Why don't you rent a car vs bus transportation?

[blackacex2]

I see tons of complaints about bus service on these boards, and I've never understood it. I have absolutely no comprehension of being able to afford $3500 for a week at the Polynesian yet not being able to pay $27 a day (or sometimes much less) for a rental car. I used priceline to get a rental car for $10 a day (toyota corrola) at MCO on our last trip.

What if you get sick on vacation, need to be somewhere faster than disney transportation can get you there, or just want to explore the resorts without spending all day on a bus? I understand sometimes the bus is just easier depending on what your plans are, but for the most part I see rental car $$ very well spend, even if you only use it a few times.

All I'm saying is don't let bus service hold you back from staying somewhere at disney. Rent a car and be done with it, it's a beautiful thing.

 

[Mjtsmami]

For us, we plan on using the buses. It's just easier for us right now. With 4 kids, 3 still in car seats, I don't want to deal with getting something to fit all of us, plus dealing with rental car seats.

Granted I haven't been since 2001, but I used the bus system that whole week, ( it was our senior spring break trip) and while there were waits and it could be cramped, it wasn't so horrible that I'd never use it again.

 

[AJKMOM]

I actually had anxiety over not finding a rental for a decent price ($500+ for a week). I kept thinking of all that could go wrong, because we have never traveled to WDW without a car. I even signed up for ME, and that may have been what did it Car for $135 a week now. Happy me!

 

[stargazertechie]

I have a long driving commute daily. Part of a vacation for me is the enjoyment of not driving- from the time we are picked up at our house to go to the airport, to the time I return home... it's a luxury to not drive!

 

[danceintherain]

I hate driving.

That said, we're going to be doing a combination for this trip. Since we're spending a day at Universal, I'm thinking we'll do at least 2 days with a car.

Part of the frustration with having a car at Disney is the car seat for DS. I've heard awful things about rental car seats and he's almost grown out of the car seat we've been using for travel. I'm not looking forward to lugging the Britax around.

 

[AliceIn]

When we stayed at the AoA suites last year, we rented a car and it was worth it for us. We spent most of our time at the parks, and also visiting other resorts. It worked out very well for us. I got a great deal on the car, so it was only about $25 per day.

This year we are staying at the BC, and I think we may not bother with the car rental since we can walk or take the boat to Epcot and DHS. I'm still on the fence about it.

 

[minnie mum]

We drive to WDW. 2-3 days. Each way. Once we're there, the last thing we want to do is drive some more. And we like to enjoy the occasional adult beverage either in the parks or with dinner in the evenings. So driving back to our resort could present a problem (we never drive after more than one drink).

In 35 years of going to WDW we have never encountered bus problems of such severity that it would warrant using our car. But people's ability to tolerate public transportation varies wildly. I get that. But for us, the occasional taxi to return to a resort in the evening or to get to an early morning ADR is still much more convenient than driving our own car.

Of course if we were travelling off site, that would be a whole 'nuther ball game. But we very rarely do.

 

[mickeynut1]

We usually get a rental car when/if I find a deal that is around the same price or less than what we pay for the car service. We always use Disney transportation to the parks no matter what, so even when we do get a rental car, it sits until we have to head back to the airport. We have used the car a few times when we've had a breakfast ADR at a different resort than where we are staying since it's easier (for us) to get to the other resort, but for getting to the parks, it's easier for us to use Disney transportation.

 

[princessallegra]

I see tons of complaints about bus service on these boards, and I've never understood it. I have absolutely no comprehension of being able to afford $3500 for a week at the Polynesian yet not being able to pay $27 a day (or sometimes much less) for a rental car. I used priceline to get a rental car for $10 a day (toyota corrola) at MCO on our last trip.

What if you get sick on vacation, need to be somewhere faster than disney transportation can get you there, or just want to explore the resorts without spending all day on a bus? I understand sometimes the bus is just easier depending on what your plans are, but for the most part I see rental car $$ very well spend, even if you only use it a few times.

All I'm saying is don't let bus service hold you back from staying somewhere at disney. Rent a car and be done with it, it's a beautiful thing.

We rent a car every trip now. We have done a few trips back in the day with just ME no car and it is a pain in the butt due to how we like to eat. We eat at a lot of TS restaurants at resorts. One trip we spent a lot on cabs and said never again. We rent from Advantage at MCO and it's always inexpensive and great. We love the freedom.

 

[pixarmom]

We've rented a car and not rented a car and we definitely prefer no car. As previous posters have mentioned, we like the vacation from driving. And I love a vacation from getting three boys in and out of the car. We really enjoy Magical Express, even if it takes more time, because it's a festive start to our trip.

As for getting around, we just plan our park days, resort stays and ADRs in a way that reduces transportation time and reliance on the buses. For our upcoming trip, we'll stay at Poly for the first few days and spend our time at MK and AK. Then we'll transfer to BWI and spend time at Epcot and DHS. The only time we'll take a bus is to/from AK. And we don't mind an occasional cab - might do that on the way back from Artist Point to Poly.

As a side note, when our oldest (now a teen) was little, his favorite Disney ride was the bus!

 

[EmpressBubbles]

We love our adult beverages while on vacation. I don't want to have to think about how many I've had or how long it's been before I get behind the wheel. It's not something that we do very much during the rest of the year, so we splurge on vacation.
Disney transportation is a great designated driver!

