Renting a Car - Yes or No?

[mdoc]

If we fly, we always rent a car. It is more expensive, and it's probably not a necessity, but my family prefers the freedom of having a car. We like driving ourselves to and from the parks. Sometimes the buses are faster than driving and walking/tramming in from the parking lot, but often there are waits for buses and you save time by driving. If we want to go off-property for something, we can easily do so. I feel a little out of control if I don't have my own transportation. It's hard to say how much time we save by driving instead of relying on Disney transportation, but having a car is well worth it to us.

 

[grandma3]

If I drive from MCO to Pop taking the 417 do I need a sun pass or can I just pay with cash as I go?

 

[abinormal]

We rented a car on our trip. I don't think I'd ever go without one, even though we never left the property gates except for one trip to Publix.

We stayed at WBC so of course we had no choice really. But for me, I just prefer the (at least perception of) freedom of coming and going at my leisure and having my own bubble. I don't love public transportation.

 

[mco65]

just got back from WDW (last minute xmas trip) and we had to rent a car for the first time in several years because we were offsite for 3 of our 5 nights. Having a car was nice when it was time to leave the parks near closing time.. those buses can be a PIA after the parks close. Still, I am sure our next trip, on site, will not include a rental and I will miss the idea of having it.

 

[PetePanMan]

suspect cost of shuttles / taxis will be close to cost of car rental (which is quite cheap out of MCO).

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We stayed at POFQ in March with no car. We had the powerful incentive of not wanting to bring car seats so didn't even consider renting. During normal times (even after Wishes) we had no issues with the buses. However, we were taking our son back to our room for naps and on several occasions waited 40 mins for a bus which wasn't fun. So if you anticipate leaving in the afternoon and coming back early evening the car would probably be nice.

Having traveled to MCO for work though, I'm not sure renting a car will save you time over DME unless you're in a loyalty program for one of the rental companies. If you're in the regular line at a common arrival time, it can be a long process.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

I have to say that renting out of Orlando is not always cheap, like when we rented one for Daytona Beach last spring break. $303 for the week and I search for deals like it's my job. That is not cheap for a midsized for a week. I was sad for myself.
For Disney this trip, we are trying the busses because car seats are such a pain to bring. We rented a car our first trip when our youngest was 4 months old. I felt safer having my own transportation and I wanted to make a quick exit, if need be. My husband prefers a car over the Disney bus so he can turn the air conditioning on full blast.

 

[larryz]

If I drive from MCO to Pop taking the 417 do I need a sun pass or can I just pay with cash as I go?

When you rent your car, ask about "electronic toll" options. All rental car agencies in Orlando subscribe, and it's just a few dollars a day (plus tolls) to participate. See this site for more details.