Thinking of renting car

[waltslostnephew]

Hello all, we will be at Pop, from 1-26 to 2-2. It has been a couple of years since we have used the resort buses, since we have driven the last 2 years. I like being driven around, but I hate the SOMETIME waits at the resort, to get on the bus and the standing room only waits when the park closes. I always told my wife, I feel we gain almost an hour a day, having our own vehicle to drive at Disney. We are flying this time, and I can get a rental for around a 100.00 to 150.00 for the week. You also gain a little time the morning you leave for the airport because Magical Express, makes you leave so early. How do you guy's feel about the time spent on resort buses and Magical Express vs. having a car to zip to the parks when you want? Thanks!

[CanadianGuy]

Having just spent a week with Disney transportation I can say the following:

# of times we waited significantly more than 20 minutes : FOUR *
# of times that waiting more than 20 minutes was super annoying: FOUR
# of times I said "Enough, we're renting a car next time" : FOUR

# of times the bus arrived at the perfect time for us : NINE
# of times we talked about sometimes being lucky : NINE

# of times the bus arrived within a reasonable 10-15 minute wait : A BUNCH

# of times we arrived at a perfect time to wait for a bus driver shift change : ELEVEN

Yes. Eleven. If catching a bus driver shift-change could be like winning the lottery, we would have won ELEVEN times.

Overall I like the buses, but collectively just on those four stupid waits we lost almost 3.5 hours of park time or 'other recreation' time. Is that worth $150 for me?

Resounding yes.

And next time I will be renting a vehicle. No discussion for us.

* One of those waits for a bus was over 50 minutes. Completely unacceptable. Finally, we just approached a cab nearby and had him drive us. As we were pulling away, the bus showed up. At that point, I was so past caring. We had reached the point where we were counting the OTHER buses that weren't ours and we had counted FOUR of each of the other buses. We were waiting for a mid-morning DTD bus (at the Beach Club incidentally) and it was just ridiculous.

We had the same problem going from All Star Sports to Animal Kingdom one morning and we were out waiting for a bus at 8:15 and we finally got on a bus at 8:55. We should have been at the park before opening and as it was we were a good fifteen minutes AFTER the park opened.

It set our day off to a very bad start and it was all completely avoidable.

And next time, I will avoid it.

[waltslostnephew]

Thank You canadian guy, great input, exactly what I was looking for. Anybody else? I am thinking about leaning that way to. Thanks

[wdwagain518]

we are renting a car again as well. I waited and waited until the rates dropped last week-last year I actually waited until the night before we left and the rate went down! I like knowing that I have the freedom to get in the car and go if I want rather than relying on the buses. Dining reservations at other resorts can be a nuisance if you don't have a car and this time instead of using Garden Grocer I can just stop at Target on the way from the airport to WDW and save some money that way.

If the rates were still $400 for the week like they were a few weeks ago, I might think otherwise but for $150 it's well worth it to me.

[Megsie1000]

I hate getting the rental car at the airport and dropping it back. But if I could get one from WDW for that little expense I would totally do it.

Having said that - last October my Mom and I stayed at POP for a quick mom/daughter trip and had a wonderful bus experience. Plenty of buses, never waited more than 10-15 mins, some were more crowded than others but loading/unloading was orderly and pleasant. I cannot say the same for some of the deluxe resorts I have stayed at.

[waltslostnephew]

Thank You More please

[Disney st8 of mind]

GET THE CAR!!!! Our first few trips we thought the bus was fun... then we started to realize just how long it was taking to get places. When you take into account getting lucky (or unlucky) on timing, then stopping at additional resorts, then loading and unloading scooters soooo much time is wasted! It is a great service Disney offers, and they have so many options depending on where you stay, but being in control of your own destiny to a certain extent is well worth the $150! We've rented from Alamo, picking up at MCO and it is super easy.

[kat3668]

Yah the buses got real old real fast for me......If I can get a rental for a reasonable rate then I ALWAYS do it. So nice to be able to control where you go when you leave and who you have to encounter to get there!

[CanadianGuy]

I have rented directly at the airport .. and I have also done the inverted task of renting from the Alamo desk at the Swan/Dolphin and the Car Care Centre. Do check the rates on all three.. sometimes you can save significant money by NOT renting at the airport.... the fees for MCO are very high.

So.. another little tidbit.

[redrosesix]

Originally Posted by Megsie1000

I hate getting the rental car at the airport and dropping it back. But if I could get one from WDW for that little expense I would totally do it.

Having said that - last October my Mom and I stayed at POP for a quick mom/daughter trip and had a wonderful bus experience. Plenty of buses, never waited more than 10-15 mins, some were more crowded than others but loading/unloading was orderly and pleasant. I cannot say the same for some of the deluxe resorts I have stayed at.

You can

We always pick up/drop off ours at CCC or Dolphin, usually for a better rate than at the airport. And ME deals with our luggage to and from the airport.

This allows us to rent the car for just the days we'll actually need it. And yes, bus service is better at resorts that don't provide other means of transportation.

[mel&me]

Have been getting a rental since 04. Never go without it now.

[cathigh10]

We are renting a car when we go down in July. I just don't like waiting for transportation and like the freedom of having my own. I have rented right from the airport the last few times I have gone down to WDW and it has always been a quick pick up and drop off. For my family it is completely worth it!

[FantasiaMagic]

we always rent a car. It's nice having another option of transportation. We still use the buses, boats ect. Esp for $100 - I would do it!

[denisegold]

Here's another "yay" for renting a car. We thought we might use the Disney transport but after thinking about it for about 5 minutes, changed our monds. We are 2 adults, no kids this trip, staying at the Caribbean. I have stayed at the Pop a few times and sometimes rented a car, sometimes not. I just liking having the extra control of having our own car, and if we want a few hours outside of Disney, we're all set.

[ArielSparrow]

Oh please tell me where you found a place to rent a car for so cheap. I did a quick search and the best I could find was over $400 for the week at Dollar. After considering the $14/day parking fees, that's just too much for me.