Car or no car?

[Edgehopper]

I was thinking about my plans for our trip next week and was wondering if I should rent a car for $23/day. 2 adults, no kids, but we have a lot of resort dining scheduled and it may be easier to take a car than navigate the bus system.

Our plans are:

Hotel: CSR.

Wed. Oct. 2: Arrive at MCO about 1:30. Yachtsman for dinner at 6, considering either Epcot or minigolf before, and either Epcot EMH or Jellyrolls after.

Thurs., Oct. 3: MK all day with Halloween party at night (probably a bus day either way).

Fri., Oct. 4: 1900 Park Fare breakfast, then Epcot for the rest of the day.

Saturday: DHS morning, lunch at Teppan Edo, then nothing planned for afternoon, late dinner at Citricos.

Sunday: Ohana breakfast, then Epcot, 2:00 Le Cellier, 7:00 flight

I was thinking a car would be really useful for getting to those character breakfasts, going from DHS to DTD to GF, and then for leaving on Sunday rather than waiting for a bus back to CSR and Magical Express.

I like the Disney bubble, but I think with all the resort hopping there's going to be too much inconvenient bus timing. Help me out?

 

[ghtx]

$23 per day is a steal. I say do it.

 

[BrianL]

I always prefer to have a car as it offers unlimited freedom and cuts down on travel time. WDW Transportation is very good, but you can't beat being able to go where you want, when you want. For the price, it is well worth it.

 

[minnie mum]

I think that the price of the rental is great, but I wouldn't do it for a couple of reasons.

1. I don't think it's a time saver when going to and from MK.

2. In the evenings, whether we are dining at a resort or in a park, we will usually enjoy an adult beverage or two. No way are either of us going to get behind the wheel of a car if we've been drinking. Something to consider if you will be enjoying the offerings at F&W.

 

[MrsDuck]

Is that $23 for EVERYTHING? I hate car rentals because they always seem cheap but when you add on all of the extra necessary costs, it is always more.

We drive to WDW and rarely use our car while we are there. If the car is really as cheap as $23, I would probably get it just for the teeny tiny addition of convenience and choice.

 

[Edgehopper]

I think that the price of the rental is great, but I wouldn't do it for a couple of reasons.

1. I don't think it's a time saver when going to and from MK.

2. In the evenings, whether we are dining at a resort or in a park, we will usually enjoy an adult beverage or two. No way are either of us going to get behind the wheel of a car if we've been drinking. Something to consider if you will be enjoying the offerings at F&W.

Agree on 1, but it should be a real time saver the other four days (especially Wednesday and Sunday--driving from CSR to Fantasia Gardens or Yacht Club is a lot faster than bus to Epcot and walking to Yacht Club).

Will probably start a firestorm on 2, but being a > 300 lb. man, one or two drinks at dinner won't put me anywhere near illegal or unsafe driving (and we're responsible enough to make sure one driver is designated sober in any case). Have to get some benefit from being fat, right?

 

[Edgehopper]

Is that $23 for EVERYTHING? I hate car rentals because they always seem cheap but when you add on all of the extra necessary costs, it is always more.

We drive to WDW and rarely use our car while we are there. If the car is really as cheap as $23, I would probably get it just for the teeny tiny addition of convenience and choice.

Plus tax--comes to $170 total for the week.

 

[Shmily1]

We drive since we live to close to fly to be feasible, but once I park my car, it never moves again. I had much rather ride the Disney transportation and avoid the traffic hassle and finding which road goes where.

 

[conandrob240]

We were debating the same thing. Decided against it because of the reasons cited above. For much less than $150+, we can take a cab a few times for an out of the way dinner if we don't feel like waiting for the bus.

 

[SEA333]

Yes - do it. We are doing it for the time we are there because DH works for one of the rcar rental corporations and gets an employee cost, so we are paying less than $90 out the door for the whole week we are there. Sometimes we will use it, sometimes we will leave it parked at the resort and use the busses. It will allow us to go to Target/Walmart on the way from the airport to get shampoo/conditioner/water/etc so we don't have to pay for another checked bag.

For that price, the real question is...why *wouldn't* you??!!

 

[Bullseye]

Do it and drive everywhere including the MK!!

 

[powellrj]

We always have a car. If we don't drive, we will rent a car and for that price, I would go for it! I don't like to depend on WDW transportation.

 

[jeneric997]

You might want to go to the transportation section and look for a discount code. We were able to book with Hertz through AAA. Our total for 11 days was $174.42. For one week the base rate was $108. That is for Sept. 29-October 9.

 

[Moodyzblu]

I love having a car .. so much faster and less hectic than WDW transportation !

 

[sephorachick]

We always have a car. Less stress for us that way.

 

[River Country]

You will hear just about an even split here for and against.

Pros:
Freedom
Great time saver if you are eating at resorts
Late at night you wont have someones crotch in your face on the ride back to the hotel
there wont be any screaming children in your car
You can adjust the temp of your DOOMBUGGY to your liking

Cons
Doesnt really help if you are just going back and forth to parks from CSR
Extra money
Gas
You may get lost
Careful if you are drinking

 

[#1DopeyFan]

We always get a car, I just like the convenience of it and not having to depend on anyone else. I always book through Expedia and check the rates daily until we leave...you can always book when it goes down and cancel your first reservation. We just got back last week and I had originally booked us 2 cars at $190 each for 9 days, continued to watch and ended up rebooking at $161 each. And this was for "in terminal" car rentals...the ones with shuttles to the car counter were even cheaper, but with kids we weren't hassling with that.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.

 

[seashoreCM]

Driving is clearly advantageous for going between resorts, or for me, going off site for some meals.

If going to a water park I would prefer to drive so I can leave extra clothing and things in the car.

I find riding the buses to be less stressful than driving, though.