Any families with young kids that use WDW transportation?

[mirlow]

We are going to be in Florida for 21/2 weeks next summer. We will be at WDW for 10 nights. I am trying to figure out if we should rent a car or not? We have been to Disney twice and both times we rented a minivan. It was nice to have but I'm sure we could have lived without it. We stay at the Polynesian so we have monorail access to quite a bit. We were also going to stay a few nights at the BC so that area is covered. I figured that we could save about $450 by not renting a minivan. We can't get away with a smaller car because we have 2 that are in carseats. Part of me thinks it would be nice to not have to get in a car, but part of me also likes the convience of having one I just wondered what most families with 3 young kids do for transportation while at WDW?

 

[janiejo]

I personally think you can make anything work if you want to. We have always rented a car, but we have NEVER used it to get to the parks. The only time we use the car is to go between hotels to eat, head to DD, or to play golf. My husband is the kind of person who doesn't want to feel "trapped" and having a car gives him control. There were many trips when our kids were younger that the only time we used the car was to just go and come from the airport. He still felt like it was worth it because back then the only airport/WDW transportation was Mears. Since you are at the Poly, you will be using the monorail to go and come to the MK and with three small children, I doubt that you are planning to hop from resort to resort trying the different restaurants. You will be fine without a car and relying on WDW transportation! Plus, I bet you can find other ways to spend the $$ you save on a rental car.

 

[Super Mom]

I have 3 young DS's and we have never owned or rented a mini-van. In fact, we are driving down from NY in my Dodge Neon. You should be able to manage in a mid-size car as a compromise.

 

[bobcat]

I have both driven and taken the disney transportation and I prefer to let someone else drive! The transportation is generally good and I don't think we have taken much more time riding the bus than when we have driven, by the time you factor in parking and walking to and from the car.

 

[DisneyKirst13]

My parents are renting a car for there dd 3 and ds whos 2 because its a pain to fold and unfold a carrige! Last time we went we took taxis to the resort at night!

 

[papagooch]

Use the rental to go off-site, use the Disney
transportation for on-site. You get dropped off
right at the front gate of the parks. Make sure
you have an stroller that is easy to fold and carry.

 

[mirlow]

I think we might give it a go and try WDW transportation. If we hate it we can always get our rental car earlier (we are getting a van for the other part of our Florida vacation). We are coming back to WDW for 2 nights before we fly home, so we will have a car then to run around in. We really don't go anywhere besides the Disney theme parks. We might try to hit a water park this year? I'm thinking of it as an adventure

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

We also have 3 young kids....they were 7, 3, and 1 when we were there a couple months ago....initially we never rented a car, but on our last trip we went ahead and got one and were glad we did. While we usually use Disney transportation, we found the car a huge time savers when going to/from the locations to which you need to make connections. Also, you can save a lot of money by eating a meal or two off site every so often. You might want to check the Budget board for car rental discount cards, and, if you have a DC card, check those discounts too. When we went in June, I was able to get a $209 weekly rate minivan from National using DC.

Have a great trip!