 

[alecshawn]

I see tons of complaints about bus service on these boards, and I've never understood it. I have absolutely no comprehension of being able to afford $3500 for a week at the Polynesian yet not being able to pay $27 a day (or sometimes much less) for a rental car. I used priceline to get a rental car for $10 a day (toyota corrola) at MCO on our last trip.

What if you get sick on vacation, need to be somewhere faster than disney transportation can get you there, or just want to explore the resorts without spending all day on a bus? I understand sometimes the bus is just easier depending on what your plans are, but for the most part I see rental car $$ very well spend, even if you only use it a few times.

All I'm saying is don't let bus service hold you back from staying somewhere at disney. Rent a car and be done with it, it's a beautiful thing.

Of all the years we have gone and used the buses...i have never seen an issue with them. Yes, they can be crowded..but no big deal...and a small wait sometimes...but hey, its a perk and a good one. I love the buses...even when we drive...we still use the bus system most of the time.
BUT, i do agree....its nice to have a car for going to the resorts and explore..or to eat off property now and then.
But, i dont see any issues with the buses as a whole. They are fantastic.

 

[KatMark]

We've done it both ways. Unfortunately, car prices have been a lot higher this year and since we need to rent a car for the week after Disney when we go to Marco Island for a week, it has been way too expensive to get a car for two full weeks. Luckily, we have had outstanding bus transportation at Old Key West our last two stays and I expect it will be the same on our trip in August. We use the boat to DTD.

We plan to do as we did last year...rent our car at the Dolphin the day before we leave and hit the outlet malls on the way to Marco Island.

 

[ThreeBeans]

For a larger family, renting a car is more expensive. You also need to deal with bringing boosters for older children who otherwise wouldn't need them on the plane. It's an added hassle in the airport, and frankly, I don't like driving or parking!


Bus service can be a pain, but IMO if you're on property, the real perk to that is being able to *avoid* the car rental

 

[pixarmom]

Bus service can be a pain, but IMO if you're on property, the real perk to that is being able to *avoid* the car rental

My husband is no Disney fan, but when we travel to other destinations and get to the car rental part, he likes to ask "Where is the Magical Express?"

 

[Dean1972]

We will be visiting the world in December from Australia
As we drive on the other side of the road , the thought of hiring a rental car scares the life out of me . Rofl...
We are staying at Hilton Parc Soleil, so plan on using a combination of Disney Transportation & cabs.
I realise that cabs might be a little $$$, but I cannot justify Disney's rack rate, when DW & I prefer amenities over theming, and don't mnd paying for convenience for cabs

 

[disnut8]

I see tons of complaints about bus service on these boards, and I've never understood it. I have absolutely no comprehension of being able to afford $3500 for a week at the Polynesian yet not being able to pay $27 a day (or sometimes much less) for a rental car. I used priceline to get a rental car for $10 a day (toyota corrola) at MCO on our last trip.

What if you get sick on vacation, need to be somewhere faster than disney transportation can get you there, or just want to explore the resorts without spending all day on a bus? I understand sometimes the bus is just easier depending on what your plans are, but for the most part I see rental car $$ very well spend, even if you only use it a few times.

All I'm saying is don't let bus service hold you back from staying somewhere at disney. Rent a car and be done with it, it's a beautiful thing.

We're only eight hours from Disney so we drive there. And about 99.9% of the time, the car stays in the resort parking lot. Only time we take it out is for a Publix run.

We are on vacation, we aren't in a hurry, we are trying to relax. I drive maybe, really maybe, two hours in a complete trip. Nirvana when my commute is an hour one way every single day.

We welcome Disney buses which are so much better than our alternative here in the Atlanta area. My hour commute would be almost two and a half with the crappy system we have here.

So yeah, I embrace the Disney bus system. As my daughter-in-law said on her very first trip - "why don't people like it? It's free and easy". This coming from a girl on her first trip outside of her hometown. If she can figure it out, anyone can.

 

[willowsnn3]

We're only 6-7 hour drive away so we always drive. If only 2 to 4 of us going we usually take my car but mostly it is 5 or 6 people so we have to rent a mini van and we have never gotten those at a 'good' deal. Good thing is tho that we usually split the rental 2 or 3 ways. If I lived far enough to fly in then I would just use the Disney transportation.

 

[willowsnn3]

One thing I would like to ask of those who do drive but leave the car/van in the parking lot the whole time is to please after unloading, park the non used vehicle a little farther out so those of us who do drive to the parks every day can have a parking spot kinda closer to the building when we come back from the parks. You can always get closer when packing up to leave. In our many trips I have always noticed a lot of the same cars/vans parked in the same spots the whole trip. Hope I don't get flamed for asking that, lol.

 

[starrysky]

We love our adult beverages while on vacation. I don't want to have to think about how many I've had or how long it's been before I get behind the wheel. It's not something that we do very much during the rest of the year, so we splurge on vacation.
Disney transportation is a great designated driver!

We are the same means during food and wine we can have a couple of samples and not worry about who has to drive. Taxis can be easily got if needed but we find that Disney transport can get us where we want as long as we plan in the time.

Over all we go to have fun and relax and to us driving is just not part of that.