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

[Jacquie668]

Personally, this whole "i don't want to drive thing" I get, but my BF and I just don't agree with it. Driving is like breathing, not a big deal to us, and we'll be driving down to Florida which is a long drive, but that is what we like to do.

In addition we'll use our car while at Disney, but I don't have a problem using Disney transportation here and there, but will not use it all the time. I'm not a lover of public transportation and having the car means we have A LOT more freedom so we would rent one if we didn't drive down. Just how we feel about it.

I can understand the anti-driving people, especially if you are coming from another country. I do think Disney does provide a lot of transportation opportunities, boats, bus, monorail, etc...so that is good.

 

[maxiesmom]

Sure you can get a rental car pretty cheaply, but have you priced a rental van? Go with 6 or more people and you need a van. And a van is typically more than twice the cost of a car.

While I am at WDW I would much rather not drive if I don't have to. I'm not usually in such a hurry that I need to hop in a car and get there NOW, but if I am, we just get a cab. I like sitting on the bus and chatting with the family about what we are going to do that day, or what we have done, and I like not having to fight traffic in an unfamiliar city.

I also have the sense of direction of an amoeba.

 

[alecshawn]

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.

Not flamed..but i dont see too many people worrying about where they park.
I park as close as can get....whenever that is. If its not close...no big deal.
If we were to leave our van in the same spot for 8 days....it would be perfect ina fron row spot. Easy to keep eye on.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We've done both. If I see a reasonable rental car price, I get one. We usually end up using a combo of WDW transportation and driving if we have a car.

There are a number of variables. It matters where you stay and eat. Eating at your resort is always easy. Getting back to almost any resort from a late dinner at AKL without a car is kind of a pain.

Still, it's easy to modify our trip. If we don't have a car, we eat in the parks, or near our resort.

Weather is another important variable, as is crowds. nice weather vs. miserable weather, and low vs. high crowds make a big difference in transportation. I'm happy to walk on a nice day. I'm not eager to wait over an hour ina mob of angry people in the pouring rain for a boat/bus/monorail.
If you've never seen a large unhappy horde at the monorail platform (when you were on your way to a special event), then maybe it's hard to see how that could ruin someone's day. (especially when it meant missing the special event by over an hour)

Last, but certainly not least, WDW transportation sometimes has big problems (as do cars). Last spring, the monorail only ran a few hours each day. I'm not using hyperbole. It was a major pain. I've also been on buses where the driver got LOST! Yup! anohter time, we were at MK, but the driver would not pull up to a stop, and would not let us get off for quite some time.

Then again....I've also had the experience of missing a turn while driving around WDW. I've also had a car breakdown, and the police regularly have speed traps at WDW. (also near the airport) I could see how getting a ticket would taint someone's opinion.

 

[mum2four]

We are one of those families who drive to WDW but leave the car in the resort parking lot all week.

The WDW transportation doesn't stress us out. We just relax and never really feel like we have to be anywhere at a specific time (other than our early CRT ADR which we may drive for). Also not dealing with car seats for a week is great!

We live in a small city and never use public transportation at home, so the bus/boat/monorail is like another attraction for our kids!

Even if we did fly down, we would need to rent a mini van or full size SUV, which would add a considerable cost to our vacation. I wish we could get by with a small, cheap rental, but that's my fault for having too many kids!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We used to rent a car until the family grew too big to all fit in one car. We started taking the magical express when the family started adding spouses and children. We never used the rental car much anyway, except to pick up snacks on the way to the resort. Now we always take the ME, even when there is just two of us. It is a lot less of a hassle.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We also drive to WDW but leave the van parked for most of the trip. We do take our car to DtD because the buses seem to take forever. We drove to an ADR we were running late for once, and we just didn't care for it. I don't complain about the bis waits or crowds, though.

 

[Robbi]

We usually rent a car. If we don't, then we take taxis. Most of the time we'll take a cab to and from wherever we're going. Sometimes we take a bus back to the resort.

 

[jmenjes]

Simple reason I don't rent a car...I don't drive to begin with. Haven't tried to drive in well over 20 years now.

I live down the street from the Hollywood Amtrak station, so I take the bus or get a ride to the station. In Orlando, I use a town car service to get from the station to WDW.

 

[minnie mum]

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.

I certainly am not going to flame you. You're always free to ask whatever you want. Just don't expect much positive response. After a long drive to finally get there, frankly the last thing I am going to do is circle the parking lot looking for some out of the way spot in order to make someone else's parking easier. I'll take the first spot I see, and that will be it for the next week to 10 days.

 

[rutgers1]

We normally just use Disney transportation and are very happy to do so, but this summer we will need a car since our son will be going to camp outside of the park during the day. What is the best way to get a super great deal on a car?

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned getting a car at MCO, but we will need the car for the second week of a 2-week trip.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

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

I agree. We were thinking of staying off site to save some money but the rental put us up to the price of staying on site. That solved that....on site it is! Plus I love not having to drive and if there's a wait for the bus....sit & relax. You're on vacation.

 

[Robbi]

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.

That would be nice. I wish Disney would have mandatory valet parking as many hotels and resorts do.

 

[Itinkso]

We normally just use Disney transportation and are very happy to do so, but this summer we will need a car since our son will be going to camp outside of the park during the day. What is the best way to get a super great deal on a car?

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned getting a car at MCO, but we will need the car for the second week of a 2-week trip.

You can pick up an Alamo/National car at the Dolphin. Also, check the Transportation board for codes to use for rental discounts. I used Rentalcarmomma.com for some great rates.

 

[DanInMN]

A couple years ago we flew on the airlines, stayed off-site, and rented a car. At the end of our trip we had a 2 day flight delay due to snowstorms up north. I called the car rental company to extend, yet they charged us a HUGE fee that exceeded the cost of the whole week. I felt ripped-off.

This time we are taking the airlines, staying on-site, and using Disney transportation. The cost is no more than off-site with a car/gas/tolls/parking. We don't have to find our way, take the parking lot shuttles, or worry about driving after having a beer. Since our trip is off season (one week from today) we are hoping that the buses will not be too crowded.

 

[busymommy2pink]

Im one of those who stay deluxe and dont bother renting a car. Why? Many reasons really. For me personally it involves lugging two large and extremely heavy britax car seats through a crowded airport four times that we otherwise don't need while there. We would need a van, those are not affordable. We priced at $537-1100 for our vacation. Where i come from (Toronto) and other large metropolises like NYC etc plenty of people dont ever have a license since it's not needed. Public transportation is a way of life. Many more people do not own a car than those that do. Not everyone drives or enjoys it. I do, but here I am not the norm. For me my money is better spent on a splurge to stay deluxe than renting a car and staying value or moderate. We have a budget. We stick to it. Rental cars don't fit into it if we want deluxe accommodations. Not everyone staying Poly is loaded with money. Many many people plan and budget to have that specific vacation of their dreams. Others may not rent because they don't have credit cards. They are required 99% of the time, and 100% of the time when you are getting deals like you suggest. Others may have health issues, want to enjoy adult beverages, are nervous of driving in unknown areas, view it as part of the experience etc. Just because of these reasons, doesn't strip a person of their right to voice an opinion over an unpleasant Disney transportation experience. I'd be careful on how quick you judge others.

 

[Dizzytime]

I think most people are bus fans, just those than complain (sometimes rightfully) stick in your brain.
Personally we love it, not that it's been perfect by a long shot. We also (considering we fly from CA) think that the ME addition and experience has added so much value to our travel and stay...incredible that we don't have to pick up luggage at the airport and it just 'appears' in your hotel room. Yep, that's magical alright!

Oh almost forgot resort airline check-in. Man, what a fantastic addition also!

 

[alecshawn]

That would be nice. I wish Disney would have mandatory valet parking as many hotels and resorts do.

There would be no way that would work....could you imagine how many valets would be needed after park closings...And, folks arent going to want to wait for their vehicle in the morning either...and who wants to add more tip possibilities.Honestly, i have stayed pretty much everywhere, I havnt encountered mandatory valet. First come first serve has worked well since all these resorts at WDW has opened. I dont ever recall a time when we went back to say...All star music or WL and found it difficult to park near our room entrance. Before this thread..i dont know that i even thought much about it..I have left our van front row right outside our room all week...not even getting in it...other times, we use it and more times than not...park pretty darn close to where we left it. If not...its not too far away,
But the bottom line....Disney transport is fine. Nothing really to complain about. Its free. So...you cant really. The buses are fine.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

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.

Totally agree! We also drive 24 hours each way so we never use our car in WDW when their transportation is easy and free. We do not mind waiting or need to have a seat on the bus for a 10 minute ride. When we do get one we usually end up giving it away. However my 2 kids are a bit older and can manage standing.

Also OP, not everyone who goes to Disney stays at the Poly. Some families scrimp and save for a very long time to be able to afford a vacation at just a value hotel. Renting a car, even at $25 a day or so can be a deal breaker for them. Everyone's situation is different and just because they are at Disney does not mean they have money to spend when they don't need to.

 

[CarrieR]

Why don't I rent a car? Why WOULD I rent a car?

I park my car in the cheapie lot ($4/day!!) and take the shuttle to the airport. Once I give my bags to my friendly Southwest agent, I am hands-off until I pack them post-bedbug check.

Arrive at MCO, cross to B-side, down the elevators (can you take the escalator down?) and then follow the signs. On the bus, where your biggest decision is how close to a monitor to sit. Someone else handles the tolls, the traffic, and the directions. Arrive at Po'Half, check in, and head to the room for the aforementioned bedbug check. Drop our carry-ons, and off we go.

All week, all we have to do is follow the signs. Marathon weekend, half the roads closed? No biggie. Want to start at DHS, have lunch at Cap't Cook's and spend the evening at the MK? No worries about where you left your car.

I pay for the busses, boats, and monorails, plus DME and luggage delivery, in my $169 "value" room rate. I don't spend $3500 for a week at the Poly... I guess I could, but it would be an annual trip, instead of several as an AP-holder. We get on that shuttle at the airport parking lot and have no worries, all week. If the worst thing I have to fuss about is standing for an 18-minute bus ride, I am golden!!

ETA: We stayed at a hotel with mandatory valet a few years ago. Talk about a hassle... I waited longer for my car than I wait for a bus, 95% of the time. Also, we DID rent a car at the start of one trip last year - went to Universal, then drove to MK for the night before heading home to Pop. It didn't really save us time on the WDW end of things, not to mention, I am not a good tired driver, and we leave those parks EXHAUSTED, so it's best that I let someone else do the driving!