Rent a car or Disney transportation w/2.5 year old

[Jen_in_NH]

We were at WDW a month ago, and our son was 2.5 There were 9 of us, with 3 kids (2.5, 5, and 9). We used Disney transportation for everything, with no problems. The wait times weren't horrific - I think our longest wait was 20 minutes, in the evening leaving MGM.

We tend to pack light, and had a really light stroller, as well as a 2 year old that thought riding on the bus was the COOLEST thing at DIsney All of that probably made it a lot easier.

 

[dres40]

We always rent a car because we love having the flexibility to come and go as we please.
Although for MK we use the bus to avoid the TTC.
We usually have dinner at 2 or 3 of the different resorts and having a car makes this less of a hassle for us.
We like having the car to make trips to the grocery store for food and drinks for the room. Also my husband will sometimes drive off site to get takeout for DD and me when we are too tired to leave the room after a long day at the park. This gives us some variety from the food court at our resort.

Works great for us.

 

[wdw71]

In 2008 we were there with a 4 year old and an 18 month old. We took our single MacClaren stroller and rented one at the parks and we used Disney transportation. Over all I guess it was OK but traveling with two small children makes Disney transportation a challenge. When the kids are really worn out and then you get to the bus stop and there 50 people, one or two ECVs to be loaded and the kids have no patience left (like they have a lot to begin with ) well- it had us frazzled by the time we got to our resort. Then we had to carry the tired 4 year old to our room at POR because we only had one stroller.

In 2009 (kids now 5 and 2) we drove ourselves to the parks and rented a double stroller from OSR. This was the way to go. We came and went when we wanted, on our schedule, no crowded buses, no lines to wait in and the double stroller was a godsend.

 

[mmafan]

Did all you drivers have to pay for parking if so how much was it. And I guess you only go to one park a day.

 

[Kurby]

dd was 7 months the first time we took her and we were so happy we had our car - this past spring she was 3.5 and some days we took the car some days we took the bus -

we were happy either way and dd loved riding on the bus

since dd was older we weren't worried about her being asleep when the bus came so folding up the stroller was fine

next trip she'll be out of the stroller but we'll still have our car with us and it again will just depend on what we're doing that will dictate if we drive or take the bus

i love the transportation disney provides i know some people complaine about it but waiting 30 minutes for a disney bus is so much better then 5 minutes for our city bus

 

[jenjersnap]

Did all you drivers have to pay for parking if so how much was it. And I guess you only go to one park a day.

Parking is free if you stay on-site. Usually we go to one park in the morning, take a break, and go to a different park in the evenings. Sometimes we squeeze in 3 parks in one day. Renting a car works for us.

 

[Cory's Gal]

We enjoyed taking the bus and with extra adults it should be easier. When we took my son at age 2, he and I would get on the bus and hubby wore the backpack and took the stroller on. No problems! My parents were with and sometimes my dad would take on the stroller. He also LOVED riding what he called the "everyday bus". This time he will be 5 and my daughter 2, we also have a Mac Volo stroller, small and light and with a carry strap buses should be a breeze! We like just having to ride! We have never had to wait for buses long either, maybe we are just lucky!

 

[42trvl]

As stated, parking is free at any park if staying on-site, and we actually found it easier to get to multiple parks in one day since having our own car cut the transportation time (and "tired" factor), by a significant amount. I can't believe we resisted renting our own car for as long as we did.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I've had a car at POP and the Contemporary and never used it. I guess being from the DC area I'm used to a long commute so taking 1 hour to get to a resturant or park is no big deal to me.

The busses are efficient and sometimes you will hit is lucky and other times not. With a tot you may find the car easier as he will have his own car seat to fall asleep in and for $200 it is worth it.

 

[Laura_Lewis]

We stay mostly off site now but we have always rented a car. I have had to use public transportation for many years commuting to and from work and taking a bus reminds me too much of part of my job I think that DH and I are also control freaks as we like the flexibility to go and do what we want when we want.

That being said, we have stayed at FW and the Poly and from those locations we found that the monorails and boats to the MK were great.

 

[puffkin]

Drive! You get everywhere faster and it's much more convienent, especially with a small child and stroller in tow. Even driving to the Magic Kingdom is no big deal like everyone says it is. You park, walk a short distance to the tram which picks you up in less than a minute and takes you to the monorail or ferry. If you don't ride the monorail into MK, there aren't many other opportunities to ride one and for my family it is part of the WDW experience.

We bussed for two years and then rented a car the third year and never looked back. It's fun driving around WDW and it's so worth the additional cost. You wait all day in lines at the park, you don't need to wait in more lines to get where your going. Word!

I agree. When we rent a car we usually drive to the MK. My DS loves the trams and the monorail. I enjoy the ferry boat. They are additional "rides" to us so we don't mind them. Plus it usually takes about the same time (and sometimes less) than the bus and we get two additional rides.

I really regret not renting a car for our last visit. It was such a pain to deal with a stroller on a crowded bus and I was worried about having to stand with the baby. I don't think DH would consider going back unless we rented a car.

We used to be huge proponents of the WDW bus transportation system. It is a good system and very efficient, but I am so over it! We didn't rent a car last trip and NEVER AGAIN. And we weren't there during a busy time either.

OP, if you decide not to rent, please be mentally prepared to have to stand on the bus holding your DD. We had to hold DS3 several times on our last trip or let him stand....we also saw several other parents have to hold kids much younger than our son. We would have given our seats but we were already standing. Between that and 75% of our busses having scooters (which take a LONG LONG time to load and takes up a lot of seats) we will not be doing the busses again. Also OP, OKW has horrible bus transportation. I would never stay there without a car....AKL will be a bit better.

 

[brandylouwho]

Riding the bus is one of the highlights of the trip for our daughters, but I think having your own car can be nice too. We have done Disney transportation with just a toddler & then with a preschooler & and infant, it worked out fine! It was nice to not have to worry about driving and knowing where you are going (a problem my DH has).
I found we didn't stay til the closing rush with little kids in tow, so crowded buses were rarely an issue. Note: I definitely would not stand on a bus with a little kid, I would wait for the next bus (then I would be first in line & get a seat).
If we drove to WDW and had our car anyway, I'd likely use it. If we had to rent a car, but we weren't planning on going off property--I'd save my cash and NOT rent a car.

 

[pcrmommy]

We'll have our then 26 month old with us in August & are staying onsite. Our thought process in regards to a rental also included the desire to be able to leave WDW proper & get some food items for the room & essentials such as diapers & wipes that I will not packing in huge quantities. Its worth the extra cost to us.

 

[ktschultz1]

Thanks to everyone for all of your opinions! I think we will rent a car and if it sits unused from time to time I'm not going feel bad about it. Maybe we'll try both ways and determine what works best with our DD so we know how to plan for the next trip. Thanks for your advice!