Car Rental: Yes/No/Maybe So

[jsrj21]

My family and I have done both. On our last 10 trips, we've rented a car. We usually stay 7-9 days and we average around $200.00 for a rental car. Here's what my rationale is for renting a car. I like/love the freedom of getting to the airport and being at my resort in 45 minutes. I also like just jumping in the car and driving over to DTD from CBR for lunch or dinner at WPE or any other restaurant. Sometimes, if we're running late, we've driven to a resort [AKL or Poly] for dinner etc. We then go back to our resort, and jump on a bus to a park. On occasion, I've gone to the outlets to do some shopping. Lastly, I really like the extra time that having the car buys me on the saddest day; the last day. I don't have to leave 4-5 hours in advance and can get a last minute stroll through a park or swim in a pool. Any extra minutes that I can squeeze in at WDW is well worth it.

It's funny to read this post today because I had told my wife that maybe this trip [Aug], we shouldn't rent a car. She was indifferent but looking at the rates right now, they're not too bad. So no clue if we'll get one this trip or not but either way, I can understand both sides of the argument.

 

[Brian Noble]

When staying on property does it make sense for a car rental?

I rent a car nearly every visit. There have been three exceptions. One was a bonus trip where I used an "extra" timeshare week to stay at OKW that we were doing on the cheap, and the other two times I was staying in the Epcot area (BCV and BWV). All three of these were adult-only trips.

To/from MK, Disney might get you there slightly faster on average, but the car will be more predictable. To/from the other three theme parks, the car is a little faster on average. To/from anywhere else (another resort, DTD, water parks, etc.) the car is going to be significantly more convenient.

All in all, it's not that much faster to have a car, so it really comes down to personal preference. What sounds like more of a vacation:
* Never having to touch your keys or navigate in an unfamiliar setting.
* Never having to wonder when the bus will come, and if you will have a seat.

 

[siskaren]

It has nothing to do with patience....why should I stand there 15-20 minutes waiting for a bus when I can drive to where I need to be within 10-15 minutes tops?

I disagree; I think taking the bus has everything to with patience. If a person expects a bus to pull up to a bus stop within seconds of them getting there and complains if it doesn't, then they shouldn't be taking the bus. If a person is going to rely on the buses, they should expect there to be some waiting involved.

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

Why would I want to pay for a rental, wait in line to pick it up, pay another $20 a day to park it, and then have to take the parking lot trams to get within walking distance of the parks? There's no way that saves time, and it's an extra expense.

Free parking when you stay on-site.

 

[lovethedon]

. Yes to the car rental if its in your budget

Out of all those hotels in my siggy, the Poly vacation was the only one we took without a car.

My husband and i have used the bus system but its been such a low usage that I could tell you specifically which bus ride we used it for

We are still trying to get in our heads to use the bus for the magic kingdom because they do drop you off at the front door. But if we were staying for the fireworks we would again use the car.

Some of the reasons why we rent......

We love Disney but its nice to get out of the Disney bubble and go offsite for....
Groceries, outlet malls, various stores and eating. We just feel that we have more freedom when we have a car.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Related question but didn;t want to start a thread if it's been answered, does anyone know if any car companies actually bring a car to you at one of the resorts> We are staying at BLT. I want to use ME to get there (Mostly for the luggage benefits) the next day we are at MK so we'll walk, following day is HS so that is the first day I'd need a car. Hate to pay for it for 2 days I don't use it, but don't want to waste a morning being driven all over Orlando to go to an office, fill out paperwork and then finally get a car. Done that before and in some cases it takes longer than buying a new car.

 

[Richard M Nixon]

Related question but didn;t want to start a thread if it's been answered, does anyone know if any car companies actually bring a car to you at one of the resorts> We are staying at BLT. I want to use ME to get there (Mostly for the luggage benefits) the next day we are at MK so we'll walk, following day is HS so that is the first day I'd need a car. Hate to pay for it for 2 days I don't use it, but don't want to waste a morning being driven all over Orlando to go to an office, fill out paperwork and then finally get a car. Done that before and in some cases it takes longer than buying a new car.

There is a car rental agency (Alamo?) on-site at WDW.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I usually rent a car at WDW and love the convenience of having the option of taking my car to a park or taking Disney transportation. Then once I stayed at Old Key West resort and spent so much time waiting for buses that time that I was like "Never again without a car!"

Then this last trip for some reason rental cars were really expensive for Orlando. With ME, I decided to risk no car this time. I was there for 10 days anyway, so what's a little time waiting for buses?

Well the bus service was awesome! I hardly ever waited more than 5-10 minutes. Once I think I waited all of 15 minutes leaving Epcot in the afternoon.

So I would say, if you can swing it, I would still get a car. It certainly makes it easier to make rope drop, and if you are going to dine or visit other resorts, it can't be beat. But it's not necessary.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Related question but didn;t want to start a thread if it's been answered, does anyone know if any car companies actually bring a car to you at one of the resorts> We are staying at BLT. I want to use ME to get there (Mostly for the luggage benefits) the next day we are at MK so we'll walk, following day is HS so that is the first day I'd need a car. Hate to pay for it for 2 days I don't use it, but don't want to waste a morning being driven all over Orlando to go to an office, fill out paperwork and then finally get a car. Done that before and in some cases it takes longer than buying a new car.

Keep in mind that with most rental car pricing, the price for five days is about the same cost as a week. So those two days might not really cost you anything. And why would you have ME deal with your luggage when you could put it into your rental car and have it available the moment you arrive?

There are a few other rental agencies in the Disney area (at hotels on Hotel Plaza Boulevard) that will pick you up and take you to their location to rent the car. So you aren't limited to Alamo.

 

[Delirium]

We always drive to Orlando (13 hour trip) so we already have the car. And, yes, we use it to go to the parks, even Magic Kingdom. It allows for a lot more flexibility, ensure we're not late for rope drop, and we are able to park-hop much easier. We rarely do much out of WDW, so that's not really an incentive. I just like the feeling of control that having a car allows.

 

[GillianP1301]

I disagree; I think taking the bus has everything to with patience. If a person expects a bus to pull up to a bus stop within seconds of them getting there and complains if it doesn't, then they shouldn't be taking the bus. If a person is going to rely on the buses, they should expect there to be some waiting involved.

I really don't think it has anything to do with patience, I think it has to do with convenience. Some people find the bus more convenient and some people find a car more convenient.

A car will save you time, no doubt, lots (included myself) have proven that first hand, but that may not be a big enough convenience to someone who finds not having to get behind the wheel at all during their vacation a big convenience. Like most things in life, to each their own.

 

[Planogirl]

Related question but didn;t want to start a thread if it's been answered, does anyone know if any car companies actually bring a car to you at one of the resorts> We are staying at BLT. I want to use ME to get there (Mostly for the luggage benefits) the next day we are at MK so we'll walk, following day is HS so that is the first day I'd need a car. Hate to pay for it for 2 days I don't use it, but don't want to waste a morning being driven all over Orlando to go to an office, fill out paperwork and then finally get a car. Done that before and in some cases it takes longer than buying a new car.

We picked up our car at the Alamo rental in the Dolphin Hotel. We spent the morning at Epcot and strolled over to the Dolphin to pick up the car when the time was right. I set pickup for 2PM.

It was quick and easy both for pickup and drop off.

 

[MillauFr]

Unless the bus shows up within 5 minutes I consider it a waste of time. Disney has no cell phone apps letting you know when the next bus will arrive. In Seattle when I used to take the bus I use One Bus Away to determine when to leave my office so I never had to wait more than 90 seconds for the bus to arrive. I wish Disney used One Bus Away so users could determine when the next bus would arrive.

 

[ammeador2]

Alamo and National are both on Disney property and they will pick you up. The only time we rent a car is if we are going to Universal. I personally don't hassle with driving on site, I prefer the buses and we have always had excellent experiences with the Disney transportation.

 

[usagibuffy]

We will rent a car only when we want to leave the resort. I (will) have 3 little kids, so figuring out car seats is a pain in the butt, and having a car of our own would mean no late nights in the park, as DH does not do well in traffic in unfamiliar areas (especially at night) and I have trouble driving when tired. We will use baby carriers to manage sleepy children on the buses.

 

[rachel09985]

I (mostly) love taking Disney buses! I would never rent a car unless I was going to Universal. Sure, it sometimes stinks to wait in a line at the end of the day but they are never truly that long! Honestly, disney buses are part of the magic for me!

 

[TooExcitedCantSleep]

So another post got me thinking about car rentals and where people stand.

When staying on property does it make sense for a car rental?

I personally think it doesn't make sense at all.
-The wait for busses range from 0-20 mins (but I seemed to notice it was more like 5-10 usually except downtown disney and water parks where it might be a little over the 20 mins even, this was in July by the way)
-Busses pick you up at the resort door and drop you off at the park entrance (parking could have you way out from the park forcing you to find a tram or walk for a long ways)
-Busses/Boats/Monorail allow you to all relax together on the way to the park (to gather your thoughts)
-Busses/Boats/Monorail allow you to not have to worry about traffic or directions or where to park or any of the 1 in a 1,000,000 things that could possibly go wrong (I don't want to worry about a flat tire or someone scratching the rental door)

The reasons I could think about getting a rental FOR THE DAY:
+your going offsite and don't want to take a taxi (rental likely cheaper)
+you are planning on going to dinner at another resort for a special night and don't want to have to hope around to get from one resort to another
+you have an extremely early reservation and don't want to have to worry about what time the first bus pulls around and don't want to taxi it

I voted no......empty buses are lovely but the overcrowded buses especially at the end of the night are terrible!!!! Not all buses will be crowded and not all buses will be empty-----overall the buses are OK but so is renting a car.

 

[maryandtyson]

We rent a car every time. It enables us to visit the WPs multiple times per trip. My DDs love the WPs , even more than MK! The bus transport is generally good, but the water park transport is pretty bad, plus we are wet and have lots of extra stuff. So, it is a car for us!

 

[bluwater]

We usually rent a car, even when we don't use it every day. Typically, if we stay at one of the monorail hotels, we won't use the car for MK, EP but will for DHS, AK and DTD + resort visits for meals, etc. in other words, we aren't big fans of the busses. We travel to WDW in the height of crowds and those busses can get so packed - like the NY subway. We have also waited in line for busses and have had to watch 3 busses fill up in front of me before one has room for us. That's no fun!

Also, renting a car can be very inexpensive if you plan it. I just rented for our upcoming trip: 8 nights, 9 days for $150 after all taxes and fees. From hertz.

 

[MartDM]

We always rent a car. Many reasons:

-Freedom of not being hostages to the DME schedule
-Being able to drive directly to/from the water parks (no extra stops on the way there, no being freezing & wet on the way home)
-Getting to/from DTD without a long bus ride trying to juggle our bags
-Going to meals at other resorts without an hour of transport involved
-Being able to go off site to pick up things we might need (have had a couple medical situations or forgot critical items

I could go on and on. It all boils down to freedom. We use Disney transport a lot while we are there, but we make good use of the car when it's advantageous.