Good reason not to use Disney transportation from resorts.

[jasper]

Last night I got a terrific deal from Alamo for a five-day minivan rental at Orlando Int'l Airport in March. I'll tell you how much at the end of this post (no, I don't work for Alamo). I just want to share the info so you can save too. Here's how I did it ...........

Go to the mousesavers web site and you'll find a printable $20 coupon w/code that can be applied to your Alamo online reservation.

Then go to the Alamo web site and click on "hot deals"

You'll see a special 5-day rate, and other good deals

Select the pre-pay option and you get another 15% off (be aware there is a $5 cancellation fee)

My grand total ................. $157 plus about $40 in taxes/fees = $197 and change. From looking around, this rate is as much as $200 less than what some of the other major car rental agencies charge for a minivan rental. These rates are good through May, and the rate is even lower if you are travelling this month.


Hope this helps.

 

[kirbsam]

and what was the good reason to not use disney transportation, i think i missed that part of your post.

 

[jasper]

The point was that for a reasonable rate, you can avoid the hassle of relying on Disney transportation. I prefer not to wait on lines for busses and the like, while I understand that others don't mind at all. Didn't mean to have the catchy post title be misleading. Just trying to help out some fellow DISers.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Thank you Jasper, it did help.

 

[CleveRocks]

The point was that for a reasonable rate, you can avoid the hassle of relying on Disney transportation. I prefer not to wait on lines for busses and the like, while I understand that others don't mind at all. Didn't mean to have the catchy post title be misleading. Just trying to help out some fellow DISers.

Not trying to start a debate here, but to me using Disney Transport is one of the most magical parts of the vacation -- I don't have to drive for a week! In fact, believe it or not, I think if I had the choice of a free rental car or a $200 charge for using Disney Transport, I'd still wait for the bus. I think ....

-- Eric

 

[CarolA]

The point was that for a reasonable rate, you can avoid the hassle of relying on Disney transportation. I prefer not to wait on lines for busses and the like, while I understand that others don't mind at all. Didn't mean to have the catchy post title be misleading. Just trying to help out some fellow DISers.

Well, I hope your Alamo experience is better then mine. Disney transport has never been as big a hassle as Alamo's "Customer Service"

 

[Hopefully]

Thanks for the info. Any information that helps fellow Dis'ers is appreciated.
That said, not driving for a week is part of the lure of a "vacation" for us. In October we used DME to and from the airport. I budgeted some of the nearly $200 saved by not renting a car or taking a TownCar service, to be used on taxis while on Disney property. Any time we didn't want to take a bus, we hailed a cab.
Just my opinion.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I agree with everyone above. When I am on vacation the last thing I need to do is drive anywhere. Disney does a great job in getting you everywhere within WDW. It is so easy to skip the lines at the buses.....just don't race out of the park at closing. Sit, walk, shop, people watch....whatever. This past June after Wishes we sat on a bench across from the castle. After a while we slowly walked out to a very quiet bus station. It was amazing watching the throngs all race down Main Street while we sat and relaxed.
Personally, I can't believe it's much easier to race to your car and try to drive out at park closing. We save money on rental, gas, and I can't put a price on the aggravation it can be driving today with everyone in such a hurry. Relax and let Disney take care of you.....you're supposed to be on vacation.....

 

[Letsbgoofy]

The only reason I am considering a rental car is to use the dining plan at other resorts. Once park hours are released for August, I may find that I can use Disney transportation to travel easily (like using the MK bus to get to back from the Kona Cafe). I have a decent rental rate through National, with pick up at the Dolphin, but I would rather not have to drive.

 

[NCRedding]

Well, I have always enjoyed taking the disney bus, and loved using ME this trip, BUT, our wait times were so long for SSR buses, and for tranfer between parks, that I called National, and rented a car for the rest of our trip. We calculated that by renting the car, and driving where we wanted to go, we saved hours on our vacation. And, contrary to my prior opinion, it was actually less stressful than the buses.

Of course, we didn't leave any park with the crowds--we left Epcot at the end of EMH on Thursday, and there were only 4 cars in our lot.

 

[Laura24]

Not trying to start a debate here, but to me using Disney Transport is one of the most magical parts of the vacation -- I don't have to drive for a week! In fact, believe it or not, I think if I had the choice of a free rental car or a $200 charge for using Disney Transport, I'd still wait for the bus. I think ....

-- Eric

I agree. I also love the *magic* in the air around me as I sit in anticipation of seeing The Magic or Wonder on the horizon. The kids love it too. I also am somewhat of a worrier..the what ifs got me thinking, traffic, rental car malfunctions on the way. Things happen. On the otherside of the story, I know many just want to be at the port as early as possible to enjoy the ship and it's ammenities sooner than the DCL bus routes allow. It's a toss up on a personal preference.

 

[sharon lewis]

Do buses run from Kissimmee to the parks? We will have 2 hire cars but the parking seems expensive. How much is the bus?

 

[boomhauer]

Not trying to start a debate here, but to me using Disney Transport is one of the most magical parts of the vacation -- I don't have to drive for a week! In fact, believe it or not, I think if I had the choice of a free rental car or a $200 charge for using Disney Transport, I'd still wait for the bus. I think ....

-- Eric

 

[HappyLawyer]

hey, to each his own, i have stayed onsite and off, i love off site better. Having a rental car also depends on what you are doing while you are in FL. We do not restrict ourselves to just disney, we visit many locations and we take in some of the dinner shows, so in our case a rental is cheaper then a cab.

ps, i always use alamo, never a problem at all, we love it--again to each his own

 

[Mac and Us]

I prefer to rent a car. We still use Disney transportation to get from Ft. Wilderness to MK, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge. Otherwise, we drive.

 

[BostonRob]

Well, as long as we're all voting, I'd much rather have a rental car, even when I'm staying onsite. I fail to see how waiting for busses, then being crowded into a packed bus is relaxing. And god forbid you want to go from one hotel to another - there's 60-90 minutes right there. BTW, anybody else uncomfortable about the lack of seatbelts on a bus?

 

[thelionqueen]

I agree with Boston Rob 100%! There is nothing magical about waiting and travelling over an hour to get somewhere that is maybe 10-15 minutes away.

Usually there are screaming kids (mine scream too, not judging) sweaty adults, seats filled to capacity so that someone is standing over you (hopefully not sweaty). Waiting past 5 or more stops until you finally get to your stop only to probably have to walk another hundred feet or more to get to your room.

Sorry, I'll rent a car.

BTW, when you're at Disney Time IS Money!! I save way more money getting the most of my time while at Disney than trying to save by not renting a car and waiting for a bus hours each day.

If you break down the cost per hour in Disney (we figure roughly $50.00 including all expenses) and if we save even 1 hour per day (which in reality would be more like 2-3) we've saved far more than the cost of our rental car.

To each his own, this is just the way I like to travel.

 

[BostonRob]

I like the cost per hour analysis. I knew it made sense to rent a car, but I hadn't figured a way to quantify it. Just curious, do you count 24 hours per day, or just waking hours?

 

[thelionqueen]

We actually figured hours in park and hours in hotel room, nothing else. We added the cost of the room and the cost of the park then divided it by the hours we were in each. The average cost of $50.00 is in the median range of the 2. I think that total could go much higher (depending on how many actual hours are spent in the park) or much lower if you maximized every second.

We as a family (with my commando scheduled style) tend to make the most of our time with an equal amount of "down" time.

I'm no accountant by any means, but this simple equation works for my simple mind

 

[Cass]

I like the Disney transportation, I think it would be awful to drive and have to park in those huge parking lots.

If I am ever rushed like going from a resort to another resort for dinner I just grab a cab.