car vs cab vs towncar, etc. HELP!

[mbelec]

We're trying to decide whether it's worthwhile to rent car(s) for our trip or not.

There are 9 of us (next May), staying at SOG. We are staying 11 days. Here are the choices I need help with:

Should we rent 2 cars (minivans only have 8 belts, and we all want to wear them, plus those huge vans seem very expensive) for the entire time?

We plan to visit Seaworld, Universal, and Busch Gardens (one day each), plus two theme dinners (Pirates and Arabian Nights). Plan to hit the water parks on-site, do the rest of the dinners on-site (probably, unless I can find good bargains off-site; most at Epcot).

Other choices: towncar to and from airport, combine three theme parks above (do them all in a row) and rent cars for just those 3 days, then take cabs to the theme dinners.

What would cab fare to and from SOG to the theme dinners cost us? Anyone know?

We plan to eat breakfasts at SOG (since there's a fridge and coffee maker in each room), so we'd probably need to hit the grocery store more than one time to keep stocked with b.fast stuff, snack stuff.

Another choice: Have the towncar pick one family up at the airport, rent one car for the entire trip for the other family, then a second car for just the three days above, thus giving us transportation to the store, water parks (as others here suggest to save time), etc.

All this is whirling around so fast in my head I'm confusing myself! Are there other alternatives I haven't thought of? I'm open to suggestions. Still waiting the arrival of my entertainment book for rental car codes, plus could probably get National cheaper since I work for the Dept. of Vets Affairs and they have a contract with National. Also haven't explored DH's military rate options with SOG.

Help!

 

[disneyberry]

yikes! is the budget really that tight?
if not, i would definitely go for renting 2 cars the entire time.
you can probably just rent 2 compact or intermediate cars.

because you're doing 3 offsite parks, it'd just be so much simpler to have a car, and be able to be flexible w/ your schedule.

i don't know if i would want to do all 3 offsite parks in a row.

it's your vacation, you want to be able to relax, and be spontaneous! and not worry about being on a strict set schedule.
what if, after you spend a tiring day riding the coasters at Busch Gardens.. you just really are not up to going immediately to another offsite park. maybe you want to "retreat" back to Disney for a day or two.

anyway i vote for the simple route. rent 2 cars the entire time. JMHO

 

[CarolMN]

Without doing all of the math, my instinct would be to rent two full size cars (or maybe one minivan and one full size car). With all of the off site places you plan to go, the fares for the cabs and towncar trips will "probably" add up to at least the rental cost anyway. Personally, I would not want to hassle with renting for parts of the trip - you will use up precious vacation time returning and filling out the paperwork.

Two vehicles will provide an additional advantage - convenience! Not everyone will need to go to the same place or arrive and depart at the same time. In my experience traveling with a larger group (who all got along great) is that it is very difficult to coordinate everyone's schedules. Some like to sleep later, some just move slower than the others. Also, everyone may not want to go to the grocery store or eat out at the same place.

Whatever you end up deciding, have a wonderful time!

 

[Heather]

I had a similar problem with a trip elsewhere (where there was no towncar service) earlier this year and found that, for our group of 10, no single car would work, but that it was a LOT cheaper to rent a compact (seating four) and a full-size (seating 6) than to do anything else. I imagine the cabs/towncars would add up and would try for two cars UNLESS the cost to rent the smaller of the two cars for the full trip is significantly more than the cost to rent it for three days PLUS the cost of the towncar roundtrip (usually at least $90 + tip). Also, you don't have to rent both from the same company -- you can either speak to a representative of a particular company (after researching rates on the internet) and ask if they will give you, say, a 10% discount if you rent both cars from them or you may also find that Company A rents full-size cars cheaper than Company B, but Company B rents compacts cheaper than Company A. I know that sounds really confusing, but I hope it helps a little!

Last but not least, a word of advice: if you use a company like Orbitz, Travelocity, Qixo, etc. to rent the car, get it somewhere in writing exactly what kind of car you will be getting (or at least a list of the specific cars they can give you). We know some people who rented a full-sized SUV from Budget through Travelocity (not the mid-sized SUV, which was listed as a Escape -- making you wonder what a small sized SUV was -- but a mid-sized, listed as seating 7 people plus luggage) and Budget tried to give them the smaller size. THey ended up having to pay quite a bit extra for the vehicle they thought they had rented (and for which they had paperwork, but none proclaiming the make/model of the vehicle) as the other one didn't hold their entire party. Even though these companies often are cheaper, it is usually better to get information from the rental company itself.

Good luck and have a great time!

 

[pumpkinboy]

On the Alamo website, I am getting a quote for $993.99 for the 11 day rental period, but would be $609.99 for a week then maybe Limo service on one leg (to or from) the Airport. Also, those rates are pre-discount; you can likely find some discount or other thru your travel agent, Disney or perhaps there is a military rate. Plus you save some on parking, and you'll only need one designated driver. There may be cheaper rates for a full-size van out there, but I tend to go with Alamo based on service and experience. Good luck!