Kingdom, it's not quite as necessary in my opinion because there's not as much to do and as long as you don't mind waiting in long(er) lines, you should finish everything in the park before dark, even if you show up at around lunchtime.

Adding on, make a list of must-dos, that's especially helpful for a first timer because it helps you know exactly what you'd like to experience.

Hope that helps!

 

[DebbieG3]

When are you going? We always go in end of May/early June. We do not go in the peak of season, but we've never had major issues except staying at the Boardwalk Resort (some busses took 30-40 miniutes to arrive, they're supposed to be no more than 20 minutes).

I've heard of an ADR bus for early dining reservations. You ask concierge to set up the busses for you. I would assume they would do the same for extra tours.

Busses are supposed to come every 20 minutes all day long and well after park closing. Probably the worst for value resorts as they seem to have much more people capacity. You should make an AK to EP from 10:30am end tour to spaceship earth by 12:05 quite easily. Though you likely need to be on spaceship earth by 11:40 to make your 12:30 pm dining. The ride is about 15 minutes and there are lots of interactive exhibits after the ride.

We'll be there in early October (including Columbus weekend). Thanks for all the useful information, including the time to get Spaceship Earth!

 

[Sonconato]

Thanks for the reply, DManRightHere! Everything I'm assuming comes from websites and guidebooks! I had read in one guidebook that AKL is so far away from everything that renting a car should be seriously considered. I am little worried about a couple of transitions between parks on certain days. For example, a tour called Backstage Animal Tales at AK ends around 10:30 am, then a Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot FastPass+ grace period expires at 12:05 pm followed by our Garden Grill dining reservation @ 12:30 pm!

I also thought that without a car, I may be needing to call taxis for 2 early morning private treks (Backstage Tales and Wild Africa Trek) as well as to have time to visit AKL for naps or pool time. If I had to pay for taxis more than a couple of times, I thought that car rental may make more sense, especially since work has me staying at Avanti Resort on International Drive for 3 nights before the WDW fun begins.

I also read that at closing times, you may have to wait an hour for buses to get back to the hotel. We will need to use such an hour for resting to keep up with the ambitious schedule I have planned! I know nothing and am probably trying to pack too much in.

I would have to agree with @RMichael21 about sticking with a single Park per day. I don't think having a car will necessarily make it quicker than Disney Transportation, especially if the area is new to you. Your schedule which has doing a tour early in the morning until 10:30am at Animal Kingdom and then trying to get to EPCOT for a Fastpass by no later than noon seems real aggressive to me and I fear you won't succeed. We know the area like the back of our hand and we wouldn't consider that for ourselves and that would be with or without a car. Keep in mind, getting from one park to the other takes up a bit of time. It sounds like that all you're doing is the Backstage Animal Tales Tour at AK and that is it for the day there, then it's off to EPCOT. If that is the case, I think you will be missing a lot at AK. Doing those two tours will be awesome, but I certainly would recommend taking in the other attractions there. Having a Park Hopper will be a good thing though because some Parks close earlier than others and that is when going from one Park to another makes more sense, IMO anyway. In any case, whatever you decide to do, have a great time and try not to overwhelm yourself. If you're like most or all on this forum, once you visit, you'll be hooked and want to return again and again.

 

[KikoKea]

Welcome! How wonderful you are going to WDW for the first time! Pick up the Unofficial Guide to Walt disney World 2017 if you haven't already. And, you might want to check out some websites that offer advice on touring plans, etc. The WDW website has maps and descriptions of rides which helps you plan what you absolutely must see and do.

DH and I are a little older than you, but we like to enjoy WDW with the least amount of stress so do not rent a car when we go. We take park transportation and just figure it into our plans. Oct is usually a good time (love, love, love the decorations!) but seems it is getting busier than before. Still, we've never had problems with the transport and have never considered driving.

We usually go for 4 days- 1/2 days (mornings) for AK and HS and spend those evening at Epcot or MK, while spending another whole day each at MK and Epcot. Getting from HS to Epcot is easy- just take the boat that drops you off at the gate near the France pavilion in WS. (Facing the HS gate, the boat dock is to your right) AKL is a bit more of a ride to other parks, but unless you return during the day (we don't) you only have to make the trip in the morning and evening.

Not sure if you'll have much time to park hop, but we always take the monorail resort loop and get off at each resort to walk around a bit. To end the evening, we ride the Epcot monorail at dusk. It makes a loop inside Epcot and the lights are lovely- great, cheap fun! You could even get off there and catch the bus back to AK. If you have more time free, you can catch the boat over to Wilderness Lodge- it has nice decor and a cool waterfall feature. And, from Disney Springs, you can take the boat to Port Orleans, which has great landscaping. But, in all honesty, you'll probably want to spend you days at the park.

We'll be there the week before you guys- 27 Sept thru 2 Oct, with party on the 29th. Have fun!

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

We like Disney transportation most of the time. Sometimes my "bad ankle" acts up and I don't feel like sitting on a sidewalk waiting for a bus to we would opt for a taxi (Uber?) instead. Cheaper than a car rental for the amount we used this option. We mostly used other transportation options at the end of the day or resort to resort travel.

 

[mouse_luv]

Thanks for the reply, DManRightHere! Everything I'm assuming comes from websites and guidebooks! I had read in one guidebook that AKL is so far away from everything that renting a car should be seriously considered. I am little worried about a couple of transitions between parks on certain days. For example, a tour called Backstage Animal Tales at AK ends around 10:30 am, then a Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot FastPass+ grace period expires at 12:05 pm followed by our Garden Grill dining reservation @ 12:30 pm!

I also thought that without a car, I may be needing to call taxis for 2 early morning private treks (Backstage Tales and Wild Africa Trek) as well as to have time to visit AKL for naps or pool time. If I had to pay for taxis more than a couple of times, I thought that car rental may make more sense, especially since work has me staying at Avanti Resort on International Drive for 3 nights before the WDW fun begins.

I also read that at closing times, you may have to wait an hour for buses to get back to the hotel. We will need to use such an hour for resting to keep up with the ambitious schedule I have planned! I know nothing and am probably trying to pack too much in.

AKL is not further away from everything, that is a misconception. Stick to the Disney transit.

 

[DebbieG3]

I would have to agree with @RMichael21 about sticking with a single Park per day. I don't think having a car will necessarily make it quicker than Disney Transportation, especially if the area is new to you. Your schedule which has doing a tour early in the morning until 10:30am at Animal Kingdom and then trying to get to EPCOT for a Fastpass by no later than noon seems real aggressive to me and I fear you won't succeed. We know the area like the back of our hand and we wouldn't consider that for ourselves and that would be with or without a car. Keep in mind, getting from one park to the other takes up a bit of time. It sounds like that all you're doing is the Backstage Animal Tales Tour at AK and that is it for the day there, then it's off to EPCOT. If that is the case, I think you will be missing a lot at AK. Doing those two tours will be awesome, but I certainly would recommend taking in the other attractions there. Having a Park Hopper will be a good thing though because some Parks close earlier than others and that is when going from one Park to another makes more sense, IMO anyway. In any case, whatever you decide to do, have a great time and try not to overwhelm yourself. If you're like most or all on this forum, once you visit, you'll be hooked and want to return again and again.

Thanks for your feedback. I REALLY wanted to do this Backstage Animal Tour and could only get it that particular Saturday morning. Since animals and nature are our great interests, these animal tours will likely be the highlights of our special 4 days! My travel agent had scheduled lunch and dinner at Epcot that Saturday, so the park hopping became necessary. We will be spending the day at AK on Sunday.

Since the consensus of this experienced group seems to be that we will enjoy our time more if we just relax and take the transportation, I will heed the advice given! Because work has me at International Drive for 3 nights before WDW, we have decided to rent a car for the week, but will plan leave it parked most of the time once we get on site. At least Orlando's car rental rates are much cheaper than Boston's rates!

So when Backstage Animal tour ends at 10:30 am @ AK, we will be looking for the next bus to Epcot. If for some reason, we do not make it there by 11:30 am to 12:05 pm for our Spaceship Earth FastPass+, I can live with that. I have ambitious plans, but fully expect I will have to scrap some of the plans and go with the flow!

I do appreciate your thoughtful reply!

 

[Sonconato]

Thanks for your feedback. I REALLY wanted to do this Backstage Animal Tour and could only get it that particular Saturday morning. Since animals and nature are our great interests, these animal tours will likely be the highlights of our special 4 days! My travel agent had scheduled lunch and dinner at Epcot that Saturday, so the park hopping became necessary. We will be spending the day at AK on Sunday.

Since the consensus of this experienced group seems to be that we will enjoy our time more if we just relax and take the transportation, I will heed the advice given! Because work has me at International Drive for 3 nights before WDW, we have decided to rent a car for the week, but will plan leave it parked most of the time once we get on site. At least Orlando's car rental rates are much cheaper than Boston's rates!

So when Backstage Animal tour ends at 10:30 am @ AK, we will be looking for the next bus to Epcot. If for some reason, we do not make it there by 11:30 am to 12:05 pm for our Spaceship Earth FastPass+, I can live with that. I have ambitious plans, but fully expect I will have to scrap some of the plans and go with the flow!

I do appreciate your thoughtful reply!

Based on what you are saying here, I think you have the best plan. If you miss Spaceship Earth, don't sweat it, it is usually a bit slower later in the evening in which you won't really need a FP. If you're going to be at Epcot for the rest of the day on Saturday, you may want to consider switching your FastPass for later. Just because you have already selected that time doesn't mean you can change it. You can go in and modify any of your FPs you choose for other times that may be available pretty much anytime you want. We've even gone in to change times the day of. The Garden Grill is a short walk from Spaceship Earth so you could always make the FP for after your dining reservation.

I'm excited for you to go on the Backstage Animal Tour. We have never done it ourselves but have heard it's great! Since you are really interested in animals, as we are, I know my husband would suggest that you get to AK early and head to Asia to see and hear the Gibbons doing their "calling". He's the only one in my family that has experienced it and says it's mesmerizing…at least for him. They only do it early in the morning which explains why I haven't heard them.

Other must sees in our opinion would be the Festival of the Lion King…getting a FP for this would be key, going to the Flights of Wonder…it will bring tears of joy to your eyes and heading out to Rafiki's Planet Watch which can be very educational. A lot of guests don't care for Rafiki's much since it's more educational, but it sounds like you have such an interest in animals, you could make a day of it. I have to drag my husband out of that place because he'll talk to the CM's about animals, conservation and anything else he can think of for hours.

One other thought, if your nights are free while on International Drive and since you have a car, you could always drive down to Disney Springs to experience that so you can focus on the Parks the 4 days you are there. It's only about 10 minutes away, it's free to visit and free to park. There are a lot of great restaurants, shops and entertainment…especially in the evening. Something to think about.

 

[DebbieG3]

Based on what you are saying here, I think you have the best plan. If you miss Spaceship Earth, don't sweat it, it is usually a bit slower later in the evening in which you won't really need a FP. If you're going to be at Epcot for the rest of the day on Saturday, you may want to consider switching your FastPass for later. Just because you have already selected that time doesn't mean you can change it. You can go in and modify any of your FPs you choose for other times that may be available pretty much anytime you want. We've even gone in to change times the day of. The Garden Grill is a short walk from Spaceship Earth so you could always make the FP for after your dining reservation.

I'm excited for you to go on the Backstage Animal Tour. We have never done it ourselves but have heard it's great! Since you are really interested in animals, as we are, I know my husband would suggest that you get to AK early and head to Asia to see and hear the Gibbons doing their "calling". He's the only one in my family that has experienced it and says it's mesmerizing…at least for him. They only do it early in the morning which explains why I haven't heard them.

Other must sees in our opinion would be the Festival of the Lion King…getting a FP for this would be key, going to the Flights of Wonder…it will bring tears of joy to your eyes and heading out to Rafiki's Planet Watch which can be very educational. A lot of guests don't care for Rafiki's much since it's more educational, but it sounds like you have such an interest in animals, you could make a day of it. I have to drag my husband out of that place because he'll talk to the CM's about animals, conservation and anything else he can think of for hours.

One other thought, if your nights are free while on International Drive and since you have a car, you could always drive down to Disney Springs to experience that so you can focus on the Parks the 4 days you are there. It's only about 10 minutes away, it's free to visit and free to park. There are a lot of great restaurants, shops and entertainment…especially in the evening. Something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestions!!! The Asia gibbons, Flights of Wonder, and Rafiki's are all on the list of must-dos! And I like the idea of going to Disney Springs in the evening after my conference. Great ideas!!! Thanks